Novel animal model of combined generalized and focal epilepsy

Thioredoxin, encoded by Txn1, is a critical antioxidant that protects against oxidative damage by regulating the dithiol/disulfide balance of interacting proteins. We recently discovered the Adem rat, an epileptic rat harboring the Txn1-F54L mutation, characterized by wild running and vacuolar degeneration in the midbrain. This study aimed to characterize the classification of epilepsy in Adem rats. We performed simultaneous video-electroencephalographic recordings, magnetic resonance imaging, neurotransmitter measurements using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and immunohistochemistry. Adem rats exhibited absence, tonic, and focal seizures. The type of epilepsy was classified as combined generalized and focal epilepsy. Neurotransmitters in the midbrain and cortex were measured at 3 weeks of age, when neuronal cell death occurs in the midbrain. The results of GC-MS ruled out the dominance of the excitatory system in the midbrain and cortex of Adem rats. Activation of astrocytes and microglia was more pronounced at 5 weeks of age, at which time epileptic seizures occurred frequently. The underlying pathology in Adem rats remains unknown. However, glial cell activation and inflammation may play a significant role in the occurrence of epilepsy

Activation of the pentose phosphate pathway in macrophages is crucial for granuloma formation in sarcoidosis

肉芽腫形成に特異的な代謝経路の発見 --ペントースリン酸回路の制御による新規治療--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-12-01.More than skin-deep: Kyoto researchers discover metabolic pathway specific to granuloma formation in patients. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-12-07.Sarcoidosis is a disease of unknown etiology in which granulomas form throughout the body and is typically treated with glucocorticoids, but there are no approved steroid-sparing alternatives. Here, we investigated the mechanism of granuloma formation using single-cell RNA-Seq in sarcoidosis patients. We observed that the percentages of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2–positive (TREM2-positive) macrophages expressing angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and lysozyme, diagnostic makers of sarcoidosis, were increased in cutaneous sarcoidosis granulomas. Macrophages in the sarcoidosis lesion were hypermetabolic, especially in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). Expression of the PPP enzymes, such as fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase 1 (FBP1), was elevated in both systemic granuloma lesions and serum of sarcoidosis patients. Granuloma formation was attenuated by the PPP inhibitors in in vitro giant cell and in vivo murine granuloma models. These results suggest that the PPP may be a promising target for developing therapeutics for sarcoidosis

Current Performance and On-Going Improvements of the 8.2 m Subaru Telescope

An overview of the current status of the 8.2 m Subaru Telescope constructed and operated at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan is presented. The basic design concept and the verified performance of the telescope system are described. Also given are the status of the instrument package offered to the astronomical community, the status of operation, and some of the future plans. The status of the telescope reported in a number of SPIE papers as of the summer of 2002 are incorporated with some updates included as of 2004 February. However, readers are encouraged to check the most updated status of the telescope through the home page, http://subarutelescope.org/index.html, and/or the direct contact with the observatory staff.Comment: 18 pages (17 pages in published version), 29 figures (GIF format), This is the version before the galley proo

ミオキミア、ニューロミオトニア、自発性てんかん様発作を優性で示すKcna1変異ラット

京都大学0048新制・課程博士博士(医学)甲第16719号医博第3667号新制||医||992(附属図書館)29394京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻(主査)教授 渡邉 大, 教授 髙橋 良輔, 教授 村井 俊哉学位規則第4条第1項該当Doctor of Medical ScienceKyoto UniversityDA