A Chain of Dark Clouds in Projection Against the Galactic Center

In the J, H, and Ks bands survey of the the Galactic Center region over an area of 2deg x 5deg, we have found many dark clouds, among which a distinguished chain of dark clouds can be identified with a quiescent CO cloud. The distances of the clouds is estimated to be 3.2-4.2 kpc, corresponding to the Norma arm by our new method to determine distance to dark clouds using the cumulative number of stars against J-Ks colors. Adopting these estimated distances, the size is about 70 pc in length and the total mass of the cloud is 6x10^4 M_solar. Three compact HII regions harbor in the cloud, indicating that star forming activities are going on at the cores of the quiescent CO cloud on the spiral arm.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in PAS

Development of intramuscular probe for local muscle function

臨床においては,筋機能や機能不全を診断するために,表面筋電図や針筋電図,筋生検などが行われている｡しかし,これらの方法では筋機能や筋収縮メカニズムを連続的に測定することは難しい｡本研究では新たに筋内挿入型プローブと測定システムを開発した｡測定プローブは光ファイバと6本の白金細線から構成されている｡光ファイバを用いて筋の局所血流量と筋内圧力を測定し,6個の電極を用いて運動単位活動電位を測定した｡プローブと測定システムの基礎特性を確認した後,麻酔下のラットの排腹筋において,安静時および局所虚血時の活動電位,血流量,筋内圧力を測定した｡また脛骨神経を電気刺激し,活動電位波形から伝播速度を算出したところ,プローブは正常に動作していることが確認できた｡さらに筋小胞体からのカルシウム放出チャネルを抑制するdantroleneを筋注すると,筋内圧力波形は大きく減少したが,活動電位波形はほとんど変化しないことがわかった｡In order to diagnose muscle function or dysfunction, surface/needle electromyograms, muscle biopsy, biochemical markers inspection, muscle tone, etc. are carried out. It is difficult to measure muscle function continuously by using these methods. In this study, an intramuscular probe and measurement system were developed. The probe is composed of optical fibers and six small platinum electrodes. The probe, the tip of which is protected by epoxy resin, is inserted in a cannula of 1.26mm in diameter. By using the fibers, the local blood flow in a muscle and the intramuscular pressure were measured. By using six electrodes (50μm in diameter), a motor unit action potential was measured. The time-course changes of the action potential, blood flow and intramuscular pressure were measured in the gastrocnemius muscle of rats under the resting and the local ischemia. The tibial nerve was stimulated electrically using the current of the unipolar and negative polarity with 50μs pulse duration every 2 seconds and the propagation velocity of the action potential was calculated from the potential waves. The animal tests using rats were carried out in order to verify the developed probe and system. Under the local ischemia, the action potential, the blood flow and the intramuscular pressure decreased and the propagation velocity became slower. When dantrolene sodium was injected, which inhibits the calcium release channel of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, the intramuscular pressure decreased but the action potential wave was still detectable

平成28年度 国際教育推進委員会活動報告

9年前に国際教育推進委員会を発足してから、「グローバル人材の育成」を目指し、筑波大学附属坂戸高等学校では総合学科の特長を生かしながらさまざまな国際教育・ESDの取り組みを行ってきた。一昨年度、スーパーグローバルハイスクール(SGH) に指定された。また、本年度は国際バカロレア日本語DPの認定校となった。今後、本校の国際教育活動が何を目指していくか、形が見えてくるまでしばらく時間を要すると思われる。本稿では、第5回高校生国際ESDシンポジウム、第2回全国SGH校生徒成果発表会、国際的視野にたった卒業研究支援プログラムを中心にまとめ、今後の国際教育の在り方の方向性もまとめた

Mikulicz ビョウ ノ チリョウ チュウ ニ カン ショウガイ デ ハッショウ シタ ジコ メンエキセイ スイエン ノ 1レイ

69 歳,女性.2004 年に他院耳鼻科にてシェーグレン症候群と診断され治療中であった.2010 年5月に肝機能障害を指摘されたために当科を受診した.初診時に両側上眼瞼の腫脹と両側耳下腺の腫大(約1 cm)を認めた.血液生化学検査では胆道系酵素の上昇を認め,またIgG は2308 mg/dl,IgG4 は498 mg/dl と高値を呈した.造影CT では膵はびまん性に腫大していた.内視鏡的逆行性膵胆管造影で膵管に特徴的な狭細像を認めたため自己免疫性膵炎と診断した.本症例の眼瞼腫脹と顎下腺腫脹は現在の診断基準ではMikulicz 病と診断が可能である.Mikulicz 病と自己免疫性膵炎の合併は少なくないものの,本邦における文献報告例は本例で11 例目である.A 69-year-old woman presented with a chief complaintof liver dysfunction in May 2010. Both palpebrae superiorand the parotid gland had been swollen for six years. Bloodtests showed increased levels of biliary system enzymesand serum IgG and IgG4. Enhanced computed tomographyrevealed a diffusely enlarged pancreas. A narrowed pancreaticduct revealed by endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatographywas diagnosed as autoimmune pancreatitis.The swollen eyelid and enlarged submandibular gland indicateda diagnosis of Mikulicz\u27s disease. Case reports of Mikulicz\u27sdisease complicated with autoimmune pancreatitisare very rare

平成29年度 国際教育推進委員会活動報告

本校では、10年前に国際教育推進委員会を発足してから、各方面で声高に叫ばれている「グローバル人材の育成」を目指し、筑波大学附属坂戸高等学校では総合学科の特長を生かしながらさまざまな国際教育・ESDの取り組みを行ってきた。平成26年度には、スーパーグローバルハイスクール(SGH)に指定され、平成29年2月には国際バカロレア日本語DP認定校となり、平成30年度からその1期生が入学する。今後、本校の国際教育活動がどのように動いていくか、すべてが見通せるまではしばらくの時間を要すると思われる。本稿ｆｒは、本年度はじめてジャカルタで実施した、第1回インドネシア日本高校生SDGsミーティングおよび、10回目を迎えた海外卒業研究支援制度について報告した

HNK-1 sulfotransferase-dependent sulfation regulating laminin-binding glycans occurs in the post-phosphoryl moiety on α-dystroglycan.

Dystroglycan (DG) is a cell surface glycoprotein that connects extracellular matrix molecules to the intracellular cytoskeleton, functioning as mechanical and signaling axes in various physiological events. Since the ligand-binding activity of DG strictly depends on O-mannosyl glycans attached to its extracellular α-DG subunit, aberrant glycosylation causes dystroglycanopathy, a subclass of congenital muscular dystrophy. Accumulating evidence shows that like-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (LARGE), a glycosyltransferase involved in the biosynthesis of a phosphodiester-linked modification on O-mannose, is essential for α-DG to gain the ligand-binding activity. We previously reported that human natural killer-1 sulfotransferase (HNK-1ST), which was originally reported as one of the enzymes responsible for HNK-1 glycoepitope, had an ability to suppress the glycosylation and the function of α-DG. In this study, we investigated how HNK-1ST regulates the glycosylation of α-DG using deletion and mutation analyses. We generated an α-DG mutant which has only one threonine residue capable of being modified by LARGE. Focusing on the single post-phosphoryl modification site, we found that HNK-1ST showed an almost complete inhibition of the LARGE-dependent modification and transferred a sulfate group to the phosphodiester-linked moiety on O-mannose. Furthermore, using an in vitro enzymatic assay system, we demonstrated that the sulfated α-DG by HNK-1ST is no longer glycosylated by LARGE. These results illustrate one possible glycosylation pathway where α-DG function is regulated by opposing actions of HNK-1ST and LARGE

Sulfation of glucuronic acid in the linkage tetrasaccharide by HNK-1 sulfotransferase is an inhibitory signal for the expression of a chondroitin sulfate chain on thrombomodulin.

HNK-1 (human natural killer-1) carbohydrate epitope (HSO[3]-3GlcAβ1-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc-) recognized by a HNK-1 monoclonal antibody is highly expressed in the nervous system and biosynthesized by a glucuronyltransferase (GlcAT-P or GlcAT-S), and sulfotransferase (HNK-1ST). A similar oligosaccharide (HSO[3])-3GlcAβ1-3Galβ1-3Galβ1-4Xyl) also recognized by the HNK-1 antibody had been found in a glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-protein linkage region of α-thrombomodulin (TM) from human urine. However, which sulfotransferase is involved in sulfation of the terminal GlcA in the GAG-protein linkage region remains unclear. In this study, using CHO-K1 cells in which neither GlcAT-P nor GlcAT-S is endogenously expressed, we found that HNK-1ST has the ability to produce HNK-1 immunoreactivity on α-TM. We also demonstrated that HNK-1ST caused the suppression of chondroitin sulfate (CS) synthesis on TM and a reduction of its anti-coagulant activity. Moreover, using an in vitro enzyme assay system, the HNK-1-positive TM was found not to be utilized as a substrate for CS-polymerizing enzymes (chondroitin synthase (ChSy) and chondroitin polymerizing factor (ChPF)). These results suggest that HNK-1ST is involved in 3-O-sulfation of the terminal GlcA of the linkage tetrasaccharide which acts as an inhibitory signal for the initiation of CS biosynthesis on TM