Improved scientific ballooning applied to the cryo-sampling experiment at Syowa Station

On January 3, 1998, a large balloon (30000 m^3) was successfully launched at Syowa Station for the cryo-sampling of the stratospheric atmosphere. The sampling system splashed down in the Liitzow-Holm Bay and recovered by icebreaker SHIRASE. The cryo-sampling at Antarctica was the first trial in the world and the recovery of a heavy payload was also the first challenge at Syowa Station. A lot of new ballooning technologies were applied to this operation, such as compact balloon launching equipments, a reliable recovery system, a handy ground radio station for the balloon tracking and data acquisition and so forth. The realtime flight data could be received at National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) in Tokyo by using the computer network via INMARSAT. At NIPR the collaboration members could monitor the entire process of the experiment at Syowa Station in detail and send some instructions and advice. This balloon experiment showed an extended possibility of a large scale scientific ballooning at Syowa Station. This paper deals with those newly developed balloon engineering technologies

Oxygen and Air Nanobubble Water Solution Promote the Growth of Plants, Fishes, and Mice

Nanobubbles (<200 nm in diameter) have several unique properties such as long lifetime in liquid owing to its negatively charged surface, and its high gas solubility into the liquid owing to its high internal pressure. They are used in variety of fields including diagnostic aids and drug delivery, while there are no reports assessing their effects on the growth of lives. Nanobubbles of air or oxygen gas were generated using a nanobubble aerator (BUVITAS; Ligaric Company Limited, Osaka, Japan). Brassica campestris were cultured hydroponically for 4 weeks within air-nanobubble water or within normal water. Sweetfish (for 3 weeks) and rainbow trout (for 6 weeks) were kept either within air-nanobubble water or within normal water. Finally, 5 week-old male DBA1/J mice were bred with normal free-chaw and free-drinking either of oxygen-nanobubble water or of normal water for 12 weeks. Oxygen-nanobubble significantly increased the dissolved oxygen concentration of water as well as concentration/size of nanobubbles which were relatively stable for 70 days. Air-nanobubble water significantly promoted the height (19.1 vs. 16.7 cm; P<0.05), length of leaves (24.4 vs. 22.4 cm; P<0.01), and aerial fresh weight (27.3 vs. 20.3 g; P<0.01) of Brassica campestris compared to normal water. Total weight of sweetfish increased from 3.0 to 6.4 kg in normal water, whereas it increased from 3.0 to 10.2 kg in air-nanobubble water. In addition, total weight of rainbow trout increased from 50.0 to 129.5 kg in normal water, whereas it increased from 50.0 to 148.0 kg in air-nanobubble water. Free oral intake of oxygen-nanobubble water significantly promoted the weight (23.5 vs. 21.8 g; P<0.01) and the length (17.0 vs. 16.1 cm; P<0.001) of mice compared to that of normal water. We have demonstrated for the first time that oxygen and air-nanobubble water may be potentially effective tools for the growth of lives.Ebina K., Shi K., Hirao M., et al. (2013) Oxygen and Air Nanobubble Water Solution Promote the Growth of Plants, Fishes, and Mice. PLoS ONE 8(6): e65339. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065339

IL-6 negatively regulates osteoblast differentiation through the SHP2/MEK2 and SHP2/Akt2 pathways in vitro

It has been suggested that interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including osteoporosis not only in inflamed joints but also in the whole body. However, previous in vitro studies regarding the effects of IL-6 on osteoblast differentiation are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to examine the effects and signal transduction of IL-6 on osteoblast differentiation in MC3T3-E1 cells and primary murine calvarial osteoblasts. IL-6 and its soluble receptor significantly reduced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, the expression of osteoblastic genes (Runx2, osterix, and osteocalcin), and mineralization in a dose-dependent manner, which indicates negative effects of IL-6 on osteoblast differentiation. Signal transduction studies demonstrated that IL-6 activated not only two major signaling pathways, SHP2/MEK/ERK and JAK/STAT3, but also the SHP2/PI3K/Akt2 signaling pathway. The negative effect of IL-6 on osteoblast differentiation was restored by inhibition of MEK as well as PI3K, while it was enhanced by inhibition of STAT3. Knockdown of MEK2 and Akt2 transfected with siRNA enhanced ALP activity and gene expression of Runx2. These results indicate that IL-6 negatively regulates osteoblast differentiation through SHP2/MEK2/ERK and SHP2/PI3K/Akt2 pathways, while affecting it positively through JAK/STAT3. Inhibition of MEK2 and Akt2 signaling in osteoblasts might be of potential use in the treatment of osteoporosis in RA. © 2013 The Japanese Society for Bone and Mineral Research and Springer.This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00774-013-0514-1Kaneshiro S., Ebina K., Shi K., et al. IL-6 negatively regulates osteoblast differentiation through the SHP2/MEK2 and SHP2/Akt2 pathways in vitro. Journal of Bone and Mineral Metabolism 32, 378 (2014); https://doi.org/10.1007/s00774-013-0514-1

Progranulin plays crucial roles in preserving bone mass by inhibiting TNF-α-induced osteoclastogenesis and promoting osteoblastic differentiation in mice

A close correlation between atherosclerosis, inflammation, and osteoporosis has been recognized, although the precise mechanism remains unclear. The growth factor progranulin (PGRN) is expressed in various cells such as macrophages, leukocytes, and chondrocytes. PGRN plays critical roles in a variety of diseases, such as atherosclerosis and arthritis by inhibiting Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) signaling. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of PGRN on bone metabolism. Forty-eight-week old female homozygous PGRN knockout mice (PGRN-KO) (n = 8) demonstrated severe low bone mass in the distal femur compared to age- and sex-matched wild type C57BL/6J mice (WT) (n = 8) [BV/TV (%): 5.8 vs. 16.6; p < 0.001, trabecular number (1/mm): 1.6 vs. 3.8; p < 0.001]. In vitro, PGRN inhibited TNF-α-induced osteoclastogenesis from spleen cells of PGRN-KO mice. Moreover, PGRN significantly promoted ALP activity, osteoblast-related mRNA (ALP, osteocalcin) expression in a dose-dependent manner and up-regulated osteoblastic differentiation by down-regulating phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in mouse calvarial cells. In conclusion, PGRN may be a promising treatment target for both atherosclerosis and inflammation-related osteoporosis.Noguchi T., Ebina K., Hirao M., et al. Progranulin plays crucial roles in preserving bone mass by inhibiting TNF-α-induced osteoclastogenesis and promoting osteoblastic differentiation in mice. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 465, 638 (2015); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2015.08.077

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and tumor necrosis factor-α in combination is a useful diagnostic biomarker to distinguish familial Mediterranean fever from sepsis

Objective: To identify potential biomarkers to distinguish familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) from sepsis.Method: We recruited 28 patients diagnosed with typical FMF (according to the Tel Hashomer criteria), 22 patients with sepsis, and 118 age-matched controls. Serum levels of 40 cytokines were analyzed using multi-suspension cytokine array. We performed a cluster analysis of each cytokine in the FMF and sepsis groups in order to identify specific molecular networks. Multivariate classification (random forest analysis) and logistic regression analysis were used to rank the cytokines by importance and determine specific biomarkers for distinguishing FMF from sepsis.Results: Fifteen of the 40 cytokines were found to be suitable for further analysis. Levels of serum granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), fibroblast growth factor 2, vascular endothelial growth factor, macrophage inflammatory protein-1b, and interleukin-17 were significantly elevated, whereas tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) was significantly lower in patients with FMF compared with those with sepsis. Cytokine clustering patterns differed between the two groups. Multivariate classification followed by logistic regression analysis revealed that measurement of both GM-CSF and TNF-α could distinguish FMF from sepsis with high accuracy (cut-off values for GM-CSF = 8.3 pg/mL; TNF-α = 16.3 pg/mL; sensitivity, 92.9%; specificity, 94.4%; accuracy, 93.4%).Conclusion: Determination of GM-CSF and TNF-α levels in combination may represent a biomarker for the differential diagnosis of FMF from sepsis, based on measurement of multiple cytokines

若年女性の生活習慣と脂質代謝の関連に関する検討

The purpose of this study is to review the factors influencing lipid metabolism of young women in terms of both exercise and nutrition. From the side of nutrition，we reviewed how lipid metabolism is influenced by taking a commercial fish oil supplement（LIQUAMEN）. Total cholesterol deteriorated significantly by taking LIQUAMEN. Improvement of lipid metabolism by LIQUAMEN was suggested. The value of HDL-cholesterol，adiponectin，and leptin were significantly lower in the group of living activity strength Ⅱ while the values of TG and TNF-α increased significantly. This result suggested the possibility that lipid metabolism deteriorated in subjects whose activity was below a certain amount. It also suggested the possibility that lipid metabolism improved in those whose activity was above a certain amount. In the body fat-to-weight ratio， the living activity strengthⅢ・ Ⅳ group showed a significantly lower tendency compared to the group of living activity strength Ⅱ and the group of living activity strengthⅢ・ Ⅳ . This finding suggested that if activity was greater than a certain amount，the body fat-to-weight ratio tended to be comparatively low

Modelling of greenhouse gases and related species in the Arctic environment

Numerical modelling of greenhouse gases (GHGs) has become an integral part for understanding amplitude and variability in their concentrations and sources/sinks, atmospheric transport and climate implication. Carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are the three major species studied in the Arctic Green Network of Excellence (GRENE), a programme funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology-Japan (MEXT). In addition some of the ozone depleting substances, e.g., methyl chloroform (CH3CCl3), have provided strong constrain on the global mean abundance of hydroxyl (OH) radical and its relative abundance in the northern and southern hemispheres (NH/SH OH ratio; Patra et al., 2014). Being the main destroyer of many of the GHGs (e.g., CH4, hydrofluorocarbons), accurate quantification of OH was needed for estimation of CH4 sink in the troposphere, and thus the sources on the Earth’s surface by inverse modelling (Patra et al., 2016). OH is also contributes to chemical production of CO2, up to ~50% of land/ocean sink. The modellers are also required to verify the accuracy of model transport using tracers of short (e.g., 222Rn with 3.8 days) and long (SF6 with 3200 yrs) lifetimes. For understanding of the carbon cycle science, analyses of oxygen (O2/N2) variability are also conducted. List of chemistry-transport models (CTMs) participating in the Arctic GRENE programme are given Table 1.O08-05, Final Symposium on GRENE-Arctic Climate Change Research Project = GRENE北極気候変動研究事業研究成果報告会 (3-4 March, 2016, National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics, Tachikawa, Japan