Synthesis of a Stimulus-responsive Processing Device and Its Application to a Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttle Peptide

Stimulus-responsive processing (peptide bond cleavage) devices were developed. The processing reaction was triggered by stimulus-induced removal of a PG and the processing products were obtained in good purity. A photo-responsive processing device was successfully applied to develop a nucleocytoplasmic shuttle peptide. (F: fluorophore, NES: nuclear export signal. NLS: nuclear localization signal. PG: stimulusresponsive protective group

Introduction for Fisheries and Aquatic Biology

Chapter I. Aquatic Environment. Ken FURUYA and Ichiro YASUDA : chapter_1.pdfChapter II. Biology and Ecology of Aqua-Shere. Toyoji KANEKO, Katsumi TSUKAMOTO, Atsushi TSUDA, Yuzuru SUZUKI and Katsufumi SATOH : chapter_2.pdfChapter III. Aquatic Resource and Production. Ichiro AOKI, Kazuo OGAWA, Taku YAMAKAWA and Tomoyoshi YOSHINAGA : chapter_3.pdfChapter IV. Chemistry of Aquatic Organism and Their Utilization. Hiroki ABE, Shugo WATABE, Yoshihiro OCHIAI, Shigeru OKADA, Naoko YOSHIKAWA, Yoshiharu KINOSHITA, Gen KANEKO and Shigeki MATSUNAGA : chapter_4.pdfChapter V. Relation between Aqua-Shere and Human Life. Hisashi KUROKURA, Hirohide MATSUSHIMA, Shingo KUROHAGI, Haruko YAMASHITA, Akinori HINO, Kazumasa IKUTA, Satoquo SEINO, Masahiko ARIJI, Ken FURUYA, Junichiro OKAMOTO and Nobuyuki YAGI : chapter_5.pdfPart of "Introduction for Fisheries and Aquatic Biology

Synthesis of Cysteine-Rich Peptides by Native Chemical Ligation without Use of Exogenous Thiols

Native chemical ligation (NCL) performed without resorting to the use of thiol additives was demonstrated to be an efficient and effective procedure for synthesizing Cys-rich peptides. This method using tris­(2-carboxyethyl)­phosphine (TCEP) as a reducing agent facilitates the ligation reaction even at the Thr-Cys or Ile-Cys site and enables one-pot synthesis of Cys-rich peptides throughout NCL and oxidative folding

Histological evaluation of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound on osteochondritis dissecans of the humeral capitellum

Background: The clinical use of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) was recently evaluated in cases of osteochondritis dissecans of the humeral capitellum (elbow OCD). However, the mechanism underlying the effect of LIPUS in elbow OCD is not well understood. The aim of this study was to histopathologically evaluate the effect of LIPUS irradiation on elbow OCD. Methods: Fifteen patients with elbow OCD were enrolled in this study. All patients were juvenile baseball players (average age, 13.1 years). LIPUS was performed under the same conditions as the fracture treatment for an average length of 15.1 days in the preoperative period in seven patients (LIPUS group). Cylindrical tissue specimens obtained at the time of surgery were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and alcian blue, and were also immunostained to detect type 1 collagen (Col-1), osteopontin (OPN), and Runx2. The state of the cartilage and subchondral bone and expression levels of Col-1, OPN, and Runx2 were evaluated with a semiquantitative grading system by a blinded pathologist. Histological and immunohistological findings in both groups were compared using Fisher’s exact test. Results: Both groups showed reparative tissue and cartilaginous metaplasia at the separation level near the subchondral bone; Col-1 was expressed in the reparative tissue. Furthermore, OPN and Runx2 were expressed in the interstitial cells near the separation level. The cartilage and subchondral bone findings in histological evaluations did not differ significantly between the LIPUS and control groups. The distribution of OPN expression levels in the two groups was as follows: Grade 0—LIPUS group, zero patients, and control group, five patients; Grade 1—LIPUS group and control group, two patients each; Grade 2—LIPUS group, five patients and control group, one patient; Grade 3—LIPUS group, one patient and control group, zero patients. OPN expression was significantly higher in the LIPUS group than in the control group (p = 0.04). Conclusion: LIPUS stimulation increased the expression levels of OPN in elbow OCD

Characteristics of elongated and ruptured anterior cruciate ligament grafts: An analysis of 21 consecutive revision cases

Background/objective: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions often fail without graft rupture. The purpose of this study was to compare the characteristics of patients with elongated and ruptured bone-patellar tendon-bone (BTB) grafts that required revision surgery. Methods: Twenty one patients who required revisions of a BTB-reconstructed ACL between 2010 and 2015 were enrolled in this study. All patients were evaluated for bone tunnel position using computed tomography. Tunnel angle was calculated with radiographs. Stability under anaesthesia, and meniscus and cartilage condition were evaluated during the revision surgery. Age at primary surgery, time between primary and revision surgery, activity level, original tunnel position of the graft, and meniscus and cartilage condition were compared between elongated and ruptured grafts. Results: Age at primary surgery was not significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.528). Time between primary and revision surgery as well as activity level were also not significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.010 and p = 0.307, respectively). Femoral bone tunnel position was more proximal (p = 0.003), and radiographic tunnel angle was not significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.029). The rupture group was significantly more unstable on the pivot shift (p < 0.003). Meniscus degeneration, meniscus tear, and cartilage damage were not significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.030, p = 0.311, and p = 0.505, respectively). Conclusion: The location of the original femoral tunnel was more proximal in patients with elongated grafts than in those with ruptured grafts. Different bone tunnel position from native ACL might lead to graft elongation

Hyaluronic acid induces the release of growth factors from platelet-rich plasma

Background/Objective: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and hyaluronic acid (HA) injection are both therapeutic options for osteoarthritis and chronic tendinopathy. Although several comparative studies on the two have been published, the effects of mixing PRP and HA are not fully understood. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of HA on platelets in PRP by measuring releasing growth factors. Methods: PRP was produced from nine healthy adult volunteers (mean age, 32.8±2.9 years; range, 29–37) with a commercial separation system. HA of weight-average molecular weight of 50–120 kDa was used. PRP group (PRP 1 mL + phosphate buffered saline 0.2 mL) and PRP + HA group (PRP 1 mL + HA 0.2 mL) were incubated at 37°C for 2 hours. The amounts of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-AA) released from the PRP and PRP + HA samples were measured on Day 0, Day 3, and Day 5. In addition, the same growth factors on Day 5 were measured for PRP + high HA group (PRP 1 mL + HA 0.6 mL) with five donors. After collecting all of the samples on Day 5, the remaining gels were observed with Giemsa stain. Statistical analyses were performed using paired t tests to compare the PRP and HA groups at each time point, and a one-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) with Tukey post hoc tests was used to compare the PRP, PRP + HA, and PRP + high HA groups. Results: The TGF-β1 concentrations in the PRP and PRP + HA were 24.3±7.2 μg/mL and 22.4±1.8 μg/mL (p=0.689) on Day 0, 17.2±13.9 μg/mL and 25.4±7.1 μg/mL (p=0.331) on Day 3, and 12.7±10.5 μg/mL and 33.7±8.3 μg/mL (p=0.034) on Day 5. The TGF-β1 concentrations on Day 5 were 24.1±5.2 μg/mL (PRP group), 28.3±2.4 μg/mL (PRP + HA), and 31.9±4.8 μg/mL (PRP + high HA; one-way ANOVA: p=0.003; post hoc PRP vs. PRP + HA: p=0.016). The PDGF-AA concentrations in the PRP and PRP + HA groups were 2.30±1.21 μg/mL and 2.32±0.79 μg/mL (p=0.931) on Day 0, 2.03±0.53 μg/mL and 2.13±0.73 μg/mL (p=0.500) on Day 3, and 1.51±0.40 μg/mL and 2.00±0.52 μg/mL (p=0.003) on Day 5. The PDGF-AA concentrations were 1.48±0.46 μg/mL (PRP group), 1.94±0.57 μg/mL (PRP + HA), and 2.69±0.70 μg/mL (PRP + high HA; one-way ANOVA: p=0.0002; PRP vs. PRP + high HA: p=0.002; PRP + HA vs. PRP + high HA: p=0.011) on Day 5. The PRP showed larger coagulated masses than the PRP + HA. The high concentration HA group had the smallest coagulated mass of all of the group. Conclusion: The levels of growth factors released by PRP on Day 5 were increased by the addition of HA. A mixture of PRP and HA may be a more effective therapy than PRP or HA alone for osteoarthritis and tendinopathy