Adipose Tissue and Atherosclerosis

Accumulating evidence revealed that adipose tissues secrete pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory humoral factors, called as adipocytokines. Most of the arteries are surrounded by perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT), which influences adjacent artery by secreting adipocytokines. PVATs are supposed to be athero-protective under healthy conditions, whereas PVATs are athero-promoting in obesity. Recent clinical studies suggested that coronary atherosclerosis is associated with increased volume of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), PVAT of coronary artery. It was suggested that enhanced inflammation in EAT is also associated with vasospastic angina. In this review article, we will summarize recent findings about potential roles of EAT in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis

Perivascular Adipose Tissue and Atherosclerosis

Traditionally, it is believed that white adipose tissues serve as energy storage, heat insulation, and mechanical cushion, whereas non-shivering thermogenesis occurs in brown adipose tissue. Recent evidence revealed that adipose tissue secretes many types of cytokines, called as adipocytokines, which modulate glucose metabolism, lipid profile, appetite, fibrinolysis, blood pressure, and inflammation. Most of the arteries are surrounded by perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT). PVAT has been thought to be simply a structurally supportive tissue for vasculature. However, recent studies showed that PVAT influences vasodilation and vasocontraction, suggesting that PVAT regulates vascular tone and diameter. Adipocytokines secreted from PVAT appear to have direct access to the adjacent arterial wall by diffusion or via vasa vasorum. In fact, PVAT around atherosclerotic lesions and mechanically-injured arteries displayed inflammatory cytokine profiles, suggesting that PVAT functions to promote vascular lesion formation. Many clinical studies revealed that increased accumulation of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), which surrounds coronary arteries, is associated with coronary artery disease. In this review article, we will summarize recent findings about potential roles of PVAT in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, particularly focusing on a series of basic and clinical studies from our laboratory

Nanolevel Surface Processing of Fine Particles by Waterjet Cavitation and Multifunction Cavitation to Improve the Photocatalytic Properties of Titanium Oxide

Titanium oxide particles were treated by water jet cavitation (WJC) generated and multifunction cavitation (MFC) using an ejector nozzle. Generation, growth, and collapse of cavitation are repeated with the particles of titanium oxide and platinum. Because the cavitation has an extremely high collapse pressure, the surface of the titanium oxide particles is processed by the microjets of cavitation in a reactor comprising the ejector nozzle. In the multifunction cavitation, ultrasonic irradiation of a waterjet during floating cavitation was used to generate microjets with hot spots. Hot working can be performed at the nanoscale on a material surface using this MFC process, resulting in morphological changes and variations in the surface electrochemical characteristics. The fundamental characteristics of multifunction cavitation were investigated theoretically and experimentally. Furthermore, the additional nozzle was put on the ejector nozzle in order to increase the temperature and pressure of bubble and the mechanism was clarified. The quantities of hydrogen and oxygen generated from titanium dioxide particles treated by multifunction cavitation in response to UV and visible light irradiation were remarkably increased compared to the amounts produced by particles treated by WJC processing. In this chapter, the methods and their results of processing particles by cavitation are introduced

The Analysis of the Financial Management of the CooperativeSilk−Reeling Filatures between theWorldWars : The Case of Shimoina County, Nagano Prefecture

The aim of this paper is to analyze the financial management of the cooperative silk−reeling filatures in Shimoina County, Nagano Prefecture between W. W. I and W. W. II. The earlier researches elucidate that the cooperative silk−reeling filatures in the Ina area produced comparatively high grade thread, but those researches have not focused on their managements including the financial conditions. This paper conducts a comparative research on the financial management of five cooperative silk−reeling filatures in the county. Through this research, the following facts are cleared up. First, during the 1920s the sources of capital changed. Local banks had previously supplied capitals for the cooperatives, but during the 1920s the investments in the cooperatives of their members increased and local credit cooperatives, which were their affiliates, injected capital into them. As a result their equity capital was reinforced. Along with the previous loans from local banks, Sangyõ kumiai chuõkinko (the central bank for cooperatives) financed them as a national agricultural policy. During the 1930s, when the Great Depression occurred, their high equity ratios were maintained. Although the investments of their members and the local credit cooperatives declined and the national loans of Sangyõ kumiai chuõkinko started to compose the main portion of their budgets. Second, during that time the spending policy of their budgets was converted. In the early 1920s, when the cooperatives were established, the price of silk cocoons was kept higher than the market price of them to maintain the cocoon supply from the cooperative members. In the late 1920s, when the cooperative achieved high management performance, they started to invest their profits in their production facilities. The cooperatives continued to apply that strategy to a countermeasure against the Great Depression. One of the remarkable examples is Taishõkan filature of Yamabuki Cooperative Association, which introduced multi−ends reeling machines under the economic hardship of the Great Depression. Finally, those cooperatives took various measures to ensure high−quality cocoons for high grade thread. For instances, they standardized the sort of silkworm eggs which they recommended, sent technical supervisors to their members’ houses, and provided extra incentives for cocoons of fine quality

Development of a Training-Assist Robotic System Adapting to Individual Motor Abilities in Virtual Tennis Task

The present paper develops a training-assist robotic system that can adapt a reference hand motion for a virtual tennis task to individual motor abilities. The system first measures maximum hand force and velocity in reaching arm movements prior to the training, and designs a suitable reference trajectory for teaching motion smoothness and timing in the virtual tennis task based on the measured results. A quantitative index for evaluating task performance and motor functions are then defined with consideration of task dynamics. Finally, the effectiveness of the developed training system is validated through a set of preliminary training experiments with health subjects

Positive feedback regulation of type I IFN genes by the IFN-inducible transcription factor IRF-7

AbstractThe interferon regulatory factor (IRF) family of transcription factors regulate the interferon (IFN) system, among which IRF-3 is involved in the virus-induced IFN-β gene expression. Here we show that another member IRF-7 is critical for the IFN-α gene induction. Unlike the IRF-3 gene, the IRF-7 gene is induced by IFNs through activation of the ISGF3 transcription factor, and IRF-7 undergoes virus-induced nuclear translocation. In cells lacking p48, an essential component of IFN stimulated gene factor 3 (ISGF3), ectopic expression of IRF-7 but not IRF-3 can rescue the deficiency to induce IFN-α genes. These results indicate that IRF-7 is a key factor in the positive feedback regulation of IFN-α/β production

Clonal origin of Epstein-Barr virus-infected T/NK-cell subpopulations in chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection

Clonal expansion of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infected B-cells occasionally occurs in immunocompromized subjects. EBV-infected T/natural killer (NK)-cells proliferate in patients with chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV) that is a rare mononucleosis syndrome. It is classified into either T-cell type or NK-cell type according to the primary target of infection, while the pathogenesis remains unclear. To search the clonal origin of EBV-infected T/NK-cells, virus distribution and clonotype were assessed by using highly purified cell fractions obtained from 6 patients. Patient 1 had a monoclonal proliferation of EBV-infected T-cell receptor Vδ2/Vγ9-expressing cells, and carried lower copy number of EBV in αβT-cells. Patients 2 and 3 had a clonal expansion of EBV-infected CD4+T-cells, and lower EBV load in CD56+cells. Patients 4, 5 and 6 had an expansion of CD56+cells with higher EBV load than CD3+cells. EBV-terminal repeats were determined as clonal bands in the minor targeted populations of 5 patients. The size of terminal repeats indicated the same clonotype in minor subsets as in major subsets of 4 patients. However, EBV was not detected in bone marrow-derived lineage negative CD34+cells of patients. These results suggested that EBV could infect T/NK-cells at differentiation stage, but spared bone marrow CD34+hematopoietic stem cells in CAEBV patients

Impact of patient positioning uncertainty in noncoplanar intracranial stereotactic radiotherapy

The aim of this study is to evaluate the patient positioning uncertainty in noncoplanar stereotactic radiosurgery or stereotactic radiotherapy (SRS/SRT) for intracranial lesions with the frameless 6D ExacTrac system. In all, 28 patients treated with SRS/SRT of 70 treatment plans at our institution were evaluated in this study. Two X-ray images with the frameless 6D ExacTrac system were first acquired to correct (XC) and verify (XV) the patient position at a couch angle of 0o. Subsequently, the XC and XV images were also acquired at each planned couch angle for using noncoplanar beams to detect position errors caused by rotating a couch. The translational XC and XV shift values at each couch angle were calculated for each plan. The percentages of the translational XC shift values within 1.0 mm for each planned couch angle for using noncoplanar beams were 77.86%, 72.26%, and 98.47% for the lateral, longitudinal, and vertical directions, respectively. Those within 2.0 mm were 98.22%, 97.96%, and 99.75% for the lateral, longitudinal, and vertical directions, respectively. The maximum absolute values of the translational XC shifts among all planned couch angles for using noncoplanar beams were 2.69, 2.45, and 2.17 mm for the lateral, longitudinal, and vertical directions, respectively. The overall absolute values of the translational XV shifts were less than 1.0 mm for all directions except for one case in the longitudinal direction. The patient position errors were detected after couch rotation for using noncoplanar beams, and they exceeded a planning target volume (PTV) margin of 1.0-2.0 mm used commonly in SRS/SRT treatment. These errors need to be corrected at each planned couch angle, or the PTV margin should be enlarged