Preparation of DNA/Gold Nanoparticle Encapsulated in Calcium Phosphate

Biocompatible DNA/gold nanoparticle complex with a protective calcium phosphate (CaP) coating was prepared by incubating DNA/gold nanoparticle complex coated by hyaluronic acid in SBF (simulated body fluid) with a Ca concentration above 2 mM. The CaP-coated DNA complex was revealed to have high compatibility with cells and resistance against enzymatic degradation. By immersion in acetate buffer (pH 4.5), the CaP capsule released the contained DNA complex. This CaP capsule including a DNA complex is promising as a sustained-release system of DNA complexes for gene therapy

Effect of calcium phosphate compound (MZF-CaP) with and without fluoride in preventing bone loss in ovariectomized rats

Zinc (Zn) has been shown to inhibit osteoclast differentiation, promote osteoblast activity, and enhance the bone formation. Zinc-containing calcium phosphate (Zn-TCP) implanted in rabbit femoral defect was demonstrated to stimulate bone formation. Other studies demonstrated that calcium phosphate compounds (MZF-CaP) incorporating magnesium (Mg2+), zinc and fluoride (F-) when administered either by injection or orally were effective in preventing bone loss (osteoporosis) induced by estrogen deficiency (ovariectomy) in a rat model. The objective of the present study was to investigate the preventive effect of similar compound, with F (MZF-CaP-L, MZF-CaP-H) and without F (MZ-CaP-L), when injected in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. MZF-CaP-L and MZ-CaP-L were prepared by precipitation at 90oC and MZF-CaP-H was prepared by sintering MZF-CaP-L at 900oC. The release of the ions from acidic buffer was determined. Suspensions of Zn-TCP, MZF-CaP-H, MZF-CaP-L and MZ-CaP-L (617 μg in 0.2 ml of 1% sodium alginate saline solution) were injected intramuscularly under anesthesia into 5-week-old OVX rats on Zn-deficient diet. One week after surgery, bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) of the rat femurs were measured using X-ray CT. The injections and X-ray CT and Zn ion plasma measurements were repeated every week for 12 weeks. The rats were sacrificed and the femurs removed after 12 weeks. Bone mechanical strength was evaluated using the three-point bending test. MZ-CaP-L (without F), compared to the other compounds, showed the highest increase in the Zn2+ ion plasma concentration, and the highest BMD, BMC and mechanical strength

Cyclin-dependent kinase-specific activity predicts the prognosis of stage I and stage II non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Even with complete resection, the prognosis of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer is poor due to local and distant recurrence, and it remains unclear which biomarkers are clinically useful for predicting recurrence or for determining the efficacy of chemotherapy. Recently, several lines of evidence have indicated that the enzymatic activity of cyclin-dependent kinases could be a clinically relevant prognostic marker for some cancers. We investigated whether the specific activity of cyclin-dependent kinases 1 and 2 could predict recurrence or death in early non-small cell lung cancer patients. METHODS: Patients with newly diagnosed, pathologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer were entered into this blinded cohort study. The activity of cyclin-dependent kinases was determined in 171 samples by the C2P® assay, and the results were subjected to statistical analysis with recurrence or death as a clinical outcome. RESULTS: The Cox proportional hazards model revealed that the activity of cyclin-dependent kinase 1, but not 2, was a predictor of recurrence, independent of sex, age, and stage. By contrast, cyclin-dependent kinase 2 activity was a predictor of death, independent of sex and stage. CONCLUSION: This study suggested the possible clinical use of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 as a predictor of recurrence and cyclin-dependent kinase 2 as a predictor of overall survival in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. Thus, a combination of activity of cyclin-dependent kinases 1 and 2 is useful in decision-making regarding treatment strategies for non-small cell lung cancer after surgery. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2407-14-755) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Effect of calcium phosphate compound (MZF-CaP) with and without fluoride in preventing bone loss in ovariectomized rats

Zinc (Zn) has been shown to inhibit osteoclast differentiation, promote osteoblast activity, and enhance the bone formation. Zinc-containing calcium phosphate (Zn-TCP) implanted in rabbit femoral defect was demonstrated to stimulate bone formation. Other studies demonstrated that calcium phosphate compounds (MZF-CaP) incorporating magnesium (Mg2+), zinc and fluoride (F-) when administered either by injection or orally were effective in preventing bone loss (osteoporosis) induced by estrogen deficiency (ovariectomy) in a rat model. The objective of the present study was to investigate the preventive effect of similar compound, with F (MZF-CaP-L, MZF-CaP-H) and without F (MZ-CaP-L), when injected in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. MZF-CaP-L and MZ-CaP-L were prepared by precipitation at 90oC and MZF-CaP-H was prepared by sintering MZF-CaP-L at 900oC. The release of the ions from acidic buffer was determined. Suspensions of Zn-TCP, MZF-CaP-H, MZF-CaP-L and MZ-CaP-L (617 μg in 0.2 ml of 1% sodium alginate saline solution) were injected intramuscularly under anesthesia into 5-week-old OVX rats on Zn-deficient diet. One week after surgery, bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) of the rat femurs were measured using X-ray CT. The injections and X-ray CT and Zn ion plasma measurements were repeated every week for 12 weeks. The rats were sacrificed and the femurs removed after 12 weeks. Bone mechanical strength was evaluated using the three-point bending test. MZ-CaP-L (without F), compared to the other compounds, showed the highest increase in the Zn2+ ion plasma concentration, and the highest BMD, BMC and mechanical strength

Odorant Concentration Differentiator for Intermittent Olfactory Signals

Animals need to discriminate differences in spatiotemporally distributed sensory signals in terms of quality as well as quantity for generating adaptive behavior. Olfactory signals characterized by odor identity and concentration are intermittently distributed in the environment. From these intervals of stimulation, animals process odorant concentration to localize partners or food sources. Although concentration–response characteristics in olfactory neurons have traditionally been investigated using single stimulus pulses, their behavior under intermittent stimulus regimens remains largely elusive. Using the silkmoth (Bombyx mori) pheromone processing system, a simple and behaviorally well-defined model for olfaction, we investigated the neuronal representation of odorant concentration upon intermittent stimulation in the naturally occurring range. To the first stimulus in a series, the responses of antennal lobe (AL) projection neurons (PNs) showed a concentration dependence as previously shown in many olfactory systems. However, PN response amplitudes dynamically changed upon exposure to intermittent stimuli of the same odorant concentration and settled to a constant, largely concentration-independent level. As a result, PN responses emphasized odorant concentration changes rather than encoding absolute concentration in pulse trains of stimuli. Olfactory receptor neurons did not contribute to this response transformation which was due to long-lasting inhibition affecting PNs in the AL. Simulations confirmed that inhibition also provides advantages when stimuli have naturalistic properties. The primary olfactory center thus functions as an odorant concentration differentiator to efficiently detect concentration changes, thereby improving odorant source orientation over a wide concentration range.UTokyo Research掲載「匂いの濃度を効率的に表現する脳の計算メカニズムの発見」 URI: http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ja/utokyo-research/research-news/a-novel-neuronal-mechanism-to-efficiently-code-odorant-concentration/UTokyo Research "A novel neuronal mechanism to efficiently code odorant concentration" URI: http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/utokyo-research/research-news/a-novel-neuronal-mechanism-to-efficiently-code-odorant-concentration

Novel intracellular 3-hydroxybutyrate-oligomer hydrolase in Ralstonia eutropha H16

Ralstonia eutropha H16 mobilizes intracellularly accumulated poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) with intracellular poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) depolymerases. Different types of depolymerase, PhaZ1 and its homologs, account for the mobilization significantly but incompletely, and it is proposed that further unknown depolymerases or related enzymes complement the mobilization. A novel hydrolase was therefore investigated. The amino acid sequence of the intracellular 3HB-oligomer hydrolase of Acidovoraxsp. SA1 and the genome sequence of Ralstonia solanacearum, a close relative of R. eutropha, revealed a candidate for the hydrolase gene. The DNA sequence of its hydrolase was used for the design of a pair of primes. With chromosomal DNA of R. eutropha as a template, these primers were used to amplify about a 1.3-kbp fragment including the equivalent gene, phaZc. Then the phaZc gene was cloned by Southern hybridization using the amplified DNA fragment as a probe. The hydrolase (PhaZc) was purified from Escherichia coli overexpressing phaZc and characterized. Immunoblot analysis revealed that PhaZc exists mainly in the cytosolic fraction of R. eutropha. PhaZc degraded various 3-hydroxybutyrate-oligomers at a high rate and artificial amorphous poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) at a lower rate. A phaZ-rmLl mutation enhanced the deposition of PHB in the logarithmic phase in a nutrient-rich medium. PhaZc differs from the previously reported hydrolases in R. eutropha and is a novel type of intracellular 3HB-oligomer hydrolase, which participates in the mobilization of PHB along with other hydrolases

An Analysis of Three Impromptus for Piano Op. 68 by Lowell Liebermann

American composer Lowell Liebermann (b. 1961) wrote his Three Impromptus Op. 68 in 2000. They manifest his self-proclaimed intention to be a composer espousing the traditions of Western music and aiming to be part of that continuum. Liebermann’s Impromptus exhibit spontaneity and a sense of improvisation, the most pervasive aspect of the antecedent Impromptus. His personal lyricism embraces tempo rubato, inventive harmonies, distinctive textures, and dramatic gestures. Liebermann’s Impromptus, however, are tightly organized works employing simple motives that unify individual Impromptus within a basic tripartite template. This study begins with a brief summary of Liebermann’s life and then examines antecedent examples of Impromptus by Jan Vaclav Voříšek (1791-1825) and Franz Schubert (1797-1828) as well as some of the prominent composers from the 19th and 20th centuries, including Gabriel Fauré. A thorough analysis of Liebermann’s Impromptus constitutes the body of the document. Appendices contain transcriptions of the author’s interview with the composer himself, as well Antonio Pompa-Baldi and David Korevaar who have performed and recorded the Impromptus. These contemporary commentators confirm the value of comparing Liebermann’s music to earlier models to better understand how he creates his unique sound environment