Measurements of atmospheric muon spectra at mountain altitude

We report new measurements of the atmospheric muons at mountain altitude. The measurement was carried out with the BESS detector at the top of Mt. Norikura, Japan. The altitude is 2,770 m above sea level. Comparing our results and predictions given by some interaction models, a further appropriate model has been investigated. These studies would improve accuracy of atmospheric neutrino calculations.Comment: Mean momentum in Table 1 was correcte

The CD45+ fraction in murine adipose tissue derived stromal cells harbors immune-inhibitory inflammatory cells

金沢大学医薬保健研究域医学系Stromal cells in adipose tissue are useful for repair/regenerative therapy as they harbor a substantial number of mesenchymal stem cells; therefore, freshly isolated autologous uncultured adipose tissue derived stromal cells (u-ADSCs) are useful for regenerative therapy, and obviate the need for mesenchymal stem cells. We evaluated the therapeutic effect of murine u-ADSCs and sorted subsets of u-ADSCs in a concanavalin A (ConA) induced murine model of hepatitis, as well as their characteristics. We found that 10–20% of u-ADSCs expressed the CD45 leukocyte-related antigen. CD68, which is a marker of macrophages (MΦs), was expressed by 50% of CD45+ u-ADSCs. About 90% of CD68+CD45+ cells expressed CD206 antigen, which is a marker of inhibitory M2-type MΦs. Genes related to M2-type MUs were especially more highly expressed by CD45+CD206+ u-ADSCs than by CD45− u-ADSCs. CD45+ u-ADSCs inhibited the expression of cytokines/chemokines and suppressed the proliferation of splenocytes stimulated with ConA. We observed that not only whole u-ADSCs, but also the CD45+ subset of u-ADSCs ameliorated the ConA-induced hepatitis in mice. In conclusion, we show that freshly isolated murine u-ADSCs were effective against acute hepatitis, and CD45+ u-ADSCs acting phenotypically and functionally like M2-type MΦs, contributed to the repair of liver tissue undergoing inflammation. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, WeinheimEmbargo Period 12 month

Measurements of Cosmic-ray Low-energy Antiproton and Proton Spectra in a Transient Period of the Solar Field Reversal

The energy spectra of cosmic-ray low-energy antiprotons and protons have been measured by BESS in 1999 and 2000, during a period covering the solar magnetic field reversal. Based on these measurements, a sudden increase of the antiproton to proton flux ratio following the solar magnetic field reversal was observed, and it generally agrees with a drift model of the solar modulation.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, revised version accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Time Course of Acute Vertebral Fractures: A Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study

To date, it is still unclear how fresh osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs) affect the patient’s quality of life and low back pain during a follow-up period of more than 1 year. In the previous trial, women with fresh OVF were randomized to rigid or soft brace for 12 weeks, then both groups were followed for the subsequent 48 weeks. In women completing this trial at our affiliated hospitals, we conducted a follow-up study to investigate the long-term course of an acute vertebral fracture in terms of pain and quality of life. When comparing visual analog scale scores for low back pain and European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions Questionnaire scores between consecutive time points, a significant difference was found between 0 and 12 weeks, but not between 12 and 48 weeks or between 48 weeks and final follow-up. A total 25% had residual low back pain at the final follow-up. A stepwise logistic regression analysis identified age and previous vertebral fracture as predictors of residual low back pain at the final follow-up. Therefore, the degree of low back pain and impairment of the quality of life improved by 12 weeks after injury and did not change thereafter until a mean follow-up of 5.3 years

Restorative effect of adipose tissue-derived stem cells on impaired hepatocytes through Notch signaling in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis mice

Adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) have been suggested as a novel treatment for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH); however, the mechanisms underlying their therapeutic effect remain poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association of Notch signaling, which is crucial for cellular proliferation and differentiation in ADSC-mediated treatment of NASH. Flow cytometry analysis of ADSCs showed that they expressed the Notch ligands JAG1, DLL1, and DLL4. The expression of genes associated with the Notch signaling pathway was attenuated in hepatocytes of NASH model mice. We further observed ADSC-mediated activation of Notch signaling in these hepatocytes in addition to an increase in proliferating cell nuclear antigen+ cells and a decrease in TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling+ apoptotic cells. Co-culture of palmitic acid-induced steatotic hepatocytes and ADSCs resulted in the activation of Notch signaling and reduction of apoptosis of steatotic hepatocytes. Moreover, inhibition of Notch signaling by a γ-secretase inhibitor and knockdown of Notch ligands using siRNA attenuated the anti-apoptotic effect of co-cultured ADSCs in vitro. Our findings show that the Notch signaling pathway is involved in the inhibition of apoptosis and restoration of cellular proliferation of hepatocytes from NASH mice following ADSC treatment