Increased Susceptibility to LPS-induced Endotoxin Shock in Secretory Leukoprotease Inhibitor (SLPI)-deficient Mice

Secretory leukoprotease inhibitor (SLPI) protects tissue against the destructive action of neutrophil elastase at the site of inflammation. Recent studies on new functions of SLPI have demonstrated that SLPI may play a larger role in innate immunity than merely as a protease inhibitor. To clarify the functions of SLPI in bacterial infections, we generated SLPI-deficient mice (SLPI−/− mice) and analyzed their response to experimental endotoxin shock induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). SLPI−/− mice showed a higher mortality from endotoxin shock than did wild type mice. This may be explained in part by our observation that SLPI−/− macro-phages show higher interleukin 6 and high-mobility group (HMG)-1 production and nuclear factor κB activities after LPS treatment than do SLPI+/+ macrophages. SLPI also affects B cell function. SLPI−/− B cells show more proliferation and IgM production after LPS treatment than SLPI+/+ B cells. Our results suggest that SLPI attenuates excessive inflammatory responses and thus assures balanced functioning of innate immunity

先史ポリネシア人の生業活動 : クック諸島マンガイア島から出土した貝製品および貝殻遺物の分析

京都大学0048新制・課程博士博士(理学)甲第7572号理博第2006号新制||理||1078(附属図書館)UT51-99-D189京都大学大学院理学研究科動物学専攻(主査)教授 石田 英実, 教授 西田 利貞, 教授 堀 道雄学位規則第4条第1項該当Doctor of ScienceKyoto UniversityDFA

Automatic Cross-Sectioning based on Topological Volume Skeletonization

Abstract: Cross-sectioning is a popular method for visualizing the complicated inner structures of three-dimensional volume datasets. However, the process is usually manual, meaning that a user must manually specify the cross-section’s location using a repeated trial-and-error process. To find the best cross-sections, this method requires that a user is knowledgeable and experienced. This paper proposes a method for automatically generating characteristic cross-sections from a given volume dataset. The application of a volume skeleton tree (VST), which is a graph that delineates the topological structure of a three-dimensional volume, facilitates the automated generation of cross-sections giving good representations of the topological characteristics of a dataset. The feasibility of the proposed method is demonstrated using several examples. 1

Automatic Cross-Sectioning Using 3D Field Topology Analysis

Abstract: Cross-sectioning is a popular method for visualizing the complicated inner structures of three-dimensional volume datasets. However, the process is usually manual, meaning that a user must manually specify the cross-section’s location using a repeated trial-and-error process. To find the best cross-sections, this method requires that a user is knowledgeable and experienced. This paper proposes a method for automatically generating characteristic cross-sections from a given volume dataset. The application of a volume skeleton tree (VST), which is a graph that delineates the topological structure of a three-dimensional volume, facilitates the automated generation of cross-sections giving good representations of the topological characteristics of a dataset. The feasibility of the proposed method is demonstrated using several examples. 1

Six species of nontuberculous mycobacteria carry non-identical 16S rRNA gene copies

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) can carry two or more 16S rRNA gene copies that are, in some instances, non-identical. In this study, we used a combined cloning and sequencing approach to analyze 16S rRNA gene sequences of six NTM species, Mycobacterium cosmeticum, M. pallens, M. hodleri, M. crocinum, M. flavescens, and M. xenopi. Our approach facilitated the identification of two distinct gene copies in each species. The two M. cosmeticum genes had a single nucleotide difference, whereas two nucleotide polymorphisms were identified in M. hodleri, M. flavescens, and M. xenopi. M. pallens had a difference in four nucleotides and M. crocinum ? in 23 nucleotides. Thus, we showed that the six NTM species possess at least two non-identical 16S rRNA gene copies. The full-length sequences of the intraspecies 16S rRNA variants will facilitate NTM identification and sequence analysis of specimens or other samples