Generalizations of -Subalgebras in BCK/BCI-Algebras Based on Point -Structures

The aim of this article is to obtain more general forms than the papers of (Jun et al. (2010); Jun et al. (in press)). The notions of -subalgebras of types , and are introduced, and the concepts of -support and -support are also introduced. Several related properties are investigated. Characterizations of -subalgebra of type are discussed, and conditions for an -subalgebra of type to be an -subalgebra of type are considered

Crude Extracts of Caenorhabditis elegans Suppress Airway Inflammation in a Murine Model of Allergic Asthma

Epidemiological studies suggest an inverse relationship between helminth infections and allergic disease, and several helminth-derived products have been shown to suppress allergic responses in animals. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of a crude extract of Caenorhabditis elegans on allergic airway inflammation in a murine model of asthma. Allergic airway inflammation was induced in BALB/c mice by sensitization with ovalbumin. The effect of the C. elegans crude extract on the development of asthma and on established asthma was evaluated by analyzing airway hyperresponsiveness, serum antibody titers, lung histology and cell counts and cytokine levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The role of IFN-γ in the suppression of asthma by the C. elegans crude extract was investigated in IFN-γ knockout and wild-type mice. When mice were sensitized with ovalbumin together with the crude extract of C. elegans, cellular infiltration into the lung was dramatically reduced in comparison with the ovalbumin-treated group. Treatment of mice with the C. elegans crude extract significantly decreased methacholine-induced airway hyperresponsiveness and the total cell counts and levels of IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid but increased the levels of IFN-γ and IL-12. Sensitization with the C. elegans crude extract significantly diminished the IgE and IgG1 responses but provoked elevated IgG2a levels. However, the suppressive effect of the C. elegans crude extract was abolished in IFN-γ knockout mice, and the Th2 responses in these mice were as strong as those in wild-type mice sensitized with ovalbumin. The crude extract of C. elegans also suppressed the airway inflammation associated with established asthma. This study provides new insights into immune modulation by the C. elegans crude extract, which suppressed airway inflammation in mice not only during the development of asthma but also after its establishment by skewing allergen-induced Th2 responses to Th1 responses

Fabrication of Gold Nanodot Array for the Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) is a promising method for detecting antigen-antibody binding in label-free biosensors. In this study, the fabrication of a LSPR substrate with a gold nanodot array through the lift-off process of an alumina mask is reported. The substrate showed an extinction peak in its extinction spectrum, and the peak position was dependent on the height of the gold nanodot array, and the change of extinction peak with the height could be predicted by the numerical simulation. In addition, the peak position was observed to be red-shifted with the increasing RIU value of the medium surrounding the gold nanodot array. In particular, the peak position in the 10 nm thick gold nanodot array was approximately 710 nm in air, and the sensitivity, defined as the ratio of the shift of peak position to the RIU of the medium, was 323.6 nm/RIU. The fabrication procedure could be applied to fabricate the LSPR substrates with a large area

Sex-specific expression of CTNNB1 in the gonadal morphogenesis of the chicken

BACKGROUND: Beta-catenin (CTNNB1), as a key transcriptional regulator in the WNT signal transduction cascade, plays a pivotal role in multiple biological functions such as embryonic development and homeostasis in adults. Although it has been suggested that CTNNB1 is required for gonad development and maintenance of ovarian function in mice, little is known about the expression and functional role of CTNNB1 in gonadal development and differentiation in the chicken reproductive system. METHODS: To examine sex-specific, cell-specific and temporal expression of CTNNB1 mRNA and protein during gonadal development to maturation of reproductive organs, we collected left and right gonads apart from mesonephric kidney of chicken embryos on embryonic day (E) 6, E9, E14, E18, as well as testes, oviduct and ovaries from 12-week-old and adult chickens and performed quantitative PCR, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemical analyses. In addition, localization of Sertoli cell markers such as anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1), cyclin D1 (CCND1) and N-cadherin (CDH2) during testicular development was evaluated. RESULTS: Results of the present study showed that CTNNB1 mRNA and protein are expressed predominantly in the seminiferous cords on E6 to E14 in the male embryonic gonad, and are mainly localized to the medullary region of female embryonic gonads from E6 to E9. In addition, CTNNB1 mRNA and protein are abundant in the Sertoli cells in the testes and expressed predominantly in luminal epithelial cells of the oviduct, but not in the ovaries from 12-week-old and adult chickens. Concomitant with CTNNB1, AMH, ESR1, CCND1 and CDH2 were detected predominantly in the seminiferous cord of the medullary region of male gonads at E9 (after sex determination) and then maintained or decreased until hatching. Interestingly, AMH, ESR1, CCND1 and CDH2 were located in seminiferous tubules of the testes from 12-weeks-old chickens and ESR1, CCND1 and CDH2 were expressed predominantly in the Sertoli cells within seminiferous tubules of adult testes. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these results revealed that CTNNB1 is present in gonads of both sexes during embryonic development and it may play essential roles in differentiation of Sertoli cells during formation of seminiferous tubules during development of the testes

Identification of DNA methylation changes associated with human gastric cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Epigenetic alteration of gene expression is a common event in human cancer. DNA methylation is a well-known epigenetic process, but verifying the exact nature of epigenetic changes associated with cancer remains difficult.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We profiled the methylome of human gastric cancer tissue at 50-bp resolution using a methylated DNA enrichment technique (methylated CpG island recovery assay) in combination with a genome analyzer and a new normalization algorithm.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We were able to gain a comprehensive view of promoters with various CpG densities, including CpG Islands (CGIs), transcript bodies, and various repeat classes. We found that gastric cancer was associated with hypermethylation of 5' CGIs and the 5'-end of coding exons as well as hypomethylation of repeat elements, such as short interspersed nuclear elements and the composite element SVA. Hypermethylation of 5' CGIs was significantly correlated with downregulation of associated genes, such as those in the <it>HOX </it>and histone gene families. We also discovered long-range epigenetic silencing (LRES) regions in gastric cancer tissue and identified several hypermethylated genes (<it>MDM2</it>, <it>DYRK2</it>, and <it>LYZ</it>) within these regions. The methylation status of CGIs and gene annotation elements in metastatic lymph nodes was intermediate between normal and cancerous tissue, indicating that methylation of specific genes is gradually increased in cancerous tissue.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our findings will provide valuable data for future analysis of CpG methylation patterns, useful markers for the diagnosis of stomach cancer, as well as a new analysis method for clinical epigenomics investigations.</p