Abstract
Hair follicle epithelial stem cells (HFSCs), which exist in the bulge region, have important functions for homeostasis of skin as well as hair follicle morphogenesis. Although several ...methods for isolation of HFSCs using a variety of stem cell markers have been reported, few investigations regarding culture methods or techniques to yield long-term maintenance of HFSCs in vitro have been conducted. In the present study, we screened different types of commercially available culture medium for culturing HFSCs. Among those tested, one type was shown capable of supporting the expression of stem cell markers in cultured HFSCs. However, both the differentiation potential and in vivo hair follicle-inducing ability of HFSCs serially passaged using that optimal medium were found to be impaired, probably because of altered responsiveness to Wnt signaling. The changes noted in HFSCs subjected to a long-term culture suggested that the Wnt signaling-related environment must be finely controlled for maintenance of the cells.
Vestibular hair cells (V-HCs) residing in the inner ear have important roles related to balance. Although differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into HCs has been shown, an effective method has ...yet to be established. We previously reported that use of vestibular cell-derived conditioned medium (V-CM) was helpful to induce embryonic stem (ES) cells to differentiate into V-HC-like cells in two-dimensional (2D) cultures of ES-derived embryoid bodies (EBs). In the present report, V-CM was used with three-dimensional (3D) cultures of EBs, which resulted in augmented expression of V-HC-related markers (Math1, Myosin6, Brn3c, Dnah5), but not of the cochlear HC-related marker Lmod3. Gene expression analyses of both 2D and 3D EBs cultured for two weeks revealed a greater level of augmented induction of HC-related markers in the 3D-cultured EBs. These results indicate that a 3D culture in combination with use of V-CM is an effective method for producing V-HCs.
•S. mansoni larvae changes their location in snails after infection.•Miracidia infect through the head-foot (HF) area of snail.•Predominant migration to the hepatopancreas and ovotestis (HPOT) ...area.•Extract from HF area prolongs larval viability in vitro.•Sequential use of HF extract followed by HPOT extract support larval development.
Schistosomiasis is one of the most prevalent waterborne parasitic diseases affecting humans. In natural conditions, snails are necessary for maintenance of its lifecycle and also required as intermediate hosts to maintain the lifecycle in laboratory settings. In the present study, the location of S. mansoni larvae in Biomphalaria glabrata snails after infection (inoculation of miracidia) was investigated. Larvae were found located in the head-foot (HF) area of B. glabrata snails at 10 days post-infection (DPI), then their location was predominantly changed to the hepatopancreas and ovotestis (HPOT) area by 56 DPI. Next, the effects of extracts from various organs of B. glabrata snails including HF and HPOT for in vitro culturing of S. mansoni larvae were investigated. The HF extract enabled prolonged culturing of S. mansoni larvae. Furthermore, sequential use of that followed by the HPOT extract supported larval development or reproduction of daughter sporocysts. These results may provide important information for identifying essential factors and molecules for culturing Schistosoma larvae in vitro.
In this study, linear friction welding (LFW) is used to join high carbon steel such as S55C (JIS G 4051) because it controls the maximum temperature during the joining process. The effect of LFW ...conditions on Charpy absorbed energy is studied. The thickness of a rectangular parallelepiped shape is 14 mm, the width is 20 mm, and the length is 64 mm. The applied pressure (P) controls the maximum temperature. Under high-temperature conditions, P is 100 MPa. Under middle-temperatures conditions, P is between 250 and 350 MPa. Under low-temperature conditions, P is between 400 and 450 MPa. Under all condi-tions, joints are cooled to room temperature.The microstructure and hardness of LFW joints are examined. The toughness is determined using a 300 J instrumented Charpy tester. The absorbed energy is estimated using two methods. The first method uses the potential energy difference, and the second involves calculating the area surrounded by the stroke–load relationship. With an increase in P, the microstructure changes from martensite to ferrite and microcementite. In addition, the maximum hardness at the interface decreases from 500 HV–700 HV to 400 HV. The maximum absorbed energy is confirmed at 400 MPa using the potential energy method and at P of 450 MPa using the area method. Energies absorbed before and after the maximum load are assumed to be crack initiation and propagation (Ep) energies, respectively. The maximum ener-gy is due to an increase in Ep, which is enhanced when the microstructure changes from martensite to ferrite and microcementite.
Abstract
We investigate the ultraviolet (UV) behavior of two-scalar elastic scattering with graviton exchanges in higher-curvature gravity theory. In Einstein gravity, matter scattering is shown not ...to satisfy the unitarity bound at tree level at high energy. Among some of the possible directions for the UV completion of Einstein gravity, such as string theory, modified gravity, and inclusion of high-mass/high-spin states, we take $R_{\mu\nu}^2$ gravity coupled to matter. We show that matter scattering with graviton interactions satisfies the unitarity bound at high energy, even with negative norm states due to the higher-order derivatives of metric components. The difference in the unitarity property of these two gravity theories is probably connected to that in another UV property, namely, the renormalizability property of the two.
Background. The characteristic pathological findings of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) are difficult to obtain by a transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB). Case. A 76-year-old man underwent annual ...chest computed tomography (CT) to evaluate pleural thickening, and an incidental finding of several lung nodules in both lung fields was detected. Contrast CT performed three days later revealed that the nodules and masses had increased in size. Initially, the lesions were suspected of being infectious; therefore, the patient was admitted, and antibiotic therapy was initiated. However, the lung nodules and masses grew rapidly, and a TBLB was performed at the right B3b on day 4 of admission. Blood tests results showed that the proteinase 3 anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (PR3-ANCA) level was 48.4 U/ml on day 6 of admission. The histopathological results of the TBLB specimen were available on day 7 of admission and showed characteristic pathological findings of GPA, including geographic necrosis, small-vessel vasculitis, and multiple granulomas. The renal function was normal, and paranasal CT revealed lateral sinusitis with bone destruction, indicating GPA. Therefore, the diagnosis of localized GPA was established. Intravenous cyclophosphamide (750 mg/body) was administered on day 8 of admission, and oral prednisolone (70 mg/day) was initiated on day 9 of admission. Conclusion. This case was diagnosed as GPA based on the TBLB results, as a TBLB was performed in the active phase. To diagnose GPA via a TBLB, the timing of this procedure is extremely important. A TBLB can aid in the diagnosis of GPA in the active phase.
Various extracellular matrix (ECM) in the lungs regulate tissue development and homeostasis, as well as provide support for cell structures. However, few studies regarding the effects of lung cell ...differentiation using lung-derived ECM (LM) alone have been reported. The present study investigated the capability of lung-derived matrix sheets (LMSs) to induce lung cell differentiation using mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. Expressions of lung-related cell markers were significantly upregulated in ES-derived embryoid bodies (EBs) cultured on an LMS for two weeks. Moreover, immunohistochemical analysis of EBs grown on LMSs revealed differentiation of various lung-related cells. These results suggest that an LMS can be used to promote differentiation of stem cells into lung cells.
Aim:A “seed” of lung cancer metastasis is circulating tumor cells (CTCs),which may be dislodged from a tumor during biopsy.This possibility was assessed among patients who underwent lung tumor biopsy ...using flexible fiber-topic bronchoscopy (FFB).Methods:The study involved six patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent FFB biopsy to diagnose a lesion pathologically (5 males and 1 female,median age 63 years,6 adenocarcinomas,of 4 clinical-stage IA,1 stage IB,and 1 stage ⅢA),CTCs were extracted from the peripheral vein blood at pre-FFB and at post-FFB using a size selection method.Results:No tumor cell was detected at pre-and post-FFB was in three cases (50％);no tumor cells were detected pre-FFB while CTCs were detected at post-FFB in two cases (33.3％);and CTCs were detected at pre-FFB with numerous CTCs detected at post-FFB in one case (17.7％).In addition,similar tendencies were observed in each analysis of singlecell and clustered-cell categories.Conclusion:These results suggest that a FFB biopsy of lung cancer may potentially dislodge CTCs from a tumor into the circulating peripheral blood.
Abstract
We consider the gauge/gravity correspondence between maximally supersymmetric Yang–Mills theory in (p + 1) dimensions and superstring theory on the near-horizon limit of the Dp-brane ...solution. The string-frame metric is AdSp + 2 × S8 − p times a Weyl factor, and there is no conformal symmetry except for p = 3. In a previous paper by one of the present authors, the free-field result of gauge theory has been reproduced from string theory for a particular operator that has angular momentum along S8 − p. In this paper, we extend this result to operators that have angular momenta along AdSp + 2. Our approach is based on a Euclidean formulation proposed by Dobashi et al. Nucl. Phys. B 665, 94 (2003) and on the “string bit” picture. We first show that the spinning string solution in Lorentzian AdS, found by Gubser et al. Nucl. Phys. B 636, 99 (2002), can be recast in a form that connects two points on the boundary of Euclidean AdS. The transition amplitudes of such strings can be interpreted as gauge theory correlators. We study the case of zero gauge coupling by ignoring interactions among string bits (massless particles in 10D spacetime that constitute a string), and show that the free-field results of gauge theory are reproduced.
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