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•The stimulus response via synaptic connections is suppressed at Xe pressures above 0.3 MPa.•Xe induced suppression of the response rate is less sensitive than that of the synchronous ...burst.•Hill-equation fitting to the Xe pressure dependence of the stimulus response rate shows multiple suppression points.•The signal transduction on the axons is also depressed, only in response rate at Xe pressures above 0.3 MPa.
Neurons cultured on a multi-electrode array show not only spontaneous firing, but also network-specific burst firing, the latter of which develops into synchronous bursting. Such synchronous bursting can be suppressed by exposure to xenon (Xe) gas. To better understand such suppression of bursting by Xe, we investigate here whether signal transmission between neurons is also suppressed under these conditions. In these experiments, we apply a pulse electrical-stimulus to one electrode and observe the response signals within 10 ms at other active electrodes. When put under a sufficient Xe pressure, some response signals become delayed or vanish after disappearance of synchronous-bursts, particularly signals passing through multiple synaptic bonds. Such bonds have a high probability of having delayed or vanishing signals when the Xe pressure is above 0.3 MPa. The pressure dependence of the response ratio to the stimulus suggests that Xe suppresses multiple points of action simultaneously when suppressing synaptic signal transduction, as observed in the suppression of the synchronized bursting. In addition, we find that the signal that transmits not via synaptic bonding (axon conduction) is also suppressed under Xe gas pressures over 0.3 MPa. Therefore, we conclude that Xe-induced suppression of synchronized bursting is caused mainly by a decrease in the apparent number of active neurons that contribute to the neuronal network, a decrease due to inhibition of signal transmission via synaptic connections.
Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling exerts antitumor activities in glioblastoma; however, its precise mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Here, we demonstrated that the BMP type I receptor ...ALK-2 (encoded by the ACVR1 gene) has crucial roles in apoptosis induction of patient-derived glioma-initiating cells (GICs), TGS-01 and TGS-04. We also characterized a BMP target gene, Distal-less homeobox 2 (DLX2), and found that DLX2 promoted apoptosis and neural differentiation of GICs. The tumor-suppressive effects of ALK-2 and DLX2 were further confirmed in a mouse orthotopic transplantation model. Interestingly, valproic acid (VPA), an anti-epileptic compound, induced BMP2, BMP4, ACVR1 and DLX2 mRNA expression with a concomitant increase in phosphorylation of Smad1/5. Consistently, we showed that treatment with VPA induced apoptosis of GICs, whereas silencing of ALK-2 or DLX2 expression partially suppressed it. Our study thus reveals BMP-mediated inhibitory mechanisms for glioblastoma, which explains, at least in part, the therapeutic effects of VPA.
The relationships between calcaneal bone mass and dietary/lifestyle habits in women at 3–4 months postpartum were examined in the context of osteoporosis prevention.
Cross-sectional survey.
We ...measured bone mass using calcaneal ultrasound in mothers who brought their 3- to 4-month-old babies to healthcare centers in Japan for health examination and administered a self-report questionnaire on physical characteristics and dietary/lifestyle habits to those who agreed to participate in the survey. Valid data were available for 1220 women (valid response rate, 97.5%).
Based on their stiffness score, a measure of bone mass, 70.9% (n = 865) of the participants were classified as ‘no apparent abnormality (stiffness score ≥78.8)’ (low-risk group), 18.2% (n = 222) as ‘guidance required (≥70.1–<78.8)’ (intermediate-risk group), and 10.9% (n = 133) as ‘complete examination required (<70.1)’ (high-risk group), according to the criteria for osteoporosis screening test results. The percentage of individuals with a history of fracture was higher in the guidance required/complete examination required than in the no apparent abnormality group (P = 0.016). The analysis of relationships between the consumption frequency of certain foods, such as calcium-rich foodstuffs, and bone mass found that women who reported lower frequencies of milk and dark-colored (beta-carotene rich) vegetables for breakfast consumption had a significantly lower bone mass than those who consumed these foods more often. Furthermore, the guidance required/complete examination required group had a significantly lower calcium intake than the no apparent abnormality group (P = 0.022).
These results indicate the need to provide postpartum women with dietary education programs to promote healthy eating habits, such as increased consumption of calcium-rich foods, and prevent osteoporosis.
•We revealed the relationships between bone mass and dietary/lifestyle habits in Japanese women at 3–4 months postpartum.•Based on their bone mass, 70.9% of the participants were classified as ‘no apparent abnormality,’ 18.2% as ‘guidance required,’ and 10.9% as ‘complete examination required,’ according to the criteria for osteoporosis screening test results.•Women who reported lower frequencies of milk and dark-colored vegetables for breakfast consumption had a significantly lower bone mass than those who consumed these foods more often.•The guidance required/complete examination required group had a significantly lower calcium intake than the no apparent abnormality group.•These results indicate the need to provide postpartum women with dietary education programs to promote healthy eating habits, and prevent osteoporosis.
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was applied to identify six meats (cattle, pig, chicken, sheep, goat and horse) as raw materials for products. By mixing seven primers in appropriate ratios, ...species-specific DNA fragments could be identified by only one multiplex PCR. A forward primer was designed on a conserved DNA sequence in the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, and reverse primers on species-specific DNA sequences for each species. PCR primers were designed to give different length fragments from the six meats. The products showed species-specific DNA fragments of 157, 227, 274, 331, 398 and 439 bp from goat, chicken, cattle, sheep, pig and horse meats, respectively. Identification is possible by electrophoresis of PCR products. Cattle, pig, chicken, sheep and goat fragments were amplified from cooked meat heated at 100 or 120°C for 30 min, but horse DNA fragments could not be detected from the 120°C sample. Detection limits of the DNA samples were 0.25 ng for all meats.
Dynamic behavior of plasma in internal modification ofglass using fs-laser pulses with high pulse repetition rates up to 1MHz is observed using high-speed video camera at 50,000frames per ...second.High-speed pictures reveal striking fact that the localizedplasma isproduced with size much smaller than reported in literatures before, and changes its location, size, shape and brightness periodically at repetition rates of the order of kHz. The mechanism responsible for producing localized plasma and its long-term periodic motion is presented based on the analysis of free-electron density based on rate equation.
We derived an analytical model to obtain a 2-D impurity concentration profile for ions implanted at high-tilt angles in MOS-structure substrates. This model enabled us to simulate MOS device ...characteristics with a fully analytical impurity distribution where diffusion was neglected. We tested and verified that our analytical model could provide the same results as the ones obtained using a 2-D process simulator.
Ethyl-3,4-dihydroxybenzoate (EDHB), a specific inhibitor of collagen synthesis, was used to study the role of collagen in the differentiation of bovine intramuscular preadipocytes (BIP). Triglyceride ...(TG) accumulation levels of BIP cells were dose-dependently inhibited by EDHB and were reduced to 50 % at a 0.1 mM concentration. EDHB addition prevented the accretion of collagens (types I–VI) on the cell surface, which generally increases during adipose conversion. Western blotting and immunofluorescence studies showed in detail that triple-helical conformation of procollagen molecules was drastically interrupted by EDHB, and as a result, their matrix assembly was not performed in the extracellular space of adipocytes. Particularly, the development of collagen types IV, V and VI during differentiation was severely damaged. When exogenous collagens were supplied to make up for the lack of endogenous products, cultured EDHB-treated cells on type V and VI collagen-coated dishes were the only ones among six collagens to accumulate more TG, although their TG content did not reach that of normal adipocytes. This result implies the importance and the active role of collagens V and VI for adipogenesis. However, these findings also indicate that collagen newly synthesized and organized by the adipocyte itself during differentiation is still necessary for the growth of adipose tissue.
Full coding regions for fast type myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms were sequenced from a porcine skeletal muscle to analyze sequence diversity relating to the contractile properties of muscle ...fibers. An approximately 6-kb fragment for each MyHC was amplified through RT-PCR using isoform type-specific primers, which were designed in the 5′ and 3′ non-coding regions of the porcine MyHCs. The lengths of deduced amino acid sequences were 1939, 1939, and 1937 for the porcine MyHC-2a,-2x, and-2b, respectively. The entire amino acid sequences were highly conserved among the three MyHCs, except for the 50/20 k junction region (loop 2) which would weakly bind actin molecules. The porcine MyHC-2b possessed different amino acids from MyHC-2a and-2x, in loop1 and ELC binding region. The sequence data suggested the diversity of contractile properties among the porcine MyHC isoforms.
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