Human hand impedance characteristics during maintained posture

Received: 23 June 1993 / Accepted in revised form: 15 September 1994     

Colonial Morphology of Treponemes Observed by Electron Microscopy

The colonial morphology of three strains of cultivable, nonpathogenic treponemes including a human oral treponeme was examined by light and electron microscopy. Treponema phagedenis strains Kazan and Reiter produced large white colonies on the surface of solid media composed of sterility test broth, 0.9 to 3.1% agar, rifampin, and 12.5% rabbit or horse serum. A human oral treponeme, strain G7201, grew as diffused white zones on 0.9 to 3.1% agar plates. Under the cultural conditions employed agar concentrations slightly affected the time of appearance of colonies of the three strains of treponemes. When the colonies of these three strains were viewed by scanning electron microscopy, differences in their colonial morphology were observed. The 11-day-old colonies of human oral strain G7201 were very small, 5 to 15 μm in diameter, and had a slight irregular border. Kazan treponemes developed circular, entire and low convex colonies. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the colonies of Reiter treponemes contained spherical forms almost up to 5 μm in diameter, each consisting of an outer membrane and a treponemal main body. They were very similar to the spherical bodies produced by strain G7201 in sucrose-containing broth.     

An Internal View of the Spherical Body of Treponema macrodentium as Revealed by Scanning Electron Microscopy

The osmium-dimethyl sulfoxide-osmium method for clear visualization of intracellular structure was used to observe the detailed inner structure of the spherical bodies produced in vitro by a human oral treponeme. Scanning electron microscopy of the cracked spherical body revealed no morphological differences between the outer and inner surfaces of the spherical body membrane, and that multiple folded or somewhat linear main bodies adhere closely to the inner surface. In addition, axial flagella partially free from the main bodies spread widely within the body to make a network, and a number of blebs ranging from approximately 1 μm to 0.2 μm in diameter were located near the terminal or subterminal areas of the main bodies. The origin of the blebs and the mechanism of spherical body formation are discussed.     

High-performance anion-exchange chromatography of ultraviolet-absorbing constituents of human urine

A 100-μl urine sample was chromatographed on a column packed with a strongly basic macroreticular anion-exchange resin (Diaion CDR-10, 5– μm diameter with a nominal 35% cross linkage). The elution was performed with a linear acetate gradient from 0 to 6.0 M at an average flow-rate of 0.72 ml/min and at an average pressure of 104 kg/cm². The relative standard deviation of retention times and peak height was ± 4% or less. The properties of the macroreticular anion-exchange resin, the effect of the particle size, the pH of acetate buffers, and the effect of the flow-rate of the eluent on the separation were investigated. Thirty three components of urine were then resolved and named.     

Targeting Interleukin-6: All the Way to Treat Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases

Interleukin (IL)-6, a cytokine featuring redundancy and pleiotropic activity, contributes to host defense against acute environmental stress, while dysregulated persistent IL-6 production has been demonstrated to play a pathological role in various autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases. Targeting IL-6 is thus a rational approach to the treatment of these diseases. Indeed, clinical trials of tocilizumab, a humanized anti-IL-6 receptor antibody have verified its efficacy and tolerable safety for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, Castleman''s disease and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, resulting in approval of this innovative biologic for treatment of these diseases. Moreover, a considerable number of case reports and pilot studies of off-label use of tocilizumab point to the beneficial effects of tocilizumab for a variety of other phenotypically different autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases. Elucidation of the source of IL-6 and of mechanisms through which IL-6 production is dysregulated can thus be expected to lead to clarification of the pathogenesis of various diseases.     

Analysis of differential accumulation of winged bean Kunitz chymotrypsin inhibitor mRNA species by a sequence-specific termination method

Winged bean Kunitz chymotrypsin inhibitor (WCI) is encoded by a multigene family and accumulation of its mRNA is restricted in mid-maturation stage seeds and tuberous roots. In this paper, we analyzed the accumulation of mRNA derived from each WCI gene using a novel method: sequence-specific termination analysis. The results demonstrated that the accumulation of each WCI mRNA was differentially regulated in winged bean plants.     

Enzyme localization and orientation of the active site of dissimilatory nitrite reductase from Bacillus firmus

The location of the dissimilatory nitrite reductase and orientation of its reducing site of the Grampositive denitrifier, Bacillus firmus NIAS 237 were examined. Approximately 90% of the total dissimilatory nitrite reductase activity with ascorbate-reduced phenazine methosulfate (PMS) as the electron donor was on the protoplast membrane. Nitrite induced with intact Bacillus cells an alkalinization in the external medium, followed by acidification. The electron transfer inhibitor, 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide, which blocked nitrite reduction with endogenous substrates, inhibited the acidification, but not the alkalinization. Alkalinization was not affected with ascorbate-reduced PMS as the artificial electron donor. This indicated that the alkalinization is not associated with proton consumption outside the cytoplasmic membrane by the extracellular nitrite reduction. The dissimilatory nitrite reductase of B. firmus NIAS 237 was located on the cytoplasmic membrane, and its reducing site is suggested to be on the inner side of this membrane.Abbreviations CCCP carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone - HOQNO 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide - PMS phenazine methosulfate - H⁺/NO _inf2 ^sup- ratio number of consumed protons in the external medium per one ion of NO _inf2 ^sup- reduced