Comparison of CGRP distributions in the maxillary sinus and trigeminal ganglion between elderly dentulous and edentulous humans

Thickening of the Schneiderian membrane (SM, mucosa of the maxillary sinus) appears in the paranasal sinus. Information on SM thickening is available for patients receiving sinus lift treatments, which is a risk factor for SM excretory dysfunction. However, more information is needed on the structure of the SM and the relationship between the maxilla sinus and palatine with the alveolar bone and the SM for dental implant treatment in the human maxilla. One hundred twenty-six sides of the maxilla from 71 cadavers were subjected to cone-beam computed tomography analysis and macroscopic and immunohistochemical observations in this study. A thickened SM was mainly observed in the middle region of the basal layer of the maxillary sinus (MS). Strong calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-positive reactions were observed in the alveolar bone, oral mucosa, mucosa of the MS, and trigeminal ganglion (TG) cells in dentulous samples compared with edentulous samples. TG cells play important roles in delivering CGRP through axons to the mucosal gland and in regulating the maxilla-related thickening of the SM. These data could help determine CGRP functions in the mucosal gland and bone formation between dentulous and edentulous samples and indicate that CGRP may pass from the TG to the MS glands.Key words: Mucosa, maxillary sinus, cone-beam computed tomography, immunohistochemistry, calcitonin gene-related peptide, trigeminal ganglion     

Imaging modalities for monitoring acute therapeutic effects after near-infrared photoimmunotherapy in vivo

Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) induces immediate cell death after irradiation with near-infrared (NIR) light. Acute therapeutic effects caused by NIR-PIT before the change of tumor size is essential to be monitored by imaging modalities. We summarized and compared the imaging modalities for evaluating acute therapeutic effects after NIR-PIT, and aimed to provide a better understanding of advantages and disadvantages of each modality for evaluation in clinical applications. Fluorescence imaging and fluorescence lifetime, with high resolution, remains high accumulation of fluorescence dyes in the normal organs. High resolution and noninvasiveness are the major advantages of magnetic resonance imaging, while ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography provides information about the glucose metabolism. Optical coherence tomography provided more information about the blood vessels. Thus, all of the imaging modalities play an important role in evaluating acute therapeutic effects after NIR-PIT. Clinicians should choose suitable modality according to specific purpose and conditions in clinical application.     

Ran-GTP Is Non-essential to Activate NuMA for Mitotic Spindle-Pole Focusing but Dynamically Polarizes HURP Near Chromosomes

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Fast,cell-resolution,contiguous-wide two-photon imaging to reveal functional network architectures across multi-modal cortical areas

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miR-30a attenuates drug sensitivity to 5-FU by modulating cell proliferation possibly by downregulating cyclin E2 in oral squamous cell carcinoma

We aimed to determine the functional role of the miRNA, which affects drug sensitivity to 5-FU in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), using two types of 5-FU-resistant and parental OSCC cell lines. MiRNA microarray data showed that miR-30a was significantly upregulated in two resistant cell lines. Therefore, we investigated the effects and molecular mechanism of miR-30a on 5-FU sensitivity. Stable overexpression of miR-30a in parental OSCC cells decreased cell proliferation and attenuated drug sensitivity to 5-FU. Cell cycle analysis indicated that miR-30a overexpression increased the proportion of G1 phase cells and decreased the proportion of S phase cells. MiR-30a knockdown using siRNA reversed the effects of miR-30a overexpression. DNA microarray analysis using miR-30a-overexpressing cell lines and a TargetScan database search showed that cyclin E2 (CCNE2) is a target of miR-30a. A luciferase reporter assay confirmed that a miR-30a mimic interacted with the specific binding site in the 3' UTR of CCNE2. CCNE2 knockdown with siRNA in OSCC cells yielded decreased drug sensitivity to 5-FU, similar to miR-30a overexpressing cells. These findings suggest that miR-30a in OSCC may be a novel biomarker of 5-FU-resistant tumors, as well as a therapeutic target for combating resistance.     

Isodichroic point and the β–random coil transition of poly(S-carboxymethyl-L-cysteine) and poly(S-carboxyethyl-L-cysteine) in the absence of added salt

The β-coil transition of poly(S-carboxymethyl-L -cysteine) (poly[Cys(CH₂CO₂H)]) and poly(S-carboxyethyl-L -cysteine) (poly[Cys((CH₂)₂CO₂H)]) was followed by CD, potentiometric titration, and viscosity in the absence of added salt. These different properties give consistent results for poly[Cys((CH₂)₂CO₂H)]. The CD spectra of poly[Cys(CH₂CO₂H)] change considerably with the degree of neutralization α even for a low-molecular-weight sample incapable of forming the β-structure. Because of the superposition of this additional effect, the dependence of CD on α is inconsistent with titration data for the case of poly[Cys(CH₂CO₂H)], particularly when the nπ transition is used to follow the β-coil transition. The change of CD inherent to the β-coil transition is characterized by an isodichroic point: 215 nm for poly[Cys((CH₂)₂CO₂H)] and 218 nm for poly[Cys(CH₂CO₂H)]. A criterion supporting the stacking of the pleated sheet is suggested based on the isodichroic point.     

Ventro-dorsal Hippocampal Pathway Gates Novelty-Induced Contextual Memory Formation

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Sodium counterion activity of poly(S-carboxymethyl-L-cysteine) and the beta–random-coil transition

Sodium ion activity was measured using a Na-glass electrode in a solution of poly(S-carboxymethyl-L -cysteine) with no added salt at various degrees of neutralization and various concentrations for samples of different molecular weights. The conformational change from random coil to the β-structure was detected from the activity coefficient of counterions, as well as from CD. At a constant degree of neutralization, the activity coefficient is insensitive to a concentration change not only in the random-coil state, but also in the range of conformational change if the concentration is below about 3 × 10^?2 monomolal. At high concentrations of about 5 × 10^?2 monomolal, however, the activity coefficient becomes low, probably due to the occurrence of the stacking of the pleated sheets.