Metabolism of PG in man: Effect of furosemide on the excretion of the main metabolite of PG F2α

The excretion rates of main urinary metabolite of PG F₂α were measured radioimmunologically in 4 healthy persons and in 13 essential hypertensives. The resting values were 9.3±0.73 in the former and 10.4±2.17 ng/min in the latter. There was no significant differences between them. The excretion of the metabolite decresed prominently after the administration of furosemide. The percent decrease was 57% in healthy persons and 70% in essential hypertension. The percent result supports that furosemide inhibit the catabolism of PG F₂α.     

Deterrent effect of soybean meal on feeding of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

The occurrence of a factor in soybean which deters feeding of the silkworm was demonstrated. The deterrent was not extractable with ether or ethanol, but was extracted with 90% ethanol or hot water. Preliminary experiments showed that the deterrent was adsorbed on charcoal, but neither on activated alumina nor in a steam distillate. Autoclaving did not inactivate the deleterious effect. A crude extract of the deterrent showed a marked negative feeding response by including 0·4 mg/g of the dry diet.Inclusion of the crude extract in the diet retarded the growth of larvae, whereas larvae grew well when receiving the 90% ethanol-washed meal. Feeding response for various soybean meals and proteins were compared, and better larval growth has generally obtained when the feeding response was more positive. It is, however, inconclusive whether or not the deleterious principle possesses some physiologically toxic effect.The feeding behaviour of newly hatched larvae was observed in the presence of favourable and/or unfavourable diets, and a brief discussion is made concerning the feeding behaviour of this insect.     

Studies on fungal polysaccharide XVII. A new glucuronan “protuberic acid” produced by a fungus Kobayashi Nipponica

A water-soluble glucuronan “protuberic acid”, [α]_d²² −83.6° and purified from Kobayashia Nipponica, and its physicochemical properties were investigated.The purified protuberic acid was homogeneous as shown by zone electrophoresis, gel filtration over Sepharose 4B, and ultracentrifugation. The sedimentation coefficient was 1.8 S and its intrinsic viscosity was 1.1 dl/g. By gel filtration the molecular weight was estimated to be about 170 000. The results of periodate oxidation, methylation analysis, and partial acid hydrolysis indicated that this acidic polysaccharide has a linear structure of mainly 1,4-linkages and containing an acid-labile linkage. Reduced protuberic acid, [α]_d²² −44°, is also described.     

Differences in the stemness characteristics and molecular markers of distinct human oral tissue neural crest‐derived multilineage cells

ObjectivesAlthough multilineage cells derived from oral tissues, especially the dental pulp, apical papilla, periodontal ligament, and oral mucosa, have neural crest‐derived stem cell (NCSC)‐like properties, the differences in the characteristics of these progenitor cell compartments remain unknown. The current study aimed to elucidate these differences.Material and methodsSphere‐forming apical papilla‐derived cells (APDCs), periodontal ligament‐derived cells (PDLDCs), and oral mucosa stroma‐derived cells (OMSDCs) from the same individuals were isolated from impacted developing teeth. All sphere‐forming cells were characterized through biological analyses of stem cells.ResultsAll sphere‐forming cells expressed neural crest‐related markers. The expression of certain tissue‐specific markers such as CD24 and CD56 (NCAM1) differed among tissue‐derived cells. Surprisingly, the expression of only CD24 and CD56 could be discriminated in human tissues. Although APDCs and PDLDCs exhibited greater mineralized cell differentiation than OMSDCs, they exhibited poorer differentiation into adipocytes in vitro. In immunocompromised mice, APDCs formed hard tissues better than PDLDCs and OMSDCs.ConclusionsAlthough cells with NCSC‐like properties present the same phenotype, they differ in the expression of certain markers and differentiation abilities. This study is the first to demonstrate the differences in the differentiation ability and molecular markers among multilineage human APDCs, PDLDCs, and OMSDCs obtained from the same patients, and to identify tissue‐specific markers that distinguish tissues in the developing stage of the human tooth with immature apex.

This study illustrates that neural crest‐derived cells from distinct oral tissues, namely the apical papilla, periodontal ligament, and oral mucosa, have varying differentiation potential, and tissue‐derived cell‐specific molecular markers have been identified. CD24 and NCAM1/CD56 expression were found to differ among multilineage oral tissue‐derived cells, similar to our observation in human tissue.     

Common antigenic determinant in the receptor binding sites of Escherichia coli enterotoxin and cholera toxin

Abstract A mutant (TUH No. 9) of a porcine strain of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) produces as abnormal B subunit (B') of heat-labile enterotoxin (LT), which has aspartate instead of glycine at residue 33 from the N-terminus and does not bind to the receptor, GM1 ganglioside. The antigenicities of the receptor-binding site of LT were analyzed.
The antibody, which could not bind to the B' subunit in the anti-B subunit of porcine LT(LTp)-serum, could bind to cholera toxin (CT), LTp and LT produced by a human ETEC strain (LTh), suggesting that it recognizes a common epitope of LTp, LTh and CT. Thus glycine at residue 33 from the N-terminus in the B subunit of CT, LTh and LTp may be related to the common epitope of these three toxins. The bindings of CT, LTh and LTp to the antibody were inhibited by the GM1 ganglioside.
These data indicate that the antibody recognizes a common epitope in the receptor (GM1 ganglioside)-binding site of CT, LTh and LTp.     

Genetic structure of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cerasus jamasakura</Emphasis>, a Japanese flowering cherry,revealed by nuclear SSRs: implications for conservation

The genetic resources of a particular species of flowering cherry, Cerasus jamasakura, have high conservation priority because of its cultural, ecological and economic value in Japan. Therefore, the genetic structures of 12 natural populations of C. jamasakura were assessed using ten nuclear SSR loci. The population differentiation was relatively low (F _ST, 0.043), reflecting long-distance dispersal of seeds by animals and historical human activities. However, a neighbor-joining tree derived from the acquired data, spatial analysis of molecular variance and STRUCTURE analysis revealed that the populations could be divided into two groups: one located on Kyusyu Island and one on Honshu Island. Genetic diversity parameters such as allelic richness and gene diversity were significantly lower in the Kyushu group than the Honshu group. Furthermore, STRUCTURE analysis revealed that the two lineages were admixed in the western part of Honshu Island. Thus, although the phylogeographical structure of the species and hybridization dynamics among related species need to be evaluated in detail using several marker systems, the Kyusyu Island and Honshu Island populations should be considered as different conservation units, and the islands should be regarded as distinct seed transfer zones for C. jamasakura, especially when rapid assessments are required.     

Developmental Changes in the NGF Content in the Brain of Young,Growing, Low-Birth-Weight Rats

The NGF content in each region of the brain of four-week-old rats was ranked in the decreasing order of cerebral cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, midbrain/diencephalon, and pons/medulla ob-longata, and the NGF concentration, in the decreasing order of hippocampus, cerebral cortex, cerebellum, midbrain/diencephalon, and pons/medulla oblongata in both AFD and SFD groups. The NGF content and concentration in the cerebral cortex were about the same value at each age between those in the AFD and SFD groups. Those in the hippocampus were a little higher in the SFD group than in the AFD group at the ages of three and four weeks, unlike those in the other regions, where the values for the cerebellum, midbrain/diencephalon and pons/medulla oblongata tended to be somewhat higher in the AFD group than in the SFD group. The NGF concentrations in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex increased with growth: the concentration in the hippocampus at four weeks of age was about 4-fold of that at one week in the AFD group and about 5.7-fold of that at one week in the SFD group; and likewise the concentration in the cerebral cortex at four weeks of age was about 5.3-fold in the AFD group and about 7-fold in the SFD group. The NGF concentrations in the cerebellum decreased, and those in midbrain/diencephalon and pons/medulla oblongata hardly changed with growth in either AFD or SFD group. From these results NGF may have stronger implications for the neuronal growth in the hippocampus compared with those in the lower brain regions of the SFD rats.     

Effects of Amyloid β-Peptides and Gangliosides on Mouse Neural Stem Cells

The interaction of amyloid β-proteins (Aβs) with membrane lipids has been postulated as an early event in Aβ fibril formation in Alzheimer’s disease. We evaluated the effects of several putative bioactive Aβs and gangliosides on neural stem cells (NSCs) isolated from embryonic mouse brains or the subventricular zone of adult mouse brains. Incubation of the isolated NSCs with soluble Aβ1–40 alone did not cause any change in the number of NSCs, but soluble Aβ1–42 increased their number. Aggregated Aβ1–40 and Aβ1–42 increased the number of NSCs but soluble and aggregated Aβ25–35 decreased the number. Soluble Aβ1–40 and Aβ1–42 did not affect the number of apoptotic cells but aggregated Aβ1–40 and Aβ1–42 did. When NSCs were treated with a combination of GM1 or GD3 and soluble Aβ1–42, cell proliferation was enhanced, indicating that both GM1 and GD3 as well as Aβs are involved in promoting cell proliferation and survival of NSCs. These observations suggest the potential of beneficial effects of using gangliosides and Aβs for promoting NSC proliferation.     

Cell recruitment and cytokines in skin mice sensitized with the vaccine adjuvants: saponin, incomplete Freund's adjuvant, and monophosphoryl lipid A

Vaccine adjuvants are substances associated with antigens that are fundamental to the formation of an intense, durable, and fast immune response. In this context, the use of vaccine adjuvants to generate an effective cellular immune response is crucial for the design and development of vaccines against visceral leishmaniasis. The objective of this study was to evaluate innate inflammatory response induced by the vaccine adjuvants saponin (SAP), incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA), and monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL). After a single dose of adjuvant was injected into the skin of mice, we analyzed inflammatory reaction, selective cell migration, and cytokine production at the injection site, and inflammatory cell influx in the peripheral blood. We found that all vaccine adjuvants were able to promote cell recruitment to the site without tissue damage. In addition, they induced selective migration of neutrophils, macrophages, and lymphocytes. The influx of neutrophils was notable at 12 h in all groups, but at other time points it was most evident after inoculation with SAP. With regard to cytokines, the SAP led to production of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, and IL-4. IFA promoted production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interferon (IFN)-γ, IL-6, IL-17, IL-4, and IL-10. We also observed that MPL induced high production of IL-2, TNF-α, and IFN-γ, in addition to IL-6, IL-17, and IL-10. In peripheral blood, values of certain cell populations in the local response changed after stimulation. Our data demonstrate that the three vaccine adjuvants stimulate the early events of innate immune response at the injection site, suggesting their ability to increase the immunogenicity of co-administered antigens. Moreover, this work provides relevant information about elements of innate and acquired immune response induced by vaccine adjuvants administered alone.