Bio-medico-mechanical behavior of natural artery blood vessel under constant and variable internal pulsatile pressure flow test in vitro

Studies have been carried out on the bio-medico-mechanical behavior in vitro of natural blood vessel (dogs) under constant and variable internal pulsatile pressure flow. The apparatus designed by us well simulated the arterial system. The studies were made for the case of pressure amplitude kept as constant, of the two-step-multi-duplicated pulsatile pressure and of the fluctuating pressure. For the case of the fluctuating pressure, the strength of the artery becomes considerably lower than those under constant amplitude and two-step-multi-duplicated pulsatile pressure. SEM observations of the inner walls of the artery shows that collagen fibers are more elongated under fluctuating pulsatile pressure flow. In conclusion, in order to avoid the mechanical deterioration of the artery strength, it is useful to keep the pulsatile blood pressure at constant amplitude. Even for the case of the blood pressure fluctuation, it is necessary to manage to keep the blood pressure as near a regular wave as possible, the total number of repeated pulse being equal.     

EcoBalance 2018—Nexus of ideas: innovation by linking through life cycle thinking (9–12 October 2018, Tokyo,Japan)

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment -     

Effect of epidermal growth factor on intestinal adaptation after allogeneic small bowel transplantation in rats

We reported that epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulated graft adaptation in a rat model of syngeneic small bowel transplantation. However, graft rejection is a severe problem with clinical small bowel transplantation, because small intestinal wall contains large amounts of lymphoid tissue. Studies were performed to investigate the effect of EGF on allogeneic graft adaptation after small bowel transplantation in rats treated with an immunosuppressant FK506. The transplanted animals received intraperitoneally EGF or saline (untreated) after surgery and were examined for analysis one week later. EGF-treated group markedly enhanced the water absorption and induction of sodium glucose cotransporter (SGLTI) as compared with EGF-untreated group. EGF-treated group also increased the mucosal crypt depth and its cell proliferating rate, although there was no significant difference in the mucosal villus height between the two groups. These results indicate that EGF accelerates intestinal allograft adaptation in part by the recovery of mucosal structure and function after small bowel transplantation in rats. EGF may have relevance to promote graft function in clinical small intestinal transplantation.     

Proteome approach for identification of schistosomiasis japonica vaccine candidate antigen

Experimental vaccination with radiation-attenuated cercariae (RAC) confers possible practical levels of resistance to challenge infection by humoral and by cellular mechanism. Here, we aimed to identify possible vaccine antigens by using specific IgG antibody from RAC vaccinated miniature pig. Two milligrams of soluble egg antigen (SEA) or schistosomal worm antigen preparation (SWAP) was fractionated using two dimensional liquid chromatography (proteome PF 2D) consisted of high performance chromatofocusing (HPCF) and high resolution reversed phase chromatography (HPRP). Of the 42 HPCF fractions of SEA or SWAP, 26 (61.9%) or 15 (35.7%) showed positive dot blot reaction with RAC vaccinated serum respectively. The dot blot positive fractions were applied to the second HPRP column. One hundred and seven out of 26 x 96 of SEA fractions and 18 out of 15 x 96 SWAP fractions reacted with RAC vaccinated serum. From the positive fractions we chose 17 of SEA and 10 of SWAP that had no reactivity with normal cercariae infected (NCI) sera and had single peak of 214 nm; and automated N-terminal amino acid sequence based on in situ Edman Reaction was conducted. Four sequences were obtained and applied to the homology search in NCBI database. A total of eight candidate genes were listed up and their cDNA clones from schistosomula stage were obtained. Two of the recombinant proteins (AAW27472.1 and AXX25883.1) showed strong reactivity with the RAC vaccinated serum but marginal with NCI serum. This protocol using proteome PF 2D could be applicable in identifying immunoreactive proteins from crude extract for the development of vaccines or for diagnostics.     

Mutation at the "exit gate" of the salmonella gyrase a subunit suppresses a defect in the gyrase B subunit

In Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, an S431P substitution in the B subunit of gyrase (allele gyrB651) confers resistance to nalidixic acid and causes reduced DNA superhelicity and hypersensitivity to novobiocin. Selection for novobiocin resistance allowed isolation of a mutation in the gyrA gene (allele gyrA659), a T467S substitution, which partially suppresses the supercoiling defect of gyrB651. Modeling analysis suggests that this mutation acts by destabilizing the GyrA bottom dimer interface. This is the first example of a gyrA mutation that compensates for a gyrB defect.     

β-Glucuronidase from Lactobacillus brevis useful for baicalin hydrolysis belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 30

Baicalin (baicalein 7-O-β-d-glucuronide) is one of the major flavonoid glucuronides found in traditional herbal medicines. Because its aglycone, baicalein, is absorbed more quickly and shows more effective properties than baicalin, the conversion of baicalin into baicalein by β-glucuronidase (GUS) has drawn the attention of researchers. Recently, we have found that Lactobacillus brevis subsp. coagulans can convert baicalin to baicalein. Therefore, we aimed to identify and characterize the converting enzyme from L. brevis subsp. coagulans. First, we purified this enzyme from the cell-free extracts of L. brevis subsp. coagulans and cloned its gene. Surprisingly, this enzyme was found to be a GUS belonging to glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 30 (designated as LcGUS30), and its amino acid sequence has little similarity with any GUS belonging to GH families 1, 2, and 79 that have been reported so far. We then established a high-level expression and simple purification system of the recombinant LcGUS30 in Escherichia coli. The detailed analysis of the substrate specificity revealed that LcGUS30 has strict specificity toward glycon but not toward aglycones. Interestingly, LcGUS30 prefers baicalin rather than estrone 3-(β-d-glucuronide), one of the human endogenous steroid hormones. These results indicated that L. brevis subsp. coagulans and LcGUS30 should serve as powerful tools for the construction of a safe bioconversion system for baicalin. In addition, we propose that this novel type of GUS forms a new group in subfamily 3 of GH family 30.