Bcl6 in pulmonary epithelium coordinately controls the expression of the CC-type chemokine genes and attenuates allergic airway inflammation

BACKGROUND

There is synteny in the CC-type chemokine gene clusters between humans (CCL2/MCP-1, CCL7MCP-3, CCL11/eotaxin, CCL8/MCP-2, CCL13/MCP-4, and CCL1/I-309) and mice (CCL2, CCL7, CCL11, CCL12/MCP-5, CCL8, and CCL1).

OBJECTIVE

As many putative Bcl6/STAT-binding sequences are observed in the clusters, we examined the roles of a transcriptional repressor Bcl6 and the regional histone modification in the expression of these chemokine genes in pulmonary epithelium.

METHODS

We generated transgenic (Tg) mice carrying the Bcl6 or the dominant-negative (DN)-Bcl6 gene under the control of the surfactant protein C (SPC) promoter that induces the exogenous gene expression in the distal lung epithelium. For in vitro studies, A549, alveolar type II-like epithelial cell line transfected with the SPC-DN-Bcl6 gene were stimulated with IL-4+TNF-α, and Bcl6 or STAT6 binding to and histone modification of the cluster in the transfectants were analysed by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Tg mice sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) were challenged with OVA inhalation. The amounts of mRNAs in each sample were analysed by quantitative RT-PCR.

RESULTS

The amount of Bcl6 bound to the cluster decreased in A549 cells stimulated with IL-4 and TNF-α, whereas STAT6 binding increased in association with regional histone H3-K9/14 acetylation and H3-K4 methylation. The expression of all chemokine genes in the gene cluster was augmented in activated A549 cells transfected with the DN-Bcl6 gene. We also induced allergic airway inflammation in Tg mice. Expression of the chemokine genes and infiltrated cell numbers in the lungs of these Tg mice with allergic airway inflammation were inversely correlated with the amount of Bcl6 in the lungs.

CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Expression of the pulmonary epithelium-derived CC-type chemokine genes in the cluster is orchestrated by the conserved machinery related to Bcl6. Thus, Bcl6 in pulmonary epithelium may be a critical regulator for pathogenesis of various pulmonary inflammatory diseases.

Selection of highly osteogenic and chondrogenic cells from bone marrow stromal cells in biocompatible polymer-coated plates

To enrich the subpopulation that preserves self-renewal and multipotentiality from conventionally prepared bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs), we attempted to use 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) polymer-coated plates that selected the MSCs with strong adhesion ability and evaluated the proliferation ability or osteogenic/chondrogenic potential of the MPC polymer-selected MSCs. The number of MSCs that were attached to the MPC polymer-coated plates decreased with an increase in the density of MPC unit (0-10%), whereas no significant difference in the proliferation ability was seen among these cells. The surface epitopes of CD29, CD44, CD105, and CD166, and not CD34 or CD45, were detectable in the cells of all MPC polymer-coated plates, implying that they belong to the MSC category. In the osteogenic and chondrogenic induction, the MSCs selected by the 2-5% MPC unit composition showed higher expression levels of osteoblastic and chondrocytic markers (COL1A1/ALP, or COL2A1/COL10A1/Sox9) at passage 2, compared with those of 0-1% or even 10% MPC unit composition, while the enhanced effects continued by passage 5. The selection based on the adequate cell adhesiveness by the MPC polymer-coated plates could improve the osteogenic and chondrogenic potential of MSCs, which would provide cell sources that can be used to treat the more severe and various bone/cartilage diseases.

The palliative care knowledge test: reliability and validity of an instrument to measure palliative care knowledge among health professionals

Development of palliative care educational programmes continues in Japan. An instrument to evaluate a wider range of palliative care knowledge among general physicians and nurses is needed. However, such an instrument does not currently exist. The aim of this study was to develop an assessment to measure the efficacy of palliative care educational programmes. The questionnaire survey was validated with a group of 940 nurses at two facilities. The response rate was 85 % (n = 797). This study used psychometric methods such as item response theory and intraclass correlation coefficients. Ultimately, 20 items in 5 domains including 'philosophy', 'pain', 'dyspnoea', 'psychiatric problems' and 'gastrointestinal problems' were selected. For these items, the intraclass correlation was 0.88 overall and 0.61-0.82 in each domain; the Kuder-Richardson formula 20 in internal consistency was 0.81. Validity and reliability of the instrument were established. This tool is designed to evaluate a wider range of palliative care knowledge than currently available assessments and can be used for general physicians and nurses. The evaluation of educational programmes and the clarification of actual knowledge acquired are possible using this instrument.

Involvement of fibroblast growth factor 18 in dedifferentiation of cultured human chondrocytes

OBJECTIVE

Chondrocytes inevitably decrease production of cartilaginous matrices during long-term cultures with repeated passaging; this is termed dedifferentiation. To learn more concerning prevention of dedifferentiation, we have focused here on the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family that influences chondrocyte proliferation or differentiation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We have compared gene expression between differentiated cells in passage 3 (P3) and dedifferentiated ones in P8 of human cultured chondrocytes. We also performed ligand administration of the responsive factor or its gene silencing, using small interfering RNA (siRNA).

RESULTS

FGFs 1, 5, 10, 13 and 18 were higher at P8 compared to P3, while FGFs 9 and 14 were lower. Especially, FGF18 showed a 10-fold increase by P8. Ligand administration of FGF18 in the P3 cells, or its gene silencing using siRNA in the P8 cells, revealed dose-dependent increase and decrease respectively in type II collagen/type I collagen ratio. Exogenous FGF18 also upregulated expression of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), the anabolic factor of chondrocytes, in P3 chondrocytes, but P8 cells maintained a low level of TGF-beta expression, suggesting a decrease in responsiveness of TGF-beta to FGF18 stimulation in the dedifferentiated chondrocytes.

CONCLUSION

FGF18 seems to play a role in maintenance of chondrocyte properties, although its expression was rather high in dedifferentiated chondrocytes. Upregulation of FGF18 in dedifferentiated chondrocytes implied that it may be a marker of dedifferentiation.

[Surgical treatment of aortic root disease]

We reviewed aortic root disease and operative procedures. Between January 1982 and December 2008, aortic root operation was performed for 58 patients with various aortic root disease. We chose Bentall type operations in extensive root destructive cases and urgent or reoperative cases. Overall in-hospital mortality was 8.6% (5/58). Four patients (7.5% of survivors) died during the period of followup. Actuarial survival at 15 years was 92%. Freedom from cardiovascular event at 10 and 15 years was 81% and 27%, respectively. Of 5 reoperations in 5 patients, only 1 was required due to complications of the initial Bentall type operation. The Bentall type operations resulted in a durable result. Although, in Marfan syndrome, freedom from cardiovascular event was lower than that in non-Marfan syndrome, actuarial survival rate was equal with non-Marfan syndrome. Close observation is necessary for detecting cardiovascular event, especially in Marfan syndrome.

Ultrafast photoinduced insulator-ferromagnet transition in the perovskite manganite Gd0.55Sr0.45MnO3

We have investigated the ultrafast spin and charge dynamics in the course of a photoinduced phase transition from an insulator with short-range charge order and orbital order (OO) to a ferromagnetic metal in perovskite-type Gd0.55Sr0.45MnO3. Transient reflectivity changes suggest that the metallic state is formed just after the photoirradiation and decays within approximately 1 ps. The magnetization, however, increases with the time constant of 0.5 ps and decays in approximately 10 ps. The relatively slow increase of the magnetization is attributable to the magnetic-field-induced alignment of ferromagnetic domains in the initially produced metallic state and its slow decay to the partial recovery of the OO.

Optical control of the magnetic anisotropy of ferromagnetic bilayered manganites

Optical manipulation of the magnetic anisotropy is demonstrated for bilayered manganites, La2-2xSr1+2xMn2O7, by means of femtosecond Kerr-rotation measurements. Upon the photoexcitation on the x=0.32 crystal, the magnetization exhibits the precessional motion for about 1 ns, revealing the directional change of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy from the c axis to the ab plane. This change of the anisotropy induces the nonthermal decrease of the c-axis magnetization component for about 1 ns.

Influence of administration methods on the accumulation of ALA-induced Pp-IX in mouse tongue tumors

OBJECTIVE

5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) has been used as a photosensitizer in photodynamic therapy (PDT) for oral cancer. This study investigates the optimal method of administrating ALA by analyzing PpIX fluorescence in tongue tumor tissue.

METHODS

Protoporphyrin IX intensities in the mouse (C3H)-transplanted tongue cancer (NR-S1) were compared with those in normal tongue after intraperitoneal (i.p.), oral (p.o.) or topical administration of ALA. Tongues were sampled at various times after ALA administration. PpIX intensities were obtained from frozen sections of each sample by using a spectrophotometer.

RESULTS

Protoporphyrin IX intensity in the tumor group peaked at 3 h after the i.p. and 5 h after the p.o. administration of ALA, and these levels were about twice as high as those in the normal group. Maximum PpIX accumulation in the tongue tumor tissue was seen at 5 h after p.o. administration of ALA. In contrast, the topical administration of 20% ALA cream was associated with the lowest PpIX accumulation in the tumor throughout the experiments.

CONCLUSION

These results suggested that p.o. administration of ALA was the most effective method in ALA-PDT for oral cancer.

A 90-day oral toxicity study of beta-carotene derived from Blakeslea trispora, a natural food colorant, in F344 rats

A subchronic oral toxicity study of beta-carotene derived from Blakeslea trispora, a natural food colorant, was performed with groups of 10 male and 10 female F344 rats fed the agent at dietary levels of 0%, 0.2%, 1.0% and 5.0% for 90 days. There were no treatment-related adverse effects with regard to body weight, food and water consumption, urinalysis, ophthalmology, hematology, serum biochemistry, and organ weight data. On clinical observation, red coloring of fur was noted in both sexes of the 1.0% and 5.0% group rats, with red feces observed in all treated group animals, and necropsy revealed all rats of the treated groups to have reddish coloration of the contents of the gastro-intestinal tract, due to the pigmentation and thus lacking toxicological significance. On histopathological examination, sporadic spontaneous lesions known to occur in this strain of rats were the only findings, with no specific relation to the test substance. Thus, the no-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) was judged to be a dietary level of at least 5.0% (3127 mg/kg body weight/day for males, 3362 mg/kg body weight/day for females) for beta-carotene derived from B. trispora under the present experimental conditions.

General features of photoinduced spin dynamics in ferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic compounds

Ultrafast photoinduced spin dynamics has been investigated by time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr spectroscopy for various ferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic compounds: FeCr2S4, CoCr2S4, CuCr2Se4, CdCr2Se4, La0.6Sr0.4MnO3, and SrRuO3. The temporal demagnetization process, which is observed commonly for all the compounds, essentially consists of two components: One is an instantaneous change which originates perhaps from multiple emissions of magnetic excitations during nonradiative decay of photoexcited carriers, and the other is a delayed response due to thermalization of the spin system. The time constant of the delayed change depends strongly on materials and is scaled with the magnetocrystalline anisotropy, indicating that spin-orbit coupling is a dominant interaction for this process.

Alterations in enzyme histochemical characteristics of the masseter muscle caused by long-term soft diet in growing rabbits

OBJECTIVE

Recently young people have an increasing tendency to intake an easily chewable diet and spend less time on mastication. The aim of the present study was to investigate the histochemical effects of long-term soft diet on the masseter muscle in growing rabbits.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twelve young male Japanese white rabbits were divided into two groups (n = 6 each) at weaning (1 month after birth) and fed a solid diet (control group) or a powder diet (soft-diet group). The duration of the experimental period was 6 months. Masseter fibers from the superficial and the deep portions were histochemically defined as type 1, 2A, 2B, or 2C fibers.

RESULTS

As compared with that of the control, the deep masseter of the soft-diet group showed a significantly lower ratio of type 1 fiber cross-sectional area to total area (6.3 and 10.1% for the soft-diet and control group, respectively), significantly more type 2A fibers (74.0%vs 50.3%) and significantly fewer type 2B fibers (4.3%vs 12.5%). However, fiber size did not differ between the two groups. NADH-tetrazolium-reductase (NADH-TR) of the masseter was less reactive in the soft-diet group, reflecting a lower oxidative capacity.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that the alteration of the functional activities contributed to selective disuse influences on the type 1 and type 2B fibers, and a resultant increase in type 2A fibers. This study suggests that long-term alteration of jaw function induced by a soft diet can lead to adaptations of the masseter muscle.

In situ expression of RANKL, RANK, osteoprotegerin and cytokines in osteoclasts of rat periodontal tissue

OBJECTIVES

This study examined the in situ expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL), receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB (RANK), osteoprotegerin, interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) in the osteoclasts of rat periodontal tissue.

BACKGROUND

In periodontal disease, osteoclasts cause resorption of the alveolar bone. The function of osteoclasts is regulated by interaction with periodontal ligament cells (PDLs). Furthermore, various kinds of molecules such as RANKL, RANK, osteoprotegerin, IL-1beta and TNFalpha are known to be related to the osteoclasts differentiation and function. It is therefore important to observe the expression of RANKL, RANK, osteoprotegerin and cytokines in osteoclasts and PDLs.

METHODS

Four-week-old Wistar rats were used. Tooth movement was performed by the Waldo method, and the pathological bone resorption was induced. The demineralized maxillae and mandiblae were embedded with paraffin. In situ hybridization was performed to detect RANKL, RANK, osteoprotegerin, IL-1beta, and TNFalpha mRNAs in osteoclasts and other cells using the specific RNA probes, respectively.

RESULTS

Both RANKL and RANK were concomitantly expressed in some osteoclasts. RANKL was also positive in osteoblasts and PDLs. No IL-1beta- and TNFalpha-positive osteoclast was noted. The positive signals of osteoprotegerin were detected in almost all osteoblasts, PDLs and odontoblasts. No osteoprotegerin-positive osteoclasts were observed. The number and the distribution pattern of RANKL- and RANK-expressing osteoclasts changed when orthodontic excessive force was applied to periodontal tissue. In addition, IL-1beta and TNFalpha were shown to be expressed in osteoclasts under pathological status.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that an autocrine mechanism of RANKL-RANK exists in osteoclast, which is heightened in the pathological conditions. Furthermore, the autocrine mechanism of IL-1beta and TNFalpha is also provided in osteoclast under pathological condition. These autocrine mechanisms therefore seem to regulate the osteoclast function in both physiological and pathological conditions.

In vitro evaluation of the cytocompatibility of a glass-lonomer cement sealer

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cytocompatibility of two different types of root canal sealers in cell culture. Human periodontal ligament cells were cultured with set materials from an experimental glass-ionomer cement sealer (KT-308) and a commercially available zinc oxide-eugenol-based sealer (Canals) for 1, 3, and 7 days. Cytotoxic effects were evaluated from the morphological changes under a light microscope. Canals induced severe degenerative alteration of human periodontal ligament cells. In contrast, human periodontal ligament cells adjacent to KT-308 showed normal morphology and growth during the culture period. These results suggest that the glass-ionomer cement sealer, KT-308, is cytocompatible and has good potential as a root canal sealer.