The Function of Sialidase Revealed by Sialidase Activity Imaging Probe

Sialidase cleaves sialic acid residues from glycans such as glycoproteins and glycolipids. In the brain, desorption of the sialic acid by sialidase is essential for synaptic plasticity, learning and memory and synaptic transmission. BTP3-Neu5Ac has been developed for sensitive imaging of sialidase enzyme activity in mammalian tissues. Sialidase activity in the rat hippocampus detected with BTP3-Neu5Ac increases rapidly by neuronal depolarization. It is presumed that an increased sialidase activity in conjunction with neural excitation is involved in the formation of the neural circuit for memory. Since sialidase inhibits the exocytosis of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, the increased sialidase activity by neural excitation might play a role in the negative feedback mechanism against the glutamate release. Mammalian tissues other than the brain have also been stained with BTP3-Neu5Ac. On the basis of information on the sialidase activity imaging in the pancreas, it was found that sialidase inhibitor can be used as an anti-diabetic drug that can avoid hypoglycemia, a serious side effect of insulin secretagogues. In this review, we discuss the role of sialidase in the brain as well as in the pancreas and skin, as revealed by using a sialidase activity imaging probe. We also present the detection of influenza virus with BTP3-Neu5Ac and modification of BTP3-Neu5Ac.     

Molecular Targeted Therapy for the Bone Loss Secondary to Pyogenic Spondylodiscitis Using Medications for Osteoporosis: A Literature Review

Pyogenic spondylodiscitis can cause severe osteolytic and destructive lesions in the spine. Elderly or immunocompromised individuals are particularly susceptible to infectious diseases; specifically, infections in the spine can impair the ability of the spine to support the trunk, causing patients to be bedridden, which can also severely affect the physical condition of patients. Although treatments for osteoporosis have been well studied, treatments for bone loss secondary to infection remain to be elucidated because they have pathological manifestations that are similar to but distinct from those of osteoporosis. Recently, we encountered a patient with severely osteolytic pyogenic spondylodiscitis who was treated with romosozumab and exhibited enhanced bone formation. Romosozumab stimulated canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling, causing robust bone formation and the inhibition of bone resorption, which exceeded the bone loss secondary to infection. Bone loss due to infections involves the suppression of osteoblastogenesis by osteoblast apoptosis, which is induced by the nuclear factor-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways, and osteoclastogenesis with the receptor activator of the nuclear factor-κB ligand-receptor combination and subsequent activation of the nuclear factor of activated T cells cytoplasmic 1 and c-Fos. In this study, we review and discuss the molecular mechanisms of bone loss secondary to infection and analyze the efficacy of the medications for osteoporosis, focusing on romosozumab, teriparatide, denosumab, and bisphosphonates, in treating this pathological condition.     

Radiophotoluminescence phenomenon in copper-doped aluminoborosilicate glass

Radiophotoluminescence phenomena have been widely investigated on various types of materials for dosimetry applications. We report that an aluminoborosilicate glass containing 0.005 mol% copper exhibits intense photoluminescence in the visible region induced by X-ray and γ-ray irradiation. The luminescence is assigned to the 3d⁹4s¹ → 3d¹⁰ transition of Cu⁺. The proportionality of the intensity of the induced photoluminescence to the irradiation dose was confirmed up to 0.5 kGy using ⁶⁰Co γ-ray irradiation. Based on the spectroscopic results, a potential mechanism was proposed for the enhancement of the photoluminescence. The exposure to the ionizing radiation generates electron-hole pairs in the glass, and the electrons are subsequently captured by the Cu²⁺ ions, which are converted to Cu⁺ and emit the luminescence. For the glass containing 0.01 mol% copper, the pronounced enhancement of the photoluminescence was not observed because the reverse reaction, ie, the capture of the holes by the Cu⁺ ions, becomes prominent. The photoluminescence induced by the irradiation was stably observed for the glasses kept at room temperature and even for the glasses heat-treated at 150°C. However, the induced photoluminescence could be eliminated by the heat treatment at a temperature at 500°C, and the glass returned to the initial pre-irradiation state. The Cu-doped aluminoborosilicate glass is a potential candidate for use in dosimetry applications.     

Isolation of antimicrobial agent from the marine algae Cystoseira hakodatensis

Cystoseira hakodatensis is an unutilised brown algae belonging to family Sargassaceae. A crude methanol extract from the algae showed inhibitory effects on the growths of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus licheniformis. To isolate the major antimicrobial agent, a sequential active‐guided isolation procedure was applied: liquid–liquid extraction, column chromatography and bio‐autography. A marked antimicrobial agent (active α) was isolated in hydrophobic fraction and was determined to phenolics without carbohydrates and proteins by phytochemical test. Regarding the antimicrobial potential, the isolated active α showed better inhibitory effects against B. cereus and B. licheniformis at 2 and 4 times of lower concentrations (62.5 and 31.3 μg mL^?1) in comparison with epigallocatechin gallate. These results showed that C. hakodatensis is a potential source of antimicrobial agent capable of preventing the growth of the two bacteria.     

Supramolecular Zn(II)-Dipicolylamine-Azobenzene-Aminocyclodextrin-ATP Complex: Design and ATP Recognition in Water

Cyclodextrins (CyDs) are water-soluble host molecules possessing a nanosized hydrophobic cavity. In the realm of molecular recognition, this cavity is used not only as a recognition site but also as a reaction medium, where a hydrophobic sensor recognizes a guest molecule. Based on the latter concept, we have designed a novel supramolecular sensing system composed of Zn(II)-dipicolylamine metal complex-based azobenzene (1-Zn) and 3A-amino-3A-deoxy-(2AS,3AS)-γ-cyclodextrin (3-NH₂-γ-CyD) for sensing adenosine-5′-triphosphate (ATP). 1-Zn showed redshifts in the UV-Vis spectra and induced circular dichroism (ICD) only when both ATP and 3-NH₂-γ-CyD were present. Calculations of equilibrium constants indicated that the amino group of 3-NH₂-γ-CyD was involved in the formation of supramolecular 1-Zn/3-NH₂-γ-CyD/ATP. The Job plot of the ICD spectral response revealed that the stoichiometry of 1-Zn/3-NH₂-γ-CyD/ATP was 2:1:1. The pH effect was examined and 1-Zn/3-NH₂-γ-CyD/ATP was most stable in the neutral condition. The NOESY spectrum suggested the localization of 1-Zn in the 3-NH₂-γ-CyD cavity. Based on the obtained results, the metal coordination interaction of 1-Zn and the electrostatic interaction of 3-NH₂-γ-CyD were found to take place for ATP recognition. The “reaction medium approach” enabled us to develop a supramolecular sensing system that undergoes multi-point interactions in water. This study is the first step in the design of a selective sensing system based on a good understanding of supramolecular structures.     

Oxidation of Hastelloy-XR Alloy for Corrosion-Resistant Glass-Coating

The oxidation behavior of Hastelloy-XR alloy was investigated to obtain the optimum surface condition for corrosion-resistant glass-coatings. The surface morphology of oxide scales changed significantly with variation of temperatureand oxygen partial pressure (po2 ). The oxidation kinetics was mainly parabolic independent of oxidation conditions.The oxide scales were consisted of inner Cr2O3 and outer spinel layers. The phase component of spinel layers wereMn1.5Cr1.5O4 and (Mn,Ni)(Cr,Fe)2O4 for the oxygen partial pressures po2<10 kPa and po2>10 kPa, respectively.The optimum oxidation condition to obtain an oxide scale for well-adhered glass-coating to the substrate was 1248 Kand po2 =0.01 kPa for the oxidation time of 43 ks.     

Fracture toughness of short carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic polyimide

The fracture toughness testing of short fibre reinforced thermoplastic materials were performed. Materials tested were the polyimide resin and also that reinforced with 20 wt% or 30 wt% short carbon fibre. For introducing the initial crack, the tapping method, the sliding method and the bridge indentation method were examined. Among them, the sliding method was found to be effective for every case. The fracture tests were conducted by the three-point bending test with several loading rates. Stable crack growth was observed for the neat material while unstable fracture occurred for the reinforced materials. The critical values of the stress intensity factor at crack initiation were greater for the reinforced materials than for the neat resin. The fracture toughness of the 30 wt% reinforced material was independent of loading rate while that of 20 wt% reinforced material increased with loading rate. In order to investigate the fracture mechanisms, fractographic observations were also performed.     

Chemical potentials of oxygen for three-phase assemblages of CaSiO3(s) + Ca3Si2O7(s) + {CaO + SiO2 + FexO} melt and Ca3Si2O7(s) + Ca2SiO4(s) + {CaO + SiO2 + FexO} melt

By employing an electrochemical technique involving stabilized zirconia as solid electrolyte and Mo + MoO₂ mixture as reference electrode, the equilibrium oxygen partial pressures for three-phase assemblages of CaSiO₃(s) + Ca₃Si₂O₇(s) + {CaO + SiO₂ + Fe_xO} melt and Ca₃Si₂O₇(s) + Ca₂SiO₄(s) + {CaO + SiO₂ + Fe_xO} melt were determined as: - log {P_O2 (CS + C₃S₂ + L)/bar} = - 3.22 13000/(T/K) ± 0.05 - log {P_O2 (C₃S₂ + C₂S + L)/bar} = - 0.92 16400/ (T/K) ± 0.04. respectively, where CS, C₃S₂ and C₂S indicate CaSiO₃(s), Ca₃Si₂O₇(s). and Ca₂SiO₄(s), respectively.     

Microstructure and mechanical behaviour of 3Y-TZP/Mo nanocomposites possessing a novel interpenetrated intragranular microstructure

Yttria stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP)/0-100 vol % molybdenum (Mo) composites were fabricated by hot-pressing a mixture of Y-TZP powder containing 3 mol % yttria (Y₂O₃) and a fine Mo powder in vacuum. This composite system possessed a novel microstructural feature composed of an interpenetrated intragranular nanostructure, in which either nanometer sized Mo particles or equivalent sized zirconia (ZrO₂) particles located within the ZrO₂ grains or Mo grains, respectively. The strength and toughness were both greatly enhanced with increasing Mo content for the 3Y-TZP/Mo composites thus breaking through the strength-toughness tradeoff relation in transformation toughened ZrO₂ and its composite materials. They exhibited a maximum strength of 2100 MPa and a toughness of 11.4 MPa·m^1/2 for the composite containing 70 vol % Mo. These simultaneous improvements in strength and toughness were determined to be the result of a decrease in flaw size associated with the interpenetrated intragranular nanostructure, and a stress shielding effect created in the crack tip by the elongated Mo polycrystals bridging the crack tip in addition to the stress induced phase transformation.