Inhibition of RANKL-Induced Osteoclastogenesis by Novel Mutant RANKL

Background: Recently, it was reported that leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 4 (LGR4, also called GPR48) is another receptor for RANKL and was shown to compete with RANK to bind RANKL and suppress canonical RANK signaling during osteoclast differentiation. The critical role of the protein triad RANK–RANKL in osteoclastogenesis has made their binding an important target for the development of drugs against osteoporosis. In this study, point-mutations were introduced in the RANKL protein based on the crystal structure of the RANKL complex and its counterpart receptor RANK, and we investigated whether LGR4 signaling in the absence of the RANK signal could lead to the inhibition of osteoclastogenesis.; Methods: The effects of point-mutated RANKL (mRANKL-MT) on osteoclastogenesis were assessed by tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), resorption pit formation, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), western blot, NFATc1 nuclear translocation, micro-CT and histomorphological assay in wild type RANKL (mRANKL-WT)-induced in vitro and in vivo experimental mice model. Results: As a proof of concept, treatment with the mutant RANKL led to the stimulation of GSK-3β phosphorylation, as well as the inhibition of NFATc1 translocation, mRNA expression of TRAP and OSCAR, TRAP activity, and bone resorption, in RANKL-induced mouse models; and Conclusions: The results of our study demonstrate that the mutant RANKL can be used as a therapeutic agent for osteoporosis by inhibiting RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis via comparative inhibition of RANKL. Moreover, the mutant RANKL was found to lack the toxic side effects of most osteoporosis treatments.     

Microstructure and shear strength of Au-20wt%Sn solder joints fabricated by thermo-compression bonding for LED packages

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - Solder joints of Au-20wt%Sn (Au-20Sn) between real light-emitting diode Si chips and AlN substrates were fabricated using thermo-compression...     

A Lane-Level Road Marking Map Using a Monocular Camera

The essential requirement for precise localization of a self-driving car is a lane-level map which includes road markings (RMs). Obviously, we can build the lane-level map by running a mobile mapping system (MMS) which is equipped with a high-end 3D LiDAR and a number of high-cost sensors. This approach, however, is highly expensive and ineffective since a single high-end MMS must visit every place for mapping. In this paper, a lane-level RM mapping system using a monocular camera is developed. The developed system can be considered as an alternative to expensive high-end MMS. The developed RM map includes the information of road lanes (RLs) and symbolic road markings (SRMs). First, to build a lane-level RM map, the RMs are segmented at pixel level through the deep learning network. The network is named RMNet. The segmented RMs are then gathered to build a lane-level RM map. Second, the lane-level map is improved through loop-closure detection and graph optimization. To train the RMNet and build a lane-level RM map, a new dataset named SeRM set is developed. The set is a large dataset for lane-level RM mapping and it includes a total of 25157 pixel-wise annotated images and 21000 position labeled images. Finally, the proposed lane-level map building method is applied to SeRM set and its validity is demonstrated through experimentation.      

Physicochemical analysis of non-fermented probiotic milk with probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum Ln1 isolated from Korea traditional fermented food

Food Science and Biotechnology - The objective of this study was to develop a non-fermented probiotic milk that maintains its physicochemical properties, microbial properties, antioxidant activity,...     

Molecular Characteristics of Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) and Its Effects in Cancer

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a type 1 transmembrane glycoprotein, and its homologs amyloid precursor-like protein 1 (APLP1) and amyloid precursor-like protein 2 (APLP2) are highly conserved in mammals. APP and APLP are known to be intimately involved in the pathogenesis and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and to play important roles in neuronal homeostasis and development and neural transmission. APP and APLP are also expressed in non-neuronal tissues and are overexpressed in cancer cells. Furthermore, research indicates they are involved in several cancers. In this review, we examine the biological characteristics of APP-related family members and their roles in cancer.     

Combination of vegetable soup and glucan demonstrates synergistic effects on macrophage-mediated immune responses

Vegetable soup (VS), a plant-based functional food, has been used as a traditional folk medicine and is attracting attention for its ability to enhance the immune response. β-Glucan, a well-established and effective immunomodulator, has synergistic effects when used in combination with some bioactive compounds. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the synergistic immunomodulatory effects of the combination of VS and β-glucan on macrophage-mediated immune responses. β-Glucan was demonstrated to synergistically enhance the VS-stimulated immune response, including the production of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and nitric oxide, mainly through the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in macrophages. In addition, this combination has the potential for further development in functional foods with immune-enhancing activity.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-021-00888-x.     

碳纤维原丝含油率测试影响因素研究

利用改进的索氏提取回流法测量碳纤维原丝含油率.研究了溶剂回流温度、回流时间、环境湿度对测试结果的影响,结果表明:随着回流温度的提高,2小时内回流清洗效果不断增强,当回流温度大于54℃,次数大于12次,油剂清洗效果基本保持不变.可通过提高回流温度以提高单位时间内的回流次数,优化纤维含油率测试的准确性和测试效率.环境湿度对索氏提取测纤维含油率有显著影响:控制环境湿度在50～52％RH范围内,可将纤维吸潮质量变化控制在纤维质量的0.005％,油剂相对含量的0.2％～0.6％,可将测试稳定差值降低至≤0.05％,测试方法差值<0.1％,满足油剂测试工艺要求.回流时间≥2 h,回流温度≥54℃,测试环境湿度50～52％RH,索氏提取回流法油剂测试误差<0.05％.     

Selective hydrogenation of acetylene over Pd/CeO2

Five hundred ppm Pd/CeO₂ catalyst was prepared and evaluated in selective hydrogenation of acetylene in large excess of ethylene since ceria has been recently found to be a reasonable stand-alone catalyst for this reaction. Pd/CeO₂ catalyst could be activated in situ by the feed gas during reactions and the catalyst without reduction showed much better ethylene selectivity than the reduced one in the high temperature range due to the formation of oxygen vacancies by reduction. Excellent ethylene selectivity of ~100% was obtained in the whole reaction temperature range of 50°C–200°C for samples calcined at temperatures of 600°C and 800°C. This could be ascribed to the formation of Pd_xCe_1−xO_2−y or Pd-O-Ce surface species based on the X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results, indicating the strong interaction between palladium and ceria.