Anti-metastatic and immunomodulating properties of the water extract from Celosia argentea seeds

Although dynamic cardiomyoplasty (DCMP) is currently being evaluated as an alternative to end-stage congestive heart failure, the overall results of DCMP are variable and inconclusive. We evaluated the effect of classic DCMP on systolic and diastolic cardiac function in normal heart using reliable indicators which minimize the influences of load conditions. Six experimental dogs were evaluated with the acute nonpreconditioning model. The slope of the linear preload recruitable stroke work relationship (Mw) showed a significant increase with latissimus dorsi muscle (LDM) stimulation (postwrap non-stimulation 59.1+/-6.3, postwrap stimulation 98.6+/-9.7 erg cm(-3) x 10(3); P < 0.01), and the x-intercept (V0) was unchanged; these were utilized as the indicators of left ventricular systolic function. The constant of pressure decay (tau) increased after LDM wrap (prewrap 45.8+/-6.0, postwrap nonstimulation 69.3+/-10.3, postwrap stimulation 72.3+/-13.9 ms; P < 0.05), and the peak filling rate was unchanged after LDM wrap, which were utilized as the indicators of diastolic function. We concluded that classic dynamic cardiomyoplasty is effective in assisting systolic cardiac function, but may to some degree have a detrimental effect on the diastolic cardiac function.     

Computational evolution of human bipedal walking by a neuro-musculo-skeletal model

The acquisition process of bipedal walking in humans was simulated using a neuro-musculo-skeletal model and genetic algorithms, based on the assumption that the shape of the body has been adapted for locomotion. The model was constructed as 10 two-dimensional rigid links with 26 muscles and 18 neural oscillators. Bipedal walking was generated as a mutual entrainment between neural oscillations and the pendulous movement of body dynamics. Evolutionary strategies incorporated, for example, as fitness in the genetic algorithms were assumed to decrease energy consumption, muscular fatigue, and load on the skeletal system. An initial population of 50 individuals was created, and an evolutionary simulation of 5000 steps was conducted. As a result, the shape of the body changed from that of a chimpanzee to that of a modern human, and the body size nearly reached the size of a modern human. These simulation results show that improving locomotive efficiency and reducing the load on the musculo-skeletal system are important factors affecting the evolution of the human body shape and bipedal walking. Such computer simulations help us to understand the process of evolution and adaptation for locomotion in humans. This work was presented, in part, at the Third International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 19–21, 1998     

Prominent expression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor in human skeletal muscle

Natural killer (NK) cells are well recognized as cytolytic effector cells of the innate immune system. In the past several years, the structure and function of NK cell receptors for the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules and other ligands have been the subject of extensive studies. These studies. These studies have focused largely on the mechanisms of target cell recognition for lysis. Another aspect of NK cell function that seems to be underappreciated is their role in immune regulation. Since NK cells produce a number of immunologically relevant cytokines, it has been suggested that these cells may modulate the development of the adaptive immune response. But, is it the only mechanism by which NK cells interact with cells involved in the induction of antigen-specific responses? This article reviews some older and more recent studies and attempts to place NK cells in the context of potent immune regulators of T cell responses.     

Regional Cultural Differences Within European Countries: Evidence from Multi-Country Surveys

The purpose of this study is to investigate the patterns of regional cultural differences within European countries. This study extends our previous work (Kaasa et al. 2013) that used data from the European Social Survey (ESS), by using more recent data and combining the ESS and the European Values Study (EVS) as data sources. We aim to study how much attention should be paid to within-country differences and how they differ across countries. The indicators of cultural dimensions were created using confirmatory factor analysis based on the initial indicators selected relying on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. The extent and character of within-country cultural differences were examined. Our results reveal a wide diversity of regional cultural variability among the observed countries. We identified countries where within-country cultural variability is larger (Spain, Portugal, France) and smaller (Finland, Sweden, Norway) than cross-national variability. Also, in many countries a more detailed regional division (more and smaller regions) brought out larger differences, although this cannot be taken as a rule. Patterns along regions differ across cultural dimensions, making grouping regions difficult. Studying regional cultural differences within countries is important. The extent of the optimal depth of regional division applied depends on the particular country, its regional cultural variability, and the needs and aims of the researcher.     

A simulation study on the evolution of hopping motions in animals

This work was designed to investigate biomechanical aspects of the evolution based on the hypothesis of dynamic cooperative interactions between the locomotion pattern and the body shape in the quadrupedal hopping and the bipedal hopping. The musculoskeletal sagittal-plane model used in the computer simulation consisted of several segments; foot, shank, thigh, trunk, forearm, upper arm, and tail. Two adjacent segments were connected by a hinge joint, and each joint angle was controlled by an extensor and a flexor muscle. The nervous system was represented by a rhythm pattern generator which consisted of 12 neuron models. The genetic algorithm was employed based on the natural selection theory to represent the evolutionary mechanism. The simulation results showed that although hopping could not be seen in the early evolution process, repeated manipulations of the selection and multiplication increased the step length and the locomotion speed and that the resulting hopping motion was close to that of living animals. It was suggested that the advantage of the quadrupedal hopping is high energy efficiency and that of the bipedal hopping is high stability due to the simple and easy motion control. The computational evolution method employed in this study can be a new powerful tool for investigation of the evolution process mostly due to its versatility.     

Cyclopinolenic acids: Synthesis,derivatives and thermal properties

The two isomeric cyclopinolenic acids (CP-1 and CP-2), components of distilled tall oil, have been synthesized by means of an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction of isomers of 5,10,12-octadecatrienoic esters, themselves synthesized in a stereocontrolled manner. The 5cis,10-trans,12trans isomer cyclizes at 200°C to a 1:3 mixture of esters of CP-1 and CP-2. At 200°C, the 5cis,10trans,12cis isomer is unreactive, but at 240°C it gives the same CP-1 + CP-2 ester mixture, presumably by way of prior isomerization to the 5cis,10trans,12trans isomer. A subambient thermal study of CP-1 and CP-2 and their derivatives shows that the compounds, excluding CP-1, lack crystalline structures or melting points, and display glass transitions only, below −80°C for esters and below −50°C for the carboxylic acids.     

Identification of Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase Inhibitors from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rosa centifolia</Emphasis> Petals

Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) catalyzes the final step of triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis, and is considered as a potential target to control hypertriglyceridemia or other metabolic disorders. In this study, we found that the extract of rose petals suppressed TAG synthesis in cultured cells, and that the extract showed DGAT inhibitory action in a dose-dependent manner. Fractionation of the rose extract revealed that the DGAT inhibitory substances in the extract were ellagitannins; among them rugosin B, and D, and eusupinin A inhibited DGAT activity by 96, 82, and 84% respectively, at 10 μM. These substances did not inhibit the activities of other hepatic microsomal enzymes, glucose-6-phosphatase and HMG-CoA reductase, or pancreatic lipase, suggesting that ellagitannins inhibit DGAT preferentially. In an oral fat load test using mice, postprandial plasma TAG increase was suppressed by rose extract; TAG levels 2 h after the fat load were significantly lower in mice administered a fat emulsion containing rose extract than in control mice (446.3 ± 33.1 vs 345.3 ± 25.0 mg/dL, control vs rose extract group; P < 0.05). These results suggest that rose ellagitannins or rose extract could be beneficial in controlling lipid metabolism and used to improve metabolic disorders.     

Difference in microstructure between PZT thin films on Pt/Ti and those on Pt

Abstract

PZT thin films were synthesized by sol-gel on a Pt/Ti double layer bottom electrode or on a Pt single layer bottom electrode to investigate the bottom electrode dependence of PZT film structure. On Pt/Ti, <111> oriented perovskite grains with 50–100 nm lateral size were densely packed. On Pt, large perovskite grains (2?3 μm) were surrounded by fine pyrochlore grains (about 5 nm), and no certain orientation was observed. TEM and EDX analyses suggested that a fraction of Ti in the Pt/Ti layer diffused along Pt grain boundaries up to the Pt surface and was oxidized during the PZT annealing process. A model for the crystallization of sol-gel derived PZT was proposed, in which TiOx particles at the Pt surface act as nucleation sites for PZT crystallization. This model well explained the experimental results.     

Pharmacological Inhibition of miR-130 Family Suppresses Bladder Tumor Growth by Targeting Various Oncogenic Pathways via PTPN1

Previously, we have revealed that the miR-130 family (miR-130b, miR-301a, and miR-301b) functions as an oncomiR in bladder cancer. The pharmacological inhibition of the miR-130 family molecules by the seed-targeting strategy with an 8-mer tiny locked nucleic acid (LNA) inhibits the growth, migration, and invasion of bladder cancer cells by repressing stress fiber formation. Here, we searched for a functionally advanced target sequence with LNA for the miR-130 family with low cytotoxicity and found LNA #9 (A(L)^i^i^A(L)^T(L)^T(L)^G(L)^5(L)^A(L)^5(L)^T(L)^G) as a candidate LNA. LNA #9 inhibited cell growth in vitro and in an in vivo orthotopic bladder cancer model. Proteome-wide tyrosine phosphorylation analysis suggested that the miR-130 family upregulates a wide range of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) signaling via the expression of phosphorylated Src (pSrc^Tyr416). SILAC-based proteome analysis and a luciferase assay identified protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 1 (PTPN1), which is implicated as a negative regulator of multiple signaling pathways downstream of RTKs as a target gene of the miR-130 family. The miR-130-targeted LNA increased and decreased PTPN1 and pSrc^Tyr416 expressions, respectively. PTPN1 knockdown led to increased tumor properties (cell growth, invasion, and migration) and increased pSrc^Tyr416 expression in bladder cancer cells, suggesting that the miR-130 family upregulates multiple RTK signaling by targeting PTPN1 and subsequent Src activation in bladder cancer. Thus, our newly designed miR-130 family targeting LNA could be a promising nucleic acid therapeutic agent for bladder cancer.