Oxidative Stress and Its Significant Roles in Neurodegenerative Diseases and Cancer

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species have been implicated in diverse pathophysiological conditions, including inflammation, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Accumulating evidence indicates that oxidative damage to biomolecules including lipids, proteins and DNA, contributes to these diseases. Previous studies suggest roles of lipid peroxidation and oxysterols in the development of neurodegenerative diseases and inflammation-related cancer. Our recent studies identifying and characterizing carbonylated proteins reveal oxidative damage to heat shock proteins in neurodegenerative disease models and inflammation-related cancer, suggesting dysfunction in their antioxidative properties. In neurodegenerative diseases, DNA damage may not only play a role in the induction of apoptosis, but also may inhibit cellular division via telomere shortening. Immunohistochemical analyses showed co-localization of oxidative/nitrative DNA lesions and stemness markers in the cells of inflammation-related cancers. Here, we review oxidative stress and its significant roles in neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.     

On the heat removal characteristics and the analytical model of a thermal energy storage capsule using gelled Glauber's salt as the PCM

An analytical and experimental investigation was performed on a heat removal process of the thermal energy storage (TES) capsule, using gelled Glauber's salt. Transient heat flux at the capsule wall was measured for various cooling conditions. In cases where the initial temperature was lower than the saturation temperature of the phase change material (PCM), numerical analyses were performed, approximating the process by a relaxation phenomenon where crystals grew around crystal nuclei. The results of the numerical solution agreed very well with the experimental results.     

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.     

Composition Regulation by Flow Copolymerization of Methyl Methacrylate and Glycidyl Methacrylate with Free Radical Method

It is important to match the feeding ratio of comonomers to the composition ratio in the resulting copolymers as closely as possible in industrial production, where the goal is often to produce more a homogeneous composition in copolymers. In this study, a flow copolymerization system with a conventionally initiated free radical method, together with randomly selected polymerization conditions is investigated. It is succeeded in achieving a closer match between the composition ratio and feeding ratio than previously reported in the copolymerization of styrene with methyl methacrylate and of glycidyl methacrylate with methyl methacrylate, which will widen the range of applications, by precisely controlling the mixing and heating in a flow polymerization apparatus. This is confirmed by the fact that the estimated values of reactivity ratios, r₁ and r₂, which are used in the reaction kinetics of copolymerization, are close to 1.     

Feeder components and instrumentation for the JT-60SA magnet system

The modifying of the JT-60U magnet system to the superconducting coils is progressing as a satellite facility for ITER by both parties of Japanese government and European commission in the Broader Approach agreement. The magnet system requires current supplies of 25.7 kA for 18 TF coils and of 20 kA for 4 CS modules and 6 EF coils. The magnet system generates an average heat load of 3.2 kW at 4 K to the cryogenic system. The feeder components connected to the power supply provide current supply. The cooling pipes connected to the cryogenic system provide coolant supply. The instrumentation of the JT-60SA magnet system is used for its operation.     

Resonant-tunnelling hot-electron transistor (RHET) using a GaInAs/(AlGa)InAs heterostructure

A common-emitter current gain of 10 has been measured at 77 K for a 100 nm-base resonant-tunnelling hot-electron transistor (RHET) using a GaInAs/(AlGa)InAs heterostructure. The current gain for 25 nm-base RHETs has reached 25, which is the highest value yet reported for hot-electron transistors, and the collector current peak-to-valley ratio has reached 15.0 for the same device.     

Gamma-Ray Spectrometer based on a Transition Edge Sensor for Nuclear Materials Analysis

We designed and fabricated a hard X-ray and gamma-ray TES spectrometer for nuclear materials analysis. The superconducting tin absorber is coupled to an Ir/Au TES by using a gold post to improve the thermal contact between the absorber and the TES. The reported energy resolution is 156 eV FWHM at 59.5 keV and 166 eV FWHM at 122 keV gamma-rays. We performed measurement of a Pu sample and clearly separated the \(^{239}\) Pu (56.828 keV) and the \(^{241}\) Am (59.5 keV) peaks by this TES microcalorimeter which cannot be resolved by the HPGe detector.     

Suppression of heat-induced HSF activation by CDDP in human glioblastoma cells

To confirm whether or not the alar cartilage of the unilateral cleft lip nose is primarily hypoplastic as compared with the noncleft side, 35 unilateral cleft lip nasal patients who had no previous nasal surgery underwent direct measurement of the lateral crus of alar cartilage on both sides during their nasal tip plasties. Both lower lateral cartilages were dissected freely, and the thickness was measured at the intercrural, middle, and distal portions. The width was measured at the widest portion, and the length was measured from the intercrural point to the distal end. Two-mm-punch biopsies were obtained from each cartilage for histologic study. The lateral crus of the cleft side was no smaller than that of the noncleft side. Histologically, no difference was ascertained. In conclusion, we think the lateral crus of the alar cartilage of the cleft side is not hypoplastic. Therefore, external factors such as soft-tissue defect or external abnormal vector force are more attributable than intrinsic factors to the development of cleft lip nasal deformity.     

Bax and Bcl-2 expressions predict response to radiotherapy in human cervical cancer

PURPOSE: The ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax expression determines survival or death following an apoptotic stimulus. In order to establish a new predictor of the outcome of treatment for human cervical carcinoma, we investigated the relationship between the expressions of the Bax and Bcl-2 proteins and the response to radiotherapy after the administration of 10.8 Gy. METHODS: A total of 44 patients with histologically proven carcinoma of the uterine cervix, including three with recurrent cervical stump carcinomas, were treated with definitive radiotherapy. The presence of mutations in exons 5-8 of the p53 gene was analyzed by a single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and DNA sequencing. RESULTS: Forty patients were found to have wild-type p53, and the remaining four had mutant p53. The Bax and Bcl-2 protein expressions prior to radiotherapy did not correlate with response and survival. However, the Bax and Bcl-2 protein expressions after radiotherapy correlated with both response and survival. Bax-positive tumors showed significantly better responses than the Bax-negative tumors after 10.8 Gy radiation (P = 0.0002). In contrast, the Bcl-2-positive tumors showed significantly poorer responses than the Bcl-2-negative tumors after radiation (P = 0.002). Increased Bax expression after the 10.8 Gy radiotherapy was found to be correlated with good survival (P = 0.04). In contrast, increased Bcl-2 expression after such radiotherapy was correlated with poor survival (P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: The levels of Bax and Bcl-2 expression after 10.8 Gy radiotherapy are useful prognostic markers in patients with human cervical carcinoma.