Requirement for transglutaminase in progesterone-induced decidualization of human endometrial stromal cells

Differentiation of endometrial stromal cells (decidualization) is essential for embryo implantation and maintenance of pregnancy. By sequential complementary DNA subtractive hybridization, one of the messenger RNAs (mRNA) induced by progesterone in human endometrial stromal cells decidualized in vitro was identified as that of a tissue transglutaminase type II (TGase). TGase mRNA was induced within 6 h after the addition of progesterone to the culture, and the effect was dose dependent. Both the TGase inhibitor monodansylcadaverine and oligodeoxynucleotide complementary to the TGase mRNA inhibited the decidualization, as assessed by PRL production and morphological transformation. Expression of TGase mRNA in human decidua and endometria exposed to high levels of progesterone in vivo was demonstrated by Northern blotting and in situ hybridization. These data suggest that TGase is necessary for the decidualization of human endometrial stromal cells and that clarification of the mechanism of action of TGase will facilitate further insight into the diagnosis and treatment of infertility.     

Serum rheumatoid factor induced by intraperitoneal administration of periodontopathic bacterial lipopolysaccharide in mice

Serum rheumatoid factor (RF) level and peritoneal and splenic CD5+B (B-1) cells in mice were examined after intraperitoneal administration of purified lipopoly-saccharides (LPS) from oral periodontopathic bacteria; Porphyromonas gingivalis, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Capnocytophaga ochracea. F. nucleatum and C. ochracea LPS induced higher levels of serum IgM- and IgG-RF, while P. gingivalis LPS showed the least induction. In addition, wet weights of spleen and serum IgM and IgG concentration were markedly increased in F. nucleatum LPS injected group. On the other hand, the proportion of CD5+ B cells to lymphocytes in the peritoneal cavity and spleen did not increase. The reason for this was not clear but conventional B cells (CD5- B cells) might increase more rapidly with splenic enlargement than CD5+ B cells. These results suggested that RF induced by bacterial LPS may modulate immune responses against bacteria and plays an important role for defence and destruction of periodontal tissue.     

Radiation tolerance of type IIa synthetic diamond detector for 14 MeV neutrons

Radiation tolerance of a type IIa synthetic diamond detector was examined from irradiation of mono-energetic 14 MeV neutrons. Measurements of I–V (current–voltage) characteristics and energy spectrum for 5.486 MeV alpha particles were performed after neutron irradiation. In the I–V characteristics measurement, enhancement of rectification was observed after neutron irradiation of up to 2.0 × 10¹² n/cm². Concurrently with the enhancement of rectification, significant decrease in signal amplitude was observed in energy spectrum measurement for alpha particles. It is considered that these changes were due to increase in the concentration of defects acting as shallow energy levels in the forbidden band. For neutron irradiation of higher than 1.6 × 10¹³ n/cm², weakening of the rectification characteristics and recovery of the signal amplitude were observed. These changes imply that deep energy levels, which were also considered to be introduced by defects, were dominant and weakened the effects of the shallow energy levels. Increase in the concentration of the deep trapping levels resulted in gradual decrease of the signal amplitude and degradation in the energy resolution. The peak for the alpha particles was obtained up to 5.5 × 10¹³ n/cm².     

Athermal silica-based arrayed-waveguide grating multiplexer

A temperature dependent channel wavelength shift in a silica-based arrayed-waveguide grating multiplexer is successfully suppressed from 0.95 to 0.05 nm in the 0-85°C temperature range, which means that it can be used in practical WDM systems without the need for temperature control     

IRISTER - magneto-optical disk for magnetically inducedSuperResolution

IRISTER (IRIS Thermal Eclipse Reading) is a remarkable technique for achieving superresolution in optical disks. Two applications of IRISTER are Magnetically induced SuperResolution (MSR) and Premastered optical disk by SuperResolution (PSR). Magnetically induced SuperResolution (MSR) has been realized in magneto-optical disks using exchange-coupled magnetic multilayer films. Two new detection methods have been developed. In the front aperture detection (FAD) method, the heated area in the light spot works as an optical mask so that the signal is read out only from the remaining crescent-shaped area in the spot. In the rear aperture detection (RAD) method, the signal is read out only from the heated area. The cutoff spatial frequency for both types of detection is more than two times higher than that in conventional detection. A high C/N of 42 dB is obtained in the MSR disks by both methods for a mark length of 0.3 μm, which is much shorter than the optical limit. Premastered optical disk by SuperResolution (PSR) has been realized in read-only optical disks using phase-change materials. In the front aperture detection (FAD) method for PSR, the prerecorded signal is read out only from the high reflective crescent-shaped area in the light spot, because the reflectance of the heated area is too low. A C/N of 51 dB for a mark length of 0.3 μm has been obtained for the PSR disk     

Aprotinin reduces homologous blood transfusions when pediatric cardiac surgery must be redone

The hemostatic effect of aprotinin in pediatric cardiac surgery is controversial. This study demonstrated the usefulness of aprotinin in cases undergoing additional surgery. In a retrospective study, three groups of children were investigated. In group I (n = 10), no aprotinin or Cell saver was used (control). In group II (n = 12), Cell saver was used intraoperatively. In group III (n = 14), aprotinin 30,000 KIU/kg was added to the prime of cardiopulmonary bypass, and another 10,000 KIU/kg was given every hour during extracorporeal circulation. Both blood loss and use of homologous blood during operation were significantly (p < 0.01) reduced in group III compared to those in the other two groups. In group III, blood loss both 12 and 48 hours postoperatively were one-third less than those in group I (no significant difference). The use of homologous blood 48 hours postoperatively was significantly reduced in group III compared to that in group I (p < 0.01) or group II (p < 0.05). We conclude that aprotinin administration during cardiopulmonary bypass reduced blood loss and homologous blood requirements both operatively and postoperatively when pediatric cardiac surgery must be redone.     

Void formation in a filled SBR rubber determined by small-angle X-ray scattering

Two commercial styrene-butadiene (SBR) latexes were used to prepare a model filled material consisting of glassy SBR filler particles about 1000 Å in diameter embedded in a rubbery SBR matrix crosslinked by γ-radiation. When transparent specimens of this material were extended, voiding occurred, as evidenced by stress whitening and greatly enhanced X-ray scattering intensity. More voids were formed at higher rates of extension, but voids disappeared when specimens were relaxed. The effects of filler content and cure time of the matrix on the size and number of voids formed were determined by low-angle X-ray scattering for a constant extension rate and a constant extension ratio λ = 1.6. The number of voids measured by X-ray scattering intensity decreased rapidly with time over the 3-h period of measurement. The number of voids remaining 1 h after extension increased about 40 times as filler content was increased from 15% to 50%. Increasing the cure time from 24 to 96 h increased the number of voids about four times. In contrast, the radius of gyration of the voids formed (250–350 Å) did not depend strongly on time, nor did it depend strongly on the filler content or the cure time of the matrix. Stress relaxation measurements made under the same conditions as X-ray scattering measurements showed effects typical of filled materials. However, the relaxation of stress (which followed a power law decay) was much slower than the decay of the number of voids as measured by X-ray scattering intensity.     

Polymorphic behavior of gondoic acid and phase behavior of its binary mixtures with asclepic acid and oleic acid

Molecular properties of polymorphic forms of gondoic acid [cis-C_20:1Δ11ω9 (GOA)] have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), optical microscopy, and Raman scattering, in comparison to those of six principal unsaturated fatty acids: oleic acid [cis-C_18:1Δ9ω9 (OA)], erucic acid [cis-C_22:1Δ13ω9 (ERA)], petroselinic acid [cis-C_18:1Δ6ω12 (PSA)], asclepic acid [cis-C_18:1Δ11ω7 (APA)], palmitoleic acid [cis-C_16:1Δ9ω7 (POA)], and elaidic acid [trans-C_18:1Δ9ω9 (ELA)]. In addition, phase behavior of binary mixtures of GOA and APA and OA was examined by XRD and DSC. The polymorphic structures of GOA are quite similar to those of APA, ERA, POA, and partly to OA. In particular, DSC and Raman scattering studies have shown that gondoic acid exhibits conformational disordering on heating at the ω-chain, a chain segment between the double bond and CH₃ group, as a transition from all-trans (γ form) to gauche-rich (α form) conformations. A miscible mixing phase was observed in the mixture of GOA and APA, yet eutectic phases were observed in the GOA and OA mixtures. This is a remarkable contrast because the binary mixture systems of varying combinations of cis-unsaturated fatty acids examined so far exhibited either eutectic nature or molecular compound formation. It is expected that specific molecular interactions between GOA and APA that originate from the equivalence of the length of the Δ-chain, the chain segment between the cis-double bond and COOH group, and also from the presence of the γ-α order-disorder transformation would be operating to form the miscible mixing phase.