Atractylodin Produces Antinociceptive Effect through a Long-Lasting TRPA1 Channel Activation

Atractylodin (ATR) is a bioactive component found in dried rhizomes of Atractylodes lancea (AL) De Candolle. Although AL has accumulated empirical evidence for the treatment of pain, the molecular mechanism underlying the anti-pain effect of ATR remains unclear. In this study, we found that ATR increases transient receptor potential ankyrin-1 (TRPA1) single-channel activity in hTRPA1 expressing HEK293 cells. A bath application of ATR produced a long-lasting calcium response, and the response was completely diminished in the dorsal root ganglion neurons of TRPA1 knockout mice. Intraplantar injection of ATR evoked moderate and prolonged nociceptive behavior compared to the injection of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC). Systemic application of ATR inhibited AITC-induced nociceptive responses in a dose-dependent manner. Co-application of ATR and QX-314 increased the noxious heat threshold compared with AITC in vivo. Collectively, we concluded that ATR is a unique agonist of TRPA1 channels, which produces long-lasting channel activation. Our results indicated ATR-mediated anti-nociceptive effect through the desensitization of TRPA1-expressing nociceptors.     

Online secondary path modeling in multichannel active noise control systems using variable step size

In single-channel feedforward active noise control (ANC) systems, additive random noise based methods are often applied to achieve secondary path modeling (SPM) during online operation. This paper investigates the issue of online SPM in multichannel ANC systems. It is shown that the application of existing methods for online SPM in multichannel ANC systems greatly increases the computational complexity. Here we extend our previous work on single-channel variable step-size online SPM to multichannel ANC systems. It is shown that the proposed method has reduced computational complexity as compared with other methods. Computer simulations are carried out that demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Migration of monomers and primary aromatic amines from nylon products

Migration of 2 kinds of monomer and 21 kinds of primary aromatic amines (PAAs) from 21 kinds of nylon products such as turners, ladles and wrap film were determined. Samples were classified as regards materials by mean of pyrolysis-GC/MS. One sample was classified as nylon 6, 15 samples as nylon 66 and three samples as nylon 6/66 copolymers, while two samples were laminate of nylon 6 with polyethylene or polypropylene. All of the nylon 66 samples contained a small amount of ε-caprolactam (CPL), which is the nylon 6 monomer. Migration levels of monomers and PAAs at 60°C for 30 min into 20% ethanol were measured by LC/MS/MS. CPL was detected at the level of 0.015-38 μg/mL from all samples, excluding one wrap film sample, and 1,6-hexamethylenediamine was detected at the level of 0.002-0.013 μg/mL from all nylon 66 samples and one nylon 6/66 sample. In addition, 0.006-4.3 μg/mL of 4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane from three samples, 0.032-0.23 μg/mL of aniline from four samples, 0.001 μg/mL of 4-chloroaniline from two samples, and 0.002 μg/mL of 2-toluidine and 0.066 mg/mL of 1-naphthylamine from one sample each were detected. The migration levels at 95 or 121°C were about 3 and 10 times the 60°C levels, respectively.     

Large distal anterior cerebral artery aneurysm associated with azygos anterior cerebral artery: case report

A 51-year-old woman presented with a distal anterior cerebral artery aneurysm (DACAA) manifesting as severe headache and monoparesis of the left lower limb. Computed tomography revealed subarachnoid hemorrhage in the interhemispheric fissure, bilateral sylvian fissures, and basal cistern, and a hematoma in the supracallosal region. Angiography showed a large aneurysm (23 x 18 mm) located on the distal end of the azygos anterior cerebral artery (azygos ACA) at the supracallosal portion. T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated the hematoma as a mixed intensity mass, compressing the corpus callosum downward, and the aneurysm as a flow void anterior to the hematoma. Unilateral frontoparietal parasagittal craniotomy was performed with a horse-shoe shaped incision. The aneurysm was clipped via the interhemispheric approach, and the hematoma was aspirated. Postoperative angiography showed disappearance of the aneurysm and intact azygos ACA. The patient was discharged with mild monoparesis, paresthesia of the left lower limb and diagnostic dyspraxia. DACAA almost always arises at or near the genu of the corpus callosum and is often associated with vascular anomaly. In the literature, 22 of 26 cases of large and giant DACAA were located at or near the genu, but only 3 cases, including ours, in the supracallosal area. 11 cases were associated with azygos ACA. Therefore, hemodynamic stress caused by vascular anomaly may be involved in the formation of large or giant DACAA in contrast with cases of normal DACAA.     

A resolving sign of acute subdural hematoma: from report of two cases

A 7-year-old-boy (Case 1) and a 60-year-old-man (Case 2) presented with rare spontaneous resolution of acute subdural hematoma (ASDH). They were admitted with consciousness disturbance, drowsy in Case 1 and sleepy in Case 2. Initial CT showed ASDH associated with a low density band between the hematoma and the inner wall of the skull base, combined with right parietal contusion in Case 2. Repeat CT showed that the hematoma had resolved spontaneously after a few hours, and the patients regained clear consciousness next day in Case 1 within a few days in Case 2 without surgical treatment. The mechanism of spontaneous resolution of ASDH was thought to involve pulsatile flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) through the tear in the arachnoid membrane, resulting in redistribution and dispersal of the hematoma, and retrograde flow into the subarachnoid space. The characteristic feature of the CT findings, the low density band between the hematoma and the inner wall of the skull bone, probably shows this process. Spontaneous resolution of ASDH requires that the brain compensatory function maintains the normal outflow of CSF, and controls the intracranial pressure by CSF buffering, blood outflow via the venous system, and brain elasticity. The low density band may be a useful finding to distinguish cases with good and bad prognosis.     

Interactions of transthyretin (TTR) and retinol-binding protein (RBP) in the uptake of retinol by primary rat hepatocytes

The mechanism by which cells take up retinol from retinol-binding protein (RBP) and the role of the RBP-transthyretin (TTR) complex remain unclear. Here we report on retinol uptake through the RBP-TTR complex by primary cultured rat hepatocytes (parenchymal cells, PC) and nonparenchymal cells (NPC) following incubation with [3H]retinol-RBP or the [3H]retinol-RBP-TTR complex under several conditions. The cellular accumulation of retinol was time and temperature dependent in both PC and NPC. Analysis by HPLC showed that the incorporated [3H]retinol in NPC was mainly converted to retinyl ester, although in PC it remained mainly as unesterified retinol. However, the amount of retinol taken up from the RBP-TTR complex was nearly twofold greater than that from RBP alone. The uptake of [3H]retinol from protein-bound retinol was inhibited by an excess of either retinol-RBP or retinol-RBP-TTR complex. Moreover, retinol uptake through the RBP-TTR complex was inhibited by an excess of free TTR. From these results we postulate that TTR may take part as a positive regulator in the delivery of RBP-bound retinol from plasma, possibly by a membrane receptor, and that retinol uptake takes place preferentially from the RBP-TTR complex into both PC and NPC. The uptake of [3H]retinol (2 microM) by PC was saturated, whereas uptake by NPC was not. These results indicate that the physiological importance of TTR in retinol delivery may be especially important to vitamin A-storing stellate (Ito) cells in the NPC fraction.     

New necessary and sufficient conditions for local controllability and local observability of 2-D separable denominator systems

New necessary and sufficient conditions for local controllability and observability of 2-D separable denominator systems (SDS's) are presented on the basis of the reduced-dimensional decomposition of 2-D SDS's. It is proved that local controllability of a 2-D SDS is equivalent to controllability of two 1-D systems which are a special decomposition pair of the 2-D SDS. Furthermore, local observability of a 2-D SDS is equivalent to a full rank condition of the coefficient matrices of the 2-D SDS in addition to observability of two 1-D systems which are another special decomposition pair of the 2-D SDS. Thus, these new conditions which use only 1-D controllability matrices, 1-D observability matrices, and coefficient matrices of the 2-D SDS are much simpler than any previous conditions which use complex 2-D controllability and observability matrices.     

Magnetic torque of κ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu(NCS)2 single crystals

The magnetic torque of-(BEDT-TFF)₂Cu(NCS)₂ was measured as a function of field direction with respect to thea ^*-axis under constant magnetic fields,H, up to 8 kOe in the temperature range from 1.3 to 8 K. A sharp cusp, C₁, in the irreversible region was found at _c1 near theHbc-plane between 1.3 and 7 K. In addition, extra cusps, C₂ and C₃, were observed at _c2 and _c3, respectively, between 2.5 and 6 K. At each temperature, the perpendicular component ofH giving each cusp is kept constant as i.e., cusps C₁, C₂, and C₃ are ruled by the characteristic field perpendicular to thebc-planeH _cp1,H _cp2, andH _cp3, respectively. These behaviors are almost the same as those we found in the oxide superconductor Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O₈. These results suggest that the cusps are intrinsic for irreversible vortex states of these layered superconductors.     

Down-regulation of TSC-22 (transforming growth factor beta-stimulated clone 22) markedly enhances the growth of a human salivary gland cancer cell line in vitro and in vivo

The mouse X-linked mutants lined and stripey are associated with lethality of affected males in utero and a striping of the coat in carrier females. We demonstrate that the underlying mutations are nested deletions which lie in the Phex-Amelx chromosomal segment conserved between man and mouse. The lined deletion contains less than approximately 0.7 cM of genetic material and includes the growth factor-regulated protein kinase gene, Rsk2. Stripey carries a larger deletion which removes approximately 2.0 cM of genetic material, including Rsk2 and the pyruvate dehydrogenase E1alpha subunit gene, Pdha1 . Since Coffin-Lowry syndrome and neonatal lactic acidosis are associated with mutations in the human homologues of Rsk2 and Pdha1 respectively, lined and stripey provide models for gene deficiencies in these disorders.     

Development of a small He II cryostat with optical windows for a microgravity experiment

In order to study film-boiling phenomena in saturated superfluid helium (He IIs) under a microgravity environment, a very compact visualization setup was designed and fabricated at High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK). It consists of a cryostat, a vacuum pump, a high-speed video camera and electrical circuits for measurement. The cryostat in the setup is equipped with optical windows for the visualization of film boiling in He IIs. The setup was tested to verify its thermal and safety performance under a microgravity environment using a 10 m free-drop tower at the Hokkaido Center of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). Successful system operation from 1.94 to 2.05 K under microgravity conditions below 1 × 10⁻³ g was confirmed. The design and test results are described in this technical note.