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.     

Reduction mechanism of tioglycolic acid on keratin fibers using microspectrophotometry and FT-Raman spectroscopy

In order to investigate the reduction mechanism of thioglycolic acid (TG) on the keratin fibers, cross-sectional samples of white human hair treated with TG were prepared. The heterogeneous reaction between TG and keratin fibers involving the diffusion of TG into human hair was analyzed at the molecular level using microspectrophotometry and FT-Raman spectroscopy. The diffusion of TG into human hair clearly increased by increasing the treatment time and by raising pH. The TG relative concentration and the disconnected relative concentration of disulfide (–SS–) groups at various depths of the hair samples with pH 9.0 were in good agreement, indicating that the reaction rate (the disconnection of –SS– groups) was faster than the diffusion rate of TG into human hair. From these experiments, we demonstrated that TG diffuses gradually beyond the cuticle region, and toward the inside of the cortex region along with the disconnection of –SS– groups.     

Thermal stability of reinforced Nb3Sn composite superconductor under cryocooled conditions

Several types of reinforced Nb₃Sn wires have been developed to prevent reduction of superconducting properties by applying a strong electromagnetic force. To fabricate a cryocooled magnet using those reinforced wires, we experimentally measured the minimum quench energy (MQE) under cryocooled conditions of some reinforced Nb₃Sn wires. As a result, it became clear that thermal stability expressed as MQE was controlled by the temperature margin between the temperature of the operating condition and the transition temperature from superconductivity to normal. Using the FEM analysis, it was realized that the cause of the decline in thermal stability for the reinforced wires was the low thermal conductivity of the reinforced materials.     

Three-dimensional pin power reconstruction for the axially heterogeneous region in BWR

A three-dimensional pin power reconstruction method was proposed and verified by applying to the axially heterogeneous region problem of the BWR core calculation. Because the production assembly calculation has been carried out by two-dimensional deterministic calculation methods like current coupling collision probability or the method of characteristics, it has been difficult to predict the detailed three-dimensional heterogeneous pin power distribution of the axially heterogeneous region. Consequently, only radial intranodal homogeneous power distributions have been considered, and axial intranodal homogeneous power distributions have not been considered in the estimation of linear-heat-generation-ratio at common BWR core calculations.     

Synthesis and characterization of chitosan/poly(acrylic acid) polyelectrolyte complex

Polyelectrolyte complex based on chitosan and acrylic acid monomer by photoinitiated free‐radical polymerization in the absence of crosslinker showed a large transition in swelling in response to changes in pH of surrounding medium. Their ability to swell arises from polyelectrolyte interactions and molecular structure of the complex. The main properties of interest that related to the molecular structure, swelling volumes, glass transition temperature, and elastic modulus of the complex were investigated. The effect of water content, the only variable in the sample component, played an important role in molecular structure of the complex and as a consequence, the extent of intermolecular linkage, especially amide bonds which in turn governed the degree of swelling of the polyelectrolyte complex in this study. The decreased degree of swelling and higher temperature shift of glass transition temperature was found with increased water content, whereas increased modulus of elasticity of dry complex was found in lower water content of synthesis component. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 1025–1035, 2002     

XIII. Yeast sequencing reports. Cloning and sequencing of the NES24 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We have cloned NES24 using a temperature-sensitive nes24-1 mutant as a host and sequenced a 3162 bp XhoI-EcoRI DNA fragment containing the NES24 gene. Computer analysis revealed that this segment contains a 1806 bp open reading frame which is needed for complementation of the nes24-1 mutation. We found SUP8 in the region upstream of the NES24 gene, placing the NES24 gene on chromosome XIII. A protein homology search indicated that NES24 encodes a new protein. The disruption of the NES24 gene resulted in temperature-sensitive growth. The sequence has been deposited in DDBJ/EmBL/GenBank data bases under Accession Number D15052.     

Free volume and permeabilities of O2 and H2 in Nafion membranes for polymer electrolyte fuel cells

The mechanism of gas permeation in Nafion membranes for polymer electrolyte fuel cells has been investigated from the viewpoint of free volume. Three different samples, a membrane with ionic exchange capacity (IEC) = 0.92 meq/g, and recast samples with IEC = 0.92 and 1.00 meq/g were used after drying. Free volume was quantified using the positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) technique and gas permeabilities were measured for O₂ and H₂ as functions of temperature and relative humidity. Good linear correlations between the logarithm of the permeabilities at different temperatures and reciprocal free volume indicate that gas permeation in dry Nafion is governed by the free volume. Nevertheless permeabilities are much smaller than the corresponding flexible chain polymer with a similar free volume size due to stiff chains of the perfluoroethylene backbone. In highly hydrated Nafion above 60% relative humidity, where the O₂ permeability varies oppositely to the free volume, gas permeation proved to be controlled by the gradual increase in overall flexibility of the Nafion–water system.     

DX centers in AlxGa1-xAs bulk alloy,AlAs/GaAs ordered,and disordered superlattices

Properties of theDX centers in Al_0.5Ga_0.5As bulk alloy (b-AL), (AlAs)₂ (GaSa)₂ ordered superlattice (o-SL) and (AlAs) _m (GaAs) _n disordered superlattice (d-SL) (m = 1, 2, 3,n = 1, 2, 3) with the same macroscopic composition were measured and compared. By deconvolution of deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) spectrum due to theDX center, we have found a decrease in the number of separate peaks in DLTS spectrum in an intentionally atomic ordered arrangement. Visiting Scholar of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. On leave from Department of Electrical Engineering, San Jose State University, San Jose, California 95192-0084, USA.     

Direct contact melting of porous material

The direct contact melting of a porous material is investigated experimentally and analytically. The phase change material (PCM) is made of fine ice particles of a nearly uniform diameter, which is changed as a parameter. In the analysis, two models are proposed. One is calculated as the direct contact melting of a monolithic sample and another is treated as an assembly of the direct contact melting of the individual particles. As a result, it was found that the heat flux increased with the diameter, due to increase of permeability in a case of small diameter. But, in a case of large diameter, the heat flux decreased as the particle diameter increased because the direct contact melting occurred independently for the individual particles.