Intervention Program to Improve Executive Functions and Enhance Planning Abilities of Patients With Mild Neurocognitive Disorder.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of an intervention program to improve executive functions and enhance the planning abilities of patients with mild neurocognitive disorder.

Design: A pilot intervention study.

Methods: Ten inpatients performed an intervention program based on Lezak's conceptual model that teaches task-specific routines.

Effect of tandem forms of DAF(CD55) on complement-mediated xenogeneic cell lysis.

Background: It is difficult to produce a transgenic animal with high expression of decay-accelerating factor (CD55: DAF) or other molecules. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of tandem forms of DAF on a xenogeneic cell membrane against human complement.

Methods: cDNAs of the delta-Short Consensus Repeat (SCR) 1-DAF, the double-DAF, the triple-DAF, and the tetra-DAF with a FLAG-tag were established.

Delta-short consensus repeat 4-decay accelerating factor (DAF: CD55) inhibits complement-mediated cytolysis but not NK cell-mediated cytolysis.

NK cells play a critical role in the rejection of xenografts. In this study, we report on an investigation of the effect of complement regulatory protein, a decay accelerating factor (DAF: CD55), in particular, on NK cell-mediated cytolysis. Amelioration of human NK cell-mediated pig endothelial cell (PEC) and pig fibroblast cell lyses by various deletion mutants and point substitutions of DAF was tested, and compared with their complement regulatory function.

Only the light chain is sufficient for the serine protease function of the membrane bound form of factor I on a xeno-surface.

The cell membrane-bound forms of whole factor I (fI-PI), the light chain of the serine protease (SP) domain (SP-PI), and the light chain plus the COOH-terminal 45 amino acid (AA) of the heavy chain (SP+45-PI) were constructed. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, expressing these molecules were established by transfection of cDNA and confirmed by flow cytometry. Amelioration of complement-mediated cell lysis and complement fragment deposition on the cell surface by the transfectant molecules was tested in each CHO cell by means of a lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay and flow cytometry, respectively.

Effect of hybrid complement regulatory proteins on xenogeneic cells.

To suppress C3 fragment deposition in the classical pathway complement activation on xenogeneic membranes, decay accelerating factor (DAF) was the most effective molecule among the complement regulatory proteins (CRPs) used in the present study. C3 fragment deposition was closely related to subsequent xenogeneic cell lysis. However, other molecules were also very effective in different ways and include phosphatidylinositol (PI)-anchored short consensus repeat (SCR) 2-4 of membrane cofactor protein (MCP-PI), PI-anchored C1 esterase inhibitor (C1-INH-PI), and PI-anchored SCR8-11 of complement receptor type 1 (CR1-PI).