Oligodendrocyte precursor cells support blood-brain barrier integrity via TGF-β signaling.

Trophic coupling between cerebral endothelium and their neighboring cells is required for the development and maintenance of blood-brain barrier (BBB) function. Here we report that oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) secrete soluble factor TGF-β1 to support BBB integrity. Firstly, we prepared conditioned media from OPC cultures and added them to cerebral endothelial cultures.

Analysis of MRI findings in minimum invasive treatment for habitual temporomandibular joint dislocation by autologous blood injection around the temporomandibular joint capsule.

The aim of this study was to investigate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings following autologous blood injection (ABI) for habitual temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dislocation. MRI was performed one hour and four and twelve weeks after ABI, revealing three types of significant findings. The first type was similar to hematoma and/or joint effusion in the articular capsule of the TMJ (type I).

Effects of platform switching on crestal bone around implants: a histomorphometric study in monkeys.

A number of human comparison studies and case series have demonstrated the effectiveness of using a platform-switched implant-to-abutment connection to prevent peri-implant bone loss and subsequent soft tissue loss. To compare the bone around platform-switched and nonplatform-switched connections, adjacent pairs of both connection types were placed in a one-stage surgical procedure on each side of the mandibles of three monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Eight weeks after abutment connection, histomorphometric analysis showed that both vertical and horizontal alveolar bone resorption had occurred around the nonplatform-switched implants, whereas bone was maintained vertically and new bone formed horizontally around the platform-switched implants.

Acrylic resin injection method for blood vessel investigations.

The injection of acrylic resin into vessels is an excellent method for macroscopically and microscopically observing their three-dimensional features. Conventional methods can be enhanced by removal of the polymerization inhibitor (hydroquinone) without requiring distillation, a consistent viscosity of polymerized resin, and a constant injection pressure and speed. As microvascular corrosion cast specimens are influenced by viscosity, pressure, and speed changes, injection into different specimens yields varying results.

In vitro construction of scaffold-free bilayered tissue-engineered skin containing capillary networks.

Many types of skin substitutes have been constructed using exogenous materials. Angiogenesis is an important factor for tissue-engineered skin constructs. In this study, we constructed a scaffold-free bilayered tissue-engineered skin containing a capillary network.

Classification of persistent left superior vena cava considering presence and development of both superior venae cavae, the anastomotic ramus between superior venae cavae, and the azygos venous system.

Subjects with persistent left superior vena cava were classified on the basis of the presence and thickness of both superior venae cavae, the anastomotic ramus between the superior venae cavae (anastomotic ramus), and the presence of both azygos veins. Among subjects with persistent left superior vena cava, the percentage of those with weak development of the anastomotic ramus (41.5 %) or absence of an anastomotic ramus (35.

Morphological study of the palatal gingiva of the maxillary first molar in the type 2 diabetes mellitus model rat.

We studied morphological changes at the maxillary first molar in a model rat for type 2 spontaneous diabetes mellitus (DM), the Goto-Kazizaki (GK) rat, vs. the normal 8-week-old Wistar rat. Serial frontal sections of the gingiva of the maxilla with the bone were prepared from the rats.

Comparative study of the ramification patterns of the subclavian branches as the subclavian artery passes in front or behind the scalenus anterior muscle.

We investigated the ramification patterns of four subclavian branches (i.e., vertebral artery, internal thoracic artery, thyrocervical trunk, and costocervical trunk) as the subclavian artery passes in front or behind the scalenus anterior muscle.

Left superior vena cava with left azygos vein.

An incidence of a left superior vena cava with a left azygos vein was found in a cadaver during an Osaka Dental University student's dissection practice session in 2002. The left superior vena cava began from the confluence between the right and left brachiocephalic veins, and extended directly into the left superior edge of the coronary sinus. No right superior vena cava was observed.

Cementogenesis examined from the viewpoint of microcirculation.

The purpose of this study was to perform a three-dimensional observation, via microvascular corrosion casts, of the microcirculation system during deposition of cementum after flap surgery and to investigate the permeable structure of the vascular endothelium. Two stages of wound healing after flap surgery were confirmed based on successive vascular changes. The transition between these stages occurred 3 weeks after surgery, at which time new blood vessels disappeared and an early stage of accumulation of new cementum was apparent.

Morphological study of the lingual papillae in the ferret (Mustela putorius furo).

We used four ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) and observed these animals dorsal tongue surface morphology via scanning electron microscope and light microscope. In this investigation, we focused on the food habits and discussed the morphology of the lingual papillae from the viewpoint of comparative anatomy. The ferret has conically-shaped filiform papillae in the posterior, middle and anterior region of the tongue body, and circular-distributed filiform papillae in the lingual apex region.

Morphological study of the connective tissue papillae and the capillary loops on the lingual dorsum in the type 2 diabetes mellitus model rats.

We performed a morphological study in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) model rats by focusing on the connective tissue papillae (CTPe) and capillary loops (CLs) of filiform papillae in the lingual dorsum in the type 2 DM model rats (GK rats). The normal group comprised nine 8-week-old male Wistar rats. The DM group comprised nine 8-week-old male GK rats.

Influence of age-related changes in nitric oxide synthase-expressing neurons in the rat supraoptic nucleus on inhibition of salivary secretion.

Age-related inhibition of salivary secretion has been demonstrated in rats, and the nitric oxide (NO) present in the supraoptic nucleus (SON) and the medial septal area has been reported to play an inhibitory role in the regulation of salivary secretion. In the present study, we investigated the age-related changes occurring in the NO synthase (NOS)-expressing neurons in the SON, which is related to the production of NO, and discussed the interrelation between the age-related changes in the NOS-expressing neurons and the age-related inhibition of salivary secretion. Nissl staining and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d) histochemistry were performed for young adult and aged rats.

Bilateral subclavian arteries passing in front of the scalenus anterior muscles.

Herein, we present a very rare case of bilateral subclavian arteries passing in front of the scalenus anterior muscles in a cadaver. This abnormality was observed in a 73-year-old Japanese male cadaver during a dissection session for students in 2004 at Osaka Dental University. The bilateral scalenus anterior muscle originated from the anterior tubercle of the transverse processes of the fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae and inserted into the scalene tubercle of the first ribs.

Reconstruction of a tissue-engineered skin containing melanocytes.

The objective of this study was to establish a new method for reconstruction of a tissue-engineered skin containing melanocytes by employing tissue engineering. The keratinocytes, melanocytes and dermal fibroblasts were isolated and purified from human foreskin biopsies. Then the cells were used to construct a tissue-engineered skin containing melanocytes.

Morphological interrelationship between astrocytes and nerve endings in the rat spinal trigeminal nucleus caudalis.

It has been reported that the spinal trigeminal nucleus caudalis (Sp5C), which receives nociceptive information from the oro-facial regions, has four laminae. To clarify the role of glial cells in the transmission of the nociceptive information, the present study was conducted to examine the detailed distribution of astrocytes in each lamina and also to investigate a morphological interrelationship between the astrocytes and nerve endings in the rat Sp5C. After the preparation of the serial cryostat sections, immunohistochemistry for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was employed to identify the astrocytes, and immunohistochemistry for substance P (SP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), was used for the nerve endings.

The role of bone morphogenetic protein-2 in vivo in regeneration of peripheral nerves.

We investigated the effects of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and some other BMPs on regeneration of peripheral motor nerves in vivo. The facial nerves of 24 New Zealand rabbits were crushed to examine a series of retrograde changes in the facial nuclei and axons, in what has been called the "axon reaction". The facial nerves of the experimental group were treated with epineurial coaptation and BMP-2 after the injury.

A case of right partial and double internal jugular veins.

We present a very rare case of right partial and double internal jugular veins, found in an 86-year-old Japanese female cadaver during a student dissection practice session in 2002 at Osaka Dental University. In this case, the right internal jugular vein separated into medial and lateral branches at a level with the middle of the fifth cervical vertebra. Both branches had the same thickness as an internal jugular vein and poured into the right subclavian vein.

Age-related changes in oxytocin-, arginine vasopressin- and nitric oxide synthase-expressing neurons in the supraoptic nucleus of the rat.

Many histochemical investigations indicated that the oxytocin (OXY), the arginine vasopressin (AVP) and the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) have been synthesized in the supraoptic nucleus (SON) neurons. The objective of this study was to examine the age-related expression of the OXY, the AVP and the NOS in the SON of the young adult (2-month-old) and the aged (24-month-old) rats. The histochemistry for reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d; marker for the NOS) and the double labeling histochemistry for the OXY/NADPH-d or the AVP/NADPH-d were employed, and the quantitative analysis was performed with a computer-assisted image processing system.

Microvascular response in the periosteum following mucoperiosteal flap surgery in dogs: angiogenesis and bone resorption and formation.

Background: When surgical stress reaches the periosteum, bone resorption and formation that occur as a periosteal response are closely related to angiogenesis and hemodynamics. Thus, we investigated bone remodeling in the healing process after mucoperiosteal flap surgery, focusing our attention on the microcirculation.

Methods: Mucoperiosteal flap surgery was performed on 12 adult beagle dogs.

Microvascular response in the periosteum following mucoperiosteal flap surgery in dogs: 3-dimensional observation of an angiogenic process.

Background: An increase in blood flow from the periosteum after mucoperiosteal flap surgery is essential for healing and angiogenesis and repair may work in close cooperation to facilitate this process. To investigate the role of the periosteal vascular plexus in the healing process, we used 3-dimensional (3-D) and ultrastructural monitoring of the angiogenic process after elevation of the mucoperiosteal flap.

Methods: Mucoperiosteal flap surgery was performed on nine adult beagle dogs.

Mechanical and histologic examination of titanium alloy material treated by sandblasting and anodic oxidization.

To evaluate the biocompatibility and the bone-bonding strength of new titanium alloy materials treated by sandblasting and anodic oxidization, 3 cylindric test pieces having different surface roughnesses were manufactured and implanted into the diaphyses of the femurs of New Zealand white rabbits. Six weeks later, shear loading tests and histologic examination were carried out. Strong interfacial bonding strength and active new bone formation were confirmed in the peripheral area of the test pieces having a surface roughness (Ra = 2.

Microvascular response in the periodontal ligament following mucoperiosteal flap surgery.

Background: When the mucoperiosteal flap is elevated, the gingivo-periosteal vascular plexus and periodontal ligament (PDL) vascular plexus sever their connection with the circulatory tracts that pass through alveolar bone. We studied the effect exerted on the PDL vascular plexus during restoration of the circulatory tract.

Methods: We performed experimental mucoperiosteal flap surgery in adult beagle dogs.