A new technology for increasing therapeutic protein levels in the brain over extended periods.

Effective delivery of protein therapeutics into the brain remains challenging because of difficulties associated with crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB). To overcome this problem, many researchers have focused on antibodies binding the transferrin receptor (TfR), which is expressed in endothelial cells, including those of the BBB, and is involved in receptor-mediated transcytosis (RMT). RMT and anti-TfR antibodies provide a useful means of delivering therapeutics into the brain, but the anti-TfR antibody has a short half-life in blood because of its broad expression throughout the body.

Dysbiosis of the Gut Microbiota on the Inflammatory Background due to Lack of Suppressor of Cytokine Signalling-1 in Mice.

Background: Both environmental and genetic factors have been implicated in the induction of autoimmune disease. Therefore, it is important to understand the pathophysiological significance of the gut microbiota and host genetic background that contribute to an autoimmune disease such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We have previously reported that mice deficient for suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 (SOCS1), in which SOCS1 expression was restored in T and B cells on an SOCS1 background (SOCS1Tg mice), developed systemic autoimmune diseases accompanied by spontaneous colitis.

Autoimmune sialadenitis is associated with the upregulation of chemokine/chemokine receptor pairs in T cell-specific TRAF6-deficient mice.

Sialadenitis is an inflammatory condition affecting the salivary glands including the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands. There are several different types of sialadenitis, each with different sites of predilection. However, the pathogenic mechanism underlying the tissue specificity of sialadenitis is largely unknown.

Ribavirin inhibits Zika virus (ZIKV) replication in vitro and suppresses viremia in ZIKV-infected STAT1-deficient mice.

Zika fever, a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by Zika virus (ZIKV), is an epidemic disease for which no effective therapy has been established. The recent outbreaks of ZIKV in Brazil and French Polynesia have been linked to a considerable increase in the incidence of fetal microcephaly and other diseases such as Guillain-Barre syndrome. Because there is currently no specific therapy or vaccine, the early exploitation of a method to prevent expansion of ZIKV is a high priority.

Synthesis and evaluation of fatty acid amides on the N-oleoylethanolamide-like activation of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α.

A series of fatty acid amides were synthesized and their peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPAR-α) agonistic activities were evaluated in a normal rat liver cell line, clone 9. The mRNAs of the PPAR-α downstream genes, carnitine-palmitoyltransferase-1 and mitochondrial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase, were determined by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) as PPAR-α agonistic activities. We prepared nine oleic acid amides.

Single embryo-coupled gate field effect transistor for elective single embryo transfer.

In this study, we have proposed and demonstrated experimentally a novel monitoring device of single mouse embryo activity after in vitro fertilization (IVF) using a semiconductor-based field effect transistor (FET). The FET biosensor realized to detect it noninvasively, quantitatively, and continuously by change of hydrogen ions with positive charges, which were induced by dissolved carbon dioxide due to cellular respiration activity during cleavage. The electrical signal of FET biosensor should become an effective indication to evaluate objectively single embryo activity as its morphology is observed subjectively after IVF.

Magnolol and honokiol prevent learning and memory impairment and cholinergic deficit in SAMP8 mice.

The therapeutic use of neurotrophic factors to treat neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, is considered feasible. Magnolol and honokiol, constituents of the Magnolia plant, are small organic compounds with neurotrophic activity. We investigated whether magnolol and honokiol can prevent age-related learning and memory impairment and cholinergic deficits in senescence-accelerated mice (SAM).