Endogenous acetylcholine regulates neuronal and astrocytic vascular endothelial growth factor expression levels via different acetylcholine receptor mechanisms.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a signaling molecule involved in angiogenesis, plays an important role in neuroprotection and neurogenesis. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying endogenous acetylcholine (ACh)-induced VEGF expression in neurons and astrocytes, and identify the neuronal cells contributing to its expression in the medial septal area, a nuclear origin of cholinergic neurons mainly projecting to the hippocampus. The mRNA expression and secretion of VEGF were measured by RT-PCR and ELISA using mouse primary cultured cortical neurons and astrocytes.

Enantioselective intramolecular cyclization of alkynyl esters catalyzed by a chiral Brønsted base.

An enantioselective intramolecular cyclization reaction of alkynyl esters was developed, which employs a Brønsted base catalyst generated in situ from a chiral Schiff base and t-BuOK. This reaction is a rare example of the enantioselective intramolecular addition of simple ester enolates to alkynes under Brønsted base catalysis.

Effect of pore size of FSM-16 on the entrapment of flurbiprofen in mesoporous structures.

The interaction between FSM-16 and flurbiprofen (FBP) in the mesopores of FSM-16 was investigated by using three types of FSM-16 with different pore diameters, i.e., FSM-16(Oc), FSM-16(Do) and FSM-16(Doc) (pore diameters 16.

Grape seed proanthocyanidins extract promotes bone formation in rat's mandibular condyle.

We studied the effect of dietary supplementation with grape seed proanthocyanidins extract (GSPE) 3 mg added in 100 g high-calcium diet with a calcium content of 1697 mg 100 g(-1) on mandibular condyle bone debility, which was induced by a low-calcium diet. Forty Wistar male rats, 5 week old, were randomly divided into control (Co), low-calcium diet (LC), low-calcium/high-calcium diet (LCH), and low-calcium/high-calcium with supplementary GSPE diet (LCHG) groups for 6 wk. Bone formation of the mandibular condyle was measured using peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT).

Isolated central nervous system (CNS) relapse in a case of childhood systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma without initial CNS involvement.

Central nervous system (CNS) involvement in cases of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) has been described only rarely. The authors describe an 11-year-old girl with ALCL who developed isolated CNS relapse but had no CNS disease at initial diagnosis and had received CNS-prophylactic treatment. The patient achieved a second remission following intensive treatment of the relapse and continues to be in remission at the time of writing.

Effects of current-year and previous-year PPFDs on shoot gross morphology and leaf properties in Fagus japonica.

We investigated how shoot gross morphology and leaf properties are determined in Fagus japonica Maxim., a deciduous species with flush-type shoot phenology, in which all leaves are produced in a single flush at the start of each season. We examined relationships between current-year shoot properties and local light environment in a 14-m tall beech tree growing in a deciduous forest.

Identification of an immunodominant epitope on RNA polymerase III recognized by systemic sclerosis sera: application to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Objective: To characterize an immunodominant epitope on RNA polymerase III (RNAP III) recognized by systemic sclerosis (SSc) sera and to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of serum anti-RNAP I/III antibodies.

Methods: RNAP III-specific subunits RPC62 and RPC155 were generated in a bacterial expression system as a series of recombinant fragments. Reactivities to these recombinant fragments were examined by immunoblots and/or ELISA in 16 SSc sera containing anti-RNAP I/III antibodies, 89 SSc sera lacking anti-RNAP I/III antibodies, 61 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) sera, and 61 healthy control sera.

Dihydrofolate reductase gene polymorphisms in Pneumocystis carinii f. sp. hominis in Japan.

This study examined polymorphisms in the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene of Pneumocystis carinii isolates from 27 patients with P. carinii pneumonia (PCP) in Japan. Four substitution sites with two synonymous and two non-synonymous changes were found.