Prophylactic effect of Lactobacillus oral vaccine expressing a Japanese cedar pollen allergen.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) represent an attractive delivery vehicle for oral allergy vaccine because of their safety as a food microorganism as well as their potent adjuvant activity triggering anti-allergic immune response. Here, we report the generation of recombinant LAB expressing a major Japanese cedar pollen allergen Cry j 1 (Cry j 1-LAB), and their prophylactic effect in vivo. To facilitate heterologous expression, the codon usage in the Cry j 1 gene was optimized for the host LAB strain Lactobacillus plantarum by the recursive PCR-based exhaustive site-directed mutagenesis.

Oral infection with Porphyromonas gingivalis and systemic cytokine profile in C57BL/6.KOR-ApoE shl mice.

Background And Objective: Periodontal infection affects atherosclerotic diseases, such as coronary heart diseases. Mouse models have revealed that oral infection with Porphyromonas gingivalis induces changes in inflammatory- and lipid metabolism-related gene expression, regardless of the development of atherosclerotic lesions. However, the serum protein expression profile in the oral infection model has not been investigated.

Increased serum PCSK9 concentrations are associated with periodontal infection but do not correlate with LDL cholesterol concentration.

Background: Periodontal disease increases the risk of atherothrombotic disease, and high concentrations of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are considered to be involved; however, the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. Recent studies demonstrated that proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) plays a critical role in circulating LDL cholesterol concentrations. The aim of the present study is to analyze serum PCSK9 concentrations and their relation to lipoprotein concentrations in periodontitis patients.

Expression of salinarum halorhodopsin in Escherichia coli cells: solubilization in the presence of retinal yields the natural state.

Salinarum halorhodopsin (HsHR), a light-driven chloride ion pump of haloarchaeon Halobacterium salinarum, was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. The expressed HsHR had no color in the E. coli membrane, but turned purple after solubilization in the presence of all-trans retinal.

Photochemistry of Acetabularia rhodopsin II from a marine plant, Acetabularia acetabulum.

Acetabularia rhodopsins are the first microbial rhodopsins discovered in a marine plant organism, Acetabularia acetabulum. Previously, we expressed Acetabularia rhodopsin II (ARII) by a cell-free system from one of two opsin genes in A. acetabulum cDNA and showed that ARII is a light-driven proton pump [Wada, T.

Activation in left primary visual cortex representing parafoveal visual field during reading Japanese texts.

Activation in the left primary visual cortex (V1) representing the parafoveal field during text reading has been interpreted as attentional modulation in the process of deciding saccadic target for reading ahead. Kanji words serve the main cue to decide the goal of saccades in Japanese. We aimed to determine the exact location of this modulation in the V1 and to determine whether the area of the modulation changes according to the location where the next Kanji word appears or it is fixed on a certain region in V1.

Oral Local Anesthesia Successfully Ameliorated Neuropathic Pain in an Upper Limb Suggesting Pain Alleviation through Neural Plasticity within the Central Nervous System: A Case Report.

Neural blockades are considered an alternative to pharmacotherapy for neuropathic pain although these blockades elicit limited effects. We encountered a patient with postbrachial plexus avulsion injury pain, which was refractory to conventional treatments but disappeared temporarily with the administration of the local anesthetic lidocaine around the left mandibular molar tooth during dental treatments. This analgesic effect on neuropathic pain by oral local anesthesia was reproducible.

Crystal structure of the eukaryotic light-driven proton-pumping rhodopsin, Acetabularia rhodopsin II, from marine alga.

Acetabularia rhodopsin (AR) is a rhodopsin from the marine plant Acetabularia acetabulum. The opsin-encoding gene from A. acetabulum, ARII, was cloned and found to be novel but homologous to that reported previously.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Revived by Epileptic Seizure Then Disappeared Soon during Treatment with Regional Intravenous Nerve Blockade: A Case Report.

We present a case of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), in which symptoms, including burning pain and severe allodynia, were alleviated by using a regional intravenous nerve blockade (Bier block) combined with physiotherapy, but reappeared following an epileptic seizure. Symptoms disappeared again following control of epileptic discharges, as revealed by single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and electroencephalography (EEG) results. Although systemic toxicity of a local anesthetic applied by Bier block was suspected as a cause of the first seizure, the patient did not present any other toxic symptoms, and seizures repeatedly occurred after Bier block cessation; the patient was then diagnosed as having temporal symptomatic epilepsy.

Improvement of rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune hepatitis in a patient treated with the tumor necrosis factor inhibitor, etanercept.

We report a case of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and Sjogren syndrome (SjS) that was treated with the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor, etanercept (ETN). Both RA activity and transaminase levels improved as a result of treatment. Follow-up liver biopsy showed improvement of hepatitis.

Chronic oral infection with Porphyromonas gingivalis accelerates atheroma formation by shifting the lipid profile.

Background: Recent studies have suggested that periodontal disease increases the risk of atherothrombotic disease. Atherosclerosis has been characterized as a chronic inflammatory response to cholesterol deposition in the arteries. Although several studies have suggested that certain periodontopathic bacteria accelerate atherogenesis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice, the mechanistic link between cholesterol accumulation and periodontal infection-induced inflammation is largely unknown.

Docking and SAR studies of D- and L-isofagomine isomers as human β-glucocerebrosidase inhibitors.

We report the structure-activity relationship of a series of D-, and L-isofagomine and fagomine isomers as glycosidase inhibitors. Our study revealed that a positive charge at the anomeric position of d-isofagomines enhanced the potency toward β-glycosidases, while the epimerization at the C3 OH group drastically reduced their inhibitory potency by over three orders of magnitude. Furthermore, d-3,4-di-epi-isofagomine abolished their inhibition activities against all enzymes.

Short-chain fatty acids and ketones directly regulate sympathetic nervous system via G protein-coupled receptor 41 (GPR41).

The maintenance of energy homeostasis is essential for life, and its dysregulation leads to a variety of metabolic disorders. Under a fed condition, mammals use glucose as the main metabolic fuel, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by the colonic bacterial fermentation of dietary fiber also contribute a significant proportion of daily energy requirement. Under ketogenic conditions such as starvation and diabetes, ketone bodies produced in the liver from fatty acids are used as the main energy sources.

Brain imaging of mechanically induced muscle versus cutaneous pain.

This study aimed to investigate the differences in the brain responses between muscle versus skin pain, both of which were caused by tonic mechanical stimuli. Using local anesthesia (LA), we induced muscle pain without any accompanying cutaneous sensation. Subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while tonic pressure was applied to the right calf under the following four conditions: (1) non-painful pressure without LA (causing mechanoreceptive skin and muscle stimulation); (2) painful pressure without LA (causing nociceptive skin stimulation and mechanoreceptive skin and muscle stimulation); (3) non-painful pressure with LA (causing mechanoreceptive muscle stimulation); (4) painful pressure with LA (causing nociceptive and mechanoreceptive muscle stimulation).

Connectivity pattern changes in default-mode network with deep non-REM and REM sleep.

Recent studies have compared default-mode network (DMN) connectivity in different arousal levels to investigate the relationship between consciousness and DMN. The comparison between the DMN in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep with that in non-REM (NREM) sleep is useful for revealing the relationship between arousal level and DMN, because the arousal level is at its lowest during deep NREM, while during REM sleep it is as high as wakefulness. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and polysomnogram data were acquired from participants in REM, deep NREM, and light NREM sleep, and the DMN was compared using functional connectivity analysis.

Fat-free mass can be utilized to assess resting energy expenditure for male athletes of different body size.

The fat-free mass (FFM) of athletes is typically large, and thus the FFM is often utilized to estimate their resting energy expenditure (REE). While the proportional contribution of organ-tissues to the total influence of FFM on REE is known for untrained individuals and female athletes, the extent to which this is valid for male athletes is unclear. The purpose of this study was to clarify the contribution of the components of FFM to REE in male athletes.

Evaluation of osteoclastic resorption activity using calcium phosphate coating combined with labeled polyanion.

Osteoclasts are involved in bone resorption, and its activation is considered one of the causes of osteoporosis. The pit assay is the principal method for evaluating osteoclast function by measuring hydroxyapatite resorption in vitro. However, the pit assay requires time and trained techniques, including the pit image analysis, and there is no other easy method for evaluating bone resorption.

[Phantom limb pain originates from dysfunction of the primary motor cortex].

Accumulated knowledge indicates that phantom limb pain is a phenomenon of the central nervous system that is related to plastic changes at several levels of the nervous systems. Especially, reports using patients with neuropathic pain clearly indicate the sensorimotor cortex as underlying mechanisms of phantom limb and its pain. Here, we focus the notion that limb amputation or deafferentation results in plasticity of connections between the brain and the body, and that the cortical motor representation of the missing or deafferented limb seemingly disappears.

[A case of intubation granuloma treated with steroid inhalation].

A 36-year-old woman was given a diagnosis of hemophagocytic syndrome associated with systemic lupus erythematosus, and was treated with high-dose methylprednisolone and etoposide. She needed endotracheal intubation for mechanical ventilation because of respiratory failure. She developed hoarseness and stridor 69 days after extubation.

Effect of chondroitin sulfate-E on the osteoclastic differentiation of RAW264 cells.

The present study was designed to investigate whether chondroitin sulfate (CS)-E, a CS structural isomer variant, alter the differentiation of macrophage cell line RAW264 cells to osteoclast-like cells. CS-B, CS-E, low molecular weight CS-E, synthetic chondroitin polysulfate (CPS) and heparin significantly inhibited the formation of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive multinuclear cells and pit formation on calcium phosphate (CaP)-coated plates. CS-E pre-coated on the CaP plate also inhibited pit formation.

Membrane association facilitates degradation and cleavage of the cyclin-dependent kinase 5 activators p35 and p39.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is activated by binding to its activators, p35 and p39. The level of Cdk5 activity is determined by the amount of p35 and p39, which is regulated not only by transcription but also via proteasomal degradation. Alternatively, calpain-induced cleavage of p35 to p25 can induce aberrant Cdk5 activation.

Task-dependent V1 responses in human retinitis pigmentosa.

Purpose: During measurement with functional MRI (fMRI) during passive viewing, subjects with macular degeneration (MD) have a large unresponsive lesion projection zone (LPZ) in V1. fMRI responses can be evoked from the LPZ when subjects engage in a stimulus-related task. The authors report fMRI measurements on a different class of subjects, those with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), who have intact foveal vision but peripheral visual field loss.

Sodium-coupled electrogenic transport of pyroglutamate (5-oxoproline) via SLC5A8, a monocarboxylate transporter.

Pyroglutamate, also known as 5-oxoproline, is a structural analog of proline. This amino acid derivative is a byproduct of glutathione metabolism, and is reabsorbed efficiently in kidney by Na(+)-coupled transport mechanisms. Previous studies have focused on potential participation of amino acid transport systems in renal reabsorption of this compound.