Sex differences in pain-induced modulation of corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons in the dorsolateral part of the stria terminalis in mice.

We earlier reported female-biased, sex-specific involvement of the dorsolateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (dl BST) in the formalin-induced pain response in rats. The present study investigated pain effects on mice behaviors. Because the dl BST is densely populated with corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons, we examined sex differences in these parameters for the dl BST CRH neurons in male and female mice of a mouse line for which the CRH gene promoter (corticotropin-releasing factor [CRF]-Venus ΔNeo) controls the expression of the modified yellow fluorescent protein (Venus).

Transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) is an inhibitory factor for adult myogenesis.

Background: The signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) transcription factor plays a vitally important role in immune cells, where it is activated mainly by interleukin-4 (IL-4). Because IL-4 is an essential cytokine for myotube formation, STAT6 might also be involved in myogenesis as part of IL-4 signaling. This study was conducted to elucidate the role of STAT6 in adult myogenesis in vitro and in vivo.

Ketogenic diet feeding improves aerobic metabolism property in extensor digitorum longus muscle of sedentary male rats.

Recent studies of the ketogenic diet, an extremely high-fat diet with extremely low carbohydrates, suggest that it changes the energy metabolism properties of skeletal muscle. However, ketogenic diet effects on muscle metabolic characteristics are diverse and sometimes countervailing. Furthermore, ketogenic diet effects on skeletal muscle performance are unknown.

Age-related decrease in muscle satellite cells is accompanied with diminished expression of early growth response 3 in mice.

Skeletal muscle regeneration is mostly dependent on muscle satellite cells. Proper muscle regeneration requires enough number of satellite cells. Recent studies have suggested that the number of satellite cells in skeletal muscle declines as we age, leading to the impairment of muscle regeneration in older population.

Pre-enrichment of radioactive cesium in muddy water separated into suspended and dissolved substances for trace analysis.

A new in-situ pre-enrichment system was developed for trace analysis of radioactive Cs in environmental water such as rivers, ponds, and seas, where the radioactive Cs is separated into suspended substances (SS) and dissolved substances (DS). The SS component was collected as the enrichment slurry by cross-flow filtration, thereby compact systems were realized. The DS component was collected in a small cartridge filled with a non-woven fiber with immobilized adsorbent nanoparticles.