[A Trial of Practical Training on Online Medication Instructions in Clinical Preparatory Education: Development of Human Resources to Provide New Forms of Medical Care after the COVID-19 Pandemic].

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has considerably affected several social services. The Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare has partially revised the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Law and established legislations on permanent online medication instructions. Based on these social needs, the development of human resources to provide online medication instructions is vital.

CD81 inhibition with the cytoplasmic RNA vector producing anti-CD81 antibodies suppresses arthritis in a rat CIA model.

Objective: Cluster of differentiation 81 (CD81) is a tetraspanin membrane protein consisting of 4 transmembrane domains and 2 outer membrane loops. CD81 inhibition is a potential treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Here, we investigated the therapeutic effects of the cytoplasmic RNA vector expressing anti-CD81 antibodies (the anti-CD81 vector) on the ankle joint synovium in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats.

The tetraspanin CD81 mediates the growth and metastases of human osteosarcoma.

Purpose: CD81 is a member of the tetraspanin family of membrane proteins. Recently, it has been shown that CD81 may be involved in cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. As yet, however, there have been few reports on the expression and role of CD81 in osteosarcoma.

Necrotic and apoptotic cells serve as nuclei for calcification on osteoblastic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells in vitro.

A close relationship between cell death and pathological calcification has recently been reported, such as vascular calcification in atherosclerosis. However, the roles of cell death in calcification by osteoblast lineage have not been elucidated in detail. In this study, we investigated whether cell death is involved in the calcification on osteoblastic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) under osteogenic culture in vitro.

Effect of risedronate on osteoblast differentiation, expression of receptor activator of NF-κB ligand and apoptosis in mesenchymal stem cells.

Nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (BPs) are antiresorptive drugs used for the treatment of metabolic bone diseases. Bone marrow stromal cells such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and MSC-derived osteoblasts that originate from MSCs are known to regulate osteoclast differentiation and activation via the expression of receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL). Although the effects of nitrogen-containing BPs on osteoclasts and osteoblasts have been well investigated, their effects in MSCs have not been clarified.

Small interfering RNA targeting CD81 ameliorated arthritis in rats.

CD81 belongs to a family of cell-surface protein (tetraspanin) known as one of the up-regulated elements in rheumatoid arthritis synoviocytes. In this study, the therapeutic effect of small interfering RNA targeting CD81 (siCD81) was examined by in vivo electroporation method. Treatment with siCD81 significantly ameliorated paw swelling of collagen-induced arthritic (CIA) rats.

[Signal transduction of inflammatory synoviocytes in rheumatoid arthritis].

Recent advances in post-genomic technology enable us to analyze gene expression and protein modification comprehensively in tissues and cells, resulting in new developments in the analysis of molecular events of diseases. We have been studying the pathogenic and progressive mechanisms of diseases from the aspect of signalling pathways of cells. Inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL-1 produced from activated macrophages stimulate the overgrowth of synoviocytes and induce osteoclast differentiation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Connective tissue growth factor is overexpressed in muscles of human muscular dystrophy.

The detailed process of how dystrophic muscles are replaced by fibrotic tissues is unknown. In the present study, the immunolocalization and mRNA expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in muscles from normal and dystrophic human muscles were examined with the goal of elucidating the pathophysiological function of CTGF in muscular dystrophy. Biopsies of frozen muscle from patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), Becker muscular dystrophy, congenital muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, congenital myopathy were analyzed using anti-CTGF polyclonal antibody.

Expression profiles of BDNF splice variants in cultured DRG neurons stimulated with NGF.

Expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA is increased in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in response to peripheral inflammation. Nerve growth factor (NGF) from inflammatory tissue is thought to induce expression of BDNF. Recently, it was reported that the BDNF gene has eight non-coding exons that are transcribed independently into several splice variants.

Quality control of photosystem II. Cleavage of reaction center D1 protein in spinach thylakoids by FtsH protease under moderate heat stress.

When spinach thylakoids were subjected to moderate heat stress (40 degrees C for 30 min), oxygen evolution was inhibited, and cleavage of the reaction center-binding protein D1 of photosystem II took place, producing 23-kDa N-terminal fragments. The D1 cleavage was greatly facilitated by the addition of 0.15 mM ZnCl2 and 1 mM ATP and was completely inhibited by 1 mM EDTA, indicating the participation of an ATP-dependent metalloprotease(s) in the D1 cleavage.

Effect of connective tissue growth factor (CCN2/CTGF) on proliferation and differentiation of mouse periodontal ligament-derived cells.

Background: CCN2/CTGF is known to be involved in tooth germ development and periodontal tissue remodeling, as well as in mesenchymal tissue development and regeneration. In this present study, we investigated the roles of CCN2/CTGF in the proliferation and differentiation of periodontal ligament cells (murine periodontal ligament-derived cell line: MPL) in vitro.

Results: In cell cultures of MPL, the mRNA expression of the CCN2/CTGF gene was stronger in sparse cultures than in confluent ones and was significantly enhanced by TGF-beta.

Gene expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) in calcifying tissues of normal and cbfa1-null mutant mice in late stage of embryonic development.

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2), one of the most recently described growth factors, is produced by chondrocytes, vascular endothelial cells, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta-stimulated fibroblasts. CTGF was isolated from a chondrosarcoma-derived chondrocytic cell line, HCS-2/8, and found to be normally expressed in cartilage tissues, especially in hypertrophic chondrocytes, and also to stimulate both the proliferation and the differentiation of chondrocytes in vitro. Therefore, CTGF is thought to be one of the most important regulators of endochondral ossification in vivo.

Induction of claudin-4 by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and its contribution to their chemopreventive effect.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) have shown chemopreventive effects in both preclinical and clinical studies; however, the precise molecular mechanism governing this response remains unclear. We used DNA microarray techniques to search for genes whose expression is induced by the NSAID indomethacin in human gastric carcinoma (AGS) cells. Among identified genes, we focused on those related to tight junction function (claudin-4, claudin-1, and occludin), particularly claudin-4.

Expression and localization of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/Hcs24/CCN2) in osteoarthritic cartilage.

Objective: The investigation of the expression and localization of connective tissue growth factor/hypertrophic chondrocyte-specific gene product 24/CCN family member 2 (CTGF/Hcs24/CCN2) in normal and osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage, and quantification of CTGF/Hcs24-positive cells.

Methods: Cartilage samples of patients (n=20) with late stage OA were obtained at total joint replacement surgery. Morphologically normal cartilage was harvested for comparison purposes from the femoral heads of 6 other patients with femoral neck fracture.

Downregulation of rheumatoid arthritis-related antigen RA-A47 (HSP47/colligin-2) in chondrocytic cell lines induces apoptosis and cell-surface expression of RA-A47 in association with CD9.

Previously, we showed that gene expression of the rheumatoid arthritis-related antigen RA-A47, which is identical to human heat shock protein (HSP)47, was downregulated in chondrocytes by inflammatory cytokines such as TNFalpha. Associated with this phenomenon, RA-A47 appeared on the cell surface concomitant with upregulation of metabolic factors related to cartilage destruction. The upregulation of the metabolic factors could be achieved by downregulation of RA-A47 expression with ra-a47-specific anti-sense oligonucleotide.

Expression of connective tissue growth factor/hypertrophic chondrocyte-specific gene product 24 (CTGF/Hcs24/CCN2) during distraction osteogenesis.

To investigate the localization and expression of connective tissue growth factor/hypertrophic chondrocyte-specific gene product 24/CCN family member 2 (CTGF/Hcs24/CCN2) during distraction osteogenesis in the rat femur, we studied a total of 54 male rats (11 weeks old). We performed osteotomy in the midshaft of the right femur. After 7 days (lag phase), distraction was started, at the rate of 0.

Module-specific antibodies against human connective tissue growth factor: utility for structural and functional analysis of the factor as related to chondrocytes.

Connective tissue growth factor/hypertrophic chondrocyte specific gene product 24 (CTGF/Hcs24/CCN2) shows diverse functions in the process of endochondral ossification. It promotes not only the proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes and osteoblasts in vitro, but also angiogenesis in vivo. The ctgf gene is a member of the gene family called CCN, and it encodes the characteristic 4-module structure of this family, with the protein containing IGFBP, VWC, TSP and CT modules.

Novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay systems for the quantitative analysis of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/Hcs24/CCN2): detection of HTLV-I tax-induced CTGF from a human carcinoma cell line.

Connective tissue growth factor/hypertrophic chondrocyte-specific gene product 24 (CTGF/Hcs24/CCN2) is known as a multifunctional growth factor. It stimulates proliferation, migration, and extracellular matrix production of mesenchymal cells, and is highly expressed in hypertrophic chondrocytes. In this study, we constructed useful ELISA systems for the analysis of CTGF and its modular fragments.

Connective tissue growth factor expressed in rat alveolar bone regeneration sites after tooth extraction.

Objective: To understand bone regeneration process after tooth extraction could be a clue to develop a new strategy for alveolar bone reconstruction. Recently, accumulated evidences support that connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is implicated in tissue repair of many tissues. In this study, we investigated the spatial and temporal expression of CTGF in the rat tooth extraction sockets.

CTGF/Hcs24, hypertrophic chondrocyte-specific gene product, interacts with perlecan in regulating the proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes.

Connective tissue growth factor/hypertrophic chondrocyte-specific gene product 24 (CTGF/Hcs24) plays important roles in the control of the proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes in vitro. To clarify the mechanisms of regulation by CTGF/Hcs24 with respect to cartilage metabolism, we investigated the interaction between CTGF/Hcs24 and heparan sulfate proteoglycan perlecan. An immunofluorescence study showed that CTGF/Hcs24 was colocalized with heparan sulfate and perlecan in human chondrosarcoma-derived chondrocytic cell line HCS-2/8 in vitro.

Cbfa1/Runx2 gene expression in articular chondrocytes of the mice temporomandibular and knee joints in vivo.

Healthy articular cartilage is thought to be maintained by the modulation of Cbfa1 expression, although little is currently known about Cbfa1 expression in such tissues. Therefore, we examined in vivo Cbfa1 transcript levels in the temporomandibular (TM) and knee joints of 3- and 10-week-old male ICR mice (weighing 50-70 g). A digoxigenin-11-UTP-labeled single-stranded RNA probe (0.

Role of CTGF/HCS24/ecogenin in skeletal growth control.

Connective tissue growth factor/hypertrophic chondrocyte-specific gene product 24 (CTGF/Hcs24) is a multifunctional growth factor for chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and vascular endothelial cells. CTGF/Hcs24 promotes the proliferation and maturation of growth cartilage cells and articular cartilage cells in culture and hypertrophy of growth cartilage cells in culture. The factor also stimulates the proliferation and differentiation of cultured osteoblastic cells.

CTGF/Hcs24 interacts with the cytoskeletal protein actin in chondrocytes.

Connective tissue growth factor/hypertrophic chondrocyte-specific gene product 24 (CTGF/Hcs24) displays multiple functions in several types of mesenchymal cells, including the promotion of proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes. Recently, the internalization and intracellular function of CTGF/Hcs24 were indicated as well. In this study, a binding protein for this factor was purified from the cytosolic fraction of human chondrosarcoma-derived chondrocytic cell line (HCS-2/8) by CTGF/Hcs24-affinity chromatography.

Tyrosine kinase-type receptor ErbB4 in chondrocytes: interaction with connective tissue growth factor and distribution in cartilage.

In order to identify receptor molecules that participate in the growth and differentiation of chondrocytes, we cloned a number of cDNA fragments from HCS-2/8 chondrocytic cells, by using tyrosine kinase-specific primers for amplification. The mRNA expression of one such receptor, ErbB4, was increased by connective tissue growth factor/hypertrophic chondrocyte-specific gene product (CTGF/Hcs24), which promotes all stages of the endochondral ossification in vitro. ErbB4 expression was observed through all stages of chondrocytic differentiation in vitro, corresponding to the wide distribution of CTGF/Hcs24 target cells.

Possible roles of CTGF/Hcs24 in the initiation and development of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.

Study Design: A biochemical and histochemical study investigating the role of CTGF/Hcs24 in the ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) was conducted.

Objective: To clarify the involvement of CTGF/Hcs24 in ectopic bone formation in OPLL through endochondral ossification using human tissue.

Summary Of Background Data: Previous studies have shown that various cytokines are involved in the occurrence or development of ectopic bone formation in OPLL.