Structure and function of neurohypophysial hormones.

Vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OXT) are neuropeptides that are synthesized in the hypothalamus and stored in/secreted from the neurohypophysis. Although VP and OXT were initially characterized as osmoregulatory and reproductive hormones, respectively, these peptides exert versatile actions not only in peripheral organs but also in the central nervous system via multiple G protein-coupled receptors. Orthologous peptides and receptors have been identified in various animal phyla, reflecting an ancient origin of this hormone family.

Expression of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Markers in Epidermal Layer of Atopic Dermatitis.

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a phenomenon, in which epithelial cells acquire a mesenchymal cell phenotype. It is important during wound healing; however, chronic inflammation leads to excessive EMT and causes tissue barrier dysfunction with hyperplasia. EMT is induced by several cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13.

Molecular basis of the unique osmoregulatory strategy in the inshore hagfish, .

Hagfishes are characterized by omo- and iono-conforming nature similar to marine invertebrates. Conventionally, hagfishes had been recognized as the most primitive living vertebrate that retains plesiomorphic features. However, some of the "ancestral" features of hagfishes, such as rudimentary eyes and the lack of vertebrae, have been proven to be deceptive.

Phylogenetic and functional properties of hagfish neurohypophysial hormone receptors distinct from their jawed vertebrate counterparts.

Vertebrate neurohypophysial hormones, i.e., vasopressin- and oxytocin-family peptides, exert versatile physiological actions via distinct G protein-coupled receptors.

Factors affecting patient safety culture in a university hospital under the universal health insurance system: A cross-sectional study from Japan.

We conducted a cross-sectional study of patient safety culture aimed at examining the factors that influence patient safety culture in university hospitals under a universal health insurance system. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was used. The survey was distributed to 1066 hospital employees, and 864 responded.

Age-Dependent Decline in Salinity Tolerance in a Euryhaline Fish.

Euryhaline teleost fish are characterized by their ability to tolerate a wide range of environmental salinities by modifying the function of osmoregulatory cells and tissues. In this study, we experimentally addressed the age-related decline in the sensitivity of osmoregulatory transcripts associated with a transfer from fresh water (FW) to seawater (SW) in the euryhaline teleost, Mozambique tilapia, . The survival rates of tilapia transferred from FW to SW were inversely related with age, indicating that older fish require a longer acclimation period during a salinity challenge.

Tilapia prolactin cells are thermosensitive osmoreceptors.

Prolactin (PRL) cells within the (RPD) of euryhaline and eurythermal Mozambique tilapia, , rapidly respond to a hyposmotic stimulus by releasing two distinct PRL isoforms, PRL and PRL. Here, we describe how environmentally relevant temperature changes affected mRNA levels of and and the release of immunoreactive prolactins from RPDs and dispersed PRL cells. When applied under isosmotic conditions (330 mosmol/kgHO), a 6°C rise in temperature stimulated the release of PRL and PRL from both RPDs and dispersed PRL cells under perifusion.

A Novel Function of Sphingosylphosphorylcholine on the Inhibitory Effects of Acetylcholinesterase Activity.

Acetylcholine (ACh), a quaternary ammonium cation, is known as one of the itch inducer in atopic dermatitis (AD), an inflammatory skin disease with intense itching. Previous research has reported accumulation of ACh in lesional site of AD patients. Generally, ACh is metabolized by cholinesterase (ChE).

Lipopolysaccharide Preconditioning Augments Phagocytosis of Malaria-Parasitized Red Blood Cells by Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages in the Liver, Thereby Increasing the Murine Survival after Plasmodium yoelii Infection.

Malaria remains a grave concern for humans, as effective medical countermeasures for infection have yet to be developed. Phagocytic clearance of parasitized red blood cells (pRBCs) by macrophages is an important front-line innate host defense against infection. We previously showed that repeated injections of low-dose lipopolysaccharide (LPS) prior to bacterial infection, called LPS preconditioning, strongly augmented phagocytic/bactericidal activity in murine macrophages.

Primary leiomyoma of the ureter: a case report.

Background: Only 14 cases of leiomyoma with ureteral origin have been reported previously. Such primary leiomyomas often present as hydronephrosis, making the diagnosis difficult. Radical nephroureterectomy is often performed because of the possible diagnosis of a malignant tumor.

Local administration of anti-hepatocyte growth factor-neutralizing antibody reverts naturally occurring periodontitis.

Objectives: Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory process associated with the loss of tooth-supporting tissue. The imbalance of epithelial-mesenchymal signaling is considered to drive disease progression, and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is one of the main mediators of this interaction. The aim of this study was to validate the role of HGF in the pathogenesis of periodontitis and to evaluate the effects of anti-HGF neutralizing antibodies.

Targeting hepatocyte growth factor in epithelial-stromal interactions in an in vitro experimental model of human periodontitis.

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease leading to progressive connective tissue degradation and loss of the tooth-supporting bone. Clinical and experimental studies suggest that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is involved in the dysregulated fibroblast-epithelial cell interactions in periodontitis. The aim of this study was to explore effects of HGF to impact fibroblast-induced collagen degradation.

Frequency-dependent effects of EEG phase resetting on reaction time.

There is trial-to-trial variability in the reaction time to stimulus presentation. Since this variability exists even in an identical stimulus condition, it reflects the internal neural dynamics of the brain. To understand the neural dynamics that influence the reaction time, we conducted an electroencephalogram (EEG) experiment in which participants were asked to press a response button as quickly as possible when a stimulus was visually presented.

Optimization and validation of diffusion MRI-based fiber tracking with neural tracer data as a reference.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) allows non-invasive investigation of whole-brain connectivity, which can reveal the brain's global network architecture and also abnormalities involved in neurological and mental disorders. However, the reliability of connection inferences from dMRI-based fiber tracking is still debated, due to low sensitivity, dominance of false positives, and inaccurate and incomplete reconstruction of long-range connections. Furthermore, parameters of tracking algorithms are typically tuned in a heuristic way, which leaves room for manipulation of an intended result.

Clinical Trial of Low Irritative Skin Care Cosmetics in Japanese Subjects with Dry Skin.

Purpose: To evaluate whether MediQOL, which was developed as a care cosmetic for sensitive skin, causes a change in skin condition for subjects with dry skin requiring moisture retention.

Subjects And Methods: This study includes 20 Japanese subjects with dry skin who required moisture retention, as identified by a dermatologist. The subjects used the novel MediQOL products twice a day for four consecutive weeks.

Transcriptional regulation of prolactin in a euryhaline teleost: Characterisation of gene promoters through in silico and transcriptome analyses.

The sensitivity of prolactin (Prl) cells of the Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) pituitary to variations in extracellular osmolality enables investigations into how osmoreception underlies patterns of hormone secretion. Through the actions of their main secretory products, Prl cells play a key role in supporting hydromineral balance of fishes by controlling the major osmoregulatory organs (ie, gill, intestine and kidney). The release of Prl from isolated cells of the rostral pars distalis (RPD) occurs in direct response to physiologically relevant reductions in extracellular osmolality.

[Actual state of injection techniques and effect of medical treatment instructions in elderly patients with diabetes using insulin].

Aim: Support for elderly patients using insulin to continue self-injection safely is required for clinical settings. The aim of this study was 1) to clarify the actual state of self-injection procedures for elderly people injecting insulin and 2) to verify whether or not the injection procedures can be improved by nurses' medical treatment instructions.

Subjects And Methods: The subjects were outpatients at an educational facility certified by the Japan Diabetes Society.

Effects of implant thread design on primary stability-a comparison between single- and double-threaded implants in an artificial bone model.

Background: Primary implant stability is essential for osseointegration. To increase stability without changing the implant size, the thread length must be extended by reducing pitch, using a double-threaded implant, or reducing pitch/lead and lead angle to half that of a single-threaded implant.

Materials And Methods: We tested the stabilities of these configurations using artificial bone.

Detection of hepatocyte growth factor in oral rinses using water for possible periodontal diagnosis.

The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) levels in oral rinses using water and clinical parameters of periodontitis; and furthermore, to evaluate the potential of a prototype HGF immunochromatographic paper test strip (HGF-TS) for screening of periodontitis, in comparison with a commercially-available occult blood (hemoglobin) test strip (Hb-TS). Clinical periodontal parameters were recorded, and oral rinses were collected, from 125 subjects. Then, the presence of HGF, and hemoglobin (Hb), in each sample was detected using a prototype HGF-TS and an Hb-TS.

The NanoZoomer artificial intelligence connectomics pipeline for tracer injection studies of the marmoset brain.

We describe our connectomics pipeline for processing anterograde tracer injection data for the brain of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). Brain sections were imaged using a batch slide scanner (NanoZoomer 2.0-HT) and we used artificial intelligence to precisely segment the tracer signal from the background in the fluorescence images.

Solution structure and functional analysis of HelaTx1: the first toxin member of the κ-KTx5 subfamily.

Scorpion venom comprises a cocktail of toxins that have proven to be useful molecular tools for studying the pharmacological properties of membrane ion channels. HelaTx1, a short peptide neurotoxin isolated recently from the venom of the scorpion Heterometrus laoticus, is a 25 amino acid peptide with two disulfide bonds that shares low sequence homology with other scorpion toxins. HelaTx1 effectively decreases the amplitude of the K+ currents of voltage-gated Kv1.

Extract of Plumbago zeylanica enhances the growth of hair follicle dermal papilla cells with down-regulation of 5α-reductase type II.

Background: Cellular senescence, a phenomenon of irreversible growth arrest of mammalian cells, is involved in various age-related phenomena in organisms. Hair follicle dermal papilla (DP) cells play important roles in the regulation of hair growth and loss.

Aims: We examined the implication of cellular senescence of DP cells in androgenetic alopecia (AGA), the most common form of male hair loss, and searched for the compounds that have a beneficial effect on the prevention of AGA.

Systemic versus tissue-level prolactin signaling in a teleost during a tidal cycle.

Euryhaline Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) are native to estuaries where they encounter tidal fluctuations in environmental salinity. These fluctuations can be dramatic, subjecting individuals to salinities characteristic of fresh water (FW < 0.5‰) and seawater (SW 35‰) within a single tidal cycle.

The Japanese version of the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire: Reliability and validity assessment.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire as a measure of sleep among intensive care unit patients in a Japanese hospital.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Methods: The Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire was initially translated into Japanese using the back-translation method.