Histological changes in the olfactory bulb and rostral migratory stream due to interruption of olfactory input.

Objective: Periglomerular and granule cells in the adult mammalian olfactory bulb modulate olfactory signal transmission. These cells originate from the subventricular zone, migrate to the olfactory bulb via the Rostral Migratory Stream (RMS), and differentiate into mature cells within the olfactory bulb throughout postnatal life. While the regulation of neuroblast development is known to be affected by external stimuli, there is a lack of information concerning changes that occur during the recovery process after injury caused by external stimuli.

BDNF/TrkB pathway activation in D1 receptor-expressing striatal projection neurons plays a protective role against L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia.

L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) is a frequent adverse side effect of L-DOPA treatment in Parkinson's disease (PD). Understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of these motor disorders is needed to reduce or prevent them. We investigated the role of TrkB receptor in LID, in hemiparkinsonian mice treated by chronic L-DOPA administration.

Molecularly imprinted polymers for arbutin and rutin by modified precipitation polymerization and their application for selective extraction of rutin in nutritional supplements.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for glycosides, arbutin (ARB) and rutin (RUT), were prepared using methacrylamide (MAM) and 4-vinylpyridine (4-VPY) as functional monomers and divinylbenzene as a crosslinker by modified precipitation polymerization. The template molecule, ARB or RUT, was first dissolved in methanol, followed by precipitation polymerization using a mixture of acetonitrile and toluene as a porogenic solvent. The molar ratios of the template molecule, MAM and 4-VPY were optimized to achieve a high molecular recognition ability for ARB and RUT.

Dopamine D1 receptor-expressing neurons activity is essential for locomotor and sensitizing effects of a single injection of cocaine.

Dopamine D1 receptors play an important role in the effects of cocaine. Here, we investigated the role of neurons which express these receptors (D1-neurons) in the acute locomotor effects of cocaine and the locomotor sensitization observed after a second injection of this drug, using the previously established two-injection protocol of sensitization. We inhibited D1-neurons using double transgenic mice conditionally expressing the inhibitory Gi-coupled designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drugs (Gi-DREADD) in D1-neurons.

fMRI detects bilateral brain network activation following unilateral chemogenetic activation of direct striatal projection neurons.

Abnormal structural and functional connectivity in the striatum during neurological disorders has been reported using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), although the effects of cell-type specific neuronal stimulation on fMRI and related behavioral alterations are not well understood. In this study, we combined DREADD technology with fMRI ("chemo-fMRI") to investigate alterations of spontaneous neuronal activity. These were induced by the unilateral activation of dopamine D1 receptor-expressing neurons (D1-neurons) in the mouse dorsal striatum (DS).

The Impact of Ovariectomy on Olfactory Neuron Regeneration in Mice.

Estrogen has been shown to affect differentiation and proliferation as a mitogen in various neural systems. Olfactory receptor cells are unique within the nervous system, and have the ability to regenerate even after an individual has reached maturity. Olfactory receptor cells also regenerate after experimentally induced degeneration.

Effects of Tokishakuyakusan on Regeneration of Murine Olfactory Neurons In Vivo and In Vitro.

Post-upper respiratory tract infection related olfactory dysfunction typically occurs due to neural damage after an upper respiratory tract infection associated with a common cold or influenza. At present, Tokishakuyakusan, a Japanese traditional Kampo medicine, has been found to be effective for post-viral olfactory dysfunction. However, the pharmacodynamics of Tokishakuyakusan in the treatment of post-viral olfactory dysfunction remains unresolved.

[A case of a patient with bile secretion disorder for whom an egg yolk lecithin-containing liquid diet was used for enteral nutrition].

For elderly people who are difficult to operate, percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD) is conducted instead. In PTGBD, the bile is drained externally and impaired absorption of fat is a concern. Egg yolk lecithin, which is a fat emulsifier, is not easily broken in emulsion even under a low-pH condition, and the emulsified state is stable.

Enteral Nutrition With an Enteral Formula Containing Egg Yolk Lecithin After Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy: A Case Series.

The occurrence of diarrhea at the beginning of enteral nutrition complicates the continuation of enteral nutrition. Recently, studies in Japan indicated that diarrhea could be improved by changing the enteral formula to one that is emulsified with egg yolk lecithin. In this study, we administered the enteral formula K-2S plus, which is emulsified with egg yolk lecithin, to 15 patients (four men and 11 women; mean age, 79.

Preparation of molecularly imprinted polymers for warfarin and coumachlor by multi-step swelling and polymerization method and their imprinting effects.

Monodisperse molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for warfarin (WF) and coumachlor (CC), MIP and MIP, respectively, were prepared using 4-vinylpyridine (4-VPY) as a functional monomer and ethylene glycole dimethacrylate (EDMA) as a crosslinker by multi-step swelling and polymerization. Six kinds of MIP, MIP - MIP, were prepared varying the concentrations of WF and 4-VPY, while maintaining the EDMA concentration constant, and their retention and molecular recognition properties were evaluated using a mixture of sodium phosphate buffer and acetonitrile as a mobile phase in LC. In addition to shape recognition, hydrogen bonding, ionic and hydrophobic interactions could affect the retention and molecular recognition of WF on MIP, and ionic interactions seem to govern the retention and molecular recognition of WF above mobile phase pH 6 associated with higher molar ratio of 4-VPY to EDMA.

The transcriptional modulator Ifrd1 controls PGC-1α expression under short-term adrenergic stimulation in brown adipocytes.

Sympathetic tone activates the function of classical brown adipocytes, which constitutively exist in the brown adipose tissue (BAT), and inducible brown adipocytes (so-called beige adipocytes), which sporadically reside within the white adipose tissue (WAT). Here we identified the transcriptional modulator interferon-related developmental regulator 1 (Ifrd1) as a negative regulator of thermogenic and mitochondrial gene expression in brown adipocytes. Ifrd1 expression was markedly induced by cold exposure and administration of CL-316243 (a β3 adrenergic agonist) in interscapular brown adipose and inguinal subcutaneous WATs, but not in epididymal visceral WAT, in vivo.

Molecularly imprinted polymer for glutathione by modified precipitation polymerization and its application to determination of glutathione in supplements.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) particles for glutathione (GSH) with a narrow particle size distribution were prepared by modified precipitation polymerization using methacrylic acid as a functional monomer, divinylbenzene as a crosslinker and water as a co-solvent. The particle diameters of the MIP and non-imprinted polymer (NIP) prepared under the optimum conditions were 3.81±0.

Transcriptional Modulator Ifrd1 Regulates Osteoclast Differentiation through Enhancing the NF-κB/NFATc1 Pathway.

Bone homeostasis is maintained by the synergistic actions of bone-resorbing osteoclasts and bone-forming osteoblasts. Here, we show that the transcriptional coactivator/repressor interferon-related developmental regulator 1 (Ifrd1) is expressed in osteoclast lineages and represents a component of the machinery that regulates bone homeostasis. Ifrd1 expression was transcriptionally regulated in preosteoclasts by receptor activator of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) ligand (RANKL) through activator protein 1.

Preparation of molecularly imprinted polymers for strychnine by precipitation polymerization and multistep swelling and polymerization and their application for the selective extraction of strychnine from nux-vomica extract powder.

Monodisperse molecularly imprinted polymers for strychnine were prepared by precipitation polymerization and multistep swelling and polymerization, respectively. In precipitation polymerization, methacrylic acid and divinylbenzene were used as a functional monomer and crosslinker, respectively, while in multistep swelling and polymerization, methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate were used as a functional monomer and crosslinker, respectively. The retention and molecular recognition properties of the molecularly imprinted polymers prepared by both methods for strychnine were evaluated using a mixture of sodium phosphate buffer and acetonitrile as a mobile phase by liquid chromatography.

The Transcriptional Modulator Interferon-Related Developmental Regulator 1 in Osteoblasts Suppresses Bone Formation and Promotes Bone Resorption.

Bone homeostasis is maintained by the synergistic actions of bone-resorbing osteoclasts and bone-forming osteoblasts. Although interferon-related developmental regulator 1 (Ifrd1) has been identified as a transcriptional coactivator/repressor in various cells, little attention has been paid to its role in osteoblastogenesis and bone homeostasis thus far. Here, we show that Ifrd1 is a critical mediator of both the cell-autonomous regulation of osteoblastogenesis and osteoblast-dependent regulation of osteoclastogenesis.

Growth differentiation factor-5 promotes brown adipogenesis in systemic energy expenditure.

Although growth differentiation factor-5 (GDF5) has been implicated in skeletal development and joint morphogenesis in mammals, little is known about its functionality in adipogenesis and energy homeostasis. Here, we show a critical role of GDF5 in regulating brown adipogenesis for systemic energy expenditure in mice. GDF5 expression was preferentially upregulated in brown adipose tissues from inborn and acquired obesity mice.

Repression of adipogenesis through promotion of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by TIS7 up-regulated in adipocytes under hypoxia.

Although tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate induced sequence-7 (TIS7) has been identified as a co-activator/repressor of gene transcription in different eukaryotic cells, little attention has been paid to the functionality of TIS7 in adipocytes. Here, we evaluated the possible role of TIS7 in mechanisms underlying the regulation of adipogenesis. TIS7 expression was preferentially up-regulated in white adipose tissues (WAT) of obesity model mice as well as in pre-adipocytic 3T3-L1 cells cultured under hypoxic conditions.

Positive regulation by γ-aminobutyric acid B receptor subunit-1 of chondrogenesis through acceleration of nuclear translocation of activating transcription factor-4.

A view that signaling machineries for the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are functionally expressed by cells outside the central nervous system is now prevailing. In this study, we attempted to demonstrate functional expression of GABAergic signaling molecules by chondrocytes. In cultured murine costal chondrocytes, mRNA was constitutively expressed for metabotropic GABA(B) receptor subunit-1 (GABA(B)R1), but not for GABA(B)R2.

Osteoclastogenesis is negatively regulated by D-serine produced by osteoblasts.

We have shown the functional expression by chondrocytes of serine racemase (SR) which is responsible for the synthesis of D-serine (Ser) from L-Ser in cartilage. In this study, we evaluated the possible functional expression of SR by bone-forming osteoblasts and bone-resorbing osteoclasts. Expression of SR mRNA was seen in osteoblasts localized at the cancellous bone surface in neonatal rat tibial sections and in cultured rat calvarial osteoblasts endowed to release D-Ser into extracellular medium, but not in cultured osteoclasts differentiated from murine bone marrow progenitor cells.

Osteoblastic γ-aminobutyric acid, type B receptors negatively regulate osteoblastogenesis toward disturbance of osteoclastogenesis mediated by receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand in mouse bone.

The prevailing view is that signaling machineries for the neurotransmitter GABA are also expressed by cells outside the CNS. In cultured murine calvarial osteoblasts, mRNA was constitutively expressed for both subunits 1 and 2 of metabotropic GABA(B) receptor (GABA(B)R), along with inhibition by the GABA(B)R agonist baclofen of cAMP formation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and Ca(2+) accumulation. Moreover, baclofen significantly inhibited the transactivation of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) gene in a manner sensitive to a GABA(B)R antagonist, in addition to decreasing mRNA expression of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2), osteocalcin, and osterix.

Positive regulation by GABA(B)R1 subunit of leptin expression through gene transactivation in adipocytes.

Background: The view that γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) plays a functional role in non-neuronal tissues, in addition to an inhibitory neurotransmitter role in the mammalian central nervous system, is prevailing, while little attention has been paid to GABAergic signaling machineries expressed by adipocytes to date. In this study, we attempted to demonstrate the possible functional expression of GABAergic signaling machineries by adipocytes.

Methodology/principal Findings: GABA(B) receptor 1 (GABA(B)R1) subunit was constitutively expressed by mouse embryonic fibroblasts differentiated into adipocytes and adipocytic 3T3-L1 cells in culture, as well as mouse white adipose tissue, with no responsiveness to GABA(B)R ligands.

A negative correlation between expression profiles of runt-related transcription factor-2 and cystine/glutamate antiporter xCT subunit in ovariectomized mouse bone.

We have previously demonstrated that glutamate (Glu) suppresses cellular proliferation toward self-renewal through a mechanism associated with the depletion of intracellular GSH after promoting the retrograde operation of the bidirectional cystine/Glu antiporter in undifferentiated osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells. In this study, we investigated the expression profile of the xCT subunit of the antiporter as well as the master regulator of osteoblastogenesis runt-related transcription factor-2 (Runx2) in ovariectomized mouse bone. In spinal columns isolated 28 days after ovariectomy, a marked reduction was seen with the intensity of Von Kossa staining used as an index of ossification.

Negative regulation of osteoblastogenesis through downregulation of runt-related transcription factor-2 in osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells with stable overexpression of the cystine/glutamate antiporter xCT subunit.

We have previously demonstrated that glutamate (Glu) suppresses cellular proliferation toward self-renewal through a mechanism associated with intracellular GSH depletion mediated by the bidirectional cystine/Glu antiporter in osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells cultured in the absence of differentiation inducers. To further evaluate the possible role of the antiporter in osteoblastogenesis, in this study, we have established stable transfectants of the xCT subunit of the antiporter in MC3T3-E1 cells. Stable overexpression led to a significant facilitation of cellular proliferation determined by different indices with increased GSH levels and decreased ROS generation in addition to promoted [(14)C]cystine incorporation, while Glu failed to significantly inhibit cellular proliferation in stable xCT transfectants.

Glutamate preferentially suppresses osteoblastogenesis than adipogenesis through the cystine/glutamate antiporter in mesenchymal stem cells.

We have shown that glutamate (Glu) signaling machineries, such as receptors (GluR) and transporters, are functionally expressed by mesenchymal stem cells, in addition to by their progeny cells such as osteoblasts and chondrocytes. Sustained exposure to Glu induced significant decreases in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and osteoblastic marker gene expression in the mesenchymal C3H10T1/2 stem cells infected with runt-related transcription factor-2 (Runx2) adenovirus, without markedly affecting Oil Red O staining for adipocytes in cells cultured with adipogenic inducers. In cells with Runx2 adenovirus, the cystine/Glu antiporter substrate cystine significantly prevented the decreases by Glu in both ALP staining and osteoblastic marker gene expression, with GluR agonists being ineffective.

Predominant promotion by tacrolimus of chondrogenic differentiation to proliferating chondrocytes.

Tacrolimus (FK506) has been used as a therapeutic drug beneficial for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in humans. In this study, we investigated the effects of FK506 on cellular differentiation in cultured chondrogenic cells. Culture with FK506 led to a significant and concentration-dependent increase in Alcian blue staining for matrix proteoglycan at 0.