Planar catechin increases bone mass by regulating differentiation of osteoclasts in mice.

Objectives: While catechins have been reported to exhibit potential to benefit osteoporosis patients, the effects of planar catechin (PCat), synthesized during the development of drugs for Alzheimer's disease, have not been clearly elucidated. Here, we examined the effects of PCat on mouse bone metabolism both in vivo and in vitro.

Methods: Six week old female mice were orally administered PCat (30 mg/kg) every other day for four weeks, and their femurs were analyzed using micro-computed tomography imaging.

Cholesterol and fat in diet disrupt bone and tooth homeostasis in mice.

Dyslipidemia is a condition of high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol in the blood, and high levels of cholesterol is associated with a variety of systemic diseases. The effects of a high-fat diet on bone have been reported, however, it is not clear which components of a high-fat diet affect bone. This study was conducted to examine the effects of dietary lipids and cholesterol on bone homeostasis maintenance.

Inhibition of hepatocyte growth factor/c-Met signalling abrogates joint destruction by suppressing monocyte migration in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: To determine the expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in RA biological fluids, the role of HGF in monocyte migration and the therapeutic effect of the c-Met inhibitor savolitinib in an arthritis model mice.

Methods: HGF/c-Met expression in serum, SF and synovial tissues (STs) obtained from RA patients and controls, as well as RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs), was evaluated by ELISA and immunostaining. To determine the function of HGF in RA SF, we preincubated RA SF with a neutralizing anti-HGF antibody and measured the chemotactic ability of a human acute monocytic leukaemia cell line (THP-1).

Effects of lipid metabolism on mouse incisor dentinogenesis.

Tooth formation can be affected by various factors, such as oral disease, drug administration, and systemic illness, as well as internal conditions including dentin formation. Dyslipidemia is an important lifestyle disease, though the relationship of aberrant lipid metabolism with tooth formation has not been clarified. This study was performed to examine the effects of dyslipidemia on tooth formation and tooth development.

Biological effects of anti-RANKL antibody administration in pregnant mice and their newborns.

Denosumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody that neutralizes receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) and blocks osteoclast differentiation, has received approval in Japan for use as an anti-resorptive drug for osteoporosis and skeletal-related events (SREs) in patients with solid cancer. Denosumab is contraindicated during pregnancy, though the effects of blocking RANKL activity on pregnant mothers and their newborns are unclear. We used mice to investigate the effects of an anti-RANKL antibody on maternal and newborn health.

Phase separation of myelin sheath in Triton X-114 solution: predominant localization of the 21.5-kDa isoform of myelin basic protein in the lipid raft-associated domain.

Myelin basic protein (MBP) isoforms in the myelin sheath are known to have distinct intracellular expression patterns, which are profoundly related to functional specificity. Determining the differential localization of MBP isoforms is therefore important for understanding their pathophysiological roles. In this study, we have developed a new method for phase separation of myelin.

Successful treatment of refractory aortitis in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis using tocilizumab.

A 47-year-old Japanese woman developed antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) complicated by a rare combination of aortitis and hypertrophic pachymeningitis. Despite the therapy with prednisolone and cyclophosphamide, the aortitis was not ameliorated. However, after cyclophosphamide was replaced with intravenous tocilizumab, the aortitis was improved, and the prednisolone dose was successfully tapered to 4 mg/day without elevation in C-reactive protein and myeloperoxidase ANCA (MPO-ANCA) levels.

Seasonal trends of blood pressure during pregnancy in Japan: the babies and their parents' longitudinal observation in Suzuki Memorial Hospital in Intrauterine Period study.

Objective: Blood pressure (BP) increases both in winter and in the last trimester of pregnancy. Some interaction seems to exist between season and gestational age. The present study observed home BP values during pregnancy with adjustment for seasonal variation and gestational age.