Development of novel nucleic acid therapy aimed at directly controlling liver fibrosis.

Currently, no drugs directly treat liver fibrosis. Previously, we have shown that treatment with miR-29a-3p improved liver fibrosis in a mouse model. To investigate the effectiveness of nucleic acid therapy at a lower dose, a modified nucleic acid was prepared based on miR-29a-3p.

Identification and characterization of spontaneous AA amyloidosis in CD-1 mice used in toxicity studies: implications of SAA1 and SAA2 copy number variations.

Amyloidosis is characterized by the extracellular deposition of insoluble protein fibrils that cause cellular damage and dysfunction in organs and tissues. Multiple types of amyloidosis and their causative precursor proteins have been identified in humans and animals. In toxicological studies, a high incidence of spontaneous amyloidosis has been reported in CD-1 mice; however, the precursor protein responsible remains unclear.

Engineering of acyl ligase domain in non-ribosomal peptide synthetases to change fatty acid moieties of lipopeptides.

Cyclic lipopeptides (CLPs) produced by the genus Bacillus are amphiphiles composed of hydrophilic amino acid and hydrophobic fatty acid moieties and are biosynthesised by non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs). CLPs are produced as a mixture of homologues with different fatty acid moieties, whose length affects CLP activity. Iturin family lipopeptides are a family of CLPs comprising cyclic heptapeptides and β-amino fatty acids and have antimicrobial activity.

Non-invasive electron paramagnetic resonance imaging detects tumor redox imbalance induced by ferroptosis.

Targeting ferroptosis, cell death caused by the iron-dependent accumulation of lipid peroxides, and disruption of the redox balance are promising strategies in cancer therapy owing to the physiological characteristics of cancer cells. However, the detection of ferroptosis using imaging remains challenging. We previously reported that redox maps showing the reduction power per unit time of implanted tumor tissues via non-invasive redox imaging using a novel, compact, and portable electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (EPRI) device could be compared with tumor tissue sections.

Identification of a critical interval for type 2 diabetes QTL on chromosome 4 in DDD-A mice.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) in male KK-A and B6-A mice is typically associated with hyperinsulinemia, whereas male DDD-A mice exhibit a marked decrease in circulating insulin levels due to the loss of pancreatic islet β-cells. T2D in male DDD-A mice is linked to Nidd/DDD, a significant quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapped with a 95% confidence interval (CI) between 112.44 and 151.

Development of Binding Ability Assay of Lactococcus lactis Isolated from Cucumber to Mycotoxins by Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging Assay.

Some microorganisms, including lactic acid bacteria (LAB), can bind to mycotoxins. Its binding ability is useful for mycotoxin mitigation. Conventionally, the binding assay for this ability of microorganisms to mycotoxins has been performed by the so-called in vitro assay.

A comparative developmental study of the avian syrinx: Insights into the homology of the sound-producing muscles in birds.

The anatomical innovation of sound-producing organs, which gives rise to a wide variety of sound signals, is one of the most fundamental factors leading to the explosive speciation of modern birds. Despite being a key clue to resolving the homology of sound-controlling muscles among birds, only few studies have explored the embryonic development of syringeal muscles. Using serial histological sections and immunohistochemistry, we described the three-dimensional anatomy and development of the cartilage, muscle, and innervation pattern of the tracheobronchi in three avian species: domestic fowls, cockatiels, and zebra finches.

MALDI-TOF MS analysis for detection of bovine coronavirus with tryptic peptides from viral proteins.

Bovine coronavirus (BCoV）, a significant cattle pathogen causing enteric and respiratory diseases, is primarily detected using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Our objective was to develop a novel detection method for BCoV by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization‒time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS）. Peptide mass fingerprint analysis revealed that nucleocapsid (N）, membrane (M）, and hemagglutinin-esterase (HE) were three main BCoV proteins.

Post-operative vestibular function outcomes evaluated by video Head Impulse Test in patients with non-vestibular schwannoma cerebellopontine angle tumors.

Objectives: To evaluate post-operative semicircular canal function in patients with non-vestibular schwannoma (VS) cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumors by video Head Impulse Test (vHIT).

Methods: Fourteen patients with non-VS CPA tumors who underwent surgery. The gain in vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) was examined pre- and post-operatively for the semicircular canals in patients with non-VS CPA tumors.

Local Administration of (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate as a Local Anesthetic Agent Inhibits the Excitability of Rat Nociceptive Primary Sensory Neurons.

While the impact of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on modulating nociceptive secondary neuron activity has been documented, it is still unknown how EGCG affects the excitability of nociceptive primary neurons in vivo. The objective of the current study was to investigate whether administering EGCG locally in rats reduces the excitability of nociceptive primary trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons in response to mechanical stimulation in vivo. In anesthetized rats, TG neuronal extracellular single unit recordings were made in response to both non-noxious and noxious mechanical stimuli.

Extracting and analyzing micronuclei from mouse two-cell embryos fertilized with freeze-dried spermatozoa.

Abnormal chromosome segregation (ACS) in preimplantation embryos causes miscarriages. For a normal pregnancy, it is necessary to reduce ACS occurrences in embryos. However, the causes of such abnormalities are unclear because no method to extract the segregated chromosomes from the blastomeres for detailed analysis.

Acanthomatous ameloblastoma with mucinous glandular differentiation in a dog.

This report describes an atypical case of canine acanthomatous ameloblastoma (CAA) with mucinous glandular differentiation in a 12-year-old male Chihuahua with a right mandibular mass. Initially diagnosed as CAA by biopsy, computed tomography revealed bone lysis, prompting surgical excision. Histological examination showed lobular growth with two distinct neoplastic cell populations: typical CAA-like cells and a minor glandular structure population.

Hypoxia-induced increase in sphingomyelin synthase 2 aggravates ischemic skeletal muscle inflammation.

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is the most advanced stage of peripheral arterial disease, posing a high risk of mortality. Sphingomyelin, a sphingolipid synthesized by sphingomyelin synthases (SMSs) 1 and 2, plays an essential role in signal transduction as a component of lipid rafts. However, the role of sphingomyelin in the inflammation of ischemic skeletal muscles remains unclear.

Effect of feeding spent coffee grounds on the methane production in bovine rumen.

The environmental impact of methane, a greenhouse gas emitted from ruminants, is a pressing issue and methods to control methane emissions from ruminants are being investigated worldwide. In this study, we investigated the effects of the administration of spent coffee grounds (SCG) on methane production in the rumen in two cows. In the control condition (days 1 and 2), the cows were fed a basic diet twice daily (roughage and concentrate), and in the SCG condition (days 1 and 2) sequentially, the cows were fed the same basic diet and administered SCG into the rumen twice daily.

Histological effects of combined therapy involving scar resection, decellularized scaffolds, and human iPSC-NS/PCs transplantation in chronic complete spinal cord injury.

Chronic complete spinal cord injury (SCI) is difficult to treat because of scar formation and cavitary lesions. While human iPS cell-derived neural stem/progenitor cell (hNS/PC) therapy shows promise, its efficacy is limited without the structural support needed to address cavitary lesions. Our study investigated a combined approach involving surgical scar resection, decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) hydrogel as a scaffold, and hNS/PC transplantation.

Validity of a self-administered food frequency questionnaire for genomic and omics research among pregnant women: the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study.

Background: The Tohoku Medical Megabank Project has initiated the Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study (TMM BirThree Cohort Study) including genomic and omics investigations, and conducted a self-administered food frequency questionnaire with the response option "constitutionally unable to eat or drink it" for individual food items (TMM-FFQ) for pregnant women. This study evaluated the validity of the TMM-FFQ among pregnant women.

Methods: Participants comprised 122 pregnant women aged ≥20 years residing in Miyagi Prefecture who completed weighed food records (WFRs) for 3 days as reference intake and the TMM-FFQ during mid-pregnancy.

Oral treatment with catechin isolated from Japanese green tea significantly inhibits the growth of periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gulae and ameliorates the gingivitis and halitosis caused by periodontal disease in cats and dogs.

It has been postulated that 90 % of cats and dogs develop periodontal disease by 1 year of age. Periodontal disease develops because of infection by multiple bacteria, including Porphyromonas gulae (P. gulae) and Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.

Development and Validation of a Novel Four Gene-Pairs Signature for Predicting Prognosis in DLBCL Patients.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Because individual clinical outcomes of DLBCL in response to standard therapy differ widely, new treatment strategies are being investigated to improve therapeutic efficacy. In this study, we identified a novel signature for stratification of DLBCL useful for prognosis prediction and treatment selection.

Validity of a Web-Based 24-Hour Dietary Recall of Energy and Nutrient Intakes in Japanese Adults.

Recently, web-based dietary assessment tools for the targeted population have been developed and used to estimate the dietary intake level in several epidemiological studies. This study aimed to examine the validity of estimating energy and nutrient intake by the web-based 24 h dietary recall (Web24HR), which we developed for the Japanese population. Overall, 228 adults aged ≥20 years who agreed to participate were included.

Neuron-associated retroelement-derived protein Arc/Arg3.1 assists in the early stages of alphaherpesvirus infection in human neuronal cells.

Alphaherpesviruses, including herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and pseudorabies virus (PRV), are neurotropic double-stranded DNA viruses. Alphaherpesviruses control the expression of various host factors to ensure efficient infection and propagation. Recently, HSV-1 was found to upregulate Arc/Arg3.

Visual and olfactory signals of conspecifics induce emotional contagion in mice.

Emotional contagion occurs in many animals, including rodents. To determine the social signals of emotional state-matching between individuals in mice, we conducted an empirical laboratory experiment using visual, olfactory and auditory stimuli. The Japanese wild-derived mouse strain MSM/Ms (MSM) was tested as observers, since our initial experiments indicated that MSM mice showed higher sensitivity to others' pain compared with the laboratory strain C57BL/6J (B6).

spp. as Reservoirs of Multidrug Resistance- and Biofilm-Forming in Urban Community from Southern Thailand.

Rats are rodents commonly found in Thailand that carry various zoonotic pathogens. Bacterial zoonosis can occur in a shared environment between humans and rats, especially in human communities and agricultural areas. , particularly pathogenic and multidrug-resistant strains, is a significant public health concern that is transmitted by rats.