Risk factors of acute kidney injury in children after cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this retrospective study was to determine the risk factors for acute kidney injury (AKI), including albumin, in children who underwent cardiac surgery. In addition, we evaluated the association between preoperative serum albumin level and postoperative AKI in these patients. METHODS: This retrospective study included 505 pediatric patients who underwent congenital cardiac surgery. Preoperative and perioperative risk factors for AKI, including serum albumin level, were assessed. AKI incidence within 7 postoperative days was determined using the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between possible risk factors and postoperative AKI. RESULTS: Of 505 pediatric patients, 185 (36.6%) developed postoperative AKI. The preoperative serum albumin level was associated with postoperative AKI (odds ratio [OR] 0.506, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.325-0.788; P = 0.003). Other independent factors associated with AKI were age <12 months (OR 1.911, 95% CI 1.166-3.132; P = 0.007), preoperative pulmonary hypertension (OR 1.853, 95% CI 1.182-2.907; P = 0.01), and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) duration (OR 1.006, 95% CI 1.003-1.009; P = 0.002). Patients with AKI had higher incidence of postoperative complications, longer mechanical ventilation times, and more prolonged intensive care unit and hospital stays than patients without AKI. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative serum albumin level, age <12 months, preoperative pulmonary hypertension, and CPB duration were associated with risk for postoperative AKI in children who underwent congenital cardiac surgery.

Synergistic Inhibitory Effect of Lactobacillus Cell Lysates and Butyrate on Poly I:C-Induced IL-8 Production in Human Intestinal Epithelial Cells.

Postbiotics include cell lysates (CLs), enzymes, cell wall fragments, and heat-killed bacteria derived from probiotics. Although postbiotics are increasingly being considered for their potential health-promoting properties, the effects of postbiotics on virus-mediated inflammatory responses in the intestine have not been elucidated. Hence, the present study aimed to examine whether CLs of Lactipantibacillus plantarum (LP CL) and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LR CL) could inhibit virus-mediated inflammatory responses in the human intestinal epithelial cell line HT-29 in vitro. Pretreatment with LP CL and LR CL significantly inhibited interleukin (IL)-8 production, which was induced by poly I:C, a synthetic analog of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) viruses, at the mRNA and protein levels in HT-29 cells. However, peptidoglycans and heat-killed L. plantarum and L. rhamnosus GG did not effectively inhibit IL-8 production. LP CL and LR CL attenuated the poly I:C-induced phosphorylation of ERK and JNK and the activation of NF-κB, suggesting that these CLs could inhibit poly I:C-induced IL-8 production by regulating intracellular signaling pathways in HT-29 cells. Furthermore, among the short-chain fatty acids, butyrate enhanced the inhibitory effect of CLs on poly I:C-induced IL-8 production at the mRNA and protein levels in HT-29 cells, while acetate and propionate did not. Taken together, these results suggest that both LP CL and LR CL could act as potent effector molecules that can inhibit virus-mediated inflammatory responses and confer synergistic inhibitory effects with butyrate in human intestinal epithelial cells.

Dyspnea and nocturnal cough due to esophageal diffuse leiomyomatosis in a girl with hematuria.

A 7-year-old girl with hematuria and clinical suspicion of Alport syndrome (AS) presented with dyspnea and nocturnal cough, initially diagnosed and treated as asthma. Despite inhaled corticosteroid therapy, her symptoms persisted, and spirometry indicated obstructive lung function without bronchodilator response. Chest CT revealed diffuse thickening of the esophageal wall, tracheal compression, with involvement of the gastric cardia, suggestive of diffuse leiomyomatosis. Subsequent genetic reanalysis confirmed the presence of a contiguous deletion of COL4A5 and COL4A6 genes, solidifying the diagnosis of AS. Diffuse leiomyomatosis, a rare benign neoplasm associated with AS, typically manifests as dysphagia, but in this case, it presented initially with asthma-like symptoms. This case emphasizes the importance of imaging when asthma treatment fails, particularly in patients with coexisting conditions of another system.

Effects of Trichostatin A on In vitro Development of Porcine Embryos Derived from Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer.

Many different approaches have been developed to improve the efficiency of animal cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), one of which is to modify histone acetylation levels using histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) such as trichostatin A (TSA). In the present study, we examined the effect of TSA on in vitro development of porcine embryos derived from SCNT. We found that TSA treatment (50 nM) for 24 h following oocyte activation improved blastocyst formation rates (to 22.0%) compared with 8.9% in the non-treatment group and total cell number of the blastocysts for determining embryo quality also increased significantly (88.9→114.4). Changes in histone acetylation levels as a result of TSA treatment were examined using indirect immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy scanning. Results showed that the histone acetylation level in TSA-treated embryos was higher than that in controls at both acetylated histone H3 lysine 9 (AcH3K9) and acetylated histone H4 lysine 12 (AcH4K12). Next, we compared the expression patterns of seven genes (OCT4, ID1; the pluripotent genes, H19, NNAT, PEG1; the imprinting genes, cytokeratin 8 and 18; the trophoblast marker genes). The SCNT blastocysts both with and without TSA treatment showed lower levels of OCT4, ID1, cytokeratin 8 and 18 than those of the in vivo blastocysts. In the case of the imprinting genes H19 and NNAT, except PEG1, the SCNT blastocysts both with and without TSA treatment showed higher levels than those of the in vivo blastocysts. Although the gene expression patterns between cloned blastocysts and their in vivo counterparts were different regardless of TSA treatment, it appears that several genes in NT blastocysts after TSA treatment showed a slight tendency toward expression patterns of in vivo blastocysts. Our results suggest that TSA treatment may improve preimplantation porcine embryo development following SCNT.

Enhanced light output from the nano-patterned InP semiconductor substrate through the nanoporous alumina mask.

A significant enhancement in the light output from nano-patterned InP substrate covered with a nanoporous alumina mask was observed. A uniform nanohole array on an InP semiconductor substrate was fabricated by inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE), using the nanoporous alumina mask as a shadow mask. The light output property of the semiconductor substrate was investigated via photoluminescence (PL) intensity measurement. The InP substrate with a nanohole array showed a more enhanced PL intensity compared with the raw InP substrate without a nanohole structure. After ICP-RIE etching, the light output from the nanoporous InP substrate covered with a nanoporous alumina mask showed fourfold enhanced PL intensity compared with the raw InP substrate. These results can be used as a prospective method for increasing the light output efficiency of optoelectronic devices.

Comparison of 2 methods of non-invasive treatment between transcutaneous electrical stimulation and pulsed electromagnetic field stimulation as replacement of invasive manual acupuncture.

The aim of this study was to find the non-invasive optimal alternative method for Manual Acupuncture. Existing researches had reported that Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation (TEAS) was an effective treatment method instead of manual acupuncture. In place of the TEAS, we suggested the Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (PEMFs). Thus, we designed the PEMFs system which can stimulate only an acupoint. There have been no researches which reported therapeutic effect when stimulating at an identical acupoint by TEAS and PEMFs. Hence, this study investigated the therapeutic effect on the muscle fatigue after the strenuous knee extension/flexion exercise by two stimulations. We selected the stimulation method of both TEAS and PEMFs by using 2Hz biphasic rectangular wave pulse and pulse width 0.2ms. The magnetic flux was the 30.92mT (309.2gauss) at 2 Hz. The electromyogram (EMG) and the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) at rectus femoris were measured. The Median Frequency (MF) at TEAS group was significantly effective at 6 minutes (p=0.499). The PEMFs group was recovered to the MF rapidly after 4 minutes (p=0.166). The results of the peak torque indicated that both non-stimulation group and TEAS group did not recover to the peak torque at pre-exercise during the recovery period (p<0.05). In contrast, the significant treatment effect of PEMFs group was found after 14 minutes (p=0.135). The results of this study demonstrated that PEMFs were better than TEAS as a non-invasive method to replace the manual acupuncture.

Bacteriocin-Like Inhibitory Substance (BLIS) Activity of Enterococcus faecium DB1 Against Biofilm Formation by Clostridium perfringens.

The antibiofilm effect of bacteriocin-like inhibitory substance (BLIS) from Enterococcus faecium DB1 against Clostridium perfringens was investigated in the present study. BLIS of E. faecium DB1 significantly reduced biofilm formation by C. perfringens in a dose-dependent manner for 24 and 48 h. In particular, treatment with BLIS of E. faecium DB1 significantly inhibited biofilm formation by C. perfringens on chicken meat and stainless steel coupon surfaces. Moreover, BLIS of E. faecium DB1 decreased the viability of C. perfringens biofilm and planktonic cells, indicating that the reduction of biofilm formation by C. perfringens might be achieved by killing the bacterial cells. Taken together, the present results suggest that BLIS of E. faecium DB1 can be a promising antibiofilm agent to eradicate C. perfringens.

Niemann-Pick Disease Type C Diagnosed Using Neonatal Cholestasis Gene Panel.

Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is a neurovisceral lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the NPC1 and NPC2 genes. These mutations cause the accumulation of unesterified cholesterol and other lipids in the lysosomes. NPC has a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, depending on the age of onset. A 15-day-old infant presented at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital with neonatal cholestasis and hepatosplenomegaly, with the onset of jaundice at 5 days of age. Despite supportive treatment, the patient was considered for a liver transplant because of progressive liver failure. Unfortunately, the patient died from gastrointestinal bleeding before undergoing the transplant. The neonatal cholestasis gene panel revealed two novel likely pathogenic variants in the NPC1 gene (c.1145C>G [p.Ser382*] and c.2231_2233del [p.Val744del]). The patient was diagnosed with NPC, and both parents were found to be carriers of each variant. In infants presenting with neonatal cholestasis, a gene panel can help diagnose NPC.

Administration of Kyung-Ok-Ko reduces stress-induced depressive behaviors in mice through inhibition of inflammation pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Kyung-Ok-Ko (KOK), a traditional medicinal formula composed of Rehmannia glutinosa (Gaertn.) DC, Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf, Korean Red Panax ginseng C.A.Mey, and honey, has been used to treat amnesia and dementia. KOK has also been shown to ameliorate transient cerebral global ischemia-induced brain damage, but the antidepressant-like effect of KOK has not been examined. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study examined the antidepressant-like effect of KOK in an immobilization-induced stress mouse and its mechanisms of action. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The animals in the stress group were immobilized for two hours a day for two weeks. KOK at a dose of 1 g/kg/day was administered orally to the stressed mice for two weeks in advance of their immobilization. A forced swimming test was performed to analyze their depressive behaviors. To examine the anti-inflammatory or antioxidative effects of KOK, the murine macrophage cell line, RAW 264.7 cells and human neuroblastoma cell, SH-SY5Y cells, were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and hydrogen peroxide, respectively. RESULT: The KOK extract showed no significant toxicity when the cells were treated with a KOK extract at 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 µg/mL. The KOK ethanol extract reduced LPS-induced TNF-α production, inducible nitric oxide (iNOS) mRNA level, and the levels of MAPK and p38 phosphorylation in RAW 264.7 cells. KOK also suppressed H2O2-induced cell death and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in SH-SY5Y cells. In the forced swimming test, KOK induced a decrease in immobility and an increase in climbing activity. Finally, the administration of KOK reversed the up-regulation of IkB-α phosphorylation in the stressed mouse cortex. CONCLUSION: KOK might be useful for the treatment of depression caused by environmental and lifestyle-related stress.

Production of cloned dogs by decreasing the interval between fusion and activation during somatic cell nuclear transfer.

To improve the efficiency of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) in dogs, we evaluated whether or not the interval between fusion and activation affects the success rate of SCNT. Oocytes retrieved from outbred dogs were reconstructed with adult somatic cells from a male or female Golden Retriever. In total, 151 and 225 reconstructed oocytes were transferred to 9 and 14 naturally synchronized surrogates for male and female donor cells, respectively. Chromosomal morphology was evaluated in 12 oocytes held for an interval of 2 hr between fusion and activation and 14 oocytes held for an interval of 4 hr. Three hundred seventy-six and 288 embryos were transferred to 23 and 16 surrogates for the 2 and 4 hr interval groups, respectively. Both the male (two pregnant surrogates gave birth to three puppies) and female (one pregnant surrogate gave birth to one puppy) donor cells gave birth to live puppies (P > 0.05). In the 2 hr group, significantly more reconstructed oocytes showed condensed, metaphase-like chromosomes compared to the 4 hr group (P < 0.05). A significantly higher pregnancy rate and a greater number of live born puppies were observed in the 2 hr group (13.0% and 1.1%, respectively) compared to the 4 hr group (0%) (P < 0.05). In total, three surrogate dogs carried pregnancies to term and four puppies were born. These results demonstrate that decreasing the interval between fusion and activation increases the success rate of clone production and pregnancy. These results may increase the overall efficiency of SCNT in the canine family.

Protocol for the recovery of in vivo matured canine oocytes based on once daily measurement of serum progesterone.

The collection of in vivo matured canine oocytes relies on the accurate prediction of ovulation. The present study was designed to develop a protocol for the recovery of in vivo matured canine oocytes based on once daily measurements of serum progesterone (P(4)) concentrations. Blood samples (2 mL) were collected every day at 0900 h, and P(4) concentrations were analyzed using a DSL-3900 ACTIVE Progesterone Coated-Tube Radioimmunoassay Kit. The average number of oocytes at the metaphase II (M II) stage was significantly higher at or after 72 h (6.7 to 7.5) compared to 56 h (1.7) following ovulation. The highest numbers of corpora lutea, and therefore the highest numbers of oocytes, were recovered from bitches with initial ovulatory P(4) concentrations ranging from 6.0 to 8.0 ng/ mL (12.2 and 11.4, respectively) compared to from 4.0 to 4.9 ng/ mL (9.6 and 8.8, respectively; p < 0.05). The average number of M II oocytes recovered at 84 h from bitches with initial ovulatory P(4) levels of 5.0 to 5.9 ng/mL (7.7) was higher compared to bitches with P(4) levels of 4.0 to 4.9 ng/ mL (3.5) and 6.0 to 8.0 ng/ mL (4.8; p < 0.05). When oocyte recovery time was adjusted for initial ovulatory P(4) concentration, no significant difference in recovery rates or oocyte quality were observed. In conclusion, once daily measurements of P(4) can be used to predict ovulation in bitches, and oocyte recovery time should be adjusted for initial ovulatory serum P(4) concentrations.

Anti-apoptotic effect of melatonin on preimplantation development of porcine parthenogenetic embryos.

In the present study, we investigated the effect of melatonin on the preimplantation development of porcine parthenogenetic and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos. Parthenogenetic embryos were cultured in mNCSU-23 supplemented with various concentrations of melatonin for 7 days. The results revealed that 100 pM was the optimal concentration, which resulted in significantly increased cleavage and blastocyst formation rates. Additionally, 100 pM melatonin provided the highest increase in total cell number of blastocysts. Therefore, the subsequent experiments were performed with 100 pM melatonin. ROS level in 2-8 cell stage embryos in the presence or absence of melatonin was evaluated. Embryos cultured with melatonin showed significantly decreased ROS. Blastocysts cultured with melatonin for 7 days were analyzed by the TUNEL assay. It was observed that melatonin not only increased (P < 0.05) the total cell number but also decreased (P < 0.05) the rate of apoptotic nuclei. Blastocysts cultured with melatonin were assessed for the expression of apoptosis-related genes Bcl-xl and Bax, and of pluripotency marker gene Oct-4 by real-time quantitative PCR. Analysis of data showed that the expression of Bcl-xl was higher (1.7-fold) compared to the control while the expression of Bax was significantly decreased relative to the control (0.7-fold) (P < 0.05). Moreover, the expression of Oct-4 was 1.7-fold higher than the control. These results indicated that melatonin had beneficial effects on the development of porcine parthenogenetic embryos. Based on the findings of parthenogenetic embryos, we investigated the effect of melatonin on the development of porcine SCNT embryos. The results also demonstrated increased cleavage and blastocyst formation rates, and the total cell numbers in blastocysts were significantly higher when the embryos were cultured with melatonin. Therefore, these data suggested that melatonin may have important implications for improving porcine preimplantation SCNT embryo development.

The analysis of chromatin remodeling and the staining for DNA methylation and histone acetylation do not provide definitive indicators of the developmental ability of inter-species cloned embryos.

The restricted supply of oocytes in the domestic dog limits the development of reproductive biotechnologies in this species. Inter-species somatic cell nuclear transfer could be an alternative for cloning animals whose oocytes are difficult to obtain. In this study, the possibility of cloning dog embryos using pig oocytes was investigated by evaluating nuclear remodeling. Chromatin remodeling, assessed by premature chromosome condensation, pseudo-pronuclei formation, DNA methylation and histone acetylation, along with the developmental ability was compared between intra- and inter-species cloned embryos. The incidence of premature chromosome condensation was significantly higher in intra-species cloned embryos relative to inter-species cloned embryos (87.2% vs. 61.7%; P<0.05), but comparable pseudo-pronuclei formation was observed in both (85.3% vs. 75.8%). None of the inter-species cloned embryos developed beyond the 8-cell stage while 18.3% of intra-species cloned embryos developed to the blastocyst stage. The relative level of both DNA methylation and histone acetylation was similar between intra- and inter-species cloned embryos at all times examined. These results suggest that although partial chromatin remodeling occurs, further investigation is needed to be able to use pig oocytes as recipient oocytes in dog cloning.

Effects of insulin-transferrin-selenium in defined and porcine follicular fluid supplemented IVM media on porcine IVF and SCNT embryo production.

Insulin-transferrin-selenium (ITS) together has been used in different in vitro maturation system to support in vitro maturation of oocytes. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of ITS in defined (0.1% PVA) and porcine follicular fluid (10% pFF) supplemented IVM media on the developmental competence of porcine oocytes. Three combinations of ITS, 10 mg/L insulin (Ins), 5.5mg/L transferrin (Tf) and 5 microg/L selenium (Se), 20mg/L Ins, 11 mg/L Tf and 10 microg/L Se, and 30 mg/L Ins, 16.5 mg/L TF and 15 microg/L Se, were used. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey was used as the post hoc test. Both in the defined and pFF supplemented media, higher concentration of intracellular glutathione was observed in presence of ITS (4.6-4.8, and 6.9-7.1 picomole/oocyte for defined and pFF groups, respectively) compared to the respective control (2.1 and 4.3 picomole/oocyte for defined and pFF group, respectively). ITS decreased polyspermy and increased male pronucleus formation in both the defined and pFF supplemented medium. There was no difference in different treatment groups. The highest frequency of blastocyst formation rate and number of cells in blastocyst following IVF and SCNT was observed in pFF+ITS group (p<0.05). In conclusion, ITS addition during IVM improved the developmental competence of porcine oocytes in both the defined and pFF supplemented groups. Thus, we recommended to supplement porcine IVM medium with 10 microg/mL insulin, 5.5 microg/mL transferrin and 5 microg/mL selenium.

Temporal effects of alpha-tocopherol and L-ascorbic acid on in vitro fertilized porcine embryo development.

The susceptibility of embryos to reactive oxygen species (ROS) varies in different stages of embryo development. The present study evaluated temporal effects of alpha-tocopherol and L-ascorbic acid on the porcine embryo development, and investigated whether a single or twice supplements of these two antioxidants at a divided concentrations favors the embryo development. In order to determine temporal effects of alpha-tocopherol and/or L-ascorbic acid, 100 microM alpha-tocopherol or 200 microM L-ascorbic acid were supplemented to the North Carolina State University (NCSU)-23 embryo culture media at 0, 48, 96 and 120 h of culture. In another set of experiments, the concentration was divided into two equal halves, i.e., 50 microM alpha-tocopherol and 100 microM L-ascorbic acid, and supplemented twice at 0 and 48, 0 and 96, or 48 and 96 h of culture. Supplementing culture media with 100 microM alpha-tocopherol for the entire culture period of 168 h or starting from the 48 h of culture yielded higher blastocyst percentage compared with the control or starting from the 96 or 120 h of culture. L-Ascorbic acid (200 microM) alone or together with alpha-tocopherol (100 microM) with a single supplement did not affect the frequency of blastocyst formation or number of cells in blastocyst. L-ascorbic acid with a divided supplements yielded higher blastocyst percentage compared with the control. No synergistic effect was observed on embryo development at a single supplement of these antioxidants. Although, at divided supplements higher blastocyst percentage was observed compared with control group, no further beneficial effect was observed compared with alpha-tocopherol or L-ascorbic acid alone. Our results demonstrated that the embryotrophic effects of alpha-tocopherol and/or L-ascorbic acid, in terms of frequency of blastocyst formation and number of cells in blastocyst, depends on the concentration and supplementation timing.

Antiapoptotic and embryotrophic effects of alpha-tocopherol and L-ascorbic acid on porcine embryos derived from in vitro fertilization and somatic cell nuclear transfer.

The objective was to determine optimal concentrations of alpha-tocopherol and l-ascorbic acid for development of porcine embryos derived from in vitro-fertilization (IVF) or somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). The frequency of blastocyst formation in IVF embryos was 17.6, 28.6, 32.4 and 21.4% for control, 50, 100 and 200microM alpha-tocopherol, respectively, whereas in SCNT embryos, the frequency was 12.8, 19.0, 24.8 and 17.7% for corresponding concentrations of alpha-tocopherol. For both IVF and SCNT embryos, there were significantly more cells in blastocysts and the embryos had greater developmental competence when the embryo culture medium was supplemented with 100microM alpha-tocopherol. Although either alpha-tocopherol or l-ascorbic acid reduced the proportion of apoptotic cells in blastocysts, in combination they resulted in rates of apoptosis that were similar to the control group. For IVF embryos, the apoptotic index was 0.09 and 0.11 for alpha-tocopherol or l-ascorbic acid at a concentration of 100microM, respectively. Conversely, when these antioxidants were supplemented together, the apoptotic index increased significantly and was similar to the control group (i.e., 0.17 and 0.21 for combined and control group). For SCNT embryos, the apoptotic index was 0.10 for 100microM for both alpha-tocopherol and l-ascorbic acid, whereas the index was 0.23 and 0.17 for control and combined group. In conclusion, we recommend supplementing porcine embryo culture medium with 100microM alpha-tocopherol or 100microM l-ascorbic (as a second choice).

Beta ig-h3 promotes renal proximal tubular epithelial cell adhesion, migration and proliferation through the interaction with alpha3beta1 integrin.

Betaig-h3 (betaig-h3) is a secretory protein composed of fasciclin I-like repeats containing sequences that allows binding of integrins and glycosaminoglycans in vivo. Expression of betaig-h3 is responsive to TGF-Beta and the protein is found to be associated with extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules, implicating betaig-h3 as an ECM adhesive protein of developmental processes. We previously observed predominant expression of betaig-h3 expression in the basement membrane of proximal tubules of kidney. In this study, the physiological relevance of such localized expression of betaig-h3 was examined in the renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (RPTEC). RPTEC constitutively expressed betaig-h3 and the expression was dramatically induced by exogenous TGF-Beta1 treatment. betaig-h3 and its second and fourth FAS1 domain were able to mediate RPTEC adhesion, spreading and migration. Two known alpha3beta1 integrin-interaction motifs including aspartatic acid and isoleucine residues, NKDIL and EPDIM in betaig-h3 were responsible to mediate RPTEC adhesion, spreading, and migration. By using specific antibodies against integrins, we confirmed that alpha3beta1 integrin mediates the adhesion and migration of RPTECs on betaig-h3. In addition, it also enhanced proliferation of RPTECs through NKDIL and EPDIM. These results indicate that betaig-h3 mediates adhesion, spreading, migration and proliferation of RPTECs through the interaction with alpha3beta1 integrin and is intimately involved in the maintenance and the regeneration of renal proximal tubular epithelium.

Electromagnetic acupuncture to enhance the effects of manual acupuncture on recovery from muscle fatigue of the quadriceps.

The aim of this study was to investigate a new method of manual acupuncture that used a magnetic field to stimulate only one acupoint vertically. We developed an eight-channel electromagnetic acupuncture (EMA) system that uses a solenoid-type electrode to insert the manual acupuncture needle into a hole in an electrode. We used a manual acupuncture needle for magnetic induction in order to penetrate vertically and deeply into tissues. In order to confirm the usefulness of EMA, we investigated the effects of treatment on muscle fatigue after strenuous knee extension/flexion exercises that had been performed by three groups: the nonstimulation, the manual acupuncture, and the EMA groups. Electromyograms showed that the median frequency (MF) in the EMA group had rapidly recovered after 4 minutes (p = 0.608), but that the peak torque had not recovered to the normal state (p < 0.05). Thus, we confirmed that compared with manual acupuncture, EMA resulted in better recovery from muscle fatigue.

A canine model of Alzheimer's disease generated by overexpressing a mutated human amyloid precursor protein.

Canines are considered the most authentic model for studying multifactorial human diseases, as these animals typically share a common environment with man. Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) technology along with genetic engineering of nuclear donor cells provides a unique opportunity for examining human diseases using transgenic canines. In the present study, we generated transgenic canines that overexpressed the human amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene containing well-characterized familial Alzheimer's disease (AD) mutations. We successfully obtained five out of six live puppies by SCNT. This was confirmed by observing the expression of green fluorescence protein in the body as a visual transgenic marker and the overexpression of the mutated APP gene in the brain. The transgenic canines developed AD-like symptoms, such as enlarged ventricles, an atrophied hippocampus, and ß-amyloid plaques in the brain. Thus, the transgenic canines we created can serve as a novel animal model for studying human AD.

Establishment of a canine model of human type 2 diabetes mellitus by overexpressing phosphoenolypyruvate carboxykinase.

Dogs are useful models for studying human metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus due to similarities in physiology, anatomy and life styles with humans. Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) facilitates the production of transgenic dogs. In this study, we generated transgenic dogs expressing the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) gene, which is closely involved in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. In addition, we assessed the cloning efficiency associated with adult or fetal (cloned or natural mating) fibroblasts as a nuclear source. Cloning efficiency was determined by the fusion, pregnancy and cloning rates. The fusion rates were significantly high for fibroblasts from cloned fetuses, but the pregnancy and cloning rates were relatively high for cells from normal fetuses. Based on these data, fetal fibroblasts were selected as the nuclear donor for SCNT and genetically engineered to overexpress the PEPCK gene and dual selection marker genes controlled by the PEPCK promoter. The transgenic cells were introduced into oocytes and transferred into five recipient dogs, resulting in two pregnancies. Finally, three puppies were born and confirmed by microsatellite analysis to be genetically identical to the donor. One puppy successfully overexpressed PEPCK mRNA and protein in the liver. This canine disease model may be useful for studying the pathogenesis and/or therapeutic targets of type 2 diabetes mellitus.