Exploratory Study of Growth of Circumference of Mandibular Fossa Adjacent to Petrous Portion of Temporal Bone Using Dried Skulls.

The morphogenetic process of development of the circumference of the mandibular fossa during tooth eruption, which involves the replacement of deciduous teeth with permanent teeth, is strongly affected by occlusion. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have investigated the effect of occlusion on this process. This study investigated the morphogenetic process of development during tooth eruption using dried skulls harvested from Indian donors. The average distance between the ala-major-squamosa suture and the foramen ovale according to age group was as follows: 3.24 mm in the 8-month-old group and 8.92 mm in the adult group. The average distance between the ala-major-squamosa suture and the apex of the articular tubercle according to age groups was as follows: 10.38 mm in the 8-month-old group and 19.34 mm in the adult group. The average distance between the point of intersection of the petrosquamous fissure and petrotympanic fissure located on the perpendicular line drawn posteriorly from the shortest distance of the medio-lateral axis between the ala-major-squamosa suture and the apex of the articular tubercle according to age group was as follows: 9.68 mm in the 8-month-old group and 14.3 mm in the adult group. These results suggest that the mandibular fossa is strongly affected by load due to occlusion, unlike the growth of the neurocranium. This indicates that the effect of occlusion is a secondary element in the morphogenetic process of development of the circumference of the mandibular fossa.

Development and Regeneration of Muscle, Tendon, and Myotendinous Junctions in Striated Skeletal Muscle.

Owing to a rapid increase in aging population in recent years, the deterioration of motor function in older adults has become an important social problem, and several studies have aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying muscle function decline. Furthermore, structural maintenance of the muscle-tendon-bone complexes in the muscle attachment sites is important for motor function, particularly for joints; however, the development and regeneration of these complexes have not been studied thoroughly and require further elucidation. Recent studies have provided insights into the roles of mesenchymal progenitors in the development and regeneration of muscles and myotendinous junctions. In particular, studies on muscles and myotendinous junctions have-through the use of the recently developed scRNA-seq-reported the presence of syncytia, thereby suggesting that fibroblasts may be transformed into myoblasts in a BMP-dependent manner. In addition, the high mobility group box 1-a DNA-binding protein found in nuclei-is reportedly involved in muscle regeneration. Furthermore, studies have identified several factors required for the formation of locomotor apparatuses, e.g., tenomodulin (Tnmd) and mohawk (Mkx), which are essential for tendon maturation.

Morphology and relationships of the biceps brachii and brachialis with the musculocutaneous nerve.

INTRODUCTION: Major anatomical textbooks generally state that the biceps brachii muscle (BB) is composed of long and short heads, whereas the brachialis muscle (BR) consists of a single head. However, the numbers of heads comprising the BB and the BR are very variable. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the branching patterns of the musculocutaneous nerve (MC) influence the number of heads of the BB and the BR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Morphological examinations of the BB and MC were conducted using cadavers of 22 Japanese individuals, and morphological examinations of the BR and the MC were conducted in 9 of those 22 individuals. RESULTS: A three-headed BB was observed in 7 of the 22 specimens (31.8%). Most of these specimens showed a Type III branch pattern (after penetrating the long head or the short head, the MC innervated the supernumerary head or communicated with the main root again). The number of BR heads was categorized into three types: Type A, two heads (superficial and deep heads, 22.2%); Type B, three or four heads (two or three superficial heads and one deep head, 44.4%); and Type C, multiple heads (33.3%). Among these categories, branches of the MC in Type A specimens were most simple. CONCLUSION: A supernumerary head of the BB seemed to be present if the MC penetrates it. The BR basically consists of superficial and deep heads, and the number of superficial heads is affected by branches of the MC.

Effect of Superabsorbent Polymer (SAP) Size on Microstructure and Compressive Strength of Concrete.

Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are hydrophilic, polymeric network materials renowned for their ability to enhance various properties of cementitious materials. This investigation examines the impact of SAP size on the hydration degree, porosity, and compressive strength of cement pastes and concrete under diverse curing conditions and ageing periods. The findings reveal that SAP addition stimulates the hydration of the C2S phase, particularly during the early curing stages, thereby favouring early strength development. However, the effect of SAPs on hydration promotion diminishes as their size increases. Conversely, the size of SAPs affects the hydration range of their action, and the 400 µm SAP demonstrates the most extensive range of hydration enhancement, reaching up to 105 µm. Additionally, SAPs effectively reduce porosity in small pores (4 nm-10 µm), with 200 µm and 400 µm SAPs exhibiting the highest efficacy. While analysing the effects of SAPs on larger pores (>10 µm), the results show that although larger SAPs result in larger average porosity, the total porosity is effectively reduced, particularly in samples incorporating 400 µm SAP. The compressive strength of cement paste, even after 28 days, is slightly reduced following the introduction of SAPs. However, the strength of concrete, due to the naturally occurring pores eliminating the negative effects of the pores produced by SAPs, is significantly increased following the introduction of SAPs, especially 400 µm SAP.

Pigmented fungiform papillae of the tongue in a Japanese child.

Pigmented fungiform papillae of the tongue (PFPT) does not require invasive investigation and treatment. However, if the patient requests treatment for aesthetic reasons, and the pigmentation is focally distributed, an excisional biopsy can be chosen for both diagnosis and treatment.

Overexpression of PTEN in ovarian cancer cells suppresses i.p. dissemination and extends survival in mice.

The main mode of progression of ovarian cancer is peritoneal dissemination, and its inhibition may lead to improved outcome. Phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) reportedly inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells. The purpose of this study is to explore the possibility of PTEN gene therapy for ovarian cancer. We transfected the ovarian cancer cell line SHIN-3 [vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-hypersecretory cell line] with PTEN or luciferase (LUC)-expressing plasmid. After selection, PTEN-overexpressing cells (SHIN-3/PTEN) and control cells (SHIN-3/LUC) were obtained. SHIN-3/PTEN implanted s.c. into nude mice was examined for the change in tumor diameter and the number of new blood vessels. Mice with peritoneally disseminated tumors created by i.p. inoculation of the same cells were examined for changes in body weight and abdominal circumference and for survival time. The growth of s.c. SHIN-3/PTEN was significantly lower than that of control (P < 0.001). Compared with controls, mice with i.p. inoculated SHIN-3/PTEN showed significantly smaller increases in the body weight and abdominal circumference (P < 0.01) and a significantly longer survival time (P < 0.05). VEGF concentration in the supernatant of SHIN-3/PTEN was about half that of controls (P < 0.05). The number of new blood vessels in SHIN-3/PTEN was significantly smaller than that in controls (P < 0.001). Overexpression of PTEN suppressed tumor growth and peritoneal dissemination of VEGF-hypersecretory ovarian cancer cells and prolonged the survival time of the mice with peritoneal disseminated tumor. PTEN gene therapy could have therapeutic potential for ovarian cancer and exerts some of this effect by inhibiting angiogenesis.

CD57 (Leu-7, HNK-1) immunoreactivity seen in thin arteries in the human fetal lung.

CD57 (synonyms: Leu-7, HNK-1) is a well-known marker of nerve elements including the conductive system of the heart, as well as natural killer cells. In lung specimens from 12 human fetuses at 10-34 weeks of gestation, we have found incidentally that segmental, subsegmental, and more peripheral arteries strongly expressed CD57. Capillaries near developing alveoli were often or sometimes positive. The CD57-positive tissue elements within intrapulmonary arteries seemed to be the endothelium, internal elastic lamina, and smooth muscle layer, which corresponded to tissue positive for a DAKO antibody reactive with smooth muscle actin we used. However, the lobar artery and pulmonary arterial trunk as well as bronchial arteries were negative. Likewise, arteries in and along any abdominal viscera, as well as the heart, thymus, and thyroid, did not express CD57. Thus, the lung-specific CD57 reactivity was not connected with either of an endodermal- or a branchial arch-origin. CD57 antigen is a sugar chain characterized by a sulfated glucuronic acid residue that is likely to exist in some glycosphingolipids. Therefore, a chemical affinity or an interaction might exist between CD57-positive arterioles and glycosphingolipids originating from alveoli, resulting in acceleration of capillary budding to make contact with the alveolar wall. CD57 might therefore be a functional marker of the developing air-blood interface that characterizes the fetal lung at the canalicular stage.

Profiling of proteins phosphorylated or dephosphorylated during hyperactivation via activation on hamster spermatozoa.

Background and Aims: It has been widely accepted that sperm hyperactivation is regulated by protein phosphorylations. But, the sperm hyperactivation phosphorylation pathway is not well understood yet because several different proteins have been detected in other studies. In order to understand the phosphorylation pathway that regulates hyperactivation, we established how to extract sperm protein completely and detected proteins that were phosphorylated during hyperactivation. Methods: Protein phosphorylation of hamster spermatozoa was detected by western blotting using antiphospho-amino acid monoclonal antibodies or the SELDI ProteinChip system with IMAC-Ga(III). Results: We detected 75 protein/peptide phosphoryations using the method established in the present study. Tyrosine phosphorylations occurred during hyperactivation. Serine or threonine phosphorylations occurred for 30 min. Furthermore, four of the serine or threonine phosphorations were phosphorylated by A-kinase. As for peptides, 15 peptides were dephosphorylated for 30 min. Other peptides were phosphorylated during hyperactivation. Conclusions: Because most of the proteins detected in the present study have been described previously, we could detect comprehensive protein phosphorylations. Moreover, we also detected many novel phosphopeptides. Although we did not understand the role of peptide, it was likely that motility was basically regulated by serine/threonine phosphorylations and hyperactivation was mainly regulated by tyrosine phosphorylations. (Reprod Med Biol 2006; 5: 123-135).

Macrophage infiltration into thyroid follicles: an immunohistochemical study using donated elderly cadavers.

To describe and discuss the morphology of the aged thyroid gland, with particular reference to the contribution of macrophages.With the aid of immunohistochemistry, we examined 1) macrophage accumulation, 2) infiltration of lymphocytes, and 3) the size and density of follicles in the unilateral lobe of the thyroid gland obtained from elderly donated cadavers (mean age, 84 years) without macroscopic malignancy. Each almost entire unilateral lobe of the thyroid showed 2554-9910 follicles per section, and each of the follicles ranged in area from 0.014-0.072 mm2. We often found evidence suggesting absorption and fusion of follicles to provide a larger colloidal lumen, containing small follicles and/or epithelial fragments. In addition to dendritic perifollicular macrophages, large and round macrophages often formed clusters in the colloid. Colloidal lumina with weak macrophage immunoreactivity were intermingled with those showing strong reactivity. Notably, a greater number of macrophage foci in the colloid was usually associated with a lower density of perifollicular macrophages. Likewise, perifollicular macrophages were not always associated with lymphocyte infiltration. In the elderly, the initial appearance of colloidal macrophages does not appear to be associated with perifollicular infiltration of mononuclear cells. Macrophage invasion into a follicle might depend on the functional state of each follicle. After destruction of a follicle, a macrophage cluster appears to remain in the perifollicular tissue, and perhaps lymphocyte infiltration occurs secondarily. This course is likely to represent the process of degeneration of the thyroid gland structure with age.

Cartilage attachment morphology of the fetal cruciate ligaments of the knee: an immunohistochemical study using human fetal specimens.

Fetal cruciate ligaments of the knee provide two types of cartilage attachments: to a cartilage fovea or a simple continuation to the perichondrium. To examine a difference in matrix substance between a ligament attachment to the fovea and another attachment to the perichondrium. We histologically observed 12 human fetal femurs in which the posterior (or anterior) cruciate ligament provided a fovea-type (or a perichondrium-type) attachment. Immunohistochemistry of matric substances (aggrecan, versican, tenascin-c) was performed. In the knees, aggrecan was consistently positive in any cartilage, versican was in the joint surface and tenascin-c in the perichondrium. In contrast to the femoral attachment, the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments consistently continued to the perichondrium at the tibial attachment (versican-, tenascin+). In the femoral condyles, tenascin-immunoreactivity was seen in both of a fovea-type and a perichondrium-type attachments, but versican was not in both. During development of the cartilage fovea, the growing ligament seemed to push the perichondrium into the cartilage and, much or less, the tenascin-positive perichondrium was likely to be involved into the fovea.

Coracobrachialis muscle and the musculocutaneous nerve: a study using human embryonic sections.

In comparative anatomy, the musculocutaneous nerve is hypothesized to pass between the superficial and deep muscle bellies of the coracobrachialis muscle. The superficial belly is supplied by nerve branches of the lateral cord of the brachial plexus, while the deep belly by the musculocutaneous nerve. Observations of longitudinal sections of ten human embryonic arms (7 weeks; crown-rump length 26-32 mm) demonstrated that the coracobrachialis muscle was always continuous with the short head of the biceps muscle. If the aforementioned hypothesis was applied, the deep belly behind the musculocutaneous nerve course was continuous with the biceps. However, such a close relation between the coracobrachialis and biceps was not known in supplying nerves in adults. A further study using embryos of some apes without the deep belly of the coracobrachialis would be necessary for the comparison between a pattern of the embryonic muscle division and the muscle classification in comparative anatomy.

A 10-b 50-MS/s 820- µW SAR ADC With On-Chip Digital Calibration.

This 10-b 50-MSamples/s SAR analog-to-digital converter (ADC) features on-chip digital calibration techniques, comparator offset cancellation, a capacitor digital-to-analog converter (CDAC) linearity calibration, and internal clock control to compensate for PVT variations. A split-CDAC reduces the exponential increase in the number of unit capacitors needed and enables the input load capacitance to be as small as the kT/C noise restriction. The prototype fabricated in 65 nm 1P7M complementary metal-oxide semiconductor with MIM capacitor achieves 56.6 dB SNDR at 50-MSamples/s, 25-MHz input frequency and consumes 820 µW from a 1.0-V supply, including the digital calibration circuits. The figure of merit was 29.7 fJ/conversion-step under the Nyquist condition. The ADC occupied an active area of 0.039 mm(2) .

Suppression of ovarian cancer by muscle-mediated expression of soluble VEGFR-1/Flt-1 using adeno-associated virus serotype 1-derived vector.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is known to play a major role in angiogenesis in a variety of tumors. A soluble form of Flt-1 (sFlt-1), a VEGF receptor, is potentially useful as an antagonist of VEGF, and accumulating evidences suggest the applicability of sFlt-1 in tumor suppression by means of anti-angiogenesis. We previously demonstrated the efficacy of sflt-1 gene expression in situ to suppress tumor growth and ascites in ovarian cancer. Here, we demonstrate the therapeutic applicability of muscle-mediated expression of sFlt-1 in tumor-bearing mice. Initially, tumor suppressive action was confirmed by inoculating sFlt-1-expressing ovarian cancer (SHIN-3) cells into mice, both subcutaneously and intraperitoneally. To validate the therapeutic efficacy in a more clinically relevant model, adeno-associated virus vectors encoding sflt-1 were introduced into mouse skeletal muscles and were subsequently inoculated with tumor cells. As a result, high serum sFlt-1 levels were constantly observed, and the growth of both subcutaneously- and intraperitoneally-inoculated tumors was significantly suppressed. No delay in wound healing or adverse events of neuromuscular damage were noted, body weight did not change, and laboratory data, such as those representing liver and renal functions, were not affected. These results indicate that sFlt-1 suppresses growth and peritoneal dissemination of ovarian cancer by the inhibition of angiogenesis, and thus suggest the usefulness of gene therapy for ovarian cancer.

Inhibition of peritoneal dissemination of ovarian cancer by tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitor SU6668 (TSU-68).

SU6668 (TSU-68) is a small-molecule synthetic inhibitor of the angiogenic related receptor tyrosine kinases Flk-1/KDR, PDGFRbeta, and FGFR1. Using a mouse model of peritoneally disseminated ovarian cancer, we investigated whether SU6668 inhibits peritoneal dissemination and prolongs survival time. BALB/c nude mice were intraperitoneally (i.p.) inoculated with SHIN-3 (VEGF-hypersecretory) or KOC-2S (PDGF-hypersecretory) ovarian serous adenocarcinoma cells with marked peritoneal dissemination ability. From the day after i.p. inoculation of tumor cells, SU6668 was orally administered 6 times weekly at a daily dose of 100 mg/kg or 400 mg/kg. The SU6668-administered group and the vehicle-administered control group were compared for the number of tumor vascular endothelial cells, weight of peritoneally disseminated tumors, amount of ascitic fluid and survival time. As a result, these 3 parameters were significantly smaller in the SHIN-3-inoculated, SU6668-administered mice than in the control group (p = 0.03, p = 0.002, and p = 0.02, respectively). The mean survival time was significantly longer, at 58.1 +/- 11.2 days, in the SU6668-administered mice than that (34.5 +/- 8.8 days) in the control group (p = 0.002). Similarly, in the KOC-2S-inoculated mice, the oral administration of SU6668 significantly reduced these 3 parameters (p = 0.04, p = 0.04, and p = 0.03, respectively), and significantly prolonged survival (16.6 +/- 1.7 days vs. 11.0 +/- 0.7 days, p = 0.008). Thus, the oral administration of SU6668 inhibited angiogenesis and peritoneal dissemination and prolonged survival in mice with peritoneally disseminated ovarian cancer. These effects were observed with both the VEGF- and PDGF-hypersecretory cell lines. Our results suggest that molecular targeting with oral SU6668 will become a new therapeutic strategy targeting peritoneally disseminated ovarian cancer.

TEX101 is shed from the surface of sperm located in the caput epididymidis of the mouse.

It is generally believed that cell-to-cell cross-talk and signal transduction are mediated by cell surface molecules that play diverse and important regulatory roles in spermatogenesis and fertilization. Recently, we identified a novel plasma membrane-associated protein, TES101-reactive protein (TES101RP, or TEX101), on mouse testicular germ cells. In this study, we investigate Tex101 mRNA expression in the adult mouse testis using in situ hybridization, and we examine the fate of TEX101 during sperm transport by immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses. Tex101 mRNA was expressed in a stage-specific manner in spermatocytes and in step 1-9 spermatids of the testis, but not in spermatogonia. Although the TEX101 protein remained on the cell surfaces of step 10-16 spermatids and testicular sperm, it was shed from epididymal sperm located in the caput epididymidis. The results of this study provide additional information on germ cell-specific TEX101 expression during spermatogenesis and post-testicular sperm maturation.

Sexually dimorphic expression of the novel germ cell antigen TEX101 during mouse gonad development.

Prospermatogonia, or gonocytes, are the cells that differentiate from primordial germ cells to the first mature type of spermatogonia in the developing testis. Although prospermatogonia play a central role in this stage (i.e., prespermatogenesis), the details regarding their characterization have not been fully elucidated. Recently, we identified a novel mouse testicular germ cell-specific antigen, TES101 reactive protein (TES101RP), in the adult mouse testis. The protein TES101RP is also designated as protein TEX101. In the present study, we investigated the expression of TEX101 on germ cells in developing mouse gonads using histochemical techniques (i.e., immunohistochemistry, BrdU labeling, and TUNEL staining) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. TEX101 appeared on germ cells in both male and female gonads after the pregonadal period. In the testis, TEX101 was expressed constitutively on surviving prospermatogonia during prespermatogenesis. After the initiation of spermatogenesis, the prospermatogonia differentiated into spermatogonia. TEX101 expression disappeared from the spermatogonia, but reappeared on spermatocytes and spermatids. In the ovary, TEX101 was expressed on germ cells until the start of folliculogenesis; TEX101 was not detected on oocytes that were surrounded by follicular cells. These findings indicate that TEX101 is a specific marker for both male and female germ cells during gonadal development. Because the on and off switching of TEX101 expression in germ cells almost parallels the kinetics of gametogenesis, TEX101 may play an important physiological role in germ cell development.