Chronic Psychological Stress as a Risk Factor of Osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis, the most common metabolic skeletal disease, is characterized by decreased bone mass and deteriorated bone quality, leading to increased fracture risk. With the aging of the population, osteoporotic fracture is an important public health issue. Organisms are constantly exposed to various stressful stimuli that affect physiological processes. Recent studies showed that chronic psychological stress is a risk factor for osteoporosis by various signaling pathways. The purpose of this article is to review the recent progress of the association between chronic psychological stress and osteoporosis. Increasing evidence confirms the physiological importance of the central nervous system, especially the hypothalamus, in the regulation of bone metabolism. Both animal and human studies indicate that chronic psychological stress induces a decrease of bone mass and deterioration of bone quality by influencing the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, sympathetic nervous system, and other endocrine, immune factors. Active mastication, proven to be an effective stress-coping behavior, can attenuate stress-induced neuroendocrine responses and ameliorate stress-induced bone loss. Therefore, active mastication may represent a useful approach in preventing and/or treating chronic stress-associated osteoporosis. We also discuss several potential mechanisms involved in the interaction between chronic stress, mastication and osteoporosis. Chronic stress activates the HPA axis and sympathetic nervous system, suppresses the secretion of gonadal hormone and growth hormone, and increases inflammatory cytokines, eventually leading to bone loss by inhibiting bone formation and stimulating bone resorption.

Introduction of VEGF or RGD sequences improves revascularization properties of Bombyx mori silk fibroin produced by transgenic silkworm.

Bombyx mori silk fibroin (SF) was successfully used for vascular grafts implanted in rats or dogs. Current transgenic technology can be developed to produce SF with improved properties. In this study, the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or the repeated fibronectin-derived sequence, TGRGDSPAS, and arginylglycylaspartic acid (RGD) were introduced into the SF heavy chain to improve its properties. A blood compatibility assay was performed to study lactose dehydrogenase (LDH) activity for both transgenic and wild type SF. Growth of human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs) showed greater enhancement of cellularization behaviour for the transgenic SF samples (VEGF and RGD) than for the wild type (WT) SF. VEGF SF also showed lower platelet adhesion than the RGD SF and WT SF. An in vivo implantation study supported these in vitro results. In particular, early endothelialisation was observed for VEGF transgenic SF, including the occurrence of native tissue organization at three months after implantation in rat abdominal aorta.

A novel tract imaging technique of the brainstem using phase difference enhanced imaging: normal anatomy and initial experience in multiple system atrophy.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a new tract imaging technique for visualising small fibre tracts of the brainstem and for detecting the abnormalities in multiple system atrophy of the cerebellar type (MSA-C) using a phase difference enhanced (PADRE) imaging technique, in which the phase difference between the target and surrounding tissue is selectively enhanced. METHODS: Two neuroradiologists compared the high-spatial-resolution PADRE imaging, which was acquired from six healthy volunteers, three patients with MSA-C, and 7 patients with other types of neurodegenerative diseases involving the brainstem or cerebellum. RESULTS: Various fine fibre tracts in the brainstem, the superior and inferior cerebellar peduncles, medial lemniscus, spinothalamic tract, medial longitudinal fasciculus, central tegmental tract, corticospinal tract and transverse pontine fibres, were identified on PADRE imaging. PADRE imaging from MSA-C demonstrated the disappearance of transverse pontine fibres and significant atrophy of the inferior cerebellar peduncles, while the superior cerebellar peduncles were intact. PADRE imaging also demonstrated that the transverse pontine fibres and inferior cerebellar peduncle were not involved in the other neurodegenerative diseases. CONCLUSION: PADRE imaging can offer a new form of tract imaging of the brainstem and may have the potential to reinforce the clinical utility of MRI in differentiating MSA from other conditions.

[Reducing the levels of formaldehyde exposure during a gross anatomy dissection course with a local ventilation system].

Reducing the levels of formaldehyde (FA) exposure in gross anatomy laboratories has been urgently required. We improved the environment of our gross anatomy laboratory by changing the existing general ventilation to local ventilation. We developed a local ventilation apparatus (grid-type of hood with downward suction) that can be attached to an ordinary dissection table. Furthermore, in order to make this local ventilation apparatus an enclosure hood, the upper plate of the dissection table was surrounded by flexible vertical flanges. The apparatus works as an effective enclosure hood without interfering with students' practice of dissection. We installed 26 local ventilation apparatuses and connected them to the ventilation duct. The ventilation ducts were installed above the ceiling or along the pillars not to interfere with students' vision and movements in the room. Adopting the local ventilation system reduced dramatically the students' and lecturers' exposure to formaldehyde. The geometric mean formaldehyde concentration was 0.066 ppm in the anatomy laboratory in 2005. Since 2005, the new system has enabled us to comply with safety and health regulations and providing a smell- and irritant-free dissection room with an excellent environment for anatomy study.

Temporary accumulation of glycogen in the epithelial cells of the developing mouse submandibular gland.

Temporary accumulation of glycogen in the epithelial cells of the developing mouse submandibular gland was examined under light microscopic histochemistry and electron microscopy. To avoid loss of water-soluble glycogen during histological tissue preparation, fixation with ethanol and embedding in hydrophilic glycol methacrylate resin was used for light microscopy, and high-pressure freezing/freeze substitution for electron microscopy. Glycogen was detected on periodic acid-Schiff stain, periodic acid-thiosemicarbazide-silver proteinate reaction, and the digestion test with alpha-amylase. On embryonic day 14, glycogen began to accumulate in the proximal portions of the developing epithelial cords. On embryonic day 17, marked glycogen particles were seen at the basal portion of the ductal epithelial cells and an abrupt increase of glycogen accumulation occurred in the secretory cells in the terminal bulbs. Ultrastructural observation indicated large clumps of glycogen particles localized in the basal portion of the terminal bulb cells. The initiation of glycogen accumulation preceded the formation of lumens in the ducts and terminal bulbs. Furthermore, proliferation analysis by bromodeoxyuridine labeling showed that this glycogen accumulation followed the cessation of the epithelial cell proliferation. Postnatally, glycogen accumulation in the terminal bulbs became gradually inconspicuous and completely disappeared by postnatal day 3, but that in the ducts was retained until around postnatal day 12. Temporary glycogen accumulation after the cell proliferation and before/during the lumen formation and secretory granule formation suggests significant involvement of the carbohydrate metabolism in the organogenesis of the submandibular gland.

Enhancement of IL-7 following irradiation of fetal thymus.

The effect of ionizing radiation on intra-thymic T cell development was investigated using a fetal thymic organ culture (FTOC) method in vitro. When double-negative (DN) fetal (day 15) thymocytes were co-cultured with an irradiated (25 Gy) fetal (day 15) thymus in the absence of direct contact or mitogenic stimulation, the induction of TCRgammadelta+ T cells was observed. About 50% of the TCRgammadelta+ T cells developed after 4-day-co-culture with the irradiated fetal thymus, whereas only a few TCRgammadelta+ T cells developed after co-culture with the non-irradiated fetal thymus. About 50% of the TCRgammadelta+ T cells were CD8+ cells with alphabeta heterodimeric chains. Cultured supernatants of the irradiated fetal thymi also induced the differentiation from DN thymocytes to CD8+ TCRgammadelta+ T cells after 3-day-culture. To clarify the factor in the cultured supernatants, several neutralizing antibodies (Abs) were used. Only anti-IL-7-Ab inhibited the differentiation from DN thymocytes to CD8+ TCRgammadelta+ T cells. RT-PCR revealed the increased expression of IL-7 mRNA in the fetal thymus 24 hours after radiation. Electron microscope studies demonstrated proliferative epithelial cells in the irradiated fetal thymus. These findings strongly suggest that fetal thymic epithelial cells affected by irradiation proliferate and enhance the production of IL-7, which induces the differentiation of CD8+ TCRgammadelta+ T cells from DN thymocytes.