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The gastrointestinal tract is a complex and important physiological and immunological organ embodying the first line of defense by which mucosal immunity regulates the immense number and diversity of naturally encountered antigens and commensal microflora. Effective microRNA (miRNA) control of transcription factors or mediators in mucosal immunity is essential to host defense and homeostasis in both physiologic and pathologic states. MiRNA biology has advanced our understanding of the immune regulatory system network at the level of post-transcriptional gene modification. Increasing knowledge on circulating miRNAs could potentially enhance diagnostic techniques in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Furthermore, recent findings on the dynamic role of exosomes vis-à-vis the intercellular transportation of miRNAs may provide insights on the use of miRNA as a target for treating IBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the radiation generated in the diagnosis of scoliosis, to solve the problems by using an infrared camera and an optical marker system that can diagnose scoliosis developed. System developed by the infrared camera attached to the optical spinal curvature is recognized as a marker to shoot the angle between the two optical markers are measured. Measurement of angle, we used the Cobb's Angle method used in the diagnosis of spinal scoliosis. We developed a software to be able to output to the screen using an infrared camera to diagnose spinal scoliosis. Software is composed of camera output unit was manufactured in Labview, angle measurement unit, in Cobb's Angle measurement unit .In the future, kyphosis, Hallux Valgus, such as the diagnosis of orthopedic disorders that require the use of a diagnostic system is expected case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrins mediate leukocyte accumulation to the sites of inflammation, thereby enhancing their potential as an important therapeutic target for inflammatory disorders. Integrin activation triggered by inflammatory mediators or signaling pathway is a key step to initiate leukocyte migration to inflamed tissues; however, an appropriately regulated integrin deactivation is indispensable for maintaining productive leukocyte migration. While typical integrin antagonists that block integrin activation target the initiation of leukocyte migration, a novel class of experimental compounds has been designed to block integrin deactivation, thereby perturbing the progression of cell migration. Current review discusses the mechanisms by which integrin is activated and subsequently deactivated by focusing on its structure-function relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrins mediate leukocyte accumulation to the sites of inflammation, thereby enhancing their potential as an important therapeutic target for inflammatory disorders. Integrin activation triggered by inflammatory mediators or signaling pathway is a key step to initiate leukocyte migration to inflamed tissues; however, an appropriately regulated integrin deactivation is indispensable for maintaining productive leukocyte migration. While typical integrin antagonists that block integrin activation target the initiation of leukocyte migration, a novel class of experimental compounds has been designed to block integrin deactivation, thereby perturbing the progression of cell migration. Current review discusses the mechanisms by which integrin is activated and subsequently deactivated by focusing on its structure-function relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a trial to develop a method of authenticating the place of origin of circulated Undaria pinnatifida products, we investigated their intraspecific genetic diversity using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene ( cox1) and the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequence. Four dried U. pinnatifida products labeled with their origins (one from Japan, one from China and two from Korea), natural plants collected from three locations (two from Japan and one from China), and cultivated plants collected from two locations (one from Japan and one from China) were used in the present study. The amplified fragments of cox1 were 664 bp in length, and the aligned sequences were highly homologous. Among the nine sequences, no insertions or deletions were found and six substitution positions were detected, and they were classified into five haplotypes. In contrast, multiple highly variable regions were found in ITS2, and some of them carried a restriction site for Mbo II. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis showed different restricted profiles among the tested samples. The availability of molecular markers for authenticating food products of U. pinnatifida is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclin D1 (CyD1) is a pivotal cell cycle-regulatory molecule and a well-studied therapeutic target for cancer. Although CyD1 is also strongly up-regulated at sites of inflammation, its exact roles in this context remain uncharacterized. To address this question, we developed a strategy for selectively silencing CyD1 in leukocytes in vivo. Targeted stabilized nanoparticles (tsNPs) were loaded with CyD1-small interfering RNA (siRNA). Antibodies to β7 integrin (β7 I) were then used to target specific leukocyte subsets involved in gut inflammation. Systemic application of β7 l-tsNPs silenced CyD1 in leukocytes and reversed experimentally induced colitis in mice by suppressing leukocyte proliferation and T helper cell 1 cytokine expression. This study reveals CyD1 to be a potential anti-inflammatory target, and suggests that the application of similar modes of targeting by siRNA may be feasible in other therapeutic settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increase in seawater temperature owing to global warming is expected to substantially limit the growth of marine algae, including Pyropia yezoensis, a commercially valuable red alga. To improve our knowledge of the genes involved in the acquisition of heat tolerance in P. yezoensis, transcriptomes sequences were obtained from both the wild-type SG104 P. yezoensis and heat-tolerant mutant Gy500. We selected 1,251 differentially expressed genes that were up- or downregulated in response to the heat stress condition and in the heat-tolerant mutant Gy500, based on fragment per million reads expression values. Among them, PyHRG1 was downregulated under heat stress in SG104 and expressed at a low level in Gy500. PyHRG1 encodes a secretory protein of 26.5 kDa. PyHRG1 shows no significant sequence homology with any known genes deposited in public databases to date. However, PyHRG1 homologs were found in other red algae, including other Pyropia species. When PyHRG1 was introduced into the single-cell green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, transformed cells overexpressing PyHRG1 showed severely retarded growth. These results demonstrate that PyHRG1 encodes a novel red algae-specific protein and plays a role in heat tolerance in algae. The transcriptome sequences obtained in this study, which include PyHRG1, will facilitate future studies to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in heat tolerance in red algae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Red algal mitochondrial genomes (mtDNAs) can provide useful information on species identification. mtDNAs of Pyropia / Porphyra (Bangiales, Rhodophyta) have shown diverse variation in their size and gene structure. In particular, the introns and intronic open reading frames found in the ribosomal RNA large subunit gene (rnl) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (cox1) significantly vary the mitochondrial genome size in Pyropia / Porphyra species. In this study, we examined the exon / intron structure of rnl and cox1 genes of Pyropia yezoensis at the intraspecific level. The combined data of rnl and cox1 genes exhibited 12 genotypes for 40 P. yezoensis strains, based on the existence of introns. These genotypes were more effective to identify P. yezoensis strains in comparison to the traditional DNA barcode cox1 marker (5 haplotypes). Therefore, the variation in gene structure of rnl and cox1 can be a novel molecular marker to discriminate the strains of Pyropia species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Sense line diet (SLD) is a newly developed dietary functional food that is composed of a lot of herbs. The function of SLD is to help control weight. Although it is reported that each herb has effects on lipid metabolism and obesity, these effects are not the same as SLD. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate whether SLD combined with high fat (HF) diet can influence body weight and fat accumulation. Methods: An experiment was conducted with 40 C57BL/6J mice with an initial body weight of about 16 g. Body weight was recorded every week, plasma levels of triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were analyzed at the end of the study. Results: Weight increases in the 10 or 20% SLD group were significantly less than in the HF diet group (p < 0.05). Plasma triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels were decreased by 52.1 and 34.2% in the 10% SLD group and 15.4 and 15.4% in the 20% SLD group, respectively, compared to the high-fat diet group. HDL cholesterol level was increased by 7.8% in the 10% SLD and by 54.9% in the 20% SLD group. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that SLD may be beneficial in the regulation of high-fat-diet-induced blood circulatory disorders as well as overweight. Copyright © 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]