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Neonicotinoid pesticides (NNs) have been associated with numerous neurobehavioral effects in rodents, raising concerns about their impact on cognitive function. Clothianidin (CLO), a type of NN, was orally administered to male mice (10 weeks old, C57BL/6N) at the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of 50 mg/kg/day as indicated in the pesticide risk assessment report. Behavioral tests (novel location recognition and rotarod tests) evaluated hippocampal memory and cerebellar motor learning. After each test, plasma monoamines (3-methoxytyramine, histamine, serotonin, tryptamine) were measured by LC-ESI/MS/MS (Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization/tandem mass spectrometry), and cerebellar mRNA expression was quantified by microarray and qRT-PCR analyses. The NOAEL of CLO was found to impair hippocampal memory, leading to decreased spontaneous locomotor activity and motor function. We reported, for the first time, multiple alterations of gene expression in the cerebellum associated with motor dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of exposure to clothianidin (CLO), a neonicotinoid pesticide (NN), on the thymus and intestinal microbiota were recently revealed. Immune cells express nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), an NN target, suggesting CLO may disrupt the immune system. However, the relationship between CLO and atopic dermatitis (AD) is unknown. We administered a no-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) dose of CLO to male NC/Nga mice with induced AD and measured, at three time points, key AD symptom indicators: epidermal thickening, mast cell number, total plasma IgE, and histamine levels. CLO increased total plasma IgE levels but reduced epidermal thickening, mast cell number, and plasma histamine levels in the early stages of AD. This demonstrates for the first time that CLO exposure inhibits AD's early symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism by which the neonicotinoid pesticide clothianidin (CLO) disrupts the intestinal microbiota of experimental animals is unknown. We focused on α-defensins, which are regulators of the intestinal microbiota. Subchronic exposure to CLO induced dysbiosis and reduced short-chain fatty acid--producing bacteria in the intestinal microbiota of mice. Levels of cryptdin-1 (Crp1, a major α-defensin in mice) in feces and cecal contents were lower in the CLO-exposed groups than in control. In Crp1 immunostaining, Paneth cells in the jejunum and ileum of the no-observed-adverse-effect-level CLO-exposed group showed a stronger positive signal than control, likely due to the suppression of Crp1 release. Our results showed that CLO exposure suppresses α-defensin secretion from Paneth cells as part of the mechanism underlying CLO-induced dysbiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of noncovalent domino effect for controlling the helical screw sense or helical stability of a chiral peptide is demonstrated. A unique system that both noncovalent and covalent domino effect operate simultaneously on the helical screw sense of a single achiral segment and have compared both powers for inducing screw sense bias is presented.

The new miniature axial flow pump (valvo pump 2) that is installed at the base of the ascending aorta consists of a six-phase stator, an impeller in which four neodymium magnets are incorporated, and passive magnetic bearings that suspend the impeller for axial levitation. The impeller is sustained by hydrodynamic force between the blade tip of the impeller and the inner housing of the stator. The passive magnetic bearing consists of a ring neodymium magnet and a columnar neodymium magnet. The ring neodymium magnet is set in the stationary side and the columnar neodymium magnet is incorporated in the impeller shaft. Both neodymium magnets are coaxially mounted, and the anterior and posterior passive magnetic bearings suspend the impeller by repulsion force against the hydrodynamic force that acts to move the impeller in the inflow port direction. The passive magnetic bearing was evaluated by a tensile test, and the levitation force of 8.5 N and stiffness of 2.45 N/mm was obtained. Performance of the axial flow pump was evaluated by an in vitro experiment. The passive magnetic bearing showed sufficient levitation capacity to suspend the impeller in an axial direction. In conclusion, the passive magnetic bearing is promising to be one of levitation technology for the third-generation axial flow blood pump. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, mechanical properties of guinea pig outer hair cells (OHCs) were measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM). First, in order to confirm the availability of AFM for measurement of the mechanical properties of the OHC, Young’s moduli of the OHCs measured in this study were converted into stiffnesses using a one-dimensional model of the cell and then compared with the values reported in the literature. Next, the difference in local mechanical properties of the OHC along the cell axis was measured. Finally, the relationship between Young’s modulus in the middle region of the OHC and the cell length was evaluated. The results were as follows. (1) AFM is an adequate tool for the measurement of mechanical properties of the OHC. (2) Mechanical properties in the apical region of the OHC are a maximum of three times larger than those in the basal and middle regions of the cell. (3) Young’s modulus in the middle region of a long OHC obtained from the apical turn of the cochlea and that of a short OHC obtained from the basal turn or the second turn are 2.0±0.81 kPa (n=10) and 3.7±0.96 kPa (n=10), respectively. In addition, it was found that Young’s modulus decreases with an increase in the cell length. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The effect of extrinsic photon recycling (EPR) in p-type gallium nitride (p-GaN), namely, increased ionization ratio (R) of magnesium acceptors owing to radiative recombination, was quantitatively investigated. The lateral extension (L) of EPR was determined by using transmission-line-model (TLM) patterns, formed with GaN p–n junction epitaxial layers on free-standing substrates, as well as by using device simulation. With increasing vertical current (IV) of the p–n junction, lateral current (IL) in the p-GaN layer (magnesium concentration: NMg = 5×1017 cm-3) was found to increase within L of 10 µm from the edge of the TLM electrodes; the measured IL corresponded to a large R, namely, 30%. This lateral extension will contribute to reducing base resistance and enhancing conductivity modulation of GaN bipolar power-switching devices for power-electronics applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]