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Three-dimensional visualization of cellular and subcellular-structures in histological-tissues is essential for understanding the complexities of biological-phenomena, especially with regards structural and spatial relationships and pathologlical-diagnosis. Recent advancements in tissue-clearing technology, such as Magnified Analysis of Proteome (MAP), have significantly improved our ability to study biological-structures in three-dimensional space; however, their wide applicability to a variety of tissues is limited by long incubation-times and a need for advanced imaging-systems that are not readily available in most-laboratories. Here, we present optimized MAP-based method for paper-thin samples, Paper-MAP, which allow for rapid clearing and subsequent imaging of three-dimensional sections derived from various tissues using conventional confocal-microscopy. Paper-MAP successfully clear tissues within 1-day, compared to the original-MAP, without significant differences in achieved optical-transparency. As a proof-of-concept, we investigated the vasculature and neuronal-networks of a variety of human and rodent tissues processed via Paper-MAP, in both healthy and diseased contexts, including Alzheimer’s disease and glioma.

Aim: Polycystic ovarian syndrome is the most common endocrine disorder affecting infertile women of reproductive age. This study evaluated the activation of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp 90) during the formation of stress-induced polycystic ovaries. Material & Methods: Female Sprague–Dawley rats (180–200 g) were subjected to one of two stress-inducing conditions; animals were either treated with adrenocorticotropic hormone daily for 18 days or were exposed to daily cold stress for three weeks. Non-treated rats sampled during proestrus or diestrous served as controls. Blood samples were collected from the left ventricles of anesthetized rats and concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol, testosterone and corticosterone were measured in all rats. The expression of messenger RNA for androgen receptor, estrogen receptor-α and -β, nerve growth factor receptor, and glucocorticoid receptor, and protein expression for Hsp 90 was also assessed in the rat ovaries. Results: Stress increased glucocorticoid receptor and androgen receptor expression, and decreased estrogen expression. Nerve growth factor receptor expression was greater in treated than diestrous rats and less in treated than proestrous rats. Ovarian Hsp 90 protein expression was increased in rats treated with adrenocorticotropic hormone or cold stress. Serum follicle-stimulating hormone levels were reduced and testosterone and corticosterone levels increased by stress, whilst luteinizing hormone and estradiol levels were similar to levels in diestrous and proestrus control rats respectively. Conclusions: The results indicate that stress, via the activation of ovarian Hsp 90 and changes in steroid hormone receptor expression and serum reproductive hormone levels, may be involved in the induction of polycystic ovaries in rats.

The aim of this research was to improve our understanding of human toxicity due to exposure to DMF, MEK, or TOL individually as compared to exposure to DMF-MEK or DMF-TOL mixtures, by comparing EC50 values as well as the morphological changes in HepG2 cells treated with these substances. We found that there was marked cell necrosis in the groups treated with mixtures than in those treated with the compounds alone, and that the amount of cell death and the EC50 value were more dependent on MEK and TOL than on DMF. Moreover, analysis of the changes in effective concentration curves revealed that MEK had an antagonistic effect on the human toxicity of DMF, whereas TOL had a synergistic effect. Accordingly, these results suggest that in workplaces involved in the manufacture of synthetic leather, mixtures of DMF and TOL should be avoided as much as possible in order to minimize environmental toxicity and protect the health of the workers.

OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to elucidate neuroprotective effect of carnosine in early stage of stroke. METHODS Early stage of rodent stroke model and neuroblastoma chemical hypoxia model was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion and antimycin A. Neuroprotective effect of carnosine was investigated with 100, 250, and 500 mg of carnosine treatment. And antioxidant expression was analyzed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blot in brain and blood. RESULTS Intraperitoneal injection of 500 mg carnosine induced significant decrease of infarct volume and expansion of penumbra (p

Polycystic ovarian syndrome is the most common endocrine disorder affecting infertile women of reproductive age. This study evaluated the activation of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp 90) during the formation of stress-induced polycystic ovaries.Female Sprague-Dawley rats (180-200 g) were subjected to one of two stress-inducing conditions; animals were either treated with adrenocorticotropic hormone daily for 18 days or were exposed to daily cold stress for three weeks. Non-treated rats sampled during proestrus or diestrous served as controls. Blood samples were collected from the left ventricles of anesthetized rats and concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol, testosterone and corticosterone were measured in all rats. The expression of messenger RNA for androgen receptor, estrogen receptor-α and -β, nerve growth factor receptor, and glucocorticoid receptor, and protein expression for Hsp 90 was also assessed in the rat ovaries.Stress increased glucocorticoid receptor and androgen receptor expression, and decreased estrogen expression. Nerve growth factor receptor expression was greater in treated than diestrous rats and less in treated than proestrous rats. Ovarian Hsp 90 protein expression was increased in rats treated with adrenocorticotropic hormone or cold stress. Serum follicle-stimulating hormone levels were reduced and testosterone and corticosterone levels increased by stress, whilst luteinizing hormone and estradiol levels were similar to levels in diestrous and proestrus control rats respectively.The results indicate that stress, via the activation of ovarian Hsp 90 and changes in steroid hormone receptor expression and serum reproductive hormone levels, may be involved in the induction of polycystic ovaries in rats.

배경: 폐경은 대사증후군에서 독립적인 위험인자이며, 호르몬 변화를 통해 지방대사의 변화를 유도한다. Apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5)는 중성지방과 고밀도 지단백 콜레스테롤의 조절에서 생합성과 분해에 관여함으로써 대사증후군과 밀접한 상관관계를 가지고 있다. 본 연구는 한국 폐경 여성에서 APOA5 유전자 다형성이 대사증후군 유병에 미치는 영향을 알아보고자 하였다. 방법: 2010년부터 2011년까지 연구에 참여한 폐경 여성 307명을 대상으로, 신체계측과 혈중인자의 생화학적 검사를 실시하였다. APOA5 유전자 다형성은 MseI 제한 효소를 이용한 polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism 방법을 이용하였다. 결과: APOA5 -1131T>C 유전자 다형성에 따른 대사증후군 유병률의 비교에서, TT 유전자형은 27.09%로 TC와 CC 유전자형의 38.46%와 45.71%에 비해 낮게 나타났다(P < 0.05). 대사증후군 위험인자를 이용한 회귀분석에서도 CC 유전자형의 위험도가 TT 유전자형에 비해 3배 높게 나타났다(P < 0.05). 중성지방에서 APOA5 1131C carrier유전자형인 CC와 TC + CC의 교차비는 각각 2.39와 1.85로 유의한 위험도 증가가 나타났다(P < 0.05). 그러나, 고밀도 지단백 콜레스테롤은 APOA5 유전자 다형성에 의한 영향보다 중성지방에 의해 직접적으로 영향을 받는 것으로 나타났다. 결론: 폐경 이후의 한국 여성에서 APOA5 유전자 다형성은 중성지방과 고밀도 지단백 콜레스테롤에 영향을 미침으로써 대사증후군 유병에 기여하는 것으로 확인되었다.