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Pheromones play vital roles for survival and reproduction in various organisms. In many fishes, prostaglandin F2αacts not only as a female reproductive hormone, facilitating ovulation and spawning, but also as a sex pheromone inducing male reproductive behaviors. Here, we unravel the molecular and neural circuit mechanisms underlying the pheromonal action of prostaglandin F2αin zebrafish. Prostaglandin F2αspecifically activates two olfactory receptors with different sensitivities and expression in distinct populations of ciliated olfactory sensory neurons. Pheromone information is then transmitted to two ventromedial glomeruli in the olfactory bulb and further to four regions in higher olfactory centers. Mutant male zebrafish deficient in the high-affinity receptor exhibit loss of attractive response to prostaglandin F2αand impairment of courtship behaviors toward female fish. These findings demonstrate the functional significance and activation of selective neural circuitry for the sex pheromone prostaglandin F2αand its cognate olfactory receptor in fish reproductive behavior.

The efficacy of hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanocoating on polyester vascular grafts was investigated in animal experiments. The HAp nanocrystals were covalently bonded separately between hydroxyl groups on a nanocrystal and alkoxysilyl groups in -methacryloxypropyl triethoxysilane graft polymerized on a polyester substrate. Twelve HAp-coated polyester grafts and 10 control grafts of 20, 30, or 50 mm in length were implanted in canine common carotid arteries. Serious complications or occlusions were not observed in any of the dogs after implantation. A histologic evaluation was conducted by staining with hematoxylin and eosin (HE), the von Willebrand factor (vWf), and -smooth muscle actin (-SMA) around the inner lumen of the grafts. The number of inflammation cells and giant cells in the HAp-coated group was significantly lower than that in the group receiving noncoated grafts (p< 0.05).

Although the pathogenesis of immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy and Henoch-Schönlein nephritis (HSN) remains uncertain, there is substantial evidence that they are immune complex–mediated diseases. Recently, Haemophilus parainfluenzaeantigens were shown in the glomerular mesangium of adult patients with IgA nephropathy, and greater levels of IgA antibody against H parainfluenzaewere also shown in the sera of adult patients with IgA nephropathy. The present study was performed to detect H parainfluenzaeantigens and antibody against H parainfluenzaein children with IgA nephropathy and HSN. H parainfluenzaeantigens in the mesangium were examined by indirect immunofluorescence, and antibody against H parainfluenzaewas examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Diffuse global staining of the mesangium with rabbit antisera against H parainfluenzaewas shown in 10 of the 32 patients (31%) with IgA nephropathy and 12 of the 34 patients (35%) with HSN. Conversely, only 2 of the 47 patients (4%) with other renal diseases showed staining of glomeruli with rabbit antisera against H parainfluenzae(IgA nephropathy versus other renal diseases, P= 0.003; HSN versus other renal diseases, P= 0.0006). Patients with IgA nephropathy and those with HSN showed significantly greater levels of plasma IgA1 antibody against H parainfluenzaethan patients with other renal diseases (IgA nephropathy versus other renal diseases, P= 0.008; HSN versus other renal diseases, P= 0.025). These findings suggest that H parainfluenzaehas a role in the cause of these two conditions in a subset of patients.