All issues
Volume 53, Issue 3
September
Displaying 1-6 of 6 articles from this issue
- |<
- <
- 1
- >
- >|
REVIEWS
-
Jules ConstantArticle type: Others
Subject area: Others
2004 Volume 53 Issue 3 Pages 131-136
Published: 2004
Released on J-STAGE: June 17, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSAlthough egg yolk is a rich source of cholesterol, the effect of eggs in raising serum cholesterol is variable and in some subjects there is no effect whatsoever. However, oxidized cholesterol can increase atherosclerosis even with normal serum cholesterol. In order to attenuate oxidation of cholesterol in eggs, it is necessary to limit the degree of heat applied. This means that we should use only soft-boiled eggs which should be almost like water. We can also avoid egg yolk altogether and get a highly nutritious egg food from the egg white alone. The saturated fats from milk products, especially butter, are highly atherogenic. There are available many butter substitutes in the form of margarines. But many of these margarines have hydrogenated vegetable oils which result in the production of trans-fatty acids. The trams-fatty acids are as atherogenic as saturated fats. There are available, however, margarines without the trans-fatty acids. These are found only in large supermarkets. Fish oils contain N3 fatty-acids which, unlike vegetable oils which contain N6 fatty-acids, can prevent atherosclerosis and sudden death by counteracting ventricular arrhythmias, acting as antioxidants, antithrombotic, anti-inflammatory agents, and decreasing triglycerides and blood pressure.View full abstractDownload PDF (84K) -
Noriaki Ohnishi, Teruyoshi YokoyamaArticle type: Others
Subject area: Others
2004 Volume 53 Issue 3 Pages 137-150
Published: 2004
Released on J-STAGE: June 17, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSRecently, the demand for supplements has steadily been increasing with the diffusion of alternative and supplemental medicines throughout the world. Therefore, the supplements have frequently been taken with many drugs. Here, we have introduced the pharmacokinetic and pharmacological interactions between them.View full abstractDownload PDF (218K) -
Amanda Gavin, Djemel Aït-Azzouzene, Annica Mårtensson, Bao ...Article type: Others
Subject area: Others
2004 Volume 53 Issue 3 Pages 151-158
Published: 2004
Released on J-STAGE: June 17, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThis lecture discusses two interrelated topics, B cell tolerance in the peripheral immune system and BAFF. Using the 3-83 antibody transgenic mouse bred to mice carrying cognate antigen in the liver, we previously found that clonal elimination drastically reduced the precursor frequency of autoreactive cells. The consensus model to explain this tolerance is the 2-signal hypothesis, which proposes that in the absence of T cell help BCR stimulation is a negative signal for B cells. However, this model fails to explain how these same B cells can respond to T-independent type II (TI-2) antigens, raising the question of how they distinguish TI-2 antigens from multimeric self determinants. We propose that B cells use NK-like missing self recognition to provide the needed specificity, as foreign antigens are unlikely to carry self markers. The model has implications for the evolution of the immune system, B lymphocyte signaling, tissue specificity of autoimmunity, and microbial subversion of the immune system. Overexpression of the critical B cell survival cytokine BAFF/BLyS has been associated with autoimmunity. We have discovered a novel splice isoform that regulates BAFF activity and may play a role in limiting B cell activity. The novel form, called ΔBAFF, is able to heteromultimerize with normal BAFF and can suppress receptor binding and proteolytic release from the cell surface. Preliminary studies from transgenic mice overexpressing wild type or ΔBAFF are consistent with a possible regulatory role for ΔBAFF, raising the possibility that the relative expression levels of BAFF and ΔBAFF regulates tolerance.View full abstractDownload PDF (182K) -
Werner E.G. Müller, Heiko Schwertner, Isabel M. MüllerArticle type: Others
Subject area: Others
2004 Volume 53 Issue 3 Pages 159-165
Published: 2004
Released on J-STAGE: June 17, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe term Urmetazoa, as the hypothetical metazoan ancestor, was introduced to highlight the finding that all metazoan phyla including the Porifera [sponges] derived from one common ancestor. Analyses of sponge genomes, from Demospongiae, Calcarea and Hexactinellida have permitted the reconstruction of the evolutionary trail from Fungi to Metazoa. This has provided evidence that the characteristic evolutionary novelties of Metazoa existing in Porifera share high sequence similarities and in some aspects also functional similarities to related polypeptides found in other metazoan phyla. It is surprising that the genome of Porifera is large and comprises substantially more genes than Protostomia and Deuterostomia. On the basis of solid taxonomy and ecological data, the high value of this phylum for human application becomes obvious especially with regard to the field of chemical ecology and the hope to find novel potential drugs for clinical use. In addition, the benefit of efforts in understanding molecular biodiversity with focus on sponges can be seen in the fact that these animals as “living fossils” allow to stethoscope into the past of our globe especially with respect to the evolution of Metazoa.View full abstractDownload PDF (185K) -
Andreas H. Valentin, J. WeberArticle type: Others
Subject area: Others
2004 Volume 53 Issue 3 Pages 166-171
Published: 2004
Released on J-STAGE: June 17, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSModern implantology involves the application and optimization of bone engineering biomaterials and scaffolds to achieve predictability in quality and quantity of the regeneration result and to avoid the high morbidity factor of the present gold standard. In this respect, acceleration of (woven) bone formation and completeness of the regeneration result seems to be an reasonable attempt by multiplication of the whole cascades by duplicating all phases of cell binding, migration, proliferation and differentiation. Collagen I is an extracellular matrix protein with multiple main binding domains for osteogenic progenitor cells and therefore plays a crucial role in osteogenesis. PepGen P15 is the first man engineered collagen I binding domain for potential osteoblasts and is able to multiply the complete regeneration cascade. The article explains the principles of micromolecular receptor enginering and its application in sinus floor augmentations as a preliminary report. It presents the first clinical and histomorphometrical results of this new technology in sinus floor elevations. The future potential of individual bone regeneration will be discussed.View full abstractDownload PDF (206K)
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
-
Mahbubur Rahman, Junichi Sakamoto, Tsuguya FukuiArticle type: Others
Subject area: Others
2004 Volume 53 Issue 3 Pages 172-177
Published: 2004
Released on J-STAGE: June 17, 2005
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSObjective: To investigate the degree of Japan's contribution to the research in basic biomedical science in the last decade. Methods: Articles published during 1991-2000 in highly reputed basic biomedical science journals (10 journals from each of the 16 categories related to basic biomedical science) were accessed through Medline database. The number of articles having affiliation with a Japanese institution was then determined using appropriate search strategies. Results: In total 312, 748 articles were published in the selected journals and Japan's share was 20, 665 articles (6.6% of total) with an upward trend over time (p=0.01). Japan's share was higher in the journals, which publish mostly original articles (6.9%) than that in the journals, which publish only review articles (2.6%). The former group showed an upward trend (p=0.01) over time (1991-2000) while the latter did not (p=0.08). Among the 16 categories, Japan had significantly positive trend in 7 categories while others remained unchanged. Conclusions: Japan's share of original articles for basic medical science has increased in the last decade. On the other hand, its share of review articles was low and has remained stagnant in the same period.View full abstractDownload PDF (103K)
- |<
- <
- 1
- >
- >|