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To investigate the mechanism of antioxidative effects of sesamin in vivo, 32 male ddY mice were administered with 10 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg of sesamin (S10, S100), 100 mg/kg of vitamin E (VE100) or control sample (C). They were subjected to 30 min of swimming exercise 2 h after the sample administration by using a new forced-swimming apparatus, i. e. an adjustable-current swimming pool. Exercise resulted in a significant increase in plasma lipid peroxides (LPO) in C and VE100 (p < 0.01), but not in S10 and S100. S100 showed significantly higher total glutathione peroxidase activity and glutathione S-transferase activity in liver compared to C (p < 0.05). In conclusion, sesamin may enhance LPO degradation in the liver resulting in the strong protective effects against exercise-induced plasma lipid peroxidation.

Pressure ulcers result from tissue hypoxia caused by external forces. Thrombosis due to external forces is considered important, and hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is a master regulator of pressure ulcer development. To date, however, their causal relationship has not been determined. This study therefore investigated the mutual relationship between thrombosis and HIF-1 activation in compressed mouse skin, based on a hypothesis that HIF-1 regulation by plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) enhances thrombosis. Compression of mouse skin significantly increased the numbers of thrombi and HIF-1α-positive cells compared with control skin. A thrombosis inhibitor significantly reduced the numbers of HIF-1α-positive cells and an HIF-1 inhibitor significantly inhibited thrombosis in compressed skin tissue, suggesting a mutual relationship between thrombosis and HIF-1 activation. Compression of mouse skin also enhanced the level of Pai-1 messenger RNA expression, but this increase was significantly reduced by treatment with an HIF-1 inhibitor, whereas a thrombosis inhibitor had no effect. These results suggested the involvement of PAI-1 in HIF-1-enhanced thrombosis and that an additional factor participates in regulating Pai-1 expression in compressed skin. These findings may suggest new strategies in pressure ulcer management.

Arterial stiffness is thought to be a powerful indicator of present and possible future cardiovascular risk. Accordingly, there is an increasing interest in the non-invasive clinical measurement of arterial stiffness. The commonly used non-invasive methods assess aortic Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) which is known to be a good indicator of aortic stiffness. These methods calculate the PWV by measuring the pressure or flow velocity at two locations along the aorta to determine the arrival time of the pulse wave; the distance between these locations is measured either on the body surface or using high resolution images. In this study, we have developed a novel method based on MRI that calculates the aortic PWV using multiple locations along the aorta. This approach is largely automatic vis-a-vis aortic segmentation that reduces user-subjectivity; the inclusion of multiple points along aorta increases the accuracy of PWV measurement by averaging.

The effects of modern dressings on inflammation, which represent the earliest phase of wound healing, are poorly understood. We investigated the effects of modern hydrocellular foam dressings (HCFs) on wound healing and on the gene expression levels of the inflammatory markers--interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-10--in rat periwound skin and granulation tissue by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. HCF absorbed significantly higher volume of water than hydrocolloid dressing (HCD) and increased the contraction of wounds. Polymorphonuclear neutrophils were massively infiltrated to the wound edge and boarded between granulation and dermis in the HCD group. IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 mRNA levels were significantly decreased in the periwound skin around the wounds and granulation tissue covered with HCF. These findings suggest that HCF may promote wound healing along with decrease in inflammation by reducing gene expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10.

Acetylation of α-tubulin is a well-studied posttranscriptional modification, which is mostly catalyzed by α-tubulin N-acetyltransferase (ATAT1). ATAT1 possibly affects various cellular functions related with microtubules, such as intracellular transport, cell motility, cilia formation, and neuronal signaling. Here, we analyzed the subcellular localization of immunolabeled ATAT1 in human fibroblast KD cells through the cell cycle using confocal laser scanning microscopy. ATAT1 dramatically changed its localization through the cell cycle, depending on the mitotic phase. In interphase, immunolabeled ATAT1 was observed in centrioles, nuclei, and basal bodies if the cells projected primary cilia. ATAT1 was intensely detected as clusters in the nuclei in the G1-G2 phase. In telophase, ATAT1 colocalized with chromatids and spindle poles, and ultimately migrated to the daughter nucleus, newly synthesized centrioles, and midbody. The nucleolus is a core region of ribosomal RNA transcription, and the midbody is associated with severing and depolymerizing of microtubules in the stembody. The specific distributions of ATAT1 through the cell cycle suggest multiple functions of ATAT1, which could include acetylation of microtubules, RNA transcription activity, severing microtubules, and completion of cytokinesis.

Background: Most developing countries have been unable to implement well-organized health care systems, especially comprehensive Pap smear screening-based programs. One of the reasons for this is regional differences in medical services, and a low-cost portable cervical screening system is necessary. To improve regional discrepancies in cervical screening systems, we investigated the usefulness and acceptability of cervical selfsampling by liquid-based cytology (LBC) for 290 volunteers in the Lao PDR. Materials and Methods: Following health education with comprehensive documents, cervical self-sampling kits by LBC were distributed in three provincial, district, and village areas to a total of 290 volunteers, who were asked to take cytology samples by themselves. Subsequently, the acceptability of self-sampling was evaluated using a questionnaire. Results: The documents were well understood in all three regions. Regarding the acceptability of self-sampling, the selections for subsequent screening were 62% self-sampling, 36% gynecologist-sampling, 1% either method, and 1% other methods. The acceptability rates were higher in the district and the village than in the province. For the relationship between acceptability and pregnancy, the self-sampling selection rate was higher in the pregnancy-experienced group (75%) than in the pregnancy-inexperienced group (60%). For the relationship between selection of self-sampling and experience of screening, the self-sampling selection rate was higher in the screening-inexperienced group (62%) than in the screening-experienced group (52%). Conclusions: Our data show that this new way forward, involving a combination of self-sampling and LBC, is highly acceptable regardless of age, educational background, and residence in rural areas in a developing country.