Contribution of bone marrow‐derived endothelial progenitor cells to neovascularization and astrogliosis following spinal cord injury

Kamei, Naosuke,Kwon, Sang‐,Mo,Kawamoto, Atsuhiko,Ii, Masaaki,Ishikawa, Masakazu,Ochi, Mitsuo,Asahara, Takayuki Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 2012 Journal of neuroscience research Vol.90 No.12

<P><B>Abstract</B></P><P>Spinal cord injury causes initial mechanical damage, followed by ischemia‐induced, secondary degeneration, worsening the tissue damage. Although endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been reported to play an important role for pathophysiological neovascularization in various ischemic tissues, the EPC kinetics following spinal cord injury have never been elucidated. In this study, we therefore assessed the in vivo kinetics of bone marrow‐derived EPCs by EPC colony‐forming assay and bone marrow transplantation from Tie2/lacZ transgenic mice into wild‐type mice with spinal cord injury. The number of circulating mononuclear cells and EPC colonies formed by the mononuclear cells peaked at day 3 postspinal cord injury. Bone marrow transplantation study revealed that bone marrow‐derived EPCs recruited into the injured spinal cord markedly increased at day 7, when neovascularization and astrogliosis drastically occurred in parallel with axon growth in the damaged tissue. To elucidate further the contribution of EPCs to recovery after spinal cord injury, exogenous EPCs were systemically infused immediately after the injury. The administered EPCs were incorporated into the injured spinal cord and accelerated neovascularization and astrogliosis. These findings suggest that bone marrow‐derived EPCs may contribute to the tissue repair by augmenting neovascularization and astrogliosis following spinal cord injury. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.</P>

Endothelial progenitor cells promote astrogliosis following spinal cord injury through Jagged1-dependent Notch signaling.

Kamei, Naosuke,Kwon, Sang-Mo,Ishikawa, Masakazu,Ii, Masaaki,Nakanishi, Kazuyoshi,Yamada, Kiyotaka,Hozumi, Katsuto,Kawamoto, Atsuhiko,Ochi, Mitsuo,Asahara, Takayuki M.A. Liebert 2012 JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA - Vol.29 No.9

<P>Interactions between endothelial and neural stem cells are believed to play a critical role in the kinetics of neural stem cells in the central nervous system. Here we demonstrate that endothelial progenitor cells promote the repair of injured spinal cord through the induction of Notch-dependent astrogliosis and vascular regulation. The transplantation of Jagged1(+/+) endothelial progenitor cells, but not Jagged1(-/-) endothelial progenitor cells, increased the number of reactive astrocytes during the acute phase, and improved functional recovery following spinal cord injury. Expression of the Notch effector Hes5 was upregulated in the injured spinal cord after Jagged1(+/+) endothelial progenitor cell transplantation. Furthermore, we found that the Notch ligand Delta-like-1 was highly expressed in Jagged1(-/-) endothelial progenitor cells. Transplantation of Delta-like-1, as well as Jagged1-overexpressing 3T3 cells, revealed that only Jagged1-overexpressing 3T3 stromal cells enhanced astrogliosis following spinal cord injury. In addition, Jagged1(+/+) endothelial progenitor cells exhibited not only dramatic pro-angiogenic effects, but also morphologically abnormal vessel stabilization, compared with Jagged1(-/-)endothelial progenitor cells in injured spinal cord. Thus, transplanted endothelial progenitor cells promote astrogliosis, vascular regulation, and spinal cord regeneration through activation of Jagged1-Notch signaling.</P>

Random heterogeneous model with bimodal velocity distribution for Methane Hydrate exploration

Kamei Rie,Hato Masami,Matsuoka Toshifumi Korean Society of Earth and Exploration Geophysici 2005 지구물리와 물리탐사 Vol.8 No.1

We have developed a random heterogeneous velocity model with bimodal distribution in methane hydrate-bearing Bones. The P-wave well-log data have a von Karman type autocorrelation function and non-Gaussian distribution. The velocity histogram has two peaks separated by several hundred metres per second. A random heterogeneous medium with bimodal distribution is generated by mapping of a medium with a Gaussian probability distribution, yielded by the normal spectral-based generation method. By using an ellipsoidal autocorrelation function, the random medium also incorporates anisotropy of autocorrelation lengths. A simulated P-wave velocity log reproduces well the features of the field data. This model is applied to two simulations of elastic wane propagation. Synthetic reflection sections with source signals in two different frequency bands imply that the velocity fluctuation of the random model with bimodal distribution causes the frequency dependence of the Bottom Simulating Reflector (BSR) by affecting wave field scattering. A synthetic cross-well section suggests that the strong attenuation observed in field data might be caused by the extrinsic attenuation in scattering. We conclude that random heterogeneity with bimodal distribution is a key issue in modelling hydrate-bearing Bones, and that it can explain the frequency dependence and scattering observed in seismic sections in such areas.

A Regression of Miller Fisher Syndrome using Photic Feedback: Possibility of a New Complementary Therapy

Kamei, Tsutomu,Toriumi, Yoshitaka,Kumano, Hiroaki,Yasushi, Mitsuo Korean Society of Photoscience 2002 Journal of Photosciences Vol.9 No.2

We present a case of The Miller Fisher Syndrome (MFS), showing a remission during a recently developed noninvasive therapy. Two weeks after an appearance of cough and fever, a 35 years old Japanese male developed diplopia, ataxia and numbness of his fingers and toes. He was diagnosed as MFS, and a fixed dose of prednisolone acetate (60mg/day) was administered for 3 months, but little improvement was observed. In addition to this administration, we tried 20 minutes of Photic Feedback (PFB) treatment daily for 40 days. The PFB system detects brain waves from the subject's forehead, and extracts alpha waves by the band-pass filter with a center frequency set at 10.0Hz. It also simultaneously modulates the augmentation of a red light-emitting diode, corresponding with the amplitudes of the extracted alpha waves. In this treatment, this adjusted photic stimulation was given to the subject's closed eyes, resulting in the effective alpha enhancement by photic driving response. The numbness increased during each of PFB treatment, but the symptoms started to improve gradually after 10 days. Other symptoms disappeared after 40 days. CD20 levels increased with this treatment. This case suggests that the PFB treatment may speed the natural remission of MFS. This treatment may be worth considering in patients who suffer polyneuropathy.

Strate´gie des Entreprises Franc¸aises au Japon : Re´flexions et Cas

KAMEI, Katsuyuki 이화여자대학교 사회과학연구소 2007 이화-솔본느 누벨 (파리3대학) 학술세미나 : 21세기 아시아와 유럽연합: 한국과 프랑스간 Vol.2007 No.

Depuis la fin des anne'es 1990, dans le cadre du de'veloppement d'une strate'gie globale, le poids et la presence des grandes entreprises francaises au Japon deviennent remarquables. L'exemple le plus ce´le`bre est celui de l'alliance Renault-Nissan en mars 1999, mais nous pouvons e´galement e´voquer les alliances entre firmes francaises et japonaises et les acquisitions des firmes japonaises par les firmes francaises. Dans ce contexte, malgre´ le boom actuel de la Chine, il reste a` la fois significatif et interessant d'observer et e´tudier l'implantation des entreprises francaises au Japon, qui demeure la deuxie`me puissance e´conomique mondiale apre`s les Etats-Unis. Dans cette recherche, apres avoir traite´ (1) de l'historique, de l'environnement et des enseignements theoriques a` tirer du de´veloppement des entreprises francaises au Japon, nous pre´senterons (2) la strate´gie de certaines entreprises francaises au Japon facteurs de succe`s de l'implantation de Louis Vuitton et d'e´chec de Carrefour, approche coope´rative de Cyrillus, comple´mentarite´ et apprentissage mutuel dans l'alliance Renault-Nissan et de´veloppement inde´pendant a ` long terme de BioMe´rieux. Ces cas montrent que l'implantation sur le marche´ japonais et l'alliance strate´gique avec les entreprises japonaises ont pour effet un apprentissage mutuel, de me^me qu'un apport concret et e´conomique. Since the end of the 1990s, asa development of global strategy, the presence of French firms in Japan became remarkable. The most famous example is alliance between Renault and Nissan in March 1999. But we can also refer the other alliances and M&A cases between French firms and Japanese one. In this context, in spite of China boom, it is still significant to observe and study the activity of French firms in Japan, which stays as the second country next to the United States in terms of economic power. In this study, after having treated (1) history, environment and theory which can be taken from the development of French firms in Japan, we present (2) strategy of some French firms in Japan success factor of Louis Vuitton, failure factor of Carrefour, mutual learning in Renault-Nissan alliance, etc. These cases show that the activity in Japanses market and strategic alliance with Japanese firms have as an effect, mutual learning as well as concrete and economic output.

Changes in NK Activity and CD57-CD16+ Level by Frontal Exposure to Red Photodiode Light

Kamei, Tsutomu,Toriumi, Yoshitaka,Kumano, Hiroaki,Ohno, Satoshi,Yasushi, Mitsuo Korean Society of Photoscience 2002 Journal of Photosciences Vol.9 No.2

In zoological research, penetration of light has been reported of the frontal bones of fish, birds, and reptiles, suggesting the existence of physiologically direct photic routes to frontal lobes and/or deep parts of the brain. We studied the influences of frontal exposure to photodiode light on frontal alpha wave and peripheral NK cells. Repetitive exposure of the subject's forehead to a red light diode (660nm) significantly increased the effective amplitude of the frontal alpha waves (using a mean frequency with a range of +1.0 Hz), peripheral NK activity, and the level of CD57-CD16+. Frontal alpha wave activity and the level of CD57-CD16+ increased, suggesting the possibility of a non-invasive procedure for the activation of the frontal lobe and the increase of NK cells. This light is considered to penetrate the frontal bones of humans directly, and to act on the frontal lobe and/or other immunological regulatory centers in the brain, resulting in some neuro-immunological changes.

A Mini-TWT Array for Array-fed Reflector Antenna in 21GHz-band Broadcasting Satellite

Kamei, Masashi,Nakagawa, Hitoshi,Shogen, Kazuyoshi,Nomoto, Toshihiro 통신위성우주산업연구회 2003 Joint Conference on Satellite Communications Vol.2003 No.-

Broadcasting satellite services with a high sense of reality, such as ultra-high definition television (UDTV) and three-dimensional television are expected to be delivered using the frequency band from 21.4 to 22.0 GHz. One of the major technical difficulties in using this frequency band is to overcome large rain attenuation. By using the array antenna technique, in which the radiation pattern can be changed adaptively to transmit high e.i.r.p. only in heavy rain areas while the e.i.r.p. for the rest of the service area remains low, required satellite payload power can be reduced. A prototype mini-TWT array for an array-fed reflector antenna in a 21GHz-band broadcasting satellite was manufactured. Seven mini-TWTs, spaced at a distance corresponds to 1.5 wavelengths at 22.0 GHz, were aligned in a two-dimensional array. The cross-sectional dimensions of each mini-TWT were 15.3 mm x 20.0 mm. Flat heat pipes were mounted between adjacent mini-TWTs to provide sufficient heat transfer for the mini-TWTs located closely. Moreover, thin magnetic shields were applied around each mini-TWT so that leakage of the magnetic fields of neighboring mini-TWTs, which might influence the electron beam focusing, could be reduced. We have confirmed that the performance of the central mini-TWT of this array structure is almost same as that of an isolated mini-TWT.

Crystallization and Electrical Properties of Doped and Undoped Indium Oxide Films

Kamei, Masayuki,Akao, Hirotaka,Song, Pung Keun,Yasui, Itaru,Shigesato, Yuzo The Korean Ceramic Society 2000 The Korean journal of ceramics Vol.6 No.2

The crystallization process and the electrical properties of amorphous tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films have been studied in contrast with those of undoped indium oxide (IO) films. Amorphous ITO and IO films were prepared by magnetron sputtering succeeded by annealing in the air at various temperatures. ITO films showed higher crystallization temperature compared with that of IO films, suggesting an excess free energy caused by the repulsion between the active donors ($Sn^{4+}$). The analysis of the electrical properties alternated with the phased annealing of films provided essential information for understanding the conduction mechanisms of ITO. It was also revealed that the amorphous IO/ITO films showed oxidation around $100^{\circ}C$ in contrast with crystalline IO/ITO films with the oxidation temperature above $200^{\circ}C$.

Passivity Based Bilateral Control with Motion Scaling for Robotic Forceps Teleoperation System with Time Delay

Yusuke Kamei,Chiharu Ishii 제어로봇시스템학회 2008 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2008 No.10

Recently, robotic surgical support systems are in clinical use for minimally invasive surgery. For improvement in operability of the minimally invasive surgery, development of haptic forceps teleoperation systems is required to help surgeon"s immersion and dexterity. Besides, motion scaling function which can adequately reduce and enlarge a movement of the forceps against a surgeon"s operation and a tactile sense to the surgeon under time delay, is necessary for safety. We have developed a multi-DOF robotic forceps manipulator using a novel omni-directional bending mechanism, so far. In this paper, such a passivity based bilateral control that enables motion scaling in both position tracking and force tracking is proposed for the developed robotic forceps teleoperation system with constant time delay. Experimental works were carried out and results showed the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.

What Are the Predictive Factors of Severe Conditions in Acute Obstructive Pyelonephritis?

Jun Kamei,Yukio Homma 대한요로생식기감염학회 2016 Urogenital Tract Infection Vol.11 No.1

Acute obstructive pyelonephritis is a common urological infection, often requiring emergency drainage, which shows rapid progression to serious conditions, including severe sepsis or septic shock. Therefore, during an initial evaluation, knowledge of factors for prediction of severe conditions or mortality is important for immediate identification of patients requiring intensive care. Previous studies examining the characteristics of patients with acute obstructive or calculous pyelonephritis reported rates of septic shock and mortality of 20.8-33.3% and 0-7.4%, respectively. Thrombocytopenia, older age, low serum albumin, and bacteremia were relatively common predictors for septic shock. In contrast, age over 80 years, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, disseminated intravas-cular coagulation status, disturbance of consciousness, male gender, and having only one kidney were predictive factors for mortality.