International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria (INHAND) progress to date and future plans

The INHAND Proposal (International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria for Lesions in Rats and Mice) has been operational since 2005. A Global Editorial Steering Committee (GESC) manages the overall objectives of the project and the development of harmonized terminology for each organ system is the responsibility of the Organ Working Groups (OWG), drawing upon experts from North America, Europe and Japan.Great progress has been made with 9 systems published to date – Respiratory, Hepatobiliary, Urinary, Central/Peripheral Nervous Systems, Male Reproductive and Mammary, Zymbals, Clitoral and Preputial Glands in Toxicologic Pathology and the Integument and Soft Tissue and Female Reproductive System in the Journal of Toxicologic Pathology as supplements and on a web site – www.goreni.org. INHAND nomenclature guides offer diagnostic criteria and guidelines for recording lesions observed in rodent toxicity and carcinogenicity studies. The guides provide representative photo-micrographs of morphologic changes, information regarding pathogenesis, and key references. During 2012, INHAND GESC representatives attended meetings with representatives of the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Enterprise Vocabulary Services (EVS) to begin incorporation of INHAND terminology as preferred terminology for SEND (Standard for Exchange of Nonclinical Data) submissions to the FDA. The interest in utilizing the INHAND nomenclature, based on input from industry and government toxicologists as well as information technology specialists, suggests that there will be wide acceptance of this nomenclature. The purpose of this publication is to provide an update on the progress of INHAND.     

Differentiation of canine bone marrow stromal cells into voltage- and glutamate-responsive neuron-like cells by basic fibroblast growth factor

We investigated the in vitro differentiation of canine bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) into voltage- and glutamate-responsive neuron-like cells. BMSCs were obtained from the bone marrow of healthy beagle dogs. Canine BMSCs were incubated with the basal medium for neurons containing recombinant human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF; 100 ng/ml). The viability of the bFGF-treated cells was assessed by a trypan blue exclusion assay, and the morphology was monitored. Real-time RT-PCR was performed to evaluate mRNA expression of neuronal, neural stem cell and glial markers. Western blotting and immunocytochemical analysis for the neuronal markers were performed to evaluate the protein expression and localization. The Ca²⁺ mobilization of the cells was evaluated using the Ca²⁺ indicator Fluo3 to monitor Ca²⁺ influx. To investigate the mechanism of bFGF-induced neuronal differentiation, the fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitor, the phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor or the Akt inhibitor was tested. The bFGF treatment resulted in the maintenance of the viability of canine BMSCs for 10 days, in the expression of neuronal marker mRNAs and proteins and in the manifestation of neuron-like morphology. Furthermore, in the bFGF-treated BMSCs, a high concentration of KCl and L-glutamate induced an increase in intracellular Ca²⁺ levels. Each inhibitor significantly attenuated the bFGF-induced increase in neuronal marker mRNA expression. These results suggest that bFGF contributes to the differentiation of canine BMSCs into voltage- and glutamate-responsive neuron-like cells and may lead to the development of new cell-based treatments for neuronal diseases.     

Effect of loading frequency on fatigue life and dissipated energy of structural plywood under panel shear load

Wood-based panels are subjected to cyclic panel shear load caused by wind and seismic forces in such an application as the sheathing of bearing walls. The fatigue behavior of structural plywood under panel shear load with two different loading frequencies was examined. Pulsating panel shear load with a triangular waveform and loading frequency of 0.5 or 5 Hz was applied to the plywood specimens. Stress−strain hysteresis loops were measured throughout the fatigue tests. Fatigue life was highly dependent on loading frequency at more than 0.5 stress level. The deterioration of mechanical property and damage accumulation in plywood specimen was observed to be slower at higher loading frequency at more than 0.5 stress level. Analyses based on energy loss suggest that panel shear load with higher loading frequency causes less damage to the plywood specimen during one loading cycle at higher stress level, and that the fatigue damage accumulation causing failure might be dependent on stress level although it seems to be unaffected by loading frequency. Based on these results, a new fatigue failure model for plywood specimen was qualitatively developed by combining Weibull’s weakest link model and Daniels’ fiber bundle model.     

Effect of moisture content of members on mechanical properties of timber joints

To investigate the effect of moisture content (MC) of members on the mechanical properties of timber joints, bending tests of precut joints and shear tests of dowel-type joints were carried out using timbers of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) with three moisture conditions: green, kiln-dried with a MC target of 15%, and over-kiln-dried with a MC target of 5%. For the bending test, timbers were processed with a precut processing machine into “koshikake-ari” (a kind of dovetail joint) and “koshikake-kama” (a kind of mortise and tenon joint). A pair of members was jointed together without mechanical fasteners. Bolts (diameter = 12 mm) and nails (diameter = 2.45 mm) were used as dowels in the shear test. Bolted joints were constructed with one bolt and two metal side plates. Two nails and two metal side plates were used for the nailed joint. For precut joints, no clear effect of MC was recognized on maximum moment and initial stiffness. The maximum strength of mechanical joints assembled with kiln-dried wood was changed by the degree of drying. Stiffness of the joints assembled with kiln-dried specimens was larger than that of the joints assembled with green specimens.Part of this study was presented at the 7th International IUFRO Wood Drying Conference, Tsukuba, July 2001     

Fatigue of structural plywood under cyclic shear through thickness I: fatigue process and failure criterion based on strain energy

The fatigue behavior of plywood specimens under shear through thickness was examined on the basis of strain energy to obtain common empirical equations for the fatigue process and failure criterion under various loading conditions. Specimens were cut from commercial plywood panels of 9-mm thickness. Loading conditions were set as follows: a square waveform at a loading frequency of 0.5 Hz, a triangular waveform at 0.5 Hz, and a triangular waveform at 5.0 Hz. Peak stress applied was determined to be 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9 of static strength, that is, stress levels of 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9. The stress-strain relationships were measured throughout the fatigue test, and the strain energy was obtained at each loading cycle. Loading conditions apparently affected the relationship between stress level and fatigue life. On the other hand, the relationship between mean strain energy per cycle and fatigue life was found to be independent of loading conditions. Mean strain energy per cycle obtained as the fatigue limit was 5.85 kJ/m³ per cycle. Assuming that the accumulation of strain energy is a fatigue indicator, the fatigue process and failure criterion for the plywood specimens under the three loading conditions were commonly expressed by the relationship between cumulative strain energy and loading cycles.     

The effect of ceramic coating of fire-retardant wood on combustibility and weatherability

In order to develop a fireproof wooden material, the synergic effect of fire-retardant chemicals and wood coatings was studied. The fire performance was evaluated by cone calorimeter. Impregnation of fire retardants including polyphosphatic carbamate, and ceramic coatings including alkoxy metal salt improved the fire performance of wooden materials. This treatment made it possible to meet the guidelines for fire performance of noncombustible materials in Japan. In addition to the vacuum-pressure impregnation treatment, hot-and-cold-bath impregnation treatment is an effective way to develop fire-retardant wood by impregnating fire retardant and ceramic coating. The weatherability of the developed material was also investigated. The ceramic coating was resistant to light and moisture. Part of this report was presented at 54th Annual Meeting (Sapporo, August 2004) and the 55th Annual Meeting (Kyoto, March 2005) of the Japan Wood Research Society     

A broad spectrum,one-step RT-PCR to detect <Emphasis Type="Italic">Satsuma dwarf virus</Emphasis> variants using universal primers targeting both segmented RNAs 1 and 2

Universal primers to detect Satsuma dwarf virus (SDV), including distantly related strains Citrus mosaic virus (CiMV), Navel orange infectious mottling virus (NIMV), and Hyuganatsu virus (HV), were tested in a convenient one-step RT-PCR assay. SDV was the most broadly detected using uSDVup/uSDVdo primers that specifically targeted a nucleotide sequence in the 3′-noncoding region that is conserved in both segmented RNAs 1 and 2 of SDV among the tested primers. Nucleotide sequence analysis confirmed that the amplified RT-PCR products could be derived from RNAs 1 or 2 of SDV variants, some of which had interesting genetic diversity.     

The Effect of Methanolic Valeriana officinalis Root Extract on Adipocyte Differentiation and Adiponectin Production in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Adipose tissue is an endocrine organ and its endocrine function is closely associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Valeriana officinalis (Valerian) exerts some...     

Construction and characterization of a BAC library of soybean

We have constructed a soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library from green leaf protoplasts of the cultivar, Misuzudaizu. The library contains 53,760 clones with an average insert size of 116 kb. About 2.9% chloroplast DNA origin was revealed by PCR and colony hybridization. Apart from 2.8% clones having no insert, this library represents 5.2 genome equivalents. With this genome coverage, the probability of having any DNA sequence represented in the library is higher than 99.5%. Three-dimensional pools of the BAC library in combination with the use of a high efficiency genome scanning (HEGS) electrophoresis facilitate rapid and efficient PCR-based screening. An average of five positive clones were identified after screening the BAC library with SSR and STS markers. BAC-end walking was performed for three SSR associated BACs. This library will provide a good resource for positional cloning of agronomically and biologically important QTL genes that Misuzudaizu possesses.