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The article delves into the intricate relationship between an earthquake swarm beneath the Noto Peninsula in Central Japan and the subsequent 2024 M 7.6 Noto Hanto earthquake sequence. It examines the various physical mechanisms at play, including pre-slip, cascade triggering, aseismic slip, and fluid migration, to understand the evolution process leading to the mainshock. By analyzing seismicity patterns, foreshocks, stress distribution, and rupture propagation, the study sheds light on the complexities of earthquake activity in the region. The research underscores the importance of in-depth investigations utilizing diverse data sources to unravel the connection between earthquake swarms and the initiation of major seismic events, making the Noto earthquake sequence a valuable case study for global earthquake research. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Osteosarcoma is the most common of all the bone malignancies and accounts for 30-80 % of the primary skeletal sarcomas. The overall survival rate of patients with osteosarcoma is < 20 % suggesting poor prognosis. Methods: The present study demonstrates the effect of retinoic acid chlorochalcone (RACC) incorporated glycol chitosan (GC) nanoparticle transfection in osteosarcoma cells. MG-63 and Saos-2 osteosarcoma cells were transfected with various concentrations of RACC-incorporated GC nanoparticle for 24 h. The effect on cell proliferation, Ezh2 expression, apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, cell migration and invasiveness, Akt phosphorylation and local tumour growth and metastases were studied. Results: MG-63 and Saos-2 osteosarcoma cells on RACC-incorporated GC nanoparticle transfection for 24 h showed a concentration-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation. Of the various concentrations of RACC tested, the effective concentration started from 5 μM with an IC50 of 20 μM. Wound healing assay also showed that RACC-incorporated GC nanoparticles inhibited migration of tumor cells more effectively compared to the parent RA. RACC transfection resulted in inhibition of cell proliferation, Ezh2 expression inhibition, apoptosis through mitochondrial pathway by decrease in membrane potential and release of cytochrome c and cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase. The invasiveness of cells treated with 5 and 20 μM RACC was decreased by 49 and 76 % respectively, compared to the control. RACC-treated mice showed significantly lower number of metastases compared to that in the control mice. Conclusions: Thus, RACC-incorporated glycol chitosan nanoparticle strategy can be promising for the treatment of osteosarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Osteosarcoma is the most common of all the bone malignancies and accounts for 30-80 % of the primary skeletal sarcomas. The overall survival rate of patients with osteosarcoma is < 20 % suggesting poor prognosis. Methods: The present study demonstrates the effect of retinoic acid chlorochalcone (RACC) incorporated glycol chitosan (GC) nanoparticle transfection in osteosarcoma cells. MG-63 and Saos-2 osteosarcoma cells were transfected with various concentrations of RACC-incorporated GC nanoparticle for 24 h. The effect on cell proliferation, Ezh2 expression, apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, cell migration and invasiveness, Akt phosphorylation and local tumour growth and metastases were studied. Results: MG-63 and Saos-2 osteosarcoma cells on RACC-incorporated GC nanoparticle transfection for 24 h showed a concentration-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation. Of the various concentrations of RACC tested, the effective concentration started from 5 μM with an IC50 of 20 μM. Wound healing assay also showed that RACC-incorporated GC nanoparticles inhibited migration of tumor cells more effectively compared to the parent RA. RACC transfection resulted in inhibition of cell proliferation, Ezh2 expression inhibition, apoptosis through mitochondrial pathway by decrease in membrane potential and release of cytochrome c and cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase. The invasiveness of cells treated with 5 and 20 μM RACC was decreased by 49 and 76 % respectively, compared to the control. RACC-treated mice showed significantly lower number of metastases compared to that in the control mice. Conclusions: Thus, RACC-incorporated glycol chitosan nanoparticle strategy can be promising for the treatment of osteosarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the oral safety of Lactobacillus salivarius REN, a probiotic isolated from the fecal samples of a healthy centenarian. BALB/c mice were respectively orally administered with 0, 3 x 108, 5 x 109, or 2 x 1010 CFU/mouse daily for 28 days, or injected intraperitoneally with 5 x 109 CFU/mouse in a single dose, then killed at day 2 and day 5 after injection, respectively. The results indicated that oral administration of Lactobacillus salivarius REN had no adverse effects on body weight, food intake, hematological and serum biochemical parameters, and there was no treatment-associated bacterial translocation to the blood, liver, spleen, or kidney. Intraperitoneal injection caused bacterial translocation to the liver, spleen, and kidney, except blood, the translocation did not trigger illness or death. This study suggests Lactobacillus salivarius REN is likely to be safe for human consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background aims. Human umbilical cord blood-derived stromal cells (hUCBDSC) comprise a novel population of CD34+ cells that has been isolated in our laboratory. They have been shown previously not only to be non-immunogenic but also to exert immunosuppressive effects on xenogenic T cells in vitro. This study investigated the role of hUCBDSC in immunomodulation in an acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) mouse model after haplo-identical stem cell transplantation. Methods. Acute GvHD was induced in recipient (B6 × BALB/c)F1 mice by irradiation (750 cGy) followed by infusion of bone marrow cells and splenocytes from donor C57BL/6 mice. hUCBDSC were co-transplanted in the experimental group. The survival time, body weight and clinical and histopathologic scores were recorded after transplantation. The expression of surface markers [major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I, MHC II, CD80 and CD86] on CD11c+ dendritic cells (DC), and the percentage of CD4+ regulatory T cells (Treg), in the spleens of recipient mice were examined by flow cytometry. Results. The survival time was significantly prolonged, and the clinical and histopathologic scores were reduced in mice co-transplanted with hUCBDSC. The expression levels of the surface markers on DC were significantly lower in mice transplanted with hUCBDSC compared with those without. The proportion of CD4+ Treg in the spleen was also increased in mice transplanted with hUCBDSC. Conclusions. These results from a GvHD mouse model are in agreement with previous in vitro findings, suggesting that hUCBDSC possess immunosuppressive properties and may act via influencing DC and CD4+ Treg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tobacco smoking is the main risk factor associated with chronic periodontitis, but the mechanisms that underlie this relationship are largely unknown. Recent reports proposed that nicotine plays an important role in tobacco-related morbidity by acting through the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) expressed by non-neuronal cells. The aim of this study was to investigate whether α7 nAChR was expressed in periodontal tissues and whether it functions by regulating IL-1β in the process of periodontitis. In vitro, human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells were cultured with 10−12 M of nicotine and/or 10−9 M of alpha-bungarotoxin (α-Btx), a α7 nAChR antagonist. The expression of α7 nAChR and IL-1β in PDL cells and the effects of nicotine/α-Btx administration on their expression were explored. In vivo, an experimental periodontitis rat model was established, and the effects of nicotine/α-Btx administration on expression of α7 nAChR and development of periodontitis were evaluated. We found that α7 nAChR was present in human PDL cells and rat periodontal tissues. The expressions of α7 nAChR and IL-1β were significantly increased by nicotine administration, whereas α-Btx treatment partially suppressed these effects. This study was the first to demonstrate the functional expression of α7 nAChR in human PDL cells and rat periodontal tissues. Our results may be pertinent to a better understanding of the relationships among smoking, nicotine, and periodontitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transencapsidation of the Rice gall dwarf virus (RGDV) inner core by the Rice dwarf virus (RDV) outer capsid P8 protein was examined in vitro and in planta. When RGDV core particles were incubated with an extract from RDV P8-transgenic rice leaf tissue, RDV P8 encapsidated the RGDV core particles to form double-shelled virus-like particles in vitro. In contrast, when RDV P8-transgenic rice plants were inoculated with RGDV, progeny RGDV particles contained RGDV P8 but RDV P8 was not detectable in the virions. No significant differences were found in acquisition by the vector insects and subsequent transmission rates between RGDV infecting nontransgenic rice plants and those infecting RDV P8-transgenic rice plants. These results indicate that mechanisms of and/or requirements for interactions between P8 and the inner core particles of phytoreoviruses differ between in vitro and in planta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]