Laser-driven multi-MeV high-purity proton acceleration via anisotropic ambipolar expansion of micron-scale hydrogen clusters.

Multi-MeV high-purity proton acceleration by using a hydrogen cluster target irradiated with repetitive, relativistic intensity laser pulses has been demonstrated. Statistical analysis of hundreds of data sets highlights the existence of markedly high energy protons produced from the laser-irradiated clusters with micron-scale diameters. The spatial distribution of the accelerated protons is found to be anisotropic, where the higher energy protons are preferentially accelerated along the laser propagation direction due to the relativistic effect. These features are supported by three-dimensional (3D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, which show that directional, higher energy protons are generated via the anisotropic ambipolar expansion of the micron-scale clusters. The number of protons accelerating along the laser propagation direction is found to be as high as 1.6 [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] 10[Formula: see text]/MeV/sr/shot with an energy of 2.8 [Formula: see text] MeV, indicating that laser-driven proton acceleration using the micron-scale hydrogen clusters is promising as a compact, repetitive, multi-MeV high-purity proton source for various applications.

Cell culture in vivo by means of diffusion chamber system.

In a diffusion chamber (DC) system, cells are cultured in vivo - hence making it possible to minimize infection and foreign material contamination. In view of this merit, we devised a technique to combine a DC system and a scaffold to the end of incubating sufficient host cells for grafting. In the present study, PLGA sponge and rat bone marrow cells were encapsulated inside a DC and then placed inside the abdominal cavities of rats. DCs were removed at two or four weeks after grafting. At four weeks after grafting, fibrous and calcified tissue matching the shape of the PLGA sponge was formed. These results suggested that the PLGA sponge was an effective scaffolding material in inducing three-dimensional tissue formation and that combination with a DC system resulted in a cell mass matching the scaffold shape. In addition, the cells were cultured in vivo - which meant that DC culturing did not require special incubation facilities or technologies after grafting.

Analytical methods using a positron microprobe.

Positrons have been used for material analysis not only because of their novel characteristics, such as an ability to detect open-volume type defects in materials, but also because interactions with solids differ from those of electrons in such processes as scattering and diffraction. Monoenergetic positron beams and microbeams were developed in the 1980s, and positron experiments have made progress in material analyses. In this article we review the fundamental technique of microbeam fabrication, especially using a magnetically-guided positron beam, its extension to various analytical methods, and expectations for future research.

Microfabricated multilayer parylene-C stencils for the generation of patterned dynamic co-cultures.

Co-culturing different cell types can be useful to engineer a more in vivo-like microenvironment for cells in culture. Recent approaches to generating cellular co-cultures have used microfabrication technologies to regulate the degree of cell-cell contact between different cell types. However, these approaches are often limited to the co-culture of only two cell types in static cultures. The dynamic aspect of cell-cell interaction, however, is a key regulator of many biological processes such as early development, stem cell differentiation, and tissue regeneration. In this study, we describe a micropatterning technique based on microfabricated multilayer parylene-C stencils and demonstrate the potential of parylene-C technology for co-patterning of proteins and cells with the ability to generate a series of at least five temporally controlled patterned co-cultures. We generated dynamic co-cultures of murine embryonic stem cells in culture with various secondary cell types that could be sequentially introduced and removed from the co-cultures. Our studies suggested that dynamic co-cultures generated by using parylene-C stencils may be applicable in studies investigating cellular interactions in controlled microenvironments such as studies of ES cell differentiation, wound healing and development.

Production of a positron microprobe using a transmission remoderator.

A production method for a positron microprobe using a beta+-decay radioisotope (22Na) source has been investigated. When a magnetically guided positron beam was extracted from the magnetic field, the combination of an extraction coil and a magnetic lens enabled us to focus the positron beam by a factor of 10 and to achieve a high transport efficiency (71%). A 150-nm-thick Ni(100) thin film was mounted at the focal point of the magnetic lens and was used as a remoderator for brightness enhancement in a transmission geometry. The remoderated positrons were accelerated by an electrostatic lens and focused on the target by an objective magnetic lens. As a result, a 4-mm-diameter positron beam could be transformed into a microprobe of 60 microm or less with 4.2% total efficiency. The S parameter profile obtained by a single-line scan of a test specimen coincided well with the defect distribution. This technique for a positron microprobe is available to an accelerator-based high-intensity positron source and allows 3-dimensional vacancy-type defect analysis and a positron source for a transmission positron microscope.

Global gene expression analyses of mouse fibroblast L929 cells exposed to IC50 MMA by DNA microarray and confirmation of four detoxification genes' expression by real-time PCR.

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) is the main component of methyl methacrylic resin, which is widely used in dentistry. Previous studies have investigated whether MMA has any adverse effects on growth and gene expression in mouse fibroblast L929 cells. The present study was designed to further understand the effects of MMA by focusing on cDNA microarray data after L929 cells were exposed to MMA. MMA was found to inhibit cell growth and induce detoxification response genes in L929 cells. One of the most highly up-regulated genes was glutathione S-transferase, alpha 1 (Ya) (Gsta1), which has recently been shown to participate in Nrf2 regulation and is considered to be related to detoxification response. Molecular biological data obtained in the present study may therefore provide useful insights into the effects of MMA on living tissue.

[Possibility of clinical usage of BMP in periodontal application; basic study].

It is necessary for using some carriers which hold bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) activity and maintain its osteoinductive ability, when BMP is applied to the tissue regeneration of the bone defect caused by periodontal diseases. It is indispensable for using some carriers which hold BMP activity and maintain its osteoinductive ability, when BMP is applied to the tissue regeneration of the bone defect caused by the diseases. Metals, ceramics and polymers are used for such carriers, and especially, polymers are indispensable. It is also important to prevent the penetration of epithelial tissue downgrowth, therefore, we innovated a noble resin material which can be formed to the thin film and has a property of light curing. Composite of this resin and BMP stably induced new bone. Cartilage induction in the organ culture on the artificial membrane was also succeed, and it will extend to the bone regeneration by means of re-transplantation of patient's derived tissues after the incubation.

Influence of novel resin monomer on viability of L-929 mouse fibroblasts in vitro.

We have previously synthesized a novel acrylic resin monomer, methacryloyloxyethyl methyl succinate (TA). The aim of this in vitro study, therefore, was to examine its influence on cell viability using L-929 mouse fibroblasts and then compare the results with MMA, EMA, and LMA. Medium containing each monomer was changed every 15 minutes as some monomers were volatile. After one hour of exposure, these mediums were replaced with a normal medium and cells were further incubated for 72 hours. IC50 value for each monomer was determined, and chronological cell viability and cytomorphologic observation were evaluated. Viability was impaired in a dose-dependent manner. All monomers, except TA, tended to correlate between molecular weight and cell viability. On the other hand, TA showed excellent viability and did not impair growth abruptly. These results thus demonstrated that cellular damage by TA was much lower than that by other monomers.