Infrared diffuse reflectance spectra of weathered and unweathered CR2 chondrites: Comparison with asteroids

The presence and intensity of absorption band near 3μm in the reflectance spectra are due to the presence and abundance of hydrates and/or hydroxylions. Previously, we have shown that Renazzo (CR2 chondrite) is an excellent spectral match to 2 Pallas (B-type asteroid) in the wavelength region near 3μm. In this paper, we have measured infrared diffuse reflectance spectra of eight Antarctic CR2 chondrites and have compared reflectance spectra of CR2 chondrites with those of eight asteroids which belong to the C, G, B and F taxonomic classes. The spectral absorption near 3μm of Antarctic CR2 chondrites are deepened and rounded compared to that of Renazzo (fell 1824). This difference implies the presence of corrosion products probably due to terrestrial weathering of the Antarctic CR2 chondrites. This is the reason why no asteroids has been found that has an Antarctic CR2 meteorite counterpart. In addition to the close similarity between Pallas and Renazzo, the overall spectral profile of 511 Davida also exhibit similarity to the Renazzo spectrum

Studies on the Changes of Blood Constituents in Patients with Stomach Ulcer

There have been many reports on the alterations in the blood constituents levels of patients with stomach ulcer. Some reporters stated anemia, hypoproteinemia, hypoalbuminemia, decreased serum cholinesterase activity and serum iron in the cases of stomach ulcer; but other noticed that levels of blood constituents in patient with stomach ulcer were amost within normal range. An investigation of the difference between the levels of the blood constituents of the normal and of the stomach ulcer cases was attempted. One hundred and fifty one cases of normal, 286 cases of stomach ulcer and 266 cases of stomach cancer were examined. The measured blood constitueuts were RBC, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, WBC and blood group. The serum constituents such as cholinesterase, alkaline phosphatase, cholesterol, glutamic pyruvic transaminase, phenol turbidity test, amylase, non-protein nitrogen, sugar, iron, copper, protein and its fractions, mucoprotein and its fractions and lipoprotein were also determined. The significant changes were statistically discussed. Decreases of RBC, hemoglobin concentration, Ht, serum cholinesterase activity, serum iron, serum albumin, A/G ratio and mucoprotein-albumin, and increases of WBC, serum GFT activity, serum amylase activity, serum NPN and globulin fraction of serum protein were noticed in the cases of stomach ulcer. It is supposed that anemia and decreased serum iron are due to the continuous bleeding from ulcer, hypoalbuminemia and decreased serum cholinesterase activity and increased GPT activity are to general deterioration by maluntrition and liver damage accompanied with stomach ulcer. Increase of serum amylase activity and serum NPN may be the sequences of pancreatic and renal involvements, the latter might be followed by the ulcer hemorrhage and dehydration. The blood constituents levels in the cases with stomach ulcer which needed the operation showed more advanced anemia and hypocholinesterasemia than in the whole ulcer cases. In the cases with large ulcer, decreased cholinesterase activity and increased NPN were prominent. The comparison of blood levels in the stomach cancer with in the stomach ulcer revealed that decreased RBC, hemoglobin concentration, serum cholinesterase activity, serum iron, gamma-globulin fraction and mucoprotein-albumin and increased alkaline phosphatase activity were significant in the group of stomach ulcer. The blood constituents levels in stomach ulcer group were situated between normal and stomach center group in regard to anemia, general deterioration and liver damage; but in the cases of large ulcer, some constituents such as serum cholinesterase, serum amylase and serum NPN were in worse condition than in the stomach cancer cases. Relationship between stomach ulcer and liver function disturbance was significantly observed in blood spectrum. Anemia, malnutrition and accompanied gastritis with stomach ulcer may induce secondary chronic liver damage, but severe liver disorder occurs rarely in the cases with stomach ulcer

Convenient screening of the reproductive toxicity of favipiravir and antiviral drugs in Caenorhabditis elegans

Reproductive toxicity is one of the major concerns in drug development. Thus, we have developed its screening system using Caenorhabditis elegans, which has a life cycle of three days and similar coding genes as humans. Antiviral nucleoside analogs used for acute infections are known to cause reproductive toxicity, contraindicated for pregnant women, and are used for comparing their reproductive toxicity in C. elegans and experimental animals. None of the drug treatments affected the number of offspring and the concentrations without toxicity to nematodes were consistent with no cytotoxicity or toxicity in experimental animals or humans. Favipiravir, ribavirin, molnupiravir (NHC), acyclovir, ganciclovir, zidovudine, and thalidomide significantly increased the incidence of arrested embryos but amenamevir, letermovir, and guanosine did not. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitors, in the order of favipiravir, ribavirin, and NHC increased the incidence of arrested embryos, possibly due to the specificity of favipiravir for RdRp and less cytotoxicity. RdRp inhibitors would impair RNA interference through RdRp expressed by telomerase reverse transcriptase during embryogenesis and cause embryo-fetal toxicity. The incidence of arrested embryos may be affected by differences in the substrate specificity of DNA polymerases and metabolism between C. elegans, animals, and humans. The concordance between the results of the screening system for reproductive toxicity of antivirals in C. elegans and those in experimental animals based on the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use, reproductive toxicology confirms its appropriateness as a screening system for reproductive toxicity. Favipiravir and zidovudine were the least toxic to C. elegans among the antiviral drugs examined