日本海側の鮮新統～更新統産北方系Macoma属(二枚貝)の分類と分布

秋田県男鹿半島安田海岸の中部更新統鮪川層から化石として初めて Makoma lama meridionalis Scarlatoを発見した。また，本亜種はすでに石川県金沢市の下部更新統大桑層からMacoma calcana（Gmelin），M．nasuta（Conrad），Macoma praetexta（v．Martens）として報告されていることも明らかにした。オホーツク・ベーリング要素としては，本亜種とM.middendoriffi Dallのみが日本海沿岸域の鮮新統～更新統に認められた。また，現在日本海に生息するMacomaの北極海・北大西洋要素の多くは更新世後期以降に日本海に移動した可能性が高い。Some fossil specimens of Macoma (Macoma) lama meridionalis Scarlato were firstly obtained from the middle Pleistocene Shibikawa Formation at Anden of Akita Prefecture. This subspecies were illustrated from the early Pleistocene Omma Formation in Ishikawa Prefecture as Macoma calcarea (Gmelin), M. nasuta (Conrad) and M. praetexta (v. Martens) by Kaseno and Matsuura (1965), Matsuura (1992) and Ogawawara (1977). Nipponopagia ommaensis was proposed by Ogasawara (1977) , based on the specimens from the Omma Formation. However, as pointed by Petrov (1982), this species is synonymous with the Recent Macoma (Macoma) middendorffi Dall. Moreover, Gastrana yantaiensis (Crosse and Debeaux) illustrated by Yokoyama (1926) from the beds A at Anden (= Shibikawa Formation?) is also conspecific with Macoma middendorffi. Except for Macoma calcarea, the following boreal species of Macoma are now living in the Japan Sea: Macoma lama meridionalis, M. middendorffi, "M. orbiculata Scarlato", M. moesta (Deshayes) , M. balthica (Linne), M. loveni (Steenstrup) and M. crassula (Deshayes) . As the result of this study, the first two species which distribute mainly in the Okhotsk and Bering Seas have been known from the Plio-Pleistocene strata in the Japan Sea borderland. On the other hand, the latter four species are now living in the North Pacific, Arctic and North Atlantic. Their fossil records are restricted to the Pleistocene of North America and Europe. Therefore, these four species probably migrated in the Japan Sea after late Pleistocene

日本産Volutomitra属(腹足綱)化石の分類と分布

新潟県の灰爪層下部から初めてVolutomira groenlandica alaskana Dallが採集された。また，千葉県の飯岡層産Mitra takii Ozaki，北海道の瀬棚層産Volutomira hahtaii Sawadaは本亜種のシノニムであることを明かにした。さらに，本亜種の出現が鮮新世- 更新世の境界付近であり，鮮新世末期における北半球の寒冷化に伴い南下した事も明かとなった。One specimen of Volutomitra groenlandica alaskana Dall was firstly collected from the lower part of the Haizume Formation in Niigata Prefecture, central Honshu. This subspecies is now living in the northern Pacific region. The Haizume specimen has a small fusiform (shell height = 18.7mm, diameter = 8.0mm) , seven whorls sculptured by some week spiral threads, and four collumellar folds. Mitra takii was proposed by Ozaki (1958), based on the specimen from the Iioka Formation, Chiba Prefecture. Volutomitra hataii was newly described from the Chinkope (=Setana) Formation by Sawada (1962). However, both species are conspecific with V. groenlandica alaskana from their shell shape and their ornamentation. The fossil V. groenlandica alaskana occurrs from the Setana, Tomikawa, Iioka, Wakimoto, and Haizume Formations in Japan. The age of these deposits are assigned to the latest Pliocene to middle Pleistocene. Ogasawara (1996) and Gladenkov et al. (1991) pointed out that the distinct cooling event occurred at 2.5-2.0Ma. Some boreal species, including V. groenlandica alaskana, migrated southward to the Japanese Islands, corresponding with this cooling event

信越地域の鮮新統および下部更新統産Astartidae(二枚貝)

信越地域の鮮新統および下部更新統から産出するAstartidae（二枚貝）の分類について総括し，信越地域のAstartidae中にAstarte hakodatensis Yokoyama，A．sp.，Tridonta alaskensis（Dall），T. borealis Schumacherの4種を認めた。このうち，Astarte sp．は殻高が低く，殻頂が前方に寄り，成長肋が明瞭なことでA．hakodatensisとは区分されること，これまでに報告のない種であることが明らかになった。Tridonta属の方がAstarte属に比べて早期に出現し，Tridonta alaskensisが従来考えられていたよりも早く，4～5Maに出現したことも明らかになった。これはカムチャッカ東方のカラギンスキー島の貝化石群などから推定されているベーリング陸橋崩壊時期とほぼ一致している。Many specimens of Astartidae were obtained from the Pliocene and Lower Pleistocene deposits in the Shin\u27etsu district (Nagano and Niigata Prefectures), Central Japan. These are identified with the following four species; Astarte hakodatensis Yokoyama, A. sp., Tridonta alaskensis (Dall) and T. borealis Schumacher. Among them, Astarte sp. was newly found from the Early Pleistocene Haizume Formation and was hitherto undescribed. This species differs from Astarte hakodatensis by having elongate ovate shells, anteriorly situated beak and distinct concentric ribs. It is allied to Asatrte crenata (Gray) living in Arctic and Atlantic regions. In the Shin\u27etsu district, the genus Tridonta appeared earlier than the Astarte. Especially, Tridonta alaskensis was collected from the Tomikura and Arakurayama Formations which had been dated as 4-5Ma by K/Ar dating method. This period nearly coincides with that of first appearance of Tridonta in Karaginsky Island which occurred by the opening of Bering Strait

A Case of Nivolumab-Induced Severe Mononeuropathy Multiplex and Rhabdomyolysis

We report an 81-year-old man with multiple liver metastases after tumorectomy for primary mediastinal malignant melanoma, who experienced limb weakness and sensory disturbance after nivolumab monotherapy. He was diagnosed with nivolumab-induced mononeuropathy multiplex and rhabdomyolysis based on serologic examination, muscle biopsy, magnetic resonance imaging of the limbs, and a nerve conduction study. A course of intravenous methylprednisolone (mPSL) was initiated at 1 g/day for 3 days. After that, oral prednisolone (PSL) was started at 1 mg/kg/day and gradually tapered. Limb muscle strength improved, but when PSL was reduced to 0.3 mg/kg/day, the weakness recurred, and a nerve conduction study showed exacerbation of mononeuropathy multiplex. The patient was again administered intravenous mPSL (0.5 g/day for 3 days) followed by oral PSL at 0.5 mg/kg/day, and his neurological symptoms improved. Nivolumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, is used for the treatment of advanced melanoma and other cancers and causes various immune-related adverse events (irAEs). However, neurological irAEs related to nivolumab are rare. Furthermore, there are no reports of simultaneous nerve and muscle impairment. Unexpected irAEs affecting various organs should be recognized and treated appropriately

長野県長野市西部の中新統小川層産貝化石群

長野県長野市西部の上部中新統小川層論地泥岩部層の6産地より48種の貝化石を採集した。貝化石群中には中新世塩原（型）動物群の特徴種に加え，鮮新世～更新世前期の大桑・万願寺動物群の特徴種が認められた。また，群集解析により，この化石群は種多様性の高い水深10～30m付近の寒流系種の卓越した群集であることが明らかになった。The Ogawa Formation in the western part of Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture, is subdivided into the Susobana Tuff and the Ronji Mudstone Members in ascending order. The Ronji Member consists of mudstone, alternation of sandstone and mudstone, and fine -grained sandstone. It rests conformably on the Susobana Member and is conformably overlain by the Pliocene Shigarami Formation. The age of the Ronji Member can be assigned to Late Miocene by K-Ar and F. T. dating methods. Forty-eight species of molluscan fossils were obtained from fine- to medium-grained sandstone of the lower part of the Ronji Member. Among these species, some characteristic Miocene species such as Phos iwakianus and Neogenella hokkaidoensis are included. It is noteworthy that this fauna also contains a few characteristic species of Plio-Pleistocene Omma-Manganji fauna which is distributed in the Japan Sea borderland. In this fauna, Lucinoma-Mercenaria Association can be recognized. From the distribution of moderen species, the Lucinoma-Mercenaria is considered as an association which mostly consists of cold-water species and lived in about 10 to 30m of depth. It is interesting to note that this association also shows a high species diversity like as that of the Mercenaria-Clinocardium Association of the Middle Miocene Togeshita fauna in Hokkaido whose generic composition is similar to this association

A Proteomic Approach for Comprehensively Screening Substrates of Protein Kinases Such as Rho-Kinase

BACKGROUND: Protein kinases are major components of signal transduction pathways in multiple cellular processes. Kinases directly interact with and phosphorylate downstream substrates, thus modulating their functions. Despite the importance of identifying substrates in order to more fully understand the signaling network of respective kinases, efficient methods to search for substrates remain poorly explored. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We combined mass spectrometry and affinity column chromatography of the catalytic domain of protein kinases to screen potential substrates. Using the active catalytic fragment of Rho-kinase/ROCK/ROK as the model bait, we obtained about 300 interacting proteins from the rat brain cytosol fraction, which included the proteins previously reported as Rho-kinase substrates. Several novel interacting proteins, including doublecortin, were phosphorylated by Rho-kinase both in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This method would enable identification of novel specific substrates for kinases such as Rho-kinase with high sensitivity

A new Miocene whale-fall community dominated by the bathymodiolin mussel Adipicola from the Hobetsu area, Hokkaido, Japan

金沢大学理工研究域地球社会基盤学系We report the fourth record of a fossil whale-fall community in Japan. The new material consists of a single whale bone in association mainly with small bathymodiolin mussels, Adipicola sp., found in the Karumai Formation (late middle Miocene—early late Miocene) in the Hobetsu area of Hokkaido, Japan. This association of whale bone and Adipicola sp. and its mode of occurrence resembles the description of some other ancient whale-fall communities dominated by small mussels from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State (early Oligocene), Shosanbetsu in Hokkaido (early middle Miocene) and Carpineti in northern Italy (middle Miocene) and constitutes an example of a chemosynthesis-based community sustained by whale-fall decay in the Miocene deep sea. The new example extends the Miocene distribution of bathymodiolin-dominated whale-fall communities to the northwestern Pacific Ocean

Fossil vesicomyid bivalves from Miocene hydrocarbon seep sites, North Island, New Zealand

Two fossil species of vesicomyids are described from Lower to Middle Miocene hydrocarbon seep carbonates in eastern North Island, New Zealand. One elongate species is proposed as a new genus and species: Notocalyptogena neozelandica. The other species probably belongs to the genus Pliocardia, but due to poor preservation is not identified further. The composition of this Miocene vesicomyid seep fauna differs from that found in modern New Zealand seeps located on the offshore Hikurangi convergent margin, which contain the genera Calyptogena, Archivesica, and Isorropodon. The fossil fauna went extinct locally after the Middle Miocene and has been since replaced by the modern vesicomyid taxa

A late Paleocene fauna from shallow-water chemosynthesis-based ecosystems, Spitsbergen, Svalbard

We present a systematic study of late Paleocene macrofauna from methane seep carbonates and associated driftwood in the shallow marine Basilika Formation, Spitsbergen, Svalbard. The fauna is composed of 22 taxa, comprising one brachiopod, 14 bivalves, three gastropods, three crustaceans, and one bony fish. The reported fish remains are among the first vertebrate body fossils from the Paleogene of Spitsbergen. One genus is new: the munidid decapod Valamunida Klompmaker and Robins gen. nov. Four new species are described: the terebratulide brachiopod Neoliothyrina nakremi Bitner sp. nov., the protobranch bivalve Yoldiella spitsbergensis Amano sp. nov., the xylophagain bivalve Xylophagella littlei Hryniewicz sp. nov., and the munidid decapod Valamunida haeggi Klompmaker and Robins gen. et sp. nov. New combinations are provided for the mytilid bivalve Inoperna plenicostata, the thyasirid bivalve Rhacothyas spitzbergensis, the ampullinid gastropod Globularia isfjordensis, and the munidid decapod Protomunida spitzbergica. Thirteen taxa are left in open nomenclature. The fauna contains a few last occurrences of Cretaceous survivors into the Paleocene, as well as first occurrences of Cenozoic taxa. It is composed of chemosymbiotic thyasirid bivalves and background species common in the northern Atlantic and Arctic during the Paleocene. Our results provide no evidence for a Paleocene origin of vesicomyid and bathymodiolin bivalves typical for Eocene and younger seep environments; instead, the Paleo cene seeps of the Basilika Formation are more similar to their Late Cretaceous equi valents rich in thyasirids