An Endonuclease Excising 8-Oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine in Regenerating Rat Liver

Oxidative DNA damage is generated in every tissue in the body, and is mainly excised by glycosylases. However, endonucleases and exonucleases are suggested as being present in tissues, since oxidized nucleosides such as thymidine glycol and 8-Oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine are detected in urine. For this reason, we studied repair enzymes induced in regenerating rat liver, and detected an enzyme cleaves phosphodiester bonds on the 5'side of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine nucleotides in DNA. The coexistence of this enzyme and phosphodiesterase II results in the release of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine monophosphate from calf thymus DNA enriched with 8-oxoguanine by γ-ray irradiation. This enzyme is found in regenerating rat liver, but not in normal rat liver. The enzyme may have a specific connection to DNA replication.DNA酸化傷害は身体中のあらゆる細胞で発生し，主にグリコシラーゼ類によって除去されている．しかし，チミジングリコールや8-オキソ-2’-デオキシグアノシンのような酸化ヌクレオシドも尿中に排泄されてきて検出されるので，エンドヌクレアーゼとエキソヌクレアーゼが組織中に存在することが示唆される．本研究は複製が活発に行われる再生肝を用いて，エンドヌクレアーゼ活性を持つ修復酵素をホスホセルロースカラムによって分離して検出することを試みた．その結果，再生肝中にDNA中の8-オキソ-2’-デオキシグアノシンヌクレオシドの5’側のホスホジエステル結合を切断する活性があることが判明した．本酵素とホスホジエステラーゼを共存させると，γ-線を照射して8-オキソグアニンを豊富に含む子ウシ胸腺DNAから，8-オキソ-2’-デオキシグアノシンが放出された．本酵素はラット再生肝では認められたが，通常のラット肝では認められなかった．本酵素は，DNA複製と特異的に関連しているのかもしれない

Effects of nicorandil, a potassium channel opener, on idiopathic ventricular tachycardia

AbstractObjectives. We assessed the effects of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)–sensitive potassium channel opener, nicorandil, on ATP- and verapamil-responsive ventricular tachycardias (VTs).Background. Adenosine- or ATP-sensitive VTs are thought to be due to a nonreentrant mechanism, presumably delayed afterdepolarization. We suggest that this potassium channel opener may suppress ATP- and verapamil-sensitive VTs.Methods. The subjects included 13 patients with idiopathic VTs, 7 of whom had sustained VT and 6 of whom had nonsustained VT. We evaluated the effects of ATP, nicorandil and verapamil on VTs.Results. Sustained VT: Verapamil had preventive effects on seven VTs. Four VTs were terminated by ATP, and of these, nicorandil terminated two and prevented exercise-induced VT in the two others. Three ATP-insensitive VTs, which were determined to be due to a reentry by an electrophysiologic study, were not terminated by nicorandil. Nonsustained VT: All six VTs were inhibited by ATP, and five of these were suppressed by nicorandil. Verapamil inhibited four of the five VTs. QT intervals and the corrected QT intervals were significantly shortened by nicorandil.Conclusions. Nicorandil suppresses ATP- and verapamil-responsive VTs. One of the mechanisms of suppression by nicorandil might be related to a reduction of calcium in the myocardium, because it reduces the action potential duration

Psychological factors that promote behavior modification by obese patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The weight-loss effect of team medical care in which counseling is provided by clinical psychologists was investigated in an university hospital obesity (OB) clinic. Nutritional and exercise therapy were also studied. In our previous study, we conducted a randomized, controlled trial with obese patients and confirmed that subjects who received counseling lost significantly more weight than those in a non-counseling group. The purpose of this study was to identify the psychological characteristics assessed by ego states that promote behavior modification by obese patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>147 obese patients (116 females, 31 males; mean age: 45.9 ± 15.4 years) participated in a 6-month weight-loss program in our OB clinic. Their psychosocial characteristics were assessed using the Tokyo University Egogram (TEG) before and after intervention. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare weight and psychological factors before and after intervention. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify factors affecting weight loss.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall, 101 subjects (68.7%) completed the program, and their data was analyzed. The subjects mean weight loss was 6.2 ± 7.3 kg (<it>Z </it>= 7.72, <it>p </it>< 0.01), and their mean BMI decreased by 2.4 ± 2.7 kg/m²(<it>Z </it>= 7.65, <it>p </it>< 0.01). Significant differences were observed for the Adult (A) ego state (0.68 ± 3.56, <it>Z </it>= 1.95, <it>p </it>< 0.05) and the Free Child (FC) ego state (0.59 ± 2.74, <it>Z </it>= 2.46, <it>p </it>< 0.01). The pre-FC ego state had a significant effect on weight loss (β = 0.33, <it>p </it>< 0.01), and a tendency for changes in the A ego state scores to affect weight loss (β = - 0.20, <it>p </it>= 0.06) was observed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study of a 6-month weight-loss program that included counseling by clinical psychologists confirmed that the A ego state of obese patients, which is related to their self-monitoring skill, and the FC ego state of them, which is related to their autonomy, were increased. Furthermore, the negative aspects of the FC ego state related to optimistic and instinctive characteristics inhibited the behavior modification, while the A ego state represented objective self-monitoring skills that may have contributed to weight loss.</p

ALMA ACA detection of submillimeter emission associated with the west hot spot of the radio galaxy Pictor A

In order to investigate the far-infrared excess detected from the west hot spot of the radio galaxy Pictor A with the Herschel observatory, a submillimeter photometry is performed with the Atacama Compact Array (ACA) of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array at Band 8 with the reference frequency of 405 GHz. A submillimeter source is discovered at the radio peak of the hot spot. Because the 405 GHz flux density of the source, $80.7\pm3.1$ mJy, agrees with the extrapolation of the synchrotron radio spectrum, the far-infrared excess is suggested to exhibit no major contribution at the ACA band. In contrast, by subtracting the power-law spectrum tightly constrained by the radio and ACA data, the significance of the excess in the Herschel band is well confirmed. No diffuse submillimeter emission is detected within the ACA field of view, and thus, the excess is ascribed to the west hot spot itself. In comparison to the previous estimate based on the Herschel data, the relative contribution of the far-infrared excess is reduced by a factor of $\sim 1.5$. The spectrum of the excess below the far-infrared band is determined to be harder than that of the diffusive shock acceleration. This strengthens the previous interpretation that the excess originates via the magnetic turbulence in the substructures within the hot spot. The ACA data are utilized to evaluate the magnetic field strength of the excess and of diffuse radio structure associated to the hot spot.Comment: 10 pages,4 figures, 3 tables, accepted for Ap

Thiolene-Based Microfluidic Flow Cells for Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging

Thiolene-based microfluidic devices have been coupled with surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRI) to provide an integrated platform to study interfacial interactions in both aqueous and organic solutions. In this work, we develop a photolithographic method that interfaces commercially available thiolene resin to gold and glass substrates to generate microfluidic channels with excellent adhesion that leave the underlying sensor surface free from contamination and readily available for surface modification through self-assembly. These devices can sustain high flow rates and have excellent solvent compatibility even with several organic solvents. To demonstrate the versatility of these devices, we have conducted nanomolar detection of streptavidin-biotin interactions using in situ SPRI. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3596395

THE RELATION OF BETWEEN RAINFALL AND SEDIMENT DISCHARGE IN THE NISHIDANI AND THE KUMANOGAWADANI RIVER BASIN

我が国では，近年，森林の荒廃により，降水時に土砂生産・流入や崩壊危険度が増大している流域が存在するため，降水や森林荒廃が土砂生産等に影響を及ぼす程度を明確にする必要がある．本研究では，和歌山県の二級河川富田川支川の西谷川および熊野川谷川流域で，降水，河川水位，流砂量の観測を行うとともに，富田川流域に隣接する一級河川熊野川右支川の音無川流域における流出土砂推計値の検討を行った結果，降水量と流砂量の間に，雨量の閾値，土砂流出に有効な降雨強度および一次関数の関係式を見出せた．また，得られた関係式に基づく流出土砂量の予測により効率的な河川管理を行い，治水安全度の向上に資する可能性について考察を行った．Due to forest dilapidations in recent years, sediment yields from a slope and slope collapsing risk are increased. In addition to devastating sediment disasters such as happened in Kii Peninsula flooding in 2011, continuous sediment runoff following to such disasters causes riverbed aggradation and revetment damage under normal flood period,which seriously threatens safety level of flood control. Thus it is important to clarify the relationship between precipitation and sediment discharge. In this study, we analysed the relationship in the Otonashi River basin, a tributary of the Kumano River in Kii Peninsula, and tried to derive a critical hourly precipitation, that is effective to yield sediment discharge. From the analyses, the critical hourly precipitation can be found around 15mm/h or 20mm/h. Moreover, by applying the critical hourly precipitation as a cut-off value to the accumulated precipitation, a linear function between the adjusted precipitation and sediment discharge becomes clearer. These concepts were also applied to the observational results in the Nishidani and the Kumanogawadani river Basin, tributaries of the Tonda River adjacent to the Kumano River, then we showed the proposed linear function can estimate sediment discharge in accordance with a rainfall event reasonably well. Although the coefficients of the function vary from one river basin to another, the concept can be useful to estimate sediment deposition within a river section after normal flood roughly but quite easily

Intake of Radionuclides in the Trees of Fukushima Forests 5. Earthquake Could Have Caused an Increase in Xyloglucan in Trees

A megathrust earthquake caused the Fukushima–Daiichi nuclear power plant accident, which dispersed abundant radioiodines, causing them to be bound to xyloglucan into forest trees. Nevertheless, targeted xyloglucan was found in increased quantities in the annual rings of forest trees affected by the earthquake. We propose that trees could acclimate rapidly to shaking stress through an increase in xyloglucan deposition as a plant response under natural phenomena

A novel Stim1-dependent, non-capacitative Ca2+ entry pathway is activated by B cell receptor stimulation and depletion of Ca2+ stores

In most non-excitable cells, the depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores activates capacitative Ca2+ entry (CCE), which is a Ca2+-selective and La3+-sensitive entry pathway. Here, we report a novel mechanism of La3+-resistant Ca2+ entry that is synergistically regulated by B cell receptor (BCR) stimulation and Ca2+ store depletion (B-SOC). In the wildtype (WT) DT40 cells, BCR stimulation with anti-IgM antibodies induced Ca2+ release and subsequent Ca2+ entry in the presence of 0.3 μMLa3+ which blocks CCE completely. In the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor-deficient (IP3R-KO) cells, BCR stimulation elicited neither Ca2+ release nor Ca2+ entry. However, under pretreatment of thapsigargin (ThG), BCR stimulation induced La3+-resistant Ca2+ entry into both WT and IP3R-KO cells. These results indicate that BCR stimulation and Ca2+ store depletion work in concert to activate the La3+-resistant Ca2+ entry pathway. B-SOC was inhibited by tyrosine kinase inhibitor, genistein. In addition, B-SOC was completely abolished in Stim1-deficient cells and was restored by overexpression of yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)-tagged Stim1, but was unaffected by double knockdown of Orai1/Orai2. These results demonstrate a unique non-CCE pathway, in which Ca2+ entry depends on Stim1 and tyrosine kinase activation. It is likely that similar regulation of Ca2+ entry occurs in other cell types including salivary gland cells

Preparation of Metal-Containing Diamond-Like Carbon Films by Magnetron Sputtering and Plasma Source Ion Implantation and Their Properties

Metal-containing diamond-like carbon (Me-DLC) films were prepared by a combination of plasma source ion implantation (PSII) and reactive magnetron sputtering. Two metals were used that differ in their tendency to form carbide and possess a different sputter yield, that is, Cu with a relatively high sputter yield and Ti with a comparatively low one. The DLC film preparation was based on the hydrocarbon gas ethylene (C2H4). The preparation technique is described and the parameters influencing the metal content within the film are discussed. Film properties that are changed by the metal addition, such as structure, electrical resistivity, and friction coefficient, were evaluated and compared with those of pure DLC films as well as with literature values for Me-DLC films prepared with a different hydrocarbon gas or containing other metals