Dl-α-tocopherol enhances the herbicide 1,1'-dimetyl-4,4'-bipyridium dichloride (paraquat, PQ) genotoxicity in cultured anuran leukocytes

This cytogenetic and pharmacological study attempts to clarify genotoxicity-enhancement-effect of dl-α-tocopherol (one form of vitamin E) in combination with the herbicide 1,1'-dimetyl-4,4'-bipyridium dichloride (paraquat, PQ) on cultured anuran leukocytes using the superoxide dismutase-mimic Mn(III)tetrakis(1-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin (Mn(III)TMpyP), the hydrogen peroxide-scavenger catalase and the electron donor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotido phosphate (NADPH). PQ only was found to induce structural chromosomal damage in cultured anuran leukocytes in a dose-dependent manner. PQ plus NADPH, which served as positive control, enhanced the genotoxic effect of PQ. Dl-α-tocopherol only did not induce any structural chromosomal damage in the leukocytes. PQ plus dl-α-tocopherol, however, enhanced the genotoxic effect of PQ. PQ plus Mn(III)TMpyP, PQ plus catalase and PQ plus Mn(III)TMpyP plus catalse suppressed the genotoxic effect of PQ. Furthermore, PQ plus dl-α-tocopherol-enhanced chromosomal damage was also inhibited by Mn(III)TMpyP plus catalase. These results suggest that dl-α-tocopherol in combination with PQ functions as an electron donor to PQ

Four Kinds of Sex Chromosomes in Rana rugosa

The sex chromosomes of Rana rugosa distributed widely in Japan were analyzed by the methods of conventional staining, C-banding and late replication (LR)-banding on 196 frogs consisting of 105 females and 91 males belonging to 24 populations of one group and three subgroups. The chromosome numbers of these frogs were all of 2n=26. The 12 pairs other than chromosome pair No. 7 had no sex differences in all the populations. In chromosome pair No. 7,sex-specific changes were found among some local populations. Seven populations belonging to the northern subgroup of the eastern group, including the Asahikawa and Sapporo populations in Hokkaido region, the Hirosaki, Akita and Inawashiro populations in Tohoku region, the Murakami and Kanazawa populations in Hokuriku region and the Katata population in Kinki region of the southern subgroup, had chromosome pair No. 7 which was the sex chromosomes of the ZW type. The Z chromosome was subtelo- or submetacentric, while the W chromosome was metacentric. By the C-banding and LR-banding patterns, the Z chromosome was divided into five types, Z^A, Z^B, Z^C, Z^D and Z^O, while the W chromosome was divided into two types, W^1 and W^2. Five populations of the southern subgroup of the eastern group, including the Toba population in Kinki region, and the Oigawa, Hamakita, Miyakoda and Yonezu populations in Chubu region,..

環境配慮型購買行動の現状と普及のための課題 : 大阪GPN会員アンケートをもとに

本研究の目的は,環境配慮型購買行動(グリーン購入)の取り組みの現状と普及のための課題を把握することである。グリーン購入に関する官民協働のネットワーク組織のなかで最も新しい大阪グリーン購入ネットワーク(大阪GPN;2012年設立)の会員団体(自治体・事業者)へのアンケート調査を実施し,その結果を,最も歴史のある地域組織の滋賀GPN(1999年設立)が会員企業と県内の非会員企業に対して実施したアンケート結果と比較した。その結果,地域性,組織の活動期間の長さ,企業と自治体,会員企業と一般企業,の各要因で相違が確認された

Acetyl-L-carnitine suppresses thyroid hormone-induced and spontaneous anuran tadpole tail shortening

Mitochondrial membrane permeability transition (MPT) plays a crucial role in apoptotic tail shortening during anuran metamor phosis. L-carnitine is known to shuttle free fatty acids (FFAs) from the cytosol into mitochondria matrix for -oxidation and energy production, and in a previous study we found that treatment with L-carnitine suppresses 3, 3', 5-triiodothyronine (T3) and FFA-induced MPT by reducing the level of FFAs. In the present study we focus on acetyl-L-carnitine, which is also involved in fatty acid oxidation, to determine its effect on T3-induced tail regression in Rana rugosa tadpoles and spontaneous tail regression in Xenopus laevis tadpoles. The ladder-like DNA profile and increases in caspase-3 and caspase-9 indicative of apoptosis in the tails of T3-treated tadpoles were found to be suppressed by the addition of acetyl-L-carnitine. Likewise, acetyl-L-carnitine was found to inhibit thyroid hormone regulated spontaneous metamorphosis in X. laevis tadpoles, accompanied by decreases in caspase and phospholipase A2 activity, as well as non-ladder-like DNA profiles. These findings support our previous conclusion that elevated levels of FFAs initiate MPT and activate the signaling pathway controlling apoptotic cell death in tadpole tails during anuran metamorphosis

地域中核病院から病理解剖を依頼したALS

An 82-year-old man, who developed dysphagia several months ago, presented Tokushima University Hospital and was diagnosed of ALS in December 2019. The patient got gradually worse and became bedridden in May 2020. He was admitted into Tokushima University Hospital suffering an aspiration pneumonia in June 2020. The pneumonia rapidly improved with a treatment ; however, the patient failed to be treated at home against his wish and was transferred to Kaminaka Hospital. We accepted his wish for refusing mechanical ventilation or tube feeding. Later, we requested autopsy consent from the patient. He did not refuse our proposal ; therefore, we presearched transporters capable to deceased bodies and contacted the division of pathology in Tokushima University. 60 days later, the patient died due to a suddenly developed putamen hemorrhage. After getting the family's consent, as previously arranged, we transferred the deceased body to Tokushima University and accomplished an autopsy. Although the number of autopsies is declining, we suggest that hospital collaboration may help perform autopsies

Investigations of the radial propagation of blob-like structure in a non-confined electron cyclotron resonance heated plasma on Q-shu University Experiment with a Steady-State Spherical Tokamak

A study of radial propagation and electric fields induced by charge separation in blob-like structures has been performed in a non-confined cylindrical electron cyclotron resonance heating plasma on Q-shu University Experiment with a Steady-State Spherical Tokamak using a fast-speed camera and a Langmuir probe. The radial propagation of the blob-like structures is found to be driven by E × B drift. Moreover, these blob-like structures were found to have been accelerated, and the property of the measured radial velocities agrees with the previously proposed model [C. Theiler et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 065001 (2009)]. Although the dependence of the radial velocity on the connection length of the magnetic field appeared to be different, a plausible explanation based on enhanced short-circuiting of the current path can be proposed