Culture, History and Applications of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Japan

Historically, the Japanese began to use aromatic and medicinal plants for ritual activities, food flavor, and treatment of their bodies. The exotic plants, new ideas, and culture associated with medicinal and aromatic plants were introduced to Japan from other countries, primarily via Korea. In this way, experience and knowledge of uses were accumulated, and applications of aromatic and medicinal plants were expanded. The oldest Japanese medicine “Wa ho” leads the way to folk medicine today, and traditional Japanese medicine (Kampo) has spread into modern use. The elegance tradition of “Kodo,” an incense ceremony of Japan, was developed because of the use of aromatic incensed wood in sixteenth century as recreation. Paired along with this ceremony is the Japanese sa-do tea ceremony that the spirituality and esthetic sense are inherited to Japanese today. Japanese green tea is becoming popular in many countries due to the constituent, catechins, that medically treats vascular disease, several cancers, and type II diabetes. Today, the Japanese medical system has new direction, integrating medicine with the adoption of modern western and alternative medicine. Scientific data must continue to be collected for interactions between the two medicinal systems for integrative medicine to be ideal for body, mind, and spirit of humans and nature

Role of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Past, Present, and Future

Before the concept of history began, humans undoubtedly acquired life benefits by discovering medicinal and aromatic plants that were food and medicine. As our early ancestors learned to recognize and consume selected plants, civilization and personal and group health could advance. Traditional medicine would become part of every civilization with medicinal and aromatic plants widely used and applied to maintain life. Undoubtedly, the variety of available plant materials would be tasted and tested to determine whether a plant was valuable as a food or medicine. Today, a variety of available herbs and spices are used and enjoyed throughout the world and continue to promote good health. As the benefits from medicinal and aromatic plants are recognized, these plants will have a special role for humans in the future

Macromolecular lactate dehydrogenase linked to serum IgG of a patient with liver cirrhosis

An anomalous zymogram of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the serum from a patient with liver cirrhosis was reported. Agar-gel electrophoresis of serum showed an extra LDH band close to the anodic side of LDH5 and a wide band of LDH5. Gel filtration of patient's serum in Sephadex G-200 demonstrated an abnormal LDH fraction eluted between immunoglobulin G (IgG) and macroglobulin in addition to a normal LDH component. Chromatographically abnormal LDH was demonstrated on agar gel as extra and wide LDH5 bands and resembled closely human hepatic LDH in various physico-chemical properties such as inhibition by urea or substrate, stability against heat, and Michaelis-Menten's constant. Immunological analyses demonstrated that abnormal LDH could be in the state combined with IgG. Molecular weight of the complex estimated by gel filtration was approximately 300,000. Mixtures of the heated patient's serum with normal or patient's hepatic LDH showed abnormal LDH fraction by gel filtration, whereas abnormal fraction was not demonstrated when heated normal serum was mixed with normal or the patient's hepatic LDH. These results strongly suggest that the occurrence of anomalous LDH zymogram in patient's serum is due to a formation of LDH-IgG complex, which is based on the binding of essentially normal hepatic LDH and abnormal IgG.</p

Robot arm system for automatic satellite capture and berthing

Load control is one of the most important technologies for capturing and berthing free flying satellites by a space robot arm because free flying satellites have different motion rates. The performance of active compliance control techniques depend on the location of the force sensor and the arm's structural compliance. A compliance control technique for the robot arm's structural elasticity and a consideration for an end-effector appropriate for it are presented in this paper

Predicting Solid–Liquid Equilibrium of Fatty Acid Methyl Ester and Monoglyceride Mixtures as Biodiesel Model Fuels

An erratum to this article is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746‐017‐3029‐4.Fatty acid methyl esters from plant oils are the main component of biodiesel and used as a substitute for petroleum diesel. Biodiesel generally contains a small amount of monoglycerides as intermediate compounds, which have high melting points and often solidify and clog fuel filters. The prediction of the cold‐flow property of biodiesel is of great importance for practical application. In this study, a thermodynamic study was conducted for mixtures of monoglycerides and fatty acid methyl esters. Temperatures of the solid–liquid equilibrium for the mixtures were measured by differential scanning calorimetry and visual observation, while the theoretical values were calculated using the modified Universal Quasi‐chemical Functional‐group Activity Coefficients (UNIFAC) model (Dortmund). The theoretical and experimental results were in good agreement, especially for binary mixtures of monoglycerides and methyl esters. The importance of monoglycerides on the cold‐flow properties of biodiesel was determined, and the effects could be well described by the modified UNIFAC model (Dortmund)

Versatile strategy using vaccinia virus-capping enzyme to synthesize functional 5′ cap-modified mRNAs

様々な5'キャップ構造をもつ機能的なmRNAの汎用的な合成方法 酵素を用いて簡便かつ効率的に. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-02-03.Development of a versatile method to synthesize functional mRNAs with diverse 5' cap structures. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-02-03.The potential of synthetic mRNA as a genetic carrier has increased its application in scientific fields. Because the 5′ cap regulates the stability and translational activity of mRNAs, there are concerted efforts to search for and synthesize chemically-modified 5′ caps that improve the functionality of mRNA. Here, we report an easy and efficient method to synthesize functional mRNAs by modifying multiple 5′ cap analogs using a vaccinia virus-capping enzyme. We show that this enzyme can introduce a variety of GTP analogs to the 5′ end of RNA to generate 5′ cap-modified mRNAs that exhibit different translation levels. Notably, some of these modified mRNAs improve translation efficiency and can be conjugated to chemical structures, further increasing their functionality. Our versatile method to generate 5′ cap-modified mRNAs will provide useful tools for RNA therapeutics and biological research

季節と天候による骨折リスクの差 : 日本のレセプト情報データベースを用いた、全ての年齢・部位に関する包括的な分析

Although age- and season-specific effects on fracture risk have been reported, the effects of seasonality across different age groups and for different fracture sites have not yet been clarified. Therefore, our study aimed to comprehensively investigate the effects of seasonality on fracture risk across age and fracture sites using a large-scale population database of fracture incidence. Fracture data were accumulated over a 3-year period in the region of Tokyo and in surrounding areas, which accounts for a total population of 42 million. Information on fracture occurrence, fracture site, and patient demographics were obtained from the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan (NDB). Over the study period, 508,051 fractures were identified across the following five age groups: 0-19, 20-39, 40-64, 65-79, and 80+ years. The incidence rate for fractures in 10 site groups was calculated. Fracture risk was the highest in the spring and autumn for children aged 0-19 years and was the highest in the winter for elderly individuals (65-79 and 80+ years). Toe fractures, which occurred more frequently in the summer, were the most notable exception. The risk of fracture of the distal radius and hip was associated with daily temperature and rainfall and was elevated on days with a mean temperature higher than that of the previous day. Fracture risk exhibited seasonal variations that differed between children and elderly individuals and between toe fractures and fractures at other sites. These findings can help us understand the epidemiology of fractures and develop preventive strategies, as well as aid in the allocation of healthcare resources.博士（医学）・甲第718号・令和元年9月27

Genetic Analysis of Cardiacβ Myosin Heavy Chain(MHC)Gene in Seven Families with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Japan

The purpose of this study was to identify the presence of either mutation or polymorphism in the cardiac β myosin heavy chain (MHC) gene of the Japanese who had familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHCM). We analyzed exons 3-25 of the cardiac MHC gene in seven unrelated Japanese families (17 affected and 10 unaffected individual with HCM), using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Our study showed that affected members of one family (proband; I.I.) had an identical pattern of aberrantly migrating band of exon 21.Similarly we found polymorphism and probable point mutation located on exon 3 of one patient with sporadic HCM (Pt;T.M.). Both proband;I. I. and Pt; T.M., developed lethal congestive heart failure with left ventricular (LV) dilatation as confirmed by autopsy. This suggest that PCR-SSCP analysis is an useful tool for clinical screening of HCM