The effect of exogenous dihydroxyacetone and methylglyoxal on growth, anthocyanin accumulation, and the glyoxalase system in Arabidopsis

Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) occurs in wide-ranging organisms, including plants, and can undergo spontaneous conversion to methylglyoxal (MG). While the toxicity of MG to plants is well-known, the toxicity of DHA to plants remains to be elucidated. We investigated the effects of DHA and MG on Arabidopsis. Exogenous DHA at up to 10 mM did not affect the radicle emergence, the expansion of green cotyledons, the seedling growth, or the activity of glyoxalase II, while DHA at 10 mM inhibited the root elongation and increased the activity of glyoxalase I. Exogenous MG at 1.0 mM inhibited these physiological responses and increased both activities. Dihydroxyacetone at 10 mM increased the MG content in the roots. These results indicate that DHA is not so toxic as MG in Arabidopsis seeds and seedlings and suggest that the toxic effect of DHA at high concentrations is attributed to MG accumulation by the conversion to MG

Surgical treatment of thoracoabdominal aortic mural and floating thrombi extending to infrarenal aorta

AbstractThe case of a 49-year-old man with thoracoabdominal aortic mural and floating thrombi extending to the infrarenal aorta and occlusion of the common iliac artery is described. He had no factors promoting thrombosis, with a history of thrombectomy of the femoral artery. The thoracoabdominal aortic thrombi were successfully removed with a Forgaty catheter through a thoracotomy under simple aortic clamping and subsequent femoro-femoral cardiopulmonary bypass. Intravascular ultrasound performed through the femoral artery after thrombectomy revealed that little mural thrombi remained and that the celiac, superior mesenteric, and bilateral renal arteries were all patent

Kinetics of Cr(VI) adsorption on used black tea leaves

金沢大学大学院自然科学研究科エコサイクルシステム金沢大学工学部Kinetic investigations were carried out to evaluate the applicability of used black tea leaves (UBTLs) as a low-cost adsorbent to the removal of chromium(VI) from aqueous solutions. The effects of various kinetic parameters were investigated using a batch process. The adsorption of Cr(VI) on UBTLs occurs rapidly in the first day, followed by a slow process that requires more than 10 days to reach its equilibrium. The initial adsorption rate increases with increasing initial concentration of Cr(VI) in the solution and processing temperature. The adsorption kinetics follows Richie\u27s pseudo-second order rate equation better than the Lagergren\u27s pseudo-first order one. The rate constant of the pseudo-second order adsorption is affected by the processing conditions such as the initial Cr(VI) concentration, solution pH, temperature and foreign ions. The results of the kinetic experiments showed that the adsorption of Cr(VI) on UBTLs is an endothermic process and the activation energy of adsorption is 16.3 kJ mol-1. Copyright © 2005 The Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 mRNA overexpression in peripheral blood as a useful prognostic marker in breast cancer

INTRODUCTION: Identification of useful markers associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients is critically needed. We previously showed that expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 mRNA in peripheral blood may be useful to predict distant metastasis in gastric cancer patients. However, expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 mRNA in peripheral blood of breast cancer patients has not yet been studied. METHODS: Real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR was used to analyze vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 mRNA expression status with respect to various clinical parameters in 515 patients with breast cancer and 25 controls. RESULTS: Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 mRNA in peripheral blood was higher in breast cancer patients than in controls. Increased vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 mRNA expression was associated with large tumor size, lymph node metastasis and clinical stage. Patients with high vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 mRNA expression also experienced a poorer survival rate than those with low expression levels, including those patients with triple-negative type and luminal-HER2(-) type disease. CONCLUSIONS: Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 mRNA in peripheral blood may be useful for prediction of poor prognosis in breast cancer, especially in patients with triple-negative type and luminal-HER2(-) type disease

Involvement of OST1 Protein Kinase and PYR/PYL/RCAR Receptors in Methyl Jasmonate-Induced Stomatal Closure in Arabidopsis Guard Cells

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) induces stomatal closure. It has been shown that stomata of many ABA-insensitive mutants are also insensitive to MeJA, and a low amount of ABA is a prerequisite for the MeJA response. However, the molecular mechanisms of the interaction between ABA and MeJA signaling remain to be elucidated. Here we studied the interplay of signaling of the two hormones in guard cells using the quadruple ABA receptor mutant pyr1 pyl1 pyl2 pyl4 and ABA-activated protein kinase mutants ost1-2 and srk2e. In the quadruple mutant, MeJA-induced stomatal closure, H2O2 production, nitric oxide (NO) production, cytosolic alkalization and plasma membrane Ca(2+)-permeable current (ICa) activation were not impaired. At the same time, the inactivation of the inward-rectifying K(+) current was impaired. In contrast to the quadruple mutant, MeJA-induced stomatal closure, H2O2 production, NO production and cytosolic alkalization were impaired in ost1-2 and srk2e as well as in aba2-2, the ABA-deficient mutant. The activation of ICa was also impaired in srk2e. Collectively, these results indicated that OST1 was essential for MeJA-induced stomatal closure, while PYR1, PYL1, PYL2 and PYL4 ABA receptors were not sufficient factors. MeJA did not appear to activate OST1 kinase activity. This implies that OST1 mediates MeJA signaling through an undetectable level of activity or a non-enzymatic action. MeJA induced the expression of an ABA synthesis gene, NCED3, and increased ABA contents only modestly. Taken together with previous reports, this study suggests that MeJA signaling in guard cells is primed by ABA and is not brought about through the pathway mediated by PYR1, PYL1 PYL2 and PYL4

The Effects of Volcanic Disaster on the Prevalence and Severity of Bronchial Asthma

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of volcanic disaster on bronchial asthma, the prevalence and the extent of deterioration of asthma were studied among primary school children aged 6 to 11 years who experienced the volcanic eruption of Mt. Unzen Fugen, Nagasaki, Japan. Methods: Questionnaire data were collected from the parents or guardians of primary school children. Asthma was classified into four categories: diagnosed asthma, current asthma, remitted asthma, and deteriorated asthma, and the prevalence of each category was compared according to sex and grade. We also analyzed the relation between asthma and past illness and family history including experience of volcanic disaster. Results: Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that past illnesses of allergic diseases, such as allergic rhinitis, dermatitis and conjunctivitis were associated with either current asthma or deteriorated asthma. On the effects of volcanic disaster, a change of family member after volcanic disaster was significantly associated with deteriorated asthma (odds ratio=3.20, 95% confidence interval=1.79-5.70). Location of school seemed to somewhat influence the prevalence of deteriorated asthma, which might relate to the distance from the volcanic crater. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that not only gases and ash but also changes in psychosocial conditions by refuge or related anxiety may influence the prevalence of asthma among primary school children

A preliminary proposal of policy for dairy herd health management from the viewpoints of culling in the Hiroshima University Farm

近年日本の乳牛の平均除籍産次数が3.4産程度に低下しており，対策が必要な現状にある．本研究の目的は，本学農場の乳牛除籍の傾向を把握して，対策について考察することである．2000～2015年度の本農場の記録をもとに解析した．本農場では常時20～25頭程度の搾乳牛が飼養され，2011年3月までは1日2回のパーラー搾乳，それ以降は24時間自動搾乳が行われた．期間内に83頭の乳牛が除籍になり，うち67頭が肉畜として出荷され，16頭が農場内で死亡した．除籍頭数割合は産次とともに増加し，6産時が最も多かった．除籍率は，初産時が最も低く，徐々に増加して4産，5産時に40%を超え，6産時に急激に増加して77.8%となった．除籍理由として，繁殖障害，乳房炎等の疾病が推察された．一般的な繁殖成績改善と疾病予防を進めるとともに，6産以降は繁殖と疾病の履歴に基づき，飼養継続の判断基準確立が必要と考えられた．In Japan, mean value for parity of dairy cows at culling has decreased to 3.4; measures to improve this are required. The aim of the present study is to understand the trends of culling of dairy cows at the Hiroshima University Farm. For that purpose, the farm’s records for dairy cow culling during the period of 2000–2015 were analyzed. At the farm, 20–27 dairy cows are regularly being milked. In March 2011, the milking system at the farm was changed from a milking parlor system to an automatic milking system. During the 16 years analyzed, 67 cows sold for meat and 16 cows that died at the farm totaled to 83 culled cows. The proportion of culled cows for each parity to total culled cows increased with increasing parity, and the number of cows culled at their 6th parity was the highest. The proportion of culled cows to cows that delivered at each parity gradually increased to more than 40% at the 5th parity, and drastically increased to more than 77.8% at the 6th parity. The reasons for culling were reproductive difficulty and diseases, such as mastitis. Therefore, general measures for improving reproductive performance and disease prevention should be taken for the cows at the 4th or lower parity. In addition, for dairy cows at the 5th or higher parity, a diagnostic decision on whether they are artificially inseminated for further delivery or not might be required depending on the individual cow’s record of reproduction and diseases