For a better environmental communication: a materialist Ecofeminist analysis of Global warming by a male Japanese Ecofeminist

In this paper, I will attempt to engender global warming chiefly by using the theory of materialist ecofeminism. I will show that greenhouse gases, the cause of global warming, derive not from a gender-free zone but from the production sphere, which has been attributed mainly to men, and affect the following three areas: nature, the production sphere, and the reproduction sphere, which has been burdened chiefly by women. Thus, I can say that the production sphere consists of masculinity while the reproduction sphere is based on femininity. Engendering global warming with a materialist ecofeminist perspective provides us with another perspective on masculinity, which has created such a problem and adversely affected nature and femininity. When we consider the problem of global warming, we need to use masculinity in a better and different way while we should re-cognize both nature and femininity, toward its genuine resolution

Influence of substituent modifications on the binding of 2-amino-1,8-naphthyridines to cytosine opposite an AP site in DNA duplexes: thermodynamic characterization

Here, we report on a significant effect of substitutions on the binding affinity of a series of 2-amino-1,8-naphthyridines, i.e., 2-amino-1,8-naphthyridine (AND), 2-amino-7-methyl-1,8-naphthyridine (AMND), 2-amino-5,7-dimethyl-1,8-naphthyridine (ADMND) and 2-amino-5,6,7-trimethyl-1,8-naphthyridine (ATMND), all of which can bind to cytosine opposite an AP site in DNA duplexes. Fluorescence titration experiments show that the binding affinity for cytosine is effectively enhanced by the introduction of methyl groups to the naphthyridine ring, and the 1:1 binding constant (106 M−1) follows in the order of AND (0.30) < AMND (2.7) < ADMND (6.1) < ATMND (19) in solutions containing 110 mM Na+ (pH 7.0, at 20°C). The thermodynamic parameters obtained by isothermal titration calorimetry experiments indicate that the introduction of methyl groups effectively reduces the loss of binding entropy, which is indeed responsible for the increase in the binding affinity. The heat capacity change (ΔCp), as determined from temperature dependence of the binding enthalpy, is found to be significantly different between AND (−161 cal/mol K) and ATMND (−217 cal/mol K). The hydrophobic contribution appears to be a key force to explain the observed effect of substitutions on the binding affinity when the observed binding free energy (ΔGobs) is dissected into its component terms

Seven-plus hours of daily sedentary time and the subsequent risk of breast cancer : Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study

This study aimed to investigate the association between daily sedentary time and the risk of breast cancer (BC) in a large Japanese population. The participants were 36,023 women aged 35–69 years from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for BC incidence in relation to time spent sedentarily (categorical variables: <7 and ≥7 hours/day [h/d]). Additionally, the associations of BC incidence to the joint effect of sedentary time with each component of physical activity, such as leisure-time metabolic equivalents (METs), frequency of leisure-time physical activity, and daily walking time, were examined. During 315,189 person-years of follow-up, 554 incident cases of BC were identified. When compared to participants who spent <7 h/d sedentary, those who spent ≥7 h/d sedentary have a significantly higher risk of BC (HR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.07–1.71). The corresponding HRs among participants who spent ≥7 h/d sedentary with more physical activity, such as ≥1 h/d for leisure-time METs, ≥3 days/week of leisure-time physical activity, and ≥1 h/d of daily walking were 1.58 (95% CI, 1.11–2.25), 1.77 (95% CI, 1.20–2.61), and 1.42 (95% CI, 1.10–1.83), respectively, compared with those who spent <7 h/d sedentary. This study found that spending ≥7 h/d of sedentary time is associated with the risk of BC. Neither leisure-time physical activity nor walking had a BC-preventive effect in those with ≥7 h/d of sedentary time

Constitutive Expression of Insulin Receptor Substrate (IRS)-1 Inhibits Myogenic Differentiation through Nuclear Exclusion of Foxo1 in L6 Myoblasts

Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are well known to play essential roles in enhancement of myogenic differentiation. In this report we showed that initial IGF-I signal activation but long-term IGF-1 signal termination are required for myogenic differentiation. L6 myoblast stably transfected with myc-epitope tagged insulin receptor substrate-1, myc-IRS-1 (L6-mIRS1) was unable to differentiate into myotubes, indicating that IRS-1 constitutive expression inhibited myogenesis. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying myogenic inhibition, IGF-I signaling was examined. IGF-I treatment of control L6 cells for 18 h resulted in a marked suppression of IGF-I stimulated IRS-1 association with the p85 PI 3-kinase and suppression of activation of Akt that correlated with a down regulation of IRS-1 protein. L6-mIRS1 cells, in contrast, had sustained high levels of IRS-1 protein following 18 h of IGF-I treatment with persistent p85 PI 3-kinase association with IRS-1, Akt phosphorylation and phosphorylation of the downstream Akt substrate, Foxo1. Consistent with Foxo1 phosphorylation, Foxo1 protein was excluded from the nuclei in L6-mIRS1 cells, whereas Foxo1 was localized in the nuclei in control L6 cells during induction of differentiation. In addition, L6 cells stably expressing a dominant-interfering form of Foxo1, Δ256Foxo1 (L6-Δ256Foxo1) were unable to differentiate into myotubes. Together, these data demonstrate that IGF-I regulation of Foxo1 nuclear localization is essential for the myogenic program in L6 cells but that persistent activation of IGF-1 signaling pathways results in a negative feedback to prevent myogenesis

ヒト ジンゾウ ニョウサン トランス ポーター URAT 1 ト スイヨウ セイ ヨード ケイ ゾウエイザイ IODIPAMIDE ノ ソウゴ サヨウ

降圧薬などいくつかの薬剤は本来の薬理作用とは別に尿酸降下作用を持つものがあり,水溶性ヨード系造影剤もその一つでiodipamideやdiatrizoateでの尿酸排泄亢進が報告されていた.長らく不明のままであった腎尿酸輸送機構の分子実体は2002年の腎尿細管尿酸トランスポーターURAT1(Urate Transporter 1)の分子同定によりその理解が飛躍的に進んだ.本研究ではURAT1と水溶性造影剤のiodipamideおよびdiatrizoateの相互作用を検討することで,その尿酸排泄促進作用の分子機序の解明を目的とする.URAT1の尿酸輸送活性の測定にはURAT1安定発現HEK293細胞(HEK-URAT1)細胞を用いた.IodipamideはHEK-URAT1細胞でのRI標識尿酸取込みを著明に阻害した(IC_:1.19±0.08?μM)のに対し,diatrizoateは1?mMまでの範囲では50%以上の阻害作用を示さなかった.1?mMまでのiodipamideはHEK-URAT1細胞の生存率に影響を与えなかった.IodipamideによるURAT1媒介尿酸輸送への阻害作用のキネティクス解析の結果,その阻害は競合阻害であり,阻害定数Ki値は11.03?μMであった.以上より,iodipamideは尿酸トランスポーターURAT1と相互作用をすることを初めて確認できた.このことからiodipamideは細胞外からURAT1の尿酸結合部位に結合し,競合して阻害を行うことで,腎尿細管の経上皮性尿酸再吸収を抑制し,ひいては血清尿酸値を低下させるものと考えられた.Drug-induced hypouricemia has been found in several drugs such as probenecid, benzbromarone and angiotensin II receptor blocker(ARB)losartan. Xray contrast agents such as iodipamide and diatrizoate, used for the intravenous cholangiography and excretory urography, were reported to have uricosuric effct beside their original action. After the molecular identification of renal apical urate transporter URAT1 as an entrance of urate into the epithelial cells of proximal tubules, this protein is thought to be major determinant for renal reabsorption of urate that affect the blood urate levels in human. The purpose of this study is to examine whether iodipamide and diatrizoate act on URAT 1 . In URAT 1 -stably expressing HEK293(HEK-URAT1)cells, iodipamide inhibited [^C] urate uptake dose-dependently(IC_ , 1.19±0.08 μM), while diatrizoate did not. Up to the concentration of 1 mM, iodipamide incubation for 24 hr did not affect the viability of HEK293-URAT1 cells. Lineweaver-Burk plot of the kinetic analysis by URAT1-mediated urate uptake with or without iodipamide indicated that its interaction occurs in a competitive manner(Ki:11.03 μM). These results suggest that uricosuric effect of iodipamide can be explained by the interaction of iodipamide with urate-binding site of URAT1, and the inhibition of urate reabsorption from extracellular side by iodipamide causes uricosuria leading to induce hypouricemia

Ecopoeta queer? Uma análise de “Chitô [Tito]”, da poeta japonesa Hiromi Ito

http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0104-026X2011000100018 O conceito de natureza tem sido caracterizado por uma série de dicotomias, comonatureza externa/natureza interna e ambiente natural/corpo. De uma forma geral, a críticaambientalista japonesa tem ignorado o lado direito desses dualismos – natureza interna ecorpo. Este trabalho enfoca essas dimensões suprimidas através do exame do ecopoema deHiromi Ito “Chitô [Tito]”, retirado do livro Noro to Saniwa [Noro e Saniwa], que escreveu comChizuko Ueno. Ao falar sobre natureza interna e corpo, o presente estudo ocupa-se especialmenteda sexualidade e da queeridade. Hiromi Ito é perspectivada como uma ecopoeta queer, porqueem “Chitô”, ao questionar implicitamente a ‘naturalidade’ da heterossexualidade universal, elaproblematiza as fronteiras entre heterossexualidade e homossexualidade, mostra sem inibiçõessua significação erótica retida do estágio anal pré-edipiano em suas explorações sexuaisadultas, assim como uma utopia onanista sadomasoquista (SM) reservada apenas a uma mulher,e trata os homens no poema como sendo meros corpos desmembrados e órgãos sexuaisobjetificados; mais ainda, sua queeridade encontra outras encorporações significantes em suarecusa de se deixar cair na armadilha de identidades sexuais ou sexualidades fixas. Nessesentido, este trabalho ilumina as dimensões esquecidas das dicotomias natureza externa/natureza interna e ambiente natural/corpo em “Chitô”