Protective effect of lipoproteins containing apoprotein A-I on Cu2+ - catalyzed oxidation of human low density lipoprotein

AbstractTwo apoprotein A-I (apoA-I)-containing lipoproteins, one containing apoA-I and apoA-II (LpA-I/A-II) and the other containing only apoA-I (LpA-I), were examined for their effect on Cu2+-mediated oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL). The presence of LpA-I or LpA-I/A-II prevented LDL oxidation when assessed by the electrophoretic mobility, apoprotein B fragmentation and amounts of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances. The protection of LDL oxidation by these lipoproteins was effective for up to 6 h, with LpA-I being more active than LpA-I/A-II. Results from these in vitro model experiments raise a possibility that LpA-I mayplay a role in protecting LDL from Cu2+ -mediated oxidation

A\u27\u27Translanguaging" developmental Assessment should be given to CLD children - A study to distinguish behveen a developmental disorder and temporary double-limited -

現在日本の小学校の特別支援学級には数多くの外国にルーツを持つ児童（CLO児童）が在籍している。CLO児童は一般的に一時的なダブルリミテッド状況にあるのか機能的障害なのかの見分けがつきにくく，特別支援学級に誤配躍されるケースが多く見られる。特に集住地区である東海地区においては，多くのブラジル国籍の児童が特別支援学級に在籍している。本研究では，日本の学校の特別支援学級に在籍，または発達障害と見られている日系ブラジル人児童6名に対し，ポルトガル語と日本語の言語能力調査と，ポルトガル語と日本語による知能検査(WISC-N)を行った。その結果，IQ, 行動観察共に障害がないと思われる児童が2名いた。また，CLO児童は言語相補的にパフォーマンスが現れる可能性があることが明らかになった。この結果よりバイリンガルテスターによる発達アセスメントを行う必要性があることが示唆された。In recent years, a special-needs class of elementary school in Japan enrolls many CLD children who have roots in foreign countries. Generally, it is difficult for a CLD child to tell whether it is temporary double-limited or functional obstacle, and many cases are misdirected in a special-needs class. Especially in the Tokai area, which many Brazilian live children are enrolled in those classes. In this study, six Japanese Brazilian children enrolled in a special needs class of Japanese elementary school or seen as a developmental disorder are asked to investigate the language ability of Portuguese and Japanese, intelligence test in Portuguese and Japanese (WISC-IV) was conducted. As a result, there were two children who seemed to have no obstacles with both IQ and behavioral observation. In addition, it became clear that there is a possibility that CLD children appear performance linguistically complementarily. As a result, it was suggested that there is a need to conduct a developmental assessment by a bilingual tester

A Genome-Wide Association Analysis Identified a Novel Susceptible Locus for Pathological Myopia at 11q24.1

Myopia is one of the most common ocular disorders worldwide. Pathological myopia, also called high myopia, comprises 1% to 5% of the general population and is one of the leading causes of legal blindness in developed countries. To identify genetic determinants associated with pathological myopia in Japanese, we conducted a genome-wide association study, analyzing 411,777 SNPs with 830 cases and 1,911 general population controls in a two-stage design (297 cases and 934 controls in the first stage and 533 cases and 977 controls in the second stage). We selected 22 SNPs that showed P-values smaller than 10−4 in the first stage and tested them for association in the second stage. The meta-analysis combining the first and second stages identified an SNP, rs577948, at chromosome 11q24.1, which was associated with the disease (P = 2.22×10−7 and OR of 1.37 with 95% confidence interval: 1.21–1.54). Two genes, BLID and LOC399959, were identified within a 200-kb DNA encompassing rs577948. RT–PCR analysis demonstrated that both genes were expressed in human retinal tissue. Our results strongly suggest that the region at 11q24.1 is a novel susceptibility locus for pathological myopia in Japanese

Ultrafast Control of Crystal Structure in a Topological Charge-Density-Wave Material

Optical control of crystal structures is a promising route to change physical properties including topological nature of a targeting material. Time-resolved X-ray diffraction measurements using the X-ray free-electron laser are performed to study the ultrafast lattice dynamics of VTe$_2$, which shows a unique charge-density-wave (CDW) ordering coupled to the topological surface states as a first-order phase transition. A significant oscillation of the CDW amplitude mode is observed at a superlattice reflection as well as Bragg reflections. The frequency of the oscillation is independent of the fluence of the pumping laser, which is prominent to the CDW ordering of the first-order phase transition. Furthermore, the timescale of the photoinduced 1$T^{\prime\prime}$ to 1$T$ phase transition is independent of the period of the CDW amplitude mode

No association of the Trp 64 Arg mutation of the β3-adrenergic receptor gene with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension in Japanese patients with schizophrenia

This study was conducted to address the question of whether the β3-adrenergic receptor gene mutation (Trp 64 Arg) is associated with metabolic disease in Japanese patients with schizophrenia. Methods : In a cross-sectional study, 89 participants were grouped into three genotypes. The 64 Arg allelic frequency in patients with or without metabolic disease was analyzed. Anthropometrics variables and biochemical parameters were compared among the genotypes. Results : The 64 Arg allele, which had a frequency of 0.22, was not associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemias, or hypertension. No significant differences among the genotypes were found in current age, age at diagnosis with schizophrenia, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, plasma glucose, plasma insulin, triglycerides, free fatty acids. Patients with the 64 Arg allele had greater 24-h excretion of norepinephrine than those lacking the variant (p=0.019). Conclusion : The 64Arg allelic mutation is not associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, lipid metabolism dysfunction, or hypertension in Japanese patients with schizophrenia

Covering Chemical Diversity of Genetically-Modified Tomatoes Using Metabolomics for Objective Substantial Equivalence Assessment

As metabolomics can provide a biochemical snapshot of an organism's phenotype it is a promising approach for charting the unintended effects of genetic modification. A critical obstacle for this application is the inherently limited metabolomic coverage of any single analytical platform. We propose using multiple analytical platforms for the direct acquisition of an interpretable data set of estimable chemical diversity. As an example, we report an application of our multi-platform approach that assesses the substantial equivalence of tomatoes over-expressing the taste-modifying protein miraculin. In combination, the chosen platforms detected compounds that represent 86% of the estimated chemical diversity of the metabolites listed in the LycoCyc database. Following a proof-of-safety approach, we show that % had an acceptable range of variation while simultaneously indicating a reproducible transformation-related metabolic signature. We conclude that multi-platform metabolomics is an approach that is both sensitive and robust and that it constitutes a good starting point for characterizing genetically modified organisms

Tumor-Derived Microvesicles Induce Proangiogenic Phenotype in Endothelial Cells via Endocytosis

Background: Increasing evidence indicates that tumor endothelial cells (TEC) differ from normal endothelial cells (NEC). Our previous reports also showed that TEC were different from NEC. For example, TEC have chromosomal abnormality and proangiogenic properties such as high motility and proliferative activity. However, the mechanism by which TEC acquire a specific character remains unclear. To investigate this mechanism, we focused on tumor-derived microvesicles (TMV). Recent studies have shown that TMV contain numerous types of bioactive molecules and affect normal stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment. However, most of the functional mechanisms of TMV remain unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we showed that TMV isolated from tumor cells were taken up by NEC through endocytosis. In addition, we found that TMV promoted random motility and tube formation through the activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathway in NEC. Moreover, the effects induced by TMV were inhibited by the endocytosis inhibitor dynasore. Our results indicate that TMV could confer proangiogenic properties to NEC partly via endocytosis. Conclusion: We for the first time showed that endocytosis of TMV contributes to tumor angiogenesis. These findings offer new insights into cancer therapies and the crosstalk between tumor and endothelial cells mediated by TMV in the tumor microenvironment