Vitamin K Supplementation in Postmenopausal Women with Osteopenia (ECKO Trial): A Randomized Controlled Trial

Angela Cheung and colleagues investigate whether vitamin K1 can prevent bone loss among postmenopausal women with osteopenia

Molecular mechanisms of cell death: recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death 2018.

Over the past decade, the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death (NCCD) has formulated guidelines for the definition and interpretation of cell death from morphological, biochemical, and functional perspectives. Since the field continues to expand and novel mechanisms that orchestrate multiple cell death pathways are unveiled, we propose an updated classification of cell death subroutines focusing on mechanistic and essential (as opposed to correlative and dispensable) aspects of the process. As we provide molecularly oriented definitions of terms including intrinsic apoptosis, extrinsic apoptosis, mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT)-driven necrosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, parthanatos, entotic cell death, NETotic cell death, lysosome-dependent cell death, autophagy-dependent cell death, immunogenic cell death, cellular senescence, and mitotic catastrophe, we discuss the utility of neologisms that refer to highly specialized instances of these processes. The mission of the NCCD is to provide a widely accepted nomenclature on cell death in support of the continued development of the field

日本列島の冷温帯林における30年間の土壌動物相の変化とシカ類の影響の可能性

Feature : Impact on Ashiu forest ecosystem due to deerDeer overabundance affects many taxa and ecosystem functions in both aboveground and belowground systems. We investigated changes in soil macro fauna along a ridge and at the bottom of a slope in Ashiu Experimental Forest, a cool temperate natural forest in central Japan, in which the flora, fauna, microflora, and ecosystem functions were studied before the Sika-deer (Cervus nippon) population increased. The abundance and biomass of soil macrofaunal detritivores (earthworms, isopods, amphipods, and diplopods) and predators (opilionids, Araneae, and chilopods) were adversely affected both along the ridge and at the slope bottom. These results are consistent with prior studies conducted with deer exclosures or natural experiments. The soil organic matter distribution, the carbon-nitrogen ratio in the litter and mineral layers, and soil hardness along the slope also changed. These results suggest that deer overabundance affects ecosystem functions along the slope. The movement of litter and soil along the slope, and the reduction of soil macro fauna associated with decomposition possibly contributed to these changes.温帯におけるシカ類の密度の増大が、広範な植物相と動物相、生態系プロセスに影響することが示されてきた。我々はニホンジカ(Cervus nippon)の増加以前の土壌動物相の知見が蓄積されている京都大学芦生演習林(中部日本)において、斜面の尾根部と谷部において大型土壌動物相を調査して過去のデータと比較した。過去と現在の間の変化は尾根と谷とで類似しており、腐植食者のミミズ類、等脚類、端脚類、倍脚類と、捕食者であるイシムカデ類、ジムカデ類、クモ類、ザトウムシ類が個体数や現存量に負の影響を受けていた。尾根部で地表排徊性甲虫の密度が増加していた。我々の大型土壌動物に関する結果は排除柵や自然の実験を用いた、有蹄類が土壌動物に及ぼす影響に関する先行研究の結果によく一致するものであった。同じ期間に斜面における有機物土壌の分布と、表層リターおよび土壌におけるC/N比、土壌硬度が顕著に変化しており、シカが生態系機能に影響を与えていることが示唆された。斜面上の有機物の移動や分解者としての土壌動物相の減少がこの変化に寄与した可能性がある

Modified Synthesis and Supramolecular Polymerization of Rim-to-Rim Connected Bisresorcinarenes

The acid-catalyzed condensation reaction of resorcinol and bisdimethoxyacetals gave rise to rim-to-rim connected bisresorcinarenes in good yields. In the presence of ethanol, the homoditopic bisresorcinarenes assembled to form supramolecular polymers via hydrogen bonding interactions. The fibrous morphologies of the supramolecular polymers were confirmed by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy

Modified Synthesis and Supramolecular Polymerization of Rim-to-Rim Connected Bisresorcinarenes

The acid-catalyzed condensation reaction of resorcinol and bisdimethoxyacetals gave rise to rim-to-rim connected bisresorcinarenes in good yields. In the presence of ethanol, the homoditopic bisresorcinarenes assembled to form supramolecular polymers via hydrogen bonding interactions. The fibrous morphologies of the supramolecular polymers were confirmed by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy