RelatiOnship between the impact of invasive largemouth bass and environmental conditions in ponds

detemine the relationship between the impact of introdllCed largemouth bass on native -fish fauna and the environmental conditions in ponds, we compared richness and diversityof fish species, environmental factors and the relationship betweenthem in ponds with and without bass. The stlldy was conducted at 49 Ponds in Oshu city in lwate prefecture, northeastern Japan･ For determiningthe impact of largemouth bass on fish fauna in ponds, Pearson's correlation wasused between the dominance of largemouth bass (%BASS), total number (S) and diversity index (H') of occurring fish species. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis was used to detemine the relationship between S or HT and environmental factors･ %BASS was negatively correlated with both S and H'. In ponds without bass, both S and H'were`related to maximum depth and S in ponds with bass was also related to maximum depth. However, I-r in ponds withbass was significantly influenced by the coverage of emergent plants and was more clearly explained compared to the relationship between S and maximum depth･ It suggested it is possible that emergent plants also provide refuge for prey fish, buffering the impact of largemouth bass･Article信州大学山地水環境教育研究センター研究報告 6: 133-141(2010)departmental bulletin pape

Expression of tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase in mature granule cells of the adult mouse dentate gyrus

New granule cells are continuously generated in the dentate gyrus of the adult hippocampus. During granule cell maturation, the mechanisms that differentiate new cells not only describe the degree of cell differentiation, but also crucially regulate the progression of cell differentiation. Here, we describe a gene, tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO), whose expression distinguishes stem cells from more differentiated cells among the granule cells of the adult mouse dentate gyrus. The use of markers for proliferation, neural progenitors, and immature and mature granule cells indicated that TDO was expressed in mature cells and in some immature cells. In mice heterozygous for the alpha-isoform of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, in which dentate gyrus granule cells fail to mature normally, TDO immunoreactivity was substantially downregulated in the dentate gyrus granule cells. Moreover, a 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine labeling experiment revealed that new neurons began to express TDO between 2 and 4 wk after the neurons were generated, when the axons and dendrites of the granule cells developed and synaptogenesis occurred. These findings indicate that TDO might be required at a late-stage of granule cell development, such as during axonal and dendritic growth, synaptogenesis and its maturation

Inhibition of HIV-1 gene expression by retroviral vector-mediated small-guide RNAs that direct specific RNA cleavage by tRNase ZL

The tRNA 3′-processing endoribonuclease (tRNase Z or 3′ tRNase; EC 3.1.26.11) is an essential enzyme that removes the 3′ trailer from pre-tRNA. The long form (tRNase ZL) can cleave a target RNA in vitro at the site directed by an appropriate small-guide RNA (sgRNA). Here, we investigated whether this sgRNA/tRNase ZL strategy could be applied to gene therapy for AIDS. We tested the ability of four sgRNA-expression plasmids to inhibit HIV-1 gene expression in COS cells, using a transient-expression assay. The three sgRNAs guide inhibition of HIV-1 gene expression in cultured COS cells. Analysis of the HIV-1 mRNA levels suggested that sgRNA directed the tRNase ZL to mediate the degradation of target RNA. The observation that sgRNA was localized primarily in nuclei suggests that tRNase ZL cleaves the HIV-1 mRNA when complexed with sgRNA in this location. We also examined the ability of two retroviral vectors expressing sgRNA to suppress HIV-1 expression in HIV-1-infected Jurkat T cells. sgRNA-SL4 suppressed HIV-1 expression almost completely in infected cells for up to 18 days. These results suggest that the sgRNA/tRNase ZL approach is effective in downregulating HIV-1 gene expression

Comparisons of Increasing Calcium Channel Blocker dose and Adding Thiazide Diuretic in Hypertensive Patients Given Medium-dose Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker and Amlodipine

We compared the efficacies of 2 prescriptions, one of a medium-dose angiotensin II receptor blocker （ARB） with high-dose of calcium channel blocker （CCB） and another of medium-dose of ARB with medium-dose of CCB and a thiazide diuretic in 22 hypertensive patients who did not achieve the target blood pressure level with the combination of medium-dose of ARB and medium-dose of CCB. A randomized crossover study was performed giving a fixed combination of 100 mg irbesartan with 10 mg amlodipine or a fixed-dose combination of 100 mg irbesartan with 5 mg amlodipine added by 1 mg trichlormethiazide for 12-16 weeks each. The blood pressure measured in hospital was comparable between the high-dose CCB period （130/77 mmHg） and the thiazide period （130/79 mmHg）. The morning and the evening blood pressures measured at home were also comparable in the high-dose of CCB and the thiazide periods, while the evening heart rate was higher in the thiazide period than in the high-dose CCB period. As for the laboratory data, hemoglobin A1c （＋0.2％, p＝0.013）, serum nonHDL cholesterol （＋12 mg/dL, p＝0.047） and serum uric acid （＋0.8 mg/dL, p＝0.001） were significantly higher in the thiazide period than in the high-dose CCB period. On the other hand, urinary albumin excretion （－28.8％，p＝0.026） and estimated glomerular filtration rate （－5.8％，p＝0.012） were significantly lower in the thiazide period than in the high-dose CCB period. In the combination drug therapy of hypertension, the increase of CCB dose is preferable in preserving renal function and in avoiding adverse effects on metabolisms of glucose, lipid and uric acid

Dysgeusia during cancer treatment and dietary intervention

For patients with cancer, malnutrition is one of the most serious problems. Cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, are effective for metastasis and tumor reduction as adjuvant therapy at the perioperative stage, in addition to prolonging the life of a patient and providing a radical cure. On the other hand, loss of appetite that is induced by the above treatment sometimes worsens the nutritional health of a patient. Therefore, it confers prolonged hospitalization and a delay in additional chemotherapy or surgery. Moreover, other side effects besides the loss of appetite due to chemoradiotherapy（hair loss, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, among others）can lead to worse nutritional health. Among these side effects, taste disorder is a major factor of decreasing meal intake and is a severe problem occurring frequently during treatment. However, its fundamental reasons, remedial measures, and treatments have not been established yet. In this article, we will report the previous basic research and clinical problems of dysgeusia that occurs during cancer treatment, and introduce a nutritional approach to preventing or improving dysgeusia