Predominant accumulation of a 3-hydroxy-γ-decalactone in the male rectal gland complex of the Japanese orange fly, Bactrocera tsuneonis

The Japanese orange fly, Bactrocera tsuneonis, infests various citrus crops. While male pheromone components accumulated in the rectal glands are well characterized for Bactrocera, but information regarding the chemical factors involved in the life cycles of B. tsuneonis remains scarce. Herein, several volatile chemicals including a γ-decalactone, (3R, 4R)-3-hydroxy-4-decanolide [(3R, 4R)-HD], were identified as major components, along with acetamide and spiroketals as minor components in the rectal gland complexes of male B. tsuneonis flies. The lactone (3R, 4R)-HD was also identified in female rectal gland complexes. The amount of this compound in mature males was significantly higher than those observed in females and immature males. The lactone (3R, 4R)-HD was detected in flies fed with sucrose only, indicating that this lactone is not derived from dietary sources during adulthood, but biosynthesized in vivo. The predominant accumulation of (3R, 4R)-HD in mature males also suggests a possible role in reproductive behavior

Impact of glycemic control with sitagliptin on the 2‑year progression of arterial stiffness : a sub‑analysis of the PROLOGUE study

Background: No conclusive evidence has been obtained yet on the significance of the effects of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4 inhibitor) treatment on the arterial stiffness in clinical settings. In addition, the effects of good glycemic control on the arterial stiffness have also not been clarified yet. As a sub-analysis of the PROLOGUE study, we examined the effect of a DPP-4 inhibitor (sitagliptin) on the 2-year progression of the arterial stiffness and also to determine the effect of good glycemic control on the rate of progression of the arterial stiffness. Methods: In the PROLOGUE study, the study participants were either allocated to add-on sitagliptin treatment or to continued treatment with conventional anti-diabetic agents. Among the 463 participants of the PROLOGUE study, we succeeded in measuring the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) at least two times during the 2-year study period in 96 subjects. Results: The changes in the baPWV during the study period were similar between the both groups (i.e., with/without staglipitin), overall. On the other hand, when the study subjects were divided into two groups according to the glycemic control status during the study period {good glycemic control group (GC) = hemoglobin (Hb)A1c <7.0 at both 12 and 24 months after the treatment randomization; poor glycemic control group (PC) = HbA1c ≥7.0 at either 12 months, 24 months, or both}, the 2-year increase of the baPWV was marginally significantly larger in the PC group (144 ± 235 cm/s) as compared to that the GC group (−10 ± 282 cm/s) (p = 0.036). Conclusion: While the present study could not confirm the beneficial effect of sitagliptin per se on the arterial stiffness, the results suggested that good glycemic control appears to be beneficial for delaying the annual progression of the arterial stiffness

Long‑term effect of sitagliptin on endothelial function in type 2 diabetes : a sub‑analysis of the PROLOGUE study

Background: As a sub-analysis of the PROLOGUE study, we evaluated the long-term effect of sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor, on endothelial function in the conduit brachial artery in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: In the PROLOGUE study, patients were randomly assigned to either add-on sitagliptin treatment (sitagliptin group) or continued conventional antihyperglycemic treatment (conventional group). Among the 463 participants in the PROLOGUE study, FMD was measured in 17 patients in the sitagliptin group and 18 patients in the conventional group at the beginning and after 12 and 24 months of treatment. Results: HbA1c levels were significantly decreased after 12 and 24 months of treatment compared to baseline values in both groups (7.0 ± 0.4 vs. 6.6 ± 0.3 and 6.6 ± 0.4 % in the sitagliptin group; 7.0 ± 0.6 vs. 6.6 ± 0.7 and 6.6 ± 0.7 % in the conventional group; P < 0.05, respectively). There was no significant difference between FMD values at baseline and after 12 and 24 months in the sitagliptin group (4.3 ± 2.6 vs. 4.4 ± 2.1 and 4.4 ± 2.3 %, P = 1.0, respectively). Although FMD had a tendency to increase from 4.3 ± 2.4 % at baseline to 5.2 ± 1.9 % after 12 months and 5.1 ± 2.2 % after 24 months in the conventional group, there was no significant difference between FMD values at baseline and after 12 and 24 months (P = 0.36 and 0.33, respectively). Conclusions: Add-on sitagliptin to conventional antihyperglycemic drugs in patients with type 2 diabetes did not alter endothelial function in the conduit brachial artery measured by FMD during a 2-year study period. Sitagliptin may be used without concern for an adverse effect on endothelial function in patients with type 2 diabetes

Towards HCP-Style macaque connectomes: 24-Channel 3T multi-array coil, MRI sequences and preprocessing

© 2020 The Author(s) Macaque monkeys are an important animal model where invasive investigations can lead to a better understanding of the cortical organization of primates including humans. However, the tools and methods for noninvasive image acquisition (e.g. MRI RF coils and pulse sequence protocols) and image data preprocessing have lagged behind those developed for humans. To resolve the structural and functional characteristics of the smaller macaque brain, high spatial, temporal, and angular resolutions combined with high signal-to-noise ratio are required to ensure good image quality. To address these challenges, we developed a macaque 24-channel receive coil for 3-T MRI with parallel imaging capabilities. This coil enables adaptation of the Human Connectome Project (HCP) image acquisition protocols to the in-vivo macaque brain. In addition, we adapted HCP preprocessing methods to the macaque brain, including spatial minimal preprocessing of structural, functional MRI (fMRI), and diffusion MRI (dMRI). The coil provides the necessary high signal-to-noise ratio and high efficiency in data acquisition, allowing four- and five-fold accelerations for dMRI and fMRI. Automated FreeSurfer segmentation of cortex, reconstruction of cortical surface, removal of artefacts and nuisance signals in fMRI, and distortion correction of dMRI all performed well, and the overall quality of basic neurobiological measures was comparable with those for the HCP. Analyses of functional connectivity in fMRI revealed high sensitivity as compared with those from publicly shared datasets. Tractography-based connectivity estimates correlated with tracer connectivity similarly to that achieved using ex-vivo dMRI. The resulting HCP-style in vivo macaque MRI data show considerable promise for analyzing cortical architecture and functional and structural connectivity using advanced methods that have previously only been available in studies of the human brain

THE ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE AND THE hfs COUPLING CONSTANTS OF SH2SH_{2} MOLECULE

$^{1}$C. A. Burrus, Jr. and W. Gordy, Phys. Rev. \underline{92}, 274 (1953).""Author Institution: Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Tokyo; Department of Physics, University of Colorado,Burris and $Gordy^{1}$ observed in the microwave spectra of $SH_{2}$ that the apex angle is $92^{\circ}6^{\prime}$ and the quadrupole hfs coupling constants are $\chi_{aa}=-32$ Mc/sec $\chi_{bb}=-8$ Mc/sec and $\chi_{cc}=40$ Mc/sec, where the axis a lies between two hydrogen atoms, b is in the molecular plane and perpendicular to a, and c is perpendicular to that plane. The very large asymmetry of $\chi_{aa}$ and $\chi_{bb}$ does not agree with the fact that the angle is nearly $90^{\circ}$ if the s-p hybridization only is considered. It can be explained, however, if we take d-orbitals into account. The bonding orbital of 73.6% p-character, 15.8% d-character and 10.6% s-character was found appropriate

Molecular epidemiology of adenoviral conjunctivitis in Hanoi, Vietnam

Purpose: To investigate the serotypes of adenovirus causing conjunctivitis in Hanoi, Vietnam. Design: Clinical diagnosis of adenoviral conjunctivitis and laboratory-based experimental study. Methods: We collected 21 conjunctival swabs from 21 different patients with a clinical presentation compatible with adenoviral conjunctivitis, in Hanoi, Vietnam. Immunochromatography and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed to detect human adenovirus (HAdV). The sequence of PCR products was analyzed to determine the serotype of HAdV. Results: Of 21 samples, HAdV DNA was detected in 14 samples (66.7%) by real-time PCR. The serotype analysis showed HAdV-8 in 11 samples (78.6%), HAdV-3 in two samples (14.3%), and HAdV-37 in one sample (7.1%). Of 11 HAdV-8 samples, one sample (9.1%) was prototype, and the other 10 samples (90.9%) had identical nucleotide sequence and were identified as a variant of HAdV-8