アジサイ属植物の成分研究(第2報) : ヤマアジサイの葉の化学成分について

Six secoiridoid glycosides, ep*i-vogeloside, vogeloside, secologanoside 7-methyl ester, loganic acid, (7S)-secologanin n-butyl methyl acetal and (7R)-secologanin n-butyl methyl acetal, and a flavonol glycoside, kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-galactopyranoside, have been isolated from the leaves of Hydrangea macrophylla subsp. serrata (THUNB.) MAKINO (Saxifragaceae). The structures were elucidated on the basis of their spectral data

Increased RNA transcription of energy source transporters in circulating white blood cells of aged mice

Circulating white blood cells (WBC) contribute toward maintenance of cerebral metabolism and brain function. Recently, we showed that during aging, transcription of metabolism related genes, including energy source transports, in the brain significantly decreased at the hippocampus resulting in impaired neurological functions. In this article, we investigated the changes in RNA transcription of metabolism related genes (glucose transporter 1 [Glut1], Glut3, monocarboxylate transporter 4 [MCT4], hypoxia inducible factor 1-α [Hif1-α], prolyl hydroxylase 3 [PHD3] and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 [PDK1]) in circulating WBC and correlated these with brain function in mice. Contrary to our expectations, most of these metabolism related genes in circulating WBC significantly increased in aged mice, and correlation between their increased RNA transcription and impaired neurological functions was observed. Bone marrow mononuclear transplantation into aged mice decreased metabolism related genes in WBC with accelerated neurogenesis in the hippocampus. In vitro analysis revealed that cell-cell interaction between WBC and endothelial cells via gap junction is impaired with aging, and blockade of the interaction increased their transcription in WBC. Our findings indicate that gross analysis of RNA transcription of metabolism related genes in circulating WBC has the potential to provide significant information relating to impaired cell-cell interaction between WBC and endothelial cells of aged mice. Additionally, this can serve as a tool to evaluate the change of the cell-cell interaction caused by various treatments or diseases

ゲンチアナの化学成分について(第3報)

Three new long chain aldehydes, isohexacosanal, isotetracosanal and isodocosanal, have been isolated from Gentianae Radix together with eight known compounds, hexacosanal, tetracosanal, docosanal, α-amyrone, α-amyrin 3-ο-palmitate, loganic acid, 6\u27-ο-β-D-glucopyranosylsweroside and 6\u27-ο-β-D-glucopyranosylgentiopicroside. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectral data

リュウタンの化学成分について(第3報)

Uvaol 3-O-palmitate, erythrodiol 3-O-palmitate, betulin 3-O-palmitate, campesterol, sitosterol, stigmasterol, loganic acid, kingiside, and adenosine were isolated from Gentianae Scabrae Radix. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectral data

A Trial of Nature Experience Activities in University Circle

本稿は、保育を学ぶ学生が自然体験活動を通して森林環境教育や木育活動への理解を深めることをねらいとする学内サークルを立ち上げ、その学生活動を支援するプロジェクト活動の実践報告である。プロジェクト活動の目標は学生のSDGsの意識を向上させることと、保育者としての実践力を高めることである。 　その支援活動として、学生部員を対象に、近隣のキャンプ場で自然体験活動を実施した。学生同士のコミュニケーションが活発になったことから、学生自ら積極的に活動に取り組もうとする姿勢が見られるなど、今後の企画・実行するための土台につながると考えられる。さらに、自然物を有効に活用する方法などを身につけることで、自分なりに自然とのかかわり方を学ぶ機会になり、森林環境教育の観点での教育効果があったと認識することができる。 　将来的には、学生が保育者になった時のSDGsを意識した自然体験保育の実践も期待している。そのために、自然体験活動の内容や事前事後の学習などを有機的に組み合わせ、活動機会を継続的に設ける必要があるといえる。departmental bulletin pape

Characterization of autonomous Dart1 transposons belonging to the hAT superfamily in rice

An endogenous 0.6-kb rice DNA transposon, nDart1-0, was found as an active nonautonomous element in a mutable virescent line, pyl-v, displaying leaf variegations. Here, we demonstrated that the active autonomous element aDart in pyl-v corresponds to Dart1-27 on chromosome 6 in Nipponbare, which carries no active aDart elements, and that aDart and Dart1-27 are identical in their sequences and chromosomal locations, indicating that Dart1-27 is epigenetically silenced in Nipponbare. The identification of aDart in pyl-v was first performed by map-based cloning and by detection of the accumulated transposase transcripts. Subsequently, various transposition activities of the cloned Dart1-27 element from Nipponbare were demonstrated in Arabidopsis. Dart1-27 in Arabidopsis was able to excise nDart1-0 and Dart1-27 from cloned sites, generating footprints, and to integrate into new sites, generating 8-bp target site duplications. In addition to Dart1-27, Nipponbare contains 37 putative autonomous Dart1 elements because their putative transposase genes carry no apparent nonsense or frameshift mutations. Of these, at least four elements were shown to become active aDart elements in transgenic Arabidopsis plants, even though considerable sequence divergence arose among their transposases. Thus, these four Dart1 elements and Dart1-27 in Nipponbare must be potential autonomous elements silenced epigenetically. The regulatory and evolutionary implications of the autonomous Dart1 elements and the development of an efficient transposon-tagging system in rice are discussed

Cricotracheostomy for patients with severe COVID-19: A case control study

BackgroundTracheostomy is an important procedure for the treatment of severe coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Older age and obesity have been reported to be associated with the risk of severe COVID-19 and prolonged intubation, and anticoagulants are often administered in patients with severe COVID-19; these factors are also related to a higher risk of tracheostomy. Cricotracheostomy, a modified procedure for opening the airway through intentional partial cricoid cartilage resection, was recently reported to be useful in cases with low-lying larynx, obesity, stiff neck, and bleeding tendency. Here, we investigated the usefulness and safety of cricotracheostomy for severe COVID-19 patients.Materials and methodsFifteen patients with severe COVID-19 who underwent cricotracheostomy between January 2021 and April 2022 with a follow-up period of ≥ 14 days were included in this study. Forty patients with respiratory failure not related to COVID-19 who underwent traditional tracheostomy between January 2015 and April 2022 comprised the control group. Data were collected from medical records and comprised age, sex, body mass index, interval from intubation to tracheostomy, use of anticoagulants, complications of tracheostomy, and decannulation.ResultsAge, sex, and days from intubation to tracheostomy were not significantly different between the COVID-19/cricotracheostomy and control/traditional tracheostomy groups. Body mass index was significantly higher in the COVID-19 group than that in the control group (P = 0.02). The rate of use of anticoagulants was significantly higher in the COVID-19 group compared with the control group (P < 0.01). Peri-operative bleeding, subcutaneous emphysema, and stomal infection rates were not different between the groups, while stomal granulation was significantly less in the COVID-19 group (P = 0.04).ConclusionsThese results suggest that cricotracheostomy is a safe procedure in patients with severe COVID-19

On the origin and evolution of the asteroid Ryugu: A comprehensive geochemical perspective

Presented here are the observations and interpretations from a comprehensive analysis of 16 representative particles returned from the C-type asteroid Ryugu by the Hayabusa2 mission. On average Ryugu particles consist of 50% phyllosilicate matrix, 41% porosity and 9% minor phases, including organic matter. The abundances of 70 elements from the particles are in close agreement with those of CI chondrites. Bulk Ryugu particles show higher δ18O, Δ17O, and ε54Cr values than CI chondrites. As such, Ryugu sampled the most primitive and least-thermally processed protosolar nebula reservoirs. Such a finding is consistent with multi-scale H-C-N isotopic compositions that are compatible with an origin for Ryugu organic matter within both the protosolar nebula and the interstellar medium. The analytical data obtained here, suggests that complex soluble organic matter formed during aqueous alteration on the Ryugu progenitor planetesimal (several 10’s of km), <2.6 Myr after CAI formation. Subsequently, the Ryugu progenitor planetesimal was fragmented and evolved into the current asteroid Ryugu through sublimation

Cilostazol attenuates ischemia?reperfusion-induced blood?brain barrier dysfunction enhanced by advanced glycation endproducts via transforming growth factor-β1 signaling

We investigated the effects of cilostazol, a selective inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 3, on blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity against ischemia-reperfusion injury enhanced by advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs). We used in vitro BBB models with primarily cultured BBB-related cells from rats (brain capillary endothelial cells, astrocytes and pericytes), and subjected cells to either normoxia or 3-h oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD)/24-h reoxygenation with or without AGEs. Treatment of AGEs did not affect the transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) in the BBB model under normoxia, but there was a significant decrease in TEER under 3-h OGD/24-h reoxygenation conditions with AGEs. Cilostazol inhibited decreases in TEER induced by 3-h OGD/24-h reoxygenation with AGEs. Immunocytochemical and Western blot analyses showed that AGEs reduced the expression of claudin-5, the main functional protein of tight junctions (TJs). In contrast, cilostazol increased the expression of claudin-5 under 3-h OGD/24-h reoxygenation with AGEs. Furthermore, while AGEs increased the production of extracellular transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, cilostazol inhibited the production of extracellular TGF-β1 and restored the integrity of TJs. Thus, we found that AGEs enhanced ischemia-reperfusion injury, which mainly included decreases in the expression of proteins comprising TJs through the production of TGF-β1. Cilostazol appeared to limit ischemia-reperfusion injury with AGEs by improving the TJ proteins and inhibiting TGF-β1 signaling