Skeletal oxygen and carbon isotope compositions of Acropora coral primary polyps experimentally cultured at different temperatures

We investigated temperature and growth‐rate dependency of skeletal oxygen and carbon isotopes in primary polyps of Acropora digitifera (Scleractinia: Acroporidae) by culturing them at 20, 23, 27, or 31°C. Calcification was most rapid at 27 and 31°C. We obtained a δ18O‐temperature relationship (−0.18‰ °C−1) consistent with reported ranges for Porites, indicating that juvenile Acropora polyps can be used for temperature reconstruction. A growth‐rate dependency of skeletal isotopes was detected in the experimental polyps cultured at lower water temperatures, when the skeletal growth rate of these polyps was also low. The estimated upper calcification flux limit for a kinetic isotope effect to be observed in the δ18O‐growth rate relationship (∼0.4–0.7 g CaCO3 cm−2 yr−1) was similar to the calcification flux in Porites corresponding to a linear extension rate of 5 mm yr−1, the maximum rate at which the kinetic isotope effect is evident. This result suggests that the calcification flux can be used as a measure of growth rate‐related isotope fractionation, that is, the kinetic isotope effect, in corals of different genera and at different growth stages

Spontaneous parity and charge-conjugation violations at real isospin and imaginary baryon chemical potentials

The phase structure of two-flavor QCD is investigated at real isospin and imaginary quark chemical potentials by using the Polyakov-loop extended Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model. In the region, parity symmetry is spontaneously broken by the pion superfluidity phase transition, whereas charge-conjugation symmetry is spontaneously violated by the Roberge-Weiss transition. The chiral (deconfinement) crossover at zero isospin and quark chemical potentials is a remnant of the parity (charge-conjugation) violation. The interplay between the parity and charge-conjugation violations are analyzed, and it is investigated how the interplay is related to the correlation between the chiral and deconfinement crossovers at zero isospin and quark chemical potentials.Comment: 12 pages, 18 figures. Typos were revised. Symbols /P and /C were added in Figures 8a and 8b. Colors of the figures were changed. Some sentences were added and revise

Study on the relationship between rainfall, topography and landslide volume in the recent debris flow disasters in Hiroshima, Japan

Three types of sediment volume estimation equations were developed by analyzing the relationship between rainfall, topography (e.g. slope gradient, relative height) and the volume of collapsed sediment in 1 km grid for heavy rainfall events (2014 and 2018 events) in Hiroshima Prefecture where intensive slope failures and debris flows occurred. All three equations showed a tendency for the volume of collapsed sediment per unit area to increase with increasing rainfall. However, some equations showed the rate of increase tends to gradually plateau

Stromal area differences with epithelial-mesenchymal transition gene changes in conjunctival and orbital mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma

PurposeTo examine the molecular biological differences between conjunctival mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma and orbital MALT lymphoma in ocular adnexa lymphoma.MethodsObservational case series. A total of 129 consecutive, randomized cases of ocular adnexa MALT lymphoma diagnosed histopathologically between 2008 and 2020.Total RNA was extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue from ocular adnexa MALT lymphoma, and RNA-sequencing was performed. Orbital MALT lymphoma gene expression was compared with that of conjunctival MALT lymphoma. Gene set (GS) analysis detecting for gene set cluster was performed in RNA-sequence. Related proteins were further examined by immunohistochemical staining. In addition, artificial segmentation image used to count stromal area in HE images.ResultsGS analysis showed differences in expression in 29 GS types in primary orbital MALT lymphoma (N=5,5, FDR q-value <0.25). The GS with the greatest difference in expression was the GS of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Based on this GS change, immunohistochemical staining was added using E-cadherin as an epithelial marker and vimentin as a mesenchymal marker for EMT. There was significant staining of vimentin in orbital lymphoma (P<0.01, N=129) and of E-cadherin in conjunctival lesions (P=0.023, N=129). Vimentin staining correlated with Ann Arbor staging (1 versus >1) independent of age and sex on multivariate analysis (P=0.004). Stroma area in tumor were significant difference(P<0.01).ConclusionGS changes including EMT and stromal area in tumor were used to demonstrate the molecular biological differences between conjunctival MALT lymphoma and orbital MALT lymphoma in ocular adnexa lymphomas

Defective adipose tissue development associated with hepatomegaly in cathepsin E-deficient mice fed a high-fat diet

Cathepsin E is an intracellular aspartic proteinase, which is predominantly distributed in immune-related and epithelial cells. However, the role of the enzyme in adipose tissues remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of cathepsin E-deficient (CatE-/-) mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD), as a mouse model of obesity. HFD-fed CatE-/- mice displayed reduced body weight gain and defective development of white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT), compared with HFD-fed wild-type mice. Moreover, fat-induced CatE-/- mice showed abnormal lipid accumulation in non-adipose tissues characterized by hepatomegaly, which is probably due to defective adipose tissue development. Detailed pathological and biochemical analyses showed that hepatomegaly was accompanied by hepatic steatosis and hypercholesterolemia in HFD-induced CatE-/- mice. In fat-induced CatE-/- mice, the number of macrophages infiltrating into WAT was significantly lower than in fat-induced wild-type mice. Thus, the impaired adipose tissue development in HFD-induced CatE-/- mice was probably due to reduced infiltration of macrophages and may lead to hepatomegaly accompanied by hepatic steatosis and hypercholesterolemia

Combined mutation of Apc, Kras and Tgfbr2 effectively drives metastasis of intestinal cancer.

金沢大学新学術創成研究機構ナノ生命科学研究所Embargo Period 12 month

ジゾク セイ シンボウサイドウ アブレーション ゴ ノ サイハツ ヨソク インシ ノ ケントウ : サボウ ケイタイ ・ サ シンジ キノウ ノ ユウヨウ セイ

持続性心房細動に対するカテーテルアブレーション(CA)治療後の再発予測を,術前の心エコー図検査から行い,その有用性について検討した.対象は2011 年1 月からの1 年間,心房細動(AF)に対し,初回CA を施行したAF 連続80 例のうち持続性AF32 例である.CA 前に経胸壁心エコー図検査(TTE)および経食道心エコー図検査(TEE)を施行し,各指標を計測し,術後再発予測因子を検討した.CA 後1 年で14 例(44%)にAF の再発を認めた.再発群は非再発群に比し,左房長径が有意に大きく,左心耳壁運動速度は先端と外側の陰性波計測値が有意に低下していた.多変量解析では左房長径および左心耳先端壁運動速度陰性波(LAAWV apex-d)がCA 後AF 再発の予測因子であった.ROC 曲線にて,左房長径はカットオフ値を58 mmとすると感度92.3%,特異度66.7%,LAAWV apex-d はカットオフ値を9.4 cm/s とすると感度78.6%,特異度83.3%で,両者共CA 後AF の再発を予測し得た.TTE およびTEE からCA 後の再発予測が可能であった.Background:Catheter ablation( CA) of persistent atrial fibrillation (PsAF) has been widely performed. However, echocardiographic predictions for the AF recurrence are not completely understood.Objective:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of both the left atrial( LA) longitudinal diameter and left atrial appendage wall velocity (LAAWV) for predicting AF recurrences after CA of PsAF.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 32 patients with PsAF who had undergone CA. Both the transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiographic parameters, and clinical parameters were assessed.Results:During a one-year follow-up period, 14 patients (44 %) had AF recurrences after a single CA procedure. There was a significant difference in the LA longitudinal diameter (63±3.3 mm vs. 58±5.4 mm;p=0.0029) and LAAWV apex-d (7.9±2.1 cm/s vs. 11.7±3.0 cm/s;p= 0.0003) in the patients with and without AF recurrences. A multivariate analysis revealed that the LA longitudinal diameter (p=0.0247) and LAAWV apex-d (p=0.047) were significant predictors of arrhythmia recurrences. In the receiver operator curve analysis, a longitudinal diameter> 58 mm demonstrated a sensitivity of 92.3 % and specificity of 66.7%, and a LAATDI apex-d of 9.4 cm/s demonstrated a sensitivity of 78.6 % and specificity of 83.3%, in predicting an arrhythmia recurrence.Conclusion:The LA longitudinal diameter and LAAWV could be used as non-invasive pre-procedural predictors of arrhythmia recurrences after single CA procedures in patients with PsAF

The Constrained Maximal Expression Level Owing to Haploidy Shapes Gene Content on the Mammalian X Chromosome.

X chromosomes are unusual in many regards, not least of which is their nonrandom gene content. The causes of this bias are commonly discussed in the context of sexual antagonism and the avoidance of activity in the male germline. Here, we examine the notion that, at least in some taxa, functionally biased gene content may more profoundly be shaped by limits imposed on gene expression owing to haploid expression of the X chromosome. Notably, if the X, as in primates, is transcribed at rates comparable to the ancestral rate (per promoter) prior to the X chromosome formation, then the X is not a tolerable environment for genes with very high maximal net levels of expression, owing to transcriptional traffic jams. We test this hypothesis using The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) and data from the Functional Annotation of the Mammalian Genome (FANTOM5) project. As predicted, the maximal expression of human X-linked genes is much lower than that of genes on autosomes: on average, maximal expression is three times lower on the X chromosome than on autosomes. Similarly, autosome-to-X retroposition events are associated with lower maximal expression of retrogenes on the X than seen for X-to-autosome retrogenes on autosomes. Also as expected, X-linked genes have a lesser degree of increase in gene expression than autosomal ones (compared to the human/Chimpanzee common ancestor) if highly expressed, but not if lowly expressed. The traffic jam model also explains the known lower breadth of expression for genes on the X (and the Z of birds), as genes with broad expression are, on average, those with high maximal expression. As then further predicted, highly expressed tissue-specific genes are also rare on the X and broadly expressed genes on the X tend to be lowly expressed, both indicating that the trend is shaped by the maximal expression level not the breadth of expression per se. Importantly, a limit to the maximal expression level explains biased tissue of expression profiles of X-linked genes. Tissues whose tissue-specific genes are very highly expressed (e.g., secretory tissues, tissues abundant in structural proteins) are also tissues in which gene expression is relatively rare on the X chromosome. These trends cannot be fully accounted for in terms of alternative models of biased expression. In conclusion, the notion that it is hard for genes on the Therian X to be highly expressed, owing to transcriptional traffic jams, provides a simple yet robustly supported rationale of many peculiar features of X's gene content, gene expression, and evolution