A Case of Hypocalcaemia Due to Vitamin D Deficiency in ‘Hikikomori’ Syndrome

Objective: To describe hypocalcaemia due to vitamin D deficiency in ‘hikikomori’ syndrome. Materials and methods: A 37-year-old man with ‘hikikomori’ syndrome for a year was admitted with hypocalcaemia (serum ionic calcium 1.17 mmol/l). Serum 1,25(OH)2-vitamin D3 determined by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was depressed at 12.1 pg/ml (29.0 pmol/l) and plasma intact PTH elevated at 324 ng/l. Administration of 1 μg/day 1α(OH)-vitamin D3 and 1 g/day calcium lactate for 1 week normalized calcium and PTH, and raised 1,25(OH)2-vitamin D3 to low normal levels. Conclusion: This is the first report of hypocalcaemia due to vitamin D deficiency in a patient with ‘hikikomori’ syndrome

Effects of High Temperature and Low Humidity during Flowering on the Ripening of Crop Plants

The effects of high temperature and low humidity during flowering on the ripening of crop plants were studied. The treatments of the plots were as follows: 30℃/30%， 35℃/30%， 40℃/30%， 45℃/30% in 1979， and 38℃/25%，38℃/40%， 43℃/25%， 43℃/40% in 1980. The treatments were carried out by placing the potted plants in growth chambers for 20 or 40 hours. Grain sorghum，sunflower，okra，cotton，mung bean and Jew's mallow were used as the test plants. Ripening was considerably influenced by changing the temperature， with the percentage of ripening decreasing gradually as the temperature was raised above 35℃，and reaching almost 0% at 45℃. On the other hand，there was no marked influence on ripening from changing the humidity level，although there was a slight tendency for the percentage of ripening in high humidity conditions to be lower than in low humidity conditions. The resistance of the various plants to the impediment in ripening due to these environmental factors was found to be in the following order: Jew's mallow>okra，cotton，sunflower>grain sorghum，mung bean

Effects of dissolved oxygen and pH on nitrous oxide production rates in autotrophic partial nitrification granules

The effects of dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH on nitrous oxide (N2O) production rates and pathways in autotrophic partial nitrification (PN) granules were investigated at the granular level. N2O was primarily produced by betaproteobacterial ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, mainly Nitrosomonas europaea, in the oxic surface layer (<200 μm) of the autotrophic PN granules. N2O production increased with increasing bulk DO concentration owing to activation of the ammonia (i.e., hydroxylamine) oxidation in this layer. The highest N2O emissions were observed at pH 7.5, although the ammonia oxidation rate was unchanged between pH 6.5 and 8.5. Overall, the results of this study suggest that in situ analyses of PN granules are essential to gaining insight into N2O emission mechanisms in a granule

Improvement of a Phosphate Ion-selective Microsensor Using Bis(dibromophenylstannyl)methane as a Carrier

An ionophore-doped sensing membrane phosphate (PO4) microsensor based on bis(dibromophenylstannyl)methane (Bis microsensor) is described. The Bis microsensor showed a Nernstian response. The response of the Bis microsensor was log-linear down to a monohydrogen phosphate ion (HPO42−) concentration of 0.5 μM (corresponding to 1.0 μM of orthophosphate at pH 7.2), whereas the detection limit of PO4-microsensors based on trialkyl/aryltin chloride was 50 μM of HPO42−. The Bis microsensor showed excellent selectivity for HPO42− against nitrite, nitrate, chloride, bicarbonate and sulfate, as compared with PO4 microsensors based on trialkyl/aryltin chloride. Dissolved oxygen, which is known to interfere with the response of a previously developed cobalt-based potentiometric solid-state PO4 microsensor, had no effect on the response of the ionophore-doped sensing membrane-type microsensors described herein. Only OH− (i.e., pH) interfered with the ionophore-doped sensing membrane-type microsensors

Adsorption of Urinary Proteins on the Conventionally Used Urine Collection Tubes: Possible Effects on Urinary Proteome Analysis and Prevention of the Adsorption by Polymer Coating

One possible factor determining recovery of trace amount of protein biomarker candidates during proteome analyses could be adsorption on urine tubes. This issue, however, has not been well addressed so far. Recently, a new technical device of surface coating by poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC)-co-n-butyl methacrylate (BMA)) (poly(MPC-co-BMA)) has been developed mainly to prevent the adsorption of plasma proteins. We assessed whether conventionally used urine tubes adsorb trace amount of urinary proteins and, if any, whether the surface coating by poly(MPC-co-BMA) can minimize the adsorption. Proteinuric urine samples were kept in poly(MPC-co-BMA)-coated and noncoated urine tubes for 15 min and possibly adsorbed proteins and/or peptides onto urine tubes were analyzed by SDS-PAGE, 2-DE, and the MALDI-TOF MS. It was found that a number of proteins and/or peptides adsorb on the conventionally used urine tubes and that surface coating by poly(MPC-co-BMA) can minimize the adsorption without any significant effects on routine urinalysis test results. Although it remains to be clarified to what extent the protein adsorption can modify the results of urinary proteome analyses, one has to consider this possible adsorption of urinary proteins when searching for trace amounts of protein biomarkers in urine

The Application of a Three-Step Proteome Analysis for Identification of New Biomarkers of Pancreatic Cancer

We searched for novel tumor markers of pancreatic cancer by three-step serum proteome analysis. Twelve serum abundant proteins were depleted using immunoaffinity columns followed by fractionation by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Proteins in each fraction were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Then the gel was stained by Coomassie Brilliant Blue. Protein spots in which the expression levels were significantly different between cancer and normal control were identified by LC-MS/MS. One hundred and two spots were upregulated, and 84 spots were downregulated in serum samples obtained from patients with pancreatic cancers, and 58 proteins were identified by mass spectrometry. These candidate proteins were validated using western blot analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). As a result of these validation process, we could confirm that the serum levels of apolipoprotein A-IV, vitamin D-binding protein, plasma retinol-binding protein 4, and tetranectin were significantly decreased in patients with pancreatic cancer

Evolutionary history of anglerfishes (Teleostei: Lophiiformes): a mitogenomic perspective

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The teleost order Lophiiformes, commonly known as the anglerfishes, contains a diverse array of marine fishes, ranging from benthic shallow-water dwellers to highly modified deep-sea midwater species. They comprise 321 living species placed in 68 genera, 18 families and 5 suborders, but approximately half of the species diversity is occupied by deep-sea ceratioids distributed among 11 families. The evolutionary origins of such remarkable habitat and species diversity, however, remain elusive because of the lack of fresh material for a majority of the deep-sea ceratioids and incompleteness of the fossil record across all of the Lophiiformes. To obtain a comprehensive picture of the phylogeny and evolutionary history of the anglerfishes, we assembled whole mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences from 39 lophiiforms (33 newly determined during this study) representing all five suborders and 17 of the 18 families. Sequences of 77 higher teleosts including the 39 lophiiform sequences were unambiguously aligned and subjected to phylogenetic analysis and divergence time estimation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Partitioned maximum likelihood analysis confidently recovered monophyly for all of the higher taxa (including the order itself) with the exception of the Thaumatichthyidae (<it>Lasiognathus </it>was deeply nested within the Oneirodidae). The mitogenomic trees strongly support the most basal and an apical position of the Lophioidei and a clade comprising Chaunacoidei + Ceratioidei, respectively, although alternative phylogenetic positions of the remaining two suborders (Antennarioidei and Ogcocephaloidei) with respect to the above two lineages are statistically indistinguishable. While morphology-based intra-subordinal relationships for relatively shallow, benthic dwellers (Lophioidei, Antennarioidei, Ogcocephaloidei, Chaunacoidei) are either congruent with or statistically indistinguishable from the present mitogenomic tree, those of the principally deep-sea midwater dwellers (Ceratioidei) cannot be reconciled with the molecular phylogeny. A relaxed molecular-clock Bayesian analysis of the divergence times suggests that all of the subordinal diversifications have occurred during a relatively short time period between 100 and 130 Myr ago (early to mid Cretaceous).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The mitogenomic analyses revealed previously unappreciated phylogenetic relationships among the lophiiform suborders and ceratioid familes. Although the latter relationships cannot be reconciled with the earlier hypotheses based on morphology, we found that simple exclusion of the reductive or simplified characters can alleviate some of the conflict. The acquisition of novel features, such as male dwarfism, bioluminescent lures, and unique reproductive modes allowed the deep-sea ceratioids to diversify rapidly in a largely unexploited, food-poor bathypelagic zone (200-2000 m depth) relative to the other lophiiforms occurring in shallow coastal areas.</p

Local expression of Toll-like receptor 4 at the site of ruptured plaques in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Several reports suggest that a chronic inflammatory process plays a key role in coronary artery plaque instability and subsequent occlusive thrombosis. In a previous study, we found that TLR4 (Toll-like receptor 4) mediates the synthesis of cytokines in circulating monocytes of patients with AMI (acute myocardial infarction); however, it remains unclear whether TLRs are expressed at the site of the ruptured plaque in these patients. The aim of the present study was to determine whether TLR2 and TLR4 are expressed at the site of ruptured plaques in patients with AMI and to compare this with systemic levels. The study included 62 patients with AMI, 20 patients with SA (stable angina) and 32 subjects with a normal coronary angiogram (control). Local samples from the site of the ruptured plaque were taken from patients with AMI using aspiration catheterization. Systemic blood samples from the aorta were taken from patients with AMI and SA and controls. Systemic levels of TLR2 and TLR4 were higher in patients with AMI than in patients with SA and controls. In patients with AMI, local TLR4 levels were higher than systemic levels. There was no significant difference in TLR2 levels between local and systemic samples. TLR4 immunostaining was positive in infiltrating macrophages in ruptured plaque material. Cardiac events were observed in 16 patients with AMI at the time of the 6-month follow-up study. Local and systemic levels of TLR4 were higher in patients with AMI with cardiac events than in those without. These results indicate an increase in monocytic TLR4 expression not only in the systemic circulation, but also at the site of plaque rupture. In conclusion, expression of both systemic and local plaque TLR4 may be one of the mechanisms responsible for the pathogenesis of AMI