Cadmium Concentration in Grains of Japanese Wheat Cultivars : Genotypic Difference and Relationship with Agronomic Characteristics

The contamination of cadmium (Cd) into the food chain can be harmful because Cd causes chronic health problems. To evaluate the breeding potential reducing the Cd concentration in wheat grain, we compared Cd concentrations in 237 wheat genotypes including Japanese landraces, Japanese cultivars and introduced alien cultivars for breeding using grain samples collected from upland fields in 2004−5 and 2005−6 growing seasons. The Cd concentration in wheat grain significantly varied with the growing seasons and with the experimental fields. Cultivars bred in northern Japan, including the recent Japanese leading cultivar ‘Hokushin’, tended to have a low Cd concentration in grain compared with that bred in central and southern Japan. Simple correlation analysis between Cd concentration in grain and agronomic characteristics revealed that the Cd concentration in grain showed significant negative correlations with stem number, culm length and spikelet number per spike, and showed significant positive correlation with SPAD value (chlorophyll content) of flag leaf. Stepwise multipleregression analysis showed that the genotypic variation of Cd concentration in grain was associated with the culm length and spiklet number per spike. This study clarified the geographical pattern of genotypes with different Cd concentrations in grain in Japanese wheat cultivars. Cultivars originating from northern Japan may be useful genetic resources to develop cultivars with a low Cd concentration in grain to be grown in the areas where Cd accumulation in wheat grain is a problem

"Insist on recovery" as a Positive Prognostic Factor in Japanese Stroke Patients

Aim: We designed two-step analyses to examine the effect of acceptance of disability or "insist on recovery" in Japanese stroke patients: firstly on their functional improvement and secondly on their psychological symptoms. Methods: We assessed disability using functional independence measurements (FIM), examined the stage of acceptance of disability by observation using Fink's theory (from shock to defensive retreat, acknowledgement, and acceptance/change stage), and quantitatively estimated "insist on recovery" (on a scale from 1 to 4) by observation. We then assessed the differences over time and the effects on the improvement in their FIM. We assessed depression using the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS); apathy using the Apathy Scale (AS), and assessed the correlation with the acceptance stage or "insist on recovery." Results: The acceptance stage and functional improvement progressed significantly, but "insist on recovery" did not change significantly during hospitalization. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the "insist on recovery" score (but not the acceptance stage) was a good predictor of the degree of improvement in FIM (FIM gain per week) in the elderly group. Post-hoc testing showed that the SDS or AS score decreased from the 1st stage to the 4th stage (but increase at the 3rd stage) of acceptance, the score decreasing from 1 to 3; however the score for "insist on recovery" increased from 3 to 4. Conclusions: The appropriate level of "insist on recovery" reduced depression and apathy, resulting in enhanced improvement of disability after a stroke in elderly stroke patients

Potential Application of Bacteriophages in Enrichment Culture for Improved Prenatal Streptococcus agalactiae Screening

Vertical transmission of Streptococcus agalactiae can cause neonatal infections. A culture test in the late stage of pregnancy is used to screen for the presence of maternal S. agalactiae for intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis. For the test, a vaginal–rectal sample is recommended to be enriched, followed by bacterial identification. In some cases, Enterococcus faecalis overgrows in the enrichment culture. Consequently, the identification test yields false-negative results. Bacteriophages (phages) can be used as antimicrobial materials. Here, we explored the feasibility of using phages to minimize false-negative results in an experimental setting. Phage mixture was prepared using three phages that specifically infect E. faecalis: phiEF24C, phiEF17H, and phiM1EF22. The mixture inhibited the growth of 86.7% (26/30) of vaginal E. faecalis strains. The simple coculture of E. faecalis and S. agalactiae was used as an experimental enrichment model. Phage mixture treatment led to suppression of E. faecalis growth and facilitation of S. agalactiae growth. In addition, testing several sets of S. agalactiae and E. faecalis strains, the treatment with phage mixture in the enrichment improved S. agalactiae detection on chromogenic agar. Our results suggest that the phage mixture can be usefully employed in the S. agalactiae culture test to increase test accuracy

SCA8 Repeat Expansion: Large CTA/CTG Repeat Alleles Are More Common in Ataxic Patients, Including Those with SCA6

We analyzed the SCA8 CTA/CTG repeat in a large group of Japanese subjects. The frequency of large alleles (85–399 CTA/CTG repeats) was 1.9% in spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA), 0.4% in Parkinson disease, 0.3% in Alzheimer disease, and 0% in a healthy control group; the frequency was significantly higher in the group with SCA than in the control group. Homozygotes for large alleles were observed only in the group with SCA. In five patients with SCA from two families, a large SCA8 CTA/CTG repeat and a large SCA6 CAG repeat coexisted. Age at onset was correlated with SCA8 repeats rather than SCA6 repeats in these five patients. In one of these families, at least one patient showed only a large SCA8 CTA/CTG repeat allele, with no large SCA6 CAG repeat allele. We speculate that the presence of a large SCA8 CTA/CTG repeat allele influences the function of channels such as α(1A)-voltage–dependent calcium channel through changing or aberrant splicing, resulting in the development of cerebellar ataxia, especially in homozygous patients