Plant growth in soil amended with drilling mud

Extraction of natural gas generates drilling fluid and drilling mud that contain high concentrations of salts. Land application of the fluid and mud can have negative impacts on plant growth and soil properties. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of drilling mud on plant growth, plant chemical concentrations, and soil chemical properties. Sudangrass (Sorghum sudanense [Piper] Stapf [Piper]) and bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.) were grown in a Roxana loam soil amended with 0%, 5%, or 10% (w/w) drilling mud in a 6-wk greenhouse study. Plant biomass production and concentrations of elements in biomass were determined. Electrical conductivity, pH, and concentrations of extractable and total elements in soil were analyzed. The addition of drilling mud significantly reduced shoot and total biomass production of both plant species and root biomass of bermudagrass. When drilling mud was added to the soil, plant Ca and Mg levels increased. Soil levels of Na, Cl, and the electrical conductivity significantly increased with increased levels of drilling mud application which indicated that salinity was most likely limiting plant growth. Excessive rates of drilling mud application can adversely impact soil properties and reduce plant growth

Enhanced Hematopoiesis by Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells Lacking Intracellular Adaptor Protein, Lnk

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) give rise to variety of hematopoietic cells via pluripotential progenitors and lineage-committed progenitors and are responsible for blood production throughout adult life. Amplification of HSCs or progenitors represents a potentially powerful approach to the treatment of various blood disorders and to applying gene therapy by bone marrow transplantation. Lnk is an adaptor protein regulating the production of B cells. Here we show that Lnk is also expressed in hematopoietic progenitors in bone marrow, and that in the absence of Lnk, the number and the hematopoietic ability of progenitors are significantly increased. Augmented growth signals through c-Kit partly contributed to the enhanced hematopoiesis by lnk−/− cells. Lnk was phosphorylated by and associated with c-Kit, and selectively inhibited c-Kit–mediated proliferation by attenuating phosphorylation of Gab2 and activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade. These observations indicate that Lnk plays critical roles in the expansion and function of early hematopoietic progenitors, and provide useful clues for the amplification of hematopoietic progenitor cells

Mycobacterial protein PE_PGRS30 induces macrophage apoptosis through prohibitin 2 mitochondrial function interference

PE_PGRS30 belongs to the PE_PGRS protein family and is characterized by a conserved Pro-Glu (PE) domain and a typically polymorphic GC-rich sequence (PGRS) domain. PE_PGRS30 is a virulence factor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that induces macrophage cell death. We found that RAW264.7 cells and murine alveolar macrophages underwent apoptosis in response to PE_PGRS30. The host protein prohibitin 2 (PHB2) was identified as a target molecule. PE_PGRS30 and PHB2 interact via the PGRS domain and mitochondrial targeting sequence, respectively. PHB2 overexpression reduced macrophage apoptosis in response to PE_PGRS30. PE_PGRS30 co-localized with PHB2, not in mitochondria, but in lysosomes. The maintenance of mitochondrial structure by PHB2 was impaired in response to the PGRS domain. These results indicated that PE_PGRS30 reduces PHB2 in mitochondria, resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular apoptosis

Molecular characterization of the β chain of the murine interleukin 5 receptor

Interleukin 5 (IL-5) is a multifunctional cytokine that regulates the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietlc cells Including B cells and eosinophlls. The murine IL-5 acts on target cells via an IL-5 specific high-affinity receptor (Kd ≃ 150 pM) that has been proposed to be composed of at least two membrane polypeptide chains. The p60 component recognized by anti-murine IL-5 receptor mAbs H7 and T21 binds IL-5 with low affinity (Kd ≃ 10 nM). The other component is p130, detectable by following cross-linking experiments with IL-5. Using H7, T21, and R52.120 mAbs specific to murine IL-5 receptor, we characterized the molecular nature of the p130 of the high affinity receptor for murine IL-5. R52.120 mAb did not recognize the IL-5 binding recombinant p60 expressed on COS7 cells, but reacted with p130/140 on IL-5-dependent cell lines. R52.120 mAb showed partial inhibition of the IL-5-induced proliferation of the IL-5-dependent early B cell line Y16 at high IL-5 concentrations. Addition of R52.120 mAb together with H7 or T21 mAb caused more striking inhibition of the IL-5-dependent proliferation than that caused by either of them alone. R52.120 mAb down-regulated the number and dissociation constant of IL-5 binding sites with high affinity without affecting the levels of these with low-affinity. It also preferentially inhibited the formation of the cross-linked complex of p130 with radlolabeledIL-5. These results Indicate that p130/p140, recognized by R52.120 mAb, Is indispensable, together with p60, for the formation of high affinity IL-5 receptor. We propose to designate p60 and p130/p140 as the α and β chain of IL-5 receptor, respectivel

1980年の日本-タイ-東南アジア漁業開発センタ-によるタイ湾の共同調査報告

Fishery-oceanographic survey of the Gulf of Thailand were jointly carried out by Nagasaki University, Thai and SEAFDEC scientists using T/V Nagasaki-maru from 15 to 28 May, 1980. 1) Geometric and vertical distributions of depth-anomaly of sea water were obtained from records of STD system. High salinity warm water was found in the northern area of the Gulf and rather cool water in the south. Remarkable density gradient was commonly observed in the middle layer throughout the Gulf. 2) Experimental bottom trawl operations were made at 18 stations. The total catch amounted to 592kg, with a catch per hour of 53kg. The catch consisted of more than 60 fish species of 27 families, 9 mollusk species of 3 families and some crustacean, of which most important were carangids, lutjanids and nemipterids of fishes and loliginids of mollusks. Size composition of each major fishes and mollusks seemed to consist of some groups of 2 to 6 normal distributions. The squid, Loligo formosana in the northern waters are bigger by 30mm in the mantle length and 50g in weight than those in the south. 3) Gravity core and Smith-McIntyre samples revealed that the bottom of the most parts of the Gulf was covered by grayish calcareous sandy mud or muddy sand tens of centimeters thick, while the central part was covered with only 1～2cm thick reddish brown mud suspectedly flowed out from the land of Malay Peninsula. The underlying layer throughout the Gulf consisted of grayish calcareous silty clay. 4) The remarkable ruggedness like square waves on the bottom profile were often observed by an echo sounder on the slope around the central basin of the Gulf. The rugged bottom area seems to be unsuitable for trawl net operation.タイ湾の漁業開発についての基礎資料を得るために,1980年5月15～28日に,同湾で日本・タイおよび東南アジア漁業開発センターの研究者が共同で,本学部練習船長崎丸を用いて海洋およびトロール漁業調査を行なった.得られた調査結果は次の通りである. 1)STDの記録から水温,塩分の垂直および水平分布を求めた.これらより,タイ湾北部には,比較的高温で高塩分の水域があり,一方,湾南部には比較的低温で高塩分の水域が認められた.また,湾全般について,中層部に密度躍層がみられた. 2)底曳トロール網の試験操業では,その漁獲物をまず有用種と雑用種とにわけた.次いで,前者を魚類,イカ・タコ類およびエビ・カニ類にわけて,一回の曳網ごとに,それぞれの漁獲量を計測した.全漁獲物については,魚類は27科60種,イカ・タコ類は3科9種,エビ・カニ類は数種であった.有用種については,魚類はアジ類・イトヨリ類・フエダイ類,イカ・タコ類はジンドウイカ類が主であった.全漁獲量は592Kgであり,曳網1時間あたりの漁獲量は53Kgであった.有用種の主なるものについて,その体長組成を調べた結果では,それぞれの種類で2～6の体長の正規分布を示すいくつかの集団よりなることが推察された.なお,ジンドウイカ類の重要種Loligo formosanaでは,北部海域のものは南部海域のものと比べて,外套長の平均で約30mm,体重の平均で約50g大きかった. 3)重力コアとスミスーマッキンタイヤ採泥器で得られた海底堆積物についての分析を行なった.その結果から,当湾の中央部の海底表層には赤茶色の泥が1～2cmの厚さに積っていた.また,その他の湾全般の海底表層には,灰色がかった石灰質の砂泥が約10cmの厚さに堆積しており,その下層には,黒味を帯び,かなり固まった粘土層があった. 4)音響測深機の記録によると,当湾の中央部にある海盆の周辺には,顕著な起伏のある傾斜面がみられる.このような海底の状況を示す水域は,底曳トロール網の操業には適しないと思われる

高齢の非代償性心不全患者において、非心血管疾患、特に感染症は重要な死因である

BACKGROUND:Despite marked improvements in treatment strategies for heart failure (HF), the mortality rate of elderly patients with HF is still high. Detailed causes of death have not been fully understood.METHODS AND RESULTS:We studied 459 consecutive patients with acute decompensated HF (ADHF) emergently admitted to our hospital from 2007 to 2011. Patients were divided into 2 groups: <75 years old (younger group; n = 225) and ≥75 years old (elderly group; n = 234). All-cause death, cardiovascular death, and noncardiovascular death were assessed as adverse outcomes. Compared with the younger group, the elderly group was characterized by a higher proportion of women and hypertensive patients and higher left ventricular ejection fraction. During a mean follow-up of 20.7 months, a total of 174 patients (37.9%) died. All-cause death was significantly higher in the elderly group than in the younger group (46.6% vs 28.9%; P < .0001), and this difference was caused by an increase in noncardiovascular deaths (20.9% vs 9.3%; P < .001), especially deaths due to infection (10.7% vs 4.0%; P < .01). Cardiovascular deaths did not differ between the 2 groups.CONCLUSIONS:Noncardiovascular deaths, most of which were caused by infection, were frequent among elderly patients with ADHF.博士（医学）・甲第629号・平成27年3月16日Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved