Importance of Fatty Acid Compositions in Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease

Objective: Importance of fatty acid components and imbalances has emerged in coronary heart disease. In this study, we analyzed fatty acids and ankle-brachial index (ABI) in a Japanese cohort. Methods: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) was diagnosed in 101 patients by ABI <= 0.90 and/or by angiography. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors and components of serum fatty acids were examined in all patients (mean age 73.2 +/- 0.9 years; 81 males), and compared with those in 373 age- and sex-matched control subjects with no evidence of PAD. Results: The presence of PAD (mean ABI: 0.71 +/- 0.02) was independently associated with low levels of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) (OR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.85-0.96; P = 0.002), eicosapentaenoic acid: arachidonic acid (EPA: AA) ratio (OR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.17-0.86; P = 0.021), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (OR: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.96-0.98; P<0.0001), and with a high hemoglobin A1c level (OR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.06-1.69; P = 0.013). Individuals with lower levels of GLA (<= 7.95 mu g/mL) and a lower EPA: AA ratio (<= 0.55) had the lowest ABI (0.96 +/- 0.02, N = 90), while the highest ABI (1.12 +/- 0.01, N = 78) was observed in individuals with higher values of both GLA and EPA: AA ratio (P<0.0001). Conclusion: A low level of GLA and a low EPA: AA ratio are independently associated with the presence of PAD. Specific fatty acid abnormalities and imbalances could lead to new strategies for risk stratification and prevention in PAD patients.ArticlePLOS ONE. 9(9):e107003 (2014)journal articl

High concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids are associated with the development of atrial fibrillation in the Japanese population

The favorable effect of fish oils rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) is controversial. The relationship between the serum concentrations of n-3 PUFAs and the incidence of AF is unclear; therefore, in the present study, we aimed to elucidate this relationship. We evaluated the serum concentrations of n-3 PUFAs in 110 patients with AF, 46 patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and no AF, and 36 healthy volunteers. Thirty-six patients had a history of IHD (IHD-AF group) and 74 did not (L-AF group). The eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) levels in the L-AF group were higher than those in the IHD-AF and control groups (117 +/- A 64, 76 +/- A 30, and 68 +/- A 23 mu g/ml, respectively); the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels showed the same pattern (170 +/- A 50, 127 +/- A 27, and 126 +/- A 35 mu g/ml, respectively). In both the L-AF and IHD-AF groups, the EPA levels in patients with persistent and permanent AF were higher than those in patients with paroxysmal AF (L-AF 131 +/- A 74 vs. 105 +/- A 51 mu g/ml; IHD-AF 82 +/- A 28 vs 70 +/- A 33 mu g/ml). Multivariate analysis showed that cases of AF were associated with higher levels of EPA but not DHA. In this Japanese population study, the EPA and DHA levels in patients with L-AF were higher than those in normal subjects. In particular, the EPA level was associated with the incidence of AF. These findings suggest that an excess of EPA might be a precipitating factor of AF.ArticleHEART AND VESSELS. 28(4):497-504 (2013)journal articl

Mechanism of olfactory masking in the sensory cilia

Olfactory masking has been used to erase the unpleasant sensation in human cultures for a long period of history. Here, we show a positive correlation between the human masking and the odorant suppression of the transduction current through the cyclic nucleotide–gated (CNG) and Ca2+-activated Cl− (Cl(Ca)) channels. Channels in the olfactory cilia were activated with the cytoplasmic photolysis of caged compounds, and their sensitiveness to odorant suppression was measured with the whole cell patch clamp. When 16 different types of chemicals were applied to cells, cyclic AMP (cAMP)-induced responses (a mixture of CNG and Cl(Ca) currents) were suppressed widely with these substances, but with different sensitivities. Using the same chemicals, in parallel, we measured human olfactory masking with 6-rate scoring tests and saw a correlation coefficient of 0.81 with the channel block. Ringer's solution that was just preexposed to the odorant-containing air affected the cAMP-induced current of the single cell, suggesting that odorant suppression occurs after the evaporation and air/water partition of the odorant chemicals at the olfactory mucus. To investigate the contribution of Cl(Ca), the current was exclusively activated by using the ultraviolet photolysis of caged Ca, DM-nitrophen. With chemical stimuli, it was confirmed that Cl(Ca) channels were less sensitive to the odorant suppression. It is interpreted, however, that in the natural odorant response the Cl(Ca) is affected by the reduction of Ca2+ influx through the CNG channels as a secondary effect. Because the signal transmission between CNG and Cl(Ca) channels includes nonlinear signal-boosting process, CNG channel blockage leads to an amplified reduction in the net current. In addition, we mapped the distribution of the Cl(Ca) channel in living olfactory single cilium using a submicron local [Ca2+]i elevation with the laser photolysis. Cl(Ca) channels are expressed broadly along the cilia. We conclude that odorants regulate CNG level to express masking, and Cl(Ca) in the cilia carries out the signal amplification and reduction evenly spanning the entire cilia. The present findings may serve possible molecular architectures to design effective masking agents, targeting olfactory manipulation at the nano-scale ciliary membrane

Dramatic Dietary Shift Maintains Sequestered Toxins in Chemically Defended Snakes

Unlike other snakes, most species of Rhabdophis possess glands in their dorsal skin, sometimes limited to the neck, known as nucho-dorsal and nuchal glands, respectively. Those glands contain powerful cardiotonic steroids known as bufadienolides, which can be deployed as a defense against predators. Bufadienolides otherwise occur only in toads (Bufonidae) and some fireflies (Lampyrinae), which are known or believed to synthesize the toxins. The ancestral diet of Rhabdophis consists of anuran amphibians, and we have shown previously that the bufadienolide toxins of frog-eating species are sequestered from toads consumed as prey. However, one derived clade, the Rhabdophis nuchalis Group, has shifted its primary diet from frogs to earthworms. Here we confirm that the worm-eating snakes possess bufadienolides in their nucho-dorsal glands, although the worms themselves lack such toxins. In addition, we show that the bufadienolides of R. nuchalis Group species are obtained primarily from fireflies. Although few snakes feed on insects, we document through feeding experiments, chemosensory preference tests, and gut contents that lampyrine firefly larvae are regularly consumed by these snakes. Furthermore, members of the R. nuchalis Group contain compounds that resemble the distinctive bufadienolides of fireflies, but not those of toads, in stereochemistry, glycosylation, acetylation, and molecular weight. Thus, the evolutionary shift in primary prey among members of the R. nuchalis Group has been accompanied by a dramatic shift in the source of the species’ sequestered defensive toxins

No association of xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus with prostate cancer or chronic fatigue syndrome in Japan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The involvement of xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) in prostate cancer (PC) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is disputed as its reported prevalence ranges from 0% to 25% in PC cases and from 0% to more than 80% in CFS cases. To evaluate the risk of XMRV infection during blood transfusion in Japan, we screened three populations--healthy donors (<it>n </it>= 500), patients with PC (<it>n </it>= 67), and patients with CFS (<it>n </it>= 100)--for antibodies against XMRV proteins in freshly collected blood samples. We also examined blood samples of viral antibody-positive patients with PC and all (both antibody-positive and antibody-negative) patients with CFS for XMRV DNA.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Antibody screening by immunoblot analysis showed that a fraction of the cases (1.6-3.0%) possessed anti-Gag antibodies regardless of their gender or disease condition. Most of these antibodies were highly specific to XMRV Gag capsid protein, but none of the individuals in the three tested populations retained strong antibody responses to multiple XMRV proteins. In the viral antibody-positive PC patients, we occasionally detected XMRV genes in plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells but failed to isolate an infectious or full-length XMRV. Further, all CFS patients tested negative for XMRV DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our data show no solid evidence of XMRV infection in any of the three populations tested, implying that there is no association between the onset of PC or CFS and XMRV infection in Japan. However, the lack of adequate human specimens as a positive control in Ab screening and the limited sample size do not allow us to draw a firm conclusion.</p

Selection of calling sites by Pelophylax porosus porosus (Anura: Ranidae)

In frogs, males generally use calls to attract conspecific females for breeding. Previous studies suggest that male frogs can effectively attract females by calling from an open environment, which has the advantages of avoiding the diminishing of their calls and increasing attractiveness to females by bimodal (acoustic + visual) signal. However, males calling from open sites, would be more easily detected by predators due to their exposed bodies. Male frogs may need to select a calling site that is suitable for environmental conditions to enhance their survival rate and mating success. In the present study, we examined the selection of calling sites by Pelophylax porosus porosus male, whose predators are mostly diurnal. As a results, P. p. porosus males tended to select vegetation-shaded water surfaces as daytime calling sites and select open water surfaces as night calling sites. Our results suggest that choice of calling sites by P. p. porosus males depends on whether it is daytime or night, because of differences in predation risk between daytime and night. The selection of a calling site suitable for each situation is expected to increase the fitness of the male frogs.U żab, aby się rozmnożyć samce zazwyczaj nawołują, aby zwabić samice swojego gatunku. Wcześniejsze badania sugerują, że samce żaby mogą skutecznie wabić samice, wołając z otwartego środowiska, co ma tę zaletę, że pozwala uniknąć tłumienia ich nawoływań (np. przez roślinność) i zwiększania atrakcyjności dla samic za pomocą sygnału bimodalnego (akustycznego + wizualnego). Jednak samce nawołujące z otwartych miejsc byłyby łatwiej wykrywane przez drapieżniki (brak możliwości ukrycia się). Samce żab mogą wybierać miejsca wołania, optymalizując swoją przeżywalność i sukces lęgowy. W niniejszej pracy zbadano dobór stanowisk nawoływania przez samca Pelophylax porosus porosus, który jest zagrożony drapieżnictwem w ciągu dnia. W rezultacie samce tego gatunku miały tendencję do wybierania zacienionych przez roślinność powierzchni wody jako miejsc do przebywania w ciągu dnia i wybierały powierzchnie wód otwartych jako miejsca do nawoływań nocnych. Nasze wyniki sugerują, że wybór miejsc nawoływania zależy od tego, czy jest dzień, czy noc, ze względu na różnice w ryzyku drapieżnictwa między dniem a nocą. Wybór odpowiedniego miejsca nawoływania zwiększa liczbę wyprowadzonego potomstwa jednocześnie minimaluzując prawdopodobieństwo śmierci w wyniku drapieżnictwa

Description and recognition methods for sign language based on gesture components

Sign language gestures are inflected in accordance with the context. To recognize such sign language properly, the structure of sign kmgoage must be made clear. It is well known that the structure of sign Iangoage is represented as a combination of basic components of gestures. Sign language can be recognized by using such components. In this paper, a format to describe sign language gestures and a method to recognize the meaning of the gesture based on the components of gestures are discussed

A new species of Rhabdias (Nematoda: Rhabditida: Rhabdiasidae) from Miyakojima island, Okinawa, Japan

A new nematode species that is lung parasitic to a bufonid toad, Rhabdias kafunata sp. nov., is described and illustrated from Miyakojima island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Although the new species was previously identified as R. incerta Wilkie, 1930, it is clearly distinguishable from that species by the characteristics of body proportion, buccal capsule, and esophagus. Additionally, the new species differs from other congeners inhabiting East Asia and the Russian Far East in the following features: longer body length, cup-like buccal capsule, longer esophagus length, presence of thickened anterior muscular part in esophagus, cuticular inflation less prominent in region posterior to small cephalic cuticular inflation, middle part of body and tail tip, and tail long and tapering. Partial sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and 12S rDNA genes were provided as DNA barcodes for the new species

Description of a new species of Rhabdias (Nematoda: Rhabditida: Rhabdiasidae) from Ishigakijima island, Okinawa, Japan

A new nematode species, Rhabdias kiri sp. nov., which is a lung parasite in a microhylid frog Microhyla okinavensis Stejneger, 1901 from Ishigakijima island in the Yaeyama Islands of Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan is described and illustrated. This new species differs from other congeners inhabiting East Asia and the Russian Far East in its features: i.e., shorter body length, slender body shape, narrower and shallower buccal capsule, shorter head diameter and cuticular inflation less prominent in the anterior and middle parts of the body. This is the first record of a frog parasite in Rhabdias from the Yaeyama Islands. Partial sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and 12S rDNA genes were provided as DNA barcodes for the new species