シンフゼン オ ガッペイ シタ ジンケッカンセイ コウケツアツ ニ タイスル ケイヒテキ ジンドウミャク ケイセイジュツ ノ ユウコウセイ

【Background】 Percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty （PTRA） is recommended for patients with heart failure due to renovascular hypertension ; however, the clinical characteristics of the patients and the effects of PTRA on heart failure and cardiorenal function have not been elucidated. 【Methods】 We retrospectively analyzed data for 4 PTRA-treated patients （male/female, 1/3 ; mean age, 70.0±10 years ; mean left ventricular ejection fraction, 51.5±15.2％） with heart failure due to renovascular hypertension and evaluated the effects of PTRA on heart failure and cardiorenal function 6 months after treatment. 【Results】 All patients had pro-arteriosclerotic diseases including diabetes mellitus, essential thrombocythemia, heparin cofactor II deficency, metabolic syndrome, and familial hypercholesterolemia, and 3 patients had ischemic heart disease. No abdominal bruit was heard and mean plasma renin activity was 4.5±3.6 ng/ml/hr, which was not elevated, contrary to expectation. All contralateral kidneys of PTRA were nonfunctioning, suggesting bilateral kidneys were disturbed in all patients. In all patients, PTRA was successfully performed and resolved heart failure. PTRA resulted in decreases in systolic blood pressure from 157±18 to 124±8.6 mmHg, mean serum creatinine from 3.2±2.6 to 2.7±2.2 mg/dl, and mean BNP from 919±998 to 243±291 pg/ml at 6 months after treatment. PTRA did not change left ventricular ejection fraction, a parameter of systolic fraction evaluated by an echocardiogram ; however, PTRA improved E/e’, a parameter of left ventricular diastolic fraction, from 16.1±5.2 to 9.7±3.7. None of the patients were hospitalized due to heart failure during the 6-month period after PTRA. 【Conclusions】 Patients with heart failure with cardiovascular risk factors should be screened for renovascular hypertension regardless of abdominal bruit or plasma renin activity. PTRA is effective for resolving heart failure and for improving renal and cardiac diastolic functions in patients with renovascular hypertension complicated with heart failure

The Japanese space gravitational wave antenna; DECIGO

DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (DECIGO) is the future Japanese space gravitational wave antenna. DECIGO is expected to open a new window of observation for gravitational wave astronomy especially between 0.1 Hz and 10 Hz, revealing various mysteries of the universe such as dark energy, formation mechanism of supermassive black holes, and inflation of the universe. The pre-conceptual design of DECIGO consists of three drag-free spacecraft, whose relative displacements are measured by a differential Fabry– Perot Michelson interferometer. We plan to launch two missions, DECIGO pathfinder and pre- DECIGO first and finally DECIGO in 2024

シロリムス ヨウシュツ ステント リュウチ 7ネンゴ ニ ハジメテ ゾウエイザイ ステント シュウイ シミダシゾウ オ ミトメタ イチレイ

A 74-year-old man who had a history of percutaneous coronary intervention ［left anterior descending coronary artery ＃6‐7, sirolimus eluting stent （SES） （Cypher stent,3.0×18mm）, left circumflex coronary artery ＃13, SES （Cypher stent, 2.5×23mm）］ for angina pectoris experienced chest pain on effort after seven years from the coronary intervention. He was introduced to our hospital and coronary angiography revealed late acquired peri-stent contrast staining （PSS）, which is defined as an angiographical finding of contrast medium stain outside the stent being ＞20％ of the stent diameter, in the SES of the left anterior descending artery. Drug-eluting stent （DES） significantly inhibits neointimal proliferation, thereby significantly reducing in-stent restenosis. However, the risk of very late stent thrombosis has become a major problem after the DES implantation against the bare-metal stent implantation. PSS has been reported that PSS after SES implantation could predict late stent thrombosis and incomplete stent apposition of the lesion with PSS. In this case, PSS was pointed out for the first time in seven years after SES implantation nevertheless it did not be pointed out in three years. The mechanism and prognosis of PSS is unclear. But, we found the increase in local coagulation at the coronary artery in this case and the degree of prothrombin fragment F1＋2, one of the coagulation marker, was greater in seven years after SES implantation than in three years. We thought these findings might reflect that PSS after SES implantation was associated with very late stent thrombosis. So we started the dual antiplatelet therapy for the prevention of stent thrombosis. Careful long-term observation might be recommended in patients with late acquired PSS and elevated local coagulation response following SES implantation

ニンシン オ ケイキ ニ ジョウミャク ケッセンショウ オ ハッショウシ センテンセイ アンチトロンビンIII ケッソンショウ ト シンダン サレタ イチレイ

Congenital antithrombin III (AT III) deficiency is an inherited autosomal dominant disorder. Patients often suffer from recurrent venous thromboses that are triggered by several occasions (operation, gestation, trauma, oral contraceptive drug etc.). Moreover, 60% of them are said to be associated with pulmonary embolism. The patient of this report is 27-year-old pregnant woman in the first trimester. She felt pain in the back of her head and left auricle and presented with dyslexia and aphasia in late of March, 20XX. Getting CT brain scan, MRI brain scan, and blood sampling at the nearby hospital, she was suspected of having thrombosis of left sigmoid and transverse sinus due to AT III deficiency. Because she wanted to give birth to her first child without termination, she was referred to our hospital. We used heparin as the anticoagulant therapy because warfarin had the risk of teratogenesis. But in condition of low serum level of AT III activity, it didn’t work effectively. So we also did frequent complement of AT III. Strict anticoagulant therapy resulted in better outcome for both the patient and her baby without fatal venous thromboses or fetal complications

A Prototype Study for Evaluation of Algal Beds

Algal beds are a key component of coastal ecosystems. In terms of inshore fisheries, algal beds are important as: spawning grounds for fishes; habitats for fry; and sources of small prey animals for fishes. To maintain robust fish catches, it is considered worthwhile to maintain the functions of algal beds, and even to promote the growth of more algal beds. If the value of each of the many types of algal beds can be measured using economic measurements, by using fish for example, the design of a fishery area can be planned effectively. The structure and function of algal beds however, are very complex: we lack reliable scientific knowledge about their functions and guidelines for the artificial development of algal beds. We commenced a study to evaluate the economic value of the algal beds at Oshoro Bay, Hokkaido from 2001. We described the morphological complexity of algae and species compositions of phytal animals that inhabit algae. The methods employed here, and the potential application of the data obtained from this study to the economic evaluation of algal beds, is discussed.KEYWORDS: Fisheries economics, Animal size, Fisheries Infrastructure, Interstitial size, Phytal animals, Algal be

Brap2 Regulates Temporal Control of NF-κB Localization Mediated by Inflammatory Response

<div><p>Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) is critical for the expression of multiple genes involved in inflammatory responses and cellular survival. NF-κB is normally sequestered in the cytoplasm through interaction with an inhibitor of NF-κB (IκB), but inflammatory stimulation induces proteasomal degradation of IκB, followed by NF-κB nuclear translocation. The degradation of IκB is mediated by a SCF (<i>S</i>kp1-<i>C</i>ullin1-<i>F</i>-box protein)-type ubiquitin ligase complex that is post-translationaly modified by a ubiquitin-like molecule Nedd8. In this study, we report that BRCA1-associated protein 2 (Brap2) is a novel Nedd8-binding protein that interacts with SCF complex, and is involved in NF-κB translocation following TNF-α stimulation. We also found a putative neddylation site in Brap2 associated with NF-κB activity. Our findings suggest that Brap2 is a novel modulator that associates with SCF complex and controls TNF-α-induced NF-κB nuclear translocation.</p> </div

The RING domain of Brap2 is responsible for the interaction with Nedd8.

<p>(A) Schematic structure of deletion mutants of Brap2. (<b>B</b>) HEK293 cells were transfected with indicated plasmids and were subjected to immunoprecipitation (IP). The immunoprecipitants (IP) and the total cell lysates were immunoblotted (IB) with indicated antibodies. (<b>C</b>) Schematic structure of point mutant of Brap2. (<b>D</b>) HEK293 cells were transfected with expression vectors as indicated and were subjected to IP. (<b>E</b>) HEK293 cells were transfected with HA-Nedd8 and Flag-Brap2, immunoprecipitated with Flag antibody. The total cell lysates and IP were immunoblotted with HA antibody.</p

Brap2 is neddylated at lysine-432 <i>in vivo</i>.

<p>(A) Alignment of putative neddylation site of Brap2 with the consensus neddylation site of cullin family proteins. (<b>B</b>) HEK293 cells were transfected with indicated plasmids and were subjected to immunoprecipitation (IP) with Flag antibody and the resulting immunoprecipitant (IP) and total cell lysates were immnoblotted (IB) with indicated antibodies.</p