Dietary Salt Intake is a Significant Determinant of Impaired Kidney Function in the General Population

Background/Aims: Kidney dysfunction is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and end-stage renal disease. This study investigated whether dietary salt intake predicts deterioration of kidney function in the general population. Methods: In all, 12 126 subjects with a normal estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR ≥60 mL/min per 1.73m2) attending an annual check-up were enrolled in the study and were followed-up for a median of 1754 days; the endpoint was the development of impaired kidney function (eGFR < 60 mL/min per 1.73m2). Individual salt intake was estimated using spot urine analysis. Results: At baseline, mean (± SD) salt intake and eGFR were 10.6 ± 3.4 g/day and 80.8 ± 12.9 mL/min per 1.73m2, respectively. During the follow-up period, 1384 subjects (25.2 per 1000 person-years) developed impaired kidney function. Multivariate Cox hazard regression analysis revealed salt intake as a significant predictor of the new onset of kidney impairment (hazard ratio 1.045; 95% confidence interval 1.025–1.065). Subjects were divided into two groups based on salt intake; the incidence of impaired kidney function was higher in the group with high than low salt intake (P < 0.001, log-rank test). Multivariate Cox hazard regression analysis indicated a 29% increased risk of developing impaired kidney function in the high-salt group. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed a significant correlation between salt intake and yearly decline in eGFR (β = 0.060, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Salt intake is associated with the development of impaired kidney function in the general population, independent of its effects on blood pressure. Salt restriction may help prevent the development of impaired kidney function

土壌改質材 FFC エースによるオオムギの生育と収量の促進効果

The effects of a unique soil conditioner, FFC-ace, on photosynthesis, transpiration, growth and yield of barley were examined in a field experiment. FFC-ace well-mixed with sandy soil greatly enhanced root and shoot growth, tillering and the number of grains per stock. The total yield in the treated plot increased by about 172%. The plants grown in the FFC-ace plot were greener and contained a higher level of chlorophyll, compared with the control. Photosynthesis and transpiration, which are tightly linked to productivity were also significantly enhanced at the broad range of photon flux observed in our study. The quality of grain harvested from the FFC-ace plot was similar to the control plot in terms of nutritional and inorganic components. The increased photosynthesis in the FFC-ace treated barley reflects a higher absorption of CO(2) from the atmosphere. It was also noted that the efficiency of water utilization for photosynthesis was significantly greater under the high light intensity in the treated plot. The relationship between application of FFC-ace and absorption of atmospheric CO(2) is discussed. Our investigation provides data showing that application of FFC-ace to soil significantly reduces water requirements for plant growth and yield.本報は，㈱エフエフシー・ジャパンから販売されている土壌改質材FFCエースTMの作物の生長促進効果について，2006年11月から翌年６月，本学農学部内の実験圃場で実施された，オオムギの生育ならびに収量調査に関する試験結果をとりまとめたものである．実施圃場の砂土壌にFFCエースを所定量混和した区画を設け，オオムギの種子を播種した．なお，対照区は非導入土壌とした．定期的に行った生育調査の結果，FFCエースを導入した土壌では非導入の区画と比べて，生育初期における根の生育が良好となり，地上部における分けつ数の増加とともに穂の生長も旺盛となって，１穂当たりの収穫量（粒数）の著しい増加をもたらした．結果，FFCエース導入区における全収量は非導入区と比べて約1.7倍となった．また，それぞれから収穫したオオムギ粒に含まれる栄養価ならびに無機元素類の量には，FFCエースの導入，非導入によって大きな違いは認められず，導入の効果は収量に大きく反映された．事実，調査期間中に行った測定から，FFCエースを投入した土壌で生育するオオムギ葉は高いクロロフィル量を示しており，光合成が促進されているものと考えられた．実際，播種後４ヶ月目以降，光合成ならびに蒸散速度値を測定した結果，FFCエース導入区で生育したオオムギでは常に高い値を示した．また，FFCエースの導入によって強光条件下における水利用効率が促進された．本報告では，FFCエースの投与と空気中からの二酸化炭素の吸収量との関連について考察するとともに，併せて，FFCエースの土壌への導入によって作物の生育に必要な灌水量を大きく減らすことができる可能性についても言及したい

Reanalysis of the long-term trend of JASMES snow cover extent in the Northern Hemisphere

第6回極域科学シンポジウム分野横断セッション：[IA] 急変する北極気候システム及びその全球的な影響の総合的解明―GRENE北極気候変動研究事業研究成果報告2015―11月19日（木）　国立極地研究所 2階 大会議

Measurement of snow specific surface area by the BET theory ― investigation of surtable adsorbent ―

第3回極域科学シンポジウム/第35回極域気水圏シンポジウム 11月29日（木） 国立国語研究所 ２階ロビ

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target