Seed Germination Response to Storage Conditions of Eriocaulon heleocharioides (Eriocaulaceae), an Extinct Species in the Wild

Abstract Seed germination experiments with Eriocaulon heleocharioides Satake (Eriocaulaceae) were performed to investigate the effect of air exposure on seeds during the storage period. Although the seeds germinated both above and under water, the response and durability of germination differed from each other. Moreover, the seeds that were dried for 1 month and sown in water showed the highest germination rate (84.4%) among all combinations of conditions. This result shows that treatment by drying prior to sowing promotes the germination of this species

Genetic Polymorphisms of the Human PNPLA3 Gene Are Strongly Associated with Severity of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Japanese

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) includes a broad range of liver pathologies from simple steatosis to cirrhosis and fibrosis, in which a subtype accompanying hepatocyte degeneration and fibrosis is classified as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH accounts for approximately 10-30% of NAFLD and causes a higher frequency of liver-related death, and its progression of NASH has been considered to be complex involving multiple genetic factors interacting with the environment and lifestyle.To identify genetic factors related to NAFLD in the Japanese, we performed a genome-wide association study recruiting 529 histologically diagnosed NAFLD patients and 932 population controls. A significant association was observed for a cluster of SNPs in PNPLA3 on chromosome 22q13 with the strongest p-value of 1.4 × 10(-10) (OR = 1.66, 95%CI: 1.43-1.94) for rs738409. Rs738409 also showed the strongest association (p = 3.6 × 10(-6)) with the histological classifications proposed by Matteoni and colleagues based on the degree of inflammation, ballooning degeneration, fibrosis and Mallory-Denk body. In addition, there were marked differences in rs738409 genotype distributions between type4 subgroup corresponding to NASH and the other three subgroups (p = 4.8 × 10(-6), OR = 1.96, 95%CI: 1.47-2.62). Moreover, a subgroup analysis of NAFLD patients against controls showed a significant association of rs738409 with type4 (p = 1.7 × 10(-16), OR = 2.18, 95%CI: 1.81-2.63) whereas no association was obtained for type1 to type3 (p = 0.41). Rs738409 also showed strong associations with three clinical traits related to the prognosis of NAFLD, namely, levels of hyaluronic acid (p = 4.6 × 10(-4)), HbA1c (p = 0.0011) and iron deposition in the liver (p = 5.6 × 10(-4)).With these results we clearly demonstrated that Matteoni type4 NAFLD is both a genetically and clinically different subset from the other spectrums of the disease and that the PNPLA3 gene is strongly associated with the progression of NASH in Japanese population

Reliability of clinical diagnosis and DIAGNOdent^<TM> measurement value for dental caries comparing with results of contact microradiographic examinations

齲蝕の治療を行うにあたり,齲蝕部位の病理組織学的診断を行うことは実際に不可能である。そのため,実際に行われている臨床診断の精度は明らかでない。本研究の目的は,ふだん行われている診査方法による臨床診断の信頼性,および術者間における診断の変動についてin vitroで調べることである。臨床診断にはエアーシリンジを用いた視診,探針による触診,それにエックス線診が使われた。試験には抜去歯が用いられ,臨床診断とコンタクトマイクロラジオグラム(CMR)による最終診断が比較された。レーザー型齲蝕検出装置であるDIAGNOdent^も客観的に臨床診断を行う方法として検討を行った。その結果,臨床診断のうち81%がCMRによる最終診断と一致した。4名の歯科医師の特異度はC_1で0.8から1.0,C_2で0.63から0.88だった。敏感度はC_1で0.5から0.83,C_2で0.88から1.0だった。Kappa係数は0.45から0.66だった。DIAGNOdent^と最終診断の一致率は50%だった。結論として,術者間の再現性は必ずしも高くはなく,共通の診断方法を使った場合でも術者によって臨床診断は変化するように思われた。したがって,臨床診断と最終診断は81%が一致したが,より正確な臨床診断を行うためにはさらなる研究が必要と思われる。一方,単独のDIAGNOdent^計測値は現在のところ,臨床診断ほどには信頼できないものだった。The histopathological diagnosis cannot be performed in the dental caries, and thus, accuracy of clinical diagnosis is uncertain. The purpose of this study is to examine the reliability of clinical diagnosis by conventional methods and to examine the diagnostic variation among examiners in vitro. Visual inspections using an air syringe, probing using a dental explorer and radiographic examinations were all used for clinical diagnosis. Clinical diagnosis and final diagnosis by the contact microradiography (CMR) were compared using extracted carious teeth. DIAGNOdent^, a laser fluorescence device for caries detection was also examined as an objective method for clinical diagnosis. As a result, 81% of the clinical diagnosis matched those from the CMR diagnosis. Specificity for clinical diagnosis of four dentists ranged between 0.8 and 1.0 (C_1) and between 0.63 and 0.88 (C_2). Sensitivity ranged between 0.5 and 0.83 (C_1) and between 0.88 and 1.0 (C_2). The Kappa values varied from 0.45 to 0.66. The results of DIAGNOdent^ measurements correlated with the final diagnoses at the rate of 50%. In conclusion, inter-examiner reproducibility was not always high and clinical diagnosis seemed to vary by examiners even when common conventional methods were used. Thus, in order to provide a more accurate clinical diagnosis more investigation seems to be necessary, though 81% of clinical diagnosis matched final diagnosis. On the other hand, DIAGNOdent^ measurement value alone was not as dependable as clinical diagnosis at present

Relation between static and dynamic modulus of elasticity of wood = Kapcsolat a faanyag statikus és dinamikus rugalmassági modulusza között

Static and dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOE) of spruce lumber were determined under different conditions like cross head speed, bending and longitudinal vibration, and mode numbers. The characteristic time of MOE determination is introduced. Characteristic time is defined as the typical MOE determination time. Shorter characteristic times are shown to result in higher MOE values. An order of magnitude change in characteristic time resulted in a 1.7% change in MOE. We found clear evidence that creep exists on a short time scale

バーチャルリアリティを用いた地下街火災時の避難行動分析に基づく効果的な避難誘導方法に関する研究

東京理科大学202

Carotenoderma due to lycopenemia : A case report and evaluation of lycopene deposition in the skin

Carotenoderma is a yellow-orange coloration of the skin caused by high levels of serum carotenoids, mostly due to the excessive intake of carotenoid-rich foods. The yellowish coloration is typically observed on the palms, soles, and nasolabial folds. Although the physical appearance is prominent, the condition itself is benign and harmless. Diagnosing carotenoderma is not difficult because of its unique manifestations, but its pathophysiology remains unclear. We report a relatively rare case of carotenoderma due to lycopenemia caused by the excessive intake of lycopene-rich vegetables and fruits. Lycopene is a carotenoid component that is distinguished by the high absorption of light around 488nm. Given these characteristics, we examined a hematoxylin-eosin-stained specimen from the patient and tape-stripped samples by fluorescent microscopy with 488 nm wavelength emission and compared them with normal skin samples. Notably, the patient's samples showed a weaker autofluorescence in the stratum corneum and sweat glands. Furthermore, we measured carotenoid concentrations in the patient's skin noninvasively with Vegecheck (R) and found a higher score than the average of 24 healthy volunteers. These results support the long-held hypothesis that carotenoids are secreted in sweat and are deposited in the stratum corneum. To the best of our knowledge, no previous reports have measured skin carotenoid levels nor detailed the pathological findings of carotenoderma patients. This case further highlights that the excessive intake of lycopene causes carotenoderma and demonstrates that carotenoid deposition is particularly pronounced in the stratum corneum of the skin