SEIFERT SURGERY ON KNOTS VIA REIDEMEISTER TORSION AND CASSON–WALKER–LESCOP INVARIANT II

Dedicated to Professor Makoto Sakuma for his 60th birthda

Progress in Somatic Embryogenesis of Japanese Pines

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) in not only one of the most promising techniques for mass propagation of selected trees, but also is a valuable tool for basic research studies in cell biology and genetic engineering, and it allows the long-term ex situ conservation of genetic resources by cryopreservation techniques. This review reports the most recent progress in SE, protoplast culture, and cryopreservation of four important Japanese pines (Pinus thunbergii, Pinus densiflora, Pinus armandii var. amamiana, and Pinus luchuensis). Induction of embryogenic tissues (ET), embryogenic culture maintenance/proliferation, production of somatic embryos, germination, and conversion to plants are described focusing on the protocols most commonly reported for plant production in Pinus species through to SE

CO2-rich komatiitic melt inclusions in Cr-spinels within beach sand from Gorgona Island, Colombia

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2009. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters 288 (2009): 33-43, doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2009.09.005.The volatile content of komatiite is a key to constrain the thermal and chemical evolution of the deep Earth. We report the volatile contents with major and trace element compositions of ~ 80 melt inclusions in chromian spinels (Cr-spinels) from beach sands on Gorgona Island, Colombia. Gorgona Island is a ~ 90 Ma volcanic island, where picrites and the youngest komatiites known on the Earth are present. Melt inclusions are classified into three types on the basis of their host Cr-spinel compositions: low Ti (P type), high Ti with high Cr# (K1 type) and high Ti with low Cr# (K2 type). Chemical variations of melt inclusions in the Cr-spinels cover all of the island's lava types. P-type inclusions mainly occur in the picrites, K1-type in high-TiO2 komatiites (some enriched basalts: E-basalts) and K2-type in low-TiO2 komatiites. The H2O and CO2 contents of melt inclusions within Cr-spinels from the beach sand are highly variable (H2O: 0.03–0.9 wt.%; CO2: 40–4000 ppm). Evaluation of volatile content is not entirely successful because of compositional alterations of the original melt by degassing, seawater/brine assimilation and post-entrapment modification of certain elements and volatiles. However, the occurrence of many melt inclusions with low H2O/K2O ratios indicates that H2O/K2O of Gorgona komatiite is not much different from that of modern mid-oceanic ridge basalt (MORB) or oceanic island basalt. Trend of CO2/Nb and Zr/Y ratios, accounted for by two-component mixing between the least degassed primary komatiite and low-CO2/Nb evolved basalt, allow us to estimate a primary CO2/Nb ratio of 4000 ± 2200 or a CO2 content of 0.16 ± 0.09 wt.%. The determined CO2/Nb ratio is unusually high, compared to that of MORB (530). Although the presence of CO2 in the Gorgona komatiite does not affect the magma generation temperature, CO2 degassing may have contributed to the eruption of high-density magmas. High CO2/Nb and the relatively anhydrous nature of Gorgona komatiite provide possible resolution to one aspect of the hydrous komatiite debate.This work is financially supported by grants from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Gastrointestinal cancer occurs as extramuscular manifestation in FSHD1 patients

Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy type1 (FSHD1) patients with a shortened D4Z4 repeat containing the DUX4 gene have a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. In addition, high expression of DUX4 protein with an aberrant C terminus is frequently identified in B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. We investigated clinical manifestations in 31 FSHD1 patients and 30 non-affected individuals. Gastrointestinal cancers (gastric and colorectal cancers) increased after the age of 40 years and were more frequently observed in FSHD1 patients (n = 10) than in non-affected individuals (n = 2, p = 0.0217), though the incidence of cancers occurring in non-gastrointestinal tissues of FSHD1 patients was the same as that of non-affected individuals (p > 0.999). These comorbidities of FSHD1 patients were not associated with D4Z4 repeat number. Our results suggest that gastrointestinal cancers are among the extramuscular manifestations of adult FSHD1 patients, and do not depend on D4Z4 repeat number

Atrial fibrillatory wave amplitude revisited: A predictor of recurrence after catheter ablation independent of the degree of left atrial structural remodeling

Background: The fibrillatory wave amplitude (FWA) during atrial fibrillation (AF) is thought to reflect structural atrial remodeling, but it remains unclear what determines the FWA. Methods: 114 consecutive patients were prospectively studied who underwent catheter ablation of AF. The mean FWA was computed by automated surface ECG analyses. The extent of the left atrial (LA) voltage-defined atrial fibrosis and conduction properties were estimated by a three-dimensional high-density electroanatomical mapping system. The LA size was evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography. The study patients were divided into 2 groups according to an FWA in lead V1 above the median value of 46 µV (high FWA group, n=57) or below 46 µV (low FWA group, n=57). Results: There were no differences in the age, gender, CHADS2 score, prevalence of paroxysmal AF, medications, ablation strategy, and LA volume index between the two groups. The LA low voltage areas in the low FWA group were not different from those in the high FWA group. The total LA activation time and local LA conduction velocity did not differ between the two groups. During a median follow-up of 710 days, the recurrence rate after ablation was significantly higher in patients with a low FWA than a high FWA (log-rank P=0.02). In a multivariate analysis, non-paroxysmal AF, the LA volume index, and FWA were independent predictors of recurrence after　ablation. Conclusions: The FWA was not correlated with the markers of atrial structural remodeling. Nevertheless, the FWA could still provide information for predicting the clinical outcome after AF ablation

Approach for growth of high-quality and large protein crystals

Three crystallization methods, including crystallization in the presence of a semi-solid agarose gel, top-seeded solution growth (TSSG) and a large-scale hanging-drop method, have previously been presented. In this study, crystallization has been further evaluated in the presence of a semi-solid agarose gel by crystallizing additional proteins. A novel crystallization method combining TSSG and the large-scale hanging-drop method has also been developed