Utilization and post-harvest technology of sardine, in relation to nutrition and health

Fish consumption in Japan is very high compared with other countries; it is approximately 96 g daily per capita and provides a good balance of protein, fats and oils, and carbohydrates. The largest component of the fish catch in Japan is sardine; attempts are being made to produce new products, other than the traditional forms, such as surumi. In fatty sardine fish, the characteristic components include polyunsaturated fatty acids which lower the blood cholesterol levels; in particular eicosapentaenoic acid lowers the incidence of adult diseases such as myocardial infarction

Mechanically actuated Kerr soliton microcombs

Mode-locked ultrashort pulse sources with a repetition rate of up to several tens of gigahertz greatly facilitate versatile photonic applications such as frequency synthesis, metrology, radar, and optical communications. Dissipative Kerr soliton microcombs provide an attractive solution as a broadband, high-repetition-rate compact laser system in this context. However, its operation usually requires sophisticated pump laser control to initiate and stabilize the soliton microcombs, particularly in millimeter-sized ultrahigh-Q whispering-gallery resonators. Here, we realize a mechanically actuated soliton microcomb oscillator with a microwave repetition rate of 15 GHz. This enables direct soliton initiation, long-term stabilization, and fine tuning, where the operation now lifts the prerequisite pump laser tunability that must be relaxed if the technology is to be widely used outside the laboratory environment. We reveal the prospects for using this method with a wide range of applications that would benefit from mechanical soliton actuation such as optical clocks, spectral extension, and dual-comb spectroscopy

Characterization of Genetic Signal Sequences with Batch-Learning SOM

An unsupervised clustering algorithm Kohonen's SOM is an effective tool for clustering and visualizing high-dimensional complex data on a single map. We previously modified the conventional SOM for genome informatics, making the learning process and resulting map independent of the order of data input on the basis of Batch Learning SOM (BL-SOM). We generated BL-SOMs for tetra- and pentanucleotide frequencies in 300,000 10-kb sequences from 13 eukaryotes for which almost complete genomic sequences are available. BL-SOM recognized species-specific characteristics of oligonucleotide frequencies in most 10-kb sequences, permitting species-specific classification of sequences without any information regarding the species. We next constructed BL-SOMs with tetra- and pentanucleotide frequencies in 37,086 full-length mouse cDNA sequences. With BL-SOM we also analyzed occurrence patterns of the oligonucleotides that are thought to be involved in transcriptional regulation on the human genome

Intracellular cAMP contents regulate NAMPT expression via induction of C/EBPβ in adipocytes

A decline in intracellular nicotinamide adenine mononucleotide (NAD+) causes adipose tissue dysfunction. Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the NAD+ biosynthesis pathway. However, the molecular mechanism that mediates regulation of NAMPT expression in adipocytes is yet to be elucidated. This study found that intracellular cAMP regulates NAMPT expression and promoter activity in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. cAMP-mediated Nampt promoter activity was suppressed by protein kinase A inhibitor H89, whereas AMP-activated protein kinase inhibitor compound C did not affect cAMP-mediated Nampt promoter activity. Intracellular cAMP induced CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ) expression. Knockdown of C/EBPβ suppressed NAMPT expression and promoter activity. Furthermore, the Nampt promoter was activated by C/EBPβ, while LIP activated the dominant-negative form of C/EBPβ. Promoter sequence analysis revealed that the region from -96 to -76 on Nampt was required for C/EBPβ-mediated promoter activity. Additionally, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated that C/EBPβ was bound to the promoter sequences of Nampt. Finally, NAMPT inhibitor FK866 suppressed adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells, and this suppressive effect was restored by nicotinamide mononucleotide treatment. These findings showed that intracellular cAMP increased NAMPT levels by induction of C/EBPβ expression and indicated that the induction of NAMPT expression was important for adipogenesis.ArticleBiochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 522(3): 770-775. (2020)journal articl

Microcirculation changes in gingival tissue after ultrasonic tooth preparation in beagle dog

Abstract: Ultrasonic wave technology is widely used during dental treatments. We previously demonstrated that this method protects the gingival tissue. However, the physiological change on the gingival microvasculature caused by this method remains unclear. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the morphological and physiological effects on gingival microcirculation when preparing teeth, using the conventional dental turbine or ultrasonic method. Methodology: The lower premolar teeth of beagle dogs were prepared along the gingival margin by using a dental turbine or ultrasonic wave instrument. Gingival vasculature changes were investigated using scanning electron microscopy for corrosion resin casts. Gingival blood flow at the preparation site was determined simultaneously by laser Doppler flowmetry. These assessments were performed immediately (Day 0), at 7 days and 30 days after tooth preparation. Results: At day 0, in the turbine group, blood vessels were destroyed and some resin leaked. Furthermore, gingival blood flow at the site was significantly increased. In contrast, the ultrasonic group demonstrated nearly normal vasculature and gingival blood flow similar to the non-prepared group for 30 days after preparation. No significant alterations occurred in gingival circulation 30 days after either preparation; however, the turbine group revealed obvious morphological changes. Conclusions: Based on multiple approach analyses, this study demonstrated that ultrasonic waves are useful for microvascular protection in tooth preparation. Compared with a dental turbine, ultrasonic wave instruments caused minimal damage to gingival microcirculation. Tooth preparation using ultrasonic wave instruments could be valuable for protecting periodontal tissue

Common Hepatic Branch of Vagus Nerve-Dependent Expression of Immediate Early Genes in the Mouse Brain by Intraportal L-Arginine: Comparison with Cholecystokinin-8

Information from the peripheral organs is thought to be transmitted to the brain by humoral factors and neurons such as afferent vagal or spinal nerves. The common hepatic branch of the vagus (CHBV) is one of the main vagus nerve branches, and consists of heterogeneous neuronal fibers that innervate multiple peripheral organs such as the bile duct, portal vein, paraganglia, and gastroduodenal tract. Although, previous studies suggested that the CHBV has a pivotal role in transmitting information on the status of the liver to the brain, the details of its central projections remain unknown. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the brain regions activated by the CHBV. For this purpose, we injected L-arginine or anorexia-associated peptide cholecystokinin-8 (CCK), which are known to increase CHBV electrical activity, into the portal vein of transgenic Arc-dVenus mice expressing the fluorescent protein Venus under control of the activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc) promotor. The brain slices were prepared from these mice and the number of Venus positive cells in the slices was counted. After that, c-Fos expression in these slices was analyzed by immunohistochemistry using the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method. Intraportal administration of L-arginine increased the number of Venus positive or c-Fos positive cells in the insular cortex. This action of L-arginine was not observed in CHBV-vagotomized Arc-dVenus mice. In contrast, intraportal administration of CCK did not increase the number of c-Fos positive or Venus positive cells in the insular cortex. Intraportal CCK induced c-Fos expression in the dorsomedial hypothalamus, while intraportal L-arginine did not. This action of CCK was abolished by CHBV vagotomy. Intraportal L-arginine reduced, while intraportal CCK increased, the number of c-Fos positive cells in the nucleus tractus solitarii in a CHBV-dependent manner. The present results suggest that the CHBV can activate different brain regions depending on the nature of the peripheral stimulus

Attributing variance in supportive care needs during cancer: Culture-service, and individual differences, before clinical factors

Background Studies using the Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS) report high levels of unmet supportive care needs (SCNs) in psychological and less-so physical & daily living domains, interpreted as reflecting disease/treatment-coping deficits. However, service and culture differences may account for unmet SCNs variability. We explored if service and culture differences better account for observed SCNs patterns. Methods Hong Kong (n = 180), Taiwanese (n = 263) and Japanese (n = 109) CRC patients’ top 10 ranked SCNS-34 items were contrasted. Mean SCNS-34 domain scores were compared by sample and treatment status, then adjusted for sample composition, disease stage and treatment status using multivariate hierarchical regression. Results All samples were assessed at comparable time-points. SCNs were most prevalent among Japanese and least among Taiwanese patients. Japanese patients emphasized Psychological (domain mean = 40.73) and Health systems and information (HSI) (38.61) SCN domains, whereas Taiwanese and Hong Kong patients emphasized HSI (27.41; 32.92) and Patient care & support (PCS) (19.70; 18.38) SCN domains. Mean Psychological domain scores differed: Hong Kong = 9.72, Taiwan = 17.84 and Japan = 40.73 (p<0.03–0.001, Bonferroni). Other SCN domains differed only between Chinese and Japanese samples (all p<0.001). Treatment status differentiated Taiwanese more starkly than Hong Kong patients. After adjustment, sample origin accounted for most variance in SCN domain scores (p<0.001), followed by age (p = 0.01–0.001) and employment status (p = 0.01–0.001). Treatment status and Disease stage, though retained, accounted for least variance. Overall accounted variance remained low. Conclusions Health service and/or cultural influences, age and occupation differences, and less so clinical factors, differentially account for significant variation in published studies of SCNs.published_or_final_versio

Characterization of Genetic Signal Sequences with Batch-Learning SOM

An unsupervised clustering algorithm Kohonen's SOM is an effective tool for clustering and visualizing high-dimensional complex data on a single map. We previously modified the conventional SOM for genome informatics, making the learning process and resulting map independent of the order of data input on the basis of Batch Learning SOM (BL-SOM). We generated BL-SOMs for tetra- and pentanucleotide frequencies in 300,000 10-kb sequences from 13 eukaryotes for which almost complete genomic sequences are available. BL-SOM recognized species-specific characteristics of oligonucleotide frequencies in most 10-kb sequences, permitting species-specific classification of sequences without any information regarding the species. We next constructed BL-SOMs with tetra- and pentanucleotide frequencies in 37,086 full-length mouse cDNA sequences. With BL-SOM we also analyzed occurrence patterns of the oligonucleotides that are thought to be involved in transcriptional regulation on the human genome

Percutaneous coronary intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: Insights from the nationwide registration data.

[Background] Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has negatively affected access to healthcare systems and treatment timelines. This study was designed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). [Methods] From January 2019 to December 2020, 489, 001 patients from 1068 institutions were registered in the Japanese nationwide PCI (J-PCI) registry. We constructed generalized linear models to assess the difference in the daily number of patients and in-hospital outcomes between 2019 and 2020. [Findings] In total, 207 institutions (19·3%) had closed or restricted access during the first COVID-19 outbreak in May 2020; the number of closed or restricted institutions had plateaued at a median of 121 institutions (11·3%). The daily case volume of PCI significantly decreased in 2020 (by 6·7% compared with that in 2019; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6·2–7·2%; p < 0·001). Marked differences in the presentation of PCI patients were observed; more patients presented with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (18·3% vs. 17·5%; p < 0·001), acute heart failure (4·49% vs. 4·30%; p = 0·001), cardiogenic shock (3·79% vs. 3·45%; p < 0·001), and cardiopulmonary arrest (2·12% vs. 2·00%; p = 0·002) in 2020. The excess adjusted in-hospital mortality rate in patients treated in 2020 relative to those treated in 2019 was significant (adjusted odds ratio, 1·054; 95% CI, 1·004–1·107; p = 0·03). [Interpretation] While the number of patients who underwent PCI substantially decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, more patients presented with high-risk characteristics and were associated with significantly higher adjusted in-hospital mortality. [Funding] The J-PCI registry is a registry led and supported by the Japanese Association of Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics. The present study was supported by the Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of Health and Labour (No. 20IA2002 and 21FA1015), the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (KAKENHI; No. 21K08064), and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (No. 17ek0210097h000)

The Downregulation of the Expression of CD147 by Tumor Suppressor REIC/Dkk-3, and Its Implication in Human Prostate Cancer Cell Growth Inhibition

The cluster of differentiation 147 (CD147), also known as EMMPRIN, is a key molecule that promotes cancer progression. We previously developed an adenoviral vector encoding a tumor suppressor REIC/Dkk-3 gene (Ad-REIC) for cancer gene therapy. The therapeutic effects are based on suppressing the growth of cancer cells, but, the underlying molecular mechanism has not been fully clarified. To elucidate this mechanism, we investigated the effects of Ad-REIC on the expression of CD147 in LNCaP prostate cancer cells. Western blotting revealed that the expression of CD147 was significantly suppressed by Ad-REIC. Ad-REIC also suppressed the cell growth of LNCaP cells. Since other researchers have demonstrated that phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and c-Myc protein positively regulate the expression of CD147, we investigated the correlation between the CD147 level and the activation of MAPK and c-Myc expression. Unexpectedly, no positive correlation was observed between CD147 and its possible regulators, suggesting that another signaling pathway was involved in the downregulation of CD147. This is the first study to show the downregulation of CD147 by Ad-REIC in prostate cancer cells. At least some of the therapeutic effects of Ad-REIC may be due to the downregulation of the cancer-progression factor, CD147