SERCA2aの持続的過剰発現は、生理的条件下では膀胱機能に影響を及ぼすが、膀胱出口部閉塞亜急性期の病的条件下では膀胱機能に影響しない

A functional impairment of the bladder and heart in a decompensated state caused by a pressure overload is accompanied by a decrease in the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2). The beneficial effects of SERCA2 overexpression in preserving cardiac functions have been previously reported. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of overexpressed SERCA2 on bladder functions under physiological and pathological conditions using partial bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) in SERCA2a transgenic Wistar rats (TG). Bladder cystometry and western blot analysis were performed using the wild-type Wistar rats (WT), TG, and BOO models (WTBOO and TGBOO). Persistent overexpression of SERCA2 induces reduced bladder compliance without hypertrophy in TG. BOO induces reduced bladder compliance and hypertrophy in WT and TG in the sub-acute phase, but persistent overexpression of SERCA2a in TG does not aggravate the bladder compliance and hypertrophy. In conclusion, SERCA2a overexpression affects bladder functions under physiological conditions, but not in BOO-induced sub-acute pathological conditions.博士（医学）・甲第623号・平成26年5月28

飲水指導は夜間頻尿患者の頻尿症状を有効に改善する

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate how guidance on water-intake impacts the degree of nocturia. METHODS: A total of 67 male patients were enrolled in the present study. Patients were asked to adjust their water and food intakes so that their 24-h urine production/bodyweight would be equal or lower than 30 mL/kg. One month after the treatment, the therapeutic gain from and adverse effects of fluid restriction were examined by comparing the pretreatment and post-treatment value of various parameters. RESULTS: Overall, 65 eligible patients were evaluated. In 44 patients (67%), the frequency of nocturia was improved to one or more times. The change in frequency of nocturia showed a positive correlation with the change in nocturnal urine volume. The change in nocturnal urine volume showed a positive correlation with the changes in 24-h urine production/bodyweight, 24-h drinking volume and daytime drinking volume. The changes in 24-h urine production/bodyweight and daytime drinking volume were independent factors influencing therapeutic effect. None of the participants reported any adverse event. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with a 24-h urine production/bodyweight equal or higher than 30 mL/kg, guidance on water intake might be considered effective and safe as a lifestyle therapy. Water restriction should be carried out not only in the evening, but also during daytime.博士（医学）・乙第1348号・平成26年12月3日© 2014 The Japanese Urological Associatio

Microwave characterization of tantalum superconducting resonators on silicon substrate with niobium buffer layer

Tantalum thin films sputtered on unheated silicon substrates are characterized with microwaves at around 10 GHz in a 10 mK environment. We show that the phase of tantalum with a body-centered cubic lattice ($\alpha$-Ta) can be grown selectively by depositing a niobium buffer layer prior to a tantalum film. The physical properties of the films, such as superconducting transition temperature and crystallinity, change markedly with the addition of the buffer layer. Coplanar waveguide resonators based on the composite film exhibit significantly enhanced internal quality factors compared with a film without the buffer layer. The internal quality factor approaches $2\times 10^7$ at a large-photon-number limit. While the quality factor decreases at the single-photon level owing to two-level system (TLS) loss, we have identified the primary cause of TLS loss to be the amorphous silicon layer at the film-substrate interface, which originates from the substrate cleaning before the film deposition rather than the film itself. The temperature dependence of the internal quality factors shows a marked rise below 200 mK, suggesting the presence of TLS-TLS interactions. The present low-loss tantalum films can be deposited without substrate heating and thus have various potential applications in superconducting quantum electronics.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures + Supplementary Material (7 pages, 5 figures

PDE5阻害薬であるタダラフィルは糖尿病ラットの膀胱血流を改善し、初期段階に低下する下部尿路機能を回復する

AIMS: To investigate the effect of tadalafil on bladder blood flow and lower urinary tract function in a rat model of diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied female Sprague-Dawley rats and induced diabetes in some using a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. We divided the rats into nondiabetes (ND), diabetes (D), and diabetes with tadalafil (DT) groups. The rats were raised for an additional 7 weeks after diabetes induction. The DT group received oral tadalafil (2 mg/kg/day) for 7 days before the experiments. At 7 weeks after diabetes induction, we performed cystometry, resected the bladders for immunohistochemistry (hypoxia-inducible factor-1α [HIF-1α] and 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine [8-OHdG] staining), and measured bladder blood supply using a laser blood flow meter. RESULTS: The opening pressure, when the urethra opens and urine flow starts, was significantly lower in the DT group than in the D group (24.9 ± 5.9 vs 43.6 ± 12.3 cmH2 O). The inter-contraction interval was significantly longer in the D group than in the ND and DT groups (1566.2 ± 168.7 vs 702.9 ± 165.2 and 787.4 ± 148.8 s). Immunohistochemistry showed positive staining of the urothelial layer for both HIF-1α and 8-OHdG in the D group, but not in the ND or DT groups. Bladder blood flow was significantly lower in the D group than in the ND or DT groups. CONCLUSIONS: Tadalafil improves bladder blood supply and lower urinary tract function in diabetic rats. Tadalafil may be a promising drug that restores lower urinary tract dysfunction in the early phase of diabetes.博士（医学）・甲第677号・平成30年3月15日© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: "http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/nau.23372", which has been published in final form at [Link to final article using the DOI]. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions

Antioxidant α-tocopherol ameliorates glycemic control of GK rats, a model of type 2 diabetes

AbstractWe have shown recently that oxidative stress by chronic hyperglycemia damages the pancreatic β-cells of GK rats, a model of non-obese type 2 diabetes, which may worsen diabetic condition and suggested the administration of antioxidants as a supportive therapy. To determine if natural antioxidant α-tocopherol (vitamin E) has beneficial effects on the glycemic control of type 2 diabetes, GK rats were fed a diet containing 0, 20 or 500 mg/kg diet α-tocopherol. Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test revealed a significant increment of insulin secretion at 30 min and a significant decrement of blood glucose levels at 30 and 120 min after glucose loading in the GK rats fed with high α-tocopherol diet. The levels of glycated hemoglobin A1c, an indicator of glycemic control, were also reduced. Vitamin E supplementation clearly ameliorated diabetic control of GK rats, suggesting the importance of not only dietary supplementation of natural antioxidants but also other antioxidative intervention as a supportive therapy of type 2 diabetic patients

Genome analysis of Parmales, the sister group of diatoms, reveals the evolutionary specialization of diatoms from phago-mixotrophs to photoautotrophs

The order Parmales (class Bolidophyceae) is a minor group of pico-sized eukaryotic marine phytoplankton that contains species with cells surrounded by silica plates. Previous studies revealed that Parmales is a member of ochrophytes and sister to diatoms (phylum Bacillariophyta), the most successful phytoplankton group in the modern ocean. Therefore, parmalean genomes can serve as a reference to elucidate both the evolutionary events that differentiated these two lineages and the genomic basis for the ecological success of diatoms vs. the more cryptic lifestyle of parmaleans. Here, we compare the genomes of eight parmaleans and five diatoms to explore their physiological and evolutionary differences. Parmaleans are predicted to be phago-mixotrophs. By contrast, diatoms have lost genes related to phagocytosis, indicating the ecological specialization from phago-mixotrophy to photoautotrophy in their early evolution. Furthermore, diatoms show significant enrichment in gene sets involved in nutrient uptake and metabolism, including iron and silica, in comparison with parmaleans. Overall, our results suggest a strong evolutionary link between the loss of phago-mixotrophy and specialization to a silicified photoautotrophic life stage early in diatom evolution after diverging from the Parmales lineage