Aharonov-Bohm Exciton Absorption Splitting in Chiral Specific Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in Magnetic Fields of up to 78 T

The Ajiki-Ando (A-A) splitting of single-walled carbon nanotubes(SWNT) originating from the Aharanov-Bohm effect was observed in chiral specific SWNTs by the magneto-absorption measurements conducted at magnetic fields of up to 78 T. The absorption spectra from each chirality showed clear A-A splitting of the $E_{11}$ optical excitonic transitions. The parameters of both the dark-bright exciton energy splitting and the rate of A-A splitting in a magnetic field were determined for the first time from the well-resolved absorption spectra.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Adenomyoepithelial adenosis associated with breast cancer: a case report and review of the literature

Adenomyoepithelial adenosis of the breast is an extremely rare type of adenosis. We herein present the case of a 35-year-old woman, who presented with a small painless hard lump and elastic soft induration of 5 cm in diameter in her left breast. Clinical examination and diagnostic workup were suggestive of a breast carcinoma, and a modified radical mastectomy and sentinel node biopsy were performed. Histopathological examination revealed adenomyoepithelial adenosis along with fibrocystic change and small invasive ductal carcinoma, slightly away from the adenosis. The presented case was thought to be initial-stage adenomyoepithelial adenosis and independently developing breast cancer. From a review of five reported cases of adenomyoepithelial adenosis, complete resection of the tumor and coexisting malignant disease may be recommended, owing to the tendency to develop breast cancer or malignant adenomyoepithelioma, or recurrence. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2193-1801-2-50) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

901–85 Lp(a) is a Predictor of Coronary Artery Disease in Pre-menopausal but not in Post-menopausal Women

Coronary artery disease (CAD) risk increases in women after menopause. Although numerous reports suggest that lipid profile worsening after menopause may be associated with an increase in CAD among women, there have been few studies that discussed the contribution of Lp(a). To examine the association between CAD and Lp(a) in pre-menopausal (PR, <55 yo) and post-menopausal (PO, ≥55 yo) women, we evaluated Lp(a) levels and other risk factor prevalence in 180 female patients (20 to 77 yo) with angiographically defined CAD. Six risk factors were assessed: hyper-Lp(a)emia (Hi-Lp(a), Lp(a)≥30mg/dl). hyper-LDLemia (Hi-LDL, LDL≥160mg/dl). hypo-HDLemia (Lo-HDL, HDL<35mg/dl), hypertension, diabetes, and smoking. Cases were defined as those who had >1 coronary artery with >50% stenosis. There were more patients with Hi-Lp(a) (61%*vs 27%), Hi-LDL (61%**vs 5%) and smoking (61%**vs 9%) in PR cases (n=18) as compaved with those in PR controls (n=22). PO cases (n=93) had more Lo-HDL (15%*vs 2%), diabetes (33%**vs 13%) and smokers (61%**vs 9%) than PO controls (n=47) did. The median Lp(a) of PR cases was higher than that of PR controls (38.8*, 22.7mg/dl), and they increased with number of diseased arteries. In contrast, there was no difference in the Lp(a) levels between PO cases and PO controls (21.7, 25.2mg/dl). Logistic regression model also revealed that Hi-Lp(a) was an independent predictor of CAD after controlling for Hi-LDL, Lo-HDL, hypertension, diabetes and smoking among PR (B=2.44, SE=1.20, p<0.05), but not among PO. Our data suggests that Lp(a) may be a strong risk factor for CAD in pre-menopausal women, and in post-menopausal women other risk factors, such as an estrogen deficiency, may play an important role. (*p<0.05, **p<0.01)

Ultrahigh Magnetic Field Optical Study of Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes Film

Excitons in Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNTs) have emerged as an ideal candidate for exploring one-dimensional (1-D) exciton physics. Exciton states which dominate optical properties of SWNTs even at room temperature, are not clarify yet. The optical absorption spectra of aligned SWNTs films under ultra high magnetic fields up to 190 T are examined to investigate this issue. Shifting and splitting of the absorption peaks due to Aharonov-Bohm effect was observed clearly above 80 T in the configuration where the magnetic fields were applied in parallel to the alignment of SWNTs. The lowest singlet exciton state has been determined through the analysis of energy splitting of excitons by the application of magnetic fields.

Mother-to-embryo vitellogenin transport in a viviparous teleost Xenotoca eiseni

魚類がお腹の子供に与える栄養素を解明 --哺乳類が失った遺伝子を利用して胎生機構を獲得--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2019-10-09.Vitellogenin (Vtg), a yolk nutrient protein that is synthesized in the livers of female animals, and subsequently carried into the ovary, contributes to vitellogenesis in oviparous animals. Thus, Vtg levels are elevated during oogenesis. In contrast, Vtg proteins have been genetically lost in viviparous mammals, thus the yolk protein is not involved in their oogenesis and embryonic development. In this study, we identified Vtg protein in the livers of females during the gestation of the viviparous teleost, Xenotoca eiseni. Although vitellogenesis is arrested during gestation, biochemical assays revealed that Vtg protein was present in ovarian tissues and lumen fluid. The Vtg protein was also detected in the trophotaeniae of the intraovarian embryo. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that Vtg protein is absorbed into intracellular vesicles in the epithelial cells of the trophotaeniae. Furthermore, extraneous Vtg protein injected into the abdominal cavity of a pregnant female was subsequently detected in the trophotaeniae of the intraovarian embryo. Our data suggest that the yolk protein is one of the matrotrophic factors supplied from the mother to the intraovarian embryo during gestation in X. eiseni

N-Glycosylation plays a role in protein folding of human UGT1A9

金沢大学医薬保健研究域薬学系UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) catalyze the glucuronidation of a variety of xeno/endobiotics. UGTs are type I membrane proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) with a glycosylated luminal domain. In the present study, we investigated the role of N-glycosylation in the function of human UGT1A9. Mutation analysis at the potential N-glycosylation sites at residues 71, 292, and 344 (from asparagine to glutamine) revealed that all of them were glycosylated, but the extent of glycosylation and/or size of the glycan differed. In comparison with the wild-type, these mutants showed decreased enzyme activities in parallel with the extent of the band shift in Western blot analysis. To evaluate the role of glycosylation in the enzyme activity, we produced unglycosylated UGT1A9 by treating HEK293 cells transiently transfected with expression plasmid with tunicamycin. The unglycosylated UGT1A9 was almost inactive, which was not an indirect effect of ER stress. To the contrary, the deglycosylated UGT1A9, which was produced by the treatment with Endo H under the non-denaturing condition, showed the same enzyme kinetics as the control. These results suggest that the glycosylation that occurs during translation is important for the folding of UGT1A9. The thermal stability analysis of the mutated and deglycosylated UGT1A9 proteins supported the findings. In conclusion, we found that the N-glycosylation has an important role in the folding of UGT1A9. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Endoscopic carpal tunnel pressure measurement: a reliable technique for complete release

Carpal tunnel syndrome is diagnosed by clinical symptoms, Tinel's sign, Phalen's test and electromyography. Carpal tunnel pressure measurement can also aid in the precise identification of excessive pressure sites that indicate locations for release. In this study, pressure measurements made during endoscopic carpal tunnel release at 5 points were significantly higher anywhere in the carpal tunnel than outside the tunnel and decreased markedly after release. We concluded that our measurement technique can improve the reliability of endoscopic carpal tunnel release by decreasing the likelihood of missing any nerve entrapment sites.</p

Antiplatelet antibody may cause delayed transfusion-related acute lung injury

A 61-year-old woman with lung cancer developed delayed transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) syndrome after transfusion of plasma- and leukoreduced red blood cells (RBCs) for gastrointestinal bleeding due to intestinal metastasis. Acute lung injury (ALI) recurred 31 days after the first ALI episode. Both ALI episodes occurred 48 hours after transfusion. Laboratory examinations revealed the presence of various antileukocyte antibodies including antiplatelet antibody in the recipient’s serum but not in the donors’ serum. The authors speculate that antiplatelet antibodies can have an inhibitory effect in the recipient, which can modulate the bona fide procedure of ALI and lead to a delay in the onset of ALI. This case illustrates the crucial role of a recipient’s platelets in the development of TRALI

Mnagement of Information about Advarse Events in Clinical Trials

金沢大学医学部附属病院薬剤

Application of Benchtop NMR for Metabolomics Study Using Feces of Mice with DSS-Induced Colitis

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics, which comprehensively measures metabolites in biological systems and investigates their response to various perturbations, is widely used in research to identify biomarkers and investigate the pathogenesis of underlying diseases. However, further applications of high-field superconducting NMR for medical purposes and field research are restricted by its high cost and low accessibility. In this study, we applied a low-field, benchtop NMR spectrometer (60 MHz) employing a permanent magnet to characterize the alterations in the metabolic profile of fecal extracts obtained from dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis model mice and compared them with the data acquired from high-field NMR (800 MHz). Nineteen metabolites were assigned to the 60 MHz 1H NMR spectra. Non-targeted multivariate analysis successfully discriminated the DSS-induced group from the healthy control group and showed high comparability with high-field NMR. In addition, the concentration of acetate, identified as a metabolite with characteristic behavior, could be accurately quantified using a generalized Lorentzian curve fitting method based on the 60 MHz NMR spectra.journal articl