Downstream migration of newly-hatched ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis) in the Tien Yen River of northern Vietnam

The ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis) is an annual, amphidromous, plecoglossid fish, distributed in Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. To date, ayu have been found only in two rivers in northern Vietnam, where little is known about their life history. The Tien Yen River is believed to be the most southwestern habitat for this species. To determine whether newly hatched ayu larvae drift and to understand their downstream migration, intensive surveys were conducted in the Tien Yen River from October to March of 2013–2016. In total, 529 drifting ayu larvae were collected from four of six sampling stations along the river. Thus, ayu reproduction has been confirmed in this river for the first time, where only adult fish had been found previously. However, we did not successfully collect larvae in the eastern branch of the river, which has a hydroelectric dam, suggesting that ayu do not inhabit this branch or else do not reproduce there. The presence of drifting larvae in the western branch from mid-December to late January implies that they spawn from late November to mid-January. Drifting larvae were captured primarily at night, but peak occurrences varied depending upon the day and the sampling station. With the range of body sizes and variable diel abundance patterns, ayu in the Tien Yen River probably employ multiple spawning grounds. This study provides fundamental life history data for the vulnerable ayu populations in northern Vietnam

Comparison of Urinary Levels of 8-Hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine between Young Females with and without Depressive Symptoms during Different Menstrual Phases

This study aimed to clarify the association between depressive symptoms and a marker of oxidative stress-induced DNA damage in young females. Since the menstrual cycle may confound or modify this association, depressive symptoms and urinary levels of 8-hydroxy-2ʼ deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were evaluated during each menstrual phase. A total of 57 female fourth-year students (aged 21.6±0.8) from a Japanese health science university were studied. The menstrual cycle was divided into 3 phases:menstrual (days 1 to 3 after the onset of menses);proliferative (days 13 to 15);and secretory (days 24 to 26). Depressive symptoms were assessed by the self-rating depression scale (SDS). Positive depressive symptoms were defined as a score of 53 or more during 2 different menstrual phases. The association between the presence of depressive symptoms and 8-OHdG levels adjusting for the menstrual cycle was examined by two-way analysis of variance with the menstrual cycle (menstrual, proliferative, and secretory phases) as the within-individual factor. The menstrual cycle did not show a significant correlation with urinary 8-OHdG levels. On the other hand, the menstrual cycle-adjusted 8-OHdG level was significantly higher in those with depressive symptoms (7.01ng/mL) than in those without them (3.98ng/mL). The ROC curve analysis showed that urinary 8-OHdG levels had reasonably high discriminative performance throughout all the menstrual cycles (0.73-0.81;all p＜0.05). These results indicated the presence of oxidative stress in subjects with depressive symptoms independent of the menstrual cycle

Biological notes on Tachypleus tridentatus (Leach, 1819) in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan: two species of epibiotic organisms found on adults, and the carcass of a juvenile presumably eaten by a bird

2016年8月5日に広島県竹原市ハチ干潟で発見されたカブトガニ成体に，表在生物のカブトガニウズムシおよびカニエラエボシが確認された．また，2017年9月20日には野鳥に捕食されたと考えられるカブトガニ幼体の死骸が発見された．On August 5, 2016, two epibiotic species, the turbellarian Ectoplana limuli (Ijima & Kaburaki, 1916) and the goose barnacles Octolasmis neptuni (MacDonald, 1869), were found on two adults of the Japanese horseshoe crab Tachypleus tridentatus (Leach, 1819) in Hiroshima Prefecture. On September 20, 2017, the carcass of a juvenile horseshoe crab was found, which had presumably been eaten by a bird.本研究の一部は公益財団法人福武財団「瀬戸内海文化研究・活動支援助成」によって行われたことを明記する

Integrated-gut-liver-on-a-chip platform as an in vitro human model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

非アルコール性脂肪性肝疾患を再現した腸・肝連結臓器チップの開発. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-04-07.Two-organ chip to answer fatty liver questions. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-04-07.Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) afflicts a significant percentage of the population; however, no effective treatments have yet been established because of the unsuitability of in vitro assays and animal experimental models. Here, we present an integrated-gut-liver-on-a-chip (iGLC) platform as an in vitro human model of the gut-liver axis (GLA) by co-culturing human gut and liver cell lines interconnected via microfluidics in a closed circulation loop, for the initiation and progression of NAFLD by treatment with free fatty acids (FFAs) for 1 and 7 days, respectively. Co-cultured Caco-2 gut-mimicking cells and HepG2 hepatocyte-like cells demonstrate the protective effects from apoptosis against FFAs treatment, whereas mono-cultured cells exhibit induced apoptosis. Phenotype and gene expression analyses reveal that the FFAs-treated gut and liver cells accumulated intracellular lipid droplets and show an increase in gene expression associated with a cellular response to copper ions and endoplasmic reticulum stress. As an in vitro human GLA model, the iGLC platform may serve as an alternative to animal experiments for investigating the mechanisms of NAFLD

LPS-CXCL10 Predicts Responses to Bortezomib in Myeloma Patients

To identify predictive biomarkers for clinical responses to bortezomib treatment, 0.06 mL of each whole blood without any cell separation procedures was stimulated ex vivo using five agents, and eight mRNAs were quantified. In six centers, heparinized peripheral blood was prospectively obtained from 80 previously treated or untreated, symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM) patients with measurable levels of M-proteins. The blood sample was procured prior to treatment as well as 2-3 days and 1-3 weeks after the first dose of bortezomib, which was intravenously administered biweekly or weekly, during the first cycle. Six stimulant-mRNA combinations; that is, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), LPS-CXCL chemokine 10 (CXCL10), LPS-CCL chemokine 4 (CCL4), phytohemagglutinin-CCL4, zymosan A (ZA)-GMCSF and ZA-CCL4 showed significantly higher induction in the complete and very good partial response group than in the stable and progressive disease group, as determined by both parametric (t-test) and non-parametric (unpaired Mann-Whitney test) tests. Moreover, LPS-induced CXCL10 mRNA expression was significantly suppressed 2-3 days after the first dose of bortezomib in all patients, as determined by both parametric (t-test) and non-parametric (paired Wilcoxon test) tests, whereas the complete and very good partial response group showed sustained suppression 1-3 weeks after the first dose. Thus, pretreatment LPS-CXCL10 mRNA and/or the six combinations may serve as potential biomarkers for the response to bortezomib treatment in MM patients

Density of juvenile of tri-spine horseshoe crab Tachypleus tridentatus in the Sone Estuary, Kitakyushu, Japan, with notes on sediment particle sizes in habitats and breeding areas

2016年7月16–18日に福岡県北九州市曽根干潟においてカブトガニの幼体密度・成長段階組成および幼体生息場所・成体産卵場所の底質を調査した．また，海岸に打ち上げられたカブトガニ成体の遺骸のサイズおよび性についても調査した．貫川河口南に生息する幼体の前体幅は8.0–52.0mm (N=68)であった．カブトガニ幼体の密度は875個体/haであった．幼体の密度は岸側から沖に向かうほど著しく低下したが，底質の中央粒径値には差がほとんどみられなかった．打ち上げられた成体の遺骸55個体の前体幅を測定した結果，215.0–377.0mmであった．性比は雄40％，雌56％であり，残りの4％は雌雄を判別できなかった．遺骸には尾剣が折れた個体，卵が体内に残存している個体がみられた．曽根干潟の北方に位置する吉田海岸から南に位置する松山埋立地までの産卵に利用されている7地点の底質は中央粒径値が0.77–2.58mmの砂・礫であった．このことから，曽根干潟では粒径の大きい底質においても産卵が行われていることが明らかとなった．The density and composition of developmental stages of juveniles of the tri-spine horseshoe crab Tachypleus tridentatus (Leach, 1819) and sedimentary environment of juveniles' habitats and adults' breeding areas were investigated at the Sone tidal flat, Fukuoka Prefecture during 16 to 18 July, 2016. The sizes and sexes of dead adults beached on the shore were also examined. The carapace width of juveniles collected at the mouth of the Nuki River ranged from 8.0 to 52.0mm (N=68). The density of juveniles was about 875indiv./ha, with the density decreasing in the offshore direction. However, mean diameters of sedimentary particles did not differ considerably among five line transects set up from the inshore to offshore. The carapace width of beached dead adults ranged from 215.0 to 377.0mm (N=55) with sex proportions of 40% male, 56% female, and 4% unidentified. Some dead adults bore a broken tail spine or contained eggs in the bodies. Mean sizes of sedimentary particles at the seven breeding areas located along the inner part of the flat ranged 0.77 to 2.58mm, and tended to be more coarse than at other breeding areas in Japan.本研究は公益財団法人福武財団「平成28，29年度瀬戸内海文化研究・活動支援助成」によって行われたのでここに感謝を記す