Urine and plasma levels of uroguanylin and its molecular forms in renal diseases

Urine and plasma levels of uroguanylin and its molecular forms in renal diseases. Uroguanylin activates the intestinal and possibly the renal guanylate cyclase C receptor, and stimulates Cl− secretion. We developed a sensitive radioimmunoassay (RIA) for human uroguanylin and measured its concentration in the urine and plasma. Twenty-four-hour urinary excretion of immunoreactive (ir-) uroguanylin for persons with a high-salt diet (10 g/day) was 137.8 ± 14.4 pmol/day, significantly higher than that for persons with a low-salt diet (7 g/day, 95.1 ± 16.3 pmol/day, P < 0.05). There were significantly positive correlations between the urinary excretion of ir-uroguanylin and Na+, Cl−, K+ or cyclic GMP (cGMP). We demonstrated the presence of messenger RNA of guanylate cyclase C in the medulla of human kidney. The concentration of plasma ir-uroguanylin significantly correlated with that of serum creatinine (r = 0.71, P < 0.001). Biologically active uroguanylin-16 accounted for 99% of the endogenous uroguanylin molecules in normal urine and 60% in plasma, the remainder being the 10kDa precursor. The precursor content increased in the urine and plasma as the severity of renal impairment increased. These findings suggest that bioactive uroguanylin-16 is involved in the regulation of electrolyte homeostasis and that the kidney participates in the metabolism and excretion of uroguanylin

Pfaffian and Determinant Solutions to A Discretized Toda Equation for Br,CrB_r, C_r and DrD_r

We consider a class of 2 dimensional Toda equations on discrete space-time. It has arisen as functional relations in commuting family of transfer matrices in solvable lattice models associated with any classical simple Lie algebra $X_r$. For $X_r = B_r, C_r$ and $D_r$, we present the solution in terms of Pfaffians and determinants. They may be viewed as Yangian analogues of the classical Jacobi-Trudi formula on Schur functions.Comment: Plain Tex, 9 page

Quantity and quality of antigravity muscles in patients undergoing living-donor lobar lung transplantation: 1-year longitudinal analysis using chest computed tomography images

Background: Skeletal muscle dysfunction is a common feature in patients with severe lung diseases. Although lung transplantation aims to save these patients, the surgical procedure and disuse may cause additional deterioration and prolonged functional disability. We investigated the postoperative course of antigravity muscle condition in terms of quantity and quality using chest computed tomography. Methods: 35 consecutive patients were investigated for 12 months after living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT). The erector spinae muscles (ESMs), which are antigravity muscles, were evaluated, and the cross-sectional area (ESMCSA) and mean attenuation (ESMCT) were analysed to determine the quantity and quality of ESMs. Functional capacity was evaluated by the 6-min walk distance (6MWD). Age-matched living donors with lower lobectomy were evaluated as controls. Results: Recipient and donor ESMCSA values temporarily decreased at 3 months and recovered by 12 months post-operatively. The ESMCSA of recipients, but not that of donors, surpassed baseline values by 12 months post-operatively. Increased ESMCSA (ratio to baseline ≥1) may occur at 12 months in patients with a high baseline ESMCT. Although the recipient ESMCT may continuously decrease for 12 months, the ESMCT is a major determinant, in addition to lung function, of the postoperative 6MWD at both 3 and 12 months. Conclusion: The quantity of ESMs may increase within 12 months after LDLLT in recipients with better muscle quality at baseline. The quality of ESMs is also important for physical performance; therefore, further approaches to prevent deterioration in muscle quality are required

家庭科教育と総合的な学習の時間における高糖度トマトを栽培する構成主義的学習に関する研究

小学校教育での栽培教育・農業教育を通じて、農作物栽培の魅力を感じ、それらを生産する楽しさや大切さを学習する場面を設定した。さらに高糖度トマトを工夫して栽培することにより、思考力を育成する実践的な構成主義的学習指導方法を構築した。「総合的な学習の時間」と家庭科教育を連携した食農を通して生命の重要性や環境教育に発展させる食農教育プログラムを開発することにより児童の学力向上を図ることができた。Through cultivation and agriculture education in elementary school education, we have developed a practical constructivist learning method for cultivating sweet tomatoes that allows pupils to feel the appeal of growing crops, learn the joy and importance of producing them, and develop their ability to think through the creative cultivation of sweet tomatoes. By developing a food and agriculture education program that links "integrated learning time" with home economics education and develops the importance of life and environmental education through meal agriculture education, we were able to improve the pupil's ability.departmental bulletin pape

Morphological properties of flower and fruit in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)

タイで栽培されるオクラの10系統と日本で栽培される20品種を供試して,花と果実の形態的特性を調査した。開花時には,どの系統・品種でもその外観はほぼ同じであった。果実は五角形あるいは丸形で,細長い形状をしていた。供試したすべての系統・品種は,Abelmoschus esculentusに属していた。10系統と20品種は,クラスター分析により3群に分類された。クラスター1には\u27Benny\u27, \u27Better Five\u27, \u27Blue Sky\u27, \u27Early Five\u27, \u27Emerald\u27, Green Etude\u27, Green Five\u27, Green Rocket\u27, Green Star\u27, Gulliver\u27, \u27Holiday\u27, \u27Miyako Gokaku\u27, \u27Natsu no Megumi\u27, \u27Peak Five\u27, \u27Pentagon\u27, \u27Star Debut\u27, \u27Star Light\u27, \u27Suisei Gokaku\u27, HE 015, HE 045, HE 047, HE 047-1とHE 050-1が含まれた。クラスター2には\u27Blue Sky Z\u27, \u27Clemson Spineless\u27, HE 006とHE 050が含まれた。クラスター3にはHE 022, HE 025とHE 035が含まれていた。Twenty okra cultivars from Japan and ten okra accessions from Thailand were cultivated to compare the morphological properties of flowers and fruits. Flower organs of all cultivars and accessions were quite similar in appearance at anthesis. The slender fruits with pentagon or round shaped were observed. All cultivars and accessions in this study belonged to Abelmoschus esculentus. Twenty cultivars and ten accessions were divided into 3 clusters. Cluster I consisted of \u27Benny\u27, \u27Better Five\u27, \u27Blue Sky\u27, \u27Early Five\u27, \u27Emerald\u27, \u27Green Etude\u27, \u27Green Five\u27, \u27Green Rocket\u27, \u27Green Star\u27, \u27Gulliver\u27, \u27Holiday\u27, \u27Miyako Gokaku\u27, \u27Natsu no Megumi\u27, Teak Five\u27, \u27Pentagon\u27, \u27Star Debut\u27, \u27Star Light\u27, \u27Suisei Gokaku\u27, HE 015, HE 045, HE 047, HE 047-1 and HE 050-1. Cluster II was composed of \u27Blue Sky Z\u27, \u27Clemson Spineless\u27, HE 006 and HE 050. Cluster III was comprised of HE 022, HE 025 and HE 035

Cultivar differences in flowering response of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) in spring and autumn

オクラの10系統と5品種を供試して,春季と秋季において花成反応の品種間差異を調査した。系統HE006, HE022, HE045, HE047, HE047-1と\u27Benny\u27, \u27Better Five\u27, \u27Clemson Spineless\u27, \u27Emerald\u27, \u27Green Rocket\u27の花芽は春季では2～6の低節位に,秋季には8～11節の低節位に形成された。秋季に比べて春季で品種間に差はあるが,出雷は0～11日早くおこった。季節に関わらず, HE015, HE050, HE050-1の花芽は播種後18～21日と早く形成されたが, HE025, HE035では32日～48日と遅く形成された。すべての系統と品種について,開花と結実時期は季節によって変動した。春季と秋季の環境条件に対する花成反応から,敏感な品種とそうでない品種に分けられた。敏感な品種にはHE006, HE022, HE045, HE047, HE047-1, \u27Benny\u27, \u27Better Five\u27, \u27Clemson Spineless\u27, \u27Emerald\u27と\u27Green Rocket\u27があった。敏感でない品種は2群に分けられ,花芽分化の早いのはHE015, HE050, HE050-1であり,遅いのはHE025, HE035であった。Differences in flowering response of ten accessions and five cultivars were investigated in spring and autumn. Flower buds of HE 006, HE 022, HE 045, HE 047, HE 047-1, \u27Benny\u27, \u27Better Five\u27, \u27Clemson Spineless\u27, \u27Emerald\u27 and \u27Green Rocket\u27 were initiated at the lower node from 2 to 6 in spring and from 8 to 11 in autumn and they appeared 0 to 11 days earlier in spring than in autumn, depending on the cultivars. Flower bud initiation of HE 015, HE 050 and HE 050-1 was early in 18 to 21 days after sowing (DAS) but the initiation of HE 025 and HE 035 was late in 32 to 48 DAS whether in spring or in autumn. The occurrence of anthesis and fruiting in all accessions and cultivars fluctuated in the different seasons. Based on these results, two groups of flowering response to environmental conditions in spring and autumn were identified as sensitive and non-sensitive cultivars. Sensitive cultivars comprised of HE 006, HE 022, HE 045, HE 047, HE 047-1, \u27Benny\u27, \u27Better Five\u27, \u27Clemson Spineless\u27, \u27Emerald\u27 and \u27Green Rocket\u27. Non-sensitive cultivars were divided into two subgroups as early and late flowering. Early flowering composed of HE 015, HE 050 and HE 050-1 and late flowering consisted of HE 025 and HE 035. (Accepted September 9, 2003