ワカヤマケン ニ ブンプスル チュウシンセイ ギョウカイガン ノ キュウガイ ニ ハッタツスル タフォニ ノ ブンプ ト ケイジョウ

Morphological features of tafoni on Miocene tuff cliffs have been studied in the Kozagawa area, Wakayama, Japan. Distribution of tafoni tends to develop on steep slopes characterized by massive fine-grained acidic tuff. Concave roof of tafoni has been formed with high decreasing rate of rock strength under high humid condition. This supports that concave roofs have been formed due to high rate of salt weathering. Piling up of rock blocks on the foot of such cliffs indicates that evolution of tafoni is closely related to rock fall from the cliffs. Development of tafoni makes a sort of canopies overhanging on steep cliff, and such unstable portions fall down as rock fall. In addition to development of tafoni, cracks within acidic tuff are also one of causes of rock fall. Such cracks occurred due to rotational moment of overhanging portion. Consequently, weathering rates of rocks due to salt weathering and spacing of these cracks are control the frequency of rock fall in these cliffs

The Heterochromatin Block That Functions as a Rod Cell Microlens in Owl Monkeys Formed within a 15-Myr Time Span

In rod cells of many nocturnal mammals, heterochromatin localizes to the central region of the nucleus and serves as a lens to send light efficiently to the photoreceptor region. The genus Aotus (owl monkeys) is commonly considered to have undergone a shift from diurnal to nocturnal lifestyle. We recently demonstrated that rod cells of the Aotus species Aotus azarae possess a heterochromatin block at the center of its nucleus. The purpose of the present study was to estimate the time span in which the formation of the heterochromatin block took place. We performed three-dimensional hybridization analysis of the rod cell of another species, Aotus lemurinus. This analysis revealed the presence of a heterochromatin block that consisted of the same DNA components as those in A. azarae. These results indicate that the formation was complete at or before the separation of the two species. Based on the commonly accepted evolutionary history of New World monkeys and specifically of owl monkeys, the time span for the entire formation process was estimated to be 15 Myr at most

RSV replication is attenuated by counteracting expression of the suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) molecules

AbstractHuman RSV causes an annual epidemic of respiratory tract illness in infants and in elderly. Mechanisms by which RSV antagonizes IFN-mediated antiviral responses include inhibition of type I IFN mRNA transcription and blocking signal transduction of JAK/STAT family members. The suppressor of cytokines signaling (SOCS) gene family utilizes a feedback loop to inhibit cytokine responses and block the activation of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway. To evaluate the potential of SOCS molecules to subvert the innate immune response to RSV infection, eight SOCS family genes were examined. RSV infection up-regulated SOCS1, SOCS3, and CIS mRNA expression in HEp-2 cells. Suppression of SOCS1, SOCS3 and CIS by short interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) inhibited viral replication. Furthermore, inhibition of SOCS1, SOCS3, or CIS activated type I IFN signaling by inducing STAT1/2 phosphorylation. These results suggest that RSV infection escapes the innate antiviral response by inducing SOCS1, SOCS3 or CIS expression in epithelial cells

Comparison of energy metabolism in Insulin-Dependent and Non-Insulin-Dependent diabetes mellitus

To compare the metabolic consequences of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), glycemic control and energy metabolism were evaluated in 18 children displaying IDDM and 19 NIDDM adult patients. With rising concentrations of fasting blood glucose (FBG), hemoglobin A1C and free fatty acid, the percentage of the ratio of resting energy expenditure (REE) to predicted REE expressed as %REE increased and the respiratory quotient (RQ) decreased. The linear regression between RQ and FBG showed the same gradient in IDDM and NIDDM although the RQ in IDDM was always 0.07 lower than that in NIDDM given various FBG concentrations. Those patients whose RQ values were less than 0.7, indicating ketone body production, included 8 (44%) IDDM and 2 (11%) NIDDM patients. These results may explain the relatively greater manifestation of ketoacidosis in IDDM

Relationship between monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and radiation exposure in Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors.

Radiation exposure is a possible predisposing factor for monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), but the association has been uncertain. We investigated the relationship between radiation exposure and MGUS prevalence by using data from the M-protein screening for Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors between 1988 and 2004. Radiation exposure was assessed by exposure distance from the hypocenter and exposure radiation dose. We computed prevalence ratios (PRs) and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusting for exposure age and sex. A total of 1082 cases of MGUS were identified from 52 525 participants. MGUS prevalence was significantly higher in people exposed at distance within 1.5 km than beyond 3.0 km (PR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.9) among those exposed at age 20 years or younger, but it was not found among those exposed at age 20 years or older. MGUS prevalence was also significantly higher in people exposed to more than 0.1 Gy than those exposed to less than 0.01 Gy (PR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.0-2.8) among those exposed at age 20 years or younger. Thus, people exposed at younger age exhibited a significantly high risk of MGUS when exposed to a high radiation dose. There was no clear association between radiation exposure and the malignant progression of MGUS. Further detailed analysis is needed

Cancer Mortality in Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors with Epilation

To elucidate the association between epilation and cancer mortality in Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors, cancer mortality was determined for a total of 9,356 survivors (3,591 males and 5,765 females) from 1 January 1970 to 31 December 1997. The subjects included individuals other than those in the Life Span Study (LSS) cohort of ABCC-RERF. Information on acute injury was obtained from a survey that was conducted at the time of application for a health handbook. The association between epilation and cancer mortality was evaluated by the Cox proportional hazards model, including factors such as gender, age at the time of the bombing, attained age, radiation dose and epilation. Epilation was found in 81 (2.3%) males and 148 (2.6%) females. No significant difference in the frequency of epilation was observed by gender or age at the time of the bombing. The hazard ratio of cancer mortality in those with epilation compared to those without epilation was 1.06 (95% confidence interval: 0.72-1.54). Similar to the study of the LSS cohort, no significant effects of epilation on cancer mortality were observed in the present study. The results indicated that the cancer mortality was significantly higher in those exposed to atomic bombing younger as was reported by LSS studies. However, the effects of radiation dose on cancer mortality have not been observed in the present study