Rhinoceros beetle horn development reveals deep parallels with dung beetles.

Beetle horns are attractive models for studying the evolution of novel traits, as they display diverse shapes, sizes, and numbers among closely related species within the family Scarabaeidae. Horns radiated prolifically and independently in two distant subfamilies of scarabs, the dung beetles (Scarabaeinae), and the rhinoceros beetles (Dynastinae). However, current knowledge of the mechanisms underlying horn diversification remains limited to a single genus of dung beetles, Onthophagus.

Vortioxetine versus placebo in major depressive disorder comorbid with social anxiety disorder.

Background: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) are highly comorbid, yet the combined condition has not been subject to any placebo-controlled treatment trials. This study reports a trial of vortioxetine, an antidepressant that has also shown benefit in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), in patients meeting DSM-5 criteria for both MDD and SAD.

Methods: The study was a 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled comparison of vortioxetine 10-20 mg/day or placebo administered on a 1:1 ratio.

Crystal structure of the plant receptor-like kinase TDR in complex with the TDIF peptide.

In plants, leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases (LRR-RKs) perceive ligands, including peptides and small molecules, to regulate various physiological processes. TDIF, a member of the CLE peptide family, specifically interacts with the LRR-RK TDR to inhibit meristem differentiation into tracheary elements, and promotes cell proliferation. Here we report the crystal structure of the extracellular domain of TDR in complex with the TDIF peptide.

Structural and functional insights into IZUMO1 recognition by JUNO in mammalian fertilization.

Sperm-egg fusion is the critical step in mammalian fertilization, and requires the interaction between IZUMO1 on the sperm surface and JUNO (also known as folate receptor (FR) 4 or IZUMO1R) on the egg surface. Whereas other FRs bind and uptake folates, JUNO binds IZUMO1 and establishes the cell-cell adhesion. However, the mechanism of IZUMO1 recognition by JUNO has remained elusive.

Structural basis for specific inhibition of Autotaxin by a DNA aptamer.

ATX is a plasma lysophospholipase D that hydrolyzes lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and produces lysophosphatidic acid. To date, no ATX-inhibition-mediated treatment strategies for human diseases have been established. Here, we report anti-ATX DNA aptamers that inhibit ATX with high specificity and efficacy.

Structure and biological function of ENPP6, a choline-specific glycerophosphodiester-phosphodiesterase.

Choline is an essential nutrient for all living cells and is produced extracellularly by sequential degradation of phosphatidylcholine (PC). However, little is known about how choline is produced extracellularly. Here, we report that ENPP6, a choline-specific phosphodiesterase, hydrolyzes glycerophosphocholine (GPC), a degradation product of PC, as a physiological substrate and participates in choline metabolism.

[Awareness about medical expenses and certifications of eligibility for limited health insurance payments for chemotherapy among clinicians at the Ehime Cancer Care Network Priority Hospitals (Ehime Cancer Kyoten Hospitals)].

The "Cancer Chemotherapy and its Management" subcommittee at the Ehime Cancer Care Network Priority Hospitals (Ehime Cancer Kyoten Hospitals)with a focus on medical expenses associated with chemotherapy, surveyed awareness among 98 clinicians regarding certifications of eligibility for Limited Health Insurance Payments during cancer treatment. This committee also lists social and clinical problems encountered at the Ehime Cancer Care Network Priority Hospitals. In our survey, 78% of clinicians were consulted about medical expenses associated with chemotherapy and were actively involved in resolving medical expense problems and resulting correspondences.

Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of Enpp6.

Enpp (ectonucleotide phosphodiesterase/pyrophosphatase) 6 is a membrane-bound glycoprotein that hydrolyzes choline-containing compounds such as lysophosphatidylcholine and glycerophosphorylcholine, and presumably participates in choline metabolism. The catalytic domain of mouse Enpp6 was expressed in HEK293T cells, purified using the TARGET tag/P20.1-Sepharose system and crystallized.

[Incidence of dysgeusia associated with chemotherapy for cancer].

Chemotherapy for cancer has been reported to have many side effects. Dysgeusia or taste disorder is a common complaint among cancer patients undergoing ambulatory chemotherapy. The present study was undertaken to establish the importance of dysgeusia as a side effect of chemotherapy in these patients.

[Current problems for outpatients undergoing cancer chemotherapy in Ehime Priority Hospitals of Cancer Care Network (Ehime Cancer Kyoten Hospitals)].

Ehime Priority Hospitals of Cancer Care Network(Ehime Cancer Kyoten Hospitals)regularly have meetings to discus the current problems in cancer care in Ehime Prefecture. We established three subcommittees:"Registration of Cancer Incident," "Critical Paths for the Management of Patients with Cancer,"and"Palliative Care for Patients with Advanced Cancer"to exchange our opinions. We recently set up a new subcommittee related to the physical and spiritual care of patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment,"A Subcommittee dealing with Cancer Chemotherapy and its Management".

Autoimmune thyroid diseases in 65 Japanese women with Turner syndrome.

Turner syndrome (TS) is associated with a number of complications including thyroid disease. In this study, the prevalence of thyroid disease was evaluated in Japanese women with TS. The medical charts of 65 TS women (age 30+/-9 years old, range: 15-61), treated with estrogen replacement therapy or with antiosteoporotic pharmaceuticals at our outpatient clinic, were reviewed.

Growth hormone (GH) or insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I represses 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (HSD1) mRNA expression in 3T3-L1 cells and its activity in their homogenates.

Patients with growth hormone (GH) deficiency (GHD) have a clinical feature of visceral adiposity and it has been reported that these patients have an increased active cortisol (F)/inactive cortisone (E) metabolite ratio. 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD1) is an enzyme expressed in liver and adipose tissue that acts principally as a reductase converting E to F. In the present study, we investigated the effects of GH or IGF-I on the activity of 11beta- HSD1 in 3T3-L1 cell homogenates and its mRNA expression.

Metabolic co-morbidities revealed in patients with childhood-onset adult GH deficiency after cessation of GH replacement therapy for short stature.

GH therapy was approved in 2006 for treatment of adult growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in Japan. Until then, GH was used only to treat short stature in children with GHD and the treatment was stopped when the final height was reached. In the present study, we investigated metabolic co-morbidities experienced by adults with childhood-onset (CO) GHD after the cessation of GH.

Clinical features of insulin-like growth factor-II producing non-islet-cell tumor hypoglycemia.

In some patients with non-islet-cell tumor hypoglycemia (NICTH), a high molecular weight form of IGF-II (big IGF-II) derived from tumors is present in the circulation and might be associated with recurrent hypoglycemia. In this study, in order to survey the clinical characteristics of patients with IGF-II producing NICTH, we analyzed the medical records of 78 patients with NICTH (M/F 44/34, age 62+/-1.8, range; 9-86 years.

Cytoskeletal dynamics during mammalian gametegenesis and fertilization: Implications for human reproduction.

From gamete to neonate, human fertilization is a series of cell motilities (motion and morphological changes). Cytoskeletons play a role in cell motility as they work as a field worker in the cell. The present study is a review of dynamic motility of cytoskeletons (microfilaments and microtubules) during mammalian gamategenesis and fertilization.

Dynamics of microtubules and positioning of female pronucleus during bovine parthenogenesis.

The zygote centrosome, consisting of both paternal and maternal centrosomal components, is the microtubule-organizing center necessary for pronuclear migration and positioning in fertilization. Maternal centrosomal function in microtubule organization and pronuclear positioning, however, remains unclear. In the present study, we sought to elucidate the function of maternal centrosomes during bovine parthenotes in the microtubule organizational processes required to move the pronucleus to the cell center without sperm centrosomal components.

Microtubule organization during rabbit fertilization by intracytoplasmic sperm injection with and without sperm centrosome.

In most mammalian fertilization, the sperm introduces the centrosome, which acts as a microtubule organizing center (MTOC) and is essential for pronuclear movement. In rabbit fertilization, biparental centrosomal contribution in microtubule organization has been suggested. To reveal the function and inheritance of the centrosome during rabbit fertilization, we compared microtubule organization and early embryonal development following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with and without sperm centrosome.

Use of Mammalian eggs for assessment of human sperm function: molecular and cellular analyses of fertilization by intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Problems: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI ) has been described as the 'cure' for male sterility because a single sperm can now be directly introduced into an egg with some chance of pregnancy. While ICSI has revolutionized the practice of assisted reproductive techniques (ART), there are few molecular and cellular studies about its safety and efficacy. Even by using ICSI, fertilization in humans succeeds only if the sperm effectively accomplishes a number of tasks including 'post-ICSI events' in fertilization.