The site of regulation of light capture in Symbiodinium: does the peridinin-chlorophyll a-protein detach to regulate light capture?

Dinoflagellates from the genus Symbiodinium form symbiotic associations with cnidarians including corals and anemones. The photosynthetic apparatuses of these dinoflagellates possess a unique photosynthetic antenna system incorporating the peridinin-chlorophyll a-protein (PCP). It has been proposed that the appearance of a PCP-specific 77K fluorescence emission band around 672-675 nm indicates that high light treatment results in PCP dissociation from intrinsic membrane antenna complexes, blocking excitation transfer to the intrinsic membrane-bound antenna complexes, chlorophyll a-chlorophyll c2-peridinin-protein-complex (acpPC) and associated photosystems (Reynolds et al.

Exposure to house dust phthalates in relation to asthma and allergies in both children and adults.

Although an association between exposure to phthalates in house dust and childhood asthma or allergies has been reported in recent years, there have been no reports of these associations focusing on both adults and children. We aimed to investigate the relationships between phthalate levels in Japanese dwellings and the prevalence of asthma and allergies in both children and adult inhabitants in a cross-sectional study. The levels of seven phthalates in floor dust and multi-surface dust in 156 single-family homes were measured.

Repetitive hypoglycemia increases circulating adrenaline level with resultant worsening of intimal thickening after vascular injury in male Goto-Kakizaki rat carotid artery.

Hypoglycemia associated with diabetes management is a potential risk for cardiovascular diseases. However, the effect of hypoglycemic episodes including a surge of sympathetic activity on the progression of neointima formation after vascular injury remains largely unknown. In this study, insulin was injected intraperitoneally into nonobese diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats, once every 3 days for 4 weeks after balloon injury of carotid artery to induce hypoglycemia.

[Examination of relationship between lactate clearance and neurologic outcome in cardiac arrest induced by ventricular fibrillation].

A significant relationship between lactate clearance and mortality rates in cardiac arrest cases has been reported. However, the relationship between lactate clearance and neurologic outcomes in cardiac arrest cases is not clear. We examined lactate clearance in cardiac arrest cases induced by ventricular fibrillation.

Continuous 6-year follow-up study of sensitization to Japanese cedar pollen and onset in schoolchildren.

Background: Intra individual longitudinal data has been lacking for IgE-mediated seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR), especially in young children. Little is known about the development and natural course of SAR in terms of prevalence and incidence rates in schoolchildren.

Methods: In May or June each year from 1994 to 2007, schoolchildren were assessed for serum Japanese cedar pollen (JCP)-IgE and house dust mite (HDM)-IgE levels, and surveyed regarding nasal symptoms.

Detection and intake assessment of organophosphate flame retardants in house dust in Japanese dwellings.

The demand for phosphorus flame retardants (PFRs) has recently increased as an alternative to polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE). PFRs have been detected in house dust, but little is known about the concentrations of PFRs in private homes and the effects on human health. We measured the levels of 10 PFRs in indoor floor dust and upper surface dust from 128 Japanese dwellings of families with children in elementary school.

Therapeutic effectiveness of potassium iodine in drug-naïve patients with Graves' disease: a single-center experience.

Iodine is beneficial against Graves' thyrotoxicosis, though its effects are short-lived. However, its long-term effectiveness as an initial therapy has not been fully elucidated. Here, we compared the effects of potassium iodine (KI) and methimazole (MMI) in Graves' thyrotoxicosis and on thyrotropin receptor antibody (TRAb) levels.

Efficient Design for Stimuli-Responsive Polymers with Quantitative Acid-Degradability: Specifically Designed Alternating Controlled Cationic Copolymerization and Facile Complete Degradation.

Specifically designed alternating cationic copolymerization produced well-defined thermo- or pH-responsive polymers with complete acid-degradability. For example, a thermosensitive alternating copolymer with acid-labile acetal linkages in the main chain was obtained from the controlled cationic copolymerization of -methoxybenzaldehyde (pMeOBzA) and a vinyl ether (VE) with an oxyethylenic side chain. The resulting copolymer exhibited a sharp thermosensitive phase transition in water.

[Clinical experience of imatinib mesylate for metastatic or recurrent gastrointestinal stromal tumor].

We examined the clinical results of 15 patients treated with imatinib mesylate for metastatic or recurrent gastrointestinal stromal tumors(GIST)at the Osaka City General Hospital. Treatment with imatinib was initiated at 400 mg daily; however, in case of severe adverse events, the dose was gradually reduced to 300 mg or 200 mg to reach a tolerable dose so that administration could be continued for as long as possible. Assessments were performed according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors(RECIST)and Choi criteria.

Does "conversion chemotherapy" really improve survival in metastatic colorectal cancer patients with liver-limited disease?

Background: The clinical benefits of conversion chemotherapy followed by liver resection for initially unresectable colorectal liver metastases are still controversial. The criteria for unresectability vary from one team to another. To clarify this issue, we retrospectively assessed the survival and characteristics of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients with liver-limited disease (LLD) who underwent conversion therapy.

Daikenchuto, a traditional Japanese herbal medicine, for the maintenance of surgically induced remission in patients with Crohn's disease: a retrospective analysis of 258 patients.

Purpose: Despite numerous studies, the best postoperative therapy for Crohn's disease is still undefined. We retrospectively evaluated the effects of postoperative maintenance therapy with daikenchuto, a traditional Japanese Kampo medicine, on the reoperation rate at 3 years in patients with Crohn's disease.

Methods: A total of 258 patients who underwent surgery for Crohn's disease were identified for the study.

Short-term results of a randomized study between laparoscopic and open surgery in elderly colorectal cancer patients.

Background: In surgical treatment of elderly patients, securing the safety of surgery and radical cure must be balanced. Our purpose was to verify the safety and validity of laparoscopic surgery for the treatment of colorectal cancer in elderly patients.

Methods: Patients with cTis–T4a colorectal cancer who were 75 years or older were randomized to receive open or laparoscopic surgery.

Exercise-induced enhancement of insulin sensitivity is associated with accumulation of M2-polarized macrophages in mouse skeletal muscle.

Exercise enhances insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle, but the underlying mechanism remains obscure. Recent data suggest that alternatively activated M2 macrophages enhance insulin sensitivity in insulin target organs such as adipose tissue and liver. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the role of anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages in exercise-induced enhancement of insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle.

Beneficial effects of vildagliptin combined with miglitol on glucose tolerance and islet morphology in diet-controlled db/db mice.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes primarily by increasing plasma active glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels. While various combination therapies based on DPP-4 inhibitors have been proposed for treatment of type 2 diabetes, the effects of combination therapy of DPP-4 inhibitors and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors on β-cell function are less characterized. We evaluated the effects of long-term treatment with vildagliptin, a DPP-4 inhibitor, on metabolic parameters and β-cell function, in combination with miglitol, an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, in diet-controlled db/db mice.

The diabetes-susceptible gene SLC30A8/ZnT8 regulates hepatic insulin clearance.

Recent genome-wide association studies demonstrated that common variants of solute carrier family 30 member 8 gene (SLC30A8) increase susceptibility to type 2 diabetes. SLC30A8 encodes zinc transporter-8 (ZnT8), which delivers zinc ion from the cytoplasm into insulin granules. Although it is well known that insulin granules contain high amounts of zinc, the physiological role of secreted zinc remains elusive.

Associations of phthalate concentrations in floor dust and multi-surface dust with the interior materials in Japanese dwellings.

Phthalates are widely used as plasticizers in numerous products. However, there has been some concern about the various effects they may have on human health. Thus, household phthalate levels are an important public health issue.

Carotid intima-media thickness progression predicts cardiovascular events in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.

Aims: The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the relationship between progression of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and cardiovascular events in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and free of history of cardiovascular events.

Methods: Patients with T2DM (n=342) without history of cardiovascular events whose cIMT was assessed more than twice by ultrasonography were recruited and followed up for cardiovascular events.

Results: During a mean follow-up of 7.

Genetic variation in four maturity genes affects photoperiod insensitivity and PHYA-regulated post-flowering responses of soybean.

Background: Absence of or low sensitivity to photoperiod is necessary for short-day crops, such as rice and soybean, to adapt to high latitudes. Photoperiod insensitivity in soybeans is controlled by two genetic systems and involves three important maturity genes: E1, a repressor for two soybean orthologs of Arabidopsis FLOWERING LOCUS T (GmFT2a and GmFT5a), and E3 and E4, which are phytochrome A genes. To elucidate the diverse mechanisms underlying photoperiod insensitivity in soybean, we assessed the genotypes of four maturity genes (E1 through E4) in early-flowering photoperiod-insensitive cultivars and their association with post-flowering responses.

Concurrent cationic vinyl-addition and ring-opening copolymerization using B(C6F5)3 as a catalyst: copolymerization of vinyl ethers and isobutylene oxide via crossover propagation reactions.

Alkyl vinyl ethers and isobutylene oxide were concurrently copolymerized through cationic vinyl addition and ring opening using B(C6F5)3 as a catalyst. NMR analyses and acid hydrolysis of the products demonstrated that the copolymerization successfully proceeded through crossover reactions between vinyl and cyclic monomers to yield multiblock-like copolymers. Appropriate catalyst and monomer combinations with suitable reactivities were key for copolymerization.

Phosphorus flame retardants in indoor dust and their relation to asthma and allergies of inhabitants.

Organophosphate esters are used as additives in flame retardants and plasticizers, and they are ubiquitous in the indoor environment. Phosphorus flame retardants (PFRs) are present in residential dust, but few epidemiological studies have assessed their impact on human health. We measured the levels of 11 PFRs in indoor floor dust and multi-surface dust in 182 single-family dwellings in Japan.

Laparoscopic splenectomy for histiocytic sarcoma of the spleen.

Primary histiocytic sarcoma of the spleen is a rare but potentially lethal condition. It can remain asymptomatic or only mildly symptomatic for a long time. An 81-year-old woman presented with an extremely enlarged spleen.

Enhancement of RNA-directed DNA methylation of a transgene by simultaneously downregulating a ROS1 ortholog using a virus vector in Nicotiana benthamiana.

Cytosine methylation can be induced by double-stranded RNAs through the RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway. A DNA glycosylase REPRESSOR OF SILENCING 1 (ROS1) participates in DNA demethylation in Arabidopsis and may possibly counteract RdDM. Here, we isolated an ortholog of ROS1 (NbROS1) from Nicotiana benthamiana and examined the antagonistic activity of NbROS1 against virus-induced RdDM by simultaneously inducing RdDM and NbROS1 knockdown using a vector based on Cucumber mosaic virus.

Study protocol of the B-CAST study: a multicenter, prospective cohort study investigating the tumor biomarkers in adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer.

Background: Adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer is internationally accepted as standard treatment with established efficacy. Several oral fluorouracil (5-FU) derivatives with different properties are available in Japan, but which drug is the most appropriate for each patient has not been established. Although efficacy prediction of 5-FU derivatives using expression of 5-FU activation/metabolism enzymes in tumors has been studied, it has not been clinically applied.