A proximal conserved repeat in the Xist gene is essential as a genomic element for X-inactivation in mouse.

X-inactivation in female mammals is triggered by the association of non-coding Xist RNA in cis with the X chromosome. Although it has been suggested that the A-repeat located in the proximal part of the Xist RNA is required for chromosomal silencing in ES cells, its role in mouse has not yet been addressed. Here, we deleted the A-repeat in mouse and studied its effects on X-inactivation during embryogenesis.

[Dietary habits and serum fatty acid compositions of women college students--changes in serum lipids and fatty acids by dietary education].

To obtain fundamental information for prevention of coronary heart disease in young adults, frequency of dietary intake, blood lipid and serum fatty acid compositions were examined for 114 female students. The relationship of selected food intake to serum fatty acid composition was also examined. Results of a nutritional survey were used to identify students who had a frequency of fish intake of "none" or "1-2 times/week" from whom random selection into two groups was accomplished: control group (n = 31) and education group (n = 31).

The adjuvant activity of pyrene in diesel exhaust on IgE antibody production in mice.

In this communication, it is shown that pyrene has an adjuvant activity on IgE antibody production when mice are immunized by an intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (OA) or Japanese cedar pollen allergen (JCPA) with pyrene. The effects of pyrene on IgE antibody production in mice were investigated to clarify the relation between pollen allergy and the adjuvanticity of the chemical compounds contained in diesel-exhaust particulates (DEP). In the first experiment, three groups of mice were immunized intraperitoneally six times at 2-week intervals with 1 microgram of OA alone, 1 microgram of OA plus 1 mg of pyrene, and 1 microgram of OA plus 1 mg of DEP, respectively.

An ion-pair reversed-phase HPLC-fluorimetric system for ultratrace determination of aluminium with salicylaldehydebenzoylhydrazone.

An ion-pair HPLC fluorimetric determination of Al(III) at trace level has been developed, with salicylaldehydebenzoylhydrazone (SAB) as a precolumn reagent. The highly fluorescent AlSAB chelate (lambda(ex) 390.8 nm, lambda(em) 458.

[Myocardial free wall rupture and thrombolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction].

We investigated the relation between myocardial free wall rupture and thrombolytic therapy in 200 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Ten of 200 patients (5.0%) were complicated with cardiac rupture, and all of them died within 70 hours after the onset (29% of the deceased after AMI).

Adrenal function affects morphine-induced feeding during dark period, but not during light period in rats.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the relationships between morphine-induced feeding and the adrenal functions. Morphine (5 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally administered at 10:45 (light period) or 18:45 (dark period). The orectic effects of morphine during the light period in normal rats were not influenced by adrenalectomy; however, the anorectic effects during the dark period in normal rats were attenuated by both adrenalectomy and adrenodemedullation.

Opposite effects of morphine on feeding and drinking in rats relative to administration time.

The present study was undertaken to examine how morphine changes food and water intake in non-fasted or fasted rats with different administration times. Morphine (1, 3 and 10 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally administered at 10:45 (light period) or 18:45 (dark period). Morphine increased food and water intake in non-fasted rats 2 hr after the administration during the light period, whereas the total daily intakes were decreased.

An improved method for separation of low-molecular-weight polypeptides by electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel.

An improved system for SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, capable of analyzing polypeptides having molecular weights from 1500 to 100,000 (especially showing high resolving power in the 1500 to 25,000 molecular weight range) is described. The 10 to 18% linear gradient gel containing 7 M urea with an acrylamide:bisacrylamide ratio of 20:1 and the Laemmli discontinuous buffer was used. The use of the gel with a high crosslinkage ratio is shown to be effective in lowering the leakage of low-molecular-weight polypeptides from the gel.