Three Cases of Chemical Burns Caused Due to Dimethyl Sulfate Poisoning.

Dimethyl sulfate (DMS) is a drug widely used as a pharmaceutical and synthetic raw material. On the other hand, it is highly toxic and requires management and treatment as a hazardous substance. A mass outbreak of chemical burns resulting from DMS poisoning occurred at a drug factory.

Identification of plb1 mutation that extends longevity via activating Sty1 MAPK in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

To understand the lifespan of higher organisms, including humans, it is important to understand lifespan at the cellular level as a prerequisite. So, fission yeast is a good model organism for the study of lifespan. To identify the novel factors involved in longevity, we are conducting a large-scale screening of long-lived mutant strains that extend chronological lifespan (cell survival in the stationary phase) using fission yeast.

Characterization of hexose transporter genes in the views of the chronological life span and glucose uptake in fission yeast.

Fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, possesses eight hexose transporters, Ght1~8. In order to clarify the role of each hexose transporter on glucose uptake, a glucose uptake assay system was established and the actual glucose uptake activity of each hexose transporter-deletion mutant was measured. Under normal growth condition containing 2% glucose, ∆ght5 and ∆ght2 mutants showed large and small decrease in glucose uptake activity, respectively.

Identification of ksg1 mutation showing long-lived phenotype in fission yeast.

Fission yeast is a good model organism for the study of lifespan. To elucidate the mechanism, we screened for long-lived mutants. We found a nonsense mutation in the ksg1 gene, which encodes an ortholog of mammalian PDK1 (phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase).

Case Report: Treatment of a Severe Puff Adder Snakebite Without Antivenom Administration.

Antivenoms are the treatment of choice for managing lethal snakebites. However, antivenoms may not be available in instances where non-native vipers are kept in captivity. We report a case of a puff adder (Bitis arietans) bite treated without antivenom.

Identification of sur2 mutation affecting the lifespan of fission yeast.

Yeast is a suitable model system to analyze the mechanism of lifespan. In this study, to identify novel factors involved in chronological lifespan, we isolated a mutant with a long chronological lifespan and found a missense mutation in the sur2+ gene, which encodes a homolog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae sphingolipid C4-hydroxylase in fission yeast. Characterization of the mutant revealed that loss of sur2 function resulted in an extended chronological lifespan.

Reactive Eccrine Syringofibroadenoma on the Heel, Clinically Mimicking Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

The authors present a case of eccrine syringofibroadenoma that clinically mimicked squamous cell carcinoma and briefly comment on the current knowledge about its clinical and histopathological features and therapeutic options.

Protective effects of platinum nanoparticles against UV-light-induced epidermal inflammation.

Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis play important roles in the ultraviolet (UV)-induced inflammatory responses in the skin. Metal nanoparticles have been developed to increase the catalytic activity of metals, which is because of the large surface area of smaller particles. Platinum nanoparticles (nano-Pt) protected by poly acrylic acid were manufactured by reduction with ethanol.

Molecular cloning and characterization of the AVR-Pia locus from a Japanese field isolate of Magnaporthe oryzae.

In order to clone and analyse the avirulence gene AVR-Pia from Japanese field isolates of Magnaporthe oryzae, a mutant of the M. oryzae strain Ina168 was isolated. This mutant, which was named Ina168m95-1, gained virulence towards the rice cultivar Aichi-asahi, which contains the resistance gene Pia.