Publications by authors named "M Okuta"

Article Synopsis
  • Researchers created a DCL2&4-double knockdown tomato plant line (72E) to study RNA silencing and its impact on plant defenses against the potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd).
  • The 72E line showed increased PSTVd accumulation and developed harmful necrosis due to decreased levels of small RNAs that typically mitigate viroid effects.
  • High levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were linked to the insufficient DCL activity in the 72E plants, which impaired the regulation of detoxifying enzymes, leading to the severe symptoms observed.
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We conducted a randomized double-blind trial to evaluate the effects of fermented milk produced using only Lactococcus lactis strain H61 as a starter bacterium (H61-fermented milk) on the general health and various skin properties of young women. Healthy female volunteers (n=23; age=19-21r) received H61-fermented milk (10(10) cfu of strain H61/d) or conventional yogurt (10(10) cfu of both Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus per day), as a reference food, daily for 4 wk.

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Running for an extended period of time can cause severe stress on the body, subsequently damaging skeletal muscle and resulting in changes in blood components. However, few reports have examined vital responses during and after running. This study analyzed inflammatory responses during and after running and changes in stress responses as determined by serial changes in blood components.

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Acute and convalescent-phase sera obtained from 10 patients infected with a Japanese strain of spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsia were tested by the indirect immunoperoxidase test, the Weil-Felix test, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and immunoblotting. By the Weil-Felix test, the reactivity of these sera to the OX2 antigen was higher than those to the OX19 antigen, as is the case with sera from persons infected with other SFG rickettsiae. By ELISA, the titers of immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies against OX2 corresponded to the Weil-Felix test titers of these sera against OX2 but not to the titers obtained with IgG antibodies.

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