[Probable Immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related Periaortitis Requiring Differentiation from Mediastinal Tumor].

A 42-year-old man with a history of suspected of Behcet's disease underwent oral steroid treatment. During follow-up, chest X-ray revealed an abnormal shadow of the mediastinum. Chest computed tomography(CT) showed a circumferential tumor around the descending thoracic aorta.

β- and β-adrenergic receptor stimulation differ in their effects on PGC-1α and atrogin-1/MAFbx gene expression in chick skeletal muscle.

Adrenaline changes expression of the genes encoding peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1α), which is known as a regulator of muscle size, and atrogin-1/muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx), which is a muscle-specific ubiquitin ligase. However, the subtype of β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) involved in regulating these genes in skeletal muscle is not yet well defined. In this study, the effects of intraperitoneal injection of adrenaline and three β-AR selective agonists on chick skeletal muscle metabolism were examined, to evaluate the functions of β-AR subtypes.

Effects of first exogenous nutrients on the mRNA levels of atrogin-1/MAFbx and GLUT1 in the skeletal muscles of newly hatched chicks.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of first exogenous nutrients on the mRNA levels of muscle atrophy F-box (atrogin-1/MAFbx) and glucose transporters (GLUTs) in the skeletal muscles of newly hatched chicks with no feed experience. In experiment 1, newly hatched chicks had free access to feed or were fasted for the first 24h. The chicks having free access to feed for the first 24h increased their body weight and had decreased atrogin-1/MAFbx mRNA levels in their sartorius and pectoralis major muscles compared with the fasted chicks.

Isolation and characterization of oxygen-evolving thylakoid membranes and photosystem II particles from a marine diatom Chaetoceros gracilis.

Thylakoid membranes retaining high oxygen-evolving activity (about 250 micromol O(2)/mg Chl/h) were prepared from a marine centric diatom, Chaetoceros gracilis, after disruption of the cells by freeze-thawing. We also succeeded in purification of Photosystem II (PSII) particles by differential centrifugation of the thylakoid membranes after treatment with 1% Triton X-100. The diatom PSII particles showed an oxygen-evolving activity of 850 and 1045 micromol O(2)/mg Chl/h in the absence and presence of CaCl(2), respectively.

Distribution of the extrinsic proteins as a potential marker for the evolution of photosynthetic oxygen-evolving photosystem II.

Distribution of photosystem II (PSII) extrinsic proteins was examined using antibodies raised against various extrinsic proteins from different sources. The results showed that a glaucophyte (Cyanophora paradoxa) having the most primitive plastids contained the cyanobacterial-type extrinsic proteins (PsbO, PsbV, PsbU), and the primitive red algae (Cyanidium caldarium) contained the red algal-type extrinsic proteins (PsO, PsbQ', PsbV, PsbU), whereas a prasinophyte (Pyraminonas parkeae), which is one of the most primitive green algae, contained the green algal-type ones (PsbO, PsbP, PsbQ). These suggest that the extrinsic proteins had been diverged into cyanobacterial-, red algal- and green algal-types during early phases of evolution after a primary endosymbiosis.

Isolation and characterization of oxygen-evolving photosystem II complexes retaining the PsbO, P and Q proteins from Euglena gracilis.

Oxygen-evolving photosystem II (PSII) complexes of Euglena gracilis were isolated and characterized. (1) The PSII complexes contained three extrinsic proteins of 33 kDa (PsbO), 23 kDa (PsbP) and 17 kDa (PsbQ), and showed oxygen-evolving activity of around 700 micromol O2 (mg Chl)(-1) h(-1) even in the absence of Cl- and Ca2+ ions. (2) NaCl-treatment removed not only PsbP and PsbQ but also a part of PsbO from Euglena PSII, indicating that PsbO binds to Euglena PSII more loosely than those of other organisms.

Comparison of binding and functional properties of two extrinsic components, Cyt c550 and a 12 kDa protein, in cyanobacterial PSII with those in red algal PSII.

Cyt c550 and 12 kDa protein are two extrinsic proteins of photosystem II (PSII) found in cyanobacteria and some eukaryotic algae. The binding patterns of these two extrinsic proteins are different between cyanobacterial (Thermosynechococcus vulcanus) and red algal (Cyanidium caldarium) PSIIs [Shen and Inoue (1993) Biochemistry 32: 1825; Enami et al. (1998) Biochemistry 39: 2787].

Effect of different dietary protein composition on skeletal muscle atrophy by suspension hypokinesia/hypodynamia in rats.

Under microgravity conditions similar to those in space, it is known that various nutritional and physiological changes in the body are induced. Especially in the aspect of nutrition, muscle atrophy is a characteristic phenomenon accompanying weightlessness. This study was conducted to investigate the ameliorated effect of muscle atrophy caused by suspension hypokinesia by using the soy protein isolate (SPI) as the protein source in comparison with casein.