Rice Na absorption mediated by OsHKT2;1 affected Cs translocation from root to shoot under low K environments.

Cs diffused into the environment due to a nuclear power plant accident has caused serious problems for safe crop production. In plants, Cs is similar in its ionic form to K. Cs is absorbed and transported mainly by the K transport mechanism.

The ratio of plant Cs to exchangeable Cs in soil is a crucial factor in explaining the variation in Cs transferability from soil to plant.

To mitigate radioactive cesium from soil to plant, increasing and maintaining the exchangeable potassium (ExK) level during growth is widely accepted after Tokyo Electric Company's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Plant accident in Japan. This is because the antagonistic relationship between soil solution K and Cs + Cs (RCs) concentrations changes the transfer factor (TF: designated as the ratio of radioactivity of plant organ to soil) of RCs. As the relationship between ExK and TF depends on the soil types, crop species, and other environmental factors, the required amount of ExK should be set to a safe side.

Effectiveness of non-exchangeable potassium quantified by mild tetraphenyl‑boron extraction in estimating radiocesium transfer to soybean in Fukushima.

Non-exchangeable K released from soil minerals can reduce radiocesium transfer to plants, as well as exchangeable K. We investigated the effect of non-exchangeable K on radiocesium transfer to soybean, and the non-exchangeable K extraction method most suitable for estimating the transfer risk. In Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, 106 soils were collected from 89 soybean fields during 2014-2018 to analyze non-exchangeable K contents using three methods: boiling nitric acid extraction, tetraphenyl‑boron extraction, and mild tetraphenyl‑boron extraction.

Application of Finnish phlogopite to reduce radiocesium uptake by paddy rice.

Field and pot experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of coarse Finnish phlogopite application to reduce radiocesium uptake by paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.). The application of phlogopite was expected to reduce radiocesium uptake by crops through K supply and radiocesium retention.

Variations in radioactive cesium accumulation in wheat germplasm from fields affected by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant accident.

Decreasing the transfer of radioactive cesium (RCs) from soil to crops has been important since the deposition of RCs in agricultural soil owing to the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident of 2011. We investigated the genotypic variation in RCs accumulation in 234 and 198 hexaploid wheat (Triticum spp.) varieties in an affected field in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

Phytoavailability of Cs and stable Cs in soils from different parent materials in Fukushima, Japan.

Weathered micaceous minerals (micas) are able to release potassium ion (K) and fix caesium-137 (Cs), both of which reduce soil-to-plant transfer of Cs. Among micas, trioctahedral micas such as biotite is expected to have a stronger ability to supply nonexchangeable K and a higher amount of Cs fixation sites than dioctahedral micas such as illite. Although biotite is predominant in granitic soils (G soils), illite is mainly dominant in sedimentary rock soils (S soils).

A statistical model for estimating the radiocesium transfer factor from soil to brown rice using the soil exchangeable potassium content.

To reduce radiocesium uptake by rice, large amounts of potassium fertilizer have been applied to paddy fields contaminated by radiocesium released from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant owned by the Tokyo Electric Power Company. The Fukushima Prefectural Government recommended maintenance of the soil exchangeable K content up to 200 mg K kg before conventional fertilization in rice production. We constructed an equation to predict the transfer factor from soil to brown rice using the soil exchangeable K content.

Cesium Uptake by Rice Roots Largely Depends Upon a Single Gene, HAK1, Which Encodes a Potassium Transporter.

Incidents at the Fukushima and Chernobyl nuclear power stations have resulted in widespread environmental contamination by radioactive nuclides. Among them, 137cesium has a 30 year half-life, and its persistence in soil raises serious food security issues. It is therefore important to prevent plants, especially crop plants, from absorbing radiocesium.

Low-cesium rice: mutation in OsSOS2 reduces radiocesium in rice grains.

In Japan, radiocesium contamination in foods has become of great concern and it is a primary issue to reduce grain radiocesium concentration in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Here, we report a low-cesium rice mutant 1 (lcs1) with the radiocesium concentration in grain about half that in the wild-type cultivar.

Preliminary analysis of the relationship between serum lutein and zeaxanthin levels and macular pigment optical density.

Purpose: To assess the relationship between combined serum lutein and zeaxanthin (L+Z) concentration and macular pigment optical density (MPOD), and to investigate the effect of L+Z+docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) dietary supplementation on the spatial distribution of MPOD.

Methods: Twenty healthy fellow eyes with unilateral wet age-related macular degeneration or chronic central serous chorioretinopathy were included. All participants received a dietary supplement for 6 months that contained 20 mg L, 1 mg Z, and 200 mg DHA.

The inhibitory effects of potassium chloride versus potassium silicate application on (137)Cs uptake by rice.

After the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant owned by the Tokyo Electric Power Company on 11 March 2011, potassium fertilizer was applied to agricultural fields in the southern Tohoku and northern Kanto regions of Japan to reduce the uptake of radiocesium by crops. In this study, we examined the effects of two types of potassium fertilizers, potassium chloride (a readily available potassium fertilizer) and potassium silicate (a slow-release potassium fertilizer), as well as a split application of potassium, on the accumulation of (137)Cs by rice plants in two pot experiments. The (137)Cs concentrations in the brown rice and in the above-ground plants were significantly lower after potassium chloride application than after potassium silicate application.

Accumulation of (137)Cs by rice grown in four types of soil contaminated by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011 and 2012.

The ability to predict radiocesium transfer from soil to agricultural products is necessary for assessing management options in a radiocesium contaminated area. In this study, we evaluated the differences in transfer factors among soil samples and the differences in transfer factors between the first and the second years of contamination in rice. We employed pot experiments using four types of soils that are representative of the agricultural soils present in the Fukushima Prefecture contaminated by (137)Cs released from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant after the March 2011 accident.

Theoretical model of the effect of potassium on the uptake of radiocesium by rice.

After the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant owned by Tokyo Electric Power Company on 11 March 2011, potassium was applied to fields in the Tohoku and Kanto areas of Japan to reduce radiocesium uptake by crops. Despite the intense studies relating to the effect of potassium application on availability of radiocesium in the soil, physiological changes of radiocesium uptake by crops in response to K(+) concentration around roots remains elusive. In the present study, we developed physiological models describing the effect of K(+) on the uptake of radiocesium by rice.

Effects of vitreomacular adhesion on ranibizumab treatment in Japanese patients with age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) on intravitreal ranibizumab treatment in Japanese patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods: This was a retrospective comparative study that included 123 eyes from 123 patients with exudative AMD. The presence or absence of VMA was examined by spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

A case of proliferative diabetic retinopathy that regressed on human immunodeficiency virus treatment.

We report the case of a patient with proliferative diabetic retinopathy, who was later found to have human immunodeficiency virus infection that progressed rapidly. However, we could not determine the clinical course after the onset of human immunodeficiency virus because the patient died shortly after it was detected. In this patient, the activity of proliferative diabetic retinopathy showed regression after treatment for human immunodeficiency virus was initiated.

Characteristics of fundus autofluorescence and drusen in the fellow eyes of Japanese patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration.

Background: The main purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of fundus autofluorescence (FAF) and area of soft drusen among the fellow eyes of unilateral typical age-related macular degeneration (typical AMD) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) in Japanese patients.

Methods: FAF images were obtained from the fellow eyes of unilateral typical AMD (n = 64), unilateral PCV (n = 95), unilateral retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) (n = 4) and 56 control subjects, then classified into normal, minimal-change, and abnormal patterns by two graders. Interobserver variability between two graders and intraobserver variability were assessed for FAF classifications, and cases with inconsistent decisions were finally classified by the third grader.

Removal of radioactive Cs from gravel conglomerate using water containing air bubbles.

Remediation of sites contaminated with radioactive material such as Cs is important because of the risk posed to human health. Here, we report the effectiveness of water containing air bubbles with a diameter around 100 nm (nanobubbled water, NB water) for the removal of radioactive Cs. Laboratory experiments confirmed that NB water is more effective than purified water and as effective as water with neutral detergent in the removal of Cs-137 from gravel.

Angiostatic effect of CXCR3 expressed on choroidal neovascularization.

Purpose: Several recent studies suggest that some chemokines/chemokine receptors are involved in choroidal neovascularization (CNV). CXCR3 was the focus of the present study because microarray analysis for murine laser-induced CNV model showed the increased expression of CXCR3. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of CXCR3 on CNV.