Oleibacter marinus gen. nov., sp. nov., a bacterium that degrades petroleum aliphatic hydrocarbons in a tropical marine environment.

Three Gram-negative, motile, mesophilic, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterial strains, designated 2O1(T), 1O14 and 1O18, were isolated from Indonesian seawater after enrichment with crude oil and a continuous supply of supplemented seawater. The strains exhibited high n-alkane-degrading activity, which indicated that the strains were important degraders of petroleum aliphatic hydrocarbons in tropical marine environments. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences of members of the Gammaproteobacteria showed that the isolates formed a coherent and distinct cluster in a stable lineage containing Oceanobacter kriegii IFO 15467(T) (96.

Homogenous, real-time duplex loop-mediated isothermal amplification using a single fluorophore-labeled primer and an intercalator dye: Its application to the simultaneous detection of Shiga toxin genes 1 and 2 in Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli isolates.

We developed a completely homogeneous duplex loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method. The present LAMP method employed a combination of a 6-carboxyfluorescein (FAM)-labeled primer (donor) for one target gene, a non-labeled primer for the other, and an intercalator ethidium bromide (EtBr) dye (acceptor) on the basis of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between the FAM donor and EtBr acceptor. Measuring changes in fluorescence of FAM enabled the LAMP method to detect two different genes simultaneously.

[A case of premenopausal metastatic breast cancer treated with goserelin plus aromatase inhibitor as second-line endocrine therapy].

A 44-year-old female with premenopausal advanced breast cancer had been treated with a combination of LH-RH analogue and tamoxifen as primary endocrine therapy following adjuvant chemotherapy. Forty-seven months after operation, because metastases of contralateral axillary lymph nodes were detected by computer tomography, she was treated with a combination of LH-RH analogue and aromatase inhibitor as second-line endocrine therapy. During the 16-month administration of LH-RH analogue and aromatase inhibitor, she was been well without new metastatic lesions and maintained a high quality of life.

Regular exercise and plasma lipid levels associated with the risk of coronary heart disease: a 20-year longitudinal study.

We investigated the effects of regular exercise on the plasma lipid levels that contribute to coronary heart disease (CHD), of 20 sedentary men who participated in an exercise program over 20 consecutive years. The men, whose initial ages ranged from 30-51 years, participated in the University of Nevada-based exercise program for an average of 45 min/day, 3.5 days/week.

Mortality and longevity of elite athletes.

The health benefits of leisure-time physical activity are well known, however the effects of engaging in competitive sports on health are uncertain. This literature review examines mortality and longevity of elite athletes and attempts to understand the association between long-term vigorous exercise training and survival rates. Fourteen articles of epidemiological studies were identified and classified by type of sport.

Oceanobacter-related bacteria are important for the degradation of petroleum aliphatic hydrocarbons in the tropical marine environment.

Petroleum-hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria were obtained after enrichment on crude oil (as a 'chocolate mousse') in a continuous supply of Indonesian seawater amended with nitrogen, phosphorus and iron nutrients. They were related to Alcanivorax and Marinobacter strains, which are ubiquitous petroleum-hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in marine environments, and to Oceanobacter kriegii (96.4-96.

Validation of salivary cortisol and testosterone assays in chimpanzees by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Owing to its high temporal sensitivity, saliva has distinct advantages for measuring steroids, compared with other noninvasive samples such as urine and feces. Here, we report the validity of assaying salivary cortisol (C) and testosterone (T) using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in captive male chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes. For both the C and T concentrations, we found positive relationships between saliva and plasma.

Development of rapid coagulase serotyping method by PCR and microplate hybridization.

We developed a novel PCR-based method for coagulase serotyping. Coagulase gene amplicons biotinylated by PCR were identified by microplate hybridization (MPH) using serotype-specific probes. The conventional serotyping method, which is strongly dependent on coagulase activity, may sometimes give a mistaken determination of the serotype, especially in cases where there is high coagulase activity.

Enrichment of carotenoids in flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) by metabolic engineering with introduction of bacterial phytoene synthase gene crtB.

Linseed flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is an industrially important oil crop, which includes large amounts of alpha-linolenic acid (18:3) and lignan in its seed oil. We report here the metabolic engineering of flax plants to increase carotenoid amount in seeds.

Percent body fat estimations in college women using field and laboratory methods: a three-compartment model approach.

Background: Methods used to estimate percent body fat can be classified as a laboratory or field technique. However, the validity of these methods compared to multiple-compartment models has not been fully established. This investigation sought to determine the validity of field and laboratory methods for estimating percent fat (%fat) in healthy college-age women compared to the Siri three-compartment model (3C).

The association of C-reactive protein with an oxidative metabolite of LDL and its implication in atherosclerosis.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is one of the strongest independent predictors of cardiovascular disease. We have previously reported that oxidized LDL (oxLDL) interacts with beta2-glycoprotein I (beta2GPI), implicating oxLDL/beta2GPI complexes as putative autoantigens in autoimmune-mediated atherosclerotic vascular disease. In this study, we investigated the interaction of CRP with oxLDL/beta2GPI complexes and its association with atherosclerosis in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM).

Low-intensity exercise, vascular occlusion, and muscular adaptations.

The study investigated the effects of low-intensity exercise on muscular fitness when combined with vascular occlusion. Nineteen college male and female students performed two sets of a 5-min step exercise using a 12-inch bench three times per week for 5 weeks. During the step exercise, blood flow to one leg was restricted (vascular occlusion) with a blood pressure cuff, while the other leg was not occluded.

Differential effects of progestogens, by type and regimen, on estrogen-metabolizing enzymes in human breast cancer cells.

Objectives: To investigate the in vitro effects of five progestogens commonly used in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on estrogen-metabolizing enzymes in human breast cancer cells.

Methods: The human hormone-dependent breast cancer cell lines T47D, MCF-7, and MCF-7aro were cultured with estradiol (E(2)) and progestogens. The mRNA levels of estrogen-metabolizing enzymes were determined by RT-PCR or Northern blot, and enzyme activities by radiolabeled substrates.

Advantage of dichromats over trichromats in discrimination of color-camouflaged stimuli in nonhuman primates.

Due to a middle- to long-wavelength-sensitive (M/LWS) cone opsin polymorphism, there is considerable phenotypic variation in the color vision of New World monkeys. Many females have trichromatic vision, whereas some females and all males have dichromatic vision. The selective pressures that maintain this polymorphism are unclear.

Usefulness and limits of CA-125 in diagnosis of endometriosis without associated ovarian endometriomas.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic significance of CA-125 for endometriosis without ovarian endometriomas.

Methods: Preoperative serum CA-125 levels were measured in 775 consecutive women diagnosed by laparoscopy or laparotomy with endometriosis, adenomyosis, leiomyomas, or normal pelvis.

Results: Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the area under the curve for endometriosis without endometriomas was 0.

Identification of a protanomalous chimpanzee by molecular genetic and electroretinogram analyses.

We determined the structures of long (L)-wavelength-sensitive and middle (M)-wavelength-sensitive opsin gene array of 58 male chimpanzees and we investigated relative sensitivity to red and green lights by electroretinogram flicker photometry. One subject had protanomalous color vision, while others had normal color vision. Unlike in humans, a polymorphic difference in the copy number of the genes and a polymorphic base substitution at amino acid position 180 were not frequently observed in chimpanzees.

[A case of chronic eosinophilic pneumonia with significant elevation and variation of serum parainfluenza virus 3 antibody titer].

A 67-year old man visited our hospital because of cough and sputum. Chest radiograph revealed various consolidations of the bilateral lung fields. Eosinophilic pneumonia was diagnosed by transbronchial lung biopsy speciments.

Body, head, and facial growth: comparison between macaques (Macaca fuscata) and chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) based on somatometry.

Chimpanzees and macaques were compared in their growth of head, face and body, based on a large-scale somatometrical database. Their growth stages, i to v, were determined by inflection points in velocity curves. Sex differences in their growth are shown both by elongated stages in juvenile and adolescent and by the greater velocity in males in the stages.

Expression of allograft inflammatory factor-1 in human eutopic endometrium and endometriosis: possible association with progression of endometriosis.

Allograft inflammatory factor-1 (AIF-1) is a cytokine originally identified in rat cardiac allografts with chronic rejection. AIF-1 is expressed in various human immune-related tissues and is thought to play a role in inflammatory responses and the immune activation and function of macrophages. Expression has also been shown in human placentas and bovine embryos, suggesting that AIF-1 may be involved in reproductive function.

E1AF/PEA3 reduces the invasiveness of SiHa cervical cancer cells by activating serine proteinase inhibitor squamous cell carcinoma antigen.

E1AF/PEA3, a member of the Ets family of transcription factors, is associated with the malignant characteristics of cancer cells. The initial aim of our study was to test whether the invasiveness of SiHa cervical cancer cells could be diminished by transfection with antisense E1AF. Using an in vitro invasion assay in which cells penetrate a layer of Matrigel, we found that this was not the case; indeed, the invasiveness of the transfectants was enhanced.

1-Hydroxy monocyclic carotenoid 3,4-dehydrogenase from a marine bacterium that produces myxol.

A crtD (1-HO carotenoid 3,4-dehydrogenase gene) homolog from marine bacterium strain P99-3 included in the gene cluster for the biosynthesis of myxol (3',4'-didehydro-1',2'-dihydro-beta, psi-carotene-3,1',2'-triol) was functionally identified. The P99-3 CrtD was phylogenetically distant from the other CrtDs. A catalytic feature was its high activity for the monocyclic carotenoid conversion: 1'-HO-torulene (3',4'-didehydro-1',2'-dihydro- beta, psi-caroten-1'-ol) was prominently formed from 1'-HO-gamma-carotene (1',2'-dihydro-beta, psi-caroten-1'-ol) in Escherichia coli with P99-3 CrtD, indicating that this enzyme has been highly adapted to myxol biosynthesis.

Genetic contribution of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha gene promoter (-1031, -863 and -857) and TNF receptor 2 gene polymorphisms in endometriosis susceptibility.

Problem: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is a major cytokine involved in inflammatory and immune function. The aim of this study was to investigate whether polymorphisms at positions -1031, -863 and -857 in the TNF gene promoter region (TNFA) and TNF receptor type 2 gene (TNFR2) are responsible in part for genetic susceptibility to endometriosis.

Methods Of Study: TNFA and TNFR2 polymorphisms were determined in 123 patients with endometriosis and 165 fertile healthy women by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) - preferential homoduplex formation assay and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism, respectively.

Interferon-gamma gene dinucleotide (CA) repeat and interleukin-4 promoter region (-590C/T) polymorphisms in Japanese patients with endometriosis.

Background: Endometriosis is a multifactorial disease with possible genetic predisposition and involvement of environmental factors in its pathogenesis. Cytokines may play important roles in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the interferon-gamma gene (IFNG) CA-repeat and interleukin-4 (IL-4) promoter region (-590C/T) polymorphisms may be responsible in part for genetic susceptibility to endometriosis.

Gene expression profiling in two morphologically different uterine cervical carcinoma cell lines derived from a single donor using a human cancer cDNA array.

Purpose: To examine the differentially expressed cancer-related genes in two morphologically different uterine cervical carcinoma cell lines derived from the same patient by an Affymetrix Human Cancer G110 Array carrying 1700 cancer-associated genes. In addition, to investigate specific gene expression depending on histological type, we examined expression of the selected genes in a panel of established cervical carcinoma cell lines derived from cervical adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Experimental Design: Two distinct human uterine cervical carcinoma cell lines SKG-IIIa and SKG-IIIb derived from a single donor were screened using a cDNA microarray.

Aromatase cytochrome P450 and estrogen and progesterone receptors in uterine sarcomas: correlation with clinical parameters.

We examined the immunohistochemical expression of aromatase cytochrome P450 (P450arom), estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and Ki-67 in postoperative uterine sarcomas (n = 31) and the corresponding eutopic endometria (n = 20) to evaluate the relationships between the endocrine character of uterine sarcomas and the clinical features. In sarcoma tissues, P450arom was detected in 55% of cases, ER in 42%, PR in 42%, and Ki-67 in 90%. In eutopic endometria, P450arom was detected in 60% of cases, ER in 60%, and PR in 35%.