Survey and comparison of psychological factors between descendants and non-descendants of survivors of the atomic bomb: Generational differences in mental health indicators.

Background: The effects of the atomic bomb experience on survivors and their children have been a topic of human and research interest since early in the postwar era. The topic has centered around knowledge of physical health and studies on germline genetic effects in the second-generation offspring of survivors. However, comparatively little has been done to understand the psychological impact.

Synergistic effects of salmon gonadotropin-releasing hormone and estradiol-17beta on gonadotropin subunit gene expression and release in masu salmon pituitary cells in vitro.

Effects of salmon gonadotropin-releasing hormone (sGnRH) and estradiol-17beta (E2) on gene expression and release of gonadotropins (GTHs) were examined in masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) using primary pituitary cell cultures at three reproductive stages, initiation of sexual maturation in May, pre-spawning in July, and spawning in September. Amounts of GTH subunit mRNAs were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction, and levels of GTH released in the medium were determined by RIA. In control cells, the amounts of three GTH subunit mRNAs (alpha2, FSHbeta, and LHbeta) peaked in July prior to spawning.