Seasonal variations in bacterioplankton community structures in two small rivers in the Himi region of central Japan and their relationships with environmental factors.

The aim of this study was to improve our understanding of seasonal variations and the effects of physicochemical conditions on the bacterioplankton communities in two small rivers, the Moo and Nakayachi Rivers in the Himi region of central Japan. These rivers are inhabited by unionid freshwater mussels, which are used for oviposition by the endangered Itasenpara bitterling (Acheilognathus longipinnis). Water samples were collected every month between March 2011 and February 2012.

A cold-adapted and organic solvent-tolerant lipase from a psychrotrophic bacterium Pseudomonas sp. strain YY31: identification, cloning, and characterization.

A novel cold-adapted lipase (designated as LipYY31) was obtained from a psychrotrophic Pseudomonas sp. YY31. The strain YY31 was gram-negative, rod shaped, motile by means of one polar flagellum, and exhibited chemotaxis toward oil droplets under a microscope.

Characterization of a new cold-adapted lipase from Pseudomonas sp. TK-3.

A psychrotrophic Pseudomonas sp. TK-3 was isolated from dirty and cool stream water in Toyama, Japan from which we cloned and characterized the bacterial lipase LipTK-3. The sequenced DNA fragment contains an open reading frame of 1,428 bp that encoded a protein of 476 amino acids with an estimated molecular mass of 50,132 Da.

Vitreous and aqueous penetration of orally and topically administered moxifloxacin.

Aim: It was the aim of this study to compare the pharmacokinetics of moxifloxacin (MFLX) hydrochloride in rabbits after topical and oral administration.

Methods: Three 50-μl applications of MFLX (0.5%) topical ophthalmic solution were instilled into the cul-de-sac of New Zealand white rabbits at 15-min intervals.

Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p16 and p21 expression, and cell cycle change in human lens epithelial cell line SRA 01/04 following contact inhibition in normal culture.

Purpose: To describe the pattern of expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CDKIs) p16, p21 and p27, and the cell cycle in SRA 01/04 cells relative to contact inhibition.

Methods: SRA 01/04 cells were grown to overconfluence under normal conditions. At various phases of the cell growth, cells were assayed by flow cytometry and Western blotting for the expression of CDKIs.

Acute dosimetry and estimation of threshold-inducing behavioral signs of thermal stress in rabbits at 2.45-GHz microwave exposure.

In the current international guidelines and standards for human exposure to microwaves (MWs), the basic restriction is determined by the whole-body average specific absorption rate (SAR). The basis for the guidelines is the adverse effect such as work stoppage in animals for whole-body average SARs above a certain level. Although it is known that absorbed MW energy causes the behavioral sign of thermal stress, the relationship of whole-body average SAR with temperature/temperature elevation has not been sufficiently investigated.

Acute ocular injuries caused by 60-Ghz millimeter-wave exposure.

The goal of this study was to examine the clinical course of 60-GHz millimeter-wave induced damages to the rabbit eye and to report experimental conditions that allow reproducible induction of these injuries. The eyes of pigmented rabbits (total number was 40) were irradiated with 60-GHz millimeter-waves using either a horn antenna or one of two lens antennas (6 and 9 mm diameter; phi6, phi9) Morphological changes were assessed by slit-lamp microscopy. Additional assessments included corneal fluorescein staining, iris fluorescein angiography, and lens epithelium light microscopy.

Distribution of oil-degrading bacteria in coastal seawater, Toyama Bay, Japan.

Oil-degrading bacteria are considered to play an important role in the biodegradation of spilled or released oil in the sea. The distribution of indigenous oil-degrading bacteria in the coastal seawater of Toyama Bay, Japan, was examined. Surface seawater samples with or without oil film in fishing port were analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of the PCR-amplified V3 region of bacterial 16S rDNA.

Computational model for calculating body-core temperature elevation in rabbits due to whole-body exposure at 2.45 GHz.

In the current international guidelines and standards with regard to human exposure to electromagnetic waves, the basic restriction is defined in terms of the whole-body average-specific absorption rate. The rationale for the guidelines is that the characteristic pattern of thermoregulatory response is observed for the whole-body average SAR above a certain level. However, the relationship between energy absorption and temperature elevation was not well quantified.

[Intraocular penetration of cefotiam hydrochloride, a kind of cephalosporin after filtration surgery in rabbit eyes].

Purpose: In this study, we measured the cefotiam dihydrochloride (CTM) concentration in ocular tissue after filtration surgery in rabbit eyes.

Methods: CTM (20 mg/kg body weight) was administered intravenously 30 min before filtration surgery which was performed by double flap procedure on the right eyes of white rabbits. The aqueous humor and serum were extracted at 10 min after surgery and at 30 min, 60 min, and 120 min.