Wychimicins E and F from a rare actinomycete of the genus Cryptosporangium.

Two new spirotetronate class compounds designated wychimicins E (1) and F (2) were isolated from the culture extract of an actinomycete Cryptosporangium sp. RD061707. Their structures were determined through extensive NMR analysis in comparison with wychimicin C.

Microplate-Based Cryopreservation of Adherent-Cultured Human Cell Lines Using Amino Acids and Proteins.

With the progression of regenerative medicine and cell therapy, the importance of cryopreservation techniques for cultured cells continues to rise. Traditional cryoprotectants, such as dimethyl sulfoxide and glycerol, are effective in cryopreserving suspended cells, but they do not demonstrate sufficient efficacy for two-dimensional (2D)-cultured cells. In the past decade, small molecules and polymers have been studied as cryoprotectants.

Operative Procedure of Anterior Commissure for Type II Thyroplasty.

Objective: We reviewed the clinical anatomy of the anterior commissure and examined the effectiveness of a specialized spreader developed for optimal, efficient spreading of the thyroid cartilage in type II thyroplasty.

Study Design And Methods: The present study was a multicenter retrospective study of patients with spasmodic dysphonia who underwent a primary operation either before or after the introduction of a specialized spreader (in 2008 or 2014, respectively). In these patients, we examined the size of the titanium bridge used, the presence of perforation of the mucosa directly superior to the anterior commissure, and postoperative glottic findings.

A polymethoxyflavone mixture extracted from orange peels, mainly containing nobiletin, 3,3',4',5,6,7,8-heptamethoxyflavone and tangeretin, suppresses melanogenesis through the acidification of cell organelles, including melanosomes.

Background: Skin color is determined by melanin contents and its distribution. Melanin is synthesized in melanosomes of melanocytes, catalyzed by tyrosinase, melanogenic enzymes. Regarding the process of melanin synthesis, melanosomal pH is considered to play an important role, because it has been reported to differ between Caucasian and Black melanocytes.

Double Extramedullary Plasmacytoma of the Stomach with a Long-term Endoscopic Follow-up.

A 56-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with a growing gastric submucosal tumor. An upper endoscopic examination revealed two gastric tumors, an original polypoid tumor and a newly diagnosed superficial tumor. Boring biopsied specimens of the submucosal tumor showed gastric plasmacytoma; however, the other specimens showed no malignancy.

Risk factors and management for gastric stenosis after endoscopic submucosal dissection for gastric epithelial neoplasm.

Background: Only a few studies have reported treatment options for stenosis after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for gastric neoplasms. This study aimed to identify the risk factors for and evaluate the management of stenosis after ESD for gastric epithelial neoplasms in the cardia and antrum.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 1218 patients (1447 gastric epithelial neoplasms) who underwent ESD at Tonan Hospital from June 2004 to November 2015.

Short- and long-term outcomes of endoscopic submucosal dissection for early gastric cancer in elderly patients aged 75 years and older.

Background: Only a few studies have reported long-term outcomes for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of early gastric cancer (EGC) in elderly patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of ESD for EGC in elderly patients ≥75 years with respect to both short- and long-term outcomes.

Methods: We reviewed the clinical data of elderly patients ≥75 years who had undergone ESD for EGC at Tonan Hospital from January 2003 to May 2010.

A polymethoxyflavone mixture, extracted from orange peels, suppresses the UVB-induced expression of MMP-1.

Ultraviolet (UV) B is the main cause of skin photoageing, which has characteristic features such as deep wrinkles. UVB increases the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in the skin and can cause wrinkles by disrupting components of the extracellular matrix, such as collagen fibres. We now report that a polymethoxyflavone (PMF) mixture, extracted from orange peels, suppresses the UVB-induced expression of MMP-1 that involves the inhibition of c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activity.

The first see-through frog created by breeding: description, inheritance patterns, and dermal chromatophore structure.

We have succeeded in creating see-through frogs from natural color mutants of the Japanese brown frog Rana japonica, which usually possesses an ochre or brown back; this coloration enables the organs, blood vessels, and eggs to be observed through the skin without performing dissection. We crossed two kinds of recessive color mutant (black-eyed and gray-eyed) frogs through artificial insemination, and F2 offspring produced frogs whose skin is translucent throughout the life cycle. Three kinds of dermal chromatophores--xanthophores, iridophores, and melanophores--are observed in a layered arrangement in the skin of wild-type frogs, but few chromatophores were present in the skin of the see-through frogs.

[A Case of Delayed Vascular Injury as a Complication Related to Implanted Central Venous Port Catheter].

A 74-year-old woman with advanced gastric cancer was admitted to our hospital. A central venous (CV) port catheter was implanted into the right subclavian vein for preoperative chemotherapy and parenteral nutritional management. On the 35th day after implantation, she complained of diarrhea, fever and dyspnea.

Comparison of hatching mode in pelagic and demersal eggs of two closely related species in the order pleuronectiformes.

We compared several characteristics of the pelagic eggs of Verasper variegatus with those of demersal eggs of Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae, both in the order Pleuronectiformes (halibuts or flatfishes). V. variegatus eggs had about twice the diameter of P.

Orange peel extract, containing high levels of polymethoxyflavonoid, suppressed UVB-induced COX-2 expression and PGE2 production in HaCaT cells through PPAR-γ activation.

Ultraviolet light (UV) induces an inflammatory response in the skin by cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression and prostaglandin (PG) E2 production. Citrus peel has been used as a natural medicine. It contains polymethoxyflavonoids (PMFs) as a major ingredient, which have anti-inflammatory activity.

Early skin toxicity predicts better outcomes, and early tumor shrinkage predicts better response after cetuximab treatment in advanced colorectal cancer.

Cetuximab-containing treatments for metastatic colorectal cancer have been shown to have higher overall response rates and longer progression-free and overall survival than other systemic therapies. Cetuximab-related manifestations, including severe skin toxicity and early tumor shrinkage, have been shown to be predictors of response to cetuximab. We hypothesized that early skin toxicity is a predictor of response and better outcomes in patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma.

[A case of intragastric wall abscess formation during bevacizumab combined chemotherapy].

A 38-year-old man was given a diagnosis of as sigmoid colon cancer and underwent sigmoid colectomy. Post-operative pathological staging was stage IIIb. He then underwent adjuvant chemotherapy.

Diversity in the matrix structure of eggshells in the Testudines (Reptilia).

The eggshells of 56 chelonians were examined by electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry. They were classified into six types in terms of the matrix structure of their calcareous layer; type I was composed of a thin calcareous layer with minerals in an amorphous structure; type II with shell units composed of mammillary cores calcified with aragonite crystals; type III with shell units composed of mammillary cores, plus a single palisade layer also calcified with aragonite crystals, and with each shell unit separated; type IV with shell units the same as type III, but tightly packed together; type V with shell units composed of mammillary cores plus two palisade layers; and type VI with a cuticle layer calcified with calcite crystals over the same structure as that of type V. X-ray diffraction analyses at the outer surface of eggshells showed a gradual change in crystal disposition from the random disposition of type II to the single direction-oriented disposition of type V.

Sperm proteasome degrades egg envelope glycoprotein ZP1 during fertilization of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica).

At the time of fertilization, the extracellular matrix surrounding avian oocytes, termed the perivitelline membrane (pvm), is hydrolyzed by a sperm-borne protease, although the actual protease that is responsible for the digestion of the pvm remains to be identified. Here, we show evidence that the ubiquitin-proteasome system is functional in the fertilization of Japanese quail. The activities for the induction of the acrosome reaction and binding to ZP3 as revealed by ligand blotting of purified serum ZP1 are similar to those of pvm ZP1.

Functional characterization of EUL47 in productive replication, morphogenesis and infectivity of equine herpesvirus 1.

EUL47 is a major component of the tegument of equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1). To determine its function, we used Red/ET cloning to delete its gene (gene 13) from EHV-1 strain Ab4p inserted into a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC), yielding Ab4pattBΔ13. We also examined the reverted virus (Ab4pattB13R).

Progesterone is a sperm-releasing factor from the sperm-storage tubules in birds.

Because of the presence of sperm-storage tubules (SST) in the utero-vaginal junction (UVJ) in the oviduct, once ejaculated sperm have entered the female reproductive tract, they can survive for a prolonged time in domestic birds, although the specific mechanisms involved in the sperm uptake into, maintenance within, and controlled release from the SST remain to be elucidated. In this report, we provide evidence that progesterone triggers the release of the resident sperm from the SST in the UVJ. The ultrastructural observation of the SST indicated that the resident sperm are released from the SST around 20 h after oviposition.

Sperm acrosin is responsible for the sperm binding to the egg envelope during fertilization in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica).

An antibody library against quail sperm plasma membrane components was established and a mAb, which strongly inhibits sperm perforations of the perivitelline membrane (PVM) was obtained from the library. The antigen molecule of the mAb showed an apparent molecular weight of 45  kDa, and was distributed both on the surface and in the acrosomal matrix of the sperm head. Periodate oxidation revealed that the epitope of the antigen includes a sugar moiety.

Hatching mechanism of the Chinese soft-shelled turtle Pelodiscus sinensis.

The mechanism by which the embryo hatches out of the egg envelope, the vitelline membrane and egg white, was studied in the Chinese soft-shelled turtle Pelodiscus sinensis. The cDNA of the turtle hatching enzyme (HE) was 1555bp-long and a mature enzyme of 321 amino acids. The mature HE was composed of an astacin protease domain of 200 amino acids and a CUB domain of 121 amino acids, and the estimated molecular size was 35,311.

Efficacy and feasibility of combination chemotherapy with S-1 and cisplatin (2 weeks regimen) for advanced gastric cancer.

Objective: Although combination chemotherapy with 3 weeks of S-1 and cisplatin is effective for advanced gastric cancer, the toxicities of S-1 which mostly occur during the third week of administration are a major problem. To achieve fewer adverse effects with S-1 and higher dose intensity of cisplatin, we performed combination chemotherapy with 2 weeks of S-1 and cisplatin as first line. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyse the efficacy and feasibility of this regimen.

The crystal polymorphism of calcium carbonate is determined by the matrix structure in quail eggs.

Two calcified structures, the eggshell and sperm-associated body (SB), are present in the eggs of the Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica. X-ray diffractometry showed that calcium carbonates take the form of calcite in the eggshell and aragonite in the SB. The aim of the present study was to identify the factors that determine the morphology of calcium carbonate crystals.

A possible role of chorion protease in shell membrane degradation during development of quail embryos.

In the eggs of the quail Coturnix japonica, the limiting membrane demarcates the shell membrane at the interface with the albumen and decreases in width during the hatching process. This study was done to identify agents that affect the width of this limiting membrane. Zymography tests on extracts from extraembryonic tissues, yolk sacs, or chorioallantoic membranes, or all three, showed proteolytic activities during d 4 to 10 of incubation.

Zona pellucida protein ZP2 is expressed in the oocyte of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica).

The avian perivitelline layer (PL), a vestment homologous to the zona pellucida (ZP) of mammalian oocytes, is composed of at least three glycoproteins. Our previous studies have demonstrated that the matrix's components, ZP3 and ZPD, are synthesized in ovarian granulosa cells. Another component, ZP1, is synthesized in the liver and is transported to the ovary by blood circulation.