The involvement of a floral scent in plant-honeybee interaction.

Volatile odors from flowers play an important role in plant-pollinator interaction. The honeybee is an important generalist pollinator of many plants. Here, we explored whether any components of the odors of a range of honeybee-pollinated plants are commonly involved in the interaction between plants and honeybees.

Extent and complexity of RNA processing in honey bee queen and worker caste development.

The distinct honeybee () worker and queen castes have become a model for the study of genomic mechanisms of phenotypic plasticity. Here we performed a nanopore-based direct RNA sequencing with exceptionally long reads to compare the mRNA transcripts between queen and workers at three points during their larval development. We found thousands of significantly differentially expressed transcript isoforms (DEIs) between queen and worker larvae.

Development of Novel Photosensitizer Using the Extract for Head and Neck Cancer.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is generally safer and less invasive than conventional strategies for head and neck cancer treatment. However, currently available photosensitizers have low selectivity for tumor cells, and the burden and side effects are so great that research is needed to develop safe photosensitizers. In this study, it was confirmed that the (BO) extract, used in the treatment of inflammation and vascular diseases, shows fluorescence when activated by LED light, and, based on this, we aimed to develop a new photosensitive agent suitable for PDT.

Bone growth during rapamycin therapy in young rats.

Background: Rapamycin is an effective immunosuppressant widely used to maintain the renal allograft in pediatric patients. Linear growth may be adversely affected in young children since rapamycin has potent anti-proliferative and anti-angiogenic properties.

Methods: Weanling three week old rats were given rapamycin at 2.

Daily or intermittent calcitriol administration during growth hormone therapy in rats with renal failure and advanced secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Growth hormone (GH) improves growth in children with chronic renal failure. The response to GH may be affected by the degree of secondary hyperparathyroidism and concurrent treatment with vitamin D. Forty-six rats underwent 5/6 nephrectomy (Nx) and were given a high-phosphorus diet (Nx-Phos) to induce advanced secondary hyperparathyroidism and divided into the following groups: (1) Nx-Phos (n = 10) received saline, (2) GH at 10 IU/kg per d (Nx-Phos+GH; n = 9), (3) GH and daily calcitriol (D) at 50 ng/kg per d (Nx-Phos+GH+daily D; n = 8), (4) GH and intermittent D (three times weekly) at 350 ng/kg per wk (Nx-Phos+GH+int D; n = 9), and (5) intact-control (n = 10).

Bone elongation in rats with renal failure and mild or advanced secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Background: Impairment of growth in children with chronic renal failure may be due, in part to the insensitivity to the actions of growth hormone by insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) because of accumulations of IGF binding proteins. There are a few studies describing the changes that occur in the growth plate in renal failure. None of these studies has simultaneously compared the modifications in the expression of selected markers of endochondral bone formation in renal failure with mild or advanced secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Growth hormone therapy in calcium-loaded rats with renal failure.

GH increases linear growth in children with chronic renal failure, but the response remains suboptimal in some patients. Some of the factors that may explain the poor response to GH include high doses of calcitriol and exogenous calcium loading to prevent hyperphosphatemia. High doses of exogenous calcium adversely affect chondrocyte proliferation and delay mineralization in the growth plate of rats with renal failure; bone histomorphometric changes in these animals are comparable to adynamic bone.

Effects of thyroparathyroidectomy, exogenous calcium, and short-term calcitriol therapy on the growth plate in renal failure.

Several factors have been implicated in the development of adynamic bone, including the use of calcium-containing phosphate binding agents, aggressive calcitriol therapy, and parathyroidectomy. To evaluate the effects of these interventions on the growth plate, weanling rats underwent sham nephrectomy (Control, n = 10) and 5/6 nephrectomy (Nx). In the nephrectomized group, animals underwent (a) thyroparathyroidectomy (Nx-TPTX, n = 7), (b) received exogenous calcium (Nx-Calcium, n = 10), (c) received short-term calcitriol therapy (Nx-D, n = 10), or (d) nephrectomized control (Nx-Control, n = 10).