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Gonadal soma-derived factor (Gsdf) is a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß) superfamily and a teleost-specific gene. Early studies suggested that Gsdf promotes spermatogonial proliferation; however recent reports have shed light on its role in sex differentiation based on expression profiles and gain- and loss-offunction studies. This paper discusses the involvement of Gsdf in gonadal sex differentiation and sex changes in teleosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite its shortcomings, warfarin is still the most commonly prescribed anticoagulant to prevent thromboembolism in children. In adults, numerous studies confirmed the robust relationship between warfarin maintenance doses and single nucleotide polymorphisms of cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9), vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKORC1), and cytochrome P450 4F2 (CYP4F2). However, their effect in children still remains to be determined. The primary objective of the present systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the effect of genotypes of CYP2C9, VKORC1, and CYP4F2 on warfarin maintenance dose in children. Methods/design: A comprehensive literature review search using the OVID platform will be conducted by a specialized librarian, without language restrictions (i.e., MEDLINE/EMBASE/Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials), and all abstracts will be reviewed by two authors. Data abstraction from each eligible study will be extracted individually by two authors (MT and TK), and disagreements will be resolved through discussion with a third person (SI). Critical appraisal of the included analysis of the primary objective will follow the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, in addition to the Strengthening the Reporting of Genetic Association study (STREGA) statement, and data reporting will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. For the meta-analysis, the presence vs. absence of each genetic polymorphism will be pursued, respectively, using a random effect model with effect size expressed as a mean difference plus 95 % confidence interval. Discussion: Our study will provide a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis on the potential effects of CYP2C9, VKORC1, or CYP4F2 on the warfarin maintenance dose in children, exploring the feasibility of the development of pharmacogenetic-guided warfarin dosing algorithm for children on oral vitamin K antagonists. Systematic review registration: The review has been registered with PROSPERO (registration number CRD42015016172). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex chromosomes bearing the sex-determining gene initiate development along the male or female pathway, no matter which sex is determined by XY male or ZW female heterogamety. Sex chromosomes originate from ancient autosomes but evolved rapidly after the acquisition of sex-determining factors which are highly divergent between species. In the heterogametic male system (XY system), the X chromosome is relatively evolutionary silent andmaintains most of its ancestral genes, in contrast to its Y counterpart that has evolved rapidly and degenerated. Sex in a teleost fish, the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), is determined genetically via an XY system, in which an unpaired region is present in the largest chromosome pair. We defined the differences in DNA contents present in this chromosome with a two-color comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) approach in XY males. We further identified a syntenic segment within this region that is well conserved in several teleosts. Through comparative genome analysis, this syntenic segmentwas also shown to be present inmammalian X chromosomes, suggesting a common ancestral origin of vertebrate sex chromosomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a 2022 study on resonance-enhanced multiphoton charge transfer in actinide complexes. It cites its lead to element-specific control of their oxidation states due to the electronic spectra arising from resonant transitions between f orbitals. Also noted is the photochemical process's possible use in nuclear waste management, as it allows the mutual separation of actinides like americium and curium.

The article presents a study which explores how resonance-enhanced multiphoton charge transfer in actinide complexes marked the actinides for separation. It mentions that resonance-enhanced photochemical process could be used in the nuclear waste management, as it would facilitate the mutual separation of actinides, such as americium and curium.

Effective pediatric asthma care is believed to help prevent the development and exacerbation of asthma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the method of intervention by identifying asthma management in a large population. We designed a special questionnaire to evaluate the method of asthma management, which contributes to asthma deterioration in the early stage of life. Questions regarding asthma management were based on care techniques and the medications used. We retrospectively enrolled 547 of 1,495 children (3-years old) who had for a periodic medical checkup organized by Gunma Prefecture from December 2004 to November 2005 who had been diagnosed to have asthma by physicians andor the American Thoracic Society-Division of Lung Diseases, National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute (ATS-DLD) questionnaire. The children with sufficiently improved asthma totalled 376 (68.7), while 171 (31.3) did not have sufficiently improved asthma. Children with asthma who were treated in hospitals improved more frequently than those treated on an outpatient basis (p 0.006). Patients visiting the hospital tend to use an asthma diary more often, and were treated by specialists for asthma management (p 6 months treatment) over an asthma attack-free period was more prevalent in patients treated in hospitals (p< 0.001), however, there was no direct evidence that such long-term management results in significant improvement in patients with asthma. The treatment of pediatric asthma with a long-term management and with appropriate parental education in hospital was associated with sufficient improvement of asthma in 3 year-old subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the solution chemistry of Pt(IV) is crucial for the hydrometallurgy of precious metals. To gain such an understanding, the speciation and separation of Pt(IV) complexes in concentrated HNO3 solutions were investigated via Pt LIII edge X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy. The XAFS results for concentrated HNO3 solutions of Na2Pt(OH)6 revealed the dominant presence of Pt polynuclear complexes, wherein the formation of Pt(IV) polynuclear complexes depended on the metal concentration and the Na2Pt (OH)6 dissolution temperature. The dominant species present in a heated nitrate solution of 0.90 g-Pt L-1 and a non-heated nitrate solution of 3.2 g-Pt L-1 were dinuclear Pt(IV) complexes, whereas those in a heated solution of 3.0 g-Pt L-1 were predominantly larger polynuclear complexes, such as, tetra- and hexanuclear complexes. The presence of larger Pt(IV) complexes was confirmed via XAFS spectroscopy, wherein the adsorption of Pt(IV) ions from a 10 M HNO3 solution by a chelating resin functionalised with iminodiacetic acid and a strongly basic anion-exchange resin bearing trimethyl ammonium nitrate was examined. The adsorption of 50 mg L-1 of Pt(IV) by the two resins was tested using aqueous solutions diluted from heated HNO3 solutions with varying metal concentrations, and also from a non-heated solution. We found that Pt(IV) complexes from heating solutions containing high Pt(IV) concentrations displayed high adsorption percentages. In addition, the selective adsorption of Pt(IV) over Pd(II), Ag(I), Cu(II), Ni(II), and Fe(III) from a 10 M HNO3 solution was achieved using a strongly basic anion-exchange resin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Recent studies have analyzed dietary patterns to assess overall dietary habits, but there have been no studies of dietary patterns among the contemporary Japanese population nationwide. The objective of this study was to identify dietary patterns based on consumption of food items among Japanese adults, and to examine whether these dietary patterns were associated with nutrient intake, demographic characteristics, and lifestyle factors.Methods and Study Design: The study population included 25,754 Japanese adults aged 20 years and older registered in the nationwide National Health and Nutrition Survey database in 2012. Dietary patterns were analyzed by factor analysis of 29 food items from the dietary intake survey and household-based semiweighed dietary records.Results: Five dietary patterns were identified: high-bread and low-rice, high-meat and low-fish, vegetable, wheat-based food, and noodle and alcohol patterns. The lowest quartile of factor scores for high-meat and low-fish, wheat-based food, and noodle and alcohol patterns had higher nutrient intakes, and the highest quartile of factor scores for the vegetable pattern had a higher nutrient intake overall (all p<0.01). Dietary pattern scores were associated with demographic and lifestyle factors such as sex, age, region, smoking status, and alcohol intake.Conclusions: Five major dietary patterns among Japanese adults were identified by factor analysis. Dietary pattern scores were associated with differences in nutrient intakes and demographic and lifestyle factors. These patterns were further used for examining the association between Japanese diets and health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Kawasaki disease is an acute vasculitis of childhood that leads to coronary artery aneurysms in ≈25% of untreated cases. It has been reported worldwide and is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in developed countries. METHODS AND RESULTS: To revise the previous American Heart Association guidelines, a multidisciplinary writing group of experts was convened to review and appraise available evidence and practice-based opinion, as well as to provide updated recommendations for diagnosis, treatment of the acute illness, and long-term management. Although the cause remains unknown, discussion sections highlight new insights into the epidemiology, genetics, pathogenesis, pathology, natural history, and longterm outcomes. Prompt diagnosis is essential, and an updated algorithm defines supplemental information to be used to assist the diagnosis when classic clinical criteria are incomplete. Although intravenous immune globulin is the mainstay of initial treatment, the role for additional primary therapy in selected patients is discussed. Approximately 10% to 20% of patients do not respond to initial intravenous immune globulin, and recommendations for additional therapies are provided. Careful initial management of evolving coronary artery abnormalities is essential, necessitating an increased frequency of assessments and escalation of thromboprophylaxis. Risk stratification for long-term management is based primarily on maximal coronary artery luminal dimensions, normalized as Z scores, and is calibrated to both past and current involvement. Patients with aneurysms require life-long and uninterrupted cardiology follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: These recommendations provide updated and best evidence-based guidance to healthcare providers who diagnose and manage Kawasaki disease, but clinical decision making should be individualized to specific patient circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is a form of self-limiting vasculitis that causes coronary artery abnormality in children. Based on reports of elevated plasma level of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α in KD patients, clinical trials of monoclonal antibodies that block cytokine cascades have been conducted. However, the studies have revealed contradictory results. The objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of treatment with monoclonal antibodies for KD patients. Methods: Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cluster RCTs, quasi-RCTs, cross-over trials, and any observational studies (e.g., cohort studies, case-control studies, case series, and case reports) will be included to summarize available evidence both qualitatively and quantitatively. Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and ICUSHI will be searched. We will assess coronary artery and treatment outcomes of the interventions. Two authors will independently screen studies for inclusion and consulting with a third author where necessary to resolve discrepancies. The risk of bias of included studies will be assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool and quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Meta-analysis of the included studies will be conducted using fixed effects or random effects models depending on the degree of between-study heterogeneity. Results will be presented using risk ratios with 95 % confidence interval (CI) for dichotomous outcomes and standardized mean differences with 95 % CI for continuous outcomes. Discussion: This systematic review and meta-analysis protocol does not require ethical approval. We will disseminate the findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis via publications in peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration: PROSPERO CRD42016033079. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can elicit adverse effects on development, sexual differentiation, and reproduction in fish. Teleost species exhibit at least three subtypes of estrogen receptor (ESR), ESR1, ESR2a, and ESR2b; thus, estrogenic signaling pathways are complex. We applied in vitro reporter gene assays for ESRs in five fish species to investigate the ESR subtype-specificity for better understanding the signaling pathway of estrogenic EDCs. Responses to bisphenol A, 4-nonylphenol, and o,p'-DDT varied among ESR subtypes, and the response pattern of ESRs was basically common among the different fish species. Using a computational in silico docking model and through assays quantifying transactivation of the LBD (using GAL-LBD fusion proteins and chimera proteins for the ESR2s), we found that the LBD of the different ESR subtypes generally plays a key role in conferring responsiveness of the ESR subtypes to EDCs. These results also indicate that responses of ESR2s to EDCs cannot necessarily be predicted from the LBD sequence alone, and an additional region is required for full transactivation of these receptors. Our data thus provide advancing understanding on receptor functioning for both basic and applied research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, Cs radioisotopes have been dispersed over a wide area. Most of the Cs has remained on the surface of the soil because Cs+ is strongly adsorbed in the interlayer spaces of soil clays, particularly vermiculite. We have investigated the microscopic structure of an aqueous suspension of vermiculite clay over a wide length scale (1-1000 Å ) by small-angle X-ray scattering. We determined the effect of the adsorption behavior of Cs+ on the structural changes in the clay. It was found that the abruption of the clay sheets was induced by the localization of Cs1 at the interlayer. This work provides important information for predicting the environmental fate of radioactive Cs in polluted areas, and for developing methods to extract Cs from the soil and reduce radioactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The forced oscillation technique (FOT) is useful for studying pulmonary function in children, as well as in school children with asthma. However, the standard values for respiratory resistance (Rrs) in Asian school children remain unknown. We evaluated the standard Rrs using a type of FOT, impulse oscillometry (IOS), in healthy Japanese children at elementary and junior high schools. Methods: A total of 795 children (age range: 6-15 years; mean age ± SD: 11.1 ± 2.4 years; 404 boys, 391 girls) at elementary and junior high schools participated in the study. Of the 795 children, we evaluated the Rrs of 537 children aged 6-15 years (mean ± SD: 10.8 ± 2.4 years) using IOS. Results: Regression analyses with three IOS parameters, Rrs at 5 Hz (R5), Rrs at 20 Hz (R20), and Rrs difference between 5 Hz and 20 Hz (R5-R20), for age, height, weight, and degree of obesity as independent variables demonstrated the strongest correlation between each parameter and children's height. All parameters decreased with increasing height. Using the lambda-mu-sigma (LMS) method, we created standard curves for the Rrs values based on height. Conclusions: Our standard curves could be useful for diagnosis and control evaluation of childhood asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACTThe objective of this article was to investigate the relationship between serum leptin concentration and airway inflammation in preschool children with asthma, the individual serum leptin concentration, obesity index, and respiratory function, including bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), were investigated. The relationship between the serum leptin concentration and the obesity index was determined in 103 healthy preschool children aged 6 as controls. For the BHR investigation, the serum leptin concentration in 57 preschool children aged 6 (33 with asthma and 24 wheezers) was determined. These children then underwent lung function tests using methacholine inhalation challenge by the oscillation method. The BHR was also measured in 15 of the 103 controls subjects. In the control group, serum leptin concentration was significantly correlated to the obesity index. There was no statistical difference in both serum leptin concentration and the obesity index among the asthma patients, the wheezers and the control group. Although there was no significant association between serum leptin concentration and lung function parameters (FVC, FEV1, and V′50), a significant association was observed between the serum leptin concentration and BHR (p< 0.038), and between obesity index and BHR (p 0.015). The serum IL-6 concentration was not related with the serum leptin concentration and BHR. These results suggest that serum leptin has no effect on lung functional parameters but does affect the BHR, and that the relationship between leptin and airway inflammation may contribute to the severity of childhood asthma at 6 years of age. (Pediatr Asthma Allergy Immunol 2008; XX[X]; 000–000.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The process of sex change in the gobiid fish Trimma okinawae was investigated by gonad histology and immunohistochemistry of two steroidogenic enzymes, P450 cholesterol-side-chain-cleavage (P450scc) and 3ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3ß-HSD). Irrespective of sexual phase, gonads comprised both ovarian and testicular tissues. Females changed sex to male within 7 days, reverting again to female over an 11-day period. In each sexual phase of the females, the 2nd (2DF-M) and 4th (4DF-M) day after the initiation of sex change to male, the males, and 2nd (2DM-F), 4th (4DM-F), and 6th (6DM-F) days after the initiation of reversion from male to female, histological observations were made. In the ovary during the female, 2DF-M, 4DF-M, and 6DM-F phases, both vitellogenic and previtellogenic oocytes were present, but only previtellogenic oocytes were found in the other phases. The testis contained sperm in all phases, but sperm ducts were not visible in the female phase. In the ovary, P450scc immunoreactivity of interstitial cells was strongly or moderately detected, although weak in the male phase. In contrast, P450scc immunoreactivity in thecal cells was found in all but the male and 2DM-F phases. 3ß-HSD immunoreactive interstitial cells were detected in all phases, but only weakly so in the male and 2DM-F phases. 3ß-HSD immunoreactive thecal cells were observed in all stages without the male and 2DM-F and 4DM-F phases. In the testis, moderate P450scc and 3ß-HSD immunoreactivity was regularly found in the Leydig cells in all the phases. These results suggest that functional steroids including testosterone are produced in any sexual phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]