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Brassicaceae vegetables contain glucosinolate (GSL), which is well known for its role in the plant defense system, bitter substances, and functional components. This study reported the GSL profiles of 18 GSLs in 14 Brassicaceae vegetables (kale, cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower, komatsuna, pak choi, turnip, choy sum, Chinese cabbage, rutabaga, leaf mustard, leaf radish, and radish root) consisting of 64 cultivars grown in Japan. The GSL compositions showed specific trends among each species, and furthermore, there was considerable variation in the total and individual GSL contents among the cultivars and tissues of the same vegetable. Because each vegetable was grown under the same conditions, this variation was expected to primarily be due to the genetic background. It is desirable to collect additional data from commonly distributed cultivars to conduct more detailed studies on GSLs in Brassicaceae vegetables, such as investigating a negative correlation between GSL consumption and cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ariake Bay has Japan's biggest nori seaweed farming field in the innermost part and has suffered from environmental degradation since the late 1990s. To elucidate the seasonal patterns in the copepod community structure in the inner bay, we examined monthly plankton-net samples collected in the top 2-m layer at 11 stations for 5 years from April 2002 to March 2007. Of the 11 stations, 7 were at the high-turbidity site (HTS) representing the nori farming field and 4 in the offshore low-turbidity site (LTS) for comparison. The copepod community in the HTS was dominated almost year round by Oithona davisae, whose 5-year mean abundance of 203 ind. L-1 comprised 84% of copepods and was more than double that in the LTS. O. davisae became extremely abundant in summer with the maximum monthly mean abundance in the HTS of 2756 ind. L-1 and the maximum sample-specific abundance of 10116 ind. L-1. The following predominant copepods in the HTS were Parvocalanus crassirostris in summer-autumn, Microsetella norvegica in summer, Acartia omorii in spring, and Paracalanus parvus s.l. irregularly. Possible causes for high abundance of O. davisae in the HTS are assumed to be sufficient food resources, water temperature over 21°C, and a wide salinity tolerance range of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutrodiaptomus formosus (Kikuchi, 1928) is a calanoid copepod found in freshwater ponds in Japan. In the original description of this species, the illustration of the female habitus and the diagnostic description of the genital double somite were based on the copepodid V stage. Since there have been no studies describing the adult female of N. formosus, we redescribed fully both sexes of adults. The female genital double somite has a prominent projection at the right posterior corner, which is unique in this genus. Some differences between N. formosus and a previous description of the congener N. tumidus were found in the segmentation and setation of the cephalothoracic appendages. A key to females of 11 diaptomid species occurring in Japanese freshwaters is provided, because the previous keys so far were based mainly on male characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brackish-water calanoid copepod known as Pseudodiaptomus inopinus in the mainland of Japan consists of two genetically separate species. One is P. japonicus, which was once synonymized with P. inopinus but was recently revived. This paper describes the other species as Pseudodiaptomus yamato n. sp., which is confirmed to have morphological differences from P. inopinus s.s. based on specimens from the type locality (Lake Taihu, China) of the latter. We also redescribe P. japonicus and P. inopinus s.s. for comparative purposes. The three species are distinguishable by the combination of the following morphologies: 1) weak or prominent posterior round projections of the female last pediger; 2) relative length of posterior processes of the female genital operculum; 3) presence or absence of medial spinules on the first exopodal segment of the female leg 5; and 4) the size of spinules at the center of the ventral surface of the male second urosomite. Significant inter-population variation is observed in some spinules of P. japonicus. The past and present records indicate that Pseudodiaptomus yamato n. sp. is endemic to Japan and confined to the coasts affected by the warm Kuroshio Current from western Kyushu to the middle of Honshu, while P. japonicus is widespread in northern East Asia without overlapping the range of P. yamato n. sp. The range of Pseudodiaptomus inopinus s.s. most certainly does not extend to those of P. yamato n. sp. and P. japonicus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Despite the widespread use of opioids for the treatment of cancer pain, results from several surveys consistently show that pain is still prevalent in some patients with malignant diseases. The purinergic P2Y12 receptor is a primary site leading to microglial activation and hyperalgesic pain behaviors and is considered a key regulator in the prevention of the aggravation of clinical pain conditions. Genetic variability in the P2RY12 gene may contribute to individual differences in pain and opioid sensitivity. Methods. We genotyped 31 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) throughout the P2RY12 gene and compared genotypes against pain measurements and opioid requirements in Japanese cancer pain patients (N590). The most promising SNP association with pain severity was validated by genotyping an additional postoperative pain patient cohort (N5355). Results. Five SNPs (rs3732765, rs9859538, rs17283010, rs11713504, and rs10935840) of the P2RY12 gene were significantly associated with cancer pain severity, although opioid requirements were comparable in each genotype of the five SNPs. The alleles of these SNPs represented one absolute linkage disequilibrium block of the P2RY12 gene. In the second association study of postoperative pain, subjects carrying the minor T allele of the rs3732765 SNP demonstrated more intense 24-hour postoperative pain compared with subjects not carrying this allele although total 24-hour postoperative opioid consumptions based on weight were comparable. Conclusions. Polymorphisms of the P2RY12 gene may predict individual differences in both cancer and postoperative pain severity; this might be caused by functional alteration of nociceptive neurons through neuron-glia interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estuarine planktonic calanoid copepod Eurytemora americana is described for the first time from Japan based on specimens from Dokai Bay, a small inlet of northern Kyushu in 1975, when the species was exclusively dominant in the innermost bay. This is the southernmost record of the species in the Northern Hemisphere. Morphological descriptions are provided, especially on characters different from or overlooked in previous descriptions. Compared with the recent description of the species from Korea, a distinct morphology is found in the spinule number on the male fifth leg, suggesting inter-population variation and therefore no gene flow between the Japanese and Korean populations. Eurytemora americana in Dokai Bay is regarded as an invasive alien species introduced via ship ballast water. Despite the dominance in 1975, the copepod was not collected from brackish waters in the innermost part of the bay in 2008. Global warming in spring and/or winter periods after the 1970s is a possible reason for the disappearance of this cold water species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the development of web-based remote diagnosis system through the use of virtual slide with emphasis on routine pathology slides in rural hospitals in Japan. It considers the system as a response for pathologist's absence, which was found to be very beneficial. It also points out the issues associated to the system such as the clarification of responsibilities, management of large operation specimens, and the writing of diagnosis report.

Abstract  The larval distribution and feeding habits of Cynoglossus abbreviatus and Cynoglossus lighti were investigated around the Rokkaku estuary in Ariake Bay during October 2004 and March and April 2005. Cynoglossus abbreviatus started and completed metamorphosis at larger sizes than C. lighti. Developmental phases consisted primarily of individuals at metamorphosis and postmetamorphosis, which were mainly distributed inside and just outside the Rokkaku River in March–April for C. abbreviatus and October for C. lighti. Tidal changes in vertical distribution just outside the river mouth differed between the closely related species; C. abbreviatus was distributed in the surface and middle layers at flood tide, and aggregated near the bottom (where the current speed was lowest) at ebb tide. Cynoglossus lighti stayed mainly near the bottom during all tidal phases. Larvae of both Cynoglossus species selectively fed on copepods (Pseudobradya sp.), which were scarce in the waters. These facts suggest that the nursery grounds of the two Cynoglossus species were different in terms of their tidal vertical distribution patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]