Search

Two species of codlet (Bregmacerotidae) larvae were collected during nine survey cruises conducted in the south-eastern Brazilian Bight between 23oS and 30oS in 1985-91. Of 4846 codlet larvae collected during nine cruises, 99.2% were identified as Bregmaceros canton and only 0.8% were B. athanticus. The two species were more abundant during winter in the neritic region (60–135 m depth). Vertical distribution of codlet larvae was studied using the BIOMOC net, and vertical profiles of temperature/salinity and chlorophyll a concentration were recorded by CTD and fluorescent sonde. Only 9.0% of larvae were collected in the upper 30 m and 91.0% were found deeper (> 40 m). The depths of highest density of larvae bore a close relationship to the subsurface chlorophyll maximum layer. Some B. canton larvae were found in the upper 30 m layer at night, but no larva was found during the day. Water temperatures where B. canton larvae occurred ranged from 16 to 23oC, but most larvae were found at 18–20oC and in salinities of 35.5–36.5 psu.

Injury to renal tubules plays an important role in the development of various renal diseases; however, the prevalence and significance of renal tubular damage in the general population are unclear. To clarify this point, we conducted a community-based study, using urinary β(2)-microglobulin as a marker of tubular damage.The subjects studied were 3,444 Japanese over the age of 40 years. The urinary β(2)-microglobulin-creatinine ratio (UBCR) was assessed in morning spot urine samples.In this population, the distribution of the UBCR among these subjects was skewed towards higher values and a high UBCR (≥300 μg/g) was identified in 438 (12.7%) subjects. However, overlap with macroalbuminuria and renal insufficiency [estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)60 mL/min/1.73 m(2)] was observed in only 25 (5.7%) and 58 (13.2%) of these subjects, respectively. Multivariate analysis indicated that a high UBCR was positively associated with aging, hypertension, macroalbuminuria and increased urinary sodium excretion. A 5-year longitudinal analysis in 899 subjects indicated a greater decline in eGFR in parallel with the increase in baseline UBCR. After adjustment for possible confounders, a high UBCR was an independent risk factor for rapid decline in eGFR [-10 mL/min/1.73 m(2); odds ratio 1.79 (95% confidence interval 1.07-2.99), P = 0.026].This study showed that renal tubular damage was common and was an independent risk factor for renal deterioration in the Japanese population. More attention should be paid to occult renal tubular damage in order to prevent end-stage renal disease.

Nephronophthisis (NPHP) 4 gene coding nephrocystin-4 is involved in the development of renal tubules and its congenital mutations cause juvenile end-stage renal disease, NPHP. To investigate the association between single-point single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of NPHP4 gene and renal function, we conducted a cross-sectional study in Japanese population. The subjects of this study were non-diabetic general population consisting of 2604 individuals40 years in Takahata town, Japan. We genotyped 11 SNPs within NPHP4 gene that displayed frequent minor allele frequencies (0.1) in Japanese general population. Among 11 SNPs in NPHP4 gene, only rs1287637 that induces amino acid substitution (A (Gln)/T (Leu)), located in the acceptor site of exon 21, showed a significant association with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; T/T: 81.3±15.6 (n=1886), A/T: 82.0±15.5 (n=652) and A/A: 87.4±21.4 ml min(-1) per 1.73m(2) (n=66); mean±s.d., P=0.006). This SNP was not in linkage disequilibrium with the surrounding SNPs. The multivariate analysis adjusted with possible confounders showed that the A/T+T/T genotype of rs1287637 was independently associated with reduced renal function (eGFR90 ml min(-1) per 1.73m(2); odds ratio (OR) 1.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-2.94, P=0.033). These results indicate the novel and independent association between single-point SNP rs1287637 in NPHP4 gene and renal function in non-diabetic Japanese population.

The adsorption of 2-naphthol-3, 6-disulfonate (NDS) and m-benzenedisulf onate (BDS) ions with the oxide solid solutions prepared by the thermal decomposition of synthetic Mg-Al and Zn-Al carbonated layered double hydroxides was investigated at 25 °C. Both of the oxides were found to adsorb these anions to reconstruct the layered double hydroxide structure. In the case of the Mg-Al system, the Freundlich adsorption isotherms bent at about 0.2 mmoldm-3 of the equilibrium concentration were obtained. This is due to the fact that the higher equilibrium pH of 11'12 causes a preferential adsorption of OH- in the low concentration region of the sulfonate ions. On the other hand, the Freundlich adorption isotherms obtained in the Zn-Al system became straight line because of the lower equilibrium pH of 9-10 (Fig.2). In both systms, the adsorbed amount of NDS was larger than that of BDS, and the interlayer distance of the solid products varied with the size and adsorbed amount of the guest anions (Fig.3).

Albuminuria is a risk factor for renal and cardiovascular events and shows a quick change reflecting vascular status. The aim of this study is to examine the frequency and related factors of the short-term change of albuminuria in nondiabetic Japanese population.The study subjects were 1,378 individuals (mean age 63.9 years) who attended community-based health checkup in 2004 and 2005 in Takahata town. Albuminuria was evaluated by urine albumin creatinine ratio in morning urine and was categorized into four stages (low normal, high normal, and micro- and macroalbuminuria).At baseline, the prevalence of subjects with low normal, high normal, and micro- and macroalbuminuria was 62.3, 17.3, 18.7, and 1.7%, respectively. During 1 year, progression and remission of albuminuria stages were observed in 23.1 and 14.5% of total subjects, respectively. Both progression and remission of albuminuria were frequently detected at every stage, especially in high normal albuminuria (29% in progression and 39% in remission, respectively). On multivariate analysis, the changes of albuminuria were associated with older age, blood pressures, total protein, estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and urine sodium excretion at baseline, start of antidiabetic drugs, changes in body weight (+/-1 kg), hemoglobin (+/-1 g/dl), and urine sodium excretion (+/-50 mEq/day).This study revealed that albuminuria showed high variability associated with age and small changes in modifiable risk factors during 1 year. In the treatment and risk analysis of subjects with albuminuria, the effect of these factors should be considered.

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system plays a pivotal role in regulation of blood pressure and electrolyte homeostasis and is a target in the treatment of hypertension and renal diseases. However, the factors correlated with plasma renin activity (PRA) are unclarified in general Japanese population. To examine this point, we conducted a community-based cross-sectional study.Subjects of this study were 2,056 individuals (mean age, 61 years; 934 men; 1,122 women) over 40-year-old without antihypertensive medication in Takahata town, Japan. PRA was measured by radioimmunoassay. Estimated 24-h urine sodium (e24hUNa) and potassium excretion were calculated from morning spot urine.The median value of PRA was higher in men compared to women (1.1 ng/ml/h vs. 0.7 ng/ml/h, P0.001). The increased PRA (2.0 ng/ml/h) were detected in 248 men (26.3%) and 142 women (12.7%). One-factor analysis of variance showed that PRA was correlated with blood pressure, uric acid, hemoglobin, total protein, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, serum adiponectin and e24hUNa in men. In women, PRA was correlated with age, blood pressure, total protein, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), serum insulin, e24hUNa and obesity. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that high PRA (2.0 ng/ml/h) was independently associated with low blood pressures, low e24UNa and high serum total protein both in men and women, smoking only in men and high HDL-C only in women, respectively.This study revealed that PRA was higher in men than women and was associated negatively with blood pressures and urine sodium excretion, and positively with total protein, smoking and HDL-C in Japanese population.

An ATP-binding cassette transporter, multidrug resistance-related protein 3 (MRP3), is encoded by the ABCC3 gene. The MRP3 protein is expressed in several tissues, and functions as an efflux transporter for conjugated as well as unconjugated substrates. In this study, the 31 ABCC3 exons and their flanking introns were comprehensively screened for genetic variations in 89 Japanese subjects. Forty-six genetic variations, including 21 novel ones, were found: 8 were located in the 5'-flanking region, 14 in the coding exons (8 synonymous and 6 nonsynonymous variations), and 24 in the introns. Of these 46 variations, five novel nonsynonymous variations, 2221C>T (Gln741Stop), 2395G>A (Val799Met), 2798_2799delAG (Gln933ArgfsX64), 3657C>A (Ser1219Arg), and 4217C>T (Thr1406Met), were found as heterozygous variations. The allele frequencies were 0.011 for Ser1219Arg and 0.006 for the other four variations. Gln741Stop induces a stop codon at codon 741. Gln933ArgfsX64 causes a frame-shift at codon 933, resulting in early termination at codon 997. Both variations result in loss of 6 transmembrane helices (from the 12th to 17th helices) in the C-terminus and all regions of nucleotide binding domain 2. Thus, both variant proteins are assumed to be inactive. These data provide fundamental and useful information for pharmacogenetic studies on MRP3-transported drugs in Japanese.

Genetic variations in cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) are known to contribute to interindividual and interethnic variability in response to clinical drugs such as warfarin. In the present study, CYP2C9 from 263 Japanese subjects was resequenced, resulting in the discovery of 62 variations including 32 novel ones. In addition to the two known non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), Ile359Leu (*3; allele frequency=0.030) and Leu90Pro (*13; 0.002), seven novel non-synonymous SNPs, Leu17Ile (0.002), Lys118ArgfsX9 (*25; 0.002), Thr130Arg (*26; 0.002), Arg150Leu (*27; 0.004), Gln214Leu (*28; 0.002), Pro279Thr (*29; 0.002) and Ala477Thr (*30; 0.002), were found. Functional characterization of novel alleles using a mammalian cell expression system in vitro revealed that *25 was a null allele and that *26, *28 and *30 were defective alleles. The *26 product showed a 90% decrease in the Vmax value but little change in the Km value towards diclofenac. Both *28 and *30 products showed two-fold higher Km values and three-fold lower Vmax values than the *1 allele, suggesting the importance of Gln214 and Ala477 for substrate recognition. Linkage disequilibrium and haplotype analyses were performed using the detected variations. Only five haplotypes (frequency0.02) accounted for most (87%) of the inferred haplotypes, and they were closely associated with the haplotypes of CYP2C19 in Japanese. Although the haplotype structure of CYP2C9 was rather simple in Japanese, the haplotype distribution was quite different from those previously reported in Caucasians and Africans. Taken together, novel defective alleles and detailed haplotype structures would be useful for determining metabolic phenotypes of CYP2C9 substrate drugs in Japanese and probably Asians.

This new section is devoted to explorations — to work-in-progress, ideas, free associations, perplexities, insights/outsights, musings, searches and experiments — with an emphasis on practicalities. Above all, it is aimed at the family therapist on the job. We hope to develop a section that is lively, interesting and informative. where practitioners can talk with one another about work they've been doing or thinking of doing, in an immediate way using a variety of short formats. will be led by David Epston (New Zealand), Sue Jackson (Victoria) and Andrew Relph (Western Australia). If you'd like to contribute to Explorations, please contact David. Sue or Andrew, or write direct to the Journal. — Editor.

Isoproterenol and prostaglandin E2 increased cAMP levels in mouse thymocytes transiently, but failed to induce significant internucleosomal DNA fragmentation in thymocytes with a 24-hr incubation. However, these substances showed synergistic interaction with forskolin in the accumulation of cAMP and DNA fragmentation. The addition of 12-O-tetradecanoyl 13-acetate, an activator of protein kinase C, with isoproterenol or particularly with prostaglandin E2 enhanced DNA fragmentation. These results indicate that an increase in cAMP mediated by isoproterenol or prostaglandin receptor is involved in thymocyte apoptosis through internucleosomal DNA fragmentation in concert with a second signal, the activation of protein kinase C.

12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) potentiated the action of cAMP in DNA cleavage in thymocytes induced by a low concentration of adenosine receptor-site agonists such as adenosine, 2-chloroadenosine and forskolin. The enhancement of DNA cleavage by TPA was also observed in dibutyryl cAMP-treated thymocytes. On the other hand, TPA suppressed accumulation of cAMP by the adenosine receptor-site agonists. These results suggest that activation of protein kinase C inhibits cAMP production, but stimulates cAMP-triggered process to induce DNA cleavage and death of thymocytes.

About 400 identified and unidentified Streptomyces stock cultures were examined for their capacity to hydroxylate benzodiazepines. Ten cultures (Streptomyces sp. S-3, S-4, S-12, S-19, S-60, S-120, S-145, St. flavus ATCC 3369, St. griseochromogeneus ATCC 14,511 and St. chartreusis ATCC 14,922) were found to hydroxylate 2H-1,4-benzodiazepine-2-ones in the 3-position of the seven-membered ring. The transformation products were isolated and identified.The culture conditions of Streptomyces sp. S-145 for the production of 7-chloro-1,3-dihydro-3-hydroxy-5-(2′-fluorophenyl)-2H-1,4-benzodiazepine-2-one (IIIb) were studied.

東邦大学病院小児病棟給食の献立についてアミノ酸組成について調査を行ない, 新旧の蛋白評価のscoreの比較を行なった。またさらに幼児の一般家庭, 保育所などでの調査成績との比較を行なった。これらのscoreの比較から得た私見を以下に記す。1) 蛋白の質についての評価法としては, 常識的な値と比較すると, FAO価の方が鶏卵価, 人乳価などよりよく一致する。2) E/T比とchemical scoreを分ける場合は, 各々の値の比重のとり方が簡単でなく, 一次元の尺度で理解することが容易ではない。3) 牛乳を多量に用いる乳幼児期の食事の評価にあたっては, 鶏卵価よりも人乳価の方が常識的評価に近い価が得られる。4) 人乳価ではtryptophanが, また鶏卵価では含硫アミノ酸が制限因子となることが多い。おそらくこの中間のパターンの比較蛋白を用いるのが, より合理的と思われる。5) 普通の意味での蛋白の質を表現する為の一次元の尺度として, FAO価のようなscoreを求める方法も, 実用的立場からはあってよいと思われる。但し比較蛋白についてはさらに検討が必要である。

Background Albuminuria and proteinuria are known risk factors for premature death. This study compared the ability of albuminuria and proteinuria to predict mortality in a community-based population. Methods We evaluated the urinary albumin creatinine ratio (ACR) and proteinuria by dipstick at a baseline survey and examined the association between the 7-year mortality and three categories (albuminuria [ACR ≥ 30 mg/g], trace proteinuria, and ≥[1+] proteinuria) in 3446 Japanese subjects at a local health check. Results Albuminuria, ≥trace proteinuria, and ≥(1+) proteinuria were identified in 514 (14.9 %), 290 (8.4 %), and 151 (4.4 %) subjects, respectively. There were 138 deaths during the follow-up period, including 41 cardiovascular deaths. A Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that all-cause mortality significantly increased along with the increase in ACR and proteinuria levels (log-rank P