Background Data on Developmental Parameters During the Gestation Period in Rats

Abstract: Background data during the gestation period were obtained from 128 Wistar Hannover GALAS rats and 26 Crl:CD(SD) pregnant rats in the control groups of our previous toxicity studies. The body weights of dams in the Wistar Hannover GALAS rats were significantly lower throughout the gestation period than those in the Crl:CD(SD) rats. In contrast, the time-dependent change in the body weight gain (%) of dams showed very similar trends in both strains. The mean number of live embryos/fetuses in the Wistar Hannover GALAS rats was 12.0, and was lower than that (14.5) in the Crl:CD(SD) rats. The placental weights gradually increased with pregnancy progression and reached a plateau on gestation day (GD) 19, although the embryo/fetal weights rapidly increased from GD 17 to GD 21. The embryo/fetal weights in the Wistar Hannover GALAS rats were significantly lower on only GD 21 than those in the Crl:CD(SD) rats. It is considered that this fetal weight difference between the strains develops during the fetal period, but not during the organogenesis period. In contrast, there were no differences in the placental weights between the two strains. Microscopically, the thickness of the labyrinth zone in the Wistar Hannover GALAS rats was thicker throughout the gestation period than that in the Crl:CD(SD) rats.     

Comparison of the variability in the levels of pesticide residue observed in Japanese cabbage and grape units

To estimate variations in pesticide residue levels in crops, the variability factors (VFs, the 97.5th percentile of the residue levels in the sample divided by the average residue levels in the lot) in residue levels of acetamiprid and cypermethrin applied to cabbage and grapes were investigated, respectively. The VFs in the residue levels of both pesticides in cabbage (2.00 and 2.39, respectively) were clearly higher than those in grapes (1.82 and 1.63, respectively). Although the residue levels of both pesticides in grapes showed a normal distribution, those values in cabbage were slightly skewed at lower residue levels. Individual residue levels in grapes had a good agreement between acetamiprid and cypermethrin. In contrast, the distribution of cypermethrin residue levels in cabbage was slightly skewed at higher residue levels as compared to that of acetamiprid. These results indicate that the difference in the relative distribution of the two pesticides between cabbage and grapes might be due to the influence of various factors such as differences in crop species, plant cultivation methods, and physicochemical properties of the pesticides.     

Ingestion of proteoglycan fraction from shark cartilage increases serum inhibitory activity against matrix metalloproteinase-9 and suppresses development of N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine-induced pancreatic duct carcinogenesis in hamster

A water extract of shark cartilage was fractionated into acidic and basic fractions by preparative isoelectric focusing on the basis of the amphoteric nature of samples. The acidic fraction was further fractionated into ethanol-soluble and -precipitate fractions. After the carcinogenesis treatment using N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine, hamsters received a diet containing each fraction or purified chondroichin sulfate to give 0.4% (w/w) for 50 days. Only administration of the acidic ethanol-precipitate-fraction-containing diet significantly increased serum inhibitory activity against matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and reduced the number of adenocarcinomas in the pancreatic duct. The active fraction predominantly consisted of chondroichin sulfate-containing proteoglycan. However, the purified chondroichin sulfate had no significant activity. These results suggest that the protein moiety of the proteoglycan might be involved in the increase of serum inhibitory activity against MMP-9 and suppression of pancreatic carcinogenesis in hamster.     

Role of adaptor TRIF in the MyD88-independent toll-like receptor signaling pathway

Stimulation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) triggers activation of a common MyD88-dependent signaling pathway as well as a MyD88-independent pathway that is unique to TLR3 and TLR4 signaling pathways leading to interferon (IFN)-beta production. Here we disrupted the gene encoding a Toll/IL-1 receptor (TIR) domain-containing adaptor, TRIF. TRIF-deficient mice were defective in both TLR3- and TLR4-mediated expression of IFN-beta and activation of IRF-3. Furthermore, inflammatory cytokine production in response to the TLR4 ligand, but not to other TLR ligands, was severely impaired in TRIF-deficient macrophages. Mice deficient in both MyD88 and TRIF showed complete loss of nuclear factor kappa B activation in response to TLR4 stimulation. These findings demonstrate that TRIF is essential for TLR3- and TLR4-mediated signaling pathways facilitating mammalian antiviral host defense.     

Lack of exposed ice inside lunar south pole Shackleton Crater

The inside of Shackleton Crater at the lunar south pole is permanently shadowed; it has been inferred to hold water-ice deposits. The Terrain Camera (TC), a 10-meter-resolution stereo camera onboard the Selenological and Engineering Explorer (SELENE) spacecraft, succeeded in imaging the inside of the crater, which was faintly lit by sunlight scattered from the upper inner wall near the rim. The estimated temperature of the crater floor, based on the crater shape model derived from the TC data, is less than approximately 90 kelvin, cold enough to hold water-ice. However, at the TC's spatial resolution, the derived albedo indicates that exposed relatively pure water-ice deposits are not on the crater floor. Water-ice may be disseminated and mixed with soil over a small percentage of the area or may not exist at all.     

Arabidopsis CLV3 peptide directly binds CLV1 ectodomain

CLV1, which encodes a leucine-rich repeat receptor kinase, and CLV3, which encodes a secreted peptide, function in the same genetic pathway to maintain stem cell populations in Arabidopsis shoot apical meristem. Here, we show biochemical evidence, by ligand binding assay and photoaffinity labeling, that the CLV3 peptide directly binds the CLV1 ectodomain with a dissociation constant of 17.5 nM. The CLV1 ectodomain also interacts with the structurally related CLE peptides, with distinct affinities depending on the specific amino acid sequence. Our results provide direct evidence that CLV3 and CLV1 function as a ligand-receptor pair involved in stem cell maintenance.     

Control of light emission by 3D photonic crystals

Three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystals containing artificial point defects have been fabricated to emit light at optical communications wavelengths. They were constructed by stacking 0.7-micrometer-period gallium arsenide striped layers, resulting in a 3D "woodpile" photonic crystal. Indium-gallium arsenide-phosphide quantum-well layers emitting at a wavelength of 1.55 micrometers were incorporated in the center of the crystal. Samples having up to nine stacked layers were constructed, and artificial point-defect cavities of different sizes were formed in the light-emitting layer. Light emission was suppressed in the photonic crystal regions, whereas cavity modes were successfully observed at the point defects and were size dependent.