Highly metastatic ovarian yolk sac carcinoma in a rat

We investigated a highly metastatic ovarian yolk sac carcinoma in a 52-week-old female Crl:CD(SD) rat. Macroscopically, the present case had severe ascites, bilateral ovarian masses and numerous nodules in the abdominal and thoracic cavities. Histopathologically, these masses and nodules were generally composed of two types of cells mimicking a parietal and visceral yolk sac. The parietal cells were round to polygonal, contained eosinophilic droplets and were arranged in nests and cords in the eosinophilic matrix. Both the intracytoplasmic droplets and the matrix were stained positively with PAS. The visceral cells were cylindriform, and proliferated in papillary and tubular patterns and occasionally formed Shiller-Duval body-like structures. In the dissemination sites, the neoplastic cells proliferated on the surface of the various tissues and often infiltrated into deeper parts of the tissues. Immunohistochemically, both neoplastic cells were positive for α-fetoprotein and keratin, and the eosinophilic matrix was positive for laminin. Ultrastructurally, the parietal cells had dilated rough endoplasmic reticulums, which were filled with electron-lucent laminated structures. The visceral cells had poorly to moderately developed intracytoplasmic organelles and were interconnected with desmosomes. Taken together, the present tumor was diagnosed as yolk sac carcinoma arising from the ovary and was characterized by not only high metastasis but also invasive infiltration with biphasic proliferation of the parietal and visceral cells.     

Molecular changes associated with adaptation of equine influenza H3N8 virus in embryonated chicken eggs

Embryonated chicken eggs (ECEs) are routinely used to isolate equine influenza virus. Propagation of the virus in ECEs results in selection of variants. In the present study, we determined nucleotide sequences of entire coding regions of parent A/equine/Tottori/1/07 (H3N8) and its derivatives that have different passage histories in ECE. After 12 passages, nucleotide sequence analysis predicted 3 amino acid substitutions in hemagglutinin (HA; 2 in HA1 and 1 in HA2). The two amino acid substitutions in HA1 were located in the vicinity of the cell receptor-binding site. Three other amino acid substitutions were predicted in internal proteins, 1 in the M1, 1 in the NP and 1 in the PA. This is the first report showing mutations in the internal protein genes of equine influenza virus associated with adaptation to ECE.     

Anticancer activities of thelephantin O and vialinin A isolated from Thelephora aurantiotincta

Thelephora aurantiotincta is an edible mushroom belonging to the genus Thelephora; it grows in symbiosis with pine trees. Recently, phytochemical investigations have revealed that the genus Thelephora is an abundant source of p-terphenyl derivatives. However, their bioactivity has not yet been well characterized. In screening for natural materials with anticancer activity, a T. aurantiotincta ethanol extract (TAE) was found to decrease cell viability in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2). In this study, a new p-terphenyl derivative, thelephantin O, and a known compound, vialinin A, were isolated as the principal bioactive components of TAE. These compounds decreased cell viability in HepG2 and human colonic carcinoma cells (Caco2), but not in noncancerous human hepatocytes. This is the first report of the isolation from T. aurantiotincta of selective cytotoxic agents against cancer cells.     

Effects of low root temperature on sap flow rate,soluble carbohydrates,nitrate contents and on cytokinin and gibberellin levels in root xylem exudate of sand‐grown tomato

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculuntum Mill.) grown in open fields in dry land areas or in non‐controlled greenhouses are subjected to substantial daily changes in root temperature. In the field, root‐zone temperatures fluctuate both diurnally and during the growing season. The purpose of this study was to monitor root‐zone temperature effects on tomato initial growth, transpiration, sap flow rate, leaf and air temperatures differences, nitrate accumulation, total nitrogen, and soluble carbohydrates in the shoot and roots as well as levels of endogenous cytokinins and gibberellins in xylem exudate. Tomato seedlings were grown in three growth cabinets with variable control of root temperatures. Three day/night root temperature regimes (12/12, 16/8 and 20/20°C) were employed. Low day root temperatures of 12 and 16°C reduced shoot dry weight by 47 and 26%, root dry weight by 36 and 14%, shoot nitrate by 79 and 50%, root nitrate by 49 and 16%, levels of cytokinins in root xylem exudate by 27 and 13% and gibberellins by 65 and 23%, in relation to the respective values of 20°C day root temperature. Soluble carbohydrates in the shoot and roots were increased significantly (18 and 111%) by 12°C root temperature. The main effects of low root temperatures on shoot growth stem from slow upward transport of plant hormones and nitrate rather than reduction in their rate of biosynthesis or entry to the root, respectively.     

Soil aggregate as a favorable habitat for Bradyrhizobium japonicum strains

Abstract

Rhizobial cells are present in soils as saprophytes after the decay of host plant nodules, and must survive in the soil until the next encounter with the infection sites of the host plant root. Biotic and abiotic environmental factors affect the population size of these rhizobia in the soil (Vincent 1977). Precise estimation of the population size of the native and the introduced rhizobia in the soil is necessary to study the conditions for the successful nodule formation by introduced strains.     

Nitrogen-fixing microorganisms in paddy soils IV

In 1949, GEST and KAMEN (1,2) reported that Photosynthetic bacteria can fix molecular nitrogen. LINDSTROM et al. (3,4) tested the nitrogen fixing ability of five species of photosynthetic bacteria under the following four conditions; 1) anaerobic light, 2) aerobic light, 3) aerobic dark, 4) anaerobic dark. As the result of the experiment, they certified that it Was only under the anaerobic light condition that the bacteria can fix molecular nitrogen.     

Varietal traits limiting the grain yield of tropical maize II. The growth and yield of tall and short varieties

Four isogenic varieties with different heights, derived from the Tuxpeño population, were grown in the tropics to evaluate their potential productivity. Short varieties were developed by two means: incorporation of the brachytic-2 gene and current selections of shorter plants.

The tallest, original Tuxpeño produced the highest yield, next was the short-plant selection, while the brachytic varieties yielded least. Yield differences between the original and the short-plant selections were derived from the kernel size and the differences between those and the brachytic varieties, from the number of kernels.

Incorporation of the brachytic gene is unlikely to improve the productivity of varieties because it results in low efficiency of leaves in dry matter production during ripening, caused by the limited sink size and the compact distribution of wide leaves.     

A note on the nutritional status of the rice plant in Italy,Portugal, and Spain

In the rice area around Velcelli, grain yields are reasonably high due to good management, and a situation similar to that of the “Akiochi” area in the western part of Japan is prevailing.

In coastal areas of Spain and Portugal, rice yields are frequently very high due to the abundance of solar radiation. In these areas, however, if soil management is inadequate, rice suffers from NaCl injury, zinc deficiency, iron toxicity, or boron toxicity due to the nature of the soils and the influence of brackish water.