The pain-relieving effects of lactoferrin on oxaliplatin-induced neuropathic pain

Oxaliplatin (OXL) therapy often causes side effects including chronic peripheral neuropathy. We investigated the pain-relieving effects of recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLf) as well as a long-acting IgG-Fc fused rhLf (rhLf-Fc) on OXL-induced neuropathic pain. We used the hLf in this study, because the homology between mouse Lf and hLf is higher than that of bovine Lf. In addition, rhLf-Fc is expected to enhance the analgesic effect due to the life extension effect in the body. We administered OXL (2 mg/kg, i.v.) to mice twice weekly for 4 weeks. Phosphate buffered saline (PBS), rhLf (100 mg/kg, i.p.) or rhLf-Fc (100 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered once a week from day 15 to 32. We also assessed the continuous infusion of same drugs (10 mg/kg/day) into the external jugular vein by using an osmotic pump. Both of rhLf and rhLf-Fc significantly reduced the hypersensitivity to mechanical stimulation when they were administered intraperitoneally. The continuous infusion of rhLf resulted in a more pronounced effect. Histopathological analysis of sciatic nerve showed that both rhLf and rhLf-Fc tended to reduce nerve fiber damage, but no significant difference was observed in nerve fiber cross-sectional area. Therefore, it was suggested that rhLf or rhLf-Fc injection could be an option for controlling neuropathic pain, which are side effects of OXL.     

Cardiac myosin activation: a potential therapeutic approach for systolic heart failure

Decreased cardiac contractility is a central feature of systolic heart failure. Existing drugs increase cardiac contractility indirectly through signaling cascades but are limited by their mechanism-related adverse effects. To avoid these limitations, we previously developed omecamtiv mecarbil, a small-molecule, direct activator of cardiac myosin. Here, we show that it binds to the myosin catalytic domain and operates by an allosteric mechanism to increase the transition rate of myosin into the strongly actin-bound force-generating state. Paradoxically, it inhibits adenosine 5'-triphosphate turnover in the absence of actin, which suggests that it stabilizes an actin-bound conformation of myosin. In animal models, omecamtiv mecarbil increases cardiac function by increasing the duration of ejection without changing the rates of contraction. Cardiac myosin activation may provide a new therapeutic approach for systolic heart failure.     

Sex distinction of asparagus by loop-mediated isothermal amplification and observation of seedling phenotypes

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) is a dioecious plant. In general, male and female plants are used for open-field culture and intensive cultivation, respectively. Farmers distinguish between the sexes by observing the form of the flower organs. However, because flowering begins 2?C3 years after planting, the sexes cannot be differentiated at transplantation by using this method, and planting of an all-male population is not possible. In this study, the usefulness of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), a simple method of gene amplification, for sex distinction at the DNA level was determined. In addition, the phenotypic differences in seeds and seedlings of male and female plants were investigated for application as a method of early sex distinction. By using the LAMP method, the sex could be correctly identified in 100% of the seedlings, suggesting that this method is effective for sex distinction at the gene level. Principal component analysis was conducted with 11 selected parameters after investigating the seeds and seedlings of both male and female plants. The results revealed that male plants tend to have many stalks or cladophylls and female plants tend to have large plant forms, suggesting that the sexes can be distinguished by the external appearance of the seedlings before planting. LAMP and observation of the seedling phenotypes could be useful methods of sex distinction for increasing the efficiency of asparagus breeding.     

Fractionation of foliar absorbed phosphorus by paper electro-phoresis

Fractional analysis of phosphorus compounds in plant tissue has been carried out by many workers, and reported on tobacco plant by Holden (1) and Komatsu (2). The fractional distribution of foliar absorbed phosphorus was investigated by Yatazawa (3) who indicated that the phosphorus was first converted into the phosphate-ester as an intermediate substance on the phosphorus metabolism. The methods of fractional analysis used by these authors were based on the method proposed by Page and Umbereit (4) in which they used trichloroacetic acid as the first extracting reagent. Recently, in order to separate the protein bound phosphorus, Wildmann, Campell and Bonner (5) adopted the salting-out method without using trichloroacetic acid. They reported that the protein-bound phosphorus plays an important role and is in the dynamic state. Fujiwara and Kadowaki (6) paid attention to the phosphorus bound to cytoplasmic protein as energy-rich phosphate compounds, and adopted the method so as to separate such compounds. In order to reveal the utilization of foliar absorbed phosphorus by the tobacco plant, the fractional distribution of phosphorus was examined. In this paper, the degree of change to organic phosphorus was taken as an index of phosphorus utilization. Paper electrophoresis was used for this purpose because the inorganic and the protein-bound phosphorus could be separated easily.     

Über Die Harnstoff-Formaldehyd Kondensaten I

Der größere Teil des Stickstoffhaltiges Düngesmittels sind anorganische Substanzen, und nur das Harnstoff und Kalkstickstoff können organische genannt werden, aber seine Geschwindigkeiten der Zersetzung im Boden sind ziemlich schnell, also sie haben keine dauernde Wirkung, sondern haben schnell Düngewirkung.     

Über Die Harnstoff Formaldehyd Kondensaten II

Im ersten Bericht (1) wir beschrieben eine Weise die rein Monomethlolharnstoff im große Ausbeute darstellt, aber es ist unklar, ob dem Düngemittel oder einem Bestandteil des komplex Düngemittel, Monomethylolharnstoff angemesst ist oder nicht. Also, wir untersuchten einige Eigenschaften wie folgt.     

Individual consistency between diel activity during rearing and behavior after release in red tilefish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Branchiostegus japonicus</Emphasis> revealed by laboratory observation and acoustic telemetry

ABSTRACT:   To determine characteristics which may reflect the behavioral quality of red tilefish Branchiostegus japonicus after release, five wild and four hatchery-reared fish were observed in a laboratory and in the sea. The diel activity of the fish was recorded on video tape for 2 days in a tank, where the light condition was regulated to vary periodically over 24 h. The individuals were then released in Maizuru Bay and tracked using acoustic telemetry. Four wild individuals became most active at dawn during a day in the tank, and settled near the release area to stay for 28–104 days after release in Maizuru Bay. In contrast, one wild and four hatchery-reared individuals were not active at dawn, and then did not settle in Maizuru Bay after release. Among the four settled wild individuals, the more active a fish had been in the tank, the more distant the individual moved from the release point until its settlement. The diel activity pattern should be a factor deciding whether red tilefish would settle nearby after release, and the relative amount of activity during rearing is probably related to the degree of dispersion within the release area.     

New size measurement for the Japanese sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Stichopodidae) estimated from the body length and body breadth

ABSTRACT:   Anesthetized body length ( La ), an accurate measurement of body size of Japanese sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus , is measured by using l -menthol anesthetizer but it is difficult to apply La in the field. An estimation method of La from only one simultaneous measurement of body length ( L ) and body breadth ( B ), regardless of the degree of contraction or extension of the body, is proposed. In simultaneous measurement of L and B for each of 150 animals of both the green and the black types of A. japonicus , there were significant negative correlations between L and B in all animals. Further, √( L  ×  B ) was approximately constant regardless of the animals' body form (coefficient of variance: 0.01–0.06). Thus, the regression equations for Le , estimated La , were calculated: the green type, Le  = 2.32 + 2.02 × √( L · B ); and the black type, Le  = 1.34 + 2.12 × √( L · B ). The error values between Le from these equations and La were small. The variances of Le were approximately one-quarter of those of L and half of B . From these, the equations can be used for body size measurements taken in the field.     

A mesoscale iron enrichment in the western subarctic Pacific induces a large centric diatom bloom

We have performed an in situ test of the iron limitation hypothesis in the subarctic North Pacific Ocean. A single enrichment of dissolved iron caused a large increase in phytoplankton standing stock and decreases in macronutrients and dissolved carbon dioxide. The dominant phytoplankton species shifted after the iron addition from pennate diatoms to a centric diatom, Chaetoceros debilis, that showed a very high growth rate, 2.6 doublings per day. We conclude that the bioavailability of iron regulates the magnitude of the phytoplankton biomass and the key phytoplankton species that determine the biogeochemical sensitivity to iron supply of high-nitrate, low-chlorophyll waters.     

Structure and Absolute Configuration of Phenanthro-perylene Quinone Pigments from the Deep-Sea Crinoid Hypalocrinus naresianus

Two new water-soluble phenanthroperylene quinones, gymnochrome H (2) and monosulfated gymnochrome A (3), as well as the known compounds gymnochrome A (4) and monosulfated gymnochrome D (5) were isolated from the deep-sea crinoid Hypalocrinus naresianus, which had been collected in the deep sea of Japan. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis including HRMS, 1D ¹H and ¹³C NMR, and 2D NMR. The absolute configuration was determined by ECD spectroscopy, analysis of J-couplings and ROE contacts, and DFT calculations. The configuration of the axial chirality of all isolated phenanthroperylene quinones (2–5) was determined to be (P). For gymnochrome H (2) and monosulfated gymnochrome A (3), a (2′S,2″R) configuration was determined, whereas for monosulfated gymnochrome D (5) a (2′R,2″R), configuration was determined. Acetylated quinones are unusual among natural products from an echinoderm and gymnochrome H (2) together with the recently reported gymnochrome G (1) represent the first isolated acetylated phenanthroperylene quinones.