The geomorphology, color, and thermal properties of Ryugu: Implications for parent-body processes

The near-Earth carbonaceous asteroid 162173 Ryugu is thought to have been produced from a parent body that contained water ice and organic molecules. The Hayabusa2 spacecraft has obtained global multicolor images of Ryugu. Geomorphological features present include a circum-equatorial ridge, east-west dichotomy, high boulder abundances across the entire surface, and impact craters. Age estimates from the craters indicate a resurfacing age of [Formula: see text] years for the top 1-meter layer. Ryugu is among the darkest known bodies in the Solar System. The high abundance and spectral properties of boulders are consistent with moderately dehydrated materials, analogous to thermally metamorphosed meteorites found on Earth. The general uniformity in color across Ryugu's surface supports partial dehydration due to internal heating of the asteroid's parent body.

Effects of twice-weekly follicular punctures of ovaries with or without the corpus luteum on follicular and luteal dynamics

We investigated the effects of twice-weekly follicular punctures of ovaries with or without corpus luteum (CL) on follicular and luteal dynamics. A cross-over design was used, with each cow (seven Japanese Black beef cows) being assigned to one of the three groups at 2-month intervals. Follicular punctures were performed twice weekly for three consecutive weeks until day 20 (oestrus = day 0). All visible follicles (diameter >3 mm) in the ovaries bearing CL (ipsilateral group) or those in the contralateral ovaries (contralateral group) were aspirated. As a control, all visible follicles in both ovaries were aspirated (bilateral group). Follicular development, CL formation and progesterone concentrations in each cow were monitored from days 0 to 30. Follicular growth profiles in the punctured ovaries during/after puncture treatment were similar, irrespective of the presence of follicles in the unpunctured ovary and the CL in the punctured or unpunctured ovaries. After puncture, two cows (28.6%) each in the ipsilateral and bilateral groups did not exhibit behavioural oestrus until day 30, whereas all cows in the contralateral group exhibited oestrus. CL growth and increase in progesterone concentrations after the last follicular puncture in the bilateral group were delayed when compared with those in the ipsilateral group. Our results indicate that the presence of follicles in the unpunctured ovary and the CL in the punctured or unpunctured ovaries does not significantly influence follicular growth in punctured ovaries during/after puncture treatment. However, follicular puncture in ovaries bearing CL may disturb or delay oestrus occurrence after treatment.

Protective effects of MnM2Py4P and Mn-salen against small bowel ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats using an in vivo and an ex vivo electron paramagnetic resonance technique with a spin probe

BACKGROUND

Reperfusion of ischemic tissues results in the formation of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as superoxide anion, hydroxyl radicals, hydroperoxide, and peroxynitrite. ROS are potent oxidizing agents, capable of damaging cellular membranes by lipid peroxidation. In the present study, we applied an in vivo electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)/spin probe and an ex vivo EPR technique to provide direct evidence of ROS following experimentally induced small bowel ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We used a rat model of small bowel I/R injury to explore the possibility that MnM2Py4P or Mn-salen can prevent the accumulation of ROS species following experimentally induced I/R injury. We examined the ability of MnM2Py4P and Mn-salen to scavenge radicals in living Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats using an in vivo and an ex vivo EPR technique with a spin probe.

RESULTS

The CP decay rates in the MnM2Py4P- and Mn-salen-treated rats were significantly higher than those in the untreated rats and almost equal to those in sham group rats. There were no significant differences between the MnM2Py4P-treated group and the Mn-salen-treated group. Superoxide scavenging activities (SSA) in the MnM2Py4P- and EUK-8-treated group were higher than those in the untreated group and almost equal to the sham group.

CONCLUSION

The present study suggested that the protective effects of MnM2Py4P and Mn-salen against small bowel IR injury were mediated by the inhibition of O2, H2O2, and NO production.

SOX2 is frequently downregulated in gastric cancers and inhibits cell growth through cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis

SOX transcription factors are essential for embryonic development and play critical roles in cell fate determination, differentiation and proliferation. We previously reported that the SOX2 protein is expressed in normal gastric mucosae but downregulated in some human gastric carcinomas. To clarify the roles of SOX2 in gastric carcinogenesis, we carried out functional characterisation of SOX2 in gastric epithelial cell lines. Exogenous expression of SOX2 suppressed cell proliferation in gastric epithelial cell lines. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that SOX2-overexpressing cells exhibited cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. We found that SOX2-mediated cell-cycle arrest was associated with decreased levels of cyclin D1 and phosphorylated Rb, and an increased p27^Kip1 level. These cells exhibited further characteristics of apoptosis, such as DNA laddering and caspase-3 activation. SOX2 hypermethylation signals were observed in some cultured and primary gastric cancers with no or weak SOX2 expression. Among the 52 patients with advanced gastric cancers, those with cancers showing SOX2 methylation had a significantly shorter survival time than those without this methylation (P=0.0062). Hence, SOX2 plays important roles in growth inhibition through cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in gastric epithelial cells, and the loss of SOX2 expression may be related to gastric carcinogenesis and poor prognosis.

Modification of the hepatic mitochondrial proteome in response to ischemic preconditioning following ischemia-reperfusion injury of the rat liver

BACKGROUND/AIM

Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) may reduce hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury, but efficacy of IPC on mitochondrial proteome is not demonstrated. We investigated how IPC modifies the mitochondrial proteome after IR injury.

METHODS

Rats were subjected to 25 min of portal triad crossclamping (IR group, n = 8). In the IPC group (n = 8), 10 min of temporal portal triad clamping was performed before 25 min of portal clamping. Samples were obtained after 24 h. The mitochondrial inner-membrane potential was measured by the uptake of a lipophilic cationic carbocyanine probe and mitochondrial proteome was also investigated using 2-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

RESULTS

Mitochondrial inner-membrane potential and glutathione were lower and serum transaminase was higher in the IPC group than in the IR group. The mitochondrial precursor of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 and alpha-methylacyl-CoA-racemase were upregulated in the IPC group in comparison to the IR group. In contrast, protein disulfide-isomerase A3 precursor, 60S acid ribosomal protein P0, carbonic anhydrase 3 and superoxide dismutase were significantly more downregulated in the IPC group than in the IR group.

CONCLUSIONS

A hepatoprotective effect by IPC was not shown; however, IPC caused significant up- or downregulation of several mitochondrial proteins.

416 EFFECTS OF THE CORPUS LUTEUM WITHIN THE OVARY ON THE FOLLICULAR DYNAMICS AFTER FOLLICULAR ASPIRATION AND ON THE DEVELOPMENTAL COMPETENCE OF ASPIRATED OOCYTES

The use of ultrasound-guided transvaginal follicular aspiration combined with in vitro embryo production is increasing in the commercial cattle breeding industry. However, frequent puncture of follicles can induce the dysfunction of corpora lutea (CL) (Petyim et al. 2001 J. Vet. Med. A 48, 449–463), resulting in irregular estrous intervals or absence of estrus. This study was conducted to compare follicular and oocyte characteristics in ovaries ipsilateral vs. contralateral to the CL after follicular aspiration. The experiment was performed using a crossover design with each Japanese Black cow (n = 7) assigned to each of the 3 groups. The treatment period was 30 days for each group, and successive treatments were separated by a 2-month rest period. Hence the study spanned a period of 7 months (3 treatment periods and 2 rest periods). To verify ovulation prior to each treatment, the stage of the estrous cycle in each cow was synchronized with an ovulation synchronization (Ovsynch) program. Follicular aspirations were performed 6 times (every 3 or 4 days) between Day 3 and Day 20 after GnRH administration (Day = 0) of the Ovsynch program. All cows in each group ovulated the follicle before the initiation of follicular aspiration treatment. Follicles (e3 mm in diameter) from the ovary ipsilateral (Group 1) or contralateral (Group 2) to the CL were aspirated a using B-mode ultrasound scanner equipped with a 7.5 MHz probe. As a control (Group 3), the follicles from both ovaries were aspirated, irrespective of the presence of CL. In all groups, follicular development in each cow was monitored daily from Days 0 to 31. The cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) collected from each cow in Group 1 (n = 158), Group 2 (n = 140), and Group 3 (n = 277) were subjected to IVM/IVF/IVC. The numbers of embryos cleaved and developed to the blastocyst stage were recorded 3 days and 8 days after IVF, respectively. The mean profiles of total visible follicles (e3 mm in diameter) in ovaries with follicular aspiration in Groups 1 and 2 were similar to those in Group 3, irrespective of the presence of CL. The average numbers of visible follicles in the ovaries with follicular aspiration 7 days after the end of follicular aspiration treatment were not different from those in the ovaries without follicular aspiration (P > 0.05; one-way ANOVA). Moreover, there were no significant differences among the groups with respect to the percentages of cleavage (57.5–65.7%) and development to the blastocyst stage (23.6–32.1%) of collected COCs (P > 0.05; chi-square analysis). These results indicate that the presence of CL within the ovaries does not affect the ovarian follicular dynamics after follicular aspiration and the developmental competence of collected COCs.

A comparative study of the efficacy and safety profiles between fluvoxamine and nortriptyline in Japanese patients with major depression

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety profiles between fluvoxamine and nortriptyline in Japanese patients with major depression.

METHODS

The efficacy and safety profiles of fluvoxamine, a selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor, and nortriptyline were compared under a single-blind fashion in 74 Japanese patients with major depression. The efficacy was assessed using the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI) severity and improvement scores, while the safety profiles were assessed using the UKU Side Effect Rating Scale at baseline, and on days 7, 14, 28 and 56. Moreover, with the aim of determining the distinct efficacy profiles of each drug, the effects on each of the factor scores extracted by the principal component analysis performed for HAM-D scores were compared between drugs.

RESULTS

Both drug groups showed significant amelioration of depressive symptomatology over the trial period lasting for 8 weeks. Statistical analyses revealed no significant between-group differences regarding the efficacy assessed by either HAM-D or CGI scores; however, the efficacy of nortriptyline tended to appear earlier than that of fluvoxamine. Moreover, no significant differences were obtained for the factor scores, representing 'depressed mood', 'physical symptoms' or 'sleep disturbances', although 'sleep disturbances' appeared to improve earlier in the nortriptyline group than in the fluvoxamine group. As for the safety profiles, the nortriptyline group scored a significantly higher incidence of adverse events such as dysarthria or orthostatic dizziness, as well as increased heart rate.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that fluvoxamine is generally comparable to nortriptyline in its efficacy and superior in its safety profile, in accordance with findings obtained in previous comparative clinical trials conducted in Caucasian populations.

Eight multicentric hepatocellular carcinomas occurring in the same segment of the liver

We present a rare case of eight multicentric hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) occurring in the same segment of the liver. In a 66-year-old Japanese man, multiple liver tumors were detected during follow-up of chronic hepatitis C infection, and he was admitted to our hospital in 1995. Ultrasonography (US) showed eight tumors, each measuring between 10 and 15 mm in diameter, in the right lobe, and a 10-mm tumor in the left lobe. Angio-ultrasonography (US) showed no enhancement of the tumors, and multicentric occurrence was suspected. Portal angio-US showed eight tumors in the right lobe located in the anterior segment. Accordingly, anterior segmentectomy and partial resection of the S3 subsegment were performed, in December, 1995. On histological examination, all eight tumors in the anterior segment and the tumor in the S3 subsegment were well differentiated HCC. The liver parenchyma showed cirrhosis. The grade and stage of hepatitis did not differ between the anterior segment and the S3 subsegment, but irregular regeneration of hepatocytes was more prominent in the anterior segment. The multicentric occurrence of HCCs in the anterior segment may be related to the more severe damage caused by chronic hepatitis in the anterior segment than in the left lobe of the liver.

Recurrence after surgical resection of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

We aimed to assess the patterns of recurrence after surgery for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and the outcomes of treatment in patients with recurrence. From 1981 to 1999, 123 patients with ICC underwent hepatectomy. The 3-year and 5-year survival rates were significantly higher in patients after curative resection (n = 56; 53%, 50%) than in patients after noncurative resection (n = 67; 7%, 2%; P < 0.0001). In 54 patients followed-up after curative resection, the rate of recurrence after surgery was 46%. The recurrences were in the liver (56%), abdomen (disseminated; 24%), and lymph nodes (20%). The rates of recurrence were significantly higher in patients with various classifications of mass-forming ICC tumors (P = 0.039) than in those with other types of tumors, and in patients with tumors over 3 cm in greatest diameter than in those with tumors 3 cm or less (P = 0.006). Hepatic recurrence, abdominal dissemination, and intraductal recurrence were significantly related to tumors that included mass-forming ICC (P = 0.002), tumors that included periductal infiltrating ICC (P = 0.009), and tumors that included intraductal growth ICC (P = 0.038), respectively. Seven patients with recurrence underwent radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or surgical resection. Only 2 patients, with intrahepatic metastasis and intraductal recurrence, respectively, had good outcomes after surgery. The effectiveness of other treatments has not been established.

Electrochemical properties of self-assembled monolayers of tripod-shaped molecules and their applications to organic light-emitting diodes

Self-assembled monolayers of a tripod-shaped conjugated-thiol grafted onot Au(111) substrates are found to show electrochemically reversible oxidation and reduction and to improve electroluminescence performances of organic light-emitting diodes.

The first example for cycloenantiomeric hexahomooxacali

Cycloenantiomeric hexahomooxacalix[3]arenes with different substituents on the three upper rims were synthesized for the first time by fixing their conformation into a cone. A cycloenantiomeric hexahomooxacalix[3]arene 6 was resolved into both enantiomeric forms and chiroptically characterized. Preliminary 1H-NMR studies indicated that the optically resolved cycloenantiomer 6 could discriminate the enantiomers of hydrochloride of phenylalanine ethyl ester.

[Depression during interferon therapy in renal cell cancer patients--comparison with chronic hepatitis C patients]

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Depression is well known as one of the psychiatric complications of interferon (IFN) therapy in patients with chronic active hepatitis C. We compared the psychiatric status during interferon therapy between patients with renal cell cancer (RCC) and those with chronic active hepatitis C.

METHODS

The psychiatric status of 40 patients with renal cell cancer, 36 who were subjected to radical nephrectomy and 4 who were not because of the presence of distant metastasis and other complicated underlying diseases, was assessed by psychiatrists before and at 2, 4, 12 and 24 weeks after the start of IFN therapy according to the major depressive episode diagnostic criteria listed in the DSM-III-R and the Hamilton Depression Scale (HDS). The mental aspect was measured using the Eysenk Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) before IFN therapy, and the results were compared with those obtained in 85 hepatitis C patients evaluated according to the same protocol for psychiatric assessment.

RESULTS

Eight of the 40 patients were diagnosed as having depression before IFN therapy and 5 of them became even more depressed 2 weeks after the start of IFN therapy. Nine patients were found to be depressed after the start of IFN therapy, 7 of them were diagnosed before 4 weeks of therapy. All the patients needed treatment for depression: discontinuation of IFN therapy in 4, decrement of the IFN dose in 8, and psychiatric drug medication in 13. The patients who suffered from depression had significantly higher scores in neuroticism (EPQ) before IFN therapy than those who did not become depressed. There was no difference in age, sex or cancer stage between the two groups. The occurrence of depression in RCC patients was the same as that observed in hepatitis C patients receiving IFN therapy. But in RCC patients the depressive state was diagnosed earlier and was more severe than that observed in hepatitis C patients.

CONCLUSION

Urologists should be aware of the psychiatric symptoms of RCC patients under IFN therapy just as in hepatitis patients. The depression in RCC patients was considered to be related to the cancerous disease itself which may explain its higher degree of severity, as compared to hepatitis C patients.

Non-Helicobacter pylori ulcer disease in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving long-term NSAID therapy

Helicobacter pylori and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are considered the major causes of peptic ulcer. If ulcers are not attributable to H. pylori, most are thought to be attributable to NSAIDs. We have previously reported that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients taking NSAIDs long term (NSAIDs group) are more likely to develop gastric ulcers, which commonly occur in the gastric antrum. In addition, the morphology of gastric ulcers in the NSAIDs group differs from that in the non-NSAIDs group (control group), in whom NSAIDs are not involved in the occurrence of gastric ulcers. In this study, we compared gastric ulcers in the NSAIDs group with those in the control group in terms of H. pylori infection. The positive rate of H. pylori in gastric ulcers was significantly lower in the NSAIDs group than in control group (53.6% vs 91.5%). At the ulcer site they were seen significantly less often in the antrum than in either the angle or body of the stomach (35% vs 100%) in the NSAIDs group. On the other hand, the H. pylori-positive rate for ulcers in the antrum did not differ significantly from that in the angle and body of the stomach (81.8% vs 93.8%) in the control group. These findings suggest that H. pylori plays little role in antral ulcers in those taking NSAIDs.