Characterisation of a diazinon-metabolising glutathione S-transferase in the silkworm Bombyx mori by X-ray crystallography and genome editing analysis

Previously, we found an unclassified glutathione S-transferase 2 (bmGSTu2) in the silkworm Bombyx mori that conjugates glutathione to 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and also metabolises diazinon, an organophosphate insecticide. Here, we provide a structural and genome-editing characterisation of the diazinon-metabolising glutathione S-transferase in B. mori. The structure of bmGSTu2 was determined at 1.68 Å by X-ray crystallography. Mutation of putative amino acid residues in the substrate-binding site showed that Pro13, Tyr107, Ile118, Phe119, and Phe211 are crucial for enzymatic function. bmGSTu2 gene disruption resulted in a decrease in median lethal dose values to an organophosphate insecticide and a decrease in acetylcholine levels in silkworms. Taken together, these results indicate that bmGSTu2 could metabolise an organophosphate insecticide. Thus, this study provides insights into the physiological role of bmGSTu2 in silkworms, detoxification of organophosphate insecticides, and drug targets for the development of a novel insecticide.

Comprehensive MRI quantification of the substantia nigra pars compacta in Parkinson's disease

PURPOSE

To quantify dopaminergic neurodegeneration and iron overload in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) to evaluate Parkinson's disease (PD) using both quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and neuromelanin imaging.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We studied 39 PD patients (PD group) and 25 healthy controls (HC group) who underwent brain MRI with QSM and neuromelanin imaging. QSM and neuromelanin values of the SNpc were obtained using a voxel-based automated region segmentation system. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the SNpc in the neuromelanin images was calculated based on the mean value for the background region. The neuromelanin value was defined as the neuromelanin volume with an SNR higher than that of the background. The significance of the intergroup differences, and according to the severity stages in the PD group was tested for each QSM and neuromelanin value. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for diagnosing PD was performed for QSM and neuromelanin values.

RESULTS

The QSM value was significantly higher in the PD group than in the HC group (P < 0.05). The neuromelanin value was significantly smaller in the PD group than in the HC group (P < 0.05). The areas under the ROC curve were 0.68 and 0.86 for QSM and neuromelanin values, respectively. Using QSM and neuromelanin imaging to classify the PD stage was difficult.

CONCLUSIONS

Quantifying the SNpc alterations with our region-based approach is useful for the diagnosis of PD.

Search for CP Violation in Neutrino and Antineutrino Oscillations by the T2K Experiment with 2.2×10^{21} Protons on Target

The T2K experiment measures muon neutrino disappearance and electron neutrino appearance in accelerator-produced neutrino and antineutrino beams. With an exposure of 14.7(7.6)×10^{20} protons on target in the neutrino (antineutrino) mode, 89 ν_{e} candidates and seven anti-ν_{e} candidates are observed, while 67.5 and 9.0 are expected for δ_{CP}=0 and normal mass ordering. The obtained 2σ confidence interval for the CP-violating phase, δ_{CP}, does not include the CP-conserving cases (δ_{CP}=0, π). The best-fit values of other parameters are sin^{2}θ_{23}=0.526_{-0.036}^{+0.032} and Δm_{32}^{2}=2.463_{-0.070}^{+0.071}×10^{-3}  eV^{2}/c^{4}.

Association of the PCK2 Gene Polymorphism With New-onset Glucose Intolerance in Japanese Kidney Transplant Recipients

BACKGROUND

New-onset diabetes mellitus after transplantation (NODAT) is a risk factor for both cardiovascular disease and poor graft survival after kidney transplantation (KTx). In this study, we identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes involved in glucose metabolism and examined the correlation between these SNPs and glucose intolerance after KTx.

METHODS

Thirty-eight patients with normal glucose tolerance before KTx were included in this study. Patients with plasma glucose levels of >140 mg/dL at 120 minutes on the 75-g oral glucose tolerance test at 1 year after KTx were classified as having new-onset impaired glucose tolerance (NIGT). We identified 8 SNPs in 7 genes that are involved in glucose metabolism among the patients included in this study, and compared the prevalence rate of NIGT among SNPs in each gene.

RESULTS

Of the 38 patients, 11 (28.9%) were diagnosed with NIGT. For rs4982856 in the PCK2 gene, the distribution of genotypes among the total patient population was as follows: T/T, 12 (31.6%); T/C, 22 (57.9%); and C/C, 4 (10.5%). Seven of 11 patients with NIGT had the T/T genotype of rs4982856, whereas only 5 of 27 patients with normal glucose tolerance had this genotype. The T allele frequency of the rs4982856 was significantly higher in the NIGT group than in the normal group (81.8 vs 52.8%, respectively; P = .015).

CONCLUSION

Our study indicates that the T allele of the rs4982856 SNP in the PCK2 gene may be a risk factor for glucose intolerance after KTx.

Effect of Addition of Styrene-Ethylene/Butylene-Styrene and the Type of Mica on the Mechanical Properties of Mica-Filled Polyethylene/Polypropylene Blends

The mechanical properties of polyethylene (PE)/polypropylene (PP)/styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene (SEBS)/mica composites were investigated as a model composition. Four types of mica with different particle sizes and different aspect ratios were used. These composites were extruded by a twin-screw extruder and subsequently injection molded, and their mechanical properties, including their tensile, bending, and impact properties were evaluated. The addition of mica to PE/PP/SEBS effectively improved its mechanical properties; the addition of SEBS as a compatibilizer likewise enhanced the mechanical properties compared with those of PE/PP composites without SEBS. The use of larger average particle size and higher aspect ratio mica, such as M-35, M-27, and P-33, effectively increased the tensile and bending properties of the PE/PP/SEBS/mica composites. The morphologies of the composites with an added mica as observed by scanning electron microscopy, showed good dispersion between the matrix polymer and the mica.

A comparison of the effect of large and small metal-on-metal bearings in total hip arthroplasty on metal ion levels and the incidence of pseudotumour

Aims

The purpose of this study was to compare two different types of metal-on-metal (MoM) bearing for total hip arthroplasty (THA): one with a large femoral head (38 mm to 52 mm) and the other with a conventional femoral head (28 mm or 32 mm). We compared clinical outcome, blood metal ion levels, and the incidence of pseudotumour in the two groups.

Patients and Methods

Between December 2009 and December 2011, 62 patients underwent MoM THA with a large femoral head (Magnum group) and 57 patients an MoM THA with a conventional femoral head (conventional group). Clinical outcome was assessed using the Harris Hip score, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) activity score and EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D). Blood metal ion levels were measured and MRI scans were analyzed at a minimum of five years postoperatively.

Results

No acetabular component was implanted with more than 50° of inclination in either group. The Harris Hip Score, UCLA activity score, and EQ-5D improved postoperatively in both groups; no significant clinical differences were noted between the groups. The blood cobalt ion levels in the conventional group continued to rise postoperatively to five years while reaching a plateau at two years postoperatively in the Magnum group. At five years, the mean cobalt ion level of 1.16 μg/l (sd 1.32) in the Magnum group was significantly lower than the 3.77 μg/l (sd 9.80) seen in the conventional group (p = 0.0015). The incidence of moderate to severe pseudotumour was 4.7% in the Magnum group and 20.6% in the conventional group. There were no dislocations in the Magnum group and two in the conventional group. One patient in the Magnum group underwent revision for pseudotumour at 4.7 years postoperatively.

Conclusion

At five years, a well-positioned large head MoM THA has a significantly lower level of metal ion release and a lower incidence of moderate to severe pseudotumour than a MoM bearing of conventional size. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2018;100-B:1018–24.

Three Distinct Point Mutations in the Factor IX Gene of Three Japanese CRM+ Hemophilia B Patients (Factor IX BMNagoya 2, Factor IX Nagoya 3 and 4)

Enzymatic DNA amplification and complete sequence analysis were used to investigate human factor IX coding sequences in three CRM+ hemophilia B patients. In a patient with severe hemophilia B and a markedly prolonged ox-brain prothrombin time, a C to T transition in exon VI changed the codon for Argl80 to Trp (factor IX BMNagoya 2). This mutation would impair the cleavage by factor XIa required for activation of the zymogen. In a patient with mild hemophilia B, a G to A transition in exon VI changed the codon for Argl45 to His (factor IX Nagoya 3). This substitution also would be predicted to preclude the cleavage of factor IX by factor XIa at this peptide bond (Argl45-Alal46). Furthermore, this point mutation creates a new NlaIII restriction site which provides a quick and reliable method for carrier detection in the affected family members. A patient with severe hemophilia B (factor IX Nagoya 4) had a G to A transition in exon II changing the codon for Glu21 to Lys. This novel point mutation is assumed to impair the function of factor IX by disrupting the calcium binding of factor IX.

Localization of a Thrombin-Binding Site on Human Platelet Membrane Glycoprotein Ib Determined by a Monoclonal Antibody

To determine a thrombin-binding site on GPIbα on platelet membrane, we have examined the binding activities of tryptic or chymotryptic fragments of purified GPIbα to a monoclonal antibody against GPIb (TM60) and thrombin using (immuno) affinity chromatography. When purified GPIba was digested with trypsin, two fragments (94-kDa, and 43-kDa) were obtained. The 43-kDa fragment was shown to bind to both affinity columns of TM60- and thrombin-Affi-Gel, while the 94-kDa fragment did not bind to either Affi-Gel columns. When trypsin fragments were incubated with TM60 and then applied to the column of thrombin-Affi-Gel, neither fragments were bound to the column. When the same experiment was performed using chymotrypsin, three fragments (94-kDa, 45-kDa and 39-kDa) were observed. On TM60- and thrombin-Affi-Gel columns, the smaller fragments (45-kDa and 39-kDa) were bound to the column. After incubation of these fragments with TM60, neither bound to the thrombin column. These results indicate (i) that the epitope for TM60 is located near, or on the thrombin-binding site of GPIba, and (ii) that the thrombin-binding site is located on the tail portion of GPIbα, especially on a chymotrypsin cleavage site.

Comparison of hemodynamic parameters that can predict an aneurysmal rupture: 20 patient-specific models experiment

Hemodynamic analysis of cerebral aneurysms is widely performed to understand the mechanism of aneurysmal rupture. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies have suggested that several hemodynamic parameters are associated with such ruptures. However, a number of factors remain to be addressed to correlate these parameters with aneurysmal ruptures, especially under analytical conditions. Specifically, CFD analysis is often performed with rigid wall models due to computational cost limitations. Here, to evaluate the effects of the deformation of the aneurysmal wall, experimental flow measurement with elastic models under pulsating conditions was conducted using three-dimensional particle image velocimetry (3D PIV). By analyzing 20 patient-specific, elastic, silicone aneurysm models, the hemodynamic parameters of ruptured and unruptured aneurysms were statistically compared to identify the variables that can effectively predict an aneurysmal rupture. Our analyses yielded three parameters (average wall shear stress ratio, in-phase deviation ratio, and pressure difference) which could effectively predict an aneurysmal rupture. These results suggested that measurement of wall shear stress (WSS) at both the aneurysm dome and parent artery is important and that pressure difference can also be a potential indicator of aneurysmal rupture.

Electronic Structure of Ce-Doped and -Undoped Nd_{2}CuO_{4} Superconducting Thin Films Studied by Hard X-Ray Photoemission and Soft X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy

In order to realize superconductivity in cuprates with the T^{'}-type structure, not only chemical substitution (Ce doping) but also postgrowth reduction annealing is necessary. In the case of thin films, however, well-designed reduction annealing alone without Ce doping can induce superconductivity in the T^{'}-type cuprates. In order to unveil the origin of superconductivity in the Ce-undoped T^{'}-type cuprates, we have performed bulk-sensitive hard x-ray photoemission and soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy on superconducting and nonsuperconducting Nd_{2-x}Ce_{x}CuO_{4} (x=0, 0.15, and 0.19) thin films. By postgrowth annealing, core-level spectra exhibited dramatic changes, which we attributed to the enhancement of core-hole screening in the CuO_{2} plane and the shift of chemical potential along with changes in the band filling. The result suggests that the superconducting Nd_{2}CuO_{4} film is doped with electrons despite the absence of the Ce substitution.

Element Selectivity in Second-Harmonic Generation of GaFeO_{3} by a Soft-X-Ray Free-Electron Laser

Nonlinear optical frequency conversion has been challenged to move down to the extreme ultraviolet and x-ray region. However, the extremely low signals have allowed researchers to only perform transmission experiments of the gas phase or ultrathin films. Here, we report second harmonic generation (SHG) of the reflected beam of a soft x-ray free-electron laser from a solid, which is enhanced by the resonant effect. The observation revealed that the double resonance condition can be met by absorption edges for transition metal oxides in the soft x-ray range, and this suggests that the resonant SHG technique can be applicable to a wide range of materials. We discuss the possibility of element-selective SHG spectroscopy measurements in the soft x-ray range.

Search for the Exotic Meson X(5568) with the Collider Detector at Fermilab

A search for the exotic meson X(5568) decaying into the B_{s}^{0}π^{±} final state is performed using data corresponding to 9.6  fb^{-1} from pp[over ¯] collisions at sqrt[s]=1960  GeV recorded by the Collider Detector at Fermilab. No evidence for this state is found and an upper limit of 6.7% at the 95% confidence level is set on the fraction of B_{s}^{0} produced through the X(5568)→B_{s}^{0}π^{±} process.

Enzymatic characterization of two epsilon-class glutathione S-transferases of Spodoptera litura

Two cDNAs encoding glutathione S-transferase (GST) of the tobacco cutworm, Spodoptera litura, were cloned by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The deduced amino acid sequences of the resulting clones revealed 32-51% identities to the epsilon-class GSTs from other organisms. The recombinant proteins were functionally overexpressed in Escherichia coli cells in soluble form and were purified to homogeneity. The enzymes were capable of catalyzing the bioconjugation of glutathione with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, 1,2-epoxy-3-(4-nitrophenoxy)-propane, and ethacrynic acid. A competition assay revealed that the GST activity was inhibited by insecticides, suggesting that it could be conducive to insecticide tolerance in the tobacco cutworm.

Effect of Bacillus subtilis C-3102 on loose stools in healthy volunteers

Ingestion of Bacillus subtilis C-3102 spores (C-3102) has relieved the symptoms of diarrhoea in piglets and changed the composition of gut microbiota in humans. Recently, it was suggested that the composition of the human gut microbiota affects stool consistency. In this study, a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to assess the preventive effects of chronic diarrhoea in healthy volunteers with loose stools by ingestion of C-3102. The results showed that oral doses of C-3102 tablets significantly decreased the Bristol Stool Scale score and stool frequency, and also significantly improved abdominal sounds. With regard to gut microbiota, the relative abundance of Lachnospira, Actinomyces and SMB53 were significantly changed. This study shows that C-3102 could be effective for treating loose stools (Trial registration: UMIN000022583, http://tinyurl.com/ya4refqn ).

Abstract P3-01-05: A feasibility study of sentinel lymph node detection and analysis of safety to omit axillary lymph node dissection in clinically node-negative breast cancer patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Background: Concerns still remain about lower sentinel node (SN) detection and higher false-negative rates (FNR) in breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), especially those who are clinically node-positive before NAC. It is necessary to analyze the validity of sentinel node biopsy (SNB) after NAC and evaluate whether the SN identification rate and FNR for clinically N0 (cN0) patients after NAC would be acceptable or not in order to omit axillary lymph node dissection (ALND).

Objectives and methods: We identified SN by radioisotopic methods followed by completion of ALND in cN0 patients after NAC from 2013 to 2016 as part of a clinical research study (SNB group, N=68) to analyze the accuracy of SNB, and retrospectively investigated the prognosis of patients treated with NAC from 2006 to 2012 (control group, N=92) to evaluate whether the validity of SNB would be acceptable or not.

Results: Mean patient ages in the SNB group and control group were 51.0 years and 49.5 years, respectively (p=0.17), and the distribution of intrinsic subtypes was not significantly different between the two groups. The numbers of cN1≤ before NAC in the SNB group and control group were 85.5% (57/68) and 80.4% (74/92), respectively (p=0.58), and the pathological complete response rates were 25.0% (17/68) and 19.6% (18/92), respectively (p=0.41). Lymphoscintigraphy using 99mTc-phytate acid was performed in the SNB group, and hot spots were detected at the ipsilateral axilla in 62 of 68 (91.2%) patients, in all of whom SNs could be identified by using a gamma-probe. The FNR, which indicates no metastasis in SNs and metastasis in non-SN, was 5.9% (4/68). Among these four patients, three were of the luminal type while one was triple negative. The number of patients without metastasis in both SN and non-SN, which are candidates for omission of ALND, was 26 of 68 (38.2%). They included eight of nine HER2-enriched patients and six of 13 luminal-HER2 patients. Conversely, there were no false-negative cases in these subtypes. Moreover, all SNs were identified even if there were metastases in SNs. Regarding the prognosis of the control group, the 10-year disease free survival of post-NAC N0 (ypN0) (52/92, 56.5%) and ypN1≤ (40/92, 43.5%) were 80.7% and 61.2%, respectively (p=0.08); in addition, the 10-year overall survival of yN0 and ypN1≤ were 90.4% and 72.6% (p=0.26). Thus, the prognosis of ypN1≤ was not significantly inferior to that of ypN0. If omission of ALND were performed for false negative cases, then the risk of axillary relapse would be a concern. However, these data indicate the possibility that 5.9% of FNR as shown in the SNB group would not have much influence on prognosis.

Conclusion: The accuracy of SN detection by radioisotopic methods for cN0 breast cancer after NAC was not maintained like that for -early breast cancer although it was better than the results of previous studies. However, there were no false-negative cases in HER2-enriched and luminal-HER2 subtypes, which could be potential candidates for omission of ALND. In addition, omission of ALND for false-negative patients would have less influence on the prognosis.

Citation Format: Maeno K, Yamamoto K, Ono M, Oba T, Iesato A, Ono K, Ito T, Kanai T, Ito K-I. A feasibility study of sentinel lymph node detection and analysis of safety to omit axillary lymph node dissection in clinically node-negative breast cancer patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-01-05.

Combined Forward-Backward Asymmetry Measurements in Top-Antitop Quark Production at the Tevatron

The CDF and D0 experiments at the Fermilab Tevatron have measured the asymmetry between yields of forward- and backward-produced top and antitop quarks based on their rapidity difference and the asymmetry between their decay leptons. These measurements use the full data sets collected in proton-antiproton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV. We report the results of combinations of the inclusive asymmetries and their differential dependencies on relevant kinematic quantities. The combined inclusive asymmetry is A_{FB}^{tt[over ¯]}=0.128±0.025. The combined inclusive and differential asymmetries are consistent with recent standard model predictions.

Document Recognition and XML Generation of Tabular Form Discharge Summaries for Analogous Case Search System

Objectives : This paper discusses and develops a document image recognition, keyword extraction and automatic XML generation system to search analogous cases from paper-based documents. In this paper, we propose the document structure recognition method and automatic XML generation method for the tabular form discharge summary documents. This paper also develops the prototype system using the proposed method. Evaluation experiments using actual documents are doneto discuss the effectiveness of the developed system.

Methods : The developed system consists of the following methods. Paper-based summary documents are scanned by a scanner using 300 dpi first. Noise and tilt of the image are reduced by pre-processing, and the table structures are identified. Characters in the table are recognized and converted to text data by the OCR engine. XML documents are automatically generated using obtained results.

Results : In this paper, patient discharge summary documents archived at Mie University Hospital were used. The results show that XML documents can be automatically generated when standard tabular form documents are input into the developed system. In this experiment, it takes about 20 seconds to generate an XML document using the general personal computer. This paper also compares the developed system with a commercial product to discuss the effectiveness of the present system. Experimental results also show that the accuracy of table structure recognition is high and it can be used in a practical situation.

Conclusions : This paper showed the effectiveness of the proposed method to recognize the tabular form document images to generate XML documents.

An Improved Computer-aided Diagnosis Scheme Using the Nearest Neighbor Criterion for Determining Histological Classification of Clustered Microcalcifications

Objectives : Our purpose was to evaluate the potential usefulness of the nearest neighbor case which was assumed to be the similar case in a CAD scheme for determining the histological classification of clustered microcalcifications.

Methods : Our database consisted of current and previous magnification mammograms obtained from 93 patients before and after three-month follow-up examination. It included 11 invasive carcinomas, 19 noninvasive carcinomas of the comedo type, 25 noninvasive carcinomas of the noncomedo type, 23 mas- topathies, and 15 fibroadenomas. Six objective features on clustered microcalcifications were first extracted from each of the current and the previous images. The nearest neighbor case was then identified by the Euclidean distance in the previous and current feature-space. The histological classification of an unknown new case in question was assumed to be thesame as that of the nearest neighbor case which has the shortest Euclidean distance in our database.

Results : The classification accuracies were 90.9% for invasive carcinoma, 89.5% for noninvasive carcinoma of the comedo type, 96.0% for noninvasive carcinoma of the noncomedo type, 82.6% for mastopathy, and 93.3% for fibroadenoma. These results were substantially higher than those with our previous CAD scheme.

Conclusion : The nearest neighbor criterion was useful in a CAD scheme for determining the histological classification.

Adherence to contact precautions by different types of healthcare workers through video monitoring in a tertiary hospital

BACKGROUND

Contact precautions are required to prevent transmission of multi-drug-resistant organisms; however, reports on adherence rates vary. This study used video monitoring to evaluate adherence to the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by different types of healthcare workers.

METHODS

This observational study was conducted in a 781-bed tertiary hospital from July 2016 to March 2017. Cameras were installed in areas where staff don PPE. Infection control teams observed the videos and assessed adherence rates.

RESULTS

In total, 1097 opportunities for donning PPE were observed. Most staff observed were nurses and nursing assistants (Ns/Nsas) (880/1097, 80.2%). Overall, the adherence rate to appropriate PPE use was 34.0%. The adherence rate among Ns/Nsas was lower (239/858, 27.9%) compared with infectious disease doctors (18/18, 100%) and cleaning staff (42/49, 85.7%). The adherence rate for PPE use for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) with toxin detection was significantly higher than that for CDI without toxin detection and multi-drug-resistant organisms (P<0.001 for both). The adherence rate for patients with an independent functional status was higher than that for patients with a dependent functional status (P=0.018). The adherence rate was lower in the intensive care unit (ICU) than in non-ICU wards (27.6% vs 36.5%; P=0.006).

CONCLUSION

Video monitoring is a useful tool for monitoring adherence to PPE use, facilitating observation of more PPE opportunities than direct observation. Adherence to contact precautions varied by occupation; however, overall adherence was insufficient. The lower adherence rate in nurses might be due to more frequent care visits.

Prospects for observing and localizing gravitational-wave transients with Advanced LIGO, Advanced Virgo and KAGRA

We present possible observing scenarios for the Advanced LIGO, Advanced Virgo and KAGRA gravitational-wave detectors over the next decade, with the intention of providing information to the astronomy community to facilitate planning for multi-messenger astronomy with gravitational waves. We estimate the sensitivity of the network to transient gravitational-wave signals, and study the capability of the network to determine the sky location of the source. We report our findings for gravitational-wave transients, with particular focus on gravitational-wave signals from the inspiral of binary neutron star systems, which are the most promising targets for multi-messenger astronomy. The ability to localize the sources of the detected signals depends on the geographical distribution of the detectors and their relative sensitivity, and [Formula: see text] credible regions can be as large as thousands of square degrees when only two sensitive detectors are operational. Determining the sky position of a significant fraction of detected signals to areas of 5-[Formula: see text] requires at least three detectors of sensitivity within a factor of [Formula: see text] of each other and with a broad frequency bandwidth. When all detectors, including KAGRA and the third LIGO detector in India, reach design sensitivity, a significant fraction of gravitational-wave signals will be localized to a few square degrees by gravitational-wave observations alone.

Localization of an Aldo-Keto Reductase (AKR2E4) in the Silkworm Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae)

The aldo-keto reductase AKR2E4 reduces 3-dehydroecdysone to ecdysone in the silkworm Bombyx mori L. In this study, a quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that the level of AKR2E4 mRNA was higher in the testes than in other tissues, and a western immunoblot analysis revealed that the AKR2E4 content in the testes was stage-specific from the fifth larval instar to the pupal stage. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the AKR2E4 protein was present in cyst cells associated with sperm cells and spermatocytes. These results indicate that AKR2E4 plays an important role in 3-dehydroecdysone conversion to ecdysone and spermatogenesis in silkworm testes.

Extensive use of vasodilator agents and functional echocardiography to monitor extremely-low-birth-weight infants in Japan

National surveys were conducted in Japan to assess the current practices for circulatory management of extremely-low-birth-weight infants (ELBWIs) in acute phases. Approximately 80 and 100 institutions were surveyed in 2006 and 2011, respectively. Echocardiography was identified as an important diagnostic tool at 95% of the surveyed institutions. Furthermore, 74% of the institutions survey in 2011 used vasodilator agents. In 2011, the mean velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (mVcfc) and left ventricular end-systolic wall stress (ESWS) were used by 60% of the surveyed institutions to evaluate the relationship between afterload of the left ventricle and left ventricular contractility. Overall, the data collected from these national surveys clarified the current practices for circulatory management of ELBWIs in Japan, particularly the use of echocardiography and cardiovascular agents, including catecholamines and vasodilators.