Collective excitation of an electric dipole on a molecular dimer in an organic dimer-Mott insulator

The terahertz response in 10-100 cm(-1) was investigated in an organic dimer-Mott (DM) insulator κ-(ET)(2)Cu(2)(CN)(3) that exhibits a relaxorlike dielectric anomaly. An ~30 cm(-1) band in the optical conductivity was attributable to collective excitation of the fluctuating intradimer electric dipoles that are formed by an electron correlation. We succeeded in observing photoinduced enhancement of this ~30 cm(-1) band, reflecting the growth of the electric dipole cluster in the DM phase. Such optical responses in κ-(ET)(2)Cu(2)(CN)(3) reflect an instability near the boundary between the DM-ferroelectric charge ordered phases.

Use of organic solvents in large research institutions in Japan

OBJECTIVES

Laboratories in research institutions use organic solvents in research and development. Nevertheless, the types of solvents in use have been seldom reported. This study was initiated to elucidate types of organic solvents used in large research institutions in Japan, with a focus on possible different use among research fields.

METHODS

In 2010-2011, 4517 laboratories in seven large research institutions were visited. In accordance with legal stipulations, air in each laboratory was collected in polyvinyl fluoride bags and analyzed by direct injection into a gas-chromatograph for 47 types of organic solvents. In evaluation, the laboratories were grouped by 5 research fields, i.e., agriculture, biology, medicine, natural science, and technology and engineering.

RESULTS

Types of organic solvents commonly used in research activities were not diverse. Those commonly used were chloroform and 1,2-dichloroethane out of 7 Group 1 organic solvents (with high toxicities); 6 organic solvents, i.e., acetone and methyl alcohol in general, ethyl acetate, hexane and toluene in technology and engineering laboratories; and xylenes in medical fields out of 40 Group 2 organic solvents (with relatively low toxicities). Judging from solvent vapor concentrations, work environments in more than 99 % of laboratories were considered adequate. Nevertheless, use of chloroform in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) resulted in inadequate environments in 30 laboratories (0.7 %).

CONCLUSIONS

Organic solvents commonly used were not very diverse. Work environments in research laboratories were generally good, but the environment with use of chloroform in HPLC analysis remained yet to be improved.

The Japanese version of the modified ACR preliminary diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia and the fibromyalgia symptom scale: reliability and validity

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to investigate the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the modified American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Preliminary Diagnostic Criteria for Fibromyalgia (mACR 2010-J) and the Fibromyalgia Symptom Scale (mFS-J).

METHODS

According to the ACR 1990 classification criteria, patients with chronic pain were divided into the fibromyalgia group and nonfibromyalgia group (rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis). Patients in both groups were assessed using mACR 2010-J and mFS-J.

RESULTS

294 of 462 (64 %) patients in the fibromyalgia group met mACR 2010-J, whereas 4 % (9/231) of the nonfibromyalgia group did, with sensitivity of 64 %, specificity of 96 %, positive predictive value of 97 %, negative predictive value of 56 %, and positive likelihood ratio of 16.3. Mean total scores on mFS-J significantly differentiated the fibromyalgia from the nonfibromyalgia group. According to the value of the Youden index, the best cutoff score for the mFS-J was 9/10.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that mACR 2010-J as a positive test and mFS-J as a quantification scale might be suitable for assessing fibromyalgia among Japanese chronic pain populations.

Cellulases belonging to glycoside hydrolase families 6 and 7 contribute to the virulence of Magnaporthe oryzae

Upon infection, phytopathogenic fungi secrete an array of hydrolytic enzymes that can degrade components of the host epidermis, including waxes, the cuticle, and cell walls. Cellulases, which can hydrolyze crystalline cellulose in the plant cell wall, are among these hydrolytic enzymes. Here, we provide RNAi-based evidence to show that cellulases belonging to glycosyl hydrolase (GH) families 6 and 7 contribute to the penetration of the host epidermis and further invasion by the phytopathogenic fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. The GH6 and GH7 cellulases likely include all members of the cellobiohydrolase family and some endoglucanases in M. oryzae. Quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that more than half of the cellulases were highly induced during infection. We constructed knock-down (KD) mutants of these cellulases using the building blocks method we reported previously. The transcript levels of the target genes and cellulase activity were considerably reduced in the KD mutants. The KD mutants resulted in fewer lesions, less penetration, and infection of fewer cells compared with the parent strain. Cytological analyses showed that a high rate of papilla formation blocked invasion of the KD mutants into host cells. These results suggest that the GH6 and GH7 cellulases play roles in the virulence of M. oryzae.

Effects of metabotropic glutamate receptor 3 genotype on phonetic mismatch negativity

Background

The genetic and molecular basis of glutamatergic dysfunction is one key to understand schizophrenia, with the identification of an intermediate phenotype being an essential step. Mismatch negativity (MMN) or its magnetic counterpart, magnetic mismatch field (MMF) is an index of preattentive change detection processes in the auditory cortex and is generated through glutamatergic neurotransmission. We have previously shown that MMN/MMF in response to phoneme change is markedly reduced in schizophrenia. Variations in metabotropic glutamate receptor (GRM3) may be associated with schizophrenia, and has been shown to affect cortical function. Here we investigated the effect of GRM3 genotypes on phonetic MMF in healthy men.

Methods

MMF in response to phoneme change was recorded using magnetoencephalography in 41 right-handed healthy Japanese men. Based on previous genetic association studies in schizophrenia, 4 candidate SNPs (rs6465084, rs2299225, rs1468412, rs274622) were genotyped.

Results

GRM3 rs274622 genotype variations significantly predicted MMF strengths (p = 0.009), with C carriers exhibiting significantly larger MMF strengths in both hemispheres compared to the TT subjects.

Conclusions

These results suggest that variations in GRM3 genotype modulate the auditory cortical response to phoneme change in humans. MMN/MMF, particularly those in response to speech sounds, may be a promising and sensitive intermediate phenotype for clarifying glutamatergic dysfunction in schizophrenia.

Evaluation of Changes in Tumor Shadows and Microcalcifications on Mammography Following KORTUC II, a New Radiosensitization Treatment without any Surgical Procedure for Elderly Patients with Stage I and II Breast Cancer

We introduced non-surgical therapy with a novel enzyme-targeting radiosensitization treatment, Kochi Oxydol-Radiation Therapy for Unresectable Carcinomas, Type II (KORTUC II) into early stages breast cancer treatment. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in tumor shadows and microcalcifications on mammography (MMG) following KORTUC II for elderly patients with breast cancer. We also sought to determine whether MMG was useful in evaluating the therapeutic effect of KORTUC II. In addition to MMG, positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) was performed to detect both metastasis and local recurrence. In all 10 patients, tumor shadows on MMG completely disappeared in several months following the KORTUC II treatment. The concomitant microcalcifications also disappeared or markedly decreased in number. Disappearance of the tumors was also confirmed by the profile curve of tumor density on MMG following KORTUC II treatment; density fell and eventually approached that of the peripheral mammary tissue. These 10 patients have so far have also shown neither local recurrence nor distant metastasis on PET-CT with a mean follow-up period of approximately 27 months at the end of September, 2010. We conclude that breast-conservation treatment using KORTUC II, followed by aromatase inhibitor, is a promising therapeutic method for elderly patients with breast cancer, in terms of avoiding any surgical procedure. Moreover, MMG is considered to be useful for evaluating the efficacy of KORTUC II.

Diffuse alveolar damage in patients with dermatomyositis: a six-case series

The clinical course of diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) was studied in six consecutive cases of dermatomyositis (DM) based on our hospital records over 8 years. Three patients had severe myopathy at presentation, and the other three patients showed clinically amyopathic DM (CADM). Interstitial pneumonia in all patients developed shortly after they manifested DM. DAD in five deceased patients, which was proven pathologically, did not respond to steroid therapy combined with cyclosporine or tacrolimus. Of these, two patients began receiving combination therapy before suffering respiratory symptoms, and one of them had elevated serum Krebs von der Lungen-6 (KL-6) levels before visible abnormalities appeared on a plain chest X-ray. Only one patient with CADM survived; this patient received intravenously administered pulse cyclophosphamide (IVCY) therapy intravenously for DAD from the early stage. Delayed adjunctive IVCY was ineffective for progressed DAD in the remaining five patients. Elevated serum ferritin levels were observed in all four patients examined and might have predicted the lethal DAD, as in a previous report. In conclusion, promptly beginning IVCY therapy may be beneficial for patients with DM and interstitial pneumonia who show elevated serum levels of ferritin or KL-6 with minimal pulmonary abnormalities.

Observation of long-distance radial correlation in toroidal plasma turbulence

This Letter presents the discovery of macroscale electron temperature fluctuations with a long radial correlation length comparable to the plasma minor radius in a toroidal plasma. Their spatiotemporal structure is characterized by a low frequency of ∼1-3  kHz, ballistic radial propagation, a poloidal or toroidal mode number of m/n=1/1 (or 2/1), and an amplitude of ∼2% at maximum. Nonlinear coupling between the long-range fluctuations and the microscopic fluctuations is identified. A change of the amplitude of the long-range fluctuation is transmitted across the plasma radius at the velocity which is of the order of the drift velocity.

Organic solvent use in research institutions in Japan

In 2008-2009, types of organic solvents used and air-borne vapor concentrations were surveyed in 1909 laboratories in four large research institutions in accordance with current regulations. The results were classified into 5 groups in terms of research fields (agriculture, biology, medicine, natural science, and technology and engineering) and evaluated after the regulatory rules. Laboratory air analyses by gas chromatography identified 5 and 20 solvents out of 7 Group 1 solvents and 40 Group 2 solvents, respectively; 10 solvents were used in more than 10% of the laboratories in each of the 5 research fields. The use of unmixed single solvent appeared to be unique in research laboratories in contrast to use of solvent mixtures in industrial facilities for production. Laboratories of technology and engineering fields used more various organic solvents more frequently, whereas use of xylenes appeared to be more specific to laboratories of bio-medical fields. Among the commonly used solvents, chloroform was the leading solvent to induce poorer results in regulatory classification (i.e., Class 3 in Administrative Control Classes) typically when applied in high pressure liquid chromatography which was too voluminous to be accommodated in a local exhaustion chamber.

Organic solvent use in enterprises in Japan

This study was initiated to elucidate possible changes in types of organic solvents (to be called solvents in short) used in enterprises in Japan through comparison of current solvent types with historical data since 1983. To investigate current situation in solvent use in enterprises, surveys were conducted during one year of 2009 to 2010. In total, workroom air samples in 1,497 unit workplaces with solvent use were analyzed in accordance with regulatory requirements. Typical use pattern of solvents was as mixtures, accounting for >70% of cases. Adhesives spreading (followed by adhesion) was relatively common in small-scale enterprises, whereas printing and painting work was more common in middle-scale ones, and solvent use for testing and research purpose was basically in large-scaled enterprises. Through-out printing, painting, surface coating and adhesive application, toluene was most common (being detected in 49 to 82% of workplaces depending on work types), whereas isopropyl alcohol was most common (49%) in degreasing, cleaning and wiping workplaces. Other commonly used solvents were methyl alcohol, ethyl acetate and acetone (33 to 37%). Comparison with historical data in Japan and literature-retrieved data outside of Japan all agreed with the observation that toluene is the most commonly used solvent. Application of trichloroethylene and 1,1,1-trichloroethane, once common in 1980s, has ceased to exist in recent years.

Uneven distribution of the luxS gene within the genus Campylobacter

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification was performed on 20 isolates of five Campylobacter species using a degenerate primer pair designed in silico to generate a product of the luxS gene or its homologue from Campylobacter organisms. Although the primer pair successfully amplified products of approximately 500 base pairs (bp) with the eight isolates of C. jejuni and C. coli and some of C. upsaliensis and C. fetus, it failed to amplify fragments with all four isolates of C. lari (two urease-negative C. lari; two urease-positive thermophilic campylobacters). When Southern blot hybridisation analysis was carried using the mixed luxS gene fragments prepared from the C. jejuni, C. coli, C. upsaliensis and C. fetus strains as a probe, all C. jejuni, C. coli, C. upsaliensis and C. fetus isolates gave positive signals, but no positive signal was detected with any C. lari isolate. These results clearly indicate that C. jejuni, C. coli, C. upsaliensis and C. fetus carry the luxS gene or its homologue. However, no luxS gene or its homologue was identified to occur in the C. lari genome. Although autoinducer-2 assays were positive in C. jejuni, C. coli, C. upsaliensis and C. fetus isolates, it was negative with all the C. lari isolates examined. In addition, a biofilm formation assay demonstrated that biofilm formation in the C. lari species does not appear to correlate with the occurrence of the luxS gene because biofilm formation occurred among some isolates of C. lari.