Vibrio trachuri Sp. Nov., a New Species Isolated from Diseased Japanese Horse Mackerel

A new species, Vibrio trachuri sp. nov., was isolated from the cultured Japanese horse mackerel (Trachurus japonicus). These Vibrio were Gram negative, motile rods and formed yellow colonies on BTB teepol and TCBS plate, turned TSI medium to yellow and was sensitive to 150 μM O/129 (2,4-diamino-6,7-diisopropyl pteridine phosphate) like Listonella anguillarum which has been described as Vibrio anguillarum. However, the results of VP test and decarboxylation of lysine or dihydrolation of arginine suggested that these Vibrio are rather closely related to V. parahaemolyticus. DNA similarity determined by the microplate hybridization technique revealed that these Vibrio are genetically quite distant from Listonella anguillarum or V. parahaemolyticus and rather close to V. harveyi, although there was no Vibrio species which had more than 70% similarity value. From these results we propose to nominate Vibrio trachuri sp. nov. for this new Vibrio species.     

Biological effects of exposure to high frequency electromagnetics on rabbits and guinea pigs]

To investigate the biological effects of exposure to feeble high frequency electromagnetism, skin surface temperature, blood vessel (arterioles and venules) diameter were examined, using infrared thermography, a laser doppler flowmeter, and a video microscope, respectively, in the ear of rabbits. After exposing the ear of rabbits to high frequency electromagnetism value of 9 MHz for 15 minutes, continued rising of local temperature was demonstrated. Though dilatation of arterioles was not seen. In addition, venules tended to dilate and blood flow also to increase, and microcirculation was accelerated at the site where electromagnetism was exposed. Hazardous effects of long term exposures of high frequency electromagnetism (9 MHz for 30 days, 8 hours/day) on guinea pigs were not observed in their behavior, food consumption, body and organ weights, hematological and biochemical values, macroscopic and microscopic findings on autopsy.     

Micronucleus induction in mouse peripheral reticulocytes by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene.

Micronucleus assays using mouse peripheral blood stained vitally on acridine orange (AO)-coated slides were evaluated at two laboratories with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) and compared with the standard bone marrow assay. DMBA was administered by single intraperitoneal injection to CD-1 mice at doses ranging from 5 to 80 mg/kg, then 5 microliters of peripheral blood was sampled from a tail vein at 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h after treatment. Similar incidences of micronucleated young erythrocytes were observed in peripheral blood reticulocytes and bone marrow polychromatic erythrocytes. The dose response of micronucleated reticulocytes was delayed compared to that of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes. The dose-response curves after treatment with DMBA differed depending on the sampling times, which revealed the difficulty of obtaining accurate dose-response relations in the micronucleus assay. The present result demonstrated that the simple and rapid AO supravital staining method is a valuable and easier method for obtaining dose- and time-response data for quantification of micronucleus induction by chemicals.     

Changes in the Levels of Chlorophyll and Light-Harvesting Chlorophyll a/b Protein of PS II in Rice Leaves Aged under Different Irradiances from Full Expansion through Senescence

Effects of irradiance on changes in the amounts of chlorophyll(Chl) and light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b protein of PS II(LHCII) were examined in senescing leaves of rice (Oryza sativaL.). Results of treatments at two irradiances (100% and 20%natural sunlight) were examined after the full expansion ofthe 13th leaf throughout the course of senescence. With 20%sunlight, the Chl content decreased only a little during leafsenescence, while with 100% sunlight it decreased appreciably.Similarly, the amount of LHCII protein during treatment with20% sunlight remained almost constant. However, the ratio ofChl a/b during the shade treatment decreased significantly andthe rate of decrease was greater than during the full-sunlighttreatment. The ratio of Chl a/b for Chl a and b bound to LHCIIwas about 1.2, irrespective of leaf age or irradiance treatment.When the amounts of Chl bound to LHCII were calculated fromthe total leaf content of Chl and the ratio of Chl a/b, assuminga ratio of Chl a/b bound to LHCII of 1.2, they were well correlatedwith the amounts of LHCII protein. Changes in the amounts of LHCII synthesized during the two irradiancetreatments were examined using an ¹⁵ tracer. Incorporation of¹⁵N into LHCII declined dramatically during both treatmentsfrom full expansion through senescence, suggesting that therewas little synthesis of LHCII protein during that time. In addition,the amount of LHCII synthesized during senescence was lowerduring the shade treatment than during the 100% sunlight treatment.These results indicate that the absence of an apparent changein levels of LHCII with shade treatment during senescence wascaused by the very low rate of turnover of LHCII protein. (Received June 17, 1992; Accepted September 28, 1992)     

Some common properties of lectins from marine algae

Twelve kinds of lectins isolated from four species of marine algae, Boodlea coacta (Chlorophyta) and Hypnea japonica, Carpopeltis flabellata and Solieria robusta (Rhodophyta), were compared for their chemical and biological properties. These lectins were proteins or glycoproteins, similar to terrestrial plant lectins. However, unlike most terrestrial plant lectins, they had a small molecular size (4,200 to 25,000 daltons), were mostly monomeric, and had no affinity for monosaccharides. They strongly agglutinated trypsin-treated rabbit erythrocytes, and their activities commonly were inhibited by glycoproteins bearing N-glycans. From hemagglutination-inhibition tests with various glycoproteins and related compounds, it was found that B. coacta lectins recognize high-mannose N-glycans; H. japonica lectins complex N-glycans, and C. flabellata and S. robusta lectins recognize both types of N-glycans.     

Highly Sensitive Assay for Dopamine-β-Hydroxylase Activity in Human Cerebrospinal Fluid by High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Electrochemical Detection: Properties of the Enzyme

Abstract: This paper describes a new, sensitive assay for dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DBH) activity in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), serum and brain tissues by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection (ED). Dopamine (DA) was used as a substrate and was incubated under optimal conditions. Norepinephrine (NE) formed enzymatically from DA was isolated by a double-column procedure, the first column of Dowex-50-H⁺ and the second column of aluminum oxide. NE was adsorbed on the second aluminum oxide column and then eluted with 0.5 M-hydrochloric acid and assayed by HPLC-ED. Epinephrine (EN) was added to each incubation mixture as an internal standard, and this assay was therefore highly reproducible. The peak height in HPLC was linear from 500 fmol to 100 pmol of NE and EN. The lower limit of detection for NE formed enzymatically was about 30 pmol, which indicated that the sensitivity of this procedure was comparable to that of radioassay procedures. We applied the method to measurement of the activity of and examination of some of the characteristics of DBH in human CSF. DBH activity in CSF of Parkinsonian patients was lower than that of control patients. The properties of DBH in human CSF were similar to those in serum and adrenal medulla.     

Impaired UTP-induced relaxation in the carotid arteries of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Uridine 5′-triphosphate (UTP) has an important role as an extracellular signaling molecule that regulates inflammation, angiogenesis, and vascular tone. While chronic hypertension has been shown to promote alterations in arterial vascular tone regulation, carotid artery responses to UTP under hypertensive conditions have remained unclear. The present study investigated carotid artery responses to UTP in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and control Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY). Accordingly, our results found that although UTP promotes concentration-dependent relaxation in isolated carotid artery segments from both SHR and WKY after pretreatment with phenylephrine, SHR exhibited significantly lower arterial relaxation responses compared with WKY. Moreover, UTP-induced relaxation was substantially reduced by endothelial denudation and by the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor N^G-nitro-L-arginine in both SHR and WKY. The difference in UTP-induced relaxation between both groups was abolished by the selective P2Y₂ receptor antagonist AR-C118925XX and the cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor indomethacin but not by the thromboxane-prostanoid receptor antagonist SQ29548. Furthermore, we detected the release of PGE₂, PGF_2α, and PGI₂ in the carotid arteries of SHR and WKY, both at baseline and in response to UTP. UTP administration also increased TXA₂ levels in WKY but not SHR. Overall, our results suggest that UTP-induced relaxation in carotid arteries is impaired in SHR perhaps due to impaired P2Y₂ receptor signaling, reductions in endothelial NO, and increases in the levels of COX-derived vasoconstrictor prostanoids.

     

Effectiveness of enhanced cognitive behavior therapy for bulimia nervosa in Japan: a randomized controlled trial protocol

Although fatigue is a common and distressing symptom in cancer survivors, the mechanism of fatigue is not fully understood. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relation between the fatigue and mindfulness of breast cancer survivors using anxiety, depression, pain, loneliness, and sleep disturbance as mediators. Path analysis was performed to examine direct and indirect associations between mindfulness and fatigue. Participants were breast cancer survivors who visited a breast surgery department at a university hospital in Japan for hormonal therapy or regular check-ups after treatment. The questionnaire measured cancer-related-fatigue, mindfulness, anxiety, depression, pain, loneliness, and sleep disturbance. Demographic and clinical characteristics were collected from medical records. Two-hundred and seventy-nine breast cancer survivors were registered, of which 259 answered the questionnaire. Ten respondents with incomplete questionnaire data were excluded, resulting in 249 participants for the analyses. Our final model fit the data well (goodness of fit index = .993; adjusted goodness of fit index = .966; comparative fit index = .999; root mean square error of approximation = .016). Mindfulness, anxiety, depression, pain, loneliness, and sleep disturbance were related to fatigue, and mindfulness had the most influence on fatigue (β = − .52). Mindfulness affected fatigue not only directly but also indirectly through anxiety, depression, pain, loneliness, and sleep disturbance. The study model helps to explain the process by which mindfulness affects fatigue. Our results suggest that mindfulness has both direct and indirect effects on the fatigue of breast cancer survivors and that mindfulness can be used to more effectively reduce their fatigue. It also suggests that health care professionals should be aware of factors such as anxiety, depression, pain, loneliness, and sleep disturbance in their care for fatigue of breast cancer survivors. This study was registered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN number. 000027720) on June 12, 2017.