日本旧石器早、中期文化研究新进展及其与邻近地区旧石器对比

本文扼要介绍近年来日本旧石器早、中期考古的新发现,以及在年代学、文化分期、技术与类型学方面的研究工作的新进展。作者在此基础上探讨了日本旧石器中期向晚期的过渡,以及日本列岛旧石器早、中期文化与东北亚大陆同期文化的对比。     

Courtship in Drosophila quadrilineata with a unique male behavioral element, abdomen bending

This paper describes courtship of Drosophila quadrilineata of the immigrans group and reports a species-specific element, abdomen bending, that has not been described in Drosophila. The male bends his abdomen right and left as a display to the female. During courtship the male circles around the female, bends his abdomen, and taps her. The male licks the female ovipositor repeatedly, often after the females extrusion. Although the females ovipositor extrusion is thought to indicate rejection of a courting male in many species, the male of D. quadrilineata continues courtship. It is possible that the extrusion is a females mating signal to the courting male. The male of D. quadrilineata mounts the female in a rearward position and the genitalia of both sexes couple after mounting. This mounting position is shared by the species belonging to the immigrans group. We never observed behavior in which it appeared as if the male displayed the black stripes to the female. Males court one another and a courtship chain is frequently formed even in the absence of females. The males abdomen bending and the females extrusion followed by the males licking are discussed.     

Plasma free amino acid profiling of five types of cancer patients and its application for early detection

Background

Recently, rapid advances have been made in metabolomics-based, easy-to-use early cancer detection methods using blood samples. Among metabolites, profiling of plasma free amino acids (PFAAs) is a promising approach because PFAAs link all organ systems and have important roles in metabolism. Furthermore, PFAA profiles are known to be influenced by specific diseases, including cancers. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine the characteristics of the PFAA profiles in cancer patients and the possibility of using this information for early detection.

Methods and Findings

Plasma samples were collected from approximately 200 patients from multiple institutes, each diagnosed with one of the following five types of cancer: lung, gastric, colorectal, breast, or prostate cancer. Patients were compared to gender- and age- matched controls also used in this study. The PFAA levels were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)–electrospray ionization (ESI)–mass spectrometry (MS). Univariate analysis revealed significant differences in the PFAA profiles between the controls and the patients with any of the five types of cancer listed above, even those with asymptomatic early-stage disease. Furthermore, multivariate analysis clearly discriminated the cancer patients from the controls in terms of the area under the receiver-operator characteristics curve (AUC of ROC >0.75 for each cancer), regardless of cancer stage. Because this study was designed as case-control study, further investigations, including model construction and validation using cohorts with larger sample sizes, are necessary to determine the usefulness of PFAA profiling.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that PFAA profiling has great potential for improving cancer screening and diagnosis and understanding disease pathogenesis. PFAA profiles can also be used to determine various disease diagnoses from a single blood sample, which involves a relatively simple plasma assay and imposes a lower physical burden on subjects when compared to existing screening methods.     

Coenzyme Q10 as a potent compound that inhibits Cdt1–geminin interaction

A human replication initiation protein Cdt1 is a very central player in the cell cycle regulation of DNA replication, and geminin down-regulates Cdt1 function by directly binding to it. It has been demonstrated that Cdt1 hyperfunction resulting from Cdt1–geminin imbalance, for example by geminin silencing with siRNA, induces DNA re-replication and eventual cell death in some cancer-derived cell lines. In the present study, we first established a high throughput screening system based on modified ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) to identify compounds that interfere with human Cdt1–geminin binding. Using this system, we found that coenzyme Q₁₀ (CoQ₁₀) can inhibit Cdt1–geminin interaction in vitro. CoQ compound is an isoprenoid quinine that functions as an electron carrier in the mitochondrial respiratory chain in eukaryotes. CoQ₁₀, having a longer isoprenoid chain, was the strongest inhibitor of Cdt1–geminin binding in the tested CoQs, with 50% inhibition observed at concentrations of 16.2 μM. Surface plasmon resonance analysis demonstrated that CoQ₁₀ bound selectively to Cdt1, but did not interact with geminin. Moreover, CoQ₁₀ had no influence on the interaction between Cdt1 and mini-chromosome maintenance (MCM)4/6/7 complexes. These results suggested that CoQ₁₀ inhibits Cdt1–geminin complex formation by binding to Cdt1 and thereby could liberate Cdt1 from inhibition by geminin. Using three-dimensional computer modeling analysis, CoQ₁₀ was considered to interact with the geminin interaction interface on Cdt1, and was assumed to make hydrogen bonds with the residue of Arg243 of Cdt1. CoQ₁₀ could prevent the growth of human cancer cells, although only at high concentrations, and it remains unclear whether such an inhibitory effect is associated with the interference with Cdt1–geminin binding. The application of inhibitors for the formation of Cdt1–geminin complex is discussed.     

Regulation of glutamine metabolism during the development of Bombyx mori larvae

Waste ammonia is re-assimilated into amino acids via the amide group of glutamine and the amino group of glutamate (i.e. through glutamine synthetase/glutamate synthase pathway) for silk synthesis in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, in the last larval stadium. Glutamine concentration in hemolymph gradually decreased with the progress of the fifth instar and it remained at very low levels during the spinning stage, then followed by a sharp increase at the larval-pupal ecdysis. The changes in glutamine synthetase (GS) activity in silkworm tissues were relatively small through the larval development, while the changes in glutamate synthase (GOGAT) activity, especially in the posterior silk glands, were more drastic. In addition, activities of GOGAT in the tissues were much higher than those of the other enzymes involved in glutamine utilization, suggesting that glutamine pool was regulated mainly by the changes in GOGAT activity. Western blot analysis indicated that the changes in GOGAT protein level correlated with the changes in GOGAT activity. Topical application of a juvenile hormone analogue, methoprene, induced an accumulation of glutamine in the hemolymph of the fifth instar larvae. The levels of GOGAT protein and activity in the tissues of the methoprene treated larvae were much lower than those of the control larvae, whereas the methoprene treatment had no effect on the levels of GS activity. In conclusion, GOGAT expression promoted by reduction of juvenile hormone titer is quite important for enhanced utilization of nitrogen for synthesis of silk protein during the last larval instar.     

Distribution of gibberellins and expressional analysis of GA 20-oxidase genes of morning glory during fruit maturation

Gibberellins A1/3 (GA1/3) and GA20 appeared earlier in surrounding tissues (pericarps/carpel/placenta) than in developing seeds of morning glory. The content of GA1/3 became higher in seeds than in the surrounding tissues at 9 days after anthesis (DAA), while that of GA20 stayed lower in seeds even at 12 DAA, suggesting the possibility that GA20 was translocated into seeds from the surrounding tissues and converted to GA1/3. The site of biosynthesis of GA20 in the fruits was determined by RNA-blotting and in situ hybridization of GA 20-oxidase genes (InGA20ox1, InGA20ox2). InGA20ox1 was not expressed in the surrounding tissues but in seeds, while no signal due to InGA20ox2 was detected in neither tissue. The expression of InGA20ox1 started in the seed coat near the hilum and spread in the seed coat like those of GA 3-oxidase and GA-inducible alpha-amylase genes. These observations suggest that GA biosynthesis is tissue-specifically and time-dependently regulated in the fruit of morning glory.     

Ex vivo intraoperative angiography for rectus abdominis musculocutaneous free flaps

In this study, the vascular architecture of rectus abdominis free flaps nourished by deep inferior epigastric vessels was investigated using an ex vivo intraoperative angiogram. Oblique rectus abdominis free flaps were elevated and isolated from the donor site. In 11 patients, the vascular architecture of these flaps was analyzed before the flap was thinned. Radiographic study identified an average of 2.1 large deep inferior epigastric arterial perforators in each flap. In nine of the 11 flaps, the axial artery was visible. In four flaps, the axial artery originated from the perforator of the lateral branch of the deep inferior epigastric artery; in five others, it originated from the medial branch. In each flap, the angle of the axial perforator from its anterior rectus sheath in the vertical plane was measured; its mean was 50.6 degrees. All flaps survived, although three showed partial necrosis in the distal portions. In two of these three flaps, the axial artery was not visible in the angiograms, and the third revealed a one-sided distribution of axial flap arteries. Using ex vivo intraoperative angiography, the architecture of the individual flap, its axial perforator, and its connecting axial flap vessel could be investigated. This information can help the surgeon safely thin and separate the flap.     

Conformation of Some Hexuronic Acids and d-Galactopyranosiduronic Acid Moiety in the Peracetylated and Permethylated Derivatives of Orange Pectic Acid in Solutions

1. The 1C conformation was estimated for α-d-galactopyranosiduronic acid moiety of pectic acid in the permethylated derivative dissolved in 1 n NaOD-D₂O and in the peracetylated derivative dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide-d₆, and the C1 conformation was estimated for some derivatives of d-galactopyranuronic acid in chloroform-d by NMR spectroscopy.

2. Random conformation of the whole macromolecule was estimated for pectic acid in water on the basis of no appearance of any induced Cotton effects in the 200 ~ 700 mμ region in the ORD spectra of pectic acid-anionic dye complexes.

3. The conformation was supported by the fact that the rate of periodate oxidation of pectic acid at 5° was slightly decreased in comparison with that of amylase in 7 m urea solution.

     

How is autonomic nervous system activity in subjects who are sleepy but are unable to sleep in the daytime?

We investigated changes in the activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in the relaxed condition in subjects who felt sleepy, but were unable to sleep. A total of 1021 subjects underwent daytime polysomnography. The sleep latency (SL) and the visual analog scale (VAS) were used to assess “immediate” objective and subjective sleepiness, respectively. The subjects were assigned to an “Alert-Alert” group (VAS ≤ 25 mm, SL ≥ 8 min), a “Sleepy-Alert” group (VAS ≥ 75 mm, SL ≥ 8 min), or a “Sleepy-Sleepy” group (VAS ≥ 75 mm, SL ≤ 4 min). In order to assess the ANS, the spectral analysis and the geometric method were used. The ANS data collected during the relaxed condition (after lights off, post-LO) was compared to that obtained during the control condition (before lights off, pre-LO). From the spectral analysis, a significant decrease of sympathetic function and an increase of parasympathetic function at post-LO in the Sleepy-Sleepy group, a tendency for sympathetic function decrease at post-LO in the Alert-Alert group, and no significant changes to sympathetic and parasympathetic function in the Sleepy-Alert group were observed. The results from the geometric method supported the results of the spectral analysis in the Alert-Alert group and the Sleepy-Sleepy group. The results of this study suggest that the ANS plays a role in individuals who are unable to sleep even though they feel sleepy and are given the opportunity to sleep.