Seasonal change in xylem growth of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus densiflora</Emphasis> in central Japan

This study investigated the seasonal change in xylem growth of Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora). Wood cores were sampled at 2-week intervals from April to November in 2012 using the microcoring method. Daily increment rates of tracheid number and tree-ring width were compared with seasonal changes in daily mean temperature and photoperiod. Xylem growth started in early to late May and stopped in late October to early November. The maximum daily increment rates of tracheid number and tree-ring width were in early July. The 95 % confidence intervals of the timing of the maximum daily increment rates included the summer solstice (23 June) with the longest photoperiod, but not the warmest day (30 July). The maximum daily increment rate of xylem growth is thought to be controlled by the photoperiod rather than by temperature. The daily mean temperature exceeded 20 °C after the summer solstice, indicating that temperature is not a limiting factor for xylem growth. This study suggests that the timing of maximum daily increment rates of xylem growth of P. densiflora is controlled by the photoperiod.     

Large-Area,Low-Cost Infrared Metamaterial Fabrication Via Pulsed Laser Deposition with Metallic Mesh as a Shadow Mask

Metamaterials are artificial periodic structures with negative permittivity and permeability. Several interesting properties can be obtained in metamaterials, such as negative index behavior, which can be used for building perfect lenses, cloaking, antennas, etc. As the metamaterial’s properties are determined by its structure, the key challenge is to reduce the fabrication cost of the periodic structure on the micrometer or nanometer scale for realistic applications. In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate a new one-step method for the fabrication of a large-area infrared metamaterial at extremely low cost. A metallic mesh is used as a shadow mask during the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) process to fabricate a FeNi/SiC/FeNi multilayer sandwich structure on Si substrate (cm² level). The sample shows a strong absorption peak in the infrared frequency range, and the absorption intensity changes with the sample’s geometry.     

Effect of Water Content on the Glass Transition Temperature of Calcium Maltobionate and its Application to the Characterization of Non-Arrhenius Viscosity Behavior

To understand the fundamental physical properties of calcium maltobionate (MBCa), its water sorption isotherm, glass transition temperature (T _g), and viscosity (η) were investigated and compared with those of maltobionic acid (MBH) and maltose. Although amorphous maltose crystalized at water activity (a _w) higher than 0.43, MBCa and MBH maintained an amorphous state over the whole a _w range. In addition, MBCa had a higher T _g and greater resistance to water plasticizing than MBH and maltose. These properties of MBCa likely originate from the strong interaction between MBCa and water induced by electrostatic interactions. Moreover, the effects of temperature and water content on η of an aqueous MBCa solution were evaluated, and its behavior was described using a semi-empirical approach based on a combination of T _g extrapolated by the Gordon-Taylor equation and a non-Arrhenius formula known as the Vogel–Fulcher–Tammann equation. This result will be useful for understating the effect of MBCa addition on the solution’s properties.     

Four putative entomopathogenic fungi of armoured scale insects on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Citrus</Emphasis> in Australia

This study led to the discovery of four putative entomopathogenic fungi of armoured scale insects on citrus trees in coastal New South Wales. Two of these species belong in Podonectria as P. coccicola (Ellis & Everh.) Petch (syn. Tetracrium coccicola (Höhn.) Ellis & Everh.) and P. novae-zelandiae Dingley. Members of this genus are grown in culture for the first time. Formerly placed in the Pleosporales, Tubeufiaceae, or more recently in the Tubeufiales, these species are herein placed in the new family Podonectriaceae fam. nov., Pleosporales. Another species is placed in the Hypocreales, Bionectriaceae as Clonostachys coccicola (J.A. Stev.) H.T. Dao comb. nov. (basionym Tubercularia coccicola J.A. Stev., syn. Nectria tuberculariae Petch). The fourth species is Myriangium citri Henn. (Myriangiales, Myriangiaceae). Each fungal species is characterized and the phylogenetic placement confirmed by molecular analyses of the ITS and 28 s rDNA regions. In addition, their biology is noted, including location of the fungi within tree canopies.     

The rice <Emphasis Type="Italic">OsSAG12-2</Emphasis> gene codes for a functional protease that negatively regulates stress-induced cell death

Senescence is the final stage of plant development. Although expression of most of the genes is suppressed during senescence, a set of genes referred as senescence-associated genes (SAGs) is induced. Arabidopsis thaliana SAG12 (AtSAG12) is one such gene that has been mostly studied for its strict association with senescence. AtSAG12 encodes a papain-like cysteine protease, expressed predominantly in senescence-associated vacuoles. Rice genome contains multiple AtSAG12 homologues (OsSAGs). OsSAG12-1, the closest structural homologue of AtSAG12, is a negative regulator of developmental and stress-induced cell death. Proteolytic activity has not been established for any SAG12 homologues in vitro. Here, we report that OsSAG12-2, the second structural homologue of AtSAG12 from rice, codes for a functional proteolytic enzyme. The recombinant OsSAG12-2 protein produced in Escherichia coli undergoes autolysis to generate a functional protease. The matured OsSAG12-2 protein shows 27% trypsin-equivalent proteolytic activity on azocasein substrate. Dark-induced senescence activates OsSAG12-2 expression. Down-regulation of OsSAG12-2 in the transgenic artificial miRNA lines results in enhanced salt- and UV-induced cell death, even though it does not affect cell viability in the stress-free condition. Our results show that OsSAG12-2 codes for a functional protease that negatively regulates stress-induced cell death in rice.     

Investigation of immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of eriodictyol through its cellular anti-oxidant activity

Many studies have been performed to assess the potential utility of natural products as immunomodulatory agents to enhance host responses against infection or to ameliorate immune-based pathologies. To determine whether eriodictyol has immunomodulatory effects and clarify which types of immune effector cells are stimulated in vitro, we investigated the stimulatory effect of eriodictyol on spleen cells isolated from BALB/c mice. Eriodictyol significantly stimulated splenocyte proliferation. However, only B lymphocytes (not T lymphocytes) could be stimulated by eriodictyol in a dose-related manner. Studies assessing potential effect of eriodictyol on innate immunity reported that eriodictyol enhanced significantly the killing activity of natural killer (NK) cells, T lymphocytes, and macrophages. We also demonstrated that eriodictyol inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production and lysosomal enzyme activity in murine peritoneal macrophages cultured ex-vivo, suggesting a potential anti-inflammatory effect in situ. Eriodictyol revealed also a cellular anti-oxidant activity in splenocytes and macrophages. Furthermore, eriodictyol increased catalase activity in spleen cells. From this data, it can be concluded that eriodictyol exhibited an immunomodulatory effect that could be ascribed in part to a cytoprotective effect related to its anti-oxidant activity.     

Diagnosis of takotsubo cardiomyopathy is increasing over time in patients presenting as ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Background

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy often presents with the clinical signs of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The increase in scientific publications addressing this relatively rare condition may result in higher awareness and diagnosis of takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Aim

To assess the observed prevalence per year of takotsubo cardiomyopathy in a large registry of patients with STEMI, during a 12-year inclusion period.

Method

All patients presenting with STEMI at a large regional cardiology clinic were entered into a database (n = 8,413, mean age 63 ± 13 years). Takotsubo cardiomyopathy was diagnosed in 42 patients (0.5?%). Years of evaluation were defined as ‘early years’ (January 2002 to December 2007; n = 4350) and ‘later years’ (January 2008 to December 2013). Multivariable analyses were performed to adjust for differences in demographical and clinical variables.

Results

In later years, the age of STEMI patients was slightly higher (64 ± 13 vs. 63 ± 13 years, p < 0.001), with more patients with clinical symptoms of shock (10 vs. 7?%, p < 0.001) or a history of percutaneous coronary intervention or hypertension (10 vs. 8?%, p = 0.001 and 37 vs. 34?%, p < 0.001). Smoking and a positive family history were less often observed during later years (39 vs. 46?%, p < 0.001 and 37 vs. 42?% p < 0.001). Patients with takotsubo cardiomyopathy were more often female (81 vs. 27?%, p = 0.001). Takotsubo cardiomyopathy was more often diagnosed in the later period (0.7 vs. 0.3?%, OR 2.4, 95?% CI 1.2–4.6, p = 0.009). The higher prevalence of takotsubo cardiomyopathy in recent years remained significant after adjustment for differences in patient characteristics (OR 2.1, 95?% CI 1.1–4.3).

Conclusion

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is currently more often diagnosed in patients with STEMI compared with in earlier years. This is probably due to the increased scientific and clinical awareness among doctors, but the prevalence is still low.

     

Cellular tumorigenicity in nude mice. Role of susceptibility to natural killer cells

The athymic nude mouse is a useful animal model for assaying the neoplastic growth potential in vivo of animal cells transformed in vitro. Despite the demonstrated absence of thymus-dependent immunological functions, however, the nude mouse has now been shown to reject transplants of certain highly malignant heterologous tumors. In addition, a few transformed mammalian cell lines that exhibit all or most of the cellular phenotypes usually associated with malignancy fail to grow as tumors when injected into nude mice. In a continuing study to identify the in vitro phenotypes associated with tumor-forming ability in vivo, we investigated the role of cellular susceptibility to the naturally occurring, thymus-independent lymphocytes (natural killer or NK cells) in determining tumor induction by animal cells in nude mice. A representative collection of animal cells (ranging from normal human diploid cell strains to highly tumorigenic clonal cell lines, either transformed in vitro or derived from experimental tumors) was tested to see if the ability of cells to form tumors is consistently correlated with their susceptibility to NK cell-mediated lysis measured in vitro with splenic leukocytes from nude mice. If the physiological role of the NK cells in vivo were to recognize, and possibly to destroy, incipient tumor cells in situ, a direct association between cellular tumorigenicity and susceptibility to NK activity, might be expected. If, on the other hand, the formation of growing tumors by animal cells in nude mice depended on their ability to escape the cytolytic activity of NK cells, cellular tumorigenicity would be associated with cellular resistance to NK cells. Results obtained in this study failed to confirm either of these associations. Thus, cellular suscepbibility to NK cells, at least as determined by direct cytotoxicity assay in vitro, is not a useful predictive indicator of cellular tumorigenicity in nude mice.     

Analysis of candidate imprinted genes linked to Dlk1-Gtl2 using a congenic mouse line

The study of genomic imprinting requires the use of DNA sequence polymorphisms between interfertile mouse species or strains. Most commonly, crosses between Mus musculus domesticus and Mus musculus castaneus or Mus spretus animals are used. Difficulties arise in the maintenance of these wild-derived mice in conventional animal facilities, however, and can be overcome by the use of a congenic strain for the region under study. We describe here the generation of a new mouse line, congenic for a region on distal Chromosome (Chr) 12 that encompasses the Dlk1–Gtl2 imprinted domain. We have taken a first step towards demonstrating the utility of these animals by assaying known genes located within the congenic interval for imprinted expression. We show that the two genes located immediately proximal to Dlk1, the Yy1 and Wars genes, are expressed in a biallelic manner. In addition, we have analyzed the Dio3 gene, located distal to Gtl2. This gene displays preferential expression of the paternal allele, with approximately 75% of the total message level originating from the paternal allele and 25% originating from the maternal allele. These data delineate the position of the Wars gene as the proximal boundary of the Dlk1–Gtl2 imprinted domain, and identify Dio3 as another potentially imprinted gene within this domain.