Determinants of Slow Walking Speed in Ambulatory Patients Undergoing Maintenance Hemodialysis

Walking ability is significantly lower in hemodialysis patients compared to healthy people. Decreased walking ability characterized by slow walking speed is associated with adverse clinical events, but determinants of decreased walking speed in hemodialysis patients are unknown. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with slow walking speed in ambulatory hemodialysis patients. Subjects were 122 outpatients (64 men, 58 women; mean age, 68 years) undergoing hemodialysis. Clinical characteristics including comorbidities, motor function (strength, flexibility, and balance), and maximum walking speed (MWS) were measured and compared across sex-specific tertiles of MWS. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to examine whether clinical characteristics and motor function could discriminate between the lowest, middle, and highest tertiles of MWS. Significant and common factors that discriminated the lowest and highest tertiles of MWS from other categories were presence of cardiac disease (lowest: odds ratio [OR] = 3.33, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.26–8.83, P<0.05; highest: OR = 2.84, 95% CI = 1.18–6.84, P<0.05), leg strength (OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.40–0.95, P<0.05; OR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.39–0.82, P<0.01), and standing balance (OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.63–0.92, P<0.01; OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.68–0.97, P<0.05). History of fracture (OR = 3.35, 95% CI = 1.08–10.38; P<0.05) was a significant factor only in the lowest tertile. Cardiac disease, history of fracture, decreased leg strength, and poor standing balance were independently associated with slow walking speed in ambulatory hemodialysis patients. These findings provide useful data for planning effective therapeutic regimens to prevent decreases in walking ability in ambulatory hemodialysis patients.     

Genetic studies on the muscle protein turnover rate of coturnix quail

The validation of the urinary excretion of N-methylhistidine (N-MH) by quail as an index of the muscle protein turnover rate was tested using the criterion of the rate of recovery of radioactivity in urine following an intraperitoneal dose of l-[3-¹⁴C]methylhistidine. A genetic study on muscle protein turnover in quail was conducted using three genetically diverse lines (LL, large body size; SS, small body size; RR, random-bred control line) selected for body size. When l-[3-¹⁴C]methylhistidine was administered to 20-week-old male and female coturnix quail by direct intraperitoneal injection, approximately 90% of the l-[3-¹⁴C]methylhistidine was recovered by 96 hr postinjection. Recoveries were low in the egg and muscle. These results show that N-MH released from myofibrillar protein is not reutilized and the excretion of N-MH is a satisfactory index of muscle protein breakdown. In all lines, the amount of urinary N-MH excretion and fractional synthesis (K_s) and degradation (K_d) rates at the high growing period were higher than those at the low growing period. The K_s and K_d are significantly different among selected lines at both 3 and 6 weeks of age. At 3 weeks of age, the fractional rate of synthesis of the LL line (13.2%/day) was higher than that of the RR line (11.5%/day), whereas the SS (8.1%/day) was lower than that of the RR line (11.5%/day). The fractional rates of degradation of both the LL line (4.1%/day) and the SS line (5.6%/day) were lower than that of the RR line (7.0%/day) at 3 weeks of age. From these results, it was recognized that selection for body size gave rise to the changes in the muscle protein turnover rate.     

A new species of Oithona (Copepoda, Cyclopoida) from the neritic waters of Australia

A new species of Oithona predominating in the neritic watersof Australia is described. This species resembles three otherspecies of the genus, but has several unique characters in thefamily Oithonidae. The morphological and geographical relationshipsof this species with allied species are discussed.     

NUCLEAR-CYTOPLASMIC RELATIONS IN THE MITOSIS OF SEA URCHIN EGGS : III. γ-Ray-Induced Damage to Whole Eggs and Nucleate and Anucleate Half-Eggs

Sea urchin eggs were cut into halves. The nucleate and anucleate halves and whole eggs were irradiated with γ-rays and then fertilized with normal sperm. The first mitosis of the diploid half-egg was more delayed than the division of the whole egg. There was a small, but highly significant, delay of the mitosis of the haploid half-egg, thus demonstrating cytoplasmic sensitivity to ionizing radiation. Since the sensitivity of nucleate cells is influenced by cytoplasmic volume, the problem of the role of cytoplasm in repair is considered in relation to these data and other reports in the literature.     

Porcine brain natriuretic peptide receptor in bovine adrenal cortex

The action of porcine brain natriuretic peptide (pBNP) on the steroidogenesis was investigated in cultured bovine adrenocortical cells. Porcine BNP induced a significant dose-dependent inhibition of both ACTH- and A II-stimulated aldosterone secretion. 10(-8) M and 10(-7) M pBNP also significantly inhibited ACTH-stimulated cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) secretions. Binding studies of [125I]-pBNP to bovine adrenocortical membrane fractions showed that adrenal cortex had high-affinity and low-capacity pBNP binding sites, with a dissociation constant (Kd) of 1.70 x 10(-10) M and a maximal binding capacity (Bmax) of 19.9 fmol/mg protein. Finally, the 135 Kd radioactive band was specially visualized in the affinity labeling of bovine adrenal cortex with disuccinimidyl suberate (DSS). These results suggest that pBNP may have receptor-mediated suppressive actions on bovine adrenal steroidogenesis, similar to that in atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP).     

Human peroxisome assembly factor-2 (PAF-2): a gene responsible for group C peroxisome biogenesis disorder in humans.

Peroxisome-biogenesis disorders (PBD) are genetically heterogeneous and can be classified into at least ten complementation groups. We recently isolated the cDNA for rat peroxisome assembly factor-2 (PAF-2) by functional complementation using the peroxisome-deficient Chinese-hamster-ovary cell mutant, ZP92. To clarify the novel pathogenic gene of PBD, we cloned the full-length human PAF-2 cDNA that morphologically and biochemically restores peroxisomes of group C Zellweger fibroblasts (the same as group 4 in the Kennedy-Krieger Institute) and identified two pathogenic mutations in the PAF-2 gene in two patients with group C Zellweger syndrome. The 2,940-bp open reading frame of the human PAF-2 cDNA encodes a 980-amino-acid protein that shows 87.1% identity with rat PAF-2 and also restored the peroxisome assembly after gene transfer to fibroblasts of group C patients. Direct sequencing of the PAF-2 gene revealed a homozygous 1-bp insertion at nucleotide 511 (511 insT) in one patient with group C Zellweger syndrome (ZS), which introduces a premature termination codon in the PAF-2 gene, and, in the second patient, revealed a splice-site mutation in intron 3 (IVS3+1G-->A), which skipped exon 3, an event that leads to peroxisome deficiency. Chromosome mapping utilizing FISH indicates that PAF-2 is located on chromosome 6p21.1. These results confirm that human PAF-2 cDNA restores peroxisome of group C cells and that defects in the PAF-2 produce peroxisome deficiency of group C PBD.     

Controlled release of adeno-associated virus from alginate hydrogel microbeads with enhanced sensitivity to ultrasound

Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy holds promise as a fundamental treatment for genetic disorders. For clinical applications, it is necessary to control AAV release timing to avoid an immune response to AAV. Here we propose an ultrasound (US)-triggered on-demand AAV release system using alginate hydrogel microbeads (AHMs) with a release enhancer. By using a centrifuge-based microdroplet shooting device, the AHMs encapsulating AAV with tungsten microparticles (W-MPs) are fabricated. Since W-MPs work as release enhancers, the AHMs have high sensitivity to the US with localized variation in acoustic impedance for improving the release of AAV. Furthermore, AHMs were coated with poly-l -lysine (PLL) to adjust the release of AAV. By applying US to the AAV encapsulating AHMs with W-MPs, the AAV was released on demand, and gene transfection to cells by AAV was confirmed without loss of AAV activity. This proposed US-triggered AAV release system expands methodological possibilities in gene therapy.     

Integumental organs of the phyllosoma larva of the rock lobster Jasus edwardsii (Hutton)

The external morphology and distribution of the integumentalorgans of the final-stage phyllosoma of the rock lobster Jasusedwardsii were examined. Seven types of organs were recognizedon the integument of the body trunk, antennules and antennae:plumose setae, simple setae, porous setae, aesthetasc setae,simple pores, dorsal cuticular organs and dome-shaped structures.The plumose setae and simple pores were abundant on the dorsalsurface of the cephalosome, abdomen and telson. The dorsal cuticularorgans were present only on the dorsal surface of the cephalosome,and the aesthetasc setae were restricted to the antennule. A comparison of the morphology of these organs with the senseorgans of other decapods with known function suggests that thedorsal surface of the body trunk is one of the major sites ofreception of near-field water movement in the Jasus phyllosoma.