Volatile compound production was studied in terms of biosynthetic gene expression in apple (`Tsugaru'). To this end, we first analysed the endogenous and emitted volatiles in the skin of ripened ...apple fruit. GC- MS and GC analyses suggested that the boiling point of the endogenous compounds in apple skin is an important determinant of the composition and amount of emitted volatiles. Since esters and (E,E)-a- farnesene are the major endogenous volatiles in apple, key biosynthetic genes were isolated from apple skin and their expression patterns were analysed with ethylene biosynthetic genes. During fruit development, the onset of alcohol acyltransferase (pMdAAT) expression in the skin, which is responsible for ester biosynthesis, coincided with the accumulation of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase (MdACSs, MdACS5B) mRNA. Thereafter, pMdAAT expression remained at a high level, even when no MdACS transcripts were observed. On the other hand, the accumulation of (E,E)-a-farnesene synthase (pMdAFS1) transcripts in the skin was associated with the expression of MdACSs and 1- aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase (MdACO1). After harvest, the inhibition of pMdAAT expression in 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP)-treated apple skin was incomplete. In contrast, the expression of pMdAFS1 was repressed by 1-MCP treatment concomitant with considerable inhibition of ethylene production. These results suggest that pMdAFS1 expression is controlled by ethylene, whereas pMdAAT expression is developmentally regulated in the skin of `Tsugaru'.
It has been known that diabetes mellitus impairs functioning of neutrophil, macrophage, cellular immunity, humoral immunity, and iron metabolism. In addition to them, diabetes-related angiopathy ...leads a patient to being at high-risk individual for several kinds of infectious diseases. Therefore, diabetes has been accepted as one of the important risk factors for invasive fungal infection. From the viewpoint of pathology, the present review describes both pathophysiology of immunosuppression induced by diabetes and histopathological characteristics of typical forms in invasive fungal infection when it occurred as an opportunistic infection; those are candidiasis, aspergillosis, and cryptococcosis. We wish to draw that pathophysiological explanation still remains obscuring of relationship between diabetes and invasive fungal infection.
In Japan, influenza virus-associated encephalopathy (influenza encephalopathy) has become a topic of public interest, but there is no established reliable treatment. We have already reported that ...mild hypothermia therapy resulted in excellent recovery for children with acute encephalopathy. We decided to treat influenza encephalopathy using systemic, mild, hypothermia therapy. We investigated the clinical characteristics and therapeutic outcome of this therapy. Subjects were 11 consecutive patients, who were diagnosed with influenza encephalopathy. Systemic mild hypothermia was set at 34–36 °C. Ten children were infected by the Influenza A virus and one by the Influenza B virus. Nine children were medicated with nonsteroidal and antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) prior to onset of encephalopathy. All patients had a blood coagulation abnormality and others. Following hypothermia therapy, 10 children survived, five with handicap and the remaining five without any problem. Considering the severity of encephalopathy in our subjects, mild hypothermia therapy may improve the outcome of children with influenza encephalopathy. Mild hypothermia therapy may be one of the most useful treatments for severe cases of influenza encephalopathy.
In a previous study of propranolol poisoning, glucagon and milrinone significantly increased cardiac output, but the improvement caused by glucagon was almost entirely due to the chronotropic effect. ...This study investigates the combined effect of glucagon, in a dose not inducing tachycardia, and milrinone on beta-blocker poisoning. Following the administration of 10 mg/kg propranolol IV over ten minutes, dogs (N = 20) were divided into four treatment groups, group S (saline), group G (glucagon 2.5 μ/kg), group M (milrinone 100 μ/kg), and group G + M (glucagon 2.5 μg/kg plus milrinone 100 μg/kg). Hemodynamic parameters were observed over the next thirty minutes. Heat rate, cardiac output, and mean arterial pressure were decreased in all groups after the administration of propranolol. Heart rate, mean arterial pressure, cardiac output, and stroke volume recovered to the baseline values in group G + M. However, heart rate in group G + M showed a significant increase versus the other three groups. In a canine model of severe propranolol poisoning, the combined effect of glucagon 2.5 μg/kg milrinone 100 μg/kg brought about a significant hemodynamic improvement, but it was accompanied by an excessive increase of heart rate. Combined therapy of milrinone and glucagon may not be preferable therapy in beta-blocker poisoning in the canine model.
