Ascorbate functions as an electron donor and scavenges free radicals. Dehydroascorbic acid (DHA), the oxidized form of ascorbate, is generated as a result of these reactions. While low plasma ...ascorbate levels have been reported in hemodialysis patients worldwide, no studies have measured DHA because it is not generalized. In this study, we aimed to clarify whether plasma ascorbate levels are low in dialysis patients and whether plasma ascorbate levels fluctuate before and after dialysis. Moreover, we applied our previously established method to measure the plasma ascorbate and DHA levels in chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage G3–G5 non-hemodialysis-dependent patients, and pre- and post-dialysis plasma ascorbate and DHA levels in CKD stage G5D hemodialysis patients. The sample size was calculated using G-power software. The pre-dialysis plasma total ascorbate levels, including DHA, were significantly (56%) lower in hemodialysis patients than in non-hemodialysis-dependent CKD patients. After dialysis, there was a 40% reduction in the plasma total ascorbate levels. Hemodialysis increased the post-dialysis plasma proportions of DHA from 37% to 55%. The study results demonstrated lower plasma total ascorbate levels in hemodialysis patients compared with in non-hemodialysis-dependent CKD patients; these low levels in hemodialysis patients were further reduced by hemodialysis and increased DHA proportion.
We constructed 3D models of the greenhouse (168 m2) and tomato plants (plant height: 150 cm). The point cloud data of tomato plants was acquired by a 3D scanner and converted to the 3D model, which ...was constructed using polygons. The canopy 3D model was installed in the greenhouse 3D model. In addition, the date, time, latitude, longitude, global solar radiation, and optical properties of objects, such as plants and covering material, were used as input values to estimate the amount of solar radiation received by canopy models using the ray tracing. The amount of solar radiation received by the canopy models at different layers under different furrow distances (60-160 cm) was calculated every 1 h. The lower layer and the middle layer of tomato plants were saturated with solar radiation at furrow distances of 120 cm and 100 cm, respectively. However, the radiation received by the upper layer of tomato plants did not change across the range (60-160 cm) of investigated furrow distances. This investigation has provided a visual demonstration of the relationship between the arrangement of cultivated fruit and vegetable plants, such as tomato, in the greenhouse and the amount of solar radiation received.
Plasma membrane calcium pump isoform 1 (PMCA1) is encoded by ATPase plasma membrane Ca2+ transporting 1 (ATP2B1), the most likely candidate gene responsible for hypertension. Although PMCA1 is highly ...expressed in the kidney, little is known about regulation of its renal expression in various pathological conditions in vivo. Our study was designed to elucidate regulation of renal PMCA1 expression in mice. We employed three mouse models for kidney disease. These were the unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), the remnant kidney using 5/6 nephrectomy, and chronic angiotensin II administration models. Mice were assessed for systolic blood pressure and renal injury in accordance with the damage induced in the specific model. Kidney PMCA1 mRNA levels were measured in all mice. The UUO model showed renal fibrosis but no changes in blood pressure or renal PMCA1 mRNA expression. Similarly, the 5/6 nephrectomy model exhibited declined renal function without changes in blood pressure or renal PMCA1 mRNA expression. In contrast, chronic angiotensin II administration increased albuminuria and blood pressure as well as significantly increasing renal PMCA1 mRNA and protein expression. These results suggest that renal PMCA1 has a role as one of the molecules involved in angiotensin II‐induced hypertension and kidney injury.
Plasma membrane calcium pump isoform 1 (PMCA1) is a candidate gene responsible for hypertension. PMCA1 is highly expressed in the kidney but its regulation under various pathological circumstances is not understood. In this study, we used three kidney disease models to investigate regulation of PMCA1 expression in vivo. We demonstrated that chronic Ang II administration, of these, significantly increased renal PMCA1 expression, concomitant with the development of renal injury and hypertension.
Kaempferol is one of the most commonly found dietary flavonoids. The exposure to kaempferol is known to inhibit degranulation from mast cells, but the inhibitory mechanism of degranulation has not ...been clarified yet. In this study, we investigated the involvement of heme oxygenase (HO)-1 in the anti-allergic action of kaempferol against degranulation in rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells. Our results demonstrate upregulation of HO enzymatic activity after short (15 min) exposure to kaempferol, followed by the induction of HO-1 expression in protein. The involvement of HO-1 in the kaempferol-induced inhibition of degranulation was confirmed using tin protoporphyrin IX (SnPP), a HO-1 inhibitor. These findings strongly suggest that kaempferol exerts anti-allergic actions via activation of the HO-1.
Human evaluation is critical for validating the performance of text-to-image generative models, as this highly cognitive process requires deep comprehension of text and images. However, our survey of ...37 recent papers reveals that many works rely solely on automatic measures (e.g., FID) or perform poorly described human evaluations that are not reliable or repeatable. This paper proposes a standardized and well-defined human evaluation protocol to facilitate verifiable and reproducible human evaluation in future works. In our pilot data collection, we experimentally show that the current automatic measures are incompatible with human perception in evaluating the performance of the text-to-image generation results. Furthermore, we provide insights for designing human evaluation experiments reliably and conclusively. Finally, we make several resources publicly available to the community to facilitate easy and fast implementations.
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