Vitamins K are expected to contribute bone and cardiovascular health. Especially, menaquinone-7 has a higher bioavailability and a longer half-life than other vitamins K in the human body. However, ...their low water-solubility limits their application. On the other hand, Bacillus subtilis natto produces a water-soluble complex, which comprises menaquinone-7 and peptides. The peptide named K-binding factor (KBF) has been reported as the main component of the complex. In the present, the structural characteristics of KBF were studied. Mass spectrometry showed significant peaks at m/z = 1050, while the previous PAGE suggested that molecular weight of KBF was ~3k. Amino acid analysis revealed that the 1k peptides were the various combinations of nine amino acids, among which Asx, Glx, Val, Leu, and Met were found to be the most abundant. The peptides could serve as detergent properties. The 1k peptides could be isolated by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. The bundle of three 1k detergent-like peptides would participate to the micelle structure containing menqauinone-7 inside. In conclusion, a basic unit of KBF would be the ~1k peptides, and the three basic unit assemble to the ~3k bundle, then the bundle form a water-soluble micelle including menqauinone-7 inside.
We reanalyse the time-variable light curves of the transiting planetary system PTFO 8-8695, in which a planet of 3 to 4 Jupiter masses orbits a rapidly rotating pre-main-sequence star. Both the ...planetary orbital period P
orb of 0.448 d and the stellar spin period P
s of less than 0.671 d are unusually short, which makes PTFO 8-8695 an ideal system to check the model of gravity darkening and nodal precession. While the previous analysis of PTFO 8-8695 assumed that the stellar spin and planetary orbital periods are the same, we extend the analysis by discarding the spin–orbit synchronous condition, and find three different classes of solutions roughly corresponding to the nodal precession periods of 199 ± 16, 475 ± 21, and 827 ± 53 d that reproduce the transit light curves observed in 2009 and 2010. We compare the predicted light curves of the three solutions against the photometry data of a few percent accuracy obtained at Koyama Astronomical Observatory in 2014 and 2015, and find that the solution with a precession period of 199 ± 16 d is preferred even though it is preliminary. Future prospects and implications for other transiting systems are briefly discussed.
Background
This study aimed to explore the effects of hypomagnesemia on cisplatin (CDDP)-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) in rats and the relation of hypomagnesemia to the regulation of organic ...cation transporters and renal accumulation of CDDP.
Methods
Sprague–Dawley rats were given an Mg-deficient diet starting 7 days before treatment with CDDP. CDDP was administered intravenously to rats in the normal Mg-diet group and Mg-deficient-diet group at 3 mg/kg via the left jugular vein. At the specified periods after injection of CDDP, the amount of platinum in blood and organ samples was determined using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Protein expression levels of renal organic cation transporters were determined. Uptake of tetraethylammonium (TEA) bromide in renal slices of rats was measured.
Results
Rats fed a Mg-deficient diet showed a significant body weight decrease and a marked decrease in serum Mg levels compared with control rats fed an adequate Mg diet. Serum blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels were unaltered after CDDP treatment in control rats, whereas these levels were markedly elevated in hypomagnesemic rats. Immunoblotting revealed up-regulation of the organic cation transporter rOCT2 in hypomagnesemic rats before CDDP administration, but not of rOCT1 or rat multidrug and toxin-extrusion 1. TEA uptake by renal slices from hypomagnesemic rats was significantly higher compared with that of control rats. Renal accumulation of CDDP was markedly increased in hypomagnesemic rats.
Conclusion
These results suggest that hypomagnesemia could cause dehydration and up-regulation of rOCT2, enhancing renal accumulation of CDDP and the deterioration of AKI.
We reanalyse the time-variable lightcurves of the transiting planetary system PTFO 8-8695, in which a planet of 3 to 4 Jupiter mass orbits around a rapidly rotating pre-main-sequence star. Both the ...planetary orbital period of 0.448 days and the stellar spin period less than 0.671 days are unusually short, which makes PTFO 8-8695 an ideal system to check the model of gravity darkening and nodal precession. While the previous analysis of PTFO 8-8695 assumed that the stellar spin and planetary orbital periods are the same, we extend the analysis by discarding the spin-orbit synchronous condition, and find three different classes of solutions roughly corresponding to the nodal precession periods of 199\(\pm\)16, 475\(\pm\)21, and 827\(\pm\)53 days that reproduce the transit lightcurves observed in 2009 and 2010. We compare the predicted lightcurves of the three solutions against the photometry data of a few percent accuracy obtained at Koyama Astronomical Observatory in 2014 and 2015, and find that the solution with the precession period of 199\(\pm\)16 days is preferred even though preliminary. Future prospect and implications to other transiting systems are briefly discussed.
A real-time PCR-based detection method was developed for the root-knot nematodes (RKNs) Meloidogyne incognita and M. hapla in andosol. Different numbers of second-stage juveniles (J2) were ...artificially added into 20 g of soil not containing M. hapla and M. incognita and then DNA was extracted from the soils. There were significant correlations (r2 = 0.8857, P < 0.05 in M. incognita and r2 = 0.9978, P < 0.01 in M. hapla) between the threshold cycle (Ct) values and the number of nematodes added. Next, soils were collected at transplanting time from different sites (12 plots) in a field naturally infested with M. incognita and M. hapla to measure the initial population densities. RKNs were distributed heterogeneously in the field: the initial population ranged from 0 to 24 J2/20 g soil with the Baermann method, while that of M. incognita and M. hapla from 0.6 to 713 J2 equivalent (J2eq)/20 g soil and from 0.0 to 115 J2eq/20 g soil, respectively, with the real-time PCR method. The yield was determined by the sum of commercial sized eggplants harvested for 3 months of the cultivation period. The yield decreased in the plots with an initial population of RKNs more than 2 J2/20 g soil with the Baermann method. In real-time PCR, the yields were low in the plots with the sum of initial M. incognita and M. hapla more than 128 J2eq/20 g soil. The present study established a quantification method with real-time PCR for M. incognita and M. hapla in andosol and evaluated the relationship between the initial population of Meloidogyne spp. and the yield of eggplant.
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