Alteration of hormone levels in transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing the rice homeobox gene OSH1

In the search for an endogenous ligand of the orphan G protein-coupled receptor APJ, the presence of the ligand in various tissue extracts was examined by measuring the increase in extracellular acidification rate of the cells expressing the APJ receptor as a specific signal induced by the interaction of the receptor and ligand. By monitoring this activity, we isolated an APJ receptor ligand, designated apelin, from bovine stomach extracts. The structures of bovine and human apelin preproproteins were deduced from the sequences of the corresponding cDNAs. The preproproteins consisted of 77 amino acid residues, and the apelin sequence was encoded in the C-terminal regions. Synthetic peptides derived from the C-terminal amino acid sequence of bovine preproapelin were capable of specifically promoting the acidification rate in the cells expressing the APJ receptor in a range from 10(-7) to 10(-10) M, indicating that apelin is an endogenous ligand for the APJ receptor.     

Variable-Size Solder Droplets by a Molten-Solder Ejection Method

We have developed a molten-solder ejection method by which molten-solder droplets from a 13- (1 pL) to 450- mum (48 nL) diameter could be realized. This method has been developed as a technique to supply small solder balls. The authors have developed a newly designed solder ejection head and confirmed that solder balls with almost no surface oxidation can be formed by using this method. The diameter of the molten-solder droplets using an advanced head is 13 mum, which is much smaller than the 35 mum of a conventional minimum droplet. As the relative positioning accuracy, a standard deviation of 0.81 mum was achieved when the diameter of the solder droplets was 13 mum. Furthermore, by changing the drive waveform of the conventional head, we enlarged the diameter of the solder droplets to 450 mum, which was much larger than 200 mum of a conventional maximum droplet. In this case, the standard deviation of 26 mum as the relative positioning accuracy was also achieved when the diameter of the solder droplets was 450 mum.     

Removal of aldehydes by amino acids and their salts in ambient air

The removal of gaseous aldehydes by amino acids and by their sodium salts and hydrochlorides was studied in ambient air with the relative humidity of 30% at 25°C. Amino acid sodium salts, diamino acids, sodium p-aminobenzoate (PABANa), and o-aminobenzoate (OABANa), and p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) on sepiolite, both having a carboxylato functionality (? COO^?) together with an amino (? NH₂) group, were highly reactive with aldehydes. In contrast, PABA which has free carboxylic acid functionality (? COOH: dimeric) was not so reactive with aldehydes. Normal amino acids and their hydrochlorides having ammonio (? NH₂⁺) and ? COO^? or ? COOH (dimeric) groups were less reactive with aldehydes. The reactivity was closely related to the degree of dissociation of carboxylate anion; as the degree of dissociation increases, the compound becomes more reactive. p-Aminobenzoic acid hydrochloride (PABA · HCl), having ? NH₃⁺ and ? COOH (monomeric) groups, was the most reactive (with ethanal) of all the amino acids and their salts examined. Amino acid sodium salts, diamino acid, PABANa, OABANa, and PABA on sepiolite are proved to be excellent removers of aldehydes in ambient air. Among them, PABA · HCl is particularly good for ethanal.     

Treatment with rhG-CSF for osteomyelitis in a patient with p47-phox-deficient chronic granulomatous disease

A 24-year-old woman with osteomyelitis was diagnosed as having p47-phox-deficient chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). The patient showed a marked deficiency of p47-phox, which is very rare in Japan. As the clinical response to various antibiotics including sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim was not satisfactory, we added recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) to the treatment protocol. We report the beneficial clinical course of the patient, together with the effect of rhG-CSF on the granulocyte function, and the present report indicates that rhG-CSF is useful for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant infection in the variant type of p47-phox-defective CGD.     

Stereoselective synthesis and thromboxane A2 (TXA2) receptor antagonistic activity of optically active phenol derivatives

At the present time monotherapy is preferable to polytherapy if the epilepsy can be controlled with a single drug. However, persons with intractable epilepsy may need more than one antiepileptic drug to attain the best seizure control with the fewest side-effects. Although clinical studies have not been performed to identify the best combinations, rational polytherapy would imply combining antiepileptic drugs with different mechanisms of action.     

Evaluation of multiple column curves using the experimental data-base approach

The paper describes an extensive survey of column tests and an evaluation of information on steel column strength. During the past twenty-five years numerous series of column tests have been conducted in European countries, North America and Japan. A total of 1665 individual test results which have been stored in an experimental data-base is retrieved and a statistical appraisal carried out to evaluate experimental column strength. Comparisons are made between the surveyed test data and the ECCS and SSRC multiple column curves. The authors also propose new multiple column formulae which explain more accurately the test data from a statistical viewpoint.