Search

The stratigraphy of tsunami deposits along the Japan Sea, southwest Hokkaido, northern Japan, reveals tsunami recurrences in this particular area. Sandy tsunami deposits are preserved in small valley plains, whereas gravelly deposits of possible tsunami origin are identified in surficial soils covering a Holocene marine terrace and a slope talus. At least five horizons of tsunami events can be defined in the Okushiri Island, the youngest of which immediately overlies the Ko-d tephra layer (1640 AD) and was likely formed by the historical Oshima-Ohshima tsunami in 1741 AD. The four older tsunami deposits, dated using accelerator mass spectrometry 14C, were formed at around the 12th century, 1.5–1.6, 2.4–2.6, and 2.8–3.1 ka, respectively. Tsunami sand beds of the 1741 AD and circa 12th century events are recognized in the Hiyama District of Hokkaido Island, but the older tsunami deposits are missing. The deposits of these two tsunamis are found together at the same sites and distributed in regions where wave heights of the 1993 tsunami (Hokkaido Nansei-oki earthquake, Mw = 7.7) were less than 3 m. Thus, the 12th century tsunami waves were possibly generated near the south of Okushiri Island, whereas the 1993 tsunami was generated towards the north of the island. The estimated recurrence intervals of paleotsunamis, 200–1100 years with an average of 500 years, likely represents the recurrence interval of large earthquakes which would have occurred along several active faults offshore of southwest Hokkaido.

A straightforward, efficient method for the synthesis of 5-formyl-2′-deoxyuridine (dfU) and solid-phase synthesis of oligodeoxynucleotides containing dfU using a phosphoramidite method are described. The synthesis of dfU is achieved by oxidation of the 5-methyl group in thymidine derivatives. However, incorporation of the dfU 3′-O-phosphoramidite into oligodeoxynucleotides proceeds in low yield, due to instability of the 5-formyl group under conditions used for automated DNA synthesis. Therefore, oligodeoxynucleotides containing a 5-(1,2-dihydroxyethyl)uracil derivative are first prepared and finally oxidized by periodate to give the desired oligodeoxynucleotides containing 5-formyluracil. Curr. Protoc. Nucleic Acid Chem. 35:1.21.1-1.21.19. © 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: 5-formyl-2′-deoxyuridine; thymidine; oligodeoxynucleotide; oxidation; oxidative damage; chemical synthesis

We examined the production of and the response to B-cell growth factor (BCGF) and B-cell differentiation factor (BCDF) in 21 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 23 normal subjects. T cells, 2.5 X 10(6)/ml, were cultured for 24 or 72 h with 1% phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). After absorption of PHA by chicken erythrocytes (CRBC), they were used for BCGF and BCDF. In inactive SLE, BCGF activity was significantly lower than that in normal subjects. Active SLE contained two separate groups, one showing normal BCGF activity and the other showing lower activity than normal. In contrast, BCDF activity from initial culture in active SLE was elevated. The B-cell response both to BCGF and BCDF was elevated in active SLE without Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I antigen (SAC) preactivation. However, the B-cell response to SAC was markedly disturbed. Thus SLE B cells were shifted to the mature state in vivo. We also demonstrated pivotal abnormalities of monocytes in SLE B-cell growth and differentiation. These results may contribute to the understanding of the abnormalities of T-B interactions and the overproduction of antibody in SLE.

Plasma levels of alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor (alpha 2PI) and alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor-plasmin complex (alpha 2 PIPC) were measured by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, using a recently developed monoclonal anti-alpha 2PI antibody, in patients with collagen diseases. Twenty patients had systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 4 of whom also had vasculitis, 11 patients had rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 4 of whom also had vasculitis, and 5 patients had other types of vasculitis. There was no significant difference in alpha 2PI levels between the 3 patient groups and the control groups. However, plasma levels of alpha 2PIPC in all 3 patient groups were significantly higher than those in the control group. Moreover, plasma concentrations of alpha 2PIPC in SLE patients with vasculitis were statistically significantly higher than those in SLE patients without vasculitis. These concentrations were also higher in RA patients with vasculitis than in RA patients without vasculitis, although the difference was not statistically significant. Our findings indicate that measurement of plasma alpha 2PIPC levels is useful for detecting and evaluating the severity and activity of vasculitis in patients with collagen diseases.