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As the plasma level of adiponectin is related to metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular events, a low plasma adiponectin level may either cause or trigger cardiovascular disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a low adiponectin level contributes to cardiovascular events, and to investigate the factors influencing adiponectin in the Japanese Arita-cho cohort study.We followed about 2000 subjects in Arita-cho, Saga, Japan as a cohort study, and we enrolled 637 subjects (205 men; 65.1±8.3 years old) who participated in annual health checks from 2005 to 2008 and underwent measurement of the plasma adiponectin level and an oral glucose tolerance test. We monitored the incidence of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events in these subjects until the end of 2010, discontinuing follow-up at 3 years after the start of enrollment. Subjects with low plasma adiponectin levels (<10.5 ng ml(-1)) had a higher incidence of newly diagnosed cardiovascular diseases such as acute heart failure or acute myocardial infarction than those with high plasma adiponectin levels (≥10.5 ng ml(-1)) over an average of 2.95 years of follow-up. Multivariate analysis showed that the adiponectin level was predicted by the following parameters in all subjects: age (β=0.16), male gender (β=-0.267), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (β=-0.140) and the plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (β=0.104), uric acid (β=-0.13), triglycerides (β=-0.169) and brain natriuretic peptide (β=0.151). The difference in plasma glucose before and 120 min after the intake of a 75-g glucose load did not influence the plasma adiponectin level. The plasma adiponectin level is useful for predicting cardiovascular events, and is a measure of the risk of lifestyle-related diseases.

In rice (Oryza sativa), a short-day plant, photoperiod is the most favorable external signal for floral induction because of the constant seasonal change throughout the years. Compared with Arabidopsis, however, a large part of the regulation mechanism of the photoperiodic response in rice still remains unclear due mainly to the lack of induced mutant genes. An induced mutant line X61 flowers 35 days earlier than its original variety Gimbozu under a natural photoperiod in Kyoto (35°01'N). We attempted to identify the mutant gene conferring early heading to X61. Experimental results showed that the early heading of X61 was conferred by a complete loss of photoperiodic response due to a novel single recessive mutant gene se13. This locus interacts with two crucial photoperiod sensitivity loci, Se1 and E1. Wild type alleles at these two loci do not function in coexistence with se13 in a homozygous state, suggesting that Se13 is an upstream locus of the Se1 and E1 loci. Linkage analysis showed that Se13 is located in a 110 kb region between the two markers, INDEL3735&#95;1 and INDEL3735&#95;3 on chromosome 1. A database search suggested that the Se13 gene is identical to AK101395 (=OsHY2), which encodes phytochromobilin synthase, a key enzyme in phytochrome chromophore biosynthesis. Subsequent sequence analysis revealed that X61 harbors a 1 bp insertion in exon 1 of OsHY2, which induces a frame-shift mutation producing a premature stop codon. It is therefore considered that the complete loss of photoperiodic response of X61 is caused by a loss of function of the Se13 (OsHY2) gene involved in phytochrome chromophore biosynthesis.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasingly being recognized as a predictor for both end-stage renal disease and cardiovascular disease. The present study, conducted on individuals from a community in Arita, Japan, was designed to evaluate biomarkers that can be used to determine the associated factors for CKD., Methods: This study involved 1554 individuals. Kidney function was evaluated in terms of the creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), which was determined using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation. Low eGFR was defined as eGFR < 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2. The concentration of both urinary albumin and urinary type IV collagen were measured., Results: In the younger participants (age, <65 years), the odds ratio (95% confidence interval [CI]) of low eGFR was 1.17 (1.02 to 1.34) for each 1 year older age, 6.28 (1.41 to 28.03) for urinary albumin creatinine ratio (ACR) over 17.9 mg/g and 9.43 (2.55 to 34.91) for hyperlipidemia. On the other hand, among the elderly participants (age, > or = 65 years), the odds ratio (95% CI) of low eGFR was 2.97 (1.33 to 6.62) for gender, 1.62 (1.06 to 2.50) for hypertension and 1.97 (1.19 to 3.28) for hyperlipidemia. Urinary type IV collagen creatinine ratio was not identified as an associated factor for low eGFR., Conclusion: In this present cross-sectional community-based study, ACR is associated with CKD, which was defined as an eGFR of less than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2, in the younger participants but not in the older participants.