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Anemonefishes are some of the most popular marine ornamental fishes. Due to the adverse impacts of commercial fishing on the wild populations of anemonefishes, a more suitable and efficient captive breeding programme must be promoted. In the wild, anemonefishes are protandrous sex-changing fish, but when two immature individuals with ambisexual gonads are raised together in captivity, the two differentiate directly into a male and a female, to form a breeding pair. However, not all the formed pairs spawn, explaining the great care required in captive breeding. This behaviour appears to be counter-adaptative, as anemonefish social groups form randomly in the wild, and such phenomenon would disturb their breeding success. This study evaluated the behavioural and physiological differences between breeding and nonbreeding pairs of false clown anemonefish Amphiprion ocellaris under captive conditions. Behavioural observations revealed that nonbreeding females monopolized the shelter provided, whereas breeding females allowed breeding males to use the shelter and the pair frequently stayed together in the shelter. Both nonbreeding and breeding females possessed mature ovarian tissue and similar level of plasma estradiol concentrations, but nonbreeding males had a smaller amount of testicular tissue and lower plasma 11-ketotestosterone levels compared to breeding males.

Ishida, S., Yoshida, T. & Terao, K. (2019) "Complex formation of a triple-helical peptide with sodium heparin," Polymer Journal, 51, 11, pp. 1181–1187., Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and circular dichroism measurements were carried out for NaHeparin and a triple-helical peptide, H-(Pro-Pro-Gly)10-OH (PPG10), in aqueous sodium chloride (NaCl) at ionic strengths of 20, 50, and 150 mM at different temperatures. While PPG10 forms a triple helix below 25 °C, the melting temperature of the triple helix in the mixed solution is considerably higher (~10 °C) at low CS values than without NaHeparin. Part of the PPG10 molecules formed complexes with NaHeparin in 20 and 50 mM aqueous NaCl at 15 °C, but all solutes were molecularly dispersed at 75 °C, indicating that only triple helices form complexes with NaHeparin. Electrostatic attraction plays an important role in the complexation, since no complex formation was observed in 150 mM aqueous NaCl. The scattering function of the complex was explained by the presence of a thick wormlike chain, indicating that the molecular shape is different from that of the previously investigated complex with polyacrylic acid and carboxymethyl amylose. This suggests appreciable attractive interaction between the triple-helical part of PPG10 and NaHeparin.

Background The open lung approach (OLA) reportedly has lung-protective effects against acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Recently, lowering of the driving pressure (ΔP), rather than improvement in lung aeration per se, has come to be considered as the primary lung-protective mechanism of OLA. However, the driving pressure-independent protective effects of OLA have never been evaluated in experimental studies. We here evaluated whether OLA shows protective effects against experimental ARDS even when the ΔP is not lowered. Methods Lipopolysaccharide was intratracheally administered to rats to establish experimental ARDS. After 24 h, rats were mechanically ventilated and randomly allocated to the OLA or control group. In the OLA group, 5 cmH2O positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and recruitment maneuver (RM) were applied. Neither PEEP nor RM was applied to the rats in the control group. Dynamic ΔP was kept at 15 cmH2O in both groups. After 6 h of mechanical ventilation, rats in both groups received RM to inflate reversible atelectasis of the lungs. Arterial blood gas analysis, lung computed tomography, histological evaluation, and comprehensive biochemical analysis were performed. Results OLA significantly improved lung aeration, arterial oxygenation, and gas exchange. Even after RM in both groups, the differences in these parameters between the two groups persisted, indicating that the atelectasis-induced respiratory dysfunction observed in the control group is not an easily reversible functional problem. Lung histological damage was severe in the dorsal dependent area in both groups, but was attenuated by OLA. White blood cell counts, protein concentrations, and tissue injury markers in the broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were higher in the control than in the OLA group. Furthermore, levels of CXCL-7, a platelet-derived chemokine, were higher in the BALF from the control group, indicating that OLA protects the lungs by suppressing platelet activation. Conclusions OLA shows protective effects against experimental ARDS, even when the ΔP is not decreased. In addition to reducing ΔP, maintaining lung aeration seems to be important for lung protection in ARDS.

At a metal–ferroelectric junction, it has been considered that the electric polarization of the ferroelectric material can affect the electronic structure of the neighboring metal. Here, we demonstrate that the valence state of Pd can be shifted to the unstable high value of 4+ by the electric field of electric polarization in ferroelectric BaTiO3. Study of the absorption fine structure of both hard and soft x rays revealed the existence of Pd4+ states on the surface of Pd oxide nanoparticles. The positions of Pd and oxygen atoms are shifted in opposite directions by the electric field due to the electric polarization of ferroelectric BaTiO3. The atomic displacement of Pd and O forms a zigzag structure, in which the coordination number of Pd atoms is changed from four to six, producing a quadrivalent state. This report presents experimental evidence that ferroelectric polarization can control the electronic states of neighboring metal atoms, and we suggest that using the ferroelectric support effect may produce a new type of catalyst.

Since the triple-helical collagen model peptides with a free N-terminus have three cationic groups at one end, it may have strong interactions with polyelectrolytes. In this study, complex formation behavior was investigated for sodium carboxymethyl amylose (NaCMA) + H-(Pro-Pro-Gly)10-OH (PPG10), a collagen model peptide, in aqueous NaCl with ionic strength of 10 mM and 100 mM by means of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and circular dichroism at different temperatures. The previously reported [Macromolecules 2012, 45, 392–400] sodium polyacrylate (NaPAA) and H-(Gly-Pro-4-(R)-Hyp)9-OH (GPO9) system was also investigated to elucidate complex formation nearby the transition temperature region between triple helix and single coil of the peptide. The complex formed near the melting temperature of the triple helices, confirmed that the triple helical structure is directly related to the complex formation.

We present the management of a 15-year-old girl with acute myeloid leukemia who presented with massive hyperleukocytosis and neurological deficit due to intracerebral hemorrhage. Surgical intervention was considered but ultimately not undertaken because of the presence of massive hyperleukocytosis, thrombocytopenia, hypokalemia, and considerable discrepancy between the oxygen saturation values determined mechanically and by peripheral oximetry. Aggressive treatment of the hyperleukocytosis was immediately started, which improved the patient's overall condition and rendered surgical intervention unnecessary. This report shows that immediate treatment of massive hyperleukocytosis and critical interpretation of laboratory results in patients with hyperleukocytosis are warranted.

BACKGROUND: Capnometry detects hypoventilation earlier than pulse oximetry while supplemental oxygen is being administered. We compared the end-tidal CO2 (PETCO2) measured using a newly developed oxygen nasal cannula with a CO2-sampling port and the PaCO2 in extubated subjects after abdominal surgery. We also investigated whether the difference between PaCO2 and PETCO2 is affected by resting, by spontaneous breathing with the mouth consciously closed, and by deep breathing with the mouth closed. METHODS: Adult post-abdominal surgery subjects admitted to the ICU were enrolled. After extubation, oxygen was supplied at 4 L/min using a capnometry-type oxygen cannula. The breathing frequency, PETCO2, and PaCO2 were measured after 30 min of oxygen supplementation. PETCO2 was continuously measured during rest, during breathing with the mouth consciously closed, and during deep breathing with the mouth closed. The difference between PETCO2 and PaCO2 during various breathing patterns was analyzed using the Bland-Altman method. RESULTS: Twenty subjects were included. The bias ± SD (limits of agreement) for breathing frequency measured by capnometry compared with those obtained by direct measurement was 0.4 ± 3.6 (−6.7 to 7.4). In PETCO2 compared with PaCO2, the biases (limits of agreement) were 14.8 ± 8.2 (−1.3 to 30.9) at rest, 10.2 ± 6.4 (−2.3 to 22.7) with the mouth closed, and 7.7 ± 5.6 (−3.2 to 18.6) for deep breathing with the mouth closed. PETCO2 determined using the capnometry device yielded unreliable and widely ranging values under various breathing patterns. However, deep breathing with the mouth closed decreased the difference between PETCO2 and PaCO2, as compared with other breathing patterns. CONCLUSIONS: PETCO2 measurements under deep breathing with mouth closed with a capnometry-type oxygen cannula improved the prediction of the absolute value of PaCO2 in extubated post-abdominal surgical subjects without respiratory dysfunction.

In patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), general anesthesia carries a significant risk of respiratory complications and may result in prolonged intubation. Epidural anesthesia may be a feasible alternative in selected cases but may impair respiratory function by producing intercostal muscle weakness. Here, we present a case of ALS who underwent emergency laparotomy that was successfully managed with epidural anesthesia and non-invasive positive pressure ventilation.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase-mediated growth factor signals are known to augment the ligand-induced transactivation function of nuclear estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) through phosphorylation of Ser-118 within the ERalpha N-terminal transactivation (activation function-1) domain. We identified the spliceosome component splicing factor (SF)3a p120 as a coactivator specific for human ERalpha (hERalpha) activation function-1 that physically associated with ERalpha dependent on the phosphorylation state of Ser-118. SF3a p120 potentiated hERalpha-mediated RNA splicing, and notably, the potentiation of RNA splicing by SF3a p120 depended on hER Ser-118 phosphorylation. Thus, our findings suggest a mechanism by which growth factor signaling can regulate gene expression through the modulation of RNA splicing efficiency via phosphorylation of sequence-specific activators, after association between such activators and the spliceosome.

The androgen receptor (AR) has two transactivation functions that have been mapped to the N- and C-terminal domains and designated as activation function-1 (AF-1) and AF-2, respectively. While the molecular basis for AF-2 function has been well studied, little is known about AF-1 coregulators. Therefore, we attempted to identify AF-1-interacting proteins from HEK293 cells by biochemical purification followed by mass fingerprinting by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI–TOF MS). Purified AF-1 region-interacting proteins were found to contain nuclear RNA-binding protein p54 nrb , polypyrimidine tract-binding protein-associated splicing factor (PSF), paraspeckle protein 1 (PSP1), and PSP2, which are assumed to be involved in pre-mRNA processing. p54 nrb interacted with AR via the A/B domain in a ligand-dependent manner. Reflecting the physical interaction between p54 nrb and the AR A/B domain, AR AF-1 function was potentiated by p54 nrb . Our results suggest that p54 nrb functions as a coactivator of AR that potentiates transcription, and presumably splicing as well.

The survival rates were studied of fertilized eggs, larvae, fry, and adults of pale chub Zacco platypus (Temminck and Schlegel) exposed to various concentrations of ammonia. There was a decrease in hatching rate and an increase in deformed alevins at a concentration of 0.9 mg liter −1 of ammonia. All alevins were deformed at a concentration of 1.6 mg liter −1 of ammonia and no eggs hatched at a concentration of 3.1 mg liter −1 of ammonia. No larvae survived for 84, 24 and 12 h at concentrations of 1.2, 2.0 and 4.7 mg liter −1 of ammonia, respectively. Eighty percent of the fry died after 168 h and no fry survived for 24 h at concentrations of 1.6 and 2.1 mg liter −1 of ammonia, respectively. Eighty percent of the adults died after 24 h and no adult survived for 12 h at concentrations of 1.0 and 1.9 mg liter −1 , respectively. Larger adults were the most susceptible to ammonia. The order of resistance to ammonia was eggs, fry, larvae, and adults.