Propyne (p-C3H4) or allene (a-C3H4) mixtures, highly diluted with Ar, were heated to the temperature range 1200-1570 K at pressures of 1.7-2.6 atm behind reflected shock waves. The thermal decompositions of propyne and allene were studied by both measuring the profiles of the IR emission at 3.48 p m or 5.18 pm and analyzing the concentrations of reacted gas mixtures. The mechanism and the rate constant expressions were discussed from both the profiles and the concentrations of reactant and products obtained. The rate constant expressions for reactions, (1) p-C3H4 --$ a-C3H4,

A proteomic approach was used to identify proteins affected by salt in the halophyte C(4) plant Aeluropus lagopoides (Poaceae) in an attempt to understand the mechanism of salt tolerance. Plants were treated with 450 mM NaCl for 10 days, and proteins were then extracted from the shoots and separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A total of 1805 protein spots were detected, of which 39 were up-regulated and 44 were down-regulated by treatment with NaCl. Metabolism-related proteins were up-regulated, whereas photosynthesis-related proteins were down-regulated. Dose-dependence studies showed that the up-regulation continued at NaCl concentrations above 450 mM for defense-related proteins alone. Western blot analysis confirmed the down-regulation of RuBisCO LSU and RuBisCO SSU and severe down-regulation of RuBisCO activase. The activity of glyoxalase I increased with increasing NaCl concentration. Metabolome studies indicated up-regulation of amino acids and down-regulation of tricarboxylic acid cycle-related metabolites. These studies suggest that up-regulation of energy formation, amino acid biosynthesis, C(4) photosynthesis, and detoxification are the main strategies for salt tolerance in A. lagopoides.

IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a fascinating clinical entity proposed by Japanese investigators, and includes a wide variety of diseases, formerly diagnosed as Mikulicz's disease (MD), autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), interstitial nephritis, prostatitis, retroperitoneal fibrosis, etc. Although all clinicians in every field of medicine may encounter this new disease, a unifying diagnostic criterion has not been established. In 2011, the Japanese IgG4 team, organized by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) of Japan, published comprehensive diagnostic criteria for IgG4-RD. Several problems with these criteria have arisen in clinical practice, however, including the difficulty obtaining biopsy samples from some patients, and the sensitivity and the specificity of techniques used to measure serum IgG4 concentrations. Although serum IgG4 concentration is an important clinical marker for IgG4-RD, its diagnostic utility in differentiating IgG4-RD from other diseases, called IgG4-RD mimickers, remains unclear. This review describes the current optimal approach for the diagnosis of IgG4-RD, based on both comprehensive and organ-specific diagnostic criteria, in patients with diseases such as IgG4-related pancreatitis (AIP), sclerosing cholangitis, and renal, lung and orbital diseases.

Flooding is a serious problem for soybeans because it reduces growth and grain yield. Proteomic and metabolomic techniques were used to examine whether mitochondrial function is altered in soybeans by flooding stress. Mitochondrial fractions were purified from the roots and hypocotyls of 4-day-old soybean seedlings that had been flooded for 2 days. Mitochondrial matrix and membrane proteins were separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and blue-native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, respectively. Differentially expressed proteins and metabolites were identified using mass spectrometry. Proteins and metabolites related to the tricarboxylic acid cycle and γ-amino butyrate shunt were up-regulated by flooding stress, while inner membrane carrier proteins and proteins related to complexes III, IV, and V of the electron transport chains were down-regulated. The amounts of NADH and NAD were increased; however, ATP was significantly decreased by flooding stress. These results suggest that flooding directly impairs electron transport chains, although NADH production increases in the mitochondria through the tricarboxylic acid cycle.

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IgG4-related disease is a new disease classification established in Japan in the 21st century. Patients with IgG4-related disease display hyper-IgG4-gammaglobulinemia, massive infiltration of IgG4+ plasma cells into tissue, and good response to glucocorticoids. Since IgG4 overexpression is also observed in other disorders, it is necessary to diagnose IgG4-related disease carefully and correctly. We therefore sought to determine cutoff values for serum IgG4 and IgG4/IgG and for IgG4+/IgG+ plasma cells in tissue diagnostic of IgG4-related disease. Patients and Methods. We retrospectively analyzed serum IgG4 concentrations and IgG4/IgG ratio and IgG4+/IgG+ plasma cell ratio in tissues of 132 patients with IgG4-related disease and 48 patients with other disorders. Result. Serum IgG4 >135  mg/dl demonstrated a sensitivity of 97.0% and a specificity of 79.6% in diagnosing IgG4-related disease, and serum IgG4/IgG ratios >8% had a sensitivity and specificity of 95.5% and 87.5%, respectively. IgG4+cell/IgG+ cell ratio in tissues >40% had a sensitivity and specificity of 94.4% and 85.7%, respectively. However, the number of IgG4+ cells was reduced in severely fibrotic parts of tissues. Conclusion. Although a recent unanimous consensus of all relevant researchers in Japan recently established the diagnostic criteria for IgG4-related disease, findings such as ours indicate that further discussion is needed.

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Polysaccharides extracted from Himematsutake, the fruiting body of Agaricus blazei Murill with hot water were fractionated and purified by ethanol precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography, gel-filtration, affinity chromatography, etc. A total of 17 polysaccharide samples thus obtained were given an antitumor activity test (Sarcoma 180/mice up. p.o. method) and traces of their activities through the fractionation and purification processes were found.FI0-a-/J, FA-l-a-a, FA-l-a-/J, and FA-2-b-/?, were obtained as water soluble polysaccharides fractions having great antitumor activities.Analyses of physico-chemical properties and IR-and NMR-spectra of these active fractions showed that their main components were: