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Prophylactic intravenous nafamostat mesilate reduces the frequency of post-ERCP pancreatitis.

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A novel hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein (SbHRGP3) that consists of two different domains is encoded by an extensin gene from soybean. The first domain (domain 1) located at the N terminus is composed of 11 repeats of Ser-Pro4-Lys-His-Ser-Pro4-Tyr3-His, whereas the second domain (domain 2) at the C terminus contains five repeats of Ser-Pro4-Val-Tyr-Lys-Tyr-Lys-Ser-Pro4-Tyr-Lys-Tyr-Pro-Ser-Pro5-Tyr-Lys-T yr- Pro-Ser-Pro4-Val-Tyr-Lys-Tyr-Lys. These two repeat motifs are organized in an extremely well-ordered pattern in each domain, which suggests that SbHRGP3 belongs to a new group of proteins having the repeat motifs of two distinct groups of dicot extensins. The expression of the SbHRGP3 gene increased with seedling maturation, and its expression was relatively high in the mature regions of the hypocotyl and in the root of soybean seedlings. An SbHRGP3-beta-glucuronidase (SbHRGP3-GUS) chimeric gene was constructed and expressed in transgenic tobacco plants. The expression of the SbHRGP3-GUS gene was not induced by wounding alone in transgenic tobacco plants; sucrose was also required. Expression was specific to phloem tissues and cambium cells of leaves and stems. In transgenic tobacco seedlings, SbHRGP3-GUS gene expression was activated by the maturation of the primary root and then inactivated; however, reactivation was specifically at the epidermis of the zone from which the lateral root was to be initiated. Its reactivation occurred just before the lateral root initiation. These results indicate that the SbHRGP3 gene in different tissues responds to different signals.

The Association between Impaired FastingGlucose and Noise-induced Hearing Loss: Tae-Won Jang, et al. Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Korea-Objectives: This study was performed to determine whether there is an association between impaired fasting glucose and noise-induced hearing loss. Methods: The study subjects were workers in one automobile manufacturing company. The data were obtained from results of health examinations during 2005 and 2009. The factors analyzed were age, smoking and alcohol history, work duration, environmental noise level, hearing thresholds, blood pressure, serum creatinine, initial hearing threshold and fasting glucose. Results:The hearing thresholds at 4,000 Hz frequencies for both ears were significantly higher in 2009 than those in 2005. The changes in the hearing thresholds of the subjects with an impaired fasting glucose (100-125 mg/dl) and diabetes (≥126 mg/dl) were greater than those of the normal (<100 mg/dl) group. After adjusting for variables such as age, smoking and alcohol history, environmental noise, hypertension and serum creatinine, fasting glucose was found to be a significant variable. Impaired fasting glucose (100-125 mg/dl) was significant (β=1.339, p=0.002) for the right ear, whereas it was not significant (β=0.639, p=0.121) for the left ear. Conclusions: Impaired fasting glucose, as well as diabetes, might be risk factors for hearing loss in individuals with exposure to certain noise levels. The results of this study suggest that impaired fasting glucose should be considered a risk factor for hearing loss. (J Occup Health 2011; 53: 274-279)

BackgroundWhales have captivated the human imagination for millennia. These incredible cetaceans are the only mammals that have adapted to life in the open oceans and have been a source of human food, fuel and tools around the globe. The transition from land to water has led to various aquatic specializations related to hairless skin and ability to regulate their body temperature in cold water.ResultsWe present four common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) genomes with depth of ×13 ~ ×17 coverage and perform resequencing technology without a reference sequence. Our results indicated the time to the most recent common ancestors of common minke whales to be about 2.3574 (95% HPD, 1.1521 – 3.9212) million years ago. Further, we found that genes associated with epilation and tooth-development showed signatures of positive selection, supporting the morphological uniqueness of whales.ConclusionsThis whole-genome sequencing offers a chance to better understand the evolutionary journey of one of the largest mammals on earth.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1213-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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In mammals, sperm acquire their motility and ability to fertilize eggs in the epididymis. This maturation process involves the acquisition of particular proteins from the epididymis. One such secretory protein specifically expressed in the epididymis is Adam7 (a disintegrin and metalloprotease 7). Previous studies have shown that Adam7 that resides in an intracellular compartment of epididymal cells is transferred to sperm membranes, where its levels are dependent on the expression of Adam2 and Adam3, which have critical roles in fertilization. Here, using a proteomics approach based on mass spectrometry, we identified proteins that interact with Adam7 in sperm membranes. This analysis revealed that Adam7 forms complexes with calnexin (Canx), heat shock protein 5 (Hspa5), and integral membrane protein 2B (Itm2b). Canx and Hspa5 are molecular chaperones, and Itm2b is a type II integral membrane protein implicated in neurodegeneration. The interaction of Adam7 with these proteins was confirmed by immunoprecipitation-Western blot analysis. We found that Adam7 and Itm2b are located in detergent-resistant regions known to be highly correlated with membrane lipid rafts. We further found that the association of Adam7 with Itm2b is remarkably promoted during sperm capacitation owing to a conformational change of Adam7 that occurs in concert with the capacitation process. Thus, our results suggest that Adam7 functions in fertilization through the formation of a chaperone complex and enhanced association with Itm2b during capacitation in sperm.