Honey loading for pollen collection: regulation of crop content in honeybee pollen foragers on leaving hive.

Before foraging honeybees leave the hive, each bee loads its crop with some amount of honey "fuel" depending on the distance to the food source and foraging experience. For pollen collection, there is evidence that foragers carry additional honey as "glue" to build pollen loads. This study examines whether pollen foragers of the European honeybee Apis mellifera regulate the size of the crop load according to food-source distances upon leaving the hive and how foraging experience affects load regulation. The crop contents of bees foraging on crape myrtle Lagerstroemia indica, which has no nectary, were larger than those foraging on nectar from other sources, confirming a previous finding that pollen foragers carry glue in addition to fuel honey from the hive. Crop contents of both waggle dancers and dance followers showed a significant positive correlation with waggle-run durations. These results suggest that bees carry a distance-dependent amount of fuel honey in addition to a fixed amount of glue honey. Crop contents on leaving the hive were statistically larger in dancers than followers. Based on these results, we suggest that pollen foragers use information obtained through foraging experience to adjust crop contents on leaving the hive.

Association of serum osteoprotegerin with vascular calcification in patients with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Osteoprotegerin is a member of the tumor necrosis factor-related family and inhibits RANK stimulation of osteoclast formation as a soluble decoy receptor. The goal of this study was to determine the relationship of serum osteoprotegerin with vascular calcification in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: The subjects were 124 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, including 88 males and 36 females with a mean (± SD) age of 65.6 ± 8.2 years old. Serum levels of osteoprotegerin, osteocalcin, fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and adiponectin were measured by ELISA. Vascular calcification in the cervical artery was examined by ultrasound sonography. The subjects were divided into 4 quartiles depending on serum osteoprotegerin levels. RESULTS: Vascular calcification was significantly higher in the 4th quartile and significantly lower in the 1st quartile of serum osteoprotegerin levels, compared to other quartiles. There were no differences in serum osteoprotegerin and vascular calcification among patients with different stages of diabetic nephropathy, but serum FGF23 levels were elevated in those with stage 4 diabetic nephropathy. Simple regression analysis showed that serum osteoprotegerin levels had significant positive correlations with age, systolic blood pressure and serum adiponectin levels, and significant negative correlations with BMI and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that elevated serum osteoprotegerin may be involved in vascular calcification independently of progression of diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Hyponatremia is the valuable manifestation for initiating diagnosis of hypopituitarism in elderly.

The present study was undertaken to determine clinical features of hypopituitarism in elderly subjects. Thirty-one elderly patients with hypopituitarism were enrolled. They were 19 males and 12 females, with the ages of 70.7±5.4 years ranging from 62 to 80 years. High prevalence of hyponatremia (80.6%) and hypoglycemia (29.0%) was found, and it was totally different from that in hypopituitarism from general population. There were two groups of hyponatremia derived from their clinical courses, namely, acute deterioration of hyponatremia and chronically persistent hyponatremia. Analysis for deficient hormones clearly showed that ACTH deficiency was highly found in 30 of 31 patients. There was no difference in serum cortisol levels between the hyponatremic and normonatremic patients. Despite hypoosmolality, plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) was apparently high in the hyponatremic patients compared with in the normonatremic ones. The present study indicates that hyponatremia is the valuable finding for initiating diagnosis of hypopituitarism, and that augmented release of AVP may be involved in developing hyponatremia in elderly patients with hypopituitarism.

Prompt increases in retinol-binding protein 4 and endothelial progenitor cells during acute exercise load in diabetic subjects.

The present study was undertaken to determine whether acute exercise load alters serum retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) and numbers of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) in diabetic subjects. Sixty-two subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus were enrolled in the present study. They were 50 males and 12 females with the ages of 65.1±8.1 (mean ± SD) years. Cardio-pulmonary exercise stress test (CPX) was carried out, and the numbers of EPC and serum RBP4 levels before and after the CPX were measured. RBP4 is a cytokine synthesized in hepatocytes, white adipose tissues and skeletal muscles, and serum RBP4 was determined by ELISA. EPC was determined as CD34(+)/133(+) cells by FACS. The subjects were subgrouped into two groups with or without nephropathy. Serum RBP4 levels promptly increased from 48.2±4.3 (mean±SEM) to 54.3±4.2 µg/mL after the CPX (mean exercise time of 8 min) in the diabetic subjects without nephropathy (p=0.0006), but did not in those with nephropathy. There was a positive correlation between changes in serum RBP4 during the exercise and estimated glomerular filtration rate (r=0.30, p=0.018). Also, an acute exercise load promptly increased the number of EPCs in the diabetic subjects with and without nephropathy. These findings suggest that a prompt increase in exercise-induced RBP4 is retarded by progression of nephropathy, and that an exercise-induced mobilization of EPCs could maintain endothelial cells in diabetic subjects.

Central diabetes insipidus and hypothalamic type of hypopituitarism associated with atypical location of Rathke's cleft cyst.

A 68-year-old woman was admitted to determine the pathogenesis of weight loss and polyuria. Physical findings on admission showed BMI of 20.9, blood pressure of 147/69 mmHg, and that she had ciliac, axillar and pubic hair loss. Laboratory findings showed that plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) was 4.6 pg/mL with serum cortisol of 1.2 µg/dL. Serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were markedly reduced. Serum growth hormone (GH) and insulin growth factor (IGF)-1 were 0.054 ng/mL and 25 ng/mL, respectively. Serum prolactin was as high as 85.6 ng/mL. The levels of all the pituitary hormones were elevated in response to a mixture of exogenous corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH), thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), and growth hormone-releasing hormone (GRH). However, there was no response of ACTH and GH release to insulin-induced hypoglycemia and no response of LH and FSH release to clomiphene. Urine volume was more than 4,000 mL, with low urine osmolality of 134 mmol/kg. Plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) was 0.8 pg/mL. There was no increase in urine osmolality and plasma AVP in response to 5% hypertonic saline load. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed Rathke's cleft cyst at the pituitary stalk level, but there was no abnormal finding in the hypothalamus. These findings indicate central diabetes insipidus and hypothalamic type of hypopituitarism, resulting from the atypical location of Rathke's cleft cyst.

CpG methylation in the hexamerin 110 gene in the European honeybee, Apis mellifera.

The European honeybee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), has a full set of machinery for functional CpG methylation of its genome. A recent study demonstrated that DNA methylation in the honeybee is involved in caste differentiation. In this study, the expression and methylation of the hexamerin 110 gene (Hex110), which encodes a storage protein, was analyzed. High levels of the Hex110 transcript were expressed in both worker and queen larvae. Low levels of this transcript were also detected in adult fat bodies, and the expression level was higher in the queen than in the worker. Bisulfite sequencing revealed that the Hex110 gene is overall methylated at a low level, with a limited number of CpG sites methylated at relatively high levels. These highly methylated sites were exclusively located in the exon regions. The average methylation rate of the Hex110 gene was higher in the adult stage than in the larval stage. Furthermore, several CpG sites were differentially methylated between the worker and queen larvae. These observations suggest that the methylation of the Hex110 gene is regulated at the developmental stage and in a caste-dependent manner.

Elevation of plasma retinol-binding protein 4 and reduction of plasma adiponectin in subjects with cerebral infarction.

The present study was undertaken to determine plasma retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) and adiponectin levels in subjects with cerebral infarction. Fifty-eight subjects with cerebral infarction and 53 age- and sex-matched control subjects were enrolled. Plasma RBP4, adiponectin, and high-molecular-weight adiponectin were measured by the method of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Plasma RBP4 was 16.4 +/- 2.8 microg/mL in the subjects with cerebral infarction, a value significantly greater than that of 10.1 +/- 1.2 microg/mL in the controls (P = .044). Inversely, plasma adiponectin was significantly less in the subjects with cerebral infarction than the control subjects (8.1 +/- 0.8 vs 10.8 +/- 0.7 microg/mL, P = .015). However, there was no difference in plasma high-molecular-weight adiponectin between the 2 groups of subjects. In the control subjects, there were negative correlations between plasma RBP4 and adiponectin and between plasma RBP4 and high-molecular-weight adiponectin levels; and they totally disappeared in the subjects with cerebral infarction. The multiple regression analysis showed that adiponectin and hypertension were independent factors contributing to cerebral infarction (P < .001). These findings indicate that hypoadiponectinemia is concomitantly involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, and that an elevation of plasma RBP4 may be a useful marker for the development of atherosclerosis, in subjects with cerebral infarction.

[Understanding and support for children with autism spectrum and developmental disorders--looking steadily at peaceful lives in adolescence].

For a long time autism spectrum and developmental disorders have not been well understood. Treatment and education for children with this disorders have been inappropriate in many ways. Although this fact was not obvious until many such children began to demonstrate secondary emotional disturbances including social withdrawal, social aggression, delinquency, domestic violence and momicide. This discourse describes advances in research and practice of clinical and psycho-neurological for autism spectrum in recent years. In addition, I suggest policies and measures for therapeutic education that will avoid secondary symptoms allowing these individuals to conduct their lives in socially independent directions.

An increase in serum retinol-binding protein 4 in the type 2 diabetic subjects with nephropathy.

UNLABELLED: The present study was undertaken to determine retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) levels in subjects with diabetic nephropathy. A total of 149 type 2 diabetic subjects and 19 control subjects were enrolled. Serum levels of RBP4 were measured by a method of ELISA. Serum RBP4 levels were significantly greater in the subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus than the controls (70.5 +/- 35.3 vs. 40.1 +/- 13.0 microg/ml, mean +/- SD, p<0.01). Serum RBP4 levels were gradually increased according to the progression of diabetic nephropathy (p value in trend test: <0.001). Its elevation was significantly greater in the diabetic subjects with stages 1, 3B and 4 than the control subjects (Stage 1: 64.6 +/- 29.7, Stage 3B: 123.3 +/- 71.8, Stage 4: 91.4 +/- 33.8 vs. CONTROL: 40.1 +/- 13.0 microg/ml, p<0.01). Similar results were obtained in the subjects based on the amount of albuminuria (Normo-: 64.6 +/- 29.7, Micro-: 63.7 +/- 29.4, and Marcoalbuminuria: 90.3 +/- 44.6 microg/ml, p <0.001). Serum RBP4 levels had a positive correlation with serum creatinine levels(r = 0.377, p<0.001), and a negative correlation with 1/creatinine (r = -0.420, p<0.001). Also, there was a negative correlation between serum RBP4 and the estimated glomerular filtration rate(r = -0.436, p<0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed that estimated glomerular filtration rate was an independent determinant for increased serum RBP4 levels. There was no difference in serum RBP4 levels between the advanced nephropathy with and without macrovascular diseases. These results indicate an increase in serum RBP4 levels in the type 2 diabetic subjects, particularly complicated with advanced renal impairment.

Influence of age and juvenile hormone on brain dopamine level in male honeybee (Apis mellifera): association with reproductive maturation.

Dopamine (DA) is a major functional biogenic amine in insects and has been suggested to regulate reproduction in female honeybees. However, its function has not been investigated in male drones. To clarify developmental changes of DA in drones, brain DA levels were investigated at various ages and showed a similar pattern to the previously reported juvenile hormone (JH) hemolymph titer. The DA level was lowest at emergence and peaked at day 7 or 8, followed by decline. Application of JH analog increased brain DA levels in young drones (2-4-days-old), suggesting regulation of DA by JH in drones. In young drones, maturation of male reproductive organs closely matched the increase in brain DA. The dry weight of testes decreased and that of seminal vesicles increased from emergence to day 8. The dry weight of mucus glands increased up to day 4. Consequently, DA regulated by JH might have reproductive behavior and/or physiological functions in drones.

Clinical and laboratory features of hyponatremia-induced myopathy.

BACKGROUND: The present study was undertaken to determine the clinical and laboratory features of hyponatremia-induced myopathy. METHODS: We collected 14 hyponatremic subjects (six men and eight women) with serum creatine kinase (CK) levels of more than 500 IU/ml during the 5-year period between 2001 and 2005. The mean +/- SD patients' age was 66.5 +/- 16.7 years (range, 37 to 88 years). RESULTS: The causes of the hyponatremia were: syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH; n = 4), mineralocorticoid-responsive hyponatremia of the elderly (MRHE; n = 2), hypopituitarism (n = 1), psychogenic polydipsia (n = 3), congestive heart failure (n = 3), and unknown cause (n = 1). The subjects were subgrouped into two groups: acute onset of myopathy and slowly progressive onset. The age at onset was 62.0 +/- 5.7 years (mean +/- SEM) in the subjects with acute onset, and 77.8 +/- 1.5 years in those with slowly progressive onset (P = 0.02). At the onset, there was no difference in serum Na levels between the acute onset and the slowly progressive onset groups, but there was a significant difference in maximal serum CK levels between the groups (7072 +/- 2317 vs 722 +/- 104 IU/ml; P = 0.02). Maximal serum CK levels were widely distributed among the ages in the subjects with acute onset, whereas maximal serum CK levels were mildly elevated in the elderly subjects with slowly progressive onset. The elevated serum CK levels were normalized at a maximum of 14 days after the onset in all the subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings indicate that hyponatremia infrequently causes skeletal muscle disruption, and that there are two types of hyponatremia-induced myopathy, acute onset and slowly progressive onset.

New HLA DRB1 and DQB1 haplotypes in a pedigree of familial Graves' disease in Japan.

The present study demonstrated genetic analysis of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) in a familial Graves' disease linked to autoimmune mechanism. The proband was a 17 year-old female. At 15 years, Graves' disease was diagnosed with serum TSH was <0.015 IU/ml; free T(3), 13.6 pg/ml; free T(4), 4.51 ng/dl; and TSH receptor antibody (TRAb), 94.1%. She had two brothers (19 and 13 years-old), who manifested Graves' disease at 18 and 13 years, respectively. They also had elevated TRAb as high as 48.4 and 49.1%, respectively. There was a strong family history of Graves' disease in their maternal pedigree. Namely, their two aunts and a cousin had Graves' disease, and their onset ages of Graves' disease were also during their teen-age years. However, there was no patient with Graves' disease in the paternal pedigree. We checked HLA-DRB and -DQB haplotype in the members of maternal pedigree and proband's father. The members of maternal pedigree including both affected and unaffected Graves' disease had haplotypes of DRB1*150101 and DQB1*0602, except for the cousin who had DRB1*140301 and DQB1*030101. The haplotypes of DRB1*150101 and DQB1*0602 were different from susceptible HLA types in Japanese childhood onset Graves' disease. However, two cases of Graves' disease also had HLA types of DRB1*40501 and DQB1*0401, in addition to the haplotypes of DRB1*150101 and DQB1*0602. There was no other autoimmune disease including type 1 diabetes mellitus in their family. The present findings indicated that familial Graves' disease was found mainly in the maternal females and become overt during their teen-age years. They had new HLA haplotypes distinct from those susceptibly in Japanese Graves' patients. Further study will be necessary to analyze the mutant locus of DNA to elucidate pathogenesis of familial Graves' disease.

Hypoadiponectinemia in patients with cerebral infarction: comparison with other atherosclerotic disorders.

The present study was undertaken to determine serum adiponectin level in patients with cerebral infarction and to further analyze any difference in serum adiponectin levels among atherosclerotic disorders. One hundred fifty-two subjects with atherosclerotic disorders were enrolled, 110 males and 42 females, with the age of 67.0 +/- 9.9 years (mean +/- SD). They were divided into 62 patients with cerebral infarction, 48 patients with ischemic heart disease, and 42 patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans. Thirty-two subjects matched by age, gender, and body mass index served as controls. Serum adiponectin levels were 7.2 +/- 0.6 microg/mL (mean +/- SE) in the patients with cerebral infarction, 7.2 +/- 0.8 microg/mL in those with ischemic heart disease, and 6.9 +/- 0.9 microg/mL in those with arteriosclerosis obliterans. They were significantly less than the level of 12.6 +/- 1.9 microg/mL in the control group (P < 0.01). However, there was no difference in serum adiponectin level among three groups of atherosclerotic disorders. In the patients with acute cerebral infarction, serum adiponectin level was temporarily reduced from 7.3 +/- 0.9 to 6.2 +/- 0.8 microg/mL 14 days after the hospitalization (P < 0.01), followed by recovery to the basal value. The present findings indicate that serum adiponectin levels are equivalently reduced in patients with atherosclerotic disorders, and that serum adiponectin is changeable under acute phase of cerebral infarction.

[TEACCH].

TEACCH Program found in North Carolina forty years ago has been developed and spread out all over the world for it's effectiveness. People with developmental disorders and autism have been given life-long support and collaboration to live and work together with people around them in their community with the principle and practical methods of visual-structuring through the program.

Associative visual learning, color discrimination, and chromatic adaptation in the harnessed honeybee Apis mellifera L.

We studied associative visual learning in harnessed honeybees trained with monochromatic lights associated with a reward of sucrose solution delivered to the antennae and proboscis, to elicit the proboscis extension reflex (PER). We demonstrated five properties of visual learning under these conditions. First, antennae deprivation significantly increased visual acquisition, suggesting that sensory input from the antennae interferes with visual learning. Second, covering the compound eyes with silver paste significantly decreased visual acquisition, while covering the ocelli did not. Third, there was no significant difference in the visual acquisition between nurse bees, guard bees, and foragers. Fourth, bees conditioned with a 540-nm light stimulus exhibited light-induced PER with a 618-nm, but not with a 439-nm light stimulus. Finally, bees conditioned with a 540-nm light stimulus exhibited PER immediately after the 439-nm light was turned off, suggesting that the bees reacted to an afterimage induced by prior adaptation to the 439-nm light that might be similar to the 540-nm light.

Alteration in risk factor accumulations of acute myocardial infarction during the last one decade: analysis of patients admitted in Coronary Care Unit.

The present study was undertaken to determine accumulation of risk factors in acute myocardial infarction during two periods of 2002 and 1990-1991. We collected 173 and 153 patients with acute myocardial infarction in 2002 and 1990-1991, respectively, and analyzed the history of multiple risk factors, including diabetes mellitus, impaired glucose tolerance, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and obesity, and laboratory findings. The numbers and their percentages of all the risk factors increased in 2002 compared with 1990-1991. According to plasma glucose level, the patients who had type 2 diabetes mellitus, and impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance had increased markedly from 41 to 65%. Multiple accumulation of risk factors had increased during the last one decade, and only one or no risk factor per se was not the case in the patients with acute myocardial infarction. Hyperlipidemia and hypertension became fairly controlled in the patients, but not hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus in the period of 2002. These findings may indicate that increased multiple accumulation of risk factors accelerates the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction in 2002 as compared to 1990-1991.

Full-blown Cushing's disease after an episode of pituitary apoplexy.

The present study reports a rare case of full-blown Cushing's disease several years after an episode of pituitary apoplexy. A 60 year-old woman complained of muscular weakness and generalized malaise. Ten years ago she had an episode of pituitary apoplexy. Diabetes mellitus was diagnosed at age 56, and thereafter she had been controlled her plasma glucose with diet therapy and oral hypoglycemic agents. She exhibited cushingoid feature of moon face and central obesity. Both plasma ACTH and serum cortisol levels were elevated to 170 pg/ml and 19.6 microg/dl, respectively. Dexamethasone suppression test showed that a large dose of 8 mg dexamethasone, but not a small dose of 2 mg, suppressed the pituitary-adrenocortical axis. CRH and methyrapone caused increases in plasma ACTH and serum cortisol levels. Brain T(1)-weighted magnetic resonance imaging depicted a low signal of pituitary tumor, which was not enhanced by gadolinium. The pituitary tumor was removed by transsphenoidal adenomectomy, and immunohistochemistry revealed an ACTH-producing adenoma. The evidence suggested the possibility that the two pituitary tumors with dormant period of several years were a recurrence of ACTH-producing tumors in the present patient.

Insect signalling: components of giant hornet alarm pheromone.

Up to 74 people die each year in Japan after being stung by Hymenopteran insects, with hornets (Vespa spp.) being among the worst offenders. Here we identify a volatile, multi-component alarm pheromone in the venom of the world's largest hornet, V. mandarinia, and use field bioassays to show that 2-pentanol is its principal active component, and that 3-methyl-1-butanol and 1-methylbutyl 3-methylbutanoate act synergistically with it. The compound 1-methylbutyl 3-methylbutanoate, which may also be a foraging-site-marking pheromone, elicits a strong defensive reaction in the sympatric prey hornet V. simillima xanthoptera. As these chemicals are sometimes used in food flavourings and as fragrances in cosmetics, it is possible that they might provoke a seemingly unwarranted hornet attack on humans.