Antifouling Brominated Diterpenoids from Japanese Marine Red Alga Laurencia venusta Yamada.

The marine red algal genus Laurencia has abundant halogenated secondary metabolites, which exhibit novel structural types and possess various unique biological potentials, including antifouling activity. In this study, we report the isolation, structure elucidation, and antifouling activities of two novel brominated diterpenoids, aplysin-20 aldehyde (1), 13-dehydroxyisoaplysin-20 (2), and its congeners. We screened marine red alga Laurencia venusta Yamada for their antifouling activity against the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Ethyl acetate extracts of L. venusta from Hiroshima and Chiba, Japan, were isolated and purified, and the compound structures were identified using 1D and 2D NMR, HR-APCI-MS, IR, and chemical synthesis. Seven secondary metabolites were identified, and their antifouling activities were evaluated. Compounds 1, 2, and aplysin-20 (3) exhibited strong activities against M. galloprovincialis. Therefore, these compounds can be explored as natural antifouling drugs.

New acetogenin katsuurallene from Laurencia saitoi collected from Katsuura, Japan.

We examined the chemical constitution of the red alga Laurencia saitoi Perestenko, collected from Katsuura, Boso Peninsula, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. This specimen produced a new polyhalogenated acetogenin, named katsuurallene (1), which structure was determined by the spectral methods, along with known diterpene, deoxyparguerol (2) and triterpene, thyrsiferol (3). In this paper we describe the structural elucidation of katsuurallene together with some biological activities.

[A Case of Complete Response with S-1 plus Cisplatin Therapy Following Distal Gastrectomy for AFP-Producing Gastric Cancer with Liver Metastasis].

A 67-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of nausea, anorexia and tarry stool. In the blood examination, serum α-fetoprotein(AFP)level was 1,650 ng/mL, and the upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showed a large hemorrhage tumor at the gastric body. Abdominal enhanced computed tomography(CT)showed a solitary mass in segment 4 of the liver. We performed distal gastrectomy, and administered S-1 plus cisplatin therapy. After 13 months, abdominal CT showed complete response for the metastatic tumor according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Because of adverse events, S-1 monotherapy was administered from postoperative month 23. The patients survived for 66 months with no recurrence.

Two new brominated C15-acetogenins from the red alga Laurencia japonensis.

We report on the chemical characteristics of the red alga Laurencia japonensis, collected off the coast of Yoshio, Katsuura, Boso Peninsula, Japan. We isolated two new brominated C15-acetogenins in this species, which we name katsuurenyne A (1) and katsuurenyne B (2), along with two already known halogenated terpenes [2,10-dibromo-3-chloro-α-chamigrene (7) and aplysiadiol (8)]. We extensively analysed spectral data (from IR, ESI-MS, 1D-NMR and 2D-NMR) to confirm the structure of these compounds.

[A case of pancreatic and duodenal fistula after total gastrectomy successfully treated with coagulation factor XIII].

Pancreatic fistula( PF) is a challenging postoperative complication. We report a case of PF following gastrectomy successfully treated using intravenous coagulation factor XIII( FXIII).A 78-year-old man with early gastric cancer underwent total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction. PF developed postoperatively, following which, leakage from the duodenal stump was observed. Percutaneous drainage and re-operative surgery were performed. A somatostatin analogue, antibiotic drugs, and gabexate mesilate were administrated along with nutritional support. The pancreatic and duodenal fistula had been producing duodenal juice for over 30 days since the re-operative surgery. As suspected, reduced FXIII activity was confirmed in the patient. After administering FXIII for 5 days, the amount of duodenal juice from the fistula markedly reduced, and the fistula closed immediately afterwards. The results of our study suggest that administration of FXIII could be a reasonable and effective treatment for patients with pancreatic or/and enterocutaneous fistula who are resistant to standard treatments.

A NEW LOOK AT AN ANCIENT ORDER: GENERIC REVISION OF THE BANGIALES (RHODOPHYTA)(1).

The red algal order Bangiales has been revised as a result of detailed regional studies and the development of expert local knowledge of Bangiales floras, followed by collaborative global analyses based on wide taxon sampling and molecular analyses. Combined analyses of the nuclear SSU rRNA gene and the plastid RUBISCO LSU (rbcL) gene for 157 Bangiales taxa have been conducted. Fifteen genera of Bangiales, seven filamentous and eight foliose, are recognized. This classification includes five newly described and two resurrected genera. This revision constitutes a major change in understanding relationships and evolution in this order. The genus Porphyra is now restricted to five described species and a number of undescribed species. Other foliose taxa previously placed in Porphyra are now recognized to belong to the genera Boreophyllum gen. nov., Clymene gen. nov., Fuscifolium gen. nov., Lysithea gen. nov., Miuraea gen. nov., Pyropia, and Wildemania. Four of the seven filamentous genera recognized in our analyses already have generic names (Bangia, Dione, Minerva, and Pseudobangia), and are all currently monotypic. The unnamed filamentous genera are clearly composed of multiple species, and few of these species have names. Further research is required: the genus to which the marine taxon Bangia fuscopurpurea belongs is not known, and there are also a large number of species previously described as Porphyra for which nuclear SSU ribosomal RNA (nrSSU) or rbcL sequence data should be obtained so that they can be assigned to the appropriate genus.

Buckling, stiffening, and negative dissipation in the dynamics of a biopolymer in an active medium.

We present a generic theory for the dynamics of a stiff filament under tension, in an active medium with orientational correlations, such as a microtubule in contractile actin. In sharp contrast to the case of a passive medium, we find the filament can stiffen, and possibly oscillate or buckle, depending on both the contractile or tensile nature of the activity and the filament-medium anchoring interaction. We also demonstrate a strong violation of the fluctuation-dissipation (FD) relation in the effective dynamics of the filament, including a negative FD ratio. Our approach is also of relevance to the dynamics of axons, and our model equations bear a remarkable formal similarity to those in recent work [Martin P, Hudspeth AJ, Juelicher F (2001) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 98:14380-14385] on auditory hair cells. Detailed tests of our predictions can be made by using a single filament in actomyosin extracts or bacterial suspensions.

GENETIC DIVERSITY AND INTROGRESSION IN TWO CULTIVATED SPECIES (PORPHYRA YEZOENSIS AND PORPHYRA TENERA) AND CLOSELY RELATED WILD SPECIES OF PORPHYRA (BANGIALES, RHODOPHYTA)(1).

We investigated the genetic variations of the samples that were tentatively identified as two cultivated Porphyra species (Porphyra yezoensis Ueda and Porphyra tenera Kjellm.) from various natural populations in Japan using molecular analyses of plastid and nuclear DNA. From PCR-RFLP analyses using nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA and plastid RUBISCO spacer regions and phylogenetic analyses using plastid rbcL and nuclear ITS-1 rDNA sequences, our samples from natural populations of P. yezoensis and P. tenera showed remarkably higher genetic variations than found in strains that are currently used for cultivation. In addition, it is inferred that our samples contain four wild Porphyra species, and that three of the four species, containing Porphyra kinositae, are closely related to cultivated Porphyra species. Furthermore, our PCR-RFLP and molecular phylogenetic analyses using both the nuclear and plastid DNA demonstrated the occurrence of plastid introgression from P. yezoensis to P. tenera and suggested the possibility of plastid introgression from cultivated P. yezoensis to wild P. yezoensis. These results imply the importance of collecting and establishing more strains of cultivated Porphyra species and related wild species from natural populations as genetic resources for further improvement of cultivated Porphyra strains.

PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE STYLONEMATALES (STYLONEMATOPHYCEAE, RHODOPHYTA): BIOGEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS DO NOT APPLY TO STYLONEMA ALSIDII(1).

The Stylonematales is the sole order of the Stylonematophyceae. The order consists of a mixture of filamentous or unicellular taxa that are small, grow on various surfaces, and are described from many floras, indicating that they may be cosmopolitan. Such ubiquity has been proposed to be due to properties of microorganisms, such as large population sizes, rather than human-derived phenomena. While their small nature makes most records fortuitous, we targeted these red algae to get a better understanding of their global distribution, genetic variation, and phylogeographic relationships. Our results indicated that the genera are mostly well supported, except for the position of Stylonema cornu-cervi with Goniotrichopsis reniformis, while intergeneric relationships are mostly unsupported. The most commonly isolated species was Stylonema alsidii. Within this species, several well-supported clades were present. The phylogeographic relationships in S. alsidii showed no obvious biogeographic pattern, with supported clades containing samples from disparate locations, and multiple samples from the same area not grouping together. Some clades showed little genetic variation and wide distributions, possibly indicating human-derived dispersal. Other clades, also with wide distribution, showed more genetic structure and could be candidates for groups formed by natural long-distance dispersal. While all issues on ubiquity cannot be answered with this data set, it would appear that at least S. alsidii is a true ubiquitous taxon. The sister relationship of Rufusia pilicola to the remaining Stylonematophyceae, the presence of the carbohydrate floridoside, and this species' unusual habitat indicate that it belongs to a new order, Rufusiales.

Simulation of DNA motion in a microchannel using stochastic rotation dynamics.

The authors propose a method to simulate the DNA motion in microchannels of complex geometry. It is based on stochastic rotation dynamics using a new scheme for the boundary condition. The method enables them to define a boundary wall of arbitrary shape and to describe a wall moving at an arbitrary velocity. As an application, they simulate the motion of DNA in Poiseuille flow between two parallel planes and show that DNA molecules tend to concentrate near the center of the channel in agreement with experimental results.

[Results of survey of adult community-acquired pneumonia utilizing flow chart of diagnostic guideline for management of respiratory infections].

We performed a nationwide survey of 1,258 patients to assess the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in Japan. Cases were classified as bacterial pneumonia in which the causal organism was unknown (Type A) or presumed (Type B), atypical pneumonia (Type C), severe pneumonia (Type D), or pneumonia in certain specific morbid states (Type E). Our objectives were to assess the actual use of antimicrobials and to determine the usefulness of the "Guidelines on Respiratory Infections--Basic Concepts in the Medical Care of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Adults", developed by the Guideline-Drafting Committee of the Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS), in differentiating these categories of patients. We also hoped to elicit constructive opinions that would contribute to future revisions of these guidelines. The findings showed that pneumonia was classified as "bacterial pneumonia in which the causal organism was unknown" in approximately half (50.2%) of the patients studied. The next most common classification was "severe pneumonia", followed by "atypical pneumonia", "bacterial pneumonia in which the causal organism was presumed", and "pneumonia in certain specific morbid states", in that order. Our results suggest that the JSR guidelines, including the methods for differentiating between bacterial pneumonia and atypical pneumonia, are useful and appropriate, and that antimicrobial agents were generally selected in accordance with the guidelines. We also identified a number of issues to be addressed in future updates of the guidelines, including criteria for physiological assessment, handling of cases in which physical findings and laboratory test results are not in agreement, age-related issues (especially the treatment of patients 65 years of age and older), the differentiation between bacterial pneumonia and atypical pneumonia, the weighing of underlying diseases and complications, and guidelines regarding the use of adjuvant therapy.