Osaka University

About: Osaka University is a education organization based out in Osaka, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Laser & Catalysis. The organization has 83778 authors who have published 185669 publications receiving 5158122 citations. The organization is also known as: Ōsaka daigaku.

Adiponectin as a biomarker of the metabolic syndrome.

Abstract: Background The metabolic syndrome, a cluster of abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension and hyperglycemia, is a common basis for atherosclerotic vascular diseases in industrial countries exposed to overnutrition. Adiponectin is an adipose-derived plasma protein with anti-atherogenic and insulin-sensitizing activities. Methods and Results A total of 661 Japanese adults (479 men, 53±10 years; 182 women 56±10 years) were enrolled. Plasma adiponectin concentrations correlated negatively with waist circumference, visceral fat area, serum triglyceride concentration, fasting plasma glucose, fasting plasma insulin, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in both sexes. A positive correlation was found between plasma adiponectin and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations in both sexes. The mean number of components of the metabolic syndrome increased as the plasma adiponectin concentration decreased: 2.57±1.34 for men and 2.00±1.51 for women with adiponectin concentrations <4.0 μg/ml. In all, 52.3% of men and 37.5% of women with adiponectin concentrations <4.0 μg/ml fulfilled the criteria for metabolic syndrome. Conclusion Hypoadiponectinemia is closely associated with the clinical phenotype of the metabolic syndrome and measuring the plasma concentration of adiponectin may be useful for management of the metabolic syndrome. (Circ J 2004; 68: 975 - 981)

IL-6 induces an anti-inflammatory response in the absence of SOCS3 in macrophages.

Abstract: Whereas interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a proinflammatory cytokine, IL-10 is an anti-inflammatory cytokine. Although signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is essential for the function of both IL-6 and IL-10, it is unclear how these two cytokines have such opposing functions. Here we show that suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) is a key regulator of the divergent action of these two cytokines. In macrophages lacking the Socs3 gene or carrying a mutation of the SOCS3-binding site in gp130, the lipopolysaccharide-induced production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and IL-12 is suppressed by both IL-10 and IL-6. SOCS3 specifically prevents activation of STAT3 by IL-6 but not IL-10. Taken together, these data indicate that SOCS3 selectively blocks signaling by IL-6, thereby preventing its ability to inhibit LPS signaling.

The Selaginella genome identifies genetic changes associated with the evolution of vascular plants.

Abstract: Vascular plants appeared ~410 million years ago, then diverged into several lineages of which only two survive: the euphyllophytes (ferns and seed plants) and the lycophytes. We report here the genome sequence of the lycophyte Selaginella moellendorffii (Selaginella), the first nonseed vascular plant genome reported. By comparing gene content in evolutionarily diverse taxa, we found that the transition from a gametophyte- to a sporophyte-dominated life cycle required far fewer new genes than the transition from a nonseed vascular to a flowering plant, whereas secondary metabolic genes expanded extensively and in parallel in the lycophyte and angiosperm lineages. Selaginella differs in posttranscriptional gene regulation, including small RNA regulation of repetitive elements, an absence of the trans-acting small interfering RNA pathway, and extensive RNA editing of organellar genes.

Possibility of direct measurement of the acceleration of the universe using 0.1-Hz band laser interferometer gravitational wave antenna in space

Abstract: It may be possible to construct a laser interferometer gravitational wave antenna in space with h(rms) approximately 10(-27) at f approximately 0.1 Hz in this century. Using this antenna, (1) typically 10(5) chirp signals of coalescing binary neutron stars per year may be detected with S/N approximately 10(4); (2) we can directly measure the acceleration of the universe by a 10 yr observation of binary neutron stars; and (3) the stochastic gravitational waves of Omega(GW) > or similar to 10(-20) predicted by the inflation may be detected by correlation analysis. Our formula for phase shift due to accelerating motion might be applied for binary sources of LISA.