How and Why Plants Came to Smell Green: The Origins, Biosynthesis, and Roles of Green Leaf Volatiles.

Most terrestrial plants smell green because they produce a family of volatile organic compounds, green leaf volatiles (GLVs). The widespread occurrence of GLVs suggests that these compounds have been evolutionarily acquired to fulfill a common function across land plants. What, then, are their roles? GLVs are hardly detectable in undamaged plant tissues yet are rapidly synthesized from damaged cells within seconds of injury.

Application of double filtration plasmapheresis to cynomolgus monkeys: surgical techniques and a pilot study of pig fetal kidney transplantation.

Purpose: To detail a technique to implant a double-lumen catheter to remove anti-pig antibodies. We transplanted fetal pig kidneys into cynomolgus monkeys using a double filtration plasma exchange (DFPP) protocol.

Methods: Two approaches for double-lumen catheter insertion in monkeys (3-9.

A novel mouse model for investigating the long-term impact of reduced nephron numbers on renal function and salt sensitivity.

Background: Nephrogenesis occurs during the fetal period; because nephrogenesis does not occur after birth, preterm infants have low nephron numbers. However, whether a reduction in the number of pure nephrons alone affects renal function in conventional animal models remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to examine whether differences in nephron number alone could lead to differences in future renal function by specifically ablating the nephrons.

Life-supporting functional kidney replacement by integration of embryonic metanephros-bladder composite tissue transplants.

Novel transplantable organs need to be developed to address the global organ shortage. Transplantation of embryonic kidney tissue, or metanephros, facilitates glomerular and tubular maturation and offers partial organ functional support. However, adult environments do not permit exponential growth in size, limiting the life-supporting functionality and organ replacement effect of this approach.

Caspase 9-induced apoptosis enables efficient fetal cell ablation and disease modeling.

Fetal cell ablation models are crucial for studying congenital diseases, organ regeneration, and xenotransplantation. However, conventional knockout models offer limited control over disease severity, while conditional ablation models often require fetus-harming inducers. In the present study, we demonstrate that the inducible caspase 9 system enables precise targeting of fetal nephron progenitor cells in mice through the intrinsic apoptotic pathway.

Fetal-to-fetal kidney transplantation in utero.

Potter sequence consists of various symptoms associated with renal dysplasia. For bilateral renal agenesis, there is no hope of survival. As a novel therapeutic approach for Potter sequence, we develop a unique approach of "transplantation of fetal kidneys from a different species during the fetal stage.

Review Mechanisms for Advanced Medical Therapies in Japan and Thailand: A Proposal for the Use of Expert Clinical Benefit Assessments at Designated Institutions.

Advanced new therapies, such as stem cell and gene therapies and xenotransplantation, represent challenges for regulatory and ethical review. Major drug agencies, such as in the U.S.

A new cultivar 'Hisui no Kaori' opens up a fragrant type of lettuce ( L.).

'Hisui no Kaori' is the first lettuce ( L.) cultivar characterized by a sweet fragrance, attributed to 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline with the same compound as in fragrant rice and soybean cultivars, as well as edible leaves and stem. Field cultivation trials established optimal planting distances at 30 cm between seedlings, with a fertilizer requirement of N = 150 kg/ha.

Identification of linalool disaccharide glycoside (linalyl β-vicianoside) in soybean leaves and its implication for herbivore resistance.

Linalool is anticipated to have significant ecological roles. In this study, linalyl 6-O-α-arabinopyranosyl-β-d-glucopyranoside (linalyl β-vicianoside: LinVic) was synthesized, and a linalool diglycoside purified from soybean leaves was identified as LinVic by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. High levels of LinVic were detected in leaves and sepals during soybean plant growth.

The powerful potential of amino acid menthyl esters for anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity therapies.

Our newly developed menthyl esters of valine and isoleucine exhibit anti-inflammatory properties beyond those of the well-known menthol in macrophages stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and in a mouse model of colitis induced by sodium dextran sulfate. Unlike menthol, which acts primarily through the cold-sensitive TRPM8 channel, these menthyl esters displayed unique mechanisms that operate independently of this receptor. They readily penetrated target cells and efficiently suppressed LPS-stimulated tumour necrosis factor-alpha (Tnf) expression mediated by liver X receptor (LXR), a key nuclear receptor that regulates intracellular cholesterol and lipid balance.

Novel Potential of Rose Essential Oil as a Powerful Plant Defense Potentiator.

Terpenoids, natural compounds released by plants, function to enhance plant defense. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of terpenoid-enriched essential oils (EOs) on tomato plants. From the application of a highly diluted solution of 11 different EOs to potted tomato soil, our study showed that rose essential oil (REO), rich in β-citronellol, played a crucial role in activating defense genes in tomato leaves.

Effects of a Gamified Agent-Based System for Personalized Elderly Care: Pilot Usability Study.

Background: The global percentage of older people has increased significantly over the last decades. Information and communication technologies have become essential to develop and motivate them to pursue healthier ways of living. This paper examines a personalized coaching health care service designed to maintain living conditions and active aging among older people.

Long-term viable chimeric nephrons generated from progenitor cells are a reliable model in cisplatin-induced toxicity.

Kidney organoids have shown promise as evaluation tools, but their in vitro maturity remains limited. Transplantation into adult mice has aided in maturation; however, their lack of urinary tract connection limits long-term viability. Thus, long-term viable generated nephrons have not been demonstrated.

Structure-activity relationship of volatile compounds that induce defense-related genes in maize seedlings.

Volatile organic compounds mediate plant-to-plant communication, and plants receiving volatile cues can acquire greater defenses against attackers. It has been expected that volatiles are received by factors that eventually lead to the induction of defense-related gene expression; however, the nature of these factors remain unclear. Structure-activity relationship analysis of gene expression induction by volatiles should provide insights into the nature of these factors.

Dialysis-related Amyloidosis Presenting as a Fever of Unknown Origin: Symptoms and Management.

A 74-year-old woman with a 34-year history of hemodialysis presented with an intermittent fever, which later coincided with recurrent bilateral shoulder and hip joint pain. Imaging studies suggested amyloid arthropathy, which was histologically confirmed by a synovial biopsy. Increasing β-microglobulin clearance during dialysis alone attenuated the intermittent fever and joint pain, but the symptoms did not disappear until the administration of prednisolone 10 mg/day.

Evaluation of the ability of human induced nephron progenitor cells to form chimeric renal organoids using mouse embryonic renal progenitor cells.

The number of patients with end-stage renal failure is increasing annually worldwide and the problem is compounded by a shortage of renal transplantation donors. In our previous research, we have shown that transplantation of renal progenitor cells into the nephrogenic region of heterologous fetuses can induce the development of nephrons. We have also developed transgenic mice in which specific renal progenitor cells can be removed by drugs.

Cryopreservation of Fetal Porcine Kidneys for Xenogeneic Regenerative Medicine.

Kidney xenotransplantation has been attracting attention as a treatment option for end-stage renal disease. Fetal porcine kidneys are particularly promising grafts because they can reduce rejection through vascularization from host vessels. We are proposing xenogeneic regenerative medicine using fetal porcine kidneys injected with human nephron progenitor cells.