All extant lamprey karyotypes are characterized by almost all dot-shaped microchromosomes. To understand the molecular basis of chromosome structure in lampreys, we performed chromosome C-banding and silver staining and chromosome mapping of the 18S-28S and 5S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and telomeric TTAGGG repeats in the Arctic lamprey (Lethenteron camtschaticum). In addition, we cloned chromo...

Longitudinal chromatic aberration (LCA) of the human eye has been studied repeatedly, but only at the fovea. Poor visual acuity prevents its subjective determination beyond a few degrees eccentricity. Consequently, we have used an objective approach, similar to that of Charman and Jennings [(1976). Vision Research 16, 999-1005], to measure ocular LCA across the visual field. To determine the va...

Numerous evaluations of the clinical sensitivity and specificity of PCR and serologic assays for Bordetella pertussis have been hampered by the low sensitivity of culture, the gold standard test, which leads to biased accuracy estimates. The bias can be reduced by using statistical approaches such as the composite reference standard (CRS) (e.g., positive if culture or serology positive; negativ...

Lithocholic acid (LCA) deposited in human livers always induces drastic pains which need analgesic drug, like morphine to release. Our research showed that LCA can effectively inhibit uridine 5'-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase 2B7 (UGT2B7) in morphine tolerance-like human normal liver cells, HL-7702, then increase μ-opioid receptor (MOR) and calcium-calmodulin dependent protein kinase IIα (Ca...

Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is the most severe form of retinal dystrophy with an onset in the first year of life. The most frequent genetic cause of LCA, accounting for up to 15% of all LCA cases in Europe and North-America, is a mutation (c.2991+1655AG) in intron 26 of CEP290. This mutation generates a cryptic splice donor site resulting in the insertion of an aberrant exon (exon X) conta...

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether mutations in NPHP5 can cause Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) without early-onset renal disease. METHODS DNA samples from 276 individuals with nonsyndromic LCA were screened for variations in the NPHP5 gene. Each had been previously screened for mutations in 8 known LCA genes without identifying a disease-causing genotype. RESULTS Nine of the 276 LCA proband...

In this paper we present a novel approach to quantifying genetic architecture that combines recombinant inbred lines (RIL) with line cross analysis (LCA). LCA is a method of quantifying directional genetic effects (i.e. summed effects of all loci) that differentiate two parental lines. Directional genetic effects are thought to be critical components of genetic architecture for the long term re...

Our studies revealed that lithocholic acid (LCA), a bile acid, is a potent anti-aging natural compound that in yeast cultured under longevity-extending caloric restriction (CR) conditions acts in synergy with CR to enable a significant further increase in chronological lifespan. Here, we investigate a mechanism underlying this robust longevity-extending effect of LCA under CR. We found that exo...

To clarify the natural history and management of patients with aberrant origin of a coronary artery from the aorta, we reviewed 18 patients whose right (RCA) or left (LCA) coronary artery arose aberrantly and passed between the aorta and right ventricular infundibulum. Nine patients had aberrant LCA. Three young males died suddenly after exertion, each with proximal focal LCA stenosis. None of ...

Adequate waste management is vital for the success of social life, because waste accumulation increases sanitary risks in dense societies. We explored why different leaf-cutting ants (LCA) species locate their waste in internal nest chambers or external piles, including ecological context and accounting for phylogenetic relations. We propose that waste location depends on whether the environmen...