1.Cockroach fauna in the Ogasawara Chain Islands of Japan and analysis of their habitats
Noriyuki Komatsu ; Toshio Kishimoto ; Akihiko Uchida ; Hong-Kean Ooi
Tropical Biomedicine 2013;30(1):141-151
A survey of cockroach fauna was carried out on the 3 inhabited islands of the
Ogasawara chain island of Japan, namely, Chichijima island, Hahajima island and Iwo island.
Seven species, namely, Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus, 1758), Periplaneta australasiae
(Fabricius, 1775), Blattella lituricollis (Walker, 1868), Onychostylus vilis (Brunner von
Wattenwyl, 1865), Supella longipalpa (Fabricius, 1798), Pycnoscelus surinamensis (Linnaeus,
1758) and Opisthoplatia orientalis (Burmeister, 1838), were collected on Chichijima island.
Four species, namely, P. americana, P. australasiae, O. vilis and P. surinamensis were
collected on Hahajima island and 6 species, namely, P. americana, P. australasiae, B.
lituricollis, O. vilis, P. surinamensis and Neostylopyga rhombifolia were collected on Iwo
island. This is the first record of N. rhombifolia and Onychostylus orientalis on the Ogasawara
chain islands. Our study increases the recorded taxon of cockroaches on the Ogasawara from
3 families, 5 genera 10 species to 4 families, 7 genera, 12 species. A list of the cockroach
species on Ogasawara islands reported to date as well as a key for their identification is also
presented. Periplaneta americana and P. australasiae, being the dominant species, together
with S. longipalpa, were collected mostly in the indoor environment, indicating their preference
for this habitat. Pycnoscelus surinamensis, which is considered as an outdoor insect has
been found in semi-household environments such as greenhouse and shed, indicating their
new adaptation to the changing environment.
2.Genetic Polymorphisms in Dopamine- and Serotonin-Related Genes and Treatment Responses to Risperidone and Perospirone.
Atsushi TSUTSUMI ; Tetsufumi KANAZAWA ; Hiroki KIKUYAMA ; Gaku OKUGAWA ; Hiroyuki UENISHI ; Toshio MIYAMOTO ; Naoki MATSUMOTO ; Jun KOH ; Kazuhiro SHINOSAKI ; Toshifumi KISHIMOTO ; Hiroshi YONEDA ; Toshihiko KINOSHITA
Psychiatry Investigation 2009;6(3):222-225
We investigated the possible association between genetic polymorphisms in the dopamine receptor and serotonin transporter genes and the responses of schizophrenic patients treated with either risperidone or perospirone. The subjects comprised 27 patients with schizophrenia who were clinically evaluated both before and after treatment. The genotyping of the polymorphisms of the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) (rs1801028 and rs6277), the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) (120-bp tandem repeats and rs1800955), and serotonin transporter gene (5HTT)(variable number of tandem repeats; VNTR) were performed using the real-time polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. In DRD2 and 5HTT-VNTR, there were no significant correlations between clinical response and polymorphism in the case of risperidone, and for perospirone treatment it was impossible to analyze the clinical evaluation due to the absence of genotype information. On the other hand, in DRD4 there were significant correlations in the two-factor interaction effect on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) between the two drugs [120-bp tandem repeat, p=0.003; rs1800955, p=0.043]. Although the small sample represents a serious limitation, these results suggest that variants in DRD4 are a predictor of whether treatment will be more effective with risperidone or with perospirone in individual patients.
Genotype
;
Hand
;
Humans
;
Isoindoles
;
Polymorphism, Genetic
;
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
;
Receptors, Dopamine
;
Receptors, Dopamine D2
;
Receptors, Dopamine D4
;
Risperidone
;
Schizophrenia
;
Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
;
Tandem Repeat Sequences
;
Thiazoles
3.Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii Infection in Dairy Cattle and Non-symptomatic People for Routine Health Screening in Korea.
Woo Jin KIM ; Tae Wook HAHN ; Dae Yong KIM ; Myung Goo LEE ; Ki Suck JUNG ; Motohiko OGAWA ; Toshio KISHIMOTO ; Mi Eun LEE ; Seung Joon LEE
Journal of Korean Medical Science 2006;21(5):823-826
We report results on the seroprevalence of antibodies to Coxiella burnetii in cattle and healthy people in Korea. Upon agreement with dairy owners, serum samples from 414 dairy cattle were collected between March and June 2001 and samples from 205 people for health screening were collected between April and December 2002. The sera were analyzed for the presence of anti-C. burnetii phase II antibodies using an indirect microimmunofluorescence test; strong fluorescence at a 1:32 dilution was regarded as positive. The overall seroprevalence of C. burnetii in cattle in Korea was 25.6%, with regional variation from 8.9 to 59.3%. Of the positive serum samples, 75.5% had antibody titers > or =1:256. By contrast, only 1.5% of people in a rural area were seropositive, and most of the positive samples had low antibody titers. In conclusion, this study showed that relatively high seropositivity of C. burnetii in dairy cattle, accordingly, the studies on the high-risk groups are needed to evaluate the seroprevalence for this organism in Korea.
Seroepidemiologic Studies
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Q Fever/*epidemiology/veterinary
;
Middle Aged
;
Male
;
Humans
;
Female
;
Coxiella burnetii/*immunology
;
Cattle Diseases/*epidemiology
;
Cattle
;
Antibodies, Bacterial/*blood
;
Animals
;
Aged, 80 and over
;
Aged
;
Adult