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The fiddler crab, Austruca lactea inhabits tidal flat areas and is widely distributed across Japan, the Korean Peninsula, China, Taiwan and northern Vietnam. Fiddler crab habitat is being lost rapidly due to human impacts and this species is currently listed as endangered in Japan. We studied the population genetic structure of A. lactea using mitochondrial DNA control region markers to define management units. A. lactea individuals were sampled from Osaka, Hiroshima and Kumamoto in Japan, and from Taichung and the Penghu Islands in Taiwan. All local samples exhibited high levels of genetic diversity, and no sampled populations showed evidence for a significant decline in effective population size that can result from population bottleneck effects. Pairwise F ST estimates distinguished three discrete A. lactea populations corresponding with, the Seto Inland Sea (Osaka and Hiroshima), Kyushu (Kumamoto) and Taiwan. The three populations showed clear differences in historical population expansion times and their population dynamics after expansion. Results of the study indicate that A. lactea dispersal is limited geographically and that high levels of genetic diversity are maintained both within and among populations.

An elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in the plasma is the most recognized risk factor in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. On the other hand, the concentration of high density lipoprotein (HDL), is inversely correlated with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. The transport pathways of LDL across the arterial wall has been well established. However, little is known about the transport mechanism(s) of HDL across the arterial wall. In this study, HDL was conjugated to colloidal gold for investigation of the ultrastructural aspects of binding and uptake of HDL by aortic endothelium.High density lipoproteins were isolated from fresh rat plasma by sequential ultracentrifugation. HDL-colloidal gold conjugates were prepared according to the modified method of Kao et al. Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized and the vasculature was cleared of blood by perfusion with oxygenated PBS supplemented with 1 mM CaCl2 and 14 mM glucose at 37 °C through the abdominal aorta using the vena cava as an outlet.

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