Propyne (p-C3H4) or allene (a-C3H4) mixtures, highly diluted with Ar, were heated to the temperature range 1200-1570 K at pressures of 1.7-2.6 atm behind reflected shock waves. The thermal decompositions of propyne and allene were studied by both measuring the profiles of the IR emission at 3.48 p m or 5.18 pm and analyzing the concentrations of reacted gas mixtures. The mechanism and the rate constant expressions were discussed from both the profiles and the concentrations of reactant and products obtained. The rate constant expressions for reactions, (1) p-C3H4 --$ a-C3H4,

A proteomic approach was used to identify proteins affected by salt in the halophyte C(4) plant Aeluropus lagopoides (Poaceae) in an attempt to understand the mechanism of salt tolerance. Plants were treated with 450 mM NaCl for 10 days, and proteins were then extracted from the shoots and separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A total of 1805 protein spots were detected, of which 39 were up-regulated and 44 were down-regulated by treatment with NaCl. Metabolism-related proteins were up-regulated, whereas photosynthesis-related proteins were down-regulated. Dose-dependence studies showed that the up-regulation continued at NaCl concentrations above 450 mM for defense-related proteins alone. Western blot analysis confirmed the down-regulation of RuBisCO LSU and RuBisCO SSU and severe down-regulation of RuBisCO activase. The activity of glyoxalase I increased with increasing NaCl concentration. Metabolome studies indicated up-regulation of amino acids and down-regulation of tricarboxylic acid cycle-related metabolites. These studies suggest that up-regulation of energy formation, amino acid biosynthesis, C(4) photosynthesis, and detoxification are the main strategies for salt tolerance in A. lagopoides.

IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a fascinating clinical entity proposed by Japanese investigators, and includes a wide variety of diseases, formerly diagnosed as Mikulicz's disease (MD), autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), interstitial nephritis, prostatitis, retroperitoneal fibrosis, etc. Although all clinicians in every field of medicine may encounter this new disease, a unifying diagnostic criterion has not been established. In 2011, the Japanese IgG4 team, organized by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) of Japan, published comprehensive diagnostic criteria for IgG4-RD. Several problems with these criteria have arisen in clinical practice, however, including the difficulty obtaining biopsy samples from some patients, and the sensitivity and the specificity of techniques used to measure serum IgG4 concentrations. Although serum IgG4 concentration is an important clinical marker for IgG4-RD, its diagnostic utility in differentiating IgG4-RD from other diseases, called IgG4-RD mimickers, remains unclear. This review describes the current optimal approach for the diagnosis of IgG4-RD, based on both comprehensive and organ-specific diagnostic criteria, in patients with diseases such as IgG4-related pancreatitis (AIP), sclerosing cholangitis, and renal, lung and orbital diseases.