著者
Akira Sakai Tetsuya Ohira Mitsuaki Hosoya Akira Ohtsuru Hiroaki Satoh Yukihiko Kawasaki Hitoshi Suzuki Atsushi Takahashi Gen Kobashi Kotaro Ozasa Seiji Yasumura Shunichi Yamashita Kenji Kamiya Masafumi Abe
出版者
日本疫学会
雑誌
Journal of Epidemiology (ISSN:09175040)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.JE20140092, (Released:2014-10-11)
参考文献数
8
被引用文献数
3 14

Background: Lymphocytes are susceptible to damage from radiation, and the white blood cell (WBC) count, including counts of neutrophils and lymphocytes, is a useful method of dosimetry. According to the basic survey of the Fukushima Health Management Survey (FHMS), among 13 localities where evacuation was recommended, Iitate and Namie had more individuals with external radiation exposure of more than 5 mSv than the other evacuation areas. We analyzed whether or not WBC, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts decreased after the disaster.Methods: The subjects of this study were 45 278 men and women aged 20 to 99 years (18 953 men and 26 325 women; mean age 56 years) in the evacuation zone who participated in the Comprehensive Health Check (CHC) from June 2011 to the end of March 2012.Results: Significant differences were detected in the mean values of WBC, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts, and for the proportion of individuals under the minimum standard for WBC and neutrophil counts, among the 13 localities. However, the distribution of individuals at each 200-cell/µL increment in lymphocyte count were similar in these areas, and the WBC, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts did not decrease in Iitate or Namie specifically.Conclusions: No marked effects of radiation exposure on the distribution of WBC counts, including neutrophil and lymphocyte counts were detected within one year after the disaster in the evacuation zone.
著者
Mai Takiguchi Tetsuya Ohira Hironori Nakano Yui Yumiya Takayoshi Yamaki Akiomi Yoshihisa Kazuhiko Nakazato Hitoshi Suzuki Tetsuo Ishikawa Seiji Yasumura Kenji Kamiya Yasuchika Takeishi
出版者
International Heart Journal Association
雑誌
International Heart Journal (ISSN:13492365)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.19-110, (Released:2019-10-31)
参考文献数
24
被引用文献数
5

On March 11, 2011, a great earthquake, known as the Great East Japan Earthquake, hit northeastern Japan, resulting in a tsunami that caused a nuclear disaster, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, forcing about 160,000 people to evacuate. We, therefore, sought to examine the effects of this evacuation on the onset of cardiovascular diseases and sudden death (SD) in Fukushima Prefecture, three years after the earthquake. We divided the evacuation zone into two areas, whole evacuation zone (Area 1) and partial evacuation zone (Area 2), and we defined the north district of the prefecture as the control area (Area 3). We cross-referenced the death certificate data with data from the Fukushima Prefecture acute myocardial infarction registration survey. For each area, we tallied the number of people who fell into the SD, myocardial infarction (MI), and MI suspected groups. We calculated the age-adjusted incidence rates and analyzed the differences in the adjusted incidence rates across three years using a Poisson regression model. The age-adjusted death rate of the SD group was significantly higher in 2011 in all areas than in 2012 or 2013 (P < 0.05). The total death rate was higher in Area 1 in March 2011, just after the disaster, than in the other two areas. The rate of SD was also higher in Area 1 than in the other areas in March 2011. The incidence of sudden cardiac death might have increased just after the Great East Japan Earthquake in the evacuation area, but not in other areas in Fukushima Prefecture.
著者
Yoshihito Nihei Monami Kishi Hitoshi Suzuki Ayako Koizumi Maiko Yoshida Sho Hamaguchi Masako Iwasaki Hiromitsu Fukuda Hisatsugu Takahara Masao Kihara Shigeki Tomita Yusuke Suzuki
出版者
The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine
雑誌
Internal Medicine (ISSN:09182918)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.61, no.7, pp.1033-1037, 2022-04-01 (Released:2022-04-01)
参考文献数
19
被引用文献数
15

A 28-year-old woman experienced gross hematuria after the administration of the second dose of an messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine (BNT162b2). She was diagnosed with Immunogloblin A nephropathy (IgAN) by a renal biopsy two weeks after vaccination, which revealed a mild increase in mesangial cells and a matrix with co-depositions of galactose-deficient IgA1 and C3 in the mesangial region. The gross hematuria and proteinuria gradually improved without any medication, suggesting that immune activation by the mRNA vaccine may not elicit continuous disease progression of IgAN. Thus, further studies investigating the relationship between mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 and the progression of IgAN should be conducted.
著者
Hiroaki Satoh Tetsuya Ohira Masato Nagai Mitsuaki Hosoya Akira Sakai Tsuyoshi Watanabe Akira Ohtsuru Yukihiko Kawasaki Hitoshi Suzuki Atsushi Takahashi Gen Kobashi Kotaro Ozasa Seiji Yasumura Shunichi Yamashita Kenji Kamiya Masafumi Abe
出版者
一般社団法人 日本内科学会
雑誌
Internal Medicine (ISSN:09182918)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.55, no.18, pp.2563-2569, 2016-09-15 (Released:2016-09-15)
参考文献数
16
被引用文献数
12

Objective We conducted the present study to evaluate the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and CKD complications among evacuees and non-evacuees after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Methods Twenty-seven thousand and eighty-eight subjects who were living near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima Prefecture in Japan, aged ≥40 years by the Heath Care Insures, were included in the analyses. Metabolic factors were compared between the evacuees and non-evacuees stratified by the eGFR and proteinuria grades. Results The prevalence of CKD with a low eGFR (<60 mL/min/1.73 m2) and proteinuria were 21.59% and 1.85%, respectively. The risk of CKD complications was classified into four grades according to the eGFR and proteinuria grades. The prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia were significantly higher in the very high risk group than in the low risk group. The prevalence of diabetes and dyslipidemia were significantly higher in evacuees than in non-evacuees in only the low risk group. However, a multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that evacuation was not significantly associated with the risk of a low eGFR or proteinuria. Conclusion This study did not reach the definitive conclusion that evacuation elevated the risk of CKD complication, although evacuation might lead to increased CKD complications in the future. We believe that this information is important for follow-up and lifestyle change recommendations for evacuees.
著者
YUKIHIKO KAWASAKI MITSUAKI HOSOYA SEIJI YASUMURA TETSUYA OHIRA HIROAKI SATOH HITOSHI SUZUKI AKIRA SAKAI AKIRA OHTSURU ATSUSHI TAKAHASHI KOTARO OZASA GEN KOBASHI KENJI KAMIYA SHUNICHI YAMASHITA MASAFUMI ABE THE FUKUSHIMA HEALTH MANAGEMENT SURVEY GROUP
出版者
THE FUKUSHIMA SOCIETY OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
雑誌
FUKUSHIMA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:00162590)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.60, no.2, pp.159-169, 2014 (Released:2015-02-26)
参考文献数
8
被引用文献数
7 19

Aim: To assist in the long-term health management of residents and evaluate health impacts after the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in Fukushima Prefecture, the Fukushima prefectural government decided to conduct the Fukushima Health Management Survey. This report describes the results for residents aged 16 years or older who received the health check examinations and evaluates the data obtained from 2011 and 2012.Methods: The target group consisted of residents aged 16 years or older who had lived in the evacuation zone. The health check examinations were performed on receipt of an application for a health check examination from any of the residents. The examinations, including measurements of height, weight, abdominal circumference/body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, biochemical laboratory findings, and peripheral blood findings, were performed as required.Results: 1) A total of 56,399 (30.9%) and 47,009 (25.4%) residents aged 16 years or older received health checks in 2011 and 2012, respectively. 2) In both years, a number of male and female residents in the 16-39 year age group were found to suffer obesity, hyperlipidemia, hyperuricemia, or liver dysfunction, and the prevalence of obesity and hyperlipidemia among residents increased with age. Furthermore, the proportion of residents with hypertension, glucose metabolic abnormalities or renal dysfunction was higher in those aged 40 years or older. 3) The frequencies of obesity, hypertension and hyperlipidemia among residents in 2012 were lower than those in 2011. However, the prevalence of liver dysfunction, hyperuricemia, glucose metabolic abnormalities and renal dysfunction among residents was higher in 2012 than in 2011.Conclusions: These results suggested the number of residents who had lived in the evacuation zone with obesity, hyperlipidemia, hyperuricemia, liver dysfunction, hypertension, glucose metabolic abnormalities, or renal dysfunction increased with age in all age groups. Therefore, we think that it is necessary to continue with health check examinations for these residents in order to ameliorate lifestyle-related disease.
著者
Tetsuji Hosoda Hitoshi Suzuki Masashi Harada Kimiyuki Tsuchiya Sang-Hoon Han Ya-ping Zhang Alexei P. Kryukov Liang-Kong Lin
出版者
The Genetics Society of Japan
雑誌
Genes & Genetic Systems (ISSN:13417568)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.75, no.5, pp.259-267, 2000 (Released:2002-09-19)
参考文献数
39
被引用文献数
55 65

We compared partial sequences (402 bp) of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene in 68 individuals of martens (Martes), weasels (Mustela) and their relatives from the Northern Hemisphere to identify the modes of geographic differentiation in each species. We then compared complete sequences (1140 bp) of the gene in 17 species of the family Mustelidae to know the spatial and temporal modes of speciation, constructing linearized trees with transversional substitutions for deeper lineage divergences and with transversions and transitions for younger lineages. Our data suggested that these lineages of Martes and Mustela differentiated in a stepwise fashion with five radiation stages from the generic divergences (stage I) to the intraspecific divergences (stage V), during the last 10 or 20 million years as the fossil evidence suggests. In the lineage of Martes, the first offshoots are of Martes flavigula, M. pennanti, and Gulo gulo (stage II), the second is M. foina (stage III), and the third are M. americana, M. martes, M. melampus, and M. zibellina (stage IV). The divergence of the lineages of Mustela is likely to have taken place concurrently with the radiations of the Martes. These divergence processes are attributable in part to the geographic allocation along the two continents, North America and Eurasia, as well as among peripheral insular domains, such as Taiwan and the Japanese Islands. In addition, the Eurasian continent itself was shown to have been involved in the species diversification in the martens and weasels.
著者
Yoshihito Nihei Monami Kishi Hitoshi Suzuki Ayako Koizumi Maiko Yoshida Sho Hamaguchi Masako Iwasaki Hiromitsu Fukuda Hisatsugu Takahara Masao Kihara Shigeki Tomita Yusuke Suzuki
出版者
The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine
雑誌
Internal Medicine (ISSN:09182918)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.8787-21, (Released:2022-02-01)
参考文献数
19
被引用文献数
15

A 28-year-old woman experienced gross hematuria after the administration of the second dose of an mRNA vaccine (BNT162b2). She was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) by a renal biopsy two weeks after vaccination, which revealed a mild increase in mesangial cells and a matrix with co-depositions of galactose-deficient IgA1 and C3 in the mesangial region. The gross hematuria and proteinuria gradually improved without any medication, suggesting that immune activation by the mRNA vaccine may not elicit continuous disease progression of IgAN. Thus, further studies investigating the relationship between mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 and the progression of IgAN should be conducted.
著者
Fumio Yamada Mika Takaki Hitoshi Suzuki
出版者
The Genetics Society of Japan
雑誌
Genes & Genetic Systems (ISSN:13417568)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.77, no.2, pp.107-116, 2002 (Released:2002-06-06)
参考文献数
57
被引用文献数
38 50

We determined mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and cytochrome b (cyt b) gene sequences in three leporid species of Japan, the Amami rabbit Pentalagus furnessi from the Ryukyu Islands, the Japanese hare Lepus brachyurus from Honshu, and a Japanese form of the mountain hare Lepus timidus ainu from Hokkaido. We compared the sequences with those of other taxa of leporids available in databases. Phylogenetic trees of the 12S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the lineage of P. furnessi diversified during the generic radiation of the leporids at an ancient time, which was estimated to have been the middle Miocene. Cyt-b gene trees revealed that the lineage of L. brachyurus branched off at an early stage in the speciation of Lepus, probably at the beginning of the Pliocene. The cyt b sequences of L. t. ainu were somewhat distinct from those of continental conspecific populations; this lineage divergence is likely to have occurred during the middle or late Pleistocene. The results show that the three regions of the Japanese archipelago, Ryukyu, Honshu-Shikoku-Kyushu, and Hokkaido, now preserve their own leporid taxa, each with a different extent of genetic endemicity. It is possible that the zoogeographic traits of the Japanese leporids are a consequence of the evolutionary dynamics of leporids in East Asia, in that the radiation centers of leporids are likely to have shifted from tropical, through temperate, to arctic zones.
著者
Shigeatsu Hashimoto Masato Nagai Shingo Fukuma Tetsuya Ohira Mitsuaki Hosoya Seiji Yasumura Hiroaki Satoh Hitoshi Suzuki Akira Sakai Akira Ohtsuru Yukihiko Kawasaki Atsushi Takahashi Kotaro Ozasa Gen Kobashi Kenji Kamiya Shunichi Yamashita Shun-ichi Fukuhara Hitoshi Ohto Masafumi Abe the Fukushima Health Management Survey Group
出版者
一般社団法人 日本動脈硬化学会
雑誌
Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis (ISSN:13403478)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.35824, (Released:2016-09-13)
参考文献数
50
被引用文献数
43

Aim: After the Great East Japan Earthquake, over 160,000 residents near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant were forced to evacuate due to a nuclear accident. Health problems in these evacuees have since become major issues. We examined the association between evacuation and incidence of metabolic syndrome (METS) among residents in Fukushima.Methods: We conducted a cohort study among residents aged 40-74 years without METS at the time of the disaster in Fukushima. Among 20,269 residents who met the inclusion criteria before the disaster, 8,547 residents (3,697 men and 4,850 women; follow-up proportion: 42.2%) remained available for follow-up examinations after the disaster by the end of March 2013. The main outcome was incidence of METS, defined by guidelines from the Japanese committee, using data from the Comprehensive Health Check before and after the disaster. We divided participants by evacuation status and compared outcomes between groups. Using a logistic regression model, we estimated the odds ratio for incidence of METS, adjusting for potential confounders, age, gender, waist circumference, exercise habit, and alcohol consumption.Results: Incidence of METS was higher in evacuees (men 19.2%, women 6.6%) than in non-evacuees (men 11.0%, women 4.6%). Evacuees had higher body mass index, waist circumference, triglycerides, and fasting plasma glucose after the disaster than non-evacuees. We found a significant association between evacuation and incidence of METS (adjusted odds ratio 1.72, 95% confidence interval; 1.46-2.02).Conclusion: This is the first study to demonstrate that evacuation after a disaster is associated with increased incidence of METS.
著者
Takeru Tsunoi Koki Noju Takeshi Eto Hitoshi Suzuki
出版者
The Genetics Society of Japan
雑誌
Genes & Genetic Systems (ISSN:13417568)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.20-00049, (Released:2021-05-15)
参考文献数
63

The melanocortin-1 receptor gene (MC1R) controls production of the pigments eumelanin and pheomelanin. Changes in MC1R lead to variation in coat color in mammals, which can range from entirely black (melanism) to yellowish. In this study, we report a case of a wild-caught Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) from Sado Island, Japan with a yellowish coat color. Upon sequencing the whole coding region of the Mc1r gene (954 bp), we found a 1-bp deletion at site 337 (c.337del), indicative of a frameshift mutation, which was characterized as a severe loss-of-function or null mutation. A spectrophotometer was used to measure coat color, revealing that the rat had a distinctly lighter coat, based on lightness score, than mice with homozygous similar loss-of-function mutations. This implies that loss-of-function mutations can yield different phenotypes in murine rodents. The loss-of-function-mutant rat exhibited a contrasting coat pattern consisting of darker and lighter colors along its dorsal and ventral sides, respectively. Similar patterns have been observed in homozygous MC1R-deficient mutants in other mammals, implying that the countershading pattern can still be expressed despite the absence of MC1R in the melanocyte.
著者
Hiroaki Satoh Tetsuya Ohira Masato Nagai Mitsuaki Hosoya Akira Sakai Tsuyoshi Watanabe Akira Ohtsuru Yukihiko Kawasaki Hitoshi Suzuki Atsushi Takahashi Gen Kobashi Kotaro Ozasa Seiji Yasumura Shunichi Yamashita Kenji Kamiya Masafumi Abe
出版者
一般社団法人 日本内科学会
雑誌
Internal Medicine (ISSN:09182918)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.55, no.15, pp.1967-1976, 2016-08-01 (Released:2016-08-01)
参考文献数
23
被引用文献数
2 30

Objective The Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster forced the evacuation of residents and led to many changes in the lifestyle of the evacuees. A comprehensive health check was implemented to support the prevention of lifestyle-related disease, and we analyzed changes in lipid metabolism before and after these disasters. Methods Subjects included Japanese men and women living near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture. Annual health checkups, focusing on metabolic syndromes, were conducted for persons ≥40 years of age by the Heath Care Insures. Results A total of 27,486 subjects underwent a follow-up examination after the disaster, with a mean follow-up of 1.6 years. Following the disaster, the prevalence of hypo-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterolemia increased significantly from 6.0% to 7.2%. In the hypo-HDL cholesterolemia group, the body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and LDL-C level increased significantly in men after the disaster. On the other hand, in the normal HDL-C level group, the BMI, blood pressure, glucose and lipid metabolism, and liver function were adversely affected. The decrease in HDL-C was significantly greater in evacuees than non-evacuees in the normal HDL-C level group. Furthermore, a multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the evacuation was significantly associated with the incidence of hypo-HDL cholesterolemia. Conclusion This is the first study to evaluate how the evacuation affected the incidence of hypo-HDL cholesterolemia and led to an increase in cardiovascular disease. This information may be important in the follow-up and lifestyle change recommendations for evacuees.
著者
Akira Sakai Tetsuya Ohira Mitsuaki Hosoya Akira Ohtsuru Hiroaki Satoh Yukihiko Kawasaki Hitoshi Suzuki Atsushi Takahashi Gen Kobashi Kotaro Ozasa Seiji Yasumura Shunichi Yamashita Kenji Kamiya Masafumi Abe
出版者
日本疫学会
雑誌
Journal of Epidemiology (ISSN:09175040)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.25, no.1, pp.80-87, 2015-01-05 (Released:2015-01-05)
参考文献数
8
被引用文献数
3 14 2

Background: Lymphocytes are susceptible to damage from radiation, and the white blood cell (WBC) count, including counts of neutrophils and lymphocytes, is a useful method of dosimetry. According to the basic survey of the Fukushima Health Management Survey (FHMS), among 13 localities where evacuation was recommended, Iitate and Namie had more individuals with external radiation exposure of more than 5 mSv than the other evacuation areas. We analyzed whether or not WBC, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts decreased after the disaster.Methods: The subjects of this study were 45 278 men and women aged 20 to 99 years (18 953 men and 26 325 women; mean age 56 years) in the evacuation zone who participated in the Comprehensive Health Check (CHC) from June 2011 to the end of March 2012.Results: Significant differences were detected in the mean values of WBC, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts, and for the proportion of individuals under the minimum standard for WBC and neutrophil counts, among the 13 localities. However, the distribution of individuals at each 200-cell/µL increment in lymphocyte count were similar in these areas, and the WBC, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts did not decrease in Iitate or Namie specifically.Conclusions: No marked effects of radiation exposure on the distribution of WBC counts, including neutrophil and lymphocyte counts were detected within one year after the disaster in the evacuation zone.
著者
HITOSHI SUZUKI
出版者
The Anthropological Society of Nippon
雑誌
Anthropological Science (ISSN:09187960)
巻号頁・発行日
pp.201201, (Released:2021-03-31)
被引用文献数
3

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences have long been the most popular marker for assessing phylogenetic relationships and uncovering population dynamics. However, the mechanism of the nucleotide substitution rate of mtDNA remains unclear. While the evolutionary rate over tens of thousands of years is thought to be time dependent, the overall picture is not fully understood. This article presents recent achievements related to the time-dependent evolutionary rate of mtDNA in small rodents in the Japanese archipelago. The method focuses on rapid expansion events during the late Quaternary, during which there was a prolonged severe cold period and repeated abrupt warm periods, providing multiple calibration points. The global sea level fluctuation and migration to islands help to specify the calibration points. For calibration points at 11000, 15000, 53000, and 130000 years ago, the evolutionary rates were approximately 0.11, 0.11, 0.047, and 0.029 substitutions/site/million years, respectively, in the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (Cytb). Applying the higher rate to assess the evolutionary history of the commensal house mouse (Mus musculus) and complete mitochondrial genome sequences (~16000 bp) allowed us to trace prehistoric human culture development based on millet and rice agriculture. The pattern of time-dependent evolutionary rates presented here is likely applicable to other small rodents. The Japanese archipelago is ideal for assessing evolutionary rates with biogeographic calibration points in the late Quaternary in species with multiple genetically distinct local populations.
著者
Tomoki Kokubun Masayoshi Oikawa Yasuhiro Ichijo Yoshiyuki Matsumoto Tetsuro Yokokawa Kazuhiko Nakazato Yoshiyuki Sato Shinya Takase Hiroharu Shinjo Hitoshi Yokoyama Hitoshi Suzuki Shu-ichi Saitoh Yasuchika Takeishi
出版者
The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine
雑誌
Internal Medicine (ISSN:09182918)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.57, no.11, pp.1597-1600, 2018-06-01 (Released:2018-06-01)
参考文献数
16
被引用文献数
3

A 40-year-old man was transferred to our hospital following an isolated horse kick injury to the anterior chest wall. The case showed bi-fascicular block, severe tricuspid valve regurgitation due to ruptured chordae tendineae of the anterior leaflet, moderate mitral valve regurgitation due to prolapse of mitral anterior leaflet, and hypokinetic motion of the inferior septal wall. Both tricuspid and mitral insufficiency were completely repaired by a surgical operation. Fortunately, these injuries were not fatal in this case, but the comprehensive assessment of cardiac damage and careful observation are important for managing patients with cardiac injury.
著者
Dhananjoy S. Chingangbam Joykumar M. Laishram Hitoshi Suzuki
出版者
The Genetics Society of Japan
雑誌
Genes & Genetic Systems (ISSN:13417568)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.90, no.1, pp.21-30, 2015-02-01 (Released:2015-06-25)
参考文献数
42
被引用文献数
3 5

The Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia are hotspots of murine biodiversity, but no species from the Arakan Mountain system that demarcates the border between the two areas has been subjected to molecular phylogenetic analyses. We examined the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences in six murine species (the Rattus rattus species complex, R. norvegicus, R. nitidus, Berylmys manipulus, Niviventer sp. and Mus musculus) from Manipur, which is located at the western foot of the mountain range. The sequences of B. manipulus and Niviventer sp. examined here were distinct from available congeneric sequences in the databases, with sequence divergences of 10–15%. Substantial degrees of intrapopulation divergence were detected in R. nitidus and the R. rattus species complex from Manipur, implying ancient habitation of the species in this region, while the recent introduction by modern and prehistoric human activities was suggested for R. norvegicus and M. musculus, respectively. In the nuclear gene Mc1r, also analyzed here, the R. rattus species complex from Manipur was shown to possess allelic sequences related to those from the Indian subcontinent in addition to those from East Asia. These results not only fill gaps in the phylogenetic knowledge of each taxon examined but also provide valuable insight to better understand the biogeographic importance of the Arakan Mountain system in generating the species and genetic diversity of murine rodents.