Approach for the Realisation of Sea Bottom Crustal Deformation Observations Targets and Tactics in Waters around Japan

The Japan Hydrographic Department (JHD), has been pursuing two approaches using acoustic geodetic techniques to observe the crustal deformations on the deep sea floor to understand the mechanisms of major interplate earthquakes at subduction plate boundaries. One is the repeated acoustic ranging between two stations on the sea floor. The other is the linkage of GPS precise positioning of a sea surface platform and acoustic ranging between the sea surface and sea bottom transducers. The applicability of both methods to detect the plate motions of oceanic crust has already been demonstrated, through sea trials . In the JHD, there is a plan to realise operational surveys for the detect ion of sea bottom crustal deform ations

Breeding performance of Indonesian beef cattle as recipients for embryo transfer

The objective of this study was to evaluate the breeding performance of Indonesian beef cattle (Ongole cross) as recipients for embryo transfer using Limousin embryos. As a result, the pregnancy rate was 35% (7 out of 20 cows). There was a significant difference (P<0.01) in the serum progesterone concentration between the nonpregnant and pregnant cows at the time of the embryo transfer (day 7 after the estrus). The pregnancy rate in the Indonesian beef cows was low, which may be due to their insufficient genetic quality and/or low physical conditions caused by the poor management, like a low-nutrition diet. The low progesterone concentration in the nonpregnant cows on day 7 may be associated with the failure of embryo implantatio

Therapeutic effect of aged garlic extract on gingivitis in dogs

Periodontal disease is one of the most common dental health problems in dogs. Clinical studies in humans have shown that aged garlic extract (AGE), which contains stable and water-soluble sulfur-containing bioactive compounds, improves the symptoms of periodontal diseases. Our previous study demonstrated that oral administration of AGE in healthy Beagle dogs at 90 mg/kg/day for 12 weeks had no adverse effects such as hemolytic anemia, which is well known to occur as a result of ingestion of Allium species, including onions and garlic, in dogs. However, the therapeutic potential of AGE in canine periodontal disease remains unclear. Accordingly, we investigated the therapeutic effects of AGE in Beagle dogs with mild gingivitis. Feeding 18 mg/kg/day of AGE for 8 weeks resulted in the improvement of gingival index score, level of volatile sulfur compounds in exhaled air, and enzyme activity of periodontal pathogens without any adverse effects on clinical signs and hematological and serum biochemical parameters. Moreover, AGE increased the concentration of salivary cathelicidin, an antimicrobial peptide that contributes to the oral innate immune response. These results suggest that AGE could be a potential therapeutic agent for canine gingivitis

Serial MRI Features of Canine GM1 Gangliosidosis: A Possible Imaging Biomarker for Diagnosis and Progression of the Disease

GM1 gangliosidosis is a fatal neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disease caused by an autosomal recessively inherited deficiency of β-galactosidase activity. Effective therapies need to be developed to treat the disease. In Shiba Inu dogs, one of the canine GM1 gangliosidosis models, neurological signs of the disease, including ataxia, start at approximately 5 months of age and progress until the terminal stage at 12 to 15 months of age. In the present study, serial MR images were taken of an affected dog from a model colony of GM1 gangliosidosis and 4 sporadic clinical cases demonstrating the same mutation in order to characterize the MRI features of this canine GM1 gangliosidosis. By 2 months of age at the latest and persisting until the terminal stage of the disease, the MR findings consistently displayed diffuse hyperintensity in the white matter of the entire cerebrum on T2-weighted images. In addition, brain atrophy manifested at 9 months of age and progressed thereafter. Although a definitive diagnosis depends on biochemical and genetic analyses, these MR characteristics could serve as a diagnostic marker in suspect animals with or without neurological signs. Furthermore, serial changes in MR images could be used as a biomarker to noninvasively monitor the efficacy of newly developed therapeutic strategies

HAMAMATSU-ICG study: Protocol for a phase III, multicentre, single-arm study to assess the usefulness of indocyanine green fluorescent lymphography in assessing secondary lymphoedema

Introduction Secondary lymphoedema of the extremities is an important quality-of-life issue for patients who were treated for their malignancies. Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescent lymphography may be helpful for assessing lymphoedema and for planning lymphaticovenular anastomosis (LVA). The objective of the present clinical trial is to confirm whether or not ICG fluorescent lymphography using the near-infrared monitoring camera is useful for assessing the indication for LVA, for the identification of the lymphatic vessels before the conduct of LVA, and for the confirmation of the patency of the anastomosis site during surgery. Methods and analysis This trial is a phase III, multicentre, single-arm, open-label clinical trial to assess the efficacy and safety of ICG fluorescent lymphography when assessing and treating lymphoedema of patients with secondary lymphoedema who are under consideration for LVA. The primary endpoint is the identification rate of the lymphatic vessels at the incision site based on ICG fluorescent lymphograms obtained before surgery. The secondary endpoints are 1) the sensitivity and specificity of dermal back flow determined by ICG fluorescent lymphography as compared with 99mTc lymphoscintigraphy—one of the standard diagnostic methods and 2) the usefulness of ICG fluorescent lymphography when confirming the patency of the anastomosis site after LVA. Ethics and dissemination The protocol for the study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of each institution. The trial was filed for and registered at the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency in Japan. The trial is currently on-going and is scheduled to end in June 2020

Radioprotective Effect of Alk(en)yl Thiosulfates Derived from Allium Vegetables against DNA Damage Caused by X-Ray Irradiation in Cultured Cells: Antiradiation Potential of Onions and Garlic

To evaluate a radioprotective effect of sodium n-propyl thiosulfate (NPTS) and sodium 2-propenyl thiosulfate (2PTS) derived from onions and garlic, respectively, rat hepatoma H4IIE cells and mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells were preincubated with each of these compounds for 48 hours at 37°C before receiving 10 Gy of X-ray irradiation. Cell damage caused by the irradiation was quantified as comet tail moment, which represents the degree of DNA damage. X-ray-induced DNA damage was significantly decreased in both H4IIE and L5178Y cells by micromolar concentrations of NPTS and 2PTS compared with the control without the compounds. The protective effect was more potent with 2PTS than NPTS. Onions and garlic have antiradiation potential

Development of a novel artificial intelligence algorithm to detect pulmonary nodules on chest radiography

Background: In this study, we aimed to develop a novel artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to support pulmonary nodule detection, which will enable physicians to efficiently interpret chest radiographs for lung cancer diagnosis. Methods: We analyzed chest X-ray images obtained from a health examination center in Fukushima and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Chest X-ray 14 dataset. We categorized these data into two types: type A included both Fukushima and NIH datasets, and type B included only the Fukushima dataset. We also demonstrated pulmonary nodules in the form of a heatmap display on each chest radiograph and calculated the positive probability score as an index value. Results: Our novel AI algorithms had a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) of 0.74, a sensitivity of 0.75, and a specificity of 0.60 for the type A dataset. For the type B dataset, the respective values were 0.79, 0.72, and 0.74. The algorithms in both the type A and B datasets were superior to the accuracy of radiologists and similar to previous studies. Conclusions: The proprietary AI algorithms had a similar accuracy for interpreting chest radiographs when compared with previous studies and radiologists. Especially, we could train a high quality AI algorithm, even with our small type B data set. However, further studies are needed to improve and further validate the accuracy of our AI algorithm

Monitoring of Crustal Deformation on the Seafloor

特集1 海中工学研究センタ