Cytoskeletal elements in an acoelomorph worm, Praesagittifera naikaiensis

Acoel flatworms can move in a variety of ways such as muscular and ciliary movements via cytoskeletal elements and their neural regulations. However, those locomotive mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. In this study, we examined the distribution of cytoskeletal elements including filamentous actin (F-actin) and tubulin, and the neuroanatomical organization in an acoelomorph worm, Praesagittifera naikaiensis (P. naikaiensis). Video microscopy revealed the elongation/contraction and the bending/rotation processes, and the ciliary gliding movement of P. naikaiensis. Histochemical and morphological analysis demonstrated that F-actin networks of inner longitudinal and outer circular muscle fibers were positioned along the entire surface of the body, and that the average distance between the circular muscle fibers in the contracted organism was decreased in the anterior region compared with that in the elongated organism. Electron microscopy showed dense bodies on the muscle cells of P. naikaiensis, which indicates that those muscle cells have the appearance of vertebrate smooth muscle cells. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that -tubulin-positive signals on the ciliary microtubules had close contact with the F-actin network, and that neurite bundles labelled with anti dSap47 antibody as a neuronal marker run along the anterior-posterior body axis. These results indicate that the well-organized cytoskeletal elements and their neural control systems are preserved in P. naikaiensis, and that their mechanisms involved in those regulation systems are similar to those vertebrate systems. Further studies are needed to clarify the physiological mechanisms underlying the muscular and ciliary movements in P. naikaiensis

Photoprecursor approach as an effective means for preparing multilayer organic semiconducting thin films by solution processes

[プレスリリース]「重ね塗り」で有機薄膜太陽電池を高性能化～光を当てると固まる材料使い、有効性を実証～プラスチック上にも作製可能 （2014/11/19）The vertical composition profile of active layer has a major effect on the performance of organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs). While stepwise deposition of different materials is a conceptually straightforward method for controlled preparation of multi-component active layers, it is practically challenging for solution processes because of dissolution of the lower layer. Herein, we overcome this difficulty by employing the photoprecursor approach, in which a soluble photoprecursor is solution-deposited then photoconverted in situ to a poorly soluble organic semiconductor. This approach enables solution-processing of the p-i-n triple-layer architecture that has been suggested to be effective in obtaining efficient OPVs. We show that, when 2,6-dithienylanthracene and a fullerene derivative PC71BM are used as donor and acceptor, respectively, the best p-i-n OPV affords a higher photovoltaic efficiency than the corresponding p-n device by 24% and bulk-heterojunction device by 67%. The photoprecursor approach is also applied to preparation of three-component p-i-n films containing another donor 2,6-bis(59-(2-ethylhexyl)-(2,29-bithiophen)-5-yl)anthracene in the i-layer to provide a nearly doubled efficiency as compared to the original two-component p-i-n system. These results indicate that the present approach can serve as an effective means for controlled preparation of well-performing multi-component active layers in OPVs and relatedorganic electronic devices

Factors Predicting Bone Mineral Density (BMD) Changes in Young Women over A One-year Study:Changes in Body Weight and Bone Metabolic Markers during the Menstrual Cycle and Their Effects on BMD

Currently, 26% of Japanese women in their twenties are under weight, and therefore at risk of developing various metabolic abnormalities due to an inadequate nutrient intake, which in turn affects the acquisition of a peak bone mineral density (BMD). In this study, we aimed to clarify the effects of menstrual cycle-related changes in body weight and bone metabolic marker levels on the BMD changes. The subjects were 42 women (19.6±0.8 years). The levels of osteocalcin (OC), BAP, s-NTx, u-DPD, and E2 in the menstrual and ovulatory phases were measured. The associations between dependent variables (BMD changes/year in the lumbar spine, femur, femoral neck) and explanatory variables (body weight changes/year, the levels of OC, BAP, s-NTx, u-DPD) were evaluated using multiple regression analysis. Analysis of the correlations between the changes in bone metabolic markers and changes in BMD showed a correlation between the OC level in the menstrual phase and changes in the BMD of the entire femur, suggesting that a high OC level protects against BMD reduction, probably by promoting osteoblast activity, and that bone formation activity suppresses the decrease in BMD. These results suggest that, to predict BMD changes from bone metabolic markers in young women, it is necessary to measure OC levels in the menstrual phase

乳癌術前化学療法において腋窩リンパ節転移が陰性化するための効果予測因子の検討

Purpose: We investigated the role of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in pretreatment primary breast cancer to predict pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with clinical node-positive disease (cN +). Methods: The subjects of this study were 60 patients with cN + , who received NAC followed by breast surgery with axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). We conducted a semi-quantitative assessment of TILs in pretreatment primary tumors and their association with clinicopathological factors and axillary lymph node metastasis. Results: We observed a higher number of TILs in tumors with negative hormone receptors, positive human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, or high Ki67. TILs were associated with a favorable response to NAC in primary tumors. The rate of axillary pathologic complete response (Ax-pCR) was significantly higher in patients with a high number of TILs than in patients with a low number of TILs (72.0% versus 17.1%, p < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, a high number of TILs was a significant predictor of Ax-pCR as well as of pCR of the primary tumor after NAC. Importantly, all patients with HER2-positive tumors in the high TILs group showed Ax-pCR on ALND. Conclusion: TILs in pretreatment primary breast cancer had the potential to predict therapeutic efficacy of NAC in patients with clinical node-positive disease.博士（医学）・乙第1498号・令和3年3月15日© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Surgery today. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00595-020-02157-6

Inclusion body myositis with granuloma formation in muscle tissue

Inclusion body myositis is a form of inflammatory myopathy. We identified 4 cases of inclusion body myositis showing granuloma formation in muscle tissue and aimed to assess the features of this atypical form of inclusion body myositis. We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients who satisfied European Neuromuscular Centre IBM Research Diagnostic Criteria 2011. Then, we assessed clinical profiles and pathological findings in patients with inclusion body myositis with granuloma and compared these findings with those of typical inclusion body myositis without granuloma. We identified 15 patients with inclusion body myositis. Four patients showed granuloma formation in muscle tissue in addition to typical pathological features of inclusion body myositis. Granulomas comprised a mixture of inflammatory cells, such as macrophages, epithelioid histiocytic cells, and lymphocytes. One patient was found to have mediastinal granulomatous lymphadenopathy; however, the evidence in other patients was insufficient for a diagnosis of systemic sarcoidosis. There were no significant differences between groups with and without granuloma regarding clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, response to immunomodulating therapies, or myopathological profiles. We established a new form of inclusion body myositis showing granuloma formation in muscle tissue. Inclusion body myositis and granuloma formation could have identical pathomechanisms concerning dysregulation of autophagy. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.Embargo Period (12 months

Age-Dependent Contributions of Neck Circumference to Indices of Obesity Among Female College Students Aged 18 to 20 Years

Measurement of neck circumference (NC) is an easy method to assess obesity. Our investigation to estimate risks for metabolic disease in Japanese postmenopausal women indicated that NC is significantly associated with whole-body obesity indices and visceral fat accumulation. To clarify the early stage of metabolic changes and confirm NC validity as a predictor of metabolic syndrome, NC’s association to the four obesity indices, namely, weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat, and waist circumference (WC), was examined in a college student group of 60 females aged 18.7±0.3 years. NC was mainly correlated with weight, followed by BMI, WC, and body fat. It was also significantly associated with weight and BMI, but not with body fat. The participants were divided into two subgroups: “sports-experienced” and “not-sports-experienced,” who had moderate and strong correlation coefficients with NC and WC, respectively. WC value was possibly predicted by NC values using linear functions for the group and its subgroups. The correlation between NC and WC, NC’s association to weight, and substitution of NC to WC were confirmed by the same analyses in another student group composed with 18 females aged 19.7±0.6 years. Our study showed that the distribution of body fat in college students is difficult to assess based on NC alone. Nevertheless, NC measurement is an easy, inexpensive, and reproducible method to assess obesity and a possible predictor to identify the risk for future metabolic diseases in Japanese college students with the four obesity indices, weight, BMI, body fat, and WC

CSF tau protein is a useful marker for effective treatment of superficial siderosis of the central nervous system: Two case reports

金沢大学附属病院神経内科We report two cases of superficial siderosis (SS) of the central nervous system (CNS), which is caused by chronic haemorrhaging into the subarachnoid space with haemosiderin deposition in the superficial portion of the CNS. Patient 1 had fluid collection in the spinal canal, which was reported as the source of the chronic bleeding. Patient 2 was bleeding from thickened dura at the level of the sacral vertebrae. Both of the patients had xanthochromic cerebrospinal fluid. We surgically repaired the sources of bleeding. Subsequently the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cleared and their symptoms were not aggravated for about 1 year. We measured several CSF markers of SS before and after surgery. Total tau protein (CSF-t-tau), phosphorylated tau protein (CSF-p-tau), iron (CSF-iron) and ferritin (CSF-ferritin) in the CSF were highly elevated at diagnosis. After surgery, the levels of CSF-t-tau and CSF-p-tau were markedly reduced while CSF-iron and CSF-ferritin had not decreased. It is suggested that CSF-t-tau and CSF-p-tau reflected the neural damage in SS and were useful to evaluate the effectiveness of SS therapies. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

地域活動を“いきいき”として支えている人の要因

本研究の目的は、地域活動を“いきいき”として支えている人の要因を明らかにし、どうしたらそのような人を増やせるのかを検討することである。地域に住み、地域において“いきいき”とボランティアや役員として活動している13名を対象に、半構成的インタビューを行った。KJ法を用いて分類・図解した結果、“いきいき”と活動を続けられる要因は「いきいきと活動するサイクル」と「支援するサイクル」の2つに分けられ、「いきいきと活動するサイクル」を回すためには「支援するサイクル」を円滑に回す事が必要であった。二つのサイクルが円滑に回り、地域活動を発展し続ける事で“いきいき”と活動する人が増えると考えられた

Cytoskeletal elements in an acoelomorph worm, Praesagittifera naikaiensis

Acoel flatworms can move in a variety of ways such as muscular and ciliary movements via cytoskeletal elements and their neural regulations. However, those locomotive mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. In this study, we examined the distribution of cytoskeletal elements including filamentous actin (F-actin) and tubulin, and the neuroanatomical organization in an acoelomorph worm, Praesagittifera naikaiensis (P. naikaiensis). Video microscopy revealed the elongation/contraction and the bending/rotation processes, and the ciliary gliding movement of P. naikaiensis. Histochemical and morphological analysis demonstrated that F-actin networks of inner longitudinal and outer circular muscle fibers were positioned along the entire surface of the body, and that the average distance between the circular muscle fibers in the contracted organism was decreased in the anterior region compared with that in the elongated organism. Electron microscopy showed dense bodies on the muscle cells of P. naikaiensis, which indicates that those muscle cells have the appearance of vertebrate smooth muscle cells. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that -tubulin-positive signals on the ciliary microtubules had close contact with the F-actin network, and that neurite bundles labelled with anti dSap47 antibody as a neuronal marker run along the anterior-posterior body axis. These results indicate that the well-organized cytoskeletal elements and their neural control systems are preserved in P. naikaiensis, and that their mechanisms involved in those regulation systems are similar to those vertebrate systems. Further studies are needed to clarify the physiological mechanisms underlying the muscular and ciliary movements in P. naikaiensis