Treadmill Exercise as a Preventive Measure Against Age-Related Anxiety and Social Behavioral Disorders in Rats: When Is It Worth Starting?

Objective To determine the appropriate time points to start regular exercise which could reduce age-related anxiety and impaired social behavior. Methods For this study, 8-week-old male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: no exercise (NoEX), short-term exercise (S-Ex), and long-term exercise (L-Ex) groups. S-Ex-group rats started treadmill exercise at 12 months of age, while L-Ex rats started from at 2 months of age. Exercise rats were forced to walk on the treadmill three times per week, with 1- to 2-day intervals for 10 minutes during the first 2 weeks, at 10 m/min until 17 months of age, and at 8 m/min thereafter. At 19 months of age, behavioral tests were performed to assess the effects of exercise on age-induced behavioral change as well as quantitative polymerase chain reaction were done to uncover the mechanism behind the behavioral changes. Results Anxiety-like behavior was improved by long-term exercise. Additionally, rats belonging to the S-Ex and L-Ex groups showed improved social behavior and increased curiosity about interesting objects. The qPCR data showed that treadmill exercise suppressed the expression of immediate-early genes in the prefrontal cortex of the aged rats. Conclusion This study suggests that long-term exercise represses early response genes, and in this way, it increases resistance to stress, diminishes anxiety-related behavior, and improves social behavior. These findings underscore the need to consider appropriate time to start exercise to prevent stress induced anxiety related behavior

JASMINE: Near-infrared astrometry and time-series photometry science

The Japan Astrometry Satellite Mission for INfrared Exploration (JASMINE) is a planned M-class science space mission by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. JASMINE has two main science goals. One is Galactic archaeology with a Galactic Center survey, which aims to reveal the Milky Way’s central core structure and formation history from Gaia-level (∼25 ${\mu}$as) astrometry in the near-infrared (NIR) Hw band (1.0–1.6 ${\mu}$m). The other is an exoplanet survey, which aims to discover transiting Earth-like exoplanets in the habitable zone from NIR time-series photometry of M dwarfs when the Galactic Center is not accessible. We introduce the mission, review many science objectives, and present the instrument concept. JASMINE will be the first dedicated NIR astrometry space mission and provide precise astrometric information on the stars in the Galactic Center, taking advantage of the significantly lower extinction in the NIR. The precise astrometry is obtained by taking many short-exposure images. Hence, the JASMINE Galactic Center survey data will be valuable for studies of exoplanet transits, asteroseismology, variable stars, and microlensing studies, including discovery of (intermediate-mass) black holes. We highlight a swath of such potential science, and also describe synergies with other missions

Arthroscopic osteochondral autologous transplantation for the treatment of osteochondritis dissecans of the femoral head

Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the femoral head is an unusual cause of hip pain. It can be associated with other intra-articular pathologies including: acetabular labral tears or bone deformities such as Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease (LCPD). In this article, we propose a modern surgical technique using an arthroscopic antegrade and retrograde osteochondral autologous transplantation (OAT) procedure for assessing and treating OCD lesions of the femoral head

Isolation and Characterization of Synovial Mesenchymal Stem Cell Derived from Hip Joints: A Comparative Analysis with a Matched Control Knee Group

Purpose. To determine the characteristics of MSCs from hip and compare them to MSCs from knee. Methods. Synovial tissues were obtained from both the knee and the hip joints in 8 patients who underwent both hip and knee arthroscopies on the same day. MSCs were isolated from the knee and hip synovial samples. The capacities of MSCs were compared between both groups. Results. The number of cells per unit weight at passage 0 of synovium from the knee was significantly higher than that from the hip (P<0.05). While it was possible to observe the growth of colonies in all the knee synovial fluid samples, it was impossible to culture cells from any of the hip samples. In adipogenesis experiments, the frequency of Oil Red-O-positive colonies and the gene expression of adipsin were significantly higher in knee than in hip. In osteogenesis experiments, the expression of COL1A1 and ALPP was significantly less in the knee synovium than in the hip synovium. Conclusions. MSCs obtained from hip joint have self-renewal and multilineage differentiation potentials. However, in matched donors, adipogenesis and osteogenesis potentials of MSCs from the knees are superior to those from the hips. Knee synovium may be a better source of MSC for potential use in hip diseases

Arthroscopic Double Shoelace Capsular Plication Technique for the Treatment of Borderline Hip Dysplasia Associated With Capsular Laxity

Hip arthroscopy is an innovative surgical tool that is minimally invasive; however, the working space is very limited because of small surgical wounds. Recent literature has shown that capsular repair after capsulotomy during hip arthroscopy facilitates the restoration of hip joint stability. Previous Technical Notes have introduced the shoelace capsule closing technique using a single Ultratape. However, even with the shoelace capsule closing technique, we periodically have encountered difficult cases with extensive capsular laxity. In this Technical Note, we introduce an improved hip capsule plication technique using 2 pieces of Ultratape for treating borderline hip dysplasia with capsular laxity. This double shoelace capsule plication technique theoretically reduces tearing risks during closure of delicate and fragile capsules. Level of evidence: 1 (hip); 2 (other)