Decreased postnatal neurogenesis in the hippocampus combined with stress experience during adolescence is accompanied by an enhanced incidence of behavioral pathologies in adult mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Adolescence is a vulnerable period in that stress experienced during this time can affect the incidence of psychiatric disorders later, during adulthood. Neurogenesis is known to be involved in the postnatal development of the brain, but its role in determining an individual's biological vulnerability to the onset of psychiatric disorders has not been addressed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We examined the role of postnatal neurogenesis during adolescence, a period between 3 to 8 weeks of age in rodents. Mice were X-irradiated at 4 weeks of age, to inhibit postnatal neurogenesis in the sub-granule cell layer of the hippocampus. Electrical footshock stress (FSS) was administered at 8 weeks old, the time at which neurons being recruited to granule cell layer were those that had begun their differentiation at 4 weeks of age, during X-irradiation. X-irradiated mice subjected to FSS during adolescence exhibited decreased locomotor activity in the novel open field, and showed prepulse inhibition deficits in adulthood. X-irradiation or FSS alone exerted no effects on these behaviors.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results suggest that mice with decreased postnatal neurogenesis during adolescence exhibit vulnerability to stress, and that persistence of this condition may result in decreased activity, and cognitive deficits in adulthood.</p

Rapid and simultaneous measurement of estrone, estradiol, estriol and estetrol in serum by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.

A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with electrochemical detection (ECD) was developed for the simultaneous measurement of estrone, estradiol, estriol and estetrol in serum. These hormones were extracted with diethylether, chromatographed on an silica-octadecyl silane (ODS) column with an eluent of phosphate buffer solution-acetonitrile-methanol (volume ratio 152:85:40), and detected by ECD at +1.0V vs. Ag/AgCl. In comparisons between the values measured by this method and radioimmunoassay, significant correlations were noted for estrone (r = 0.759, p less than 0.01), estradiol (r = 0.816, p less than 0.001) and estriol (r = 0.830, p less than 0.001). In clinical applications of this method, differences between cases of the normal and the anencephalic pregnancy in the thirty-eighth week of gestation were distinct not only in the individual estrogen, but also in the profile analysis of estrogens. With this method, all 4 serum estrogens above approximately 500 pg/ml could be measured within 2 h, and the method seemed to be clinically applicable.</p

A Study on the Distributional Characteristics of Rocks in Japanese Gardens

日本庭園を特色づける庭石の分布の特性について多変量解析による検討を行った. 資料としては,評価の高い庭園の実測平面図52点を用いた. 平面図から,庭園総面積と庭石の底面積および庭石の分布状態に関する8変数を抽出し,分析の材料とした. 主成分分析の結果,風致性の高いとされる庭園においては,庭石の構成が,全体の数量的規模,使用頻度の高い庭石の規模,庭石の大きさの調和性,の3特性によって約76%説明しうることが判明した. さらに,同じ8変数を用いたクラスター分析(WARD法)によって,対象とした52庭園が4類型に分類し得ることを示した. これらの類型間には,主成分分析で得た3特性の得点分布に明らかな差異があることも判明した. 分類された類型は,それぞれ特有の庭石の構成をもつが,全体としてみれば特定の類型に属する庭園が圧倒的に多いことが判明した. このことは,日本庭園の風致性ならびに造作上の特色を示す興味深い事実である

Automated direct assay system for RU38486, an antiprogesterone-antiglucocorticoid agent, and its metabolites using high performance liquid chromatography.

An automated direct assay system using high performance liquid chromatography was developed for the measurement of RU38486 and its three metabolites (RU42698, RU42848, RU42633) in human serum. Serum concentrations of these compounds were measured up to 144 h following single oral administration of 200 (200 mg group, n = 3) or 400 mg (400 mg group, n = 3) of RU38486 to healthy female volunteers. The serum half-lives (200 mg group-400 mg group) of RU38486, RU42698, RU42848 and RU42633 were 31.8-33.1 h, 41.2-39.3 h, 33.9-36.6 h and 29.2-36.6 h, respectively. Our system could quantify them easily and simultaneously, and was considered to be valuable in studies on the relationship between the pharmacokinetics and the clinical effects of RU38486.&#60;/P&#62;</p

Application of Rapid and Simul­taneous Measurement of Sex Steroid Hormones to the Monitoring of Gonadotropin Therapy

A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with both electrochemical detection (ECD) and ultraviolet spectrometric detection (UVD) was developed for the rapid and simultaneous measurement of estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), testosterone (T), 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) and progesterone (P) in serum. These hormones were extracted with diethylether, and chromatographed on an octadecyl silane-silica (ODS) column with an eluent of a phosphate buffer solution - acetonitrile mixture (volume ratio 49:51). Estrogens were detected by ECD at +1.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl, and other hormones by UVD at 242 nm. With this method, the simultaneous determination of sex steroid hormones could be performed within approximately two hours with high precision. The hormones of 34 patients (39 menstrual cycles) undergoing human menopausal gonadotropin (HMG)-human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) therapy were measured. It was concluded that the switch from HMG to HCG should be performed when the E2 level reaches 400 pg/ml for ovulation and 800 pg/ml for pregnancy. The occurrence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) can be predicted when the P level rises above 30 ng/ml on the 7th day after the switch. Moreover, conception may be indicated when the P level does not increase from the 7th to 14th day after the switch. In this way, this method proved to be useful for the monitoring of HMG-HCG therapy.</p

Dependence of alkyl-substituent length for bulk heterojunction solar cells utilizing 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octaalkylphthalocyanine

Tetsuro Hori, Yasuo Miyake, Tetsuya Masuda, Takeshi Hayashi, Kaoru Fukumura, Hiroyuki Yoshida, Akihiko Fujii, Masanori Ozaki, and Yo Shimizu "Dependence of alkyl-substituent length for bulk heterojunction solar cells utilizing 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octaalkylphthalocyanine," Journal of Photonics for Energy 2(1), 021004 (2 March 2012). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JPE.2.02100

On the Generalized Exanthemata Happened to Erupt During Roentgentherapy

Four cases of generalized exanthemata were observed during X-ray treatment. The cause of this ailment is not thoroughly classified yet. Studying these cases, it will be said that the disease would develop on the ground of individual idiosyncrasy toward drugs and of decreased body resistance, because of observing most of the patients to who the same dose or more of Roentgentherapy was given as those four cases showed no system reactions. It is of importance that the use of drug having various reactions should be avoided with cares to improve patient's general condition, and diuresis especially to prevent pyelonephritis, during X-ray treatment

Ulnar nerve palsy associated with closed midshaft forearm fractures

Ulnar nerve palsy is a rare complication of closed midshaft forearm fractures; only 8 cases have been reported. This article describes a case of ulnar nerve palsy associated with a midshaft forearm fracture. A 12-year-old girl sustained a right midshaft forearm fracture. Whether she had a peripheral nerve injury was unknown due to strong pain. She underwent emergency manual reduction and intramedullary pinning. However, ulnar nerve palsy was remarkable postoperatively and gradually worsened. Therefore, neurolysis was performed 9 weeks later. The nerve had adhered to surrounding scar tissue. Six months after a second surgery, she had no motor dysfunction. The pathogenesis of ulnar nerve palsy complicated with midshaft forearm fractures varies and may be the result of direct contusion, direct damage by a bony spike, bony entrapment after closed reduction, and entrapment by a scar. In the current case, the patient was uncooperative at initial examination. Therefore, it is unknown whether she presented with immediate ulnar nerve palsy after the fracture. However, the ulnar nerve was not entrapped at the fracture site, and the surrounding muscle was intact but adhered to the surrounding scar tissue. The etiology of this case was considered to be entrapment by scar formation. According to a literature search, the authors recommend exploring the nerve approximately 8 to 10 weeks after primary surgery, after which neurological symptoms do not tend to improve

Fetal and neonatal excretion of free and conjugated ritodrine.

The ability of the human fetus and neonate to conjugate and excrete ritodrine, a beta 2-sympathomimetic drug, was investigated. Free and conjugated ritodrine concentrations in the plasma, amniotic fluid and urine were measured in 11 mother-infant pairs, to whom intravenous ritodrine had been administered before elective cesarean section at term. Ritodrine was determined by HPLC with electrochemical detection. At delivery, conjugated ritodrine values were significantly higher than those for the free form in maternal and fetal plasma. There were significant positive correlations between the concentrations in the maternal and umbilical vein plasma for both free and conjugated ritodrine. In the amniotic fluid, the total ritodrine concentrations were much higher than those in the fetal plasma, the conjugated form accounting for 90.2% of the total. Furthermore, the percentages of conjugated ritodrine in the amniotic fluid and neonatal urine were significantly higher than the percentage in the maternal urine on the day of birth. In the neonatal urine, the concentrations of free and conjugated ritodrine decreased rapidly after birth as did those in the maternal urine, on day 3 postpartum being less than 2% of the values on the day of parturition. These results indicate that the fetus at term is capable of forming conjugated metabolites of ritodrine and of excreting free and conjugated ritodrine in its urine.</p