A Giant Hydronephrotic Kidney with Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction with Blunt Renal Trauma in a Boy

An 18-year-old male soccer player was transferred from the clinic to our emergency center with suspected blunt renal trauma. A giant ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstructed hydronephrosis in blunt renal trauma was revealed by enhanced computed tomography and angiography. The patient then underwent insertion of a double “J” stent and was placed under close observation in the intensive care unit. His improvement was rapid, and he subsequently underwent pyeloplasty. Although UPJ obstruction is one of the common pre-existing renal lesions (PERLs), hydronephrosis of such a giant size, associated with blunt trauma, is relatively rare. Hydronephrosis in the kidneys may easily lead to rupture, even with minor trauma

The Effects of Inbreeding on the Egg Production Rate in Japanese Quail

本研究は,近交退化現象を明らかにする目的で,日本ウズラを用い,きょうだい交配によって近交世代を進めた場合の産卵率について近交群と無作為交配群とで比較検討した. 本研究に用いた日本ウズラは,当研究室において無作為交配によって維持した閉鎖集団を起源とする近交群と無作為交配群である. 産卵率は連続32日間にわたって検討した. 得られた結果は要約すると以下の通りである. 1.近交群と無作為交配群における産卵率について比較した結果,近交群では2世代目で急激な低下がみられ,4世代目まで低い値が維持された. 両群間には1世代目を除くすべての世代で有意差が認められた. 2.近交群と無作為交配群における産卵率の範囲と産卵率の範囲に含まれる維持家系数について検討した結果,近交群では無作為交配群に比較して,産卵率の高い家系数は少なくなり,一方,産卵率の低い家系数は多くなった. 3.産卵率の退化現象について回帰の面から検討した結果,産卵率は退化の傾向がみられた. 近交係数10%増加するごとに,3.80%低下することが示された. 4.以上の結果から,近交による産卵率の低下は,ホモ接合体の増加に伴う雌ウズラでの生殖機能の低下に起因したものと考えられる

The Effects of Inbreeding on Body Weight, Age at Sexual Maturity and Egg Weight in Japanese Quail

本研究は,近親交配の継続によって発現する近交退化現象を明らかにする目的で,日本ウズラを用い,きょうだい交配によって近交世代を進めた場合の体重,性成熟日齢,卵重について近交群と無作為交配群とで比較検討した. なお,本研究に用いた日本ウズラは,岡山大学農学部家畜育種学教室で無作為交配によって維持してきた集団を基礎として得られた近交群と無作為交配群である. 体重は艀化時,艀北後2,4,6,10週齢時に,卵重は13週齢時に測定した. 得られた結果は以下の通りである. 1.近交に伴う系統数と家系数の推移について検討した結果,近交群では,1世代目16系統36家系で出発したが,4世代目では3系統14家系となり,近交に伴い系統数と家系数が急激に低下した. これに対して,近交群では,毎世代40家系を維持した. 2.近交群と無作為交配群における体重,性成熟日齢,卵重について比較検討した結果,近交群では,無作為交配群に比較していずれの形質も劣る傾向が認められた. 特に,雄と雌の4週齢と6週齢時体重は,いずれの世代においても両群間に有意な差が認められた. 3.体重,性成熟日齢,卵重の退化現象について回帰の面から検討した結果,いずれの形質も退化の傾向がみられた. 近交係数10%増加あたりの回帰係数に有意差が認められたのは雌の6週齢時体重であった. 近交係数10%増加するごとに,雌の6週齢時体重は3.27ｇ減少することが示された. 性成熟日齢は,雄では0.67日,雌では0.96日遅延し,卵重は0.21g減少することが示された. 4.以上の結果から,近交に伴う体重,性成熟日齢,卵重の退化は,ヘテロ接合体の減少に伴うホモ接合体の増加に起因したものと考えられた

Effects of radiofrequency ablation on individual renal function: assessment by technetium-99m mercaptoacetyltriglycine renal scintigraphy.

We quantitatively evaluated total and individual renal function by technetium-99m mercaptoacetyltriglycine (Tc-99m MAG3) renal scintigraphy before and after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of renal tumors. Eleven patients who underwent Tc-99m MAG3 renal scintigraphy 1 week before and after RFA were evaluated (7 men and 4 women ; age range : 23-83 years ; mean age : 60.6 years). Five patients had solitary kidneys, and five had normally or minimally functioning contralateral kidneys. One patient had a renal cell carcinoma in the contralateral kidney. One patient with a solitary kidney underwent RFA a second time for a residual tumor. In patients with a solitary kidney, MAG3 clearance decreased after 5 of 6 RFAs, and in patients with a normally functioning contralateral kidney, MAG3 clearance decreased after 4 of 5 RFAs, but no significant differences were observed between before and after treatments. In addition to the total MAG3 clearance, the split MAG3 clearance was evaluated in patients with a normally functioning contralateral kidney. MAG3 clearance decreased in 4 of 5 treated kidneys, while it adversely increased in the contralateral kidneys after 4 of 5 RFAs. No significant differences, however, were observed between before and after treatments. The results of our study revealed no significant differences in sCr, BUN, CCr, or MAG3 clearance between pre- and post-RFA values. These results support data regarding the functional impact and safety of renal RFA in published reports. We evaluated total and individual renal function quantitatively using Tc-99m MAG3 renal scintigraphy before and after treatment. This scintigraphy was very useful in assessing the effects of RFA on renal function

The Usefulness of Pre-Radiofrequency Ablation SUVmax in 18F-FDG PET/CT to Predict the Risk of a Local Recurrence of Malignant Lung Tumors after Lung Radiofrequency Ablation

The aim of the present study was to assess the diagnostic usefulness of Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in the prediction of local recurrence of malignant lung tumors by analyzing the pre-radiofrequency ablation (RFA) maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax). We performed a historical cohort study of consecutive malignant lung tumors treated by RFA from January 2007 to May 2008 at Okayama University Hospital. We selected only lung tumors examined by PET/CT within 90 days before RFA and divided them (10 primary and 29 metastatic) into 3 groups according to their tertiles of SUVmax. We calculated recurrence odds ratios in the medium group and the high group compared to the low group using multivariate logistic analysis. After we examined the relationship between SUVmax and recurrence in a crude model, we adjusted for some factors. Tumors with higher SUVmax showed higher recurrence odds ratios (medium group;1.84, high group;4.14, respectively). The tumor size also increased the recurrence odds ratio (2.67);we thought this was mainly due to selection bias because we excluded tumors less than 10mm in diameter. This study demonstrated the pre-RFA SUVmax in PET/CT may be a prognostic factor for local recurrence of malignant lung tumors

Involvement of heterologous ubiquitination including linear ubiquitination in Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

In neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the progressive accumulation of ubiquitin-positive cytoplasmic inclusions leads to proteinopathy and neurodegeneration. Along with the seven types of Lys-linked ubiquitin chains, the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC)-mediated Met1-linked linear ubiquitin chain, which activates the canonical NF-κB pathway, is also involved in cytoplasmic inclusions of tau in AD and TAR DNA-binding protein 43 in ALS. Post-translational modifications, including heterologous ubiquitination, affect proteasomal and autophagic degradation, inflammatory responses, and neurodegeneration. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in SHARPIN and RBCK1 (which encodes HOIL-1L), components of LUBAC, were recently identified as genetic risk factors of AD. A structural biological simulation suggested that most of the SHARPIN SNPs that cause an amino acid replacement affect the structure and function of SHARPIN. Thus, the aberrant LUBAC activity is related to AD. Protein ubiquitination and ubiquitin-binding proteins, such as ubiquilin 2 and NEMO, facilitate liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), and linear ubiquitination seems to promote efficient LLPS. Therefore, the development of therapeutic approaches that target ubiquitination, such as proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) and inhibitors of ubiquitin ligases, including LUBAC, is expected to be an additional effective strategy to treat neurodegenerative diseases

Low Surface Potential with Glycoconjugates Determines Insect Cell Adhesion at Room Temperature

Cell-coupled field-effect transistor (FET) biosensors have attracted considerable attention because of their high sensitivity to biomolecules. The use of insect cells (Sf21) as a core sensor element is advantageous due to their stable adhesion to sensors at room temperature. Although visualization of the insect cell-substrate interface leads to logical amplification of signals, the spatiotemporal processes at the interfaces have not yet been elucidated. We quantitatively monitored the adhesion dynamics of Sf21 using interference reflection microscopy (IRM). Specific adhesion signatures with ring-like patches along the cellular periphery were detected. A combination of zeta potential measurements and lectin staining identified specific glycoconjugates with low electrostatic potentials. The ring-like structures were disrupted after cholesterol depletion, suggesting a raft domain along the cell periphery. Our results indicate dynamic and asymmetric cell adhesion is due to low electrostatic repulsion with fluidic sugar rafts. We envision the logical design of cell-sensor interfaces with an electrical model that accounts for actual adhesion interfaces.Matsuzaki T., Terutsuki D., Sato S., et al. Low Surface Potential with Glycoconjugates Determines Insect Cell Adhesion at Room Temperature. Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 2022 13(40), 9494-9500. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c01673. Copyright © 2022 American Chemical Society

Gastric T-cell lymphoma associated with hemophagocytic syndrome

BACKGROUND: Lymphoma-associated hemophagocytic syndrome (LAHS) occurs in mostly extra nodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. LAHS arising from gastrointestinal lymphoma has never been reported. Here we report a case of gastric T-cell lymphoma-associated hemophagocytic syndrome. CASE PRESENTATION: A 51-year-old woman presented with pain, redness of breasts, fever and hematemesis. Hematological examination revealed anemia. Gastroscopy revealed small bleeding ulcers in the stomach and the computed tomography scan showed liver tumor. She underwent total gastrectomy for gastrointestinal bleeding and the histopathology revealed gastric T-cell lymphoma. She continued to bleed from the anastomosis and died on the 8th postoperative day. Autopsy revealed it to be a LAHS. CONCLUSIONS: If Hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) occurs in lymphoma of the gastrointestinal tract, bleeding from the primary lesion might be uncontrollable. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are needed for long-term survival

Angioscopic Evaluation of Stabilizing Effects of Bezafibrate on Coronary Plaques in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

Background Since long-term administrations of anti-hyperlipidemic agents result in reduction in % stenosis or increase in minimum lumen diameter (MLD) of stenotic coronary segments, it is generally believed that anti-hyperlipidemic agents stabilize vulnerable coronary plaques. However, recent pathologic and angioscopic studies revealed that vulnerability of coronary plaques is not related to severity of stenosis and the rims rather than top of the plaques disrupt, and therefore, angiography is not adequate for evaluation of vulnerability

Total synthesis of (+)-azimine via diastereoselective aminopalladation

The aminopalladation of amino allylic alcohol using Cl2Pd(MeCN)(2) in CH2Cl2 gave the 2,6-disubstituted piperidine with excellent diastereoselectivity. This compound was successfully converted into (+)-azimine (1) using cross-metathesis and Shiina macrolactonization.ArticleTETRAHEDRON. 69(39):8349-8352 (2013)journal articl