日本国内におけるヨシススキErianthus arundinaceus(Retz.) Jeswiet.(イネ科) の分布と生育状況について

The habitats of Erianthus arundinaceus (Retz.) Jeswiet. on the main land of Japan have been reported. This grass grows on newly constructed road banks or opened areas along the road. This alien plant seems to have originated from the seeds that are used to stabilize the banks of roads in these areas. To avoid their naturalization in the fields, artificial control is highly important because this grass has a tolerance to low temperature and can survive in fields. Additionally, this plant shows high seed set and will easily propagate by seedlings

Aortic valve replacement in a 41-year-old woman with uncorrected tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary atresia, and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries: a case report

Abstract Background Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is a complex cyanotic congenital heart disease. As most patients with TOF undergo palliative or radical surgical repair during childhood, cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for adult survivors with unrepaired TOF is exceedingly rare. Case presentation A 41-year-old woman with unrepaired TOF, pulmonary atresia (PA), and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCAs) developed acute infectious endocarditis (IE). As vegetation gradually increased despite intravenous antibiotic administration, she was scheduled for urgent aortic valve replacement under CPB. Pulmonary blood flow was primarily provided by the MAPCAs originating from the descending aorta. Intra-aortic balloon occlusion for MAPCAs was performed to ensure a bloodless surgical field. Aortic valve replacement was successful. Conclusion An adult with uncorrected TOF developed acute IE and subsequently had successful cardiac surgery under CPB. Understanding TOF physiology with PA and MAPCAs, particularly pulmonary blood flow through MAPCAs, is crucial

Quantification of muscle tone by using shear wave velocity during an anaesthetic induction: a prospective observational study

Abstract Objectives The quantitative assessment of muscle stiffness or weakness is essential for medical care. Shear wave elastography is non-invasive ultrasound method and provides quantitative information on the elasticity of soft tissue. However, the universal velocity scale for quantification has not been developed. The aim of the study is to determine the shear wave velocities of abdominal muscle during anesthetic induction and to identify methods to cancel the effects of confounders for future development in the quantitative assessment of muscle tone using the universal scale. Methods We enrolled 75 adult patients undergoing elective surgery with ASA-PS I – III in the period between December 2018 and March 2021. We measured and calculated the shear wave velocity (SWV) before and after opioid administration (i.e., the baseline at rest and opioid-induced rigidity condition), and after muscle relaxant administration (i.e., zero reference condition). The SWV value was adjusted for the subcutaneous fat thickness by our proposed corrections. The SWVs after the adjustment were compared among the values in baseline, rigidity, and relaxation using one-way repeated-measures ANOVA and post hoc Tukey–Kramer test. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. UMIN Clinical Trials Registry identifier UMIN000034692, registered on October 30, 2018. Results The SWVs in the baseline, opioid-induced rigidity, and muscle relaxation conditions after the adjustment were 2.08 ± 0.48, 2.41 ± 0.60, and 1.79 ± 0.30 m/s, respectively (p < 0.001 at all comparisons). Conclusion The present study suggested that the SWV as reference was 1.79 m/s and that the SWVs at rest and opioid-induced rigidity were ~ 10% and ~ 30% increase from the reference, respectively. The SWV adjusted for the subcutaneous fat thickness may be scale points for the assessment of muscle tone

Quantitative comparison of the mRNA content of human iPSC‐derived motor neurons and their extracellular vesicles

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain various cargo molecules, including RNAs and proteins. EVs, which include exosomes, are predicted to be suitable surrogates of their source cells for liquid biopsy to measure biomarkers. Several studies have performed qualitative comparisons of cargo molecule repertoires between source cells and their EVs. However, quantitative comparisons have not been reported so far. Furthermore, many studies analyzed microRNAs or proteins in EVs, but not mRNAs. In this study, we analyzed mRNAs in motor neurons and their EVs. Normal human‐induced pluripotent stem cells were differentiated into motor neurons, and comprehensive analysis of mRNAs in the cells and their EVs was performed by RNA sequencing. Differential analysis between cellular and EV mRNAs was performed by edgeR after normalization of read count. The results suggest that signatures in the abundance of EV mRNAs were different from those of cellular mRNAs. Comparison of intracellular vesicle and EV mRNA abundance showed negatively and positively biased genes in the EVs. Gene Ontology analysis revealed that the genes showing negatively biased abundance in the EVs were enriched in many functions regarding neuronal development. In contrast, the positively biased genes were enriched in functions regarding cellular metabolism and protein synthesis. These results suggest that mRNAs in motor neurons are loaded into EVs to regulate certain mechanisms, which are yet to be elucidated