Functional near-infrared spectroscopy studies in children

Psychosomatic and developmental behavioral medicine in pediatrics has been the subject of significant recent attention, with infants, school-age children, and adolescents frequently presenting with psychosomatic, behavioral, and psychiatric symptoms. These may be a consequence of insecurity of attachment, reduced self-confidence, and peer -relationship conflicts during their developmental stages. Developmental cognitive neuroscience has revealed significant associations between specific brain lesions and particular cognitive dysfunctions. Thus, identifying the biological deficits underlying such cognitive dysfunction may provide new insights into therapeutic prospects for the management of those symptoms in children. Recent advances in noninvasive neuroimaging techniques, and especially functional near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), have contributed significant findings to the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience in pediatrics. We present here a comprehensive review of functional NIRS studies of children who have developed normally and of children with psychosomatic and behavioral disorders

Hypotension due to Chemotherapy in a Patient with Small Cell Lung Cancer and Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome Undergoing Hemodialysis: A First Case Report

We present the first case of small cell lung cancer with Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome during hemodialysis (HD). A 72-year-old male patient receiving HD experienced progressive muscle weakness. He was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer with Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome due to an increased serum level of anti-voltage-gated calcium channel antibody and aspiration cytology on endobronchial ultrasonography for the swelling of a subcarinal lymph node. He received chemotherapy consisting of carboplatin (300 mg/m2) and etoposide (50 mg/m2), to which he had a partial response. However, the second therapy course could not be administered because of the unexpected development of severe hematological adverse events, which also prevented him from undergoing further HD. This case indicates that caution should be taken when using chemotherapy for such patients because of hypotension due to chemotherapy, with which it is impossible to undergo HD

Sclerosing mediastinitis of unknown origin: Report of a case

AbstractIntroductionWe herein describe a rare case of a sclerosing mediastinitis without IgG4-related disease. This case was clearly excluded from IgG4-related disease, because this patient’s serum IgG4 level was not elevated. Specifically, this patient’s serum IgG4 level was 7.9mg/dl (4.8–105).Presentation of caseA 61-year-old Japanese female presented at our hospital due to an abnormal chest X-ray that showed a growing shadow in the mediastinum. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed an 80×75×75mm tumor, which located in the anterior mediastinum. This large tumor surrounded the thoracic aorta, left brachiocephalic vein and superior vena cava. It was difficult to obtain a definitive diagnosis. We tried to perform three biopsies, and eventually performed a partial resection of the tumor.DiscussionThis case did not fit the criteria for IgG4-related disease, and it was therefore unclear whether steroid therapy should be used for this case. We will continue to carefully follow up this patient’s residual lesion, and there have been no changes in the lesion at present.ConclusionSclerosing mediastinitis and IgG4-related disease should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with a mediastinal tumor. However, sclerosing mediastinitis is difficult to diagnose, and it is important to obtain a sufficient amount of tissue to ensure an accurate diagnosis

Psychosomatic problems and countermeasures in Japanese children and adolescents

In Japan there are a number of children and adolescents with emotion-related disorders including psychosomatic diseases (orthostatic dysregulation, anorexia nervosa, recurrent pains), behavior problems and school absenteeism. According to our previous report, the Japanese children had significantly higher score of physical symptoms and psychiatric complaints than did the Swedish children, and these were more strongly influenced by school-related stress than by home-related stress. To enforce countermeasures for psychosomatic problems in children, the Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Pediatrics (established in 1982) have started several new projects including multi-center psychosomatic researches and society-based activities. In this article, we present an outline of our study on mental health in Japanese children in comparison with Swedish children. Countermeasures including clinical guidelines for child psychosomatic diseases are reviewed and discussed

Total Vertebrectomy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

We present a case who had left upper lobectomy with total vertebrectomy after arterial embolization in preparation for intraoperative bleeding. A 35-year-old man complained of left back pain. Chest CT revealed a tumor in S1+2 of the left lung, invading the third thoracic vertebra. As no nodal or distant metastasis was detected, we performed left upper lobectomy and lymph node dissection (ND2a-2) after embolization of the vessels feeding the tumor in order to reduce intraoperative bleeding. In addition, the team of orthopedics performed en bloc resection of the third thoracic vertebra and parts of the left third and fourth ribs. Histological examination of the tumor revealed pleomorphic carcinoma (pT4N0M0, stage IIIA)

MITOL assists Parkin in mitochondrial localization

PINK1 (PARK6) and PARKIN (PARK2) are causal genes of recessive familial Parkinson's disease. Parkin is a ubiquitin ligase E3 that conjugates ubiquitin to impaired mitochondrial proteins for organelle degradation. PINK1, a Ser/Thr kinase that accumulates only on impaired mitochondria, phosphorylates two authentic substrates, the ubiquitin-like domain of Parkin and ubiquitin. Our group and others have revealed that both the subcellular localization and ligase activity of Parkin are regulated through interactions with phosphorylated ubiquitin. Once PINK1 localizes on impaired mitochondria, PINK1-catalyzed phosphoubiquitin recruits and activates Parkin. Parkin then supplies a ubiquitin chain to PINK1 for phosphorylation. The amplified ubiquitin functions as a signal for the sequestration and degradation of the damaged mitochondria. Although a bewildering variety of Parkin substrates have been reported, the basis for Parkin substrate specificity remains poorly understood. Moreover, the mechanism underlying initial activation and translocation of Parkin onto mitochondria remains unclear, because the presence of ubiquitin on impaired mitochondria is thought to be a prerequisite for the initial PINK1 phosphorylation process. Here, we show that artificial mitochondria-targeted proteins are ubiquitylated by Parkin, suggesting that substrate specificity of Parkin is not determined by its amino acid sequence. Moreover, recruitment and activation of Parkin are delayed following depletion of the mitochondrial E3, MITOL/March5. We propose a model in which the initial step in Parkin recruitment and activation requires protein ubiquitylation by MITOL/March5 with subsequent PINK1-mediated phosphorylation. Because PINK1 and Parkin amplify the ubiquitin signal via a positive feedback loop, the low substrate specificity of Parkin might facilitate this amplification process

分子遺伝学的手法を用いたわが国メロン品種の多様性と分類

For the breeding of Japanese netted melon, various types of foreign cultivars have been utilized for improving adaptability, disease and pest resistance, fruit quality and so on. However, little is known about their genetic diversity and relationships, since most cultivars derived from crosses between various horticultural groups. To figure out the genetic structure of Japanese melon, in this study, 57 melon accessions from three horticultural groups were examined using 55 RAPD markers produced by 24 RAPD primers. Genetic diversity of the Japanese netted melon was as high as those of cultivar groups of Groups Cantalupensis and Inodorus, while it was low in Group Conomon irrespective of large variations in fruit traits. Cluster analysis and PCO analysis based on genetic distance showed that Group Conomon was distantly related to other melon accessions. Among the latter, European cantaloupe (nonnetted) and American open-field type (netted) proved to be genetically close, while England glasshouse melon (netted) including ‘Earl’s Favourite’ is distantly related to these two groups and closely related with Group Inodorus. It was therefore suggested that England glasshouse type was established from hybrids between European cantaloupe and Group Inodorus. Japanese netted melon was most closely related with England glasshouse type, irrespective of the fact that various kinds of melon accessions have been crossed to improve adaptability, disease resistance and so on. In contrast, pure line cultivars of the Japanese netted melon bred by pure line selection from ‘Earl's Favourite’ or by crossing ‘Earl’s Favourite’ with ‘British Queen’ were confirmed to be mostly homogenous, and it was difficult to establish RAPD markers to discriminate each cultivar. Group Conomon var. makuwa and var. conomon, which have been cultivated and utilized as different crops, proved to be genetically indistinguishable and were considered to share the same gene pool

Natural air leak test without submergence for spontaneous pneumothorax

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Postoperative air leaks are frequent complications after surgery for a spontaneous pneumothorax (SP). We herein describe a new method to test for air leaks by using a transparent film and thoracic tube in a closed system.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Between 2005 and 2010, 35 patients underwent a novel method for evaluating air leaks without submergence, and their clinical records were retrospectively reviewed. The data on patient characteristics, surgical details, and perioperative outcomes were analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The differences in the clinical background and intraoperative factors did not reach a statistically significant level between the new and classical methods. The incidence of recurrence was also equivalent to the standard method. However, the length of the operation and drainage periods were significantly shorter in patients evaluated using the new method than the conventional method. Further, no postoperative complications were observed in patients evaluated using the new method.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This simple technique is satisfactorily effective and does not result in any complications.</p

Mammalian BCAS3 and C16orf70 associate with the phagophore assembly site in response to selective and non-selective autophagy

Macroautophagy/autophagy is an intracellular degradation process that delivers cytosolic materials and/or damaged organelles to lysosomes. De novo synthesis of the autophagosome membrane occurs within a phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate-rich region of the endoplasmic reticulum, and subsequent expansion is critical for cargo encapsulation. This process is complex, especially in mammals, with many regulatory factors. In this study, by utilizing PRKN (parkin RBR E3 ubiquitin protein ligase)-mediated mitochondria autophagy (mitophagy)-inducing conditions in conjunction with chemical crosslinking and mass spectrometry, we identified human BCAS3 (BCAS3 microtubule associated cell migration factor) and C16orf70 (chromosome 16 open reading frame 70) as novel proteins that associate with the autophagosome formation site during both non-selective and selective autophagy. We demonstrate that BCAS3 and C16orf70 form a complex and that their association with the phagophore assembly site requires both proteins. In silico structural modeling, mutational analyses in cells and in vitro phosphoinositide-binding assays indicate that the WD40 repeat domain in human BCAS3 directly binds phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate. Furthermore, overexpression of the BCAS3-C16orf70 complex affects the recruitment of several core autophagy proteins to the phagophore assembly site. This study demonstrates regulatory roles for human BCAS3 and C16orf70 in autophagic activity

Parkin‐mediated ubiquitylation redistributes MITOL/March5 from mitochondria to peroxisomes

Ubiquitylation of outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) proteins is closely related to the onset of familial Parkinson's disease. Typically, a reduction in the mitochondrial membrane potential results in Parkin‐mediated ubiquitylation of OMM proteins, which are then targeted for proteasomal and mitophagic degradation. The role of ubiquitylation of OMM proteins with non‐degradative fates, however, remains poorly understood. In this study, we find that the mitochondrial E3 ubiquitin ligase MITOL/March5 translocates from depolarized mitochondria to peroxisomes following mitophagy stimulation. This unusual redistribution is mediated by peroxins (peroxisomal biogenesis factors) Pex3/16 and requires the E3 ligase activity of Parkin, which ubiquitylates K268 in the MITOL C‐terminus, essential for p97/VCP‐dependent mitochondrial extraction of MITOL. These findings imply that ubiquitylation directs peroxisomal translocation of MITOL upon mitophagy stimulation and reveal a novel role for ubiquitin as a sorting signal that allows certain specialized proteins to escape from damaged mitochondria