Finding Euroscaptor mizura (Mammalia : Insectivora) and Its Nest from under Hebeloma radicosum (Fungi : Agaricales) in Ashiu, Kyoto, with Data of Possible Contiguous Occurrences of Three Talpine Species in This Region

We examined nests and other traces of moles in Ashiu, Kyoto, beneath fruit bodies of a mushroom species, Hebeloma radicosum, which grows on the underground latrines of small mammals. We also attempted to catch animals at nesting sites which were detected through the fungal fruiting. As a result, an adult specimen of a talpine mole species, Euroscaptor mizura, was collected together with its nest. This is the first record of E. mizura from Ashiu region. Also, this is the first report of the nest of E. mizura, of the mushroom-mole nest association in H. radicosum and E. mizura, and of the capture of a mole at the nesting site under indication of the fungus. Morphological features of the animal and structure of the nest are described. This finding further revealed a contiguousness in the distribution of three talpine species, E. mizura, Mogera wogura and Mogera kobeae in Ashiu

Molecular status of RBICCI in various disea,and trial for the clinical application

科学研究費補助金研究成果報告書研究種目: 基盤研究(B)研究期間: 2004～2007課題番号: 16390164研究代表者: 岡部 英俊（滋賀医科大学・医学部・教授）研究分担者: 茶野 徳宏（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助教授

Expanding the Repertoire of Optogenetically Targeted Cells with an Enhanced Gene Expression System

Optogenetics has been enthusiastically pursued in recent neuroscience research, and the causal relationship between neural activity and behavior is becoming ever more accessible. Here, we established knockin-mediated enhanced gene expression by improved tetracycline-controlled gene induction (KENGE-tet) and succeeded in generating transgenic mice expressing a highly light-sensitive channelrhodopsin-2 mutant at levels sufficient to drive the activities of multiple cell types. This method requires two lines of mice: one that controls the pattern of expression and another that determines the protein to be produced. The generation of new lines of either type readily expands the repertoire to choose from. In addition to neurons, we were able to manipulate the activity of nonexcitable glial cells in vivo. This shows that our system is applicable not only to neuroscience but also to any biomedical study that requires understanding of how the activity of a selected population of cells propagates through the intricate organic systems

Type-selective muscular degeneration promotes infiltrative growth of intramuscular lipoma

BACKGROUND: Intramuscular lipoma is a relatively common benign neoplasm that is occasionally described as an infiltrating lipoma. Typical benign tumors show a clear margin, however, the infiltrative growth pattern of this lipoma mimics that of a malignant tumor. Although its growth has an effect on muscle bundles and it is known to never metastasize, the mechanism of infiltrative growth is not well understood. Previously, little attention has been paid to pathogenic features of muscle fibers around an intramuscular lipoma. METHODS: In the present study, we focused on pathologic changes of the surrounding skeletal muscles especially to the degenerative features of involving muscular types, and evaluate the role of type-selective muscular degeneration for the infiltrative growth of intramuscular lipomas. Following a review of the medical records in our institute, 17 lesions containing muscle tissues in their specimens (15 infiltrating lipomas, 2 well-circumscribed lipomas) were analyzed immunohistochemically. The tumor from the most recent case was also subjected to ultrastructural analysis. Two cases of the traumatic muscle damage were also evaluated as the control experiments. RESULTS: These analyses revealed type-selective muscle involution in 11 of 17 intramuscular lipomas and in 10 of 11 of the infiltrative type, with an involving pattern that resembled that of a neurogenic or myogenic disorder. Immunoreactivity to cathepsin-D, a lysosomal catabolic enzyme, was increased in the involved muscle fibers. Subsarcolemmal vacuoles in the muscle fibers of the peripheral areas were also positive for cathepsin-D, while degenerative findings were not visually apparent in these areas. Ultrastructural analysis revealed degenerative changes in those fibers. Neither positive staining for cathepsin-D nor type-selective atrophy was detected in the sections of traumatic muscle damage. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that type-selective muscular degeneration and endomysial fatty growth as a result of atrophy may modulate the infiltrating growth characteristic of intramuscular lipoma

RB1CC1 Together with RB1 and p53 Predicts Long-Term Survival in Japanese Breast Cancer Patients

RB1-inducible coiled-coil 1 (RB1CC1) plays a significant role in the enhancement of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor (RB1) pathway and is involved in breast cancer development. However, RB1CC1's role in clinical progression of breast cancer has not yet been evaluated, so, as a first step, it is necessary to establish its usefulness as a tool to evaluate breast cancer patients. In this report, we have analyzed the correlation between abnormalities in the RB1CC1 pathway and long-term prognosis, because disease-specific death in later periods (>5 years) of the disease is a serious problem in breast cancer. Breast cancer tissues from a large cohort in Japan were evaluated by conventional immunohistochemical methods for the presence of the molecules involved in the RB1CC1 pathway, including RB1CC1, RB1, p53, and other well-known prognostic markers for breast cancer, such as estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. The correlation between the immunohistochemical results and clinical outcomes of 323 breast cancer patients was analyzed using a Kaplan-Meier log-rank test and a multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Absence of nuclear RB1CC1 expression was associated with the worst prognosis (Log-rank test, Chi-Square value = 17.462, p<0.0001). Dysfunction of either one of RB1CC1, RB1, or p53 was associated with the highest risk for cancer-specific death, especially related to survival lasting more than 5 years (multivariate Cox proportional hazard ratio = 3.951, 95% Confidence Interval = 1.566–9.967, p = 0.0036). Our present data demonstrate that the combined evaluation of RB1CC1, RB1 and p53 by conventional immunohistochemical analysis provides an accurate prediction of the long-term prognoses of breast cancer patients, which can be carried out as a routine clinical examination

Analysis for novel genes associating with the resistance and metabolism for the anti-cancer agents

科学研究費補助金研究成果報告書研究種目: 基盤研究(B)研究期間: 2001～2003課題番号: 13470520研究代表者: 岡部 英俊（滋賀医科大学・医学部・教授）研究分担者: 茶野 徳宏（滋賀医科大学・医学部・助教授）研究分担者: 佐伯 行一（滋賀医科大学・医学部・教授

Xanthomatous meningioma: a case report with review of the literature.

Xanthomatous meningioma is an extremely rare variant of meningioma that is characterized histopathologically by the presence of tumor cells with lipid-filled vacuolated cytoplasm. In this report, we describe the fifth documented case of xanthomatous meningioma and review its clinicopathological features. A 76-year-old Japanese male presented with dizziness. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a well-circumscribed tumor in the left parasagittal to frontal region with attachment of the dura mater. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen revealed proliferation of polygonal to spindle cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm and bland round to oval nuclei. Whorl formation and psammomas were scattered, and mitotic figures were rarely seen. A peculiar finding was the presence of extensive xanthomatous change continuing to the above-mentioned typical meningothelial meningioma. These tumor cells had clear vacuolated cytoplasm and bland round to oval nuclei. Immunohistochemically, xanthomatous cells were positive for epithelial membrane antigen. Accordingly, an ultimate diagnosis of xanthomatous meningioma was made. Our clinicopathological analysis revealed that xanthomatous meningioma affects children to young persons or the elderly, and four of five cases were located in the supratentorial region. Although the detailed mechanism underlying the xanthomatous change has not been clarified, this change is thought to result from a metabolic abnormality of the neoplastic meningothelial cells. Further, xanthomatous change has also been reported in atypical and anaplastic meningiomas. Therefore, it is important to recognize that xanthomatous change can occur in meningiomas, and to avoid misidentifying these cells as macrophages