EDA-BASED ESTIMATION OF VISUAL ATTENTION BY OBSERVATION OF EYE BLINK FREQUENCY

This paper describes the relationship between visual attention and eye blink frequency. In an experiment, we prompted the activation of a subject's visual attention and examined the influence of visual attention (as measured using electrodermal activity (EDA), which is meaningfully correlated with visual attention) on the subject's eye blink frequency. Experimental results show that engagement of visual attention decreased eye blink frequency and that when visual attention was not activated, eye blink frequency increased. Knowledge of this relationship provides a technique using EDA to objectively determining a subject's visual attention status

IVC diameter in patients undergoing HD

Background : IVC diameter on expiration (IVCdexp) is measured by echocardiography routinely. It is used to estimate volume status and designated as a definitive marker for determining dry weight (DW) in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Methods : A cross-sectional study. Outpatients (n = 107), and inpatients (n = 35) undergoing HD were enrolled. IVCdexp was measured on non-dialysis days in outpatients and dialysis days before and after the dialysis session in inpatients. In outpatients, the relationship of IVCdexp with echocardiography findings and clinical characteristics was analyzed. IVCdexp was compared with the other DW markers as a predictive factor for intradialytic hypotension. In inpatients, IVCdexp was analyzed by dividing inpatients with or without fluid in extravascular space. Results : IVCdexp ranged from 5.4 to 16.9 mm in outpatients who had optimal DW. IVCdexp could reflect on volume status, but not predictive for intradialytic hypotension and not suggestive of fluid in extravascular space. Conclusions : IVCdexp was a rough marker to estimate volume status and only useful in suggesting apparent hypervolemia or hypovolemia. We should know that the IVCdexp value is affected by a lot of factors and not a definitive marker for estimating practical DW

Case report: Rare heterozygous variant in the NR5A1 gene causing 46,XY complete gonadal dysgenesis with a non-communicating rudimentary uterus

The nuclear receptor subfamily 5 group A member 1 (NR5A1) gene encodes NR5A1, also known as steroidogenic factor 1, a crucial transcriptional factor regulating adrenal and gonadal development and function. Although pathogenic variants in NR5A1 are known to cause a spectrum of disorders of sex development (DSD), individuals with 46,XY DSD with fully female internal and external genitalia are relatively rare. Herein, we present the case of a patient with 46,XY complete gonadal dysgenesis (CGD) who had a non-communicating rudimentary uterus due to a c.132_134del (p.Asn44del) heterozygous in-frame-deletion in NR5A1 that was diagnosed while treating a pelvic mass in which gynecological malignancy could not be disregarded. Unlike two previous cases with the p.Asn44del variant, this case presented with CGD, a severe DSD phenotype, and we found that the oligogenic inheritance of DSD-causative genes such as SRY, DHX37, SLC26A8, and CFTR may have affected the severity of the clinical phenotype

Enzymatically modified isoquercitrin supplementation intensifies plantaris muscle fiber hypertrophy in functionally overloaded mice

BackgroundEnzymatically modified isoquercitrin (EMIQ) is produced from rutin using enzymatic hydrolysis followed by treatment with glycosyltransferase in the presence of dextrin to add glucose residues. EMIQ is absorbed in the same way as quercetin, a powerful antioxidant reported to prevent disused muscle atrophy by targeting mitochondria and to have ergogenic effects. The present study investigated the effect of EMIQ on skeletal muscle hypertrophy induced by functional overload.MethodsIn Study 1, 6-week-old ICR male mice were divided into 4 groups: sham-operated control, sham-operated EMIQ, overload-operated control, and overload-operated EMIQ groups. In Study 2, mice were divided into 3 groups: overload-operated whey control, overload-operated whey/EMIQ (low dose), and overload-operated whey/EMIQ (high dose) groups. The functional overload of the plantaris muscle was induced by ablation of the synergist (gastrocnemius and soleus) muscles. EMIQ and whey protein were administered with food. Three weeks after the operation, the cross-sectional area and minimal fiber diameter of the plantaris muscle fibers were measured.ResultsIn Study 1, functional overload increased the cross-sectional area and minimal fiber diameter of the plantaris muscle. EMIQ supplementation significantly increased the cross-sectional area and minimal fiber diameter of the plantaris muscle in both the sham-operated and overload-operated groups. In Study 2, EMIQ supplementation combined with whey protein administration significantly increased the cross-sectional area and minimal fiber diameter of the plantaris muscle.ConclusionEMIQ, even when administered as an addition to whey protein supplementation, significantly intensified the fiber hypertrophy of the plantaris muscle in functionally overloaded mice. EMIQ supplementation also induced fiber hypertrophy of the plantaris in sham-operated mice

SuperNova, a monomeric photosensitizing fluorescent protein for chromophore-assisted light inactivation

Takemoto, K., Matsuda, T., Sakai, N. et al. SuperNova, a monomeric photosensitizing fluorescent protein for chromophore-assisted light inactivation. Sci Rep 3, 2629 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep02629

光異性化反応によるスリンダクの生態毒性の増強

　近年、世界各地の河川や湖沼等の水環境中から医薬品を検出した事例が数多く報告されている。それに伴い、医薬品の生態系への影響や環境中での挙動が注目されているが、多くの医薬品において、知見に乏しいのが現状である。本研究では、解熱鎮痛剤であるスリンダクについて、水生生物に対する影響が紫外線照射により変化するかについて、ISO11348-1に準拠した生態毒性試験により検討した。すなわち、スリンダク、紫外線（主波長302 nm）を照射したスリンダクおよびスリンダク光分解物の水溶液を海洋発光細菌V. fischeriに暴露し、発光の減少量から毒性の大小を評価した。その結果、紫外線を照射することでスリンダクの毒性は有意に増強し、それには生成した光分解物であるスリンダクのtrans体が大きく寄与することが明らかとなった。今回の結果より、医薬品の環境リスクアセスメントを行う上で、親化合物だけでなくその環境下での分解物についても評価が必要であることが示唆された