Argulus coregoni (Branchiura: Argulidae) parasitic on the torrent catfish Liobagrus reini in Japan

An adult male of the argulid branchiuran Argulus coregonis Thorell, 1864 was collected from the body surface of a torrent catfish Liobagrus reinii Hilgendorf, 1878 (Siluriformes: Amblycipitidae) in the Aga River, a tributary of the Agano River, Fukushima Prefecture, central Honshu, Japan. This is the first record of A. coregoni infecting the amblycipitid fish as well as a new host record for the species. This collection also extends the distributional range of A. coregoni from Tochigi Prefecture northward to Fukushima Prefecture and is the first record of the species in the Tohoku Region of Japan

Retrotransposons Manipulating Mammalian Skeletal Development in Chondrocytes

Retrotransposons are genetic elements that copy and paste themselves in the host genome through transcription, reverse-transcription, and integration processes. Along with their proliferation in the genome, retrotransposons inevitably modify host genes around the integration sites, and occasionally create novel genes. Even now, a number of retrotransposons are still actively editing our genomes. As such, their profound role in the evolution of mammalian genomes is obvious; thus, their contribution to mammalian skeletal evolution and development is also unquestionable. In mammals, most of the skeletal parts are formed and grown through a process entitled endochondral ossification, in which chondrocytes play central roles. In this review, current knowledge on the evolutional, physiological, and pathological roles of retrotransposons in mammalian chondrocyte differentiation and cartilage development is summarized. The possible biological impact of these mobile genetic elements in the future is also discussed

Current Status and Future Development of Cell Transplantation Therapy for Periodontal Tissue Regeneration

It has been shown that stem cell transplantation can regenerate periodontal tissue, and several clinical trials involving transplantation of stem cells into human patients have already begun or are in preparation. However, stem cell transplantation therapy is a new technology, and the events following transplantation are poorly understood. Several studies have reported side effects and potential risks associated with stem cell transplantation therapy. To protect patients from such risks, governments have placed regulations on stem cell transplantation therapies. It is important for the clinicians to understand the relevant risks and governmental regulations. This paper describes the ongoing clinical studies, basic research, risks, and governmental controls related to stem cell transplantation therapy. Then, one clinical study is introduced as an example of a government-approved periodontal cell transplantation therapy

Bendamustine Plus Rituximab as Salvage Treatment for Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Low-grade B-cell Lymphoma and Mantle Cell Lymphoma: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Bendamustine plus rituximab (B-R) is an effective therapy for relapsed or refractory (r/r) low-grade B-cell lymphoma (LGBCL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL); however, clinical data from Japanese patients treated with B-R therapy are limited. We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of B-R therapy in 42 patients who received B-R therapy at our hospital for r/r LGBCL and MCL. All patients received intravenous (IV) ritux-imab 375 mg/m2 on day 1 and IV bendamustine 90 mg/m2 on days 2 and 3 every 28 days for up to 6 cycles. The common histologic subtypes were follicular lymphoma (n = 29, 70%), marginal zone lymphoma (n = 6, 14%), and MCL (n = 5, 12%). The overall response rate was 93%, with 62% complete response and complete response unconfirmed. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 38 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 24.6 to not reached [NR]), and the median overall survival (OS) was 80 months (95% CI, 60.7 to NR). Patients receiving a cumulative dose of bendamustine ≥ 720 mg/m2 showed a significantly longer PFS and OS. Grade 3/4 adverse events (≥ 10%) included neutropenia (55%), lymphopenia (69%), and nausea (24%). B-R therapy was effective and well tolerated, and the cumulative dose of bendamustine was associated with a favorable outcome

Record of Tachysurus fulvidraco (Siluriformes: Bagridae) based on specimens from Watarase Retarding Basin in Tochigi Prefecture, central Japan

栃木県の渡良瀬遊水地（利根川水系）で得られたコウライギギを標本に基づいた記録として報告する．ミトコンドリアDNA解析の結果，得られた標本のハプロタイプは霞ヶ浦で報告されているハプロタイプのひとつと一致し，渡良瀬遊水地で採集されたコウライギギの起源は同一であることが示唆された．また現在，渡良瀬遊水地で行われる漁業で本種は継続的に混獲されていることから，当地に定着して再生産していることが示唆された．Tachysurus fulvidraco is reported from Watarase Retarding Basin of the Tone River system in Tochigi Prefecture, central Japan, based on six specimens. Their haplotype of mitochondrial DNA is accorded with one of those reported from the fish caught in Lake Kasumigaura, Ibaraki Prefecture, central Japan, and the specimens collected in the basin appear to have the same origin. Recently, the species is continuously caught by fishermen in the basin, suggesting its establishment and reproduction there

An Efficient Strategy to Construct a Better Differential on Multiple-Branch-Based Designs: Application to Orthros

As low-latency designs tend to have a small number of rounds to decrease latency, the differential-type cryptanalysis can become a significant threat to them. In particular, since a multiple-branch-based design, such as Orthros can have the strong clustering effect on differential attacks due to its large internal state, it is crucial to investigate the impact of the clustering effect in such a design. In this paper, we present a new SAT-based automatic search method for evaluating the clustering effect in the multiple-branch-based design. By exploiting an inherent trait of multiple-branch-based designs, our method enables highly efficient evaluations of clustering effects on this-type designs. % that a conventional method by automatic search tools. We apply our method to the low-latency PRF Orthros, and show a best differential distinguisher reaching up to 7 rounds of Orthros with $2^{116.806}$ time/data complexity and 9-round distinguisher for each underlying permutation which is 2 more rounds than known longest distinguishers. Besides, we update the designer\u27s security bound for differential attacks based on the lower bounds for the number of active S-boxes, and obtain the optimal differential characteristic of Orthros, Branch 1, and Branch 2 for the first time. Consequently, we improve the designer\u27s security bound from 9/12/12 to 7/10/10 rounds for Orthros/Branch 1/Branch 2 based on a single differential characteristic

Pacemaker Inhibition During Cardioplegia in Open Heart Surgery

A 53-year-old patient underwent mitral valve replacement after implantation of permanent pacemaker. During cardioplegia in open heart surgery, we performed the inhibition of permanent pacemaker to obtain complete myocardial preservation and quiet heart, using stimulations of an external pulse generator. This procedure is considered available, when the patient who has had a permanent pacemaker undergoes open heart surgery more safely