Satellite Contributions to Disaster Monitoring - Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Case in 2011 -

In March 11, 2011, Japan was hit by a large earthquake followed by huge Tsunami. They gave tremendous damages to especially Tohoku-area with more than 18,000 lost and missing persons and more than 360,000 all or half destroyed houses. Furthermore, Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has been suffering from severe reactor problems caused by the electric power failure by tsunami, and still quite a large number of people cannot stay within their homes near the plants. Japan is now making every effort to restore the previous status of the people\u27s living, economics and industry power. In this presentation, we first give the overview of the disaster. Then we focus on how satellite images, not only captured by small satellites but also by mid and large satellites, were utilized to monitor the disaster, reconstruction planning and operations. Many satellites took part in the data acquisition related to the disaster, which provided useful information on tsunami inundations and landslides, etc. To enhance satellite utilization, we finally discuss what kind on disaster monitoring system would be valuable in future, including lowcost small/micro satellite constellation and orbit maneuver

A Pilot Study: The Beneficial Effects of Combined Statin-exercise Therapy on Cognitive Function in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease and Mild Cognitive Decline.

Objective Hypercholesterolemia, a risk factor in cognitive impairment, can be treated with statins. However, cognitive decline associated with "statins" (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) is a clinical concern. This pilot study investigated the effects of combining statins and regular exercise on cognitive function in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with prior mild cognitive decline. Methods We recruited 43 consecutive CAD patients with mild cognitive decline. These patients were treated with a statin and weekly in-hospital aerobic exercise for 5 months. We measured serum lipids, exercise capacity, and cognitive function using the mini mental state examination (MMSE). Results Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly decreased, and maximum exercise capacity (workload) was significantly increased in patients with CAD and mild cognitive decline after treatment compared with before. Combined statin-exercise therapy significantly increased the median (range) MMSE score from 24 (22-25) to 25 (23-27) across the cohort (p<0.01). Changes in body mass index (BMI) were significantly and negatively correlated with changes in the MMSE. After treatment, MMSE scores in the subgroup of patients that showed a decrease in BMI were significantly improved, but not in the BMI-increased subgroup. Furthermore, the patients already on a statin at the beginning of the trial displayed a more significant improvement in MMSE score than statin-naïve patients, implying that exercise might be the beneficial aspect of this intervention as regards cognition. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for age >65 years, sex, and presence of diabetes mellitus, a decrease in BMI during statin-exercise therapy was significantly correlated with an increase in the MMSE score (odds ratio: 4.57, 95% confidence interval: 1.05-20.0; p<0.05). Conclusion Statin-exercise therapy may help improve cognitive dysfunction in patients with CAD and pre-existing mild cognitive decline

Presence of corrective saccades in patients with normal vestibulo-ocular reflex gain in video head impulse test

BackgroundThe video head impulse test (vHIT) is a valuable clinical tool that can help identify dysfunction of the semicircular canals. While in cases with semicircular canal dysfunction, both decreased vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain and corrective saccades (CS) are usually observed, there are cases which show CS despite normal VOR gain in vHIT.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of patients who showed CS with normal VOR gain in vHIT.Materials and methodsAmong 390 patients who underwent vHIT, 51 patients (20 males and 31 females, age 31–87 years, average 61.3 years old) who showed CS with normal VOR gain unilaterally during horizontal vHIT were included. All patients had normal vHIT (normal VOR gain and absent CS) on the contralateral side.The VOR gain of vHIT, the maximum slow phase velocity in the caloric test, and the amplitude of cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMPs and oVEMPs) were analyzed.ResultsThe VOR gain on the affected side (0.95 ± 0.08) was significantly smaller than that on the contralateral side (1.03 ± 0.13) in horizontal vHIT (p < 0.001). The maximum slow phase velocity in the caloric test on the affected side (17.9 ± 17.8 degrees/s) was significantly smaller than that on the contralateral side (21.3 ± 16.6 degrees/s, p = 0.020). There were no significant differences in the amplitude of cVEMPs or oVEMPs between the affected side and the contralateral side (p = 0.096 for cVEMP; p = 0.770 for oVEMP).ConclusionThe side that showed CS with normal VOR gain in horizontal vHIT showed significantly smaller VOR gain as well as smaller caloric responses compared to the contralateral side. Having CS with normal VOR gain could be a sensitive indicator of mild dysfunction of the semicircular canals

Cardiosphere-derived exosomal microRNAs for myocardial repair in pediatric dilated cardiomyopathy

Although cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs) improve cardiac function and outcomes in patients with single ventricle physiology, little is known about their safety and therapeutic benefit in children with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). We aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of CDCs in a porcine model of DCM and translate the preclinical results into this patient population. A swine model of DCM using intracoronary injection of microspheres created cardiac dysfunction. Forty pigs were randomized as preclinical validation of the delivery method and CDC doses, and CDC-secreted exosome (CDCex)–mediated cardiac repair was analyzed. A phase 1 safety cohort enrolled five pediatric patients with DCM and reduced ejection fraction to receive CDC infusion. The primary endpoint was to assess safety, and the secondary outcome measure was change in cardiac function. Improved cardiac function and reduced myocardial fibrosis were noted in animals treated with CDCs compared with placebo. These functional benefits were mediated via CDCex that were highly enriched with proangiogenic and cardioprotective microRNAs (miRNAs), whereas isolated CDCex did not recapitulate these reparative effects. One-year follow-up of safety lead-in stage was completed with favorable profile and preliminary efficacy outcomes. Increased CDCex-derived miR-146a-5p expression was associated with the reduction in myocardial fibrosis via suppression of proinflammatory cytokines and transcripts. Collectively, intracoronary CDC administration is safe and improves cardiac function through CDCex in a porcine model of DCM. The safety lead-in results in patients provide a translational framework for further studies of randomized trials and CDCex-derived miRNAs as potential paracrine mediators underlying this therapeutic strategy

The Hearing Outcomes of Cochlear Implantation in Waardenburg Syndrome

Objectives. This study aimed to determine the feasibility of cochlear implantation for sensorineural hearing loss in patients with Waardenburg syndrome. Method. A retrospective chart review was performed on patients who underwent cochlear implantation at the University of Tokyo Hospital. Clinical classification, genetic mutation, clinical course, preoperative hearing threshold, highresolution computed tomography of the temporal bone, and postoperative hearing outcome were assessed. Result. Five children with Waardenburg syndrome underwent cochlear implantation. The average age at implantation was 2 years 11 months (ranging from 1 year 9 months to 6 years 3 months). Four patients had congenital profound hearing loss and one patient had progressive hearing loss. Two patients had an inner ear malformation of cochlear incomplete partition type 2. No surgical complication or difficulty was seen in any patient. All patients showed good hearing outcome postoperatively. Conclusion. Cochlear implantation could be a good treatment option for Waardenburg syndrome

Aging Is a Risk Factor for Utricular Dysfunction in Idiopathic Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common cause of balance disorders in the elderly. Dislodgement of the otoconia in BPPV might have an association with damage to the otolith organs. The aim of this study was to investigate whether aging is a risk factor for otolith organ dysfunction in idiopathic BPPV. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 112 consecutive idiopathic BPPV patients who underwent cervical VEMP testing to air-conducted sound (ACS cVEMP), ocular VEMP testing to bone-conducted vibration (BCV oVEMP), and caloric testing. We performed binomial logistic regression analyses to see whether age, the side affected by BPPV or the canal affected by BPPV have an association with the presence of peripheral vestibular dysfunction in idiopathic BPPV patients. The elderly group (aged ≥65 years) had a significantly positive association with abnormalities in BCV oVEMPs (p = 0.0109), while the side affected by BPPV (p = 0.598) and the canal affected by BPPV (p = 0.576) did not. The odds ratio of the abnormal BCV oVEMPs for the elderly group compared with the non-elderly group (aged < 65 years) was 2.676 (95% confidence interval, 1.254–5.079). The elderly group had no significant association with the abnormalities in ACS cVEMPs (p = 0.0955) or caloric testing (p = 0.488). Dysfunction of the utricle, where the dislodgement of the otoconia mainly occurs, is affected by aging in idiopathic BPPV

YbはpiRNA前駆体とpiRNA生合成因子を核周辺部位に形成される顆粒体に局在させることによってpiRISC形成を促進する

PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) direct Piwi to repress transposons and maintain genome integrity in Drosophila ovarian somatic cells. piRNA maturation and association with Piwi occur at perinuclear Yb bodies, the centers of piRNA biogenesis. Here, we show that piRNA intermediates arising from the piRNA cluster flamenco (flam) localize to perinuclear foci adjacent to Yb bodies, termed Flam bodies. RNAi-based screening of piRNA factors revealed that Flam body formation depends on Yb, the core component of Yb bodies, while Piwi and another Yb body component, Armitage, are dispensable for formation. Abolishing the RNA-binding activity of Yb disrupts both Flam bodies and Yb bodies. Yb directly binds flam, but not transcripts from neighboring protein-coding genes. Thus, Yb integrates piRNA intermediates and piRNA processing factors selectively into Flam bodies and Yb bodies, respectively. We suggest that Yb is a key upstream factor in the cytoplasmic phase of the piRNA pathway in ovarian somatic cells