Direct Damage to a Vertebral Artery Better Predicts a Vertebral Artery Injury than Elongation in Cervical Spine Dislocation

Cervical spine dislocation and fracture of a transverse process are isolated risk factors for vertebral artery injuries (VAIs), which can cause a life-threatening ischemic stroke. Since in vivo experiments are not possible, it has not been unclear whether damage to or extension of vertebral arteries is more predictive of a VAI. To identify the imaging characteristics associated with VAI, we analyzed 36 vertebral arteries from 22 cervical spine dislocation patients who underwent computed tomography angiography (Aug. 2008-Dec. 2014). We evaluated (1) the posttraumatic elongation of the vertebral artery and (2) the presence of fracture involving the transverse foramen. VAI was found in 20 (56%) of the 36 vertebral arteries. The rate of residual shift (vertebral artery elongation) was not markedly different between the VAI and no-VAI groups. However, the rate of >1 mm displacement into the foramen and that of fracture with gross displacement (≥2 mm) differed significantly between the groups. We found that greater displacement of fractured transverse processes with cervical spine dislocation was a risk factor for VAI. These results suggest that direct damage to the vertebral arteries by transverse process fragments is more likely to predict a VAI compared to elongation, even in cervical spine dislocation

Crater formation mechanism on the surface of a biaxially oriented polypropylene film

Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films are used in a variety of areas around the world. They are especially well suited for food packaging and industrial usages because of their high productivity. Many studies on the stretchability with regard to crystal structure changes have been reported by various researchers because the machine speed has been increasing and the demand to produce thinner films has been becoming more important. Furthermore, a number of studies on the surface structure of BOPP films with craterlike roughnesses have been reported since the 1980s. Although a craterlike surface roughness was formed under specific film process conditions, the formation mechanism and the controlling method of the craterlike film surface are yet to be clarified. In this report, we demonstrated a new hypothesis for the craterlike film surface roughness formation mechanism by analyzing the morphology of the surface layer of polypropylene (PP) sheets and by investigating the relationship between the surface structural changes and the changes in the entire structure. As a result, we found that an overcritical crystallization time was needed to form the crater on the surface of the BOPP film, and the crater formation mechanism was closely related not only to the surface structure changes but also to the deformation phenomenon of the spherulite in the PP sheet during stretching. Furthermore, this report shows the controlling factors in the formation of the crater structure from the viewpoint of the production conditions. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2012 Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

シガケン ナガハマシ ホウゲン ノ ソザイ タイグウ ケイシキ ニ カンスル キジュツテキ ケンキュウ

The isomerization of n-hexadecane over Pt–WO3 catalysts supported on TiO2–SiO2 synthesized by glycothermal reaction with various Si/Ti molar ratios was examined. The catalyst performance depended on Si/Ti molar ratio and WO3 loading. The characterization of the catalysts by XRD, XAFS, UV-vis and so on revealed that with increasing the WO3 loading, the structure of surface W species changed from monomeric species to polytungstate species, which is considered to significantly affect the isomerization selectivity of the catalysts

The somatic mutations in Interferon-γ signal molecules in human uterine leiomyosarcoma

Human uterine leiomyosarcoma (U-LMS) is neoplastic malignancy that typically arises in tissues of mesenchymal origin. The identification of novel molecular mechanism leading to human U-LMS formation and the establishment of new therapies has been hampered by several critical points. We earlier reported that mice with a homozygous deficiency for proteasome beta subunit 9 (Psmb9)/β1i, an interferon (IFN)-γ inducible factor, spontaneously develop U-LMS. The use of research findings of the experiment with mouse model has been successful in increasing our knowledge and understanding of how alterations, in relevant oncogenic, tumour suppressive, and signaling pathways directly impact sarcomagenesis. The IFN-γ pathway is important for control of tumour growth and invasion and has been implicated in several malignant tumours. In this study, experiments with human tissues revealed a defective expression of PSMB9/β1i in human U-LMS that was traced to the IFN-γ pathway and the specific effect of somatic mutations of JANUS KINASE (JAK) 1 molecule or promoter region on the locus cording PSMB9/β1i gene. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of human U-LMS may lead to identification of new diagnostic candidates or therapeutic targets against human U-LMS

Elucidating the genetic architecture of reproductive ageing in the Japanese population.

Population studies elucidating the genetic architecture of reproductive ageing have been largely limited to European ancestries, restricting the generalizability of the findings and overlooking possible key genes poorly captured by common European genetic variation. Here, we report 26 loci (all P < 5 × 10-8) for reproductive ageing, i.e. puberty timing or age at menopause, in a non-European population (up to 67,029 women of Japanese ancestry). Highlighted genes for menopause include GNRH1, which supports a primary, rather than passive, role for hypothalamic-pituitary GnRH signalling in the timing of menopause. For puberty timing, we demonstrate an aetiological role for receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatases by combining evidence across population genetics and pre- and peri-pubertal changes in hypothalamic gene expression in rodent and primate models. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate widespread differences in allele frequencies and effect estimates between Japanese and European associated variants, highlighting the benefits and challenges of large-scale trans-ethnic approaches

Hybrid functional study of proper and improper multiferroics

We present a detailed study of the structural, electronic, magnetic and ferroelectric properties of prototypical \textit{proper} and \textit{improper} multiferroic (MF) systems such as BiFeO$_{3}$ and orthorhombic HoMnO$_{3}$, respectively, within density functional theory (DFT) and using the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof hybrid functional (HSE). By comparing our results with available experimental data as well as with state-of-the-art GW calculations, we show that the HSE formalism is able to account well for the relevant properties of these compounds and it emerges as an accurate tool for predictive first-principles investigations on multiferroic systems. We show that effects beyond local and semilocal DFT approaches (as provided by HSE) are necessary for a realistic description of MFs. For the electric polarization, a decrease is found for MFs with magnetically-induced ferroelectricity, such as HoMnO$_3$, where the calculated polarization changes from $\sim$ 6 $\mu C/cm^2$ using Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) to $\sim$ 2 $\mu C/cm^2$ using HSE. However, for \textit{proper} MFs, such as BiFeO$_{3}$, the polarization slightly increases upon introduction of exact exchange. Our findings therefore suggest that a general trend for the HSE correction to bare density functional cannot be extracted; rather, a specific investigation has to be carried out on each compound.Comment: Revised version. In press in PCC

Genome-wide risk prediction of common diseases across ancestries in one million people

Peer reviewe

Total transferrin in cerebrospinal fluid is a novel biomarker for spontaneous intracranial hypotension

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is caused by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage. Patients with SIH experience postural headaches, nausea, etc., due to CSF hypovolemia. Imaging studies and clinical examinations, such as radioisotope (RI) scintigraphy, are useful for diagnosing SIH. However, 20-30% of patients do not show typical morphology and clinical test results. We previously reported that CSF contains transferrin (Tf) isoforms:"brain-type" Tf derived from the choroid plexus and "serum-type" Tf derived from blood. We showed that both isoforms increased in the CSF of patients with SIH by Western blotting. In the present study, we demonstrate that conventional ELISA for quantifying total Tf is useful for diagnosing SIH more accurately than Western blotting. In addition, SIH with chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) was also accurately diagnosed. Total Tf in the CSF can serve as a useful biomarker for diagnosing SIH with or without CSDH

A multi-ethnic meta-analysis identifies novel genes, including ACSL5, associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating progressive motor neuron disease that affects people of all ethnicities. Approximately 90% of ALS cases are sporadic and thought to have multifactorial pathogenesis. To understand the genetics of sporadic ALS, we conducted a genome-wide association study using 1,173 sporadic ALS cases and 8,925 controls in a Japanese population. A combined meta-analysis of our Japanese cohort with individuals of European ancestry revealed a significant association at the ACSL5 locus (top SNP p = 2.97 × 10−8). We validated the association with ACSL5 in a replication study with a Chinese population and an independent Japanese population (1941 ALS cases, 3821 controls; top SNP p = 1.82 × 10−4). In the combined meta-analysis, the intronic ACSL5 SNP rs3736947 showed the strongest association (p = 7.81 × 10−11). Using a gene-based analysis of the full multi-ethnic dataset, we uncovered additional genes significantly associated with ALS: ERGIC1, RAPGEF5, FNBP1, and ATXN3. These results advance our understanding of the genetic basis of sporadic ALS