Salivary oxytocin concentrations in seven boys with autism spectrum disorder received massage from their mothers: A pilot study

Seven male children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), aged 8-12 years, attending special education classrooms for ASD and disabled children, were assigned to receive touch therapy. Their mothers were instructed to provide gentle touch in the massage style of the International Liddle Kidz Association. The mothers gave massages to their child for 20 min every day over a period of 3 months, followed by no massage for 4 months. To assess the biological effects of such touch therapy, saliva was collected before and 20 min after a single session of massage for 20 min from the children and mothers every 3 weeks during the massage period and every 4 weeks during the non-massage period, when they visited a community meeting room. Salivary oxytocin levels were measured using an enzyme immunoassay kit. During the period of massage therapy, the children and mothers exhibited higher oxytocin concentrations compared to those during the non-massage period. The changes in oxytocin levels before and after a single massage session were not significantly changed in children and mothers. The results suggested that the ASD children (massage receivers) and their mothers (massage givers) show touch therapy-dependent changes in salivary oxytocin concentrations. © 2015 Tsuji, Yuhi, Furuhara, Ohta, Shimizu and Higashida

Alkannin inhibits CCL3 and CCL5 production

Alkannin, which is found in Alkanna tinctoria, a member of the borage family, is used as a food coloring. Alkannin has recently been reported to have certain biological functions, such as anti-microbial and anti-oxidant effects. It is known that CC chemokine receptor (CCR) 5-positive leukocytes contribute to alveolar bone resorption in periodontal lesions. The aim of this study was to examine whether alkannin inhibits the production of CC chemokine ligand (CCL) 3 and CCL5, which are CCR5 ligands, in human periodontal ligament cells (HPDLC). Interleukin (IL)-1β induced CCL3 and CCL5 production in HPDLC. Alkannin inhibited IL-1β-mediated CCL3 and CCL5 production in HPDLC in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, we revealed that alkannin suppressed inhibitor of kappa B-α degradation in IL-1β-stimulated HPDLC. In addition, a nuclear factor (NF)-κB inhibitor significantly inhibited CCL3 and CCL5 production in IL-1β-stimulated HPDLC. These results demonstrate that alkannin inhibits CCR5 ligand production in IL-1β-stimulated HPDLC by attenuating the NF-κB signaling pathway

Metabolism of the α,β-Unsaturated Ketones, Chalcone and trans-4-Phenyl-3-buten-2-one, by Rat Liver Microsomes and Estrogenic Activity of the Metabolites

PBO was oxidized by cytochrome P450 1A1, 1A2, 2C6 and 2E1. Chalcone and PBO were negative in an estrogen reporter assay using estrogen-responsive human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. However, 4-hydroxychalcone, 2-hydroxychalcone, 4'-hydroxychalcone and 4-OH-PBO exhibited estrogenic activity. DMD #2634

The Japan Monkey Centre Primates Brain Imaging Repository for comparative neuroscience: an archive of digital records including records for endangered species

Advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computational analysis technology have enabled comparisons among various primate brains in a three-dimensional electronic format. Results from comparative studies provide information about common features across primates and species-specific features of neuroanatomy. Investigation of various species of non-human primates is important for understanding such features, but the majority of comparative MRI studies have been based on experimental primates, such as common marmoset, macaques, and chimpanzee. A major obstacle has been the lack of a database that includes non-experimental primates’ brain MRIs. To facilitate scientific discoveries in the field of comparative neuroanatomy and brain evolution, we launched a collaborative project to develop an open-resource repository of non-human primate brain images obtained using ex vivo MRI. As an initial open resource, here we release a collection of structural MRI and diffusion tensor images obtained from 12 species: pygmy marmoset, owl monkey, white-fronted capuchin, crab-eating macaque, Japanese macaque, bonnet macaque, toque macaque, Sykes’ monkey, red-tailed monkey, Schmidt’s guenon, de Brazza’s guenon, and lar gibbon. Sixteen postmortem brain samples from the 12 species, stored in the Japan Monkey Centre (JMC), were scanned using a 9.4-T MRI scanner and made available through the JMC collaborative research program (http://www.j-monkey.jp/BIR/index_e.html). The expected significant contributions of the JMC Primates Brain Imaging Repository include (1) resources for comparative neuroscience research, (2) preservation of various primate brains, including those of endangered species, in a permanent digital form, (3) resources with higher resolution for identifying neuroanatomical features, compared to previous MRI atlases, (4) resources for optimizing methods of scanning large fixed brains, and (5) references for veterinary neuroradiology. User-initiated research projects beyond these contributions are also anticipated

Regular pulse checks for patients with non-cardioembolic stroke in rehabilitation hospitals to improve recognition and detection of atrial fibrillation (the ESCORT study): protocol for a prospective multicenter observational study

BackgroundCryptogenic stroke (CS) are heterogeneous in origin; however, most CS are embolic mechanism. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) is suspected to be a major type of CS that leads to severe cerebral infarction without anticoagulant use. Therefore, the identification of AF is vital in patients with CS. However, patients are often unaware of AF because they have no symptoms, and AF may not be detected on an electrocardiogram (ECG) or Holter ECG on admission. After patients with stroke are treated in the acute phase, they are promptly transferred to a rehabilitation hospital for functional recovery. Once the patient is transferred to a hospital, a few attempts are made to detect AF. In addition, rehabilitation therapists are considered to have insufficient awareness of the possibility of undiagnosed AF.ObjectiveThis study aimed to increase the understanding of the importance of AF detection in patients with ischemic stroke among therapists in rehabilitation hospitals and to investigate whether regular pulse screening can aid in the detection of AF. If AF was detected, we determined the rate and timing of AF detection and identified the patient characteristics.MethodsThis multicenter prospective observational study aimed to detect AF in patients with non-cardiac stroke at rehabilitation hospitals. Therapists performed pulse checks before, during, and after rehabilitation. If arrhythmia or tachycardia was detected, an ECG was performed, and the physician checked for AF. If the patient complained of chest symptoms, electrocardiography (ECG) was performed to check for AF. We investigated the characteristics, laboratory data, cognitive status, complications, such as stroke recurrence, and functional outcomes of patients with AF.ResultsThe study is in the enrollment phase. Recruitment began in September 2022 and will end in August 2023. Patients have provided written informed consent. The main results have been submitted for publication in your journal.ConclusionThe findings of this study will help identify patients with AF in rehabilitation hospitals and improve awareness among therapists

The Japan Monkey Centre Primates Brain Imaging Repository of high-resolution postmortem magnetic resonance imaging: the second phase of the archive of digital records

超高磁場MRIで見る霊長類「全脳」神経回路の多様性 --分野横断型の霊長類脳標本画像リポジトリ：ヒト脳と精神・神経疾患の理解を加速する国際研究基盤--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-05-22.A comparison of neuroanatomical features of the brain between humans and our evolutionary relatives, nonhuman primates, is key to understanding the human brain system and the neural basis of mental and neurological disorders. Although most comparative MRI studies of human and nonhuman primate brains have been based on brains of primates that had been used as subjects in experiments, it is essential to investigate various species of nonhuman primates in order to elucidate and interpret the diversity of neuroanatomy features among humans and nonhuman primates. To develop a research platform for this purpose, it is necessary to harmonize the scientific contributions of studies with the standards of animal ethics, animal welfare, and the conservation of brain information for long-term continuation of the field. In previous research, we first developed a gated data-repository of anatomical images obtained using 9.4-T ex vivo MRI of postmortem brain samples from 12 nonhuman primate species, and which are stored at the Japan Monkey Centre. In the present study, as a second phase, we released a collection of T2-weighted images and diffusion tensor images obtained in nine species: white-throated capuchin, Bolivian squirrel monkey, stump-tailed macaque, Tibet monkey, Sykes’ monkey, Assamese macaque, pig-tailed macaque, crested macaque, and chimpanzee. Our image repository should facilitate scientific discoveries in the field of comparative neuroscience. This repository can also promote animal ethics and animal welfare in experiments with nonhuman primate models by optimizing methods for in vivo and ex vivo MRI scanning of brains and supporting veterinary neuroradiological education. In addition, the repository is expected to contribute to conservation, preserving information about the brains of various primates, including endangered species, in a permanent digital form

Moyal Representation of the String Field Star Product in the Presence of a B-background

In this paper we show that in the presence of an anti-symmetric tensor $B$-background, Witten's star algebra for open string fields persists to possess the structure of a direct product of commuting Moyal pairs. The interplay between the noncommutativity due to three-string overlap and that due to the $B$-background is our main concern. In each pair of noncommutative directions parallel to the $B$-background, the Moyal pairs mix string modes in the two directions and are labeled, in addition to a continuous parameter, by {\it two} discrete values as well. However, the Moyal parameters are $B$-dependent only for discrete pairs. We have also demonstrated the large-$B$ contraction of the star algebra, with one of the discrete Moyal pairs dropping out while the other giving rise to the center-of-mass noncommutative function algebra.Comment: minor notation chang