The rate of symptomatic improvement of congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction in Japanese infants treated with conservative management during the 1st year of age

This study aimed to examine the rate of symptomatic improvement of congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO) in Japanese infants treated with conservative management within the 1st year of age. Thirty-five lacrimal ducts in 27 patients diagnosed with CNLDO were included in the study. During the observational period, lacrimal ducts were massaged. As well, antibiotic eye drops, to be administered 4 times a day, were sometimes prescribed for obvious conjunctivitis. Two lacrimal ducts in 2 patients were probed before the 1st year of age because of dacryocystitis or severe blepharitis; these patients were included in the unimproved group. Twenty-nine lacrimal ducts in 21 patients resolved during the period (82.9%); with 16 lacrimal ducts resolving before six months of age. Therefore, a comparatively high percentage of resolution for CNLDO (82.9%) following conservative management was shown before the 1st year of age in Japanese infants

Linear Basal Cell Carcinoma in an Asian Patient

Linear basal cell carcinoma (BCC), which has a ratio of its long and short axes of more than 3: 1, is a distinct clinical entity among BCC. We report the first case report of a linear BCC in an Asian patient. An 87 year-old woman presented with an ulcerated black nodule, 15×5mm (3: 1), on her nasojungal fold of the right lower eyelid. The tumor was excised with 5 mm safety margin. The pathological examination confirmed the tumor was a BCC with a clear margin. Diagnosis of a linear BCC is based on its morphological features and occurrence along the wrinkle line, which needs to be also considered in Asian

Course of the vertical portion of the lower lacrimal canaliculus

The nomenclature of each part of the lacrimal canaliculus, for example the vertical portion, does not always reflect the true course. Since we have sometimes observed findings suggesting the so called vertical portion of the lower lacrimal canaliculus inclined laterally, we re-examined the course of the vertical portion. Twenty-eight postmortem lower eyelids in 16 Japanese were examined and divided into 2 groups. The first group was 14 lower eyelids of 7 cadavers. Eyelids were incised sagittally from the lower lacrimal punctum. The second group was 14 lower eyelids of 9 cadavers; these were incised from the lower lacrimal punctum with 5 degrees lateral inclination to the sagittal plane. In the first group, 10 canaliculi of 7 cadavers were interrupted at the halfway point of the vertical portion. Four canaliculi of 4 cadavers included the whole length of the vertical portion. In the second group, all specimens included the whole length of the vertical portion. Most vertical portions of the lower lacrimal canaliculus demonstrated a laterally inclined course of approximately 5 degrees, although some took a completely vertical course

Position of meristems and the angles of the cell division plane regulate the uniqueness of lateral organ shape

花びらの形が葉と違う仕組みを解明. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-12-12.Leaf meristem is a cell proliferative zone present in the lateral organ primordia. In this study, we examined how cell proliferative zones in primordia of planar floral organs and polar auxin transport inhibitor (PATI)-treated leaf organs differ from those of non-treated foliage leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana, with a focus on the accumulation pattern of ANGUSTIFOLIA3 (AN3) protein, a key element for leaf meristem positioning. We found that PATI-induced leaf shape changes were correlated with cell division angle but not with meristem positioning/size or AN3 localisation. In contrast, different shapes between sepals and petals compared with foliage leaves were associated with both altered meristem position, due to altered AN3 expression patterns, and different distributions of cell division angles. A numerical simulation showed that meristem position majorly affected the final shape but biased cell division angles had a minor effect. Taken together, these results suggest that the unique shapes of different lateral organs depend on the position of the meristem in the case of floral organs and cell division angles in the case of leaf organs with different auxin flow

Calciphylaxis as a Catastrophic Complication in a Patient with POEMS Syndrome

Calciphylaxis is a vascular calcification-cutaneous necrosis syndrome, usually seen in patients with end-stage renal disease and secondary hyperparathyroidism. We report a 57-year-old polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes (POEMS) syndrome patient complicated with extensive skin ulcers due to calciphylaxis. He first noted a painful cutaneous ulcer on his left thigh, and then skin lesions rapidly worsened, resulting in multiple intractable ulcers with gangrene on his legs and trunk in a few months. Serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was markedly elevated. Biopsy samples from his skin ulcers showed the deposition of calcium in the medial layer of cutaneous vessels, this finding being compatible with calciphylaxis. This is the second reported case with POEMS syndrome complicated with calciphylaxis. Both patients had no evidence of renal failure, hyperparathyroidism, or clotting disorders. The pathogenic link between POEMS syndrome and calciphylaxis is still unclear, but VEGF is known to regulate vascular calcification, in cooperation with bone morphogenetic proteins. Further, corticosteroid and several proinflammatory cytokines activate nuclear factor-κB pathway, known as the final common pathway leading to vascular calcification. Taken together, we consider that POEMS syndrome can be an independent risk condition for calciphylaxis

Effect of Numbness Caused by Diabetic Neuropathy on Daily Activities : Questionnaire survey from a nursing viewpoint

しびれは患者には苦痛で不安な症状であり, 医療者側にとっても病気の診断と経過観察の上で見過ごすことができないものである。しかし, しびれに関しては神経医療分野以外で研究対象に取り上げられることは少なく, 患者がしびれを訴えた場合にも, それに対処する医療者の姿勢はともすれば消極的になりがちである。その理由の一つは, しびれが他者にとっては把握しにくい自覚症状であるからである。本研究では, 糖尿病患者726名で, しびれの客観的把握と看護支援の検討を試みた。アンケートは第1段階でしびれの有無ごとの分類, 第2段階でしびれ無群(I群), 現在しびれ有群(II群), 過去にしびれ有群(III群)の3種類に区分した.有群281人(II, III群)のうち, しびれと, それに伴った自律神経障害, およびそれらによる不快感や日常生活支障を感じた者は194人で, 有群の69.0%, 対象者全体の26.9%を占めた。しびれの強度と日常生活支障項目(25項目)数は有意に相関しており, 精神的支障は約4割, 身体的支障は約6割であった。支障項目のうち, 手指を使用する項目と上肢のしびれ感との関連が有意であり, 特に利き手の可能性が高い右上肢にその傾向が顕著であった。25項目中, 頻度の高い上位14項目で精神的支障項目, 全身・下肢支障項目, 上肢支障項目に分類し, 全身・下肢支障項目+上肢支障項目を身体的支障項目とすると, しびれの強度が強いほど精神的支障が占める割合は増加し, 身体的支障が占める割合は減少し, 身体的支障は精神的支障に影響を与え, 精神的支障の背景には強度のしびれとそれに伴う身体的支障が存在している可能性が高かった。看護者は, 身体的支障への支援だけでなく, しびれという「体験」を認識・理解し, 個々人にあった精神的支援を行うことが重要だといえる。Numbness was objectively evaluated in 726 diabetics and their correct nursing was also examined. The patients were classified into 3 groups : no numbness (Group I), current numbness (Group II), and previous numbness (Group III). Among 281 patients with current or previous numbness, 194 (69.00f the 281 patients and 26.90f all subjects) had autonomic disorders and impairment of daily activities associated with numbness. The severity of numbness was significantly correlated with the number of impairments (25 items) of daily activities, with about 40% being mental and 60% being physical. Impairments related to the fingers were significantly correlated with upper limb numbness, with a stronger correlation for numbness of the right upper limb probably because most subjects were right-handed. The top 14 impairments were classified into a mental group, systemic and lower limb group, and upper limb group. We found that mental impairments increased and physical impairments decreased as numbness became worse. It was considered likely that physical impairment was influenced by mental factors and that it existed in the background of mental impairments. It is important for nurses to provide both physical and mental support for patients by recognizing numbness

Mate-guarding behavior enhances male reproductive success via familiarization with mating partners in medaka fish

Background: Male-male competition and female mating preference are major mechanisms of sexual selection, which influences individual fitness. How male-male competition affects female preference, however, remains poorly understood. Under laboratory conditions, medaka (Oryzias latipes) males compete to position themselves between a rival male and the female (mate-guarding) in triadic relationships (male, male, and female). In addition, females prefer to mate with visually familiar males. In the present study, to examine whether mate-guarding affects female preference via visual familiarization, we established a novel behavioral test to simultaneously quantify visual familiarization of focal males with females and mate-guarding against rival males. In addition, we investigated the effect of familiarization on male reproductive success in triadic relationships. Results: Three fish (female, male, male) were placed separately in a transparent three-chamber tank, which allowed the male in the center (near male) to maintain closer proximity to the female than the other male (far male). Placement of the wild-type male in the center blocked visual familiarization of the far male by the female via mate-guarding. In contrast, placement of an arginine-vasotocin receptor mutant male, which exhibits mate-guarding deficits, in the center, allowing for maintaining close proximity to the female, did not block familiarization of the far male by the female. We also demonstrated that the reproductive success of males was significantly decreased by depriving females visual familiarization with the males. Conclusions: Our findings indicated that, at least in triadic relationships, dominance in mate-guarding, not simply close proximity, allows males to gain familiarity with the female over their rivals, which may enhance female preference for the dominant male. These findings focusing on the triadic relationships of medaka may contribute to our understanding of the adaptive significance of persistent mate-guarding, as well as female preference for familiar mates

Room-Temperature Reversible Chemisorption of Carbon Monoxide on Nickel(0) Complexes

Chemisorption on organometallic-based adsorbents is crucial for the controlled separation and long-term storage of gaseous molecules. The formation of covalent bonds between the metal centers in the adsorbents and the targeted gases affects the desorption efficiency, especially when the oxidation state of the metal is low. Herein, we report a pressure-responsive nickel(0)-based system that is able to reversibly chemisorb carbon monoxide (CO) at room temperature. The use of N-heterocyclic carbene ligands with hemi-labile N-phosphine oxide substituents facilitates both the adsorption and desorption of CO on nickel(0) via ligand substitution. Ionic liquids were used as the reaction medium to enhance the desorption rate and establish a reusable system. These results showcase a way for the sustainable chemisorption of CO using a zero-valent transition-metal complex.Yamauchi Y., Hoshimoto Y., Kawakita T., et al. Room-Temperature Reversible Chemisorption of Carbon Monoxide on Nickel(0) Complexes. Journal of the American Chemical Society , (2022); https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.2c02870

Mate-guarding behavior enhances male reproductive success via familiarization with mating partners in medaka fish

[Background] Male-male competition and female mating preference are major mechanisms of sexual selection, which influences individual fitness. How male-male competition affects female preference, however, remains poorly understood. Under laboratory conditions, medaka (Oryzias latipes) males compete to position themselves between a rival male and the female (mate-guarding) in triadic relationships (male, male, and female). In addition, females prefer to mate with visually familiar males. In the present study, to examine whether mate-guarding affects female preference via visual familiarization, we established a novel behavioral test to simultaneously quantify visual familiarization of focal males with females and mate-guarding against rival males. In addition, we investigated the effect of familiarization on male reproductive success in triadic relationships. [Results] Three fish (female, male, male) were placed separately in a transparent three-chamber tank, which allowed the male in the center (near male) to maintain closer proximity to the female than the other male (far male). Placement of the wild-type male in the center blocked visual familiarization of the far male by the female via mate-guarding. In contrast, placement of an arginine-vasotocin receptor mutant male, which exhibits mate-guarding deficits, in the center, allowing for maintaining close proximity to the female, did not block familiarization of the far male by the female. We also demonstrated that the reproductive success of males was significantly decreased by depriving females visual familiarization with the males. [Conclusions] Our findings indicated that, at least in triadic relationships, dominance in mate-guarding, not simply close proximity, allows males to gain familiarity with the female over their rivals, which may enhance female preference for the dominant male. These findings focusing on the triadic relationships of medaka may contribute to our understanding of the adaptive significance of persistent mate-guarding, as well as female preference for familiar mates