Effect of Soft Abdomen on Quadrupedal Gait Control

The 11th International Symposium on Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines. Kobe University, Japan. 2023-06-06/09. Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines Organizing Committee.Poster Session P5

Soft-tissue perineurioma of the retroperitoneum in a 63-year-old man, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Soft-tissue perineuriomas are rare benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors in the subcutis of the extremities and the trunks of young patients. To our knowledge, this the first presentation of the computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of a soft-tissue perineurioma in the retroperitoneum with pathologic correlation.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 63-year-old Japanese man was referred for assessment of high blood pressure. Abdominal computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a well-defined, gradually enhancing tumor without focal degeneration or hemorrhage adjacent to the pancreatic body. Tumor excision with distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy was performed, as a malignant tumor of pancreatic origin could not be ruled out. No recurrence has been noted in the 16 months since the operation. Pathologic examination of the tumor revealed a soft-tissue perineurioma of the retroperitoneum.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although the definitive diagnosis of soft-tissue perineurioma requires biopsy and immunohistochemical reactivity evaluation, the computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings described in this report suggest inclusion of this rare tumor in the differential diagnosis when such findings occur in the retroperitoneum.</p

Clinical Allogeneic and Autologous Islet Cell Transplantation: Update

Islet cell transplantation is categorized as a β-cell replacement therapy for diabetic patients who lack the ability to secrete insulin. Allogeneic islet cell transplantation is for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, and autologous islet cell transplantation is for the prevention of surgical diabetes after a total pancreatectomy. The issues of allogeneic islet cell transplantation include poor efficacy of islet isolation, the need for multiple donor pancreata, difficulty maintaining insulin independence and undesirable side effects of immunosuppressive drugs. Those issues have been solved step by step and allogeneic islet cell transplantation is almost ready to be the standard therapy. The donor shortage will be the next issue and marginal and/or living donor islet cell transplantation might alleviate the issue. Xeno-islet cell transplantation, β-cell regeneration from human stem cells and gene induction of the naïve pancreas represent the next generation of β-cell replacement therapy. Autologous islet cell transplantation after total pancreatectomy for the treatment of chronic pancreatitis with severe abdominal pain is the standard therapy, even though only limited centers are able to perform this treatment. Remote center autologous islet cell transplantation is an attractive option for hospitals performing total pancreatectomies without the proper islet isolation facilities

Foot Sensor Module of Musculoskeletal Legged Robot for Vertical and Horizontal GRF with Elastic Metacarpophalangeal Joint

The 11th International Symposium on Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines. Kobe University, Japan. 2023-06-06/09. Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines Organizing Committee.Poster Session P5

Wireless insole sensor system with real-time pressure and shear force measurement

The 11th International Symposium on Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines. Kobe University, Japan. 2023-06-06/09. Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines Organizing Committee.Poster Session P6

Prevalence and analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in chinchillas

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chinchillas (<it>Chinchilla laniger</it>) are popular as pets and are often used as laboratory animals for various studies. <it>Pseudomonas aeruginosa </it>is a major infectious agent that causes otitis media, pneumonia, septicaemia enteritis, and sudden death in chinchillas. This bacterium is also a leading cause of nosocomial infections in humans. To prevent propagation of <it>P. aeruginosa </it>infection among humans and animals, detailed characteristics of the isolates, including antibiotic susceptibility and genetic features, are needed. In this study, we surveyed <it>P. aeruginosa </it>distribution in chinchillas bred as pets or laboratory animals. We also characterized the isolates from these chinchillas by testing for antibiotic susceptibility and by gene analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>P. aeruginosa </it>was isolated from 41.8% of the 67 chinchillas included in the study. Slide agglutination and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis discriminated 5 serotypes and 7 unique patterns, respectively. For the antibiotic susceptibility test, 40.9% of isolates were susceptible to gentamicin, 77.3% to ciprofloxacin, 77.3% to imipenem, and 72.7% to ceftazidime. DNA analyses confirmed that none of the isolates contained the gene encoding extended-spectrum β-lactamases; however, 2 of the total 23 isolates were found to have a gene similar to the <it>pilL </it>gene that has been identified in the pathogenicity island of a clinical isolate of <it>P. aeruginosa</it>.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>P. aeruginosa </it>is widely spread in chinchillas, including strains with reduced susceptibility to the antibiotics and highly virulent strains. The periodic monitoring should be performed to help prevent the propagation of this pathogen and reduce the risk of infection from chinchillas to humans.</p

High-speed running quadruped robot with a multi-joint spine adopting a 1DoF closed-loop linkage

Improving the mobility of robots is an important goal for many real-world applications and implementing an animal-like spine structure in a quadruped robot is a promising approach to achieving high-speed running. This paper proposes a feline-like multi-joint spine adopting a one-degree-of-freedom closed-loop linkage for a quadruped robot to realize high-speed running. We theoretically prove that the proposed spine structure can realize 1.5 times the horizontal range of foot motion compared to a spine structure with a single joint. Experimental results demonstrate that a robot with the proposed spine structure achieves 1.4 times the horizontal range of motion and 1.9 times the speed of a robot with a single-joint spine structure

Formation of a Massive Black Hole at the Center of the Superbubble in M82

We performed 12CO(1-0), 13CO(1-0), and HCN(1-0) interferometric observations of the central region (about 450 pc in radius) of M82 with the Nobeyama Millimeter Array, and have successfully imaged a molecular superbubble and spurs. The center of the superbubble is clearly shifted from the nucleus by 140 pc. This position is close to that of the massive black hole (BH) of >460 Mo and the 2.2 micron secondary peak (a luminous supergiant dominated cluster), which strongly suggests that these objects may be related to the formation of the superbubble. Consideration of star formation in the cluster based on the infrared data indicates that (1) energy release from supernovae can account for the kinetic energy of the superbubble, (2) the total mass of stellar-mass BHs available for building-up the massive BH may be much higher than 460 Mo, and (3) it is possible to form the middle-mass BH of 100-1000 Mo within the timescale of the superbubble. We suggest that the massive BH was produced and is growing in the intense starburst region.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, to appear in ApJ Lette

Recovery from hypoxemia and Hypercapnia following noninvasive pressure support ventilation in a patient with statin-associated necrotizing myopathy: a case report

Background: Statin-associated necrotizing myopathy (SANM) is a rare autoimmune disorder caused by administration of statins. SANM is characterized by weakness due to necrosis and regeneration of myofibers. Here we report the first case of SANM with acute respiratory failure treated with noninvasive pressure support ventilation in addition to immunosuppressants. Case presentation: A 59-year-old woman who had been treated with 2.5 mg/day of rosuvastatin calcium for 5 years stopped taking the drug 4 months before admission to our hospital due to elevation of creatine kinase (CK). Withdrawal of rosuvastatin for 1 month did not decrease the level of CK, and she was admitted to our hospital due to the development of muscle weakness of her neck and bilateral upper extremities. Anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase antibodies were positive. Magnetic resonance imaging showed myositis, and muscle biopsy from the right biceps brachii muscle showed muscle fiber necrosis and regeneration without inflammatory cell infiltration, suggesting SANM. After the diagnosis, she received methylprednisolone pulse therapy (mPSL, 1 g/day × 3 days, twice) and subsequent oral prednisolone therapy (PSL, 30 mg/day for 1 month, 25 mg/day for 1 month and 22.5 mg/day for 1 month), leading to improvement of her muscle weakness. One month after the PSL tapering to 20 mg/day, her muscle weakness deteriorated with oxygen desaturation (SpO2: 93% at room air) due to hypoventilation caused by weakness of respiratory muscles. BIPAP was used for the management of acute respiratory failure in combination with IVIG (20 g/day × 5 days) followed by mPSL pulse therapy (1 g/day × 3 days), oral PSL (30 mg/day × 3 weeks, then tapered to 25 mg/day) and tacrolimus (3 mg/day). Twenty-seven days after the start of BIPAP, she was weaned from BIPAP with improvement of muscle weakness, hypoxemia and hypercapnia. After she achieved remission with improvement of muscle weakness and reduction of serum CK level to a normal level, the dose of oral prednisolone was gradually tapered to 12.5 mg/day without relapse for 3 months. Conclusions: Our report provides new insights into the role of immunosuppressants and biphasic positive airway pressure for induction of remission in patients with SANM

Clinical and Pathological Benefits of Edaravone for Alzheimer's Disease with Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion in a Novel Mouse Model

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) often coexist in dementia patients in aging societies. The hallmarks of AD including amyloid-β (Aβ)/phosphorylated tau (pTau) and pathology-related events such as neural oxidative stress and neuroinflammation play critical roles in pathogenesis of AD with CCH. A large number of lessons from failures of drugs targeting a single target or pathway on this so complicated disease indicate that disease-modifying therapies targeting multiple key pathways hold potent potential in therapy of the disease. In the present study, we used a novel mouse model of AD with CCH to investigate a potential therapeutic effect of a free radical scavenger, Edaravone (EDA) on AD with CCH via examining motor and cognitive capacity, AD hallmarks, neural oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. Compared with AD with CCH mice at 12 months of age, EDA significantly improved motor and cognitive deficits, attenuated neuronal loss, reduced Aβ/pTau accumulation, and alleviated neural oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. These findings suggest that EDA possesses clinical and pathological benefits for AD with CCH in the present mouse model and has a potential as a therapeutic agent for AD with CCH via targeting multiple key pathways of the disease pathogenesis