Method of Quantifying Size of Retinal Hemorrhages in Eyes with Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion Using 14-Square Grid: Interrater and Intrarater Reliability

Purpose. To describe a method of quantifying the size of the retinal hemorrhages in branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) and to determine the interrater and intrarater reliabilities of these measurements. Methods. Thirty-five fundus photographs from 35 consecutive eyes with BRVO were studied. The fundus images were analyzed with Power-Point® software, and a grid of 14 squares was laid over the fundus image. Raters were asked to judge the percentage of each of the 14 squares that was covered by the hemorrhages, and the average of the 14 squares was taken to be the relative size of the retinal hemorrhage. Results. Interrater reliability between three raters was higher when a grid with 14 squares was used (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), 0.96) than that when a box with no grid was used (ICC, 0.78). Intrarater reliability, which was calculated by the retinal hemorrhage area measured on two different days, was also higher (ICC, 0.97) than that with no grid (ICC, 0.86). Interrater reliability for five fundus pictures with poor image quality was also good when a grid with 14 squares was used (ICC, 0.88). Conclusions. Although our method is subjective, excellent interrater and intrarater reliabilities indicate that this method can be adapted for clinical use

A Naturally Occurring Canine Model of Autosomal Recessive Congenital Stationary Night Blindness

Congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) is a non-progressive, clinically and genetically heterogeneous disease of impaired night vision. We report a naturally-occurring, stationary, autosomal recessive phenotype in beagle dogs with normal daylight vision but absent night vision. Affected dogs had normal retinas on clinical examination, but showed no detectable rod responses. They had “negative-type” mixed rod and cone responses in full-field ERGs. Their photopic long-flash ERGs had normal OFF-responses associated with severely reduced ON-responses. The phenotype is similar to the Schubert-Bornschein form of complete CSNB in humans. Homozygosity mapping ruled out most known CSNB candidates as well as CACNA2D4 and GNB3. Three remaining genes were excluded based on sequencing the open reading frame and intron-exon boundaries (RHO, NYX), causal to a different form of CSNB (RHO) or X-chromosome (NYX, CACNA1F) location. Among the genes expressed in the photoreceptors and their synaptic terminals, and mGluR6 cascade and modulators, reduced expression of GNAT1, CACNA2D4 and NYX was observed by qRT-PCR in both carrier (n = 2) and affected (n = 2) retinas whereas CACNA1F was down-regulated only in the affecteds. Retinal morphology revealed normal cellular layers and structure, and electron microscopy showed normal rod spherules and synaptic ribbons. No difference from normal was observed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for antibodies labeling rods, cones and their presynaptic terminals. None of the retinas showed any sign of stress. Selected proteins of mGluR6 cascade and its modulators were examined by IHC and showed that PKCα weakly labeled the rod bipolar somata in the affected, but intensely labeled axonal terminals that appeared thickened and irregular. Dendritic terminals of ON-bipolar cells showed increased Goα labeling. Both PKCα and Goα labeled the more prominent bipolar dendrites that extended into the OPL in affected but not normal retinas. Interestingly, RGS11 showed no labeling in the affected retina. Our results indicate involvement of a yet unknown gene in this canine model of complete CSNB

Inhibitory Effects of Ecklonia cava Extract on High Glucose-Induced Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a disease closely associated with obesity and diabetes. A prevalence of type 2 diabetes and a high body mass index in cryptogenic cirrhosis may imply that obesity leads to cirrhosis. Here, we examined the effects of an extract of Ecklonia cava, a brown algae, on the activation of high glucose-induced hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), key players in hepatic fibrosis. Isolated HSCs were incubated with or without a high glucose concentration. Ecklonia cava extract (ECE) was added to the culture simultaneously with the high glucose. Treatment with high glucose stimulated expression of type I collagen and α-smooth muscle actin, which are markers of activation in HSCs, in a dose-dependent manner. The activation of high glucose-treated HSCs was suppressed by the ECE. An increase in the formation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a decrease in intracellular glutathione levels were observed soon after treatment with high glucose, and these changes were suppressed by the simultaneous addition of ECE. High glucose levels stimulated the secretion of bioactive transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) from the cells, and the stimulation was also suppressed by treating the HSCs with ECE. These results suggest that the suppression of high glucose-induced HSC activation by ECE is mediated through the inhibition of ROS and/or GSH and the downregulation of TGF-β secretion. ECE is useful for preventing the development of diabetic liver fibrosis

Background Factors Affecting Visual Acuity at Initial Visit in Eyes with Central Retinal Vein Occlusion : Multicenter Study in Japan

Purpose: To determine the baseline characteristics of patients with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) that were significantly associated with the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at the initial examination. Methods: This was a retrospective multicenter study using the medical records registered in 17 ophthalmological institutions in Japan. Patients with untreated CRVO (≥20-years-of-age) who were initially examined between January 2013 and December 2017 were studied. The patients’ baseline factors that were significantly associated with the BCVA at the initial examination were determined by univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses. Results: Data from 517 eyes of 517 patients were analyzed. Univariate analyses showed that an older age (r = 0.194, p < 0.001) and the right eye (r = −0.103, p < 0.019) were significantly associated with poorer BCVA at the initial visit. Multivariate analyses also showed that an older age (β = 0.191, p < 0.001) and the right eye (β = −0.089, p = 0.041) were significantly associated with poorer BCVA at the initial visit. Conclusions: The results indicate that an older age, a known strong factor, and the right eye were significantly associated with poorer BCVA at the initial visit to the hospital. These results suggest that functional and/or anatomical differences between the right and left eyes may be involved in these results

ヒフク コウセイガク ニ オケル Personal Computer カツヨウ ノ ケンキュウ ダイ7ホウ オーバー ブラウス ジドウ サクズ プログラム オ チュウシン ニ

現在、被服構成学における教育において、教育界、アパレル産業界などに卒業生を送り込むためには、コンピュータとのかかわりは不可欠なものとなっている。 特に衣服設計の面では、図形をベースとする図形処理の基本的な知識は勿論のこと、アパレル工学の学習も要求される時代となっている。さらに近年はファッション界における多様化、個性化、高級化などの需要に対する対応、消費者ニーズへの対応による価値観の変化などにより、アパレルCADの活用はさらに重要となっている。そこで、今回はすでに発表した胴部原型、袖部原型及び基本型ブラウスにもとづき、体型の欠点をカバーし、補正が少なく、多くの人に適合し、美しく着やすい服、という諸点を前提として、短時間で簡単に作図できるオーバー・ブラウスの自動作図プログラムに関して発表する。今回のプログラミングの作成は、前回と同様に、Windowsで起動するパターン・メーキング ソフト(super α plus )のマクロ機能を利用し、これらのプログラミングについて検討を加えた。被服構成学の実習においても、人体計測から作図完成まで、コンピュータを導入することにより、その作業時間は驚くほど短縮された。そして種々の条件によって起こり得るデータを用いて種々の作図を試みるとともに、着用試験をおこなったが、いずれも、その適合性に問題はなかった。このように Personal Computer を被服構成学の授業に教具として利用することは、情報処理・情報保存・作業時間の合理化など、種々の点で大変有意義であることが認められるので、今後もさらに研究を図りたいと考えている

Functional dissection of siRNA sequence by systematic DNA substitution: modified siRNA with a DNA seed arm is a powerful tool for mammalian gene silencing with significantly reduced off-target effect

Short interfering RNA (siRNA)-based RNA interference (RNAi) is widely used for target gene knockdown in mammalian cells. To clarify the position-dependent functions of ribonucleotides in siRNA, siRNAs with various DNA substitutions were constructed. The following could be simultaneously replaced with DNA without substantial loss of gene-silencing activity: the seed arm, which occupies positions 2–8 from the 5′end of the guide strand; its complementary sequence; the 5′end of the guide strand and the 3′overhang of the passenger strand. However, most part of the 3′ two-thirds of the guide strand could not be replaced with DNA, possibly due to binding of RNA-recognition proteins such as TRBP2 and Ago2. The passenger strand with DNA in the 3′end proximal region was incapable of inducing off-target effect. Owing to lesser stability of DNA–RNA hybrid than RNA duplex, modified siRNAs with DNA substitution in the seed region were, in most cases, incapable to exert unintended gene silencing due to seed sequence homology. Thus, it may be possible to design DNA–RNA chimeras which effectively silence mammalian target genes without silencing unintended genes

Black carbon and inorganic aerosols in Arctic snowpack

Key Points: • First ever measurements with a high‐accuracy single‐particle soot photometer of black carbon (BC) concentrations in Arctic snowpack • Topography and BC emission flux strongly influenced latitudinal variations of mass concentrations and size distributions of BC • Measured BC mass concentrations 2–25 times lower than previously reported show the importance of revalidating climate modelsBlack carbon (BC) deposited on snow lowers its albedo, potentially contributing to warming in the Arctic. Atmospheric distributions of BC and inorganic aerosols, which contribute directly and indirectly to radiative forcing, are also greatly influenced by depositions. To quantify these effects, accurate measurement of the spatial distributions of BC and ionic species representative of inorganic aerosols (ionic species hereafter) in snowpack in various regions of the Arctic is needed, but few such measurements are available. We measured mass concentrations of size-resolved BC (CMBC) and ionic species in snowpack by using a single-particle soot photometer and ion chromatography, respectively, over Finland, Alaska, Siberia, Greenland, and Spitsbergen during early spring in 2012–2016. Total BC mass deposited per unit area (DEPMBC) during snow accumulation periods was derived from CMBC and snow water equivalent (SWE). Our analyses showed that the spatial distributions of anthropogenic BC emission flux, total precipitable water, and topography strongly influenced latitudinal variations of CMBC, BC size distributions, SWE, and DEPMBC. The average size distributions of BC in Arctic snowpack shifted to smaller sizes with decreasing CMBC due to an increase in the removal efficiency of larger BC particles during transport from major sources. Our measurements of CMBC were lower by a factor of ~13 than previous measurements made with an Integrating Sphere/Integrating Sandwich spectrophotometer due mainly to interference from coexisting non-BC particles such as mineral dust. The SP2 data presented here will be useful for constraining climate models that estimate the effects of BC on the Arctic climate.Plain Language Summary Black carbon (BC) particles, commonly known as soot, are emitted from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. They efficiently absorb solar radiation and thus heat the atmosphere. BC particles emitted at midlatitudes and in the Arctic are deposited onto snow in the Arctic, accelerating snowmelt in early spring by absorbing solar radiation. These processes contribute to warming in the Arctic. Calculations of this warming effect by using numerical models need to be validated by comparison with observed BC concentrations in snowpack. However, there are very few accurate records of concentrations of BC in snow because of technical difficulties in making these measurements. We developed a new laser-induced incandescence technique to measure BC concentrations in snowpack and applied it for the first time in six Arctic regions (Finland, Alaska, North and South Siberia, Greenland, and Spitsbergen). The BC concentrations we measured were highest in Finland and South Siberia, which are closer to large anthropogenic BC sources than the other regions, where our measured BC concentrations were much lower. On average, our BC concentrations were much lower than those previously measured by different techniques. Therefore, previous comparisons of modeled and observed BC concentrations need to be re-evaluated using the present data