CHAOS DYNAMICAL ANALYSIS OF EEG DATA(Session I : Cross-Disciplinary Physics, The 1st Tohwa University International Meeting on Statistical Physics Theories, Experiments and Computer Simulations)

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Water immersion increases the concentration of the immunoreactive N-terminal fragment of pro-atrial natriuretic factor in human plasma

Atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) N-terminal (ANF 1–98) and C-terminal (ANF 99–126) fragments were determined by radioimmunoassay in human plasma. Mean basal plasma ANF N-terminal concentrations in 9 healthy subjects were 461 ± 58 fmol/ml,significantly (p<0.0001) higher than ANF C-terminal concentrations ( 4.8 ± 0.5 fmol/ml). Central volume stimulation by one hour head-out water immersion (WI) induced a significant (p<0.01) increase of the C-terminal peptide levels to 11.6 ± 2.3 fmol/ml,paralleled by a significant (p<0.001) increase of the N-terminal fragment levels to 749 ± 96 fmol/ml. Increases of plasma concentrations of both fragments upon WI correlated significantly (r=0.71;p<0.05). These data suggest cosecretion of the N-terminal fragment with the C-terminal fragment of pro ANF 1–126 following a physiological stimulus of ANF release in man

Delusion of Oral Parasitosis and Thalamic Pain Syndrome

The official published article is available online at http://psy.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/50/5/534Background: Delusional parasitosis is an uncommon psychiatric condition in which patients have the immutable conviction that small, living organisms, such as worms, insects, or larvae infest their skin or other organs. Objective/Method: The authors describe a case of an unusual association of delusional parasitosis and thalamic pain syndrome after left-posterior thalamic hemorrhage. The patient initially suffered from dysesthesia and burning pain typical of thalamic pain syndrome and subsequently developed delusional oral parasitosis ("worms" infesting her mouth). Results: Sulpiride 100 mg/day administered in addition to amitriptyline gradually improved her delusions within 3 months. Discussion: The authors speculate that this specific type of delusion can be elicited by the disruption of the somatosensory pathway and that the subsequent cortical sensory deafferentiation and reorganization arising from this disruption may contribute to the development of delusional parasitosis.PSYCHOSOMATICS. 50(5):534-537 (2009)journal articl

New femoral remains of Nacholapithecus kerioi: Implications for intraspecific variation and Miocene hominoid evolution

The middle Miocene stem kenyapithecine Nacholapithecus kerioi (16–15 Ma; Nachola, Kenya) is represented by a large number of isolated fossil remains and one of the most complete skeletons in the hominoid fossil record (KNM-BG 35250). Multiple fieldwork seasons performed by Japanese–Kenyan teams during the last part of the 20th century resulted in the discovery of a large sample of Nacholapithecus fossils. Here, we describe the new femoral remains of Nacholapithecus. In well-preserved specimens, we evaluate sex differences and within-species variation using both qualitative and quantitative traits. We use these data to determine whether these specimens are morphologically similar to the species holotype KNM-BG 35250 (which shows some plastic deformation) and to compare Nacholapithecus with other Miocene hominoids and extant anthropoids to evaluate the distinctiveness of its femur. The new fossil evidence reaffirms previously reported descriptions of some distal femoral traits, namely the morphology of the patellar groove. However, results also show that relative femoral head size in Nacholapithecus is smaller, relative neck length is longer, and neck–shaft angle is lower than previously reported for KNM-BG 35250. These traits have a strong functional signal related to the hip joint kinematics, suggesting that the morphology of the proximal femur in Nacholapithecus might be functionally related to quadrupedal-like behaviors instead of more derived antipronograde locomotor modes. Results further demonstrate that other African Miocene apes (with the exception of Turkanapithecus kalakolensis) generally fall within the Nacholapithecus range of variation, whose overall femoral shape resembles that of Ekembo spp. and Equatorius africanus. Our results accord with the previously inferred locomotor repertoire of Nacholapithecus, indicating a combination of generalized arboreal quadrupedalism combined with other antipronograde behaviors (e.g., vertical climbing)

High dietary salt does not significantly affect plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations of Sprague Dawley rats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Dahl salt-sensitive rat, but not the Dahl salt-resistant rat, develops hypertension and hypovitaminosis D when fed a high salt diet. Since the salt-sensitive rat and salt-resistant rat were bred from the Sprague Dawley rat, the aim of this research was to test the hypothesis that salt-resistant and Sprague Dawley rats would be similar in their vitamin D endocrine system response to high salt intake.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Sprague Dawley, salt-sensitive, and salt-resistant rats were fed high (80 g/kg, 8%) or low (3 g/kg, 3%) salt diets for three weeks. The blood pressure of Sprague Dawley rats increased from baseline to week 3 during both high and low salt intake and the mean blood pressure at week 3 of high salt intake was higher than that at week 3 of low salt intake (<it>P </it>< 0.05). Mean plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations (marker of vitamin D status) of Sprague Dawley, salt-sensitive, and salt-resistant rats were similar at week 3 of low salt intake. Mean plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations of Sprague Dawley and salt-resistant rats were unaffected by high salt intake, whereas the mean plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration of salt-sensitive rats at week 3 of high salt intake was only 20% of that at week 3 of low salt intake.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These data indicate that the effect of high salt intake on the vitamin D endocrine system of Sprague Dawley rats at week 3 was similar to that of salt-resistant rats. The salt-sensitive rat, thus, appears to be a more appropriate model than the Sprague Dawley rat for assessing possible effects of salt-sensitivity on vitamin D status of humans.</p