The Dry Matter Yield and Nutritive Value of Wet Tolerant Tropical Forage Legumes in Single Cropping or Mixed Cropping with Gramineous Forage Crops in Drained Paddy Field

In Japan the production of rice has been controlled since the 1970\u27s and some parts of the paddy fields have been laid off for forage production. However, in poorly-drained fields or fields with high ground water table, forage species with high tolerance of wet conditions are required. The tropical forage legumes Aeschynomene americana cv. Glenn (Glenn) and Macroptilium lathyroides (L.) Urb. cv. Murray (phasey bean) have a high wet endurance (Bishop et al., 1985; Tobisa et al., 1999) and show high dry matter productivity (Skerman et al., 1988; Tobisa et al., 1999). The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the dry matter yield and nutritive value of Glenn and phasey bean in single cropping or mixed cropping with gramineous forage crops in drained paddy fields

Trabecular health of vertebrae based on anisotropy in trabecular architecture and collagen/apatite micro-arrangement after implantation of intervertebral fusion cages in the sheep spine

Healthy trabecular bone shows highly anisotropic trabecular architecture and the preferential orientation of collagen and apatite inside a trabecula, both of which are predominantly directed along the cephalocaudal axis. This makes trabecular bone stiff in the principally loaded direction (cephalocaudal axis). However, changes in these anisotropic trabecular characteristics after the insertion of implant devices remain unclear. We defined the trabecular architectural anisotropy and the preferential orientation of collagen and apatite as parameters of trabecular bone health. In the present study, we analyzed these parameters after the implantation of two types of intervertebral fusion cages, open and closed box-type cages, into sheep spines for 2 and 4 months. Alteration and evolution of trabecular health around and inside the cages depended on the cage type and implantation duration. At the boundary region, the values of trabecular architectural anisotropy and apatite orientation for the closed-type cages were similar to those for isotropic conditions. In contrast, significantly larger anisotropy was found for open-type cages, indicating that the open-type cage tended to maintain trabecular anisotropy. Inside the open-type cage, trabecular architectural anisotropy and apatite orientation significantly increased with time after implantation. Assessing trabecular anisotropy might be useful for the evaluation of trabecular health and the validation and refinement of implant designs.Ishimoto T., Yamada K., Takahashi H., et al. Trabecular health of vertebrae based on anisotropy in trabecular architecture and collagen/apatite micro-arrangement after implantation of intervertebral fusion cages in the sheep spine. Bone, 108, 25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bone.2017.12.012

動物モデルにおける骨髄間質細胞シートの乱軸型皮弁の延長効果

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow stromal cells can be applied therapeutically to enhance angiogenesis; however, the use of bone marrow stromal cell suspensions reduces efficiency because of low-level attachment. The authors hypothesized that bone marrow stromal cell sheets would facilitate cell fixation, thus enhancing angiogenesis. The authors investigated flap survival area and enhancement of angiogenic factors in a rat random-pattern skin flap model after application of bone marrow stromal cell sheets. METHODS: Bone marrow stromal cell sheets (prepared from 7-week-old rat femurs) were cultured under four different hypoxic conditions. Sheets with the highest angiogenic potential, determined by an in vitro pilot study, were injected into subcutaneous layers of the rat dorsum (bone marrow stromal cell sheet group). A control group (phosphate-buffered saline only) was included. On day 2 after injection, caudally based random-pattern skin flaps (12 × 3 cm) were elevated. On day 7 after elevation, surviving skin flap areas were measured. Skin samples were harvested from each flap and gene expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Skin flap survival area (71.6 ± 2.3 percent versus 51.5 ± 3.3 percent) and levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor were significantly higher in the bone marrow stromal cell sheet group than in the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Implantation of bone marrow stromal cell sheets increased the survival area of random-pattern skin flaps. Expression of angiogenic factors may have contributed to the increased flap survival.博士（医学）・甲第658号・平成28年11月24日Copyright © 2015 American Society of Plastic SurgeonsThe definitive version is available at " http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0000000000001679

extubation failure due to subglottic stenosis

Background : This report describes a case of dynamic inspiratory airway collapse concomitant with subglottic stenosis in a patient who previously underwent tracheostomy that led to repeated post-operative extubation failure. Case presentation : A 43-year-old woman who had undergone tracheostomy 25 years previously was admitted to our intensive-care unit (ICU) after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. On postoperative day (POD) 0, she was extubated, but stridor was observed. We suspected upper airway obstruction and she was therefore reintubated. Before reintubation, urgent laryngotracheoscopy revealed dynamic inspiratory airway collapse and obstruction concomitant with subglottic stenosis. Preoperative computed tomography showed mild subglottic stenosis. Although intravenous corticosteroids were administered to prevent tracheal mucosal edema and a cuff leak test was confirmed to be negative, she developed extubation failure on POD6. On POD12, we performed tracheostomy to reduce mechanical irritation from the endotracheal tube. Mechanical ventilation was withdrawn and she discharged from the ICU. On POD33, her tracheostomy tube was removed and she remained clinically asymptomatic. Conclusions : We should be aware of the history of tracheostomy, especially at high tracheostomy sites, even in the absence of respiratory symptoms as risk factors for dynamic inspiratory airway collapse concomitant with subglottic stenosis contributing to repeated respiratory failure after extubation

Distribution of Choroidal Thickness and Choroidal Vessel Dilation in Healthy Japanese Individuals: The Nagahama Study

[Purpose] To report fundamental epidemiologic data for choroidal parameters such as choroidal thickness and index of choroidal vascularity in Japanese individuals and to evaluate their correlations with age, sex, systemic parameters, and other ocular parameters. [Design] Population-based cohort study. [Participants] A total of 9850 individuals participated in the first follow-up of the Nagahama Prospective Cohort for Comprehensive Human Bioscience (the Nagahama Study) conducted between 2013 and 2016. [Methods] All participants underwent standardized ophthalmic examinations, including OCT with enhanced depth imaging (EDI; RS-3000 Advance; Nidek). We manually segmented the choroidoscleral interface to measure subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) and calculated the normalized choroidal intensity obtained with EDI (NCIEDI) and choroidal vascularity index (CVI). These are indices of choroidal brightness in OCT and reportedly represent the dilation of choroidal vessels. After summarizing the age-sex stratified distributions of SFCT, NCIEDI, and CVI, their associations with age, sex, axial length (AL), and spherical equivalent (SE) were evaluated using linear regression analysis with adjustments for possible confounders. [Main Outcome Measures] Distribution of SFCT, NCIEDI, and CVI in the healthy Japanese population and their characteristics. [Results] Age-sex standardized SFCT, NCIEDI, and CVI were 291.2 μm, 0.653, and 66.88%, respectively. In both men and women, SFCT was associated negatively with age (P < 0.001) and NCIEDI was associated positively with age (P < 0.001). Although both SFCT and NCIEDI did not differ significantly between men and women overall (P = 0.87 and P = 0.21, respectively), among younger participants (35–50 years of age), men showed significantly greater SFCT than women (P < 0.001). Only in men was CVI associated positively with age (P < 0.001). In the multivariable analysis, SFCT was associated significantly with age, sex, AL, SE, and the interaction term of age and sex (P < 0.001). Independent of SFCT, NCIEDI and CVI were associated significantly with age (P < 0.001). [Conclusions] We report normative Japanese SFCT, NCIEDI, and CVI data using a large general Japanese cohort. The association analysis of SFCT with NCIEDI and CVI suggested that younger individuals have a more lumen-rich choroid for their choroidal thickness than older individuals