Developmental changes in point-light walker processing during childhood: A two-year follow-up ERP study

AbstractEvent-related potentials were measured in twenty-four children aged 6–15 years, at one-year intervals for two years, to investigate developmental changes in each subject's neural response to a point-light walker (PLW) and a scrambled PLW (sPLW) stimulus. One positive peak (P1) and two negative peaks (N1 and N2) were observed in both occipitotemporal regions at approximately 130, 200, and 300–400 ms. The amplitude and latency of the P1 component measured by the occipital electrode decreased during development over the first one-year period. Negative amplitudes of both N1 and N2, induced by the PLW stimulus, were significantly larger than those induced by the sPLW stimulus. Moreover, for the P1–N1 amplitude, the values for the eight-year-old children were significantly larger than those for the twelve-year-old children. N1 and N2 latency at certain electrodes decreased with age, but no consistent changes were observed. These results suggest that enhanced electrophysiological responses to PLW can be observed in all age groups, and that the early components were changed even over the course of a single year at the age of twelve

High resolution X-ray computed tomographic (CT) images of chondrites and a chondrule

In order to study internal textures of meteorites, images were obtained by X-ray computer tomography (CT). This combined high resolution X-ray radiography and computer tomography system belongs to the so-called third generation type with a micro-focus X-ray source and a linear CCD detector with 2048 elements. This allows a spacial resolution of a few μm in the images. Samples examined include the Moorabie meteorite (L3), Allende meteorite (CV3), and a chondrule removed from Allende meteorite. In images, Fe-Ni alloy, troilite, and silicates can be distinguished clearly, and chondrules can be resolved from their Fe-rich rims in Moorabie meteorite. In Allende Fe-Ni alloy, pentlandite, and silicates can be distinguished, and chondrules, CAI\u27s, and matrix can be recognized. Many euhedral crystals, probably olivine and/or pyroxene, were identified in a chondrule, suggesting that the chondrule has a porphyritic texture. In addition to minerals or their assemblages, holes can be identified by the X-ray CT method and were found in chondrules in Allende

Total synthesis and biomimetic studies of nine-membered enediynes

The kedarcidin and C1027 chromophores are formidable targets of total synthesis. During our 20-year study of these nine-membered enediyne chromophores, several powerful, yet chemoselective methods have been developed: stereoselective epoxyalkyne formation, atropselective Pd/Cu-Sonogashira coupling, 2-deoxy-α-glycosylation, CeX3-mediated enediyne cyclisation, and SmI2-based reductive olefination. Besides their total syntheses, application of these methods to the biomimetic study of the putative enediyne-precursors of the cyanosporasides, sporolides, and fijiolides will be presented. In particular, we disclose biomimetic evidence of a p-benzyne diradical species reacting in either a radical mode (hydrogen abstraction) or ionic mode (chloride attack) at the same sterically exposed site, leading to either monochlorinated cyanosporaside A/F or cyanosporaside B–E, respectively. The ionic monochlorination of the cycloaromatized p-benzyne of the C1027 enediyne core to generate the fijiolide aglycon framework will also be presented

A Pollen Diet Confers Ultraviolet-B Resistance in Phytoseiid Mites by Providing Antioxidants

Many plant-dwelling mites including phytophagous spider mites and predacious phytoseiid mites suffer lethal deleterious effects from solar ultraviolet-B (UVB; 280–315 nm wavelength) radiation. Phytoseiid species also often feed on pollen as an alternative food source. As pollen is frequently exposed to solar radiation, it is likely to contain compounds that protect germ cells from UVB radiation and radiant heat. If phytoseiid mites can obtain these protective compounds, pollen feeding may play a role in their adaptation to UVB. In this study, we compared the potential protective effects of tea pollen, peach pollen, and Tetranychus urticae mites as food items in Neoseiulus californicus. Egg hatchability and adult female survival after UVB irradiation were higher in pollen-fed than mite-fed N. californicus. The major protective effects of peach pollen and tea pollen were UVB shielding effects and antioxidant capacity, respectively, and these were derived from distinctive antioxidant components. The major antioxidant in peach pollen was tri-p-coumaroylspermidine, although its antioxidant capacity was relatively low; instead, it effectively absorbed UVB radiation. By contrast, the major antioxidants of tea pollen were catechin and epicatechin 3-gallate, which had high antioxidant capacities. Our results indicate that the protective antioxidant components in pollen improved UVB resistance in N. californicus, contributing to their adaptation to solar radiation

Pyoderma gangrenosum after breast cancer resection: A less-invasive and early treatment using the skin around ulcers

Surgical invasion is a risk factor of pyoderma gangrenosum (PG). A total of 25% of postoperative PG cases were reported to occur after breast surgeries, including bilateral breast reduction and breast reconstruction following cancer resection. Immunosuppressive therapy and less-invasive wound therapy are necessary; however, the complete healing of ulcers takes 5.1 months on average. We herein report a case of skin grafting under a surgical concept of less-invasive and short-term treatment. An 82-year-old woman complained of a high fever and severe pain at her breast wounds after bilateral breast cancer resection. Although we performed emergency debridement surgery to remove the necrotic tissue, suspecting surgical site infection and inflammation, her high fever persisted. She was diagnosed with PG because of the physical findings of characteristic painful, sterile ulcerations, bullae and pustules, and the pathological abundance of neutrophils in the absence of infection and vasculitis. Oral administration of prednisolone 30 mg/day improved the symptoms, and we applied negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) from day 16 following debridement surgery. After the gradual reduction of oral steroid intake to 12.5 mg/day, we performed skin grafting surgery. To limit the surgical invasion, we used the surplus skin around the ulcers. Split-thickness mesh skin grafts were fixed by NPWT to avoid the use of tie-over sutures. We achieved short-term treatment of PG with a less-invasive surgical strategy using skin around the ulcers and NPWT

Tumor stem cell assay for detecting metastases of human lung cancer.

We applied a tumor stem cell assay using an enriched double-layered soft agar system for the detection of metastatic sites of lung cancer. Lung cancer colonies grew from 7 of 10 effusions cytologically positive for tumor cells and 7 of 10 bone marrow aspirates cytologically and histologically positive for tumor cells. Twenty-six of 29 bone marrow aspirates cytologically and histologically negative for tumor cells showed no colony growth. However, the remaining three bone marrow aspirates, which were obtained from patients with small cell lung cancer, formed colonies in soft agar. These results indicate that the tumor stem cell assay is useful for detecting metastatic sites of lung cancer.</p

A Convergent Total Synthesis of the Kedarcidin Chromophore: 20-Years in the Making

The kedarcidin chromophore is a formidible target for total synthesis. Herein, we 19 describe a viable synthesis of this highly unstable natural product. This entailed the early 20 introduction and gram-scale synthesis of 2-deoxysugar conjugates of both L-mycarose and L21 kedarosamine. Key advances include: (1) stereoselective allenylzinc keto-addition to form an 22 epoxyalkyne; (2) -selective glycosylations with 2-deoxy thioglycosides (AgPF6/DTBMP) 23 and Schmidt donors (TiCl4); (3) Mitsunobu aryl etherification to install a hindered 1,2-cis24 configuration; (4) atropselective and convergent Sonogashira-Shiina cyclization sequence; 25 (5) Ohfune-based amidation protocol for naphthoic acid; (6) Ce(III)-mediated nine26 membered enediyne cyclization and ester/mesylate derivatisation; (7) SmI2-based reductive 27 olefination and global HF-deprotection end-game. The longest linear sequence from gram28 scale intermediates is 17-steps, and HRMS data of the synthetic natural product was obtained 29 for the first tim

Effects of Splenectomy on Spontaneously Chronic Pancreatitis in aly/aly Mice

Background and Aim. Mice with alymphoplasia (aly/aly) mutation characterized by a lack of lymph nodes, Peyer's patches, and well-defined lymphoid follicles in the spleen were found. In this study, we used splenectomized aly/aly mice to elucidate the effects of secondary lymphoid organs in the development of aly/aly autoimmune pancreatitis. Methods. Forty-eight 10-week-old aly/aly mice were divided into two groups for splenectomy and sham operation. Histological and immunohistochemical analyses of the pancreas were performed at the ages of 20, 30, and 40 weeks old after operation, respectively. Results. Our results showed that mononuclear cell infiltration was restricted to the interlobular connective tissues at the age of 20 weeks, and not increase obviously at the age of 30 and 40 weeks in splenectomized aly/aly mice. Furthermore, an apparent decrease in the expressions of CD4+ T, CD8+ T, and B cells was detected in the pancreatic tissues compared with sham aly/aly mice, however, no significant difference in macrophage expression between mice with and without a splenectomy. Conclusions. Inflammation infiltration and development of the pancreatitis in aly/aly mice were suppressed effectively after splenectomy, which was, at least partly, correlated to inhibition of the infiltration of T and B cells in pancreatic tissues but not to macrophages

Neural dynamics in human imitation revealed by ERP surface topography

To clarify the neural dynamics in human motor imitation, we examined event-related potentials (ERP) for a reaction time task that required responses to an actor&apos;s ¢nger motions with identical motions. Compared with a control task (reaction to an LED illumination), the ERP surface topography in the imitative reaction was di¡erentiated at around 120^200 ms post-cueing, showing an early sensitivity to the response hand over the pre-central region.This result suggested that activities around the motor areas were facilitated in the imitative reaction, which is consistent with recent neuroimaging studies. However, taken together with that there were no di¡erences in reaction times, the early ERP latency of conditional divergence indicated that neural activities related to imitation are visual responses and do not directly lead to motor acceleration. NeuroRepor