The association between clinical symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis and MRI axial imaging findings

Purpose: In diagnosing lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is appropriate to confirm the presence of anatomical stenosis of the spinal canal or compression of the nerve roots. However, it is known that morphological LSS is often present in asymptomatic subjects. There is still controversy about the relationship between anatomical LSS and symptomatic LSS. The aim of this study was to assess the association between qualitative imaging findings on MRI of the lumbar spine and symptomatic LSS. Patients and methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 239 volunteers from an epidemiological survey that included 1,862 participants in total. MRI of the lumbar spine was evaluated in four categories: morphological grading of central stenosis and lateral recess stenosis, presence of the sedimentation sign, and severity of facet joint effusion. The relationship between these morphological evaluations and typical LSS symptoms as assessed by the self-administered, self-reported history questionnaire for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS-SSHQ) was investigated by multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: The odds ratio of the most severe central stenosis to no stenosis was 15.5 (95%CI: 1.4-164.9). Only the most severe central stenosis was associated with typical LSS symptoms, but not all cases with typical LSS symptoms were due to severe central stenosis. Conclusion: Extreme severe central stenosis was strongly related to typical LSS symptoms. However, although subjects with severe central stenosis showed symptoms suggestive of LSS, these subjects did not always show typical LSS symptoms

microRNA-33 maintains adaptive thermogenesis via enhanced sympathetic nerve activity

褐色脂肪細胞の燃焼を促す新たなメカニズムを解明 --体の熱産生にマイクロRNA-33が関与--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-02-17.Adaptive thermogenesis is essential for survival, and therefore is tightly regulated by a central neural circuit. Here, we show that microRNA (miR)-33 in the brain is indispensable for adaptive thermogenesis. Cold stress increases miR-33 levels in the hypothalamus and miR-33−/− mice are unable to maintain body temperature in cold environments due to reduced sympathetic nerve activity and impaired brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis. Analysis of miR-33f/f dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DBH)-Cre mice indicates the importance of miR-33 in Dbh-positive cells. Mechanistically, miR-33 deficiency upregulates gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor subunit genes such as Gabrb2 and Gabra4. Knock-down of these genes in Dbh-positive neurons rescues the impaired cold-induced thermogenesis in miR-33f/f DBH-Cre mice. Conversely, increased gene dosage of miR-33 in mice enhances thermogenesis. Thus, miR-33 in the brain contributes to maintenance of BAT thermogenesis and whole-body metabolism via enhanced sympathetic nerve tone through suppressing GABAergic inhibitory neurotransmission. This miR-33-mediated neural mechanism may serve as a physiological adaptive defense mechanism for several stresses including cold stress

cluster structures in unbound states in

Cluster structures in 19Ne are studied by the microscopic and macroscopic cluster models. In the microscopic calculation, the coupled-channels problem of (3He+16O) + (α+15O) is solved, and the adiabatic energy surfaces, which are the series of the energy eigenvalues as a function of the He–O distance, are investigated. In the adiabatic energy curves, the several local minima are generated in the spatial region of the small core distance, where the neutron hole inside of the He or O nucleus is strongly coupled to the residual nuclei. The energy spectra, which are constructed from the strong coupling states, nicely reproduce the the low-lying energy levels in the 19Ne nucleus. In the macroscopic approach, the α + 15O potential is evaluated from the elastic scattering of the α + 15N system, and the resonant levels of the α + 15O system are calculated under the absorbing boundary condition. The potential model predicts the existence of the resonances above the α threshold, which has a weak-coupling scheme of the α particle and one hole inside of the 16O nucleus. The extended microscopic calculations of (3He+16O) + (α+15O) + (5He+14O) are performed in order to see the coupling effect of the 5p-2h configuration, which corresponds to the shell model limit of the 5He + 14O cluster configuration. The extended calculation suggests that the 5He + 14O configuration plays an important role on the formation of the 3/2+ resonance at 0.5 MeV with respect to the α threshold

Spatial measure of reaction size in proton scattering

The microscopic coupled-channel (MCC) calculations for proton + 12C inelastic scattering are performed in the energy range of Ep = 29.95 MeV to 65 MeV. The nuclear interactions for the proton −12C system are constructed from the folding model, which employs the internal wave function of 12C, obtained from the 3α resonating group method (3α RGM), and an effective nucleon-nucleon interaction of the density-dependent Michigan three-range Yukawa (DDM3Y). The MCC calculation with the 3α RGM + DDM3Y nicely reproduces all of the differential cross sections for elastic and inelastic scattering in the angular range of θc.m. = 30° to 120°. We introduce a scattering radius, which characterizes a spatial size of the scattering area, from partial wave decompositions of an angle-integrated cross section. The scattering radii for the elastic scattering and the various inelastic channels, which involve the rotational or vibrational excitations and the 3α excitations in 12C, are derived. We found that the scattering radii for the inelastic channels with a well developed 3α structure are strongly enhanced in comparison to the scattering radii for the elastic and collective channels. This enhancement of the scattering radius for the 3α channel strongly suggests that the scattering radius is sensitive to a size of the intrinsic structure of the finally excited state in the scattering process

Spatial measure of reaction size in proton scattering

The microscopic coupled-channel (MCC) calculations for proton + 12C inelastic scattering are performed in the energy range of Ep = 29.95 MeV to 65 MeV. The nuclear interactions for the proton −12C system are constructed from the folding model, which employs the internal wave function of 12C, obtained from the 3α resonating group method (3α RGM), and an effective nucleon-nucleon interaction of the density-dependent Michigan three-range Yukawa (DDM3Y). The MCC calculation with the 3α RGM + DDM3Y nicely reproduces all of the differential cross sections for elastic and inelastic scattering in the angular range of θc.m. = 30° to 120°. We introduce a scattering radius, which characterizes a spatial size of the scattering area, from partial wave decompositions of an angle-integrated cross section. The scattering radii for the elastic scattering and the various inelastic channels, which involve the rotational or vibrational excitations and the 3α excitations in 12C, are derived. We found that the scattering radii for the inelastic channels with a well developed 3α structure are strongly enhanced in comparison to the scattering radii for the elastic and collective channels. This enhancement of the scattering radius for the 3α channel strongly suggests that the scattering radius is sensitive to a size of the intrinsic structure of the finally excited state in the scattering process

MRL/MpJ-Fas(lpr) mice show abnormalities in ovarian function and morphology with the progression of autoimmune disease

The immune system is known to affect reproductive function, and maternal-fetal immune tolerance is essential for a successful pregnancy. To investigate the relationship between autoimmune disease and female reproductive function, we performed a comparative analysis of the ovarian phenotypes for C57BL/6 mice, autoimmune disease-prone MRL/MpJ (MRL/+) mice and congenic MRL/MpJ-Fas(lpr) (MRL/lpr) mice harboring a mutation in the Fas gene that speeds disease onset. Both MRL-background strains showed earlier vaginal opening than C57BL/6 mice. The estrous cycle became irregular by 6 and 12 months of age in MRL/lpr mice and mice of the other two strains, respectively. Histological analysis at 3 months revealed that the number of primordial follicles was smaller in MRL-background mice than in C57BL/6 mice after 3 months. In addition, MRL/lpr and MRL/+ mice displayed lower numbers of ovarian follicles and corpora lutea at 3 and 6 months, and 6 and 12 months, respectively, than that in age-matched C57BL/6 mice. MRL/lpr and MRL/+ mice developed ovarian interstitial glands after 3 and 6 months, respectively. In particular, MRL/lpr mice showed numerous infiltrating lymphocytes within the ovarian interstitia, and partially stratified ovarian surface epithelia with more developed microvilli than that observed in C57BL/6 mice at 6 months. No significant differences in serum hormone levels were observed between the strains. In conclusion, MRL/lpr mice display altered ovarian development, morphology and function consistent with the progression of severe autoimmune disease, as these findings are less severe in MRL/+ counterparts