Time-lapse changes in the concomitant immunity of lymphocytes from different sites of mice isografted with methylcholanthrene-induced tumor.

As a step in the elucidation of the mutual relationship between the degree of cancer progress and the antitumor activity of lymphocytes from different sites in cancer-bearing body, we isografted methylcholanthrene-induced tumor (MC-tumor) subcutaneously on the back of mice. The regional axillary lymph nodes, spleen and distant mesenteric lymph nodes were removed from these animals one, two, three, and four weeks later. We mixed lymphocytes prepared from these lymphatic tissues with primary MC-tumor culture cells and cultured together to estimate antitumor acitivity of lymphocytes from different sites. It has been found that a strong antitumor activity can be seen only in those regional axillary lymph node cells taken out one or two weeks after tumor transplatation and such an activity is weakened by three or four weeks. On the other hand, distant mesenteric lymph node cells one or two weeks after the transplantation have no antitumor activity as yet, while at the terminal cancer stage of four weeks there appears a stronger antitumor activity than that of regional lymph nodes. In the spleen, a strong antitumor activity can be observed in the third week after tumor transplantation, but the activity disappears by the fourth week. These findings support our previous findings in that for the tumor onset after the transplantation the antitumor activity seems to appear first in the regional lymph nodes, and when the tumor grows beyond a certain size, such an activity diminishes while it appears in further distant lymphatic tissues.</p

Three-dimensional sodium chloride (NaCl) model for simulated mandibular reconstruction surgery : a new environmentally friendly material

Background : Mandibular reconstruction using a fibular graft is a difficult procedure that requires technical expertise to enable adequate occlusal function and restore an aesthetic appearance. Here we used three-dimensional (3D) sodium chloride (NaCl) models for simulated mandibular reconstruction surgery. This study aimed to reveal the accuracy of mandibular reconstruction with fibular grafts using this model. Methods : Mandibular reconstructions using 3D NaCl models were performed in 5 cases. The maxilla, mandible, and fibular models were developed using computed tomography (CT) data. We performed preoperative cutting and simulation surgery using this model. Angles between the body of the corpus and symphysis were measured from the axial view (n = 4). Angles between the ramus and the body of the corpus were measured from the lateral and axial views (n = 6). These angles were measured on simulated models and postoperative CT images were compared. Results : Differences between the angles measured on the simulated models and postoperative CT images were 0-5°(mean, 1.9°). Conclusions : We were able to reproduce the neomandibles with precise osteotomies using the 3D NaCl models. We believe that simulated mandibular reconstruction surgery using this model might help reduce the number of intraoperative neomandibular segment adjustments

Effect of Insoles with a Toe-Grip Bar on Toe Function and Standing Balance in Healthy Young Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective. The aim of this randomized controlled study was to investigate the effects of insoles with a toe-grip bar on toe function and standing balance in healthy young women. Methods. Thirty female subjects were randomly assigned to an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group wore shoes with insoles with a toe-grip bar. The control group wore shoes with general insoles. Both groups wore the shoes for 4 weeks, 5 times per week, 9 hours per day. Toe-grip strength, toe flexibility, static balance (total trajectory length and envelope area of the center of pressure), and dynamic balance (functional reach test) were measured before and after the intervention. Results. Significant interactions were observed for toe-grip strength and toe flexibility (F=12.53, p<0.01; F=5.84, p<0.05, resp.), with significant improvement in the intervention group compared with that in the control group. Post hoc comparisons revealed that both groups showed significant improvement in toe-grip strength (p<0.01 and p<0.05, resp.), with higher benefits observed for the intervention group (p<0.01). Conversely, no significant interaction was observed in the total trajectory length, envelope area, and functional reach test. Conclusions. This study suggests that insoles with a toe-grip bar contribute to improvements in toe-grip strength and toe flexibility in healthy young women

A case of gallbladder torsion diagnosed by abdominal CT prior to surgery

A 77-year-old female with a chief complaint of epigastralgia was diagnosed with torsion of the gallbladder by abdominal CT prior to surgery and successfully treated by an emergency operation. Only 16 cases of gallbladder torsion including the present case have been diagnosed prior to surgery in Japan. Almost all of them were diagnosed with abdominal ultrasonography. With the growing use of CT in the evaluation of abdominal pain, preoperative diagnosis of the condition may be expedited. CT shows characteristic findings of torsion of the gallbladder such as 1) pronounded swelling of the gallbladder and circumscribed thickening of the gallbladder wall, 2) displacement of the gallbladder, and 3) volvulated gallbladder neck. We found CT to be useful for preoperative diagnosis of patients with abdominal pain

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process vs. those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process); thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from stimuli that result in increased autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field