Postmortem Changes in Myoglobin Content in Organs

Postmortem changes in myoglobin concentrations in blood and organs were investigated using an enzyme immunoassay by animal experiments in combination with immunohistochemical staining of human cases. Blood myoglobin concentrations were found to increase drastically within a very short time after death. Those in striated muscle, however, did not change by day 14 postmortem. Myoglobin content in the liver and kidney increased slightly by day 5 postmortem, and more obviously by day 7 or later. However, almost no change was observed by day 5 in the kidney when the renal artery and vein had been ligated just after death. In the thyroid gland and the lung, the myoglobin content markedly increased by day 7 postmortem, with the logarithmical values rising nearly linearly as the time after death passed. In the thyroid gland, concentrations reached the level of the striated muscle. The mechanisms of postmortem myoglobin increase in organs are thought to be direct diffusion from the striated muscle and/or distribution through the blood. To estimate the postmortem interval, the determination of myoglobin content in the thyroid gland or the lung appears to be useful

Tunable Hollow Optical Waveguide and Its Applications

Non

Gene expressions for the sexually-dimorphic antennae in a ponerine ant

In order to establish whether the electrical field created by a cochlear implant electrode is more focussed in a perimodiolar than in a medial position, voltages at non-stimulated electrodes were collected from the Clarion 1.2 implant before and after insertion of the Clarion Electrode Positioning System. The positioner is inserted lateral to the electrode array and is intended to bring the array close to the medial wall of the scala tympani. These intracochlear electrode voltages (IEVs) were collected in 9 surgeries with the HiFocus I electrode array with positioner. Stapedius reflex thresholds were decreased after insertion of the positioner on 20 out of 22 electrodes. Electrode impedances did not increase significantly. IEVs increased slightly for all stimulated electrodes. However, the positioner did not significantly affect the slope of the IEVs for any of the stimulated electrodes. Individual differences between patients in the mean IEV amplitude were considerable; 2 patients deafened by otosclerosis showed particularly low amplitudes. Thus, IEVs provided no evidence of a focussing of the electrical field by introducing the positioner. Possible benefits of a perimodiolar position regarding efficiency and channel separation are discussed in terms of a reduced distance between electrodes and neural elements

The homolog of Ciboulot in the termite (Hodotermopsis sjostedti): a multimeric β-thymosin involved in soldier-specific morphogenesis

Abstract Background Caste differentiation in social insects is a type of polyphenism that enables division of labor among members of a colony. This elaborate social integration has attracted broad interest, although little is known about its regulatory mechanisms, especially in Isoptera (termites). In this study, we analyzed soldier differentiation in the damp-wood termite Hodotermopsis sjostedti, focusing on a possible effector gene for caste development. The gene for an actin-binding protein, HsjCib, which shows a high level of expression in developing mandibles during soldier differentiation, is characterized in detail. Results To examine the HsjCib gene, full-length cDNAs were obtained by rapid amplification of cDNA ends-polymerase chain reaction (RACE-PCR) and sequencing. Multiple isoforms were identified, and on the basis of the results of northern and Southern hybridization analyses, these isoforms were considered to be transcriptional variants from a single gene. On the basis of their sequence similarity to homologous genes of other organisms, functions in actin assembly were assumed to be different among isoforms. Expression analysis revealed high expression in the head during soldier differentiation, which was consistent with their allometric growth. Although isoform expression was observed in various tissues, different expression levels were observed among tissues, suggesting the possibility of tissue-specific morphogenetic regulation by HsjCib isoforms. Conclusion This study revealed the characteristics and dynamics of the HsjCib gene during soldier differentiation as a potential representative of downstream effector genes in caste-specific morphogenesis. From the expression patterns observed, this gene is considered to be involved in cephalic morphogenesis and neural reorganization, resulting in the establishment of caste-specific morphology and behavior.</p

A Fatal Aortoesophageal Fistula Caused by Critical Combination of Double Aortic Arch and Nasogastric Tube Insertion for Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome

Double aortic arch (DAA) is a rare vascular congenital abnormality. Since a vascular ring surrounds bronchus and esophagus, any oral or nasal intubation can physically cause fatal aortoesophageal fistula (AEF). We report herein the first case of association of DAA and superior mesenteric artery (SMA) syndrome and the second case of AEF caused by nasogastric intubation in an adult with DAA. A 19-year-old woman visited our hospital for nausea and vomiting. She was diagnosed with SMA syndrome by computed tomography (CT). Nasogastric intubation relieved her symptoms in 4 days. Extramural compression with top ulceration was found in esophagogastroduodenoscopy on the 5th hospital day. She suddenly showed massive hematemesis on the 12th hospital day. AEF was found by CT. Soon, she died despite of intensive care. Retrospective interview disclosed the fact that DAA was pointed out in her childhood. We conclude that intubation must be avoided in DAA and a detailed clinical interview about DAA is mandatory to avoid AEF

Sharia Court Registers in 19th Century Damascus : Personal Networks around the Sālihiya Court

The dual purpose of this article is to elucidate the management system of sharia court (Islamic law court) and the social relation of the inhabitants of the Sālihīya Quarter around it by examining four volumes of the Sālihīya sharia court registers during the period of 1290-1295/1873-78.The main arguments are as follows: 1. The registers and documents were recorded according to the Islamic legal manuals (shurūt) and also the Ottoman court regulations in order to register the civil rights of the people when contracting transaction and conducting lawsuits, and in matters of inheritance. The registers were strictly controlled by the authority to prevent abuse by alteration of the documents. Furthermore, fictional lawsuits were carried out and recorded to prevent the future objection of the parties. Such strict formality of court management and registration made the work load of the court-officials too heavy, which led to disorderly management and corruption, which was contrary to its purpose.2. The inhabitants, whether rich or poor, including females and nonadults would attend the Sālihīya court to register their rights there. To authorize the validity of the contract and to register it required the testimony of witnesses and the confirmation of other attendants such as acquaintants, attestors etc., as requested by the principles of Islamic law. We can find some members who attended the court to witness and attest regularly. They were composed of the local notables of the Quarter and advisers of legal affairs. The people needed to keep in contact with such persons who certified their rights, and the court operated by such personal networks of the parties, agents, witnesses, and other dignitaries.3. The judges, scribes, and other court-officials played the role of observing the process and authorizing it. For procedural questions, the judges were prohibited from enforcing their own decisions, rather they had to supervise a process in which both of the parties tried to reach an agreement by showing the evidence, calling witnesses or by taking oaths, according to the rule of Islamic law in the presence of the above-mentioned court attendants.4. These three points show that the rule of Islamic law was kept and operated by both the common people and the legal experts at the end of the 19th century when the Islamic legal system had begun to reform during the Tanzimat Reformation period