Cardiac neural crest contributes to cardiomyogenesis in zebrafish

AbstractIn birds and mammals, cardiac neural crest is essential for heart development and contributes to conotruncal cushion formation and outflow tract septation. The zebrafish prototypical heart lacks outflow tract septation, raising the question of whether cardiac neural crest exists in zebrafish. Here, results from three distinct lineage-labeling approaches identify zebrafish cardiac neural crest cells and indicate that these cells have the ability to generate MF20-positive muscle cells in the myocardium of the major chambers during development. Fate-mapping demonstrates that cardiac neural crest cells originate both from neural tube regions analogous to those found in birds, as well as from a novel region rostral to the otic vesicle. In contrast to other vertebrates, cardiac neural crest invades the myocardium in all segments of the heart, including outflow tract, atrium, atrioventricular junction, and ventricle in zebrafish. Three distinct groups of premigratory neural crest along the rostrocaudal axis have different propensities to contribute to different segments in the heart and are correspondingly marked by unique combinations of gene expression patterns. Zebrafish will serve as a model for understanding interactions between cardiac neural crest and cardiovascular development

Changes in Lymphocyte Phenotypes and Cytokine Production by Surgical Stress in a Rat Small Intestinal Resection Model

Small intestinal resection rats are used widely as a malabsorption model, but the immunological changes are unclear. We examined the changes in systemic and mucosal immune status after a small intestinal resection in rats with a controlled nutritional status. Rats had 60% of their small intestine removed. At 5 days after the surgery, spleen cells and intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) were isolated. The phenotypes of spleen cells and IEL, the production patterns of Th1 and Th2 cytokines, and the proinflammatory cytokine levels in the plasma were measured. CD4+ T cells in the blood and spleen were significantly decreased in the Resection group (p<0.05). In contrast, IEL subpopulations were not different between the two groups. Interferon-γ production from the spleen cells was significantly decreased in the Resection group (p<0.05). Interleukin (IL)-4 production was not different between the two groups. Plasma IL-6 concentrations were significantly elevated in the Resection group 6 h after surgery (p<0.05). In conclusions, small intestinal resection in rats suppressed systemic immunity, and this model is useful as a surgical stress model

Semaphorin3D regulates invasion of cardiac neural crest cells into the primary heart field

AbstractThe primary heart field in all vertebrates is thought to be derived exclusively from lateral plate mesoderm (LPM), which gives rise to a cardiac tube shortly after gastrulation. The heart tube then begins looping and additional cells are added from other embryonic regions, including the secondary heart field, cardiac neural crest and the proepicardial organ. Here we show in zebrafish that neural crest cells invade and contribute cardiac myosin light chain2 (cmlc2)-positive cardiomyocytes to the primary heart field. Knockdown of semaphorin3D, which is expressed in the neural crest but apparently not in LPM, reduces the size of the primary heart field and the number of cardiomyocytes in the primary heart field by 20% before formation of the primary heart tube. Sema3D morphants have subsequent complex congenital heart defects, including hypertrophic cardiomyocytes, decreased ventricular size and defects in trabeculation and in atrioventricular (AV) valve development. Neuropilin1A, a semaphorin receptor, is expressed in LPM but apparently not in the neural crest, and nrp1A morphants have cardiac development defects. We propose that a population of sema3D-dependent neural crest cells follow a novel migratory pathway, perhaps toward nrp1A-expressing LPM, and serve as an important early source of cardiomyocytes in the primary heart field

LOW BMI IS THE RISK OF CARDIO-VASCULAR MORTALITY WITHOUT PROGRESSION OF CKD

The paradoxical risk of BMI on mortality is known in CKD as well in dialysis populations, but studies of CVD risk in CKD including underweight is limited. We hypothesized lean CKD increase the CVD risk, contributing different factors from obese. 2,676 CKD patients recruited from 11 outpatients’ hospitals. BMI and estimated GFR (eGFR) were calculated, and change of eGFR and CVD mortality during 2 years were collected. Patients were divided by BMI under cut off value of normal, thus 7% grouped in lean subjects (BMI <18.5). Systolic blood pressure (sBP), albumin, hemoglobin, age and prevalence of diabetes were lower in lean BMI group compared to other subjects. However CVD history, urinary protein, baseline eGFR and smoking didn't differ between the groups. The lean BMI increased significantly the risk of CVD mortality, in spite of low prevalence of comorbidities and young age in unadjusted model (HR 2.38, 95%CI 1.49-5.21, p<0.01). This significance remained after adjusted for CVD risk factors, such as primary disease of CKD, age, sex, smoking, albumin, cholesterol, sBP and eGFR. On the other hand, BMI was not associated with the decline rate of eGFR. We concluded that BMI less than 18.5 was an independent predictor of CVD, and that BMI did not effect on CKD progression rate in Japanese CKD

Differences in Vascular Density between Detached and Nondetached Areas in Eyes with Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment

We examined the vessel density (VD) of the deep capillary plexus (DCP) and choriocapillaris plexus (CCP) by optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography in eyes with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, which had similar amounts of detached and nondetached areas in the macula region, and then determined the morphology by OCT until 6 months after surgery. A total of 13 eyes of 13 patients whose average age was 55.8 +/- 12.3 years and were successfully treated were enrolled in this study. Throughout the postoperative period, the VD of the DCP in the detached area decreased significantly compared to that in the nondetached area. Conversely, there was no significant difference in the VD of the CCP between the detached and the nondetached areas. The ratio of VD of both the DCP and CCP in the detached area to the in the nondetached area did not show significant changes during the follow-up period of 6 months. The ratio of VD of the DCP in the detached area to that in the nondetached area correlated significantly with the ratio of the external limiting membrane-ellipsoid zone (r = 0.57, p < 0.001) and ellipsoid zone-retinal pigment epithelium (r = 0.39, p < 0.001) thickness in the detached area to that in the nondetached area. A well-preserved DCP blood flow could result in the restoration of the outer retina

The Earth effects on the supernova neutrino spectra

The Earth effects on the energy spectra of supernova neutrinos are studied. We analyze numerically the time-integrated energy spectra of neutrino in a mantle-core-mantle step function model of the Earth's matter density profile. We consider a realistic frame-work in which there are three active neutrinos whose mass squared differences and mixings are constrained by the present understanding of solar and atmospheric neutrinos. We find that the energy spectra change for some allowed mixing parameters. Especially, the expected number of events at SNO shows characteristic behavior with respect to energy, i.e. a great dip and peak. We show that observations of the Earth effect allow us to identify the solar neutrino solution and to probe the mixing angle $\theta_{2}$.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures, corrected versio

A Novel Suturing Technique for Choroidal Avulsion

Ocular trauma has been one of the leading causes of visual impairment, and choroidal avulsion is especially devastating. Surgical treatment of choroidal avulsion is challenging, and very few surgical techniques have been reported. We experienced two cases of globe rupture with 360-degree avulsion of the choroid-ciliary body from the peripheral section. After vitrectomy for a globe rupture, the choroid gradually slid down to the posterior pole over time and vision deteriorated even though the retina was attached. We treated the choroidal avulsion using two surgical methods: a mattress suturing technique using a 10-0 proline long needle and a 7-0 nylon single suture technique. In both methods, the retina-choroid, which had slipped down to the posterior pole, was suspended and fixed to the sclera assisted by a wide-angle viewing system, improving visual acuity. These two methods are considered to be useful surgical procedures for the treatment of an avulsed choroid