Tolerance to freezing stress in cyanobacteria, Nostoc commune and some cyanobacteria with various tolerances to drying stress

Tolerance to and effects of the freezing stress in a desiccation-tolerant, terrestrial cyanobacterium, Nostoc commune, in cultivated strains of N. commune, and in desiccation-sensitive species, Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 and Fischerella muscicola, were studied by measuring their photosynthetic activities and fluorescence emission spectra. The results showed that a strain or species with higher desiccation tolerance was more tolerant to freezing stress than one with lower desiccation tolerance, which is consistent with the idea that tolerance to freezing stress is related to resistance to drying stress. Under freezing conditions, light energy absorbed by photosystem (PS) II complexes was dissipated to heat energy in N. commune, which may protect the cells from photoinactivation. N. commune encountered cellular dehydration due to ice formation outside the cell under freezing conditions. But NMR data showed that relatively high amounts of water still remained in a liquid state inside the cells at -36_C when N. commune colonies were fully wetted before freezing. High PSI activities measured by P700 photooxidation also support the result that non-freezing water remains within the cells. Besides, 5% methanol enhanced the resistance to freezing stress in the sensitive species. This effect seems to be related to maintenance of the PSI activity and pigment-protein complexes in their functional forms by methanol

Network-dependent modulation of brain activity during sleep

AbstractBrain activity dynamically changes even during sleep. A line of neuroimaging studies has reported changes in functional connectivity and regional activity across different sleep stages such as slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. However, it remains unclear whether and how the large-scale network activity of human brains changes within a given sleep stage. Here, we investigated modulation of network activity within sleep stages by applying the pairwise maximum entropy model to brain activity obtained by functional magnetic resonance imaging from sleeping healthy subjects. We found that the brain activity of individual brain regions and functional interactions between pairs of regions significantly increased in the default-mode network during SWS and decreased during REM sleep. In contrast, the network activity of the fronto-parietal and sensory-motor networks showed the opposite pattern. Furthermore, in the three networks, the amount of the activity changes throughout REM sleep was negatively correlated with that throughout SWS. The present findings suggest that the brain activity is dynamically modulated even in a sleep stage and that the pattern of modulation depends on the type of the large-scale brain networks

Five-antituberculosis Drug-resistance Genes Detection Using Array System

Detection of resistance to drugs for Mycobacterium tuberculosis takes about two months from the sample collection using culture-based methods. To test a rapid method for detection of resistance for five antituberculosis drugs using DNA microarray and to examine its potential for clinical use, we employed a DNA microarray for detection of seven mutations genes related to resistance of five kinds of antituberculous drugs using Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA isolated from sputum. The results of microarray analysis were compared with the results of a standard culture method of Lowenstein-jensen drug sensitivity testing system. DNA microarray analysis showed a high sensitivity (>90%) for all five drugs. Specificity of rifampicin and ethambutol were nearly 90%, however specificity of isoniazid (60%) and kanamycin (67%) were not enough. The amount of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA required for microarray analysis corresponded to at least 1–9 Acid-Fast Bacilli per 10 fields by carbolfuchsin staining. DNA microarray analysis appears to be useful for estimation of drug resistances, nevertheless its limitations. To minimize misunderstanding, it is necessary to confirm the number of bacilli in the sputum, and culture method is needed for comparison when use the PCR-based array system

Pterygoid Muscle Necrosis Caused by Radiation and Intra-Arterial Cisplatin Infusion Chemotherapy (RADPLAT): A Case Report

Introduction: Radiation and intra-arterial cisplatin infusion chemotherapy (RADPLAT) for advanced maxillary sinus cancer has accumulated evidence as a treatment with fewer complications and better 5-year survival rates. In this study, we report a case in which pterygoid muscle necrosis occurred 6 months following RADPLAT treatment for maxillary sinus cancer. Case Presentation: The 45-year-old woman had a long history of taking immunosuppressants against rheumatoid arthritis (RA) prior to treatment. Although achieving complete response (CR) to RADPLAT, the patient developed trismus (1 fingerbreadth or less) 6 months following treatment. Abscess formation and recurrence were suspected from the imaging findings; however, the biopsy with endoscopy indicated necrotic tissue. Currently, 18 months have passed without cancer recurrence. Although trismus temporarily improved with rehabilitation, the width of the mouth opening is currently a few millimeters, so the patient can only take liquid food. Conclusion: Pterygoid muscle necrosis should be recognized as a new major complication

Comparison between regional lung CT values and lung densities estimated using EIT

In this paper we report the results of our study in which we compared lung density values obtained from EIT and CT values (HU) within a region of interest. The purpose was to verify clinical use of lung density estimation using EIT data. Image resolution of CT images, which was originally 512*512 pixels, was changed to 16*16 pixels, to match that of the EIT images. The CT and EIT images were recorded from eight patients in an intensive care unit and the results showed a correlation coefficient of 0.66 (p<0.05) between the CT values (HU) and the lung density values (kg/m3) obtained from EIT

Cryptococcus gattii Genotype VGIIa Infection in Man, Japan, 2007

We report a patient in Japan infected with Cryptococcus gattii genotype VGIIa who had no recent history of travel to disease-endemic areas. This strain was identical to the Vancouver Island outbreak strain R265. Our results suggest that this virulent strain has spread to regions outside North America

A Case of Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor-Producing Hepatocellular Carcinoma Confirmed by Immunohistochemistry

Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a naturally occurring glycoprotein that stimulates the proliferation and maturation of precursor cells in the bone marrow into fully differentiated neutrophils. Several reports of G-CSF-producing malignant tumors have been published, but scarcely any in the hepatobiliary system, such as in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we encountered a 69-yr-old man with a hepatic tumor who had received right hepatic resection. He showed leukocytosis of 25,450/µL along with elevated serum G-CSF. Histological examination of surgical samples demonstrated immunohistochemical staining for G-CSF, but not for G-CSF receptor. The patient survived without recurrence for four years, but ultimately passed away with multiple bone metastases. In light of the above, clinicians may consider G-CSF-producing HCC when encountering patients with leukocytosis and a hepatic tumor. More cases are needed to clarify the clinical picture of G-CSF-producing HCC

Fast-track Surgery Protocol for Hepatectomy and the Rate of Surgical Site Infections: A Single-center Study

The fast-track surgery protocol, including perioperative immunonutritional management, is increasingly gaining attention for the prevention of surgical site infections （SSIs）. To analyze the association between the fast-track surgery protocol employed at a single center and outcomes, including SSIs and the length of hospital stays. This retrospective analysis included 217 patients who underwent hepatectomy at the study department between January 2009 and February 2014. Patients were divided into two groups: those managed by a conventional protocol （group C, n＝75） and those managed by the fast-track surgery protocol （group F, n＝142）. There were no significant differences in patient characteristics or factors between the two groups. However, serum albumin and total cholesterol levels before surgery were significantly higher in group F than in group C, and pre-hepatectomy C-reactive protein （CRP） levels were lower in group F than in group C. Moreover, serum albumin and CRP levels at postoperative day 7 were better in group F than in group C. The operations were longer in group F than in group C （312 vs. 286 min） and blood loss volume was less （385 g in group F vs. 428 g in group C）. SSI rates were significantly lower in group F （4.2％, n＝6） than in group C （13.3％, n＝10）, and the length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in group F （16.7 days） than in group C （25.8 days）. The fast-track surgery protocol as a perioperative management strategy may improve preoperative nutritional status and postoperative inflammation, with subsequent reductions in SSI rates and the length of hospital stay in patients undergoing hepatectomy