Putative cell adhesion membrane protein Vstm5 regulates neuronal morphology and migration in the central nervous system

During brain development, dynamic changes in neuronal membranes perform critical roles in neuronal morphogenesis and migration to create functional neural circuits. Among the proteins that induce membrane dynamics, cell adhesion molecules are important in neuronal membrane plasticity. Here, we report that V-set and transmembrane domain-containing protein 5 (Vstm5), a cell-adhesion-like molecule belonging to the Ig superfamily, was found in mouse brain. Knock-down of Vstm5 in cultured hippocampal neurons markedly reduced the complexity of dendritic structures, as well as the number of dendritic filopodia. Vstm5 also regulates neuronal morphology by promoting dendritic protrusions that later develop into dendritic spines. Using electroporationin utero, we found that Vstm5 overexpression delayed neuronal migration and induced multiple branches in leading processes during corticogenesis. These results indicate that Vstm5 is a new cell-adhesion-like molecule and is critically involved in synaptogenesis and corticogenesis by promoting neuronal membrane dynamics.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTNeuronal migration and morphogenesis play critical roles in brain development and function. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that V-set and transmembrane domain-containing protein 5 (Vstm5), a putative cell adhesion membrane protein, modulates both the position and complexity of central neurons by altering their membrane morphology and dynamics. Vstm5 is also one of the target genes responsible for variations in patient responses to treatments for major depressive disorder. Our results provide the first evidence that Vstm5 is a novel factor involved in the modulation of the neuronal membrane and a critical element in normal neural circuit formation during mammalian brain development.</jats:p

The Impact of Overactive Bladder on Health-Related Quality of Life, Sexual Life and Psychological Health in Korea

Purpose We aimed to estimate the prevalence of overactive bladder (OAB) in Korea, to assess the variation in prevalence by sex and age, and to measure the impact of OAB on quality of life. Methods A population-based, cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted between April and June 2010 with a questionnaire regarding the prevalence of OAB, demographics, and the impact of OAB on quality of life. A geographically stratified random sample of men and women aged ≥30 years was selected. Results The overall prevalence of OAB was 22.9% (male, 19%; female, 26.8%). Of a total of 458 participants with OAB, 37.6% and 19.9% reported moderate or severe impact on their daily life and sexual life (5.6% and 3.5%, respectively, in participants without OAB). Anxiety and depression were reported by 22.7% and 39.3% of participants with OAB, respectively (9.7% and 22.8%, respectively, in participants without OAB). Only 19.7% of participants with OAB had consulted a doctor for their voiding symptoms, but 50.7% of respondents with OAB were willing to visit a hospital for the management of their OAB symptoms. Conclusions This study confirmed that OAB symptoms are highly prevalent in Korea, and many sufferers appear to have actively sought medical help. OAB has severe effects on daily and sexual life as well as psychological health

Anonymizing at-home fitness: enhancing privacy and motivation with virtual reality and try-on

IntroductionThis study aimed to address privacy concerns associated with video conferencing tools used in home-based exercise training. To that end, a method that could anonymize participants' appearances and exercise environments during at-home fitness sessions was proposed.MethodsThis method combines virtual reality for 3-D human-model rendering using key-points tracking with a virtual try-on system enhanced by UV mapping and instance segmentation. To validate the proposed method, we conducted a user study by recruiting participants to assess effectiveness of virtual reality and virtual try-on in terms of privacy protection, self-confidence, and coaching satisfaction.ResultsExperimental results demonstrated the effectiveness and improved user experience of using virtual reality or virtual try-on in remote fitness, particularly in enhancing privacy protection and self-confidence with statistical significance. However, no significant differences were noted in coaching satisfaction.DiscussionThese findings confirmed the efficacy of our proposed approach. We believe that the proposed approach can significantly contribute to the future of remote fitness training, offering a more secure and engaging environment for users, thereby potentially increasing adherence to fitness regimens and overall physical wellbeing

Free Hand Pedicle Screw Placement in the Thoracic Spine without Any Radiographic Guidance : Technical Note, a Cadaveric Study

Thoracic pedicle screw fixation techniques are still controversial for thoracic deformities because of possible complications including neurologic deficit. Methods to aid the surgeon in appropriate screw placement have included the use of intraoperative fluoroscopy and/or radiography as well as image-guided techniques. We describe our technique for free hand pedicle screw placement in the thoracic spine without any radiographic guidance and present the results of pedicle screw placement analyzed by computed tomographic scan in two human cadavers. This free hand technique of thoracic pedicle screw placement performed in a step-wise, consistent, and compulsive manner is an accurate, reliable, and safe method of insertion to treat a variety of spinal disorders, including spinal deformity

Hyperspectral microscope imaging methods for multiplex detection of Campylobacter

Campylobacter is an emerging zoonotic bacterial threat in the poultry industry. The current methods for the isolation and detection of Campylobacter are culture-based techniques with several selective agars designed to isolate Campylobacter colonies, which is time-consuming, labour intensive and has low sensitivity. Several immunological and molecular techniques such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Latex agglutination are commercially available for the detection and identification of Campylobacter. However, these methods demand more advanced instruments as well as specially trained experts. A hyperspectral microscope imaging (HMI) technique with the fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) technique has the potential for multiplex foodborne pathogen detection. Using Alexa488 and Cy3 fluorophores, the HMI (450–800 nm) technique was able to identify Campylobacter jejuni stains with high sensitivity and specificity. In addition, HMI was able to classify six bacteria using scattering intensity from their spectra without a FISH fluorophore. Overall classification accuracy of quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA) method for six bacteria including Bifidobacter longum, Campylobacter jejuni, Clostridium perfringens, Enterobacter cloacae, Lactobacillus salivarius and Shigella flexneri using the HMI technique without fluorescent markers was approximately 88.6 % with pixel-wise classification