Dendritic spinules in rat nigral neurons revealed by acetylcholinesterase immunocytochemistry and serial sections of the dendritic spine heads.

Dendritic spinules of rat nigral neurons were visualized at electron microscopic level by acetylcholinesterase immunocytochemistry and serial sections of the nigral dendrites. The spinules (at least 150 nm in length and 10-20 nm in width) which protruded from the spine heads are found in extracellular space in the neuropil and particularly between nerve terminals of the presynaptic neurons and fine glial processes. The nigral spinules are, however, not observed as invaginated processes in the nerve terminals. The dendritic spinule may be endowed with synaptic plasticity and metabolic exchange between nerve terminals and glial processes

Effective nonlocal kernels on Reaction-diffusion networks

A new method to derive an essential integral kernel from any given reaction-diffusion network is proposed. Any network describing metabolites or signals with arbitrary many factors can be reduced to a single or a simpler system of integro-differential equations called "effective equation" including the reduced integral kernel (called "effective kernel" ) in the convolution type. As one typical example, the Mexican hat shaped kernel is theoretically derived from two component activator-inhibitor systems. It is also shown that a three component system with quite different appearance from activator-inhibitor systems is reduced to an effective equation with the Mexican hat shaped kernel. It means that the two different systems have essentially the same effective equations and that they exhibit essentially the same spatial and temporal patterns. Thus, we can identify two different systems with the understanding in unified concept through the reduced effective kernels. Other two applications of this method are also given: Applications to pigment patterns on skins (two factors network with long range interaction) and waves of differentiation (called proneural waves) in visual systems on brains (four factors network with long range interaction). In the applications, we observe the reproduction of the same spatial and temporal patterns as those appearing in pre-existing models through the numerical simulations of the effective equations

Behavioral Alterations in Response to Fear-Provoking Stimuli and Tranylcypromine Induced by Perinatal Exposure to Bisphenol A and Nonylphenol in Male Rats

The purpose of this study was to examine whether perinatal exposure to two major environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals, bisphenol A (BPA; 0.1 mg/kg/day orally) and nonylphenol [NP; 0.1 mg/kg/day (low dose) and 10 mg/kg/day (high dose) orally] daily from gestational day 3 to postnatal day 20 (transplacental and lactational exposures) would lead to behavioral alterations in the male offspring of F344 rats. Neither BPA nor NP exposure affected behavioral characteristics in an open-field test (8 weeks of age), in a measurement of spontaneous motor activity (12 weeks of age), or in an elevated plus-maze test (14 weeks of age). A passive avoidance test (13 weeks of age) showed that both BPA- and NP-treated offspring tended to delay entry into a dark compartment. An active avoidance test at 15 weeks of age revealed that BPA-treated offspring showed significantly fewer avoidance responses and low-dose NP-treated offspring exhibited slightly fewer avoidance responses. Furthermore, BPA-treated offspring significantly increased the number of failures to avoid electrical unconditioned stimuli within 5-sec electrical shock presentation compared with the control offspring. In a monoamine-disruption test using 5 mg/kg (intraperitoneal) tranylcypromine (Tcy), a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, both BPA-treated and low-dose NP-treated offspring at 22–24 weeks of age failed to show a significant increment in locomotion in response to Tcy, whereas control and high-dose NP-treated offspring significantly increased locomotion behavior after Tcy injection. In addition, when only saline was injected during a monoamine-disruption test, low-dose NP-treated offspring showed frequent rearing compared with the control offspring. The present results indicate that perinatal low-dose BPA or NP exposure irreversibly influenced the reception of fear-provoking stimuli (e.g., electrical shock), as well as monoaminergic neural pathways

Multi-drug therapy for epilepsy influenced bispectral index after a bolus propofol administration without affecting propofol's pharmacokinetics: a prospective cohort study

Some previous studies have indicated that valproate (VPA) might change the pharmacokinetics and enhance the effects of propofol. We evaluated whether clinical VPA therapy affected the propofol blood level, the protein-unbound free propofol level, and/or the anesthetic effects of propofol in the clinical setting. The subjects were divided into the control group (not medicated with antiepileptics), the mono-VPA group (medicated with VPA alone), and the poly-VPA group (medicated with VPA, other antiepileptics, and/or psychoactive drugs). General anesthesia was induced via the administration of a single bolus of propofol and a remifentanil infusion, and when the bispectral index (BIS) exceeded 60 sevoflurane was started. There were no significant differences in the total blood propofol level at 5, 10, 15, and 20 min or the protein-unbound free propofol level at 5 min after the intravenous administration of propofol between the 3 groups. However, the minimum BIS was significantly lower and the time until the BIS exceeded 60 was significantly longer in the poly-VPA group. In the multivariate regression analysis, belonging to the poly-VPA group was found to be independently associated with the minimum BIS value and the time until the BIS exceeded 60. Clinical VPA therapy did not influence the pharmacokinetics of propofol. However, multi-drug therapy involving VPA might enhance the anesthetic effects of propofol

Joint associations of physical activity and screen time with overweight among japanese adults

Background: although both insufficient physical activity (PA) and high screen time (ST) are independent risk factors for obesity, how the combination of sufficient/insufficient PA and high/low ST could increase obesity risk among the adult population of Japan is not known. This study examined joint associations of PA and ST with overweight among Japanese adults. Methods: an Internet-based survey collected data on height, weight, self-reported time spent in PA and ST, and sociodemographic variables from 2832 adults. Respondents were categorized into sufficient PA/low ST, sufficient PA/high ST, insufficient PA/low ST, or insufficient PA/high ST categories as per public PA guidelines and the median of ST. Logistic regression analysis examined the odds ratios (OR) of being overweight (body mass index, ≥ 25 kg/m2) according to the categories of PA and ST. Results: in comparison with the sufficient PA/low ST category, participants in the insufficient PA/high ST category were significantly more likely overweight (OR, 1.48; 95% confidence interval [95%CI), 1.14, 1.93) after adjusting for sociodemographic variables. A significantly higher OR for overweight (including obesity) among insufficient PA/high ST category was also observed in men, but no significant association was found in women. Conclusions: both insufficient PA and prolonged ST contribute to overweight and obesity among Japanese adults. Public health initiatives addressing obesity in Japan need to consider both promoting PA and reducing ST, especially in me

<ORIGINAL ARTICLE>The effects of sagittal ramus osteotomy for mandibular prognathism on maximum mouth opening and condylar movement

Maximum mouth opening and condylar movement before and more than 6 months after surgery were analyzed in 23 cases of sagittal ramus osteotomy of the mandible for correction of mandibular prognathism. Condylar movement (translation and rotation) did not show postoperatively a significant difference pre-and postoperatively, and then was a tendency to a reduction of maximum mouth opening was found

Associations of sedentary behavior and physical activity with older adults’ physical function: an isotemporal substitution approach

BackgroundsThe purpose of this study was to examine, in a sample of Japanese older adults, the associations of objectively-assessed sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA) with performance-based physical function. The isotemporal substitution (IS) approach was used to model simultaneously the effects of the specific activity being performed and the activity being displaced, in an equal time-exchange manner.MethodsAmong 287 older adults (65–84 years), we used accelerometers to identify the daily average time spent on SB (≤1.5 METs); light-intensity PA (LIPA) (>1.5 to <3.0 METs); and moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) (≥3.0 METs). Physical function was assessed using five performance-based measures: hand grip strength, usual and maximum gait speeds, timed up and go, and one-legged stance with eyes open. We employed three linear regression models – a single-activity model, a partition model, and an IS model – to assess the associations of SB, LIPA, and MVPA with each of the five measures of physical function.ResultsThere were significant positive associations in the single-activity and partition models between MVPA and the measures of physical function (with the exception of hand grip strength). The IS models found that replacing SB or LIPA with MVPA was significantly and favorably associated with physical function measures.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that replacing small amounts of SB and LIPA with MVPA (such as 10 min) may contribute to improvements in older adults’ physical function

Peyer’s Patches in the Terminal Ileum in Ulcerative Colitis: Magnifying Endoscopic Findings

Peyer’s patches (PPs), a major component of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue, serve as important antigen entry sites in mucosal immunity. PPs may play a role in the extension of ulcerative colitis (UC) into the terminal ileum. We sought to clarify the magnified endoscopic findings of the PPs in the terminal ileum of UC patients. Eighteen UC patients underwent magnifying chromoendoscopy before initial treatment to evaluate the follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) on the PPs domes and the surrounding villi. In 8 UC patients, as in healthy controls, the PPs’ domes were slightly elevated, covered with the regular FAE lining, and surrounded by dense and bulky villi; however, in 10 UC patients, the PPs’ domes were irregular, and the surrounding villi were sparse and atrophic. These abnormal findings within the PPs were associated with minimal mucosal lesions but not with backwash ileitis; both electron microscopy and magnifying endoscopy confirmed that these lesions were reversible following remission with prednisolone-mesalazine therapy. Similar to Crohn’s disease patients, UC patients commonly had abnormalities in the FAE on PPs’ domes and the surrounding villi on magnifying endoscopy