Hinode Calibration for Precise Image Co-alignment between SOT and XRT (November 2006 -- April 2007)

To understand the physical mechanisms for activity and heating in the solar atmosphere, the magnetic coupling from the photosphere to the corona is an important piece of information from the Hinode observations, and therefore precise positional alignment is required among the data acquired by different telescopes. The Hinode spacecraft and its onboard telescopes were developed to allow us to investigate magnetic coupling with co-alignment accuracy better than 1 arcsec. Using the Mercury transit observed on 8 November 2006 and co-alignment measurements regularly performed on a weekly basis, we have determined the information necessary for precise image co-alignment and have confirmed that co-alignment better than 1 arcsec can be realized between Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) and X-Ray Telescope (XRT) with our baseline co-alignment method. This paper presents results from the calibration for precise co-alignment of CCD images from SOT and XRT.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in PASJ (Hinode Special issue

Histopathological changes in surrounding tissue of the sciatic nerve after spinal cord injury in rats

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine histopathological changes in tissue surrounding the sciatic nerve after spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty adult, nine-week-old, female Wistar rats were used in this study. Fifteen experimental rats underwent spinal cord transection at the level of Th8-9 and the other fifteen control rats were raised normally. Animals were assessed at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks following surgery. After the experimental period, we obtained tissue surrounding the sciatic nerve of the thigh after hematoxylin and eosin staining under a microscope. [Results] Adherence between the nerve bundle and perineural innermost layer was observed in tissue surrounding the sciatic nerve in the SCI group. Adherence among the interperineurium was evident at 2 weeks after SCI. It had declined at 4 weeks after SCI, but was still evident at 8 and 12 weeks after SCI. [Conclusion] Histopathological findings in the SCI model may be related to compression of the nerve bundle and neurogenic contracture of tissue surrounding the nerve bundle.Thesis of Ippei Kitade / 北出 一平 博士論文 金沢大学医薬保健学総合研究科（保健学専攻

Phosphorylated Smad2 in Advanced Stage Gastric Carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) receptor signaling is closely associated with the invasion ability of gastric cancer cells. Although Smad signal is a critical integrator of TGFβ receptor signaling transduction systems, not much is known about the role of Smad2 expression in gastric carcinoma. The aim of the current study is to clarify the role of phosphorylated Smad2 (p-Smad2) in gastric adenocarcinomas at advanced stages.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Immunohistochemical staining with anti-p-Smad2 was performed on paraffin-embedded specimens from 135 patients with advanced gastric adenocarcinomas. We also evaluated the relationship between the expression levels of p-Smad2 and clinicopathologic characteristics of patients with gastric adenocarcinomas.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The p-Smad2 expression level was high in 63 (47%) of 135 gastric carcinomas. The p-Smad2 expression level was significantly higher in diffuse type carcinoma (p = 0.007), tumours with peritoneal metastasis (p = 0.017), and tumours with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.047). The prognosis for p-Smad2-high patients was significantly (p = 0.035, log-rank) poorer than that of p-Smad2-low patients, while a multivariate analysis revealed that p-Smad2 expression was not an independence prognostic factor.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The expression of p-Smad2 is associated with malignant phenotype and poor prognosis in patients with advanced gastric carcinoma.</p

The histological effect of immobilization and unloading/reloading on articular cartilage of rat knee joint

これまで、ラット膝関節の不動化による関節周囲組織の組織学的変化が報告されているが、臨床の場においてギプス固定がなされる場合には非荷重の状態となることが多い。荷重の除去が長期に及ぶと膝半月板内の機械受容器数が減少し、長期臥床や免荷直後は関節損傷の危険性が高いとの報告もある。今回ラット膝関節をギプス固定するだけでなく、後肢懸垂法を用いて非荷重モデルと非荷重の後に再荷重を加えたモデルを作成し、荷重の有無による影響を調査した。　 ２ 週間片側下肢のギプス固定と後肢懸垂を行った群 ( ２ IS 群 )、 4 週間片側下肢のギプス固定と後肢懸垂を行った群 ( 4 IS 群 )、 ２ 週間片側下肢のギプス固定と後肢懸垂を行い、その後 ２ 週間ケージ内にて自由飼育とし再荷重を行った群 ( ２ IS+IL 群 )、 ２ 週間通常飼育の対照群( ２C 群)、4 週間通常飼育の対照群( 4C 群)で比較した。　 ２ IS 群では膝関節軟骨表面の不整が確認され、 4 IS 群では軟骨表面の変化はさらに進行していた。 ２ IS+IL 群では関節軟骨と周囲組織の癒着は確認されず、軟骨表面の変化は２ IS 群よりも軽減していた。　不動と非荷重が組み合わさった際には膝関節軟骨組織の変化について相加的な影響をもたらす可能性が明らかになり、再荷重により関節軟骨は修復されうることが考えられる。関節軟骨の正常状態維持には適切な関節運動と荷重が必要である。Purpose: Joint movement and loading are thought to maintain articular cartilage. In this study, we performed histological examination of the effects of immobilization and unloading/reloading on articular cartilage in the rat knee joint.　Materials and Methods: Twenty-five adult, 9-week-old, male rats were used in this study. The animals were randomly divided into five groups of equal size: two-week caged control (２C), 4-week caged control (4C), ２-week hind limb suspension with cast immobilization (２IS), 4-week hind limb suspension with cast immobilization (4IS), and ２-week hind limb suspension with cast immobilization and ２-week reloading with cast immobilization (２IS+IL). Rats in the experimental groups had one knee joint immobilized for ２ or 4 weeks in maximum flexion with a plaster cast of our own making and aluminum wire netting. After the end of each experimental period, tissue specimens of the knee joint were prepared for observation in the sagittal plane and examined under a light microscope with hematoxylin-eosin staining.　Results: In the control groups (２C or 4C), the surface of the articular cartilage was smooth and continuous. On the other hand, the surface of the femoral articular cartilage was irregular in the experimental groups. The pathological changes in the cartilage surfaces showed greater progression in the 4IS group than that the ２IS group. We observed adhesions between the cartilage surface layer and synovial membrane in some specimens in the 4IS group. The pathological changes in the cartilage surfaces were less severe in the ２IS+IL group than the ２IS group.　Conclusion: Immobilization and unloading caused irregularity of the femoral articular cartilage surface as well as adhesions between the cartilage surface layer and synovial membrane in some specimens. Reloading may be related to cartilage repair

Destruction of Dopaminergic Neurons in the Midbrain by 6-Hydroxydopamine Decreases Hippocampal Cell Proliferation in Rats: Reversal by Fluoxetine

Background Non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety, and cognitive deficits) in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) precede the onset of the motor symptoms. Although these symptoms do not respond to pharmacological dopamine replacement therapy, their precise pathological mechanisms are currently unclear. The present study was undertaken to examine whether the unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion to the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), which represents a model of long-term dopaminergic neurotoxicity, could affect cell proliferation in the adult rat brain. Furthermore, we examined the effects of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine and the selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor maprotiline on the reduction in cell proliferation in the subgranular zone (SGZ) by the unilateral 6-OHDA lesion. Methodology/Principal Findings A single unilateral injection of 6-OHDA into the rat SNc resulted in an almost complete loss of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactivity in the striatum and SNc, as well as in reductions of TH-positive cells and fibers in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). On the other hand, an injection of vehicle alone showed no overt change in TH immunoreactivity. A unilateral 6-OHDA lesion to SNc significantly decreased cell proliferation in the SGZ ipsilateral to the 6-OHDA lesion, but not in the contralateral SGZ or the subventricular zone (SVZ), of rats. Furthermore, subchronic (14 days) administration of fluoxetine (5 mg/kg/day), but not maprotiline significantly attenuated the reduction in cell proliferation in the SGZ by unilateral 6-OHDA lesion. Conclusions/Significance The present study suggests that cell proliferation in the SGZ of the dentate gyrus might be, in part, under dopaminergic control by SNc and VTA, and that subchronic administration of fluoxetine reversed the reduction in cell proliferation in the SGZ by 6-OHDA. Therefore, SSRIs such as fluoxetine might be potential therapeutic drugs for non-motor symptoms as well as motor symptoms in patients with PD, which might be associated with the reduction in cell proliferation in the SGZ