Burrow Plasticity in the Deep-Sea Isopod Bathynomus doederleini (Crustacea: Isopoda: Cirolanidae)

We investigated whether the deep-sea isopod Bathynomus doederleini has the capacity to change burrow length in response to changes in environmental conditions. We observed burrowing behavior in individuals that were placed on substrates with either simple (ST) or complex (CT) surface topographies. Individuals in the ST group (N = 10) constructed seven burrows. The mean ratio of the burrow length to body length was 1.8. The individuals in the CT group ( N = 10) constructed eight burrows with a mean ratio of burrow length to body length of 2.5. Thus the burrows were significantly longer in the CT group. In addition, the isopods in the CT group often incorporated a chamber in the mid-section of the burrow. Our results may be used to infer the determinants of burrow morphology and speculate about the lifestyle of this species in the deep sea.ArticleZOOLOGICAL SCIENCE. 28(12):863-868 (2011)journal articl

Role of intron 1 in smooth muscle α-actin transcriptional regulation in activated mesangial cells in vivo

Role of intron 1 in smooth muscle α-actin transcriptional regulation in activated mesangial cells in vivo.BackgroundThe activation of glomerular mesangial cells is one of the early, important features of progressive glomerular disease. Smooth muscle α-actin (SMαA) is an excellent marker of activated mesangial cells. However, the mechanisms of SMαA regulation are only available from in vitro investigation.MethodsWe examined in vivo promoter analysis of the SMαA gene-utilizing transgenic mice harboring different promoter regions of the SMαA gene fused to chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT). CAT activities were tested in primary cultured mesangial cells and in glomerular legions of Habu venom glomerulonephritis.ResultsThe DNA sequence -891 to +3828, which contains exon 1, intron 1, and the first 14bp of exon 2 in addition to the 5′-flanking sequence of the SMαA gene, induced high levels of transcription in activated mesangial cells in in vivo habu venom glomerulonephritis and in cultured mesangial cells derived from transgenic mice. The DNA region -891 to -124 was a positive element in mesangial cells derived from transgenic mice. Deletions (3316 or 137bp) in intron 1 reduced transcription to undetectable levels. The 137bp sequence is highly conserved among several species, containing one CArG box element, which is one of the key motifs for transcriptional activation of contractile-related proteins. In vitro transfection analysis failed to demonstrate these positive effects of intron 1 and region -891 to -124.ConclusionsIn vivo promoter analysis of the SMαA gene provided new information about the transcriptional regulation of SMαA in activated mesangial cells. The DNA region -891 to -124 has a positive effect on SMαA transcription in cultured mesangial cells. The intron 1 region (+1088 to +1224) plays a pivotal role in SMαA transcription in activated mesangial cells in vivo. Further analysis of this conserved region in intron 1, including the CArG motif, will be of great value in understanding the molecular mechanisms of mesangial activation

New application of dynamic magnetic resonance imaging for the assessment of deglutitive tongue movement

Background: Deglutitive motion of the tongue may function to maintain tooth position. However, the causation between abnormal patterns of orofacial muscle function and dental malocclusion remains unclear. To clarify the pathogenic mechanism of malocclusion, it is important to determine the relative positional relationship between the tongue tip and incisor edge or the dorsal tongue and palate during deglutition. Here, we assessed the utility of 3-T segmented cine-magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, combined with static MR images for hard tissue visualization, in assessing the relationship between the tongue and the surrounding tissues during deglutitive tongue movement. Methods: Cine-MR images were acquired from three healthy female volunteers during deglutition who had no history of swallowing disorder or other chronic illness, normal alignment and occlusion, and a skeletal class I relationship. Three cine-MR images were taken during deglutition in accordance with an auditory cue for each volunteer. During static imaging, custom-made, contrast-medium-filled clear retainers were positioned in the mouth to allow visualization of the upper and lower incisors and hard palate boundaries. Static images were superimposed onto images of the three stages in deglutitive tongue movement, which were selected from a series of cine-MR images. These superimpositions were assessed five times by tracing cephalometric parameters to examine the reproducibility of the method. Results: Traces varied little across repeated measurements, and all subjects had a similar pattern of dorsal tongue movement. Tongue-to-palate contact increased slightly during the first to second stage of swallowing and abruptly increased during the second to third stage, while the tongue tip position remained constant. Conclusions: Segmented cine-MR imaging combined with static MR images is useful for assessing soft tissue motion during deglutition. This method is particularly useful in dentistry to evaluate the relationship between tongue function and maxillofacial morphology in terms of orthodontic treatment and orofacial myofunctional therapy, and for improving tongue movement during speech therapy

Principles of the magnetic resonance imaging movie method for articulatory movement : a review

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a critical tool for dental examination. MRI has many advantages over radiographic examination methods, including the lack of a requirement for patient exposure and the ability to capture high-contrast images of various tissue and organ types. However, MRI also has several limitations, including long examination times and the existence of metallic or motion artifacts. A cardiac imaging method using cine sequences was developed in the 1990s. This technique allows for analysis of heart movement and functional blood flow. Moreover, this method has been applied in dentistry. Recent research involving 3T MRI has led to the achievement of a temporal resolution of <10 ms, surpassing the frame rate of typical video recording. The current review introduces the history and principles of the cine sequence method and its application to the oral and maxillofacial regions

Micropapillary Variant of UC in an HD Patient

The micropapillary variant of urothelial carcinoma (MPUC) is an aggressive form of urothelial carcinoma with high metastatic potential and a poor prognosis. Although various therapies have been reported, there is still no established treatment strategy for MPUC due to its rarity. The incidence of urinary tract malignancies is higher in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) than in healthy individuals. Here, we report the case of an 82-year-old man on HD with end-stage kidney disease who visited our hospital for macrohematuria. Cystoscopy followed by computed tomography and urine cytology revealed a sessile papillary tumor around the left bladder wall. We performed transurethral resection of the bladder tumor. Based on histopathological and imaging findings indicative of clinical-stage T3N0M0 MPUC, we performed radical cystectomy. Histopathology revealed a pathological stage T4aN0M0 MPUC. Two months after the cystectomy, the patient complained of constipation and painful defecation due to local recurrence and rectal invasion. While colostomy was performed to improve defecation 3 months after cystectomy, he did not receive any chemotherapy due to his progressively worsening general condition. Six months after cystectomy, he died following rapid metastases. Our findings, in this case, confirm that bladder cancer in HD patients tends to be pathologically more advanced. Therefore, regular screening is recommended for its early detection in HD patients

Burrow Plasticity in the Deep-Sea Isopod Bathynomus doederleini

We investigated whether the deep-sea isopod Bathynomus doederleini has the capacity to change burrow length in response to changes in environmental conditions. We observed burrowing behavior in individuals that were placed on substrates with either simple (ST) or complex (CT) surface topographies. Individuals in the ST group (N = 10) constructed seven burrows. The mean ratio of the burrow length to body length was 1.8. The individuals in the CT group ( N = 10) constructed eight burrows with a mean ratio of burrow length to body length of 2.5. Thus the burrows were significantly longer in the CT group. In addition, the isopods in the CT group often incorporated a chamber in the mid-section of the burrow. Our results may be used to infer the determinants of burrow morphology and speculate about the lifestyle of this species in the deep sea

Decision-Making and Turn Alternation in Pill Bugs (Armadillidium Vulgare)

Twelve pill bugs (Armadillidium vulgare, Isopoda, Cmstacean) were examined in 200 successive T-mazes. When obstacles are present, A. vulgare tend to move by means of turn alternation, which is generally considered an innate adaptive behavior. With a decrease in air moisture, the bugs have a tendency to increase their turn alternation rate. However, in such long successive T-mazes as in this study, continued turn alternation should actually accelerate the bugs' desiccation. This fact implies that turn alternation cannot always work adaptively. In this trade-off situation, while three individuals kept turn alternation at a high rate (1) and four at a low rate, (2), the other five spontaneously increased the rate of turn alternation and then decreased it (3). This instability of turn alternation in group (3) is interpreted as resulting not from stochastic factors but rather from the bugs' own decision-making, and seems to be anescape behavior used to get out of the experimental apparatus. In order to verify thedecision-making hypothesis, all animals were subsequently tested in another successive T-maze apparatus, where the ends of the chosen alleys were shut, i.e., with 50 successive blind alleys. In this situation, while individuals of groups (1) and (2) continued to wander inside the apparatus, those of group (3) found a vertical roughwall, climbed it, and escaped from the apparatus in the middle of the experiment. Mostof the unexercised individuals in the control experiment did not show climbingbehavio