Otolith strontium : calcium ratios in a freshwater stingray, Himantura signifer Compagno and Roberts, 1982, from the Chao Phraya River, Thailand

Otolith microchemistry was examined in a freshwater stingray, Himantura signifer, collected from a freshwater region of the Chao Phraya River, Thailand. Otoliths of H. gerarudii and H. imbricata from the estuary at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, and H. imbricata from the sea adjacent to the river mouth were also examined. Otolith Ca concentration was almost constant among the three species, regardless of their habitat environments. In contrast, Sr concentration and the Sr : Ca ratio differed considerably among the species, those of the freshwater species being at the lowest levels and that of the marine population of H. imbricata the highest. Intraspecific variation in Sr concentrations and Sr : Ca ratios found in H. imbricata from estuarine and marine environments suggested that those levels varied according to the habitat. Otolith Sr concentrations and Sr : Ca ratios of male freshwater stingrays increased with body growth, whereas those of female otoliths decreased temporarily to the lowest level in 250-300 mm disk width (mature) specimens. The findings suggested that H. signifer from freshwater regions enter a brackish or seawater environment at some time in their life history. The marked fluctuations in Sr concentration and Sr : Ca ratio in female otoliths may be related to presumed reproductive behavior, such as ceasing migration across a saline boundary during the reproductive period and giving birth in a freshwater region of the river, or may have been affected by changes in physiology and elemental metabolism associated with reproduction

Ependymoma associated protein Zfta is expressed in immature ependymal cells but is not essential for ependymal development in mice

The fusion protein of uncharacterised zinc finger translocation associated (ZFTA) and effector transcription factor of tumorigenic NF‑κB signalling, RELA (ZFTA‑RELA), is expressed in more than two‑thirds of supratentorial ependymoma (ST‑EPN‑RELA), but ZFTA¿s expression profile and functional analysis in multiciliated ependymal (E1) cells have not been examined. Here, we showed the mRNA expression of mouse Zfta peaks on embryonic day (E) 17.5 in the wholemount of the lateral walls of the lateral ventricle. Zfta was expressed in the nuclei of FoxJ1‑positive immature E1 (pre‑E1) cells in E18.5 mouse embryonic brain. Interestingly, the transcription factors promoting ciliogenesis (ciliary TFs) (e.g., multicilin) and ZFTA‑RELA upregulated luciferase activity using a 5′ upstream sequence of ZFTA in cultured cells. Zftatm1/tm1 knock‑in mice did not show developmental defects or abnormal fertility. In the Zftatm1/tm1 E1 cells, morphology, gene expression, ciliary beating frequency and ependymal flow were unaffected. These results suggest that Zfta is expressed in pre‑E1 cells, possibly under the control of ciliary TFs, but is not essential for ependymal development or flow. This study sheds light on the mechanism of the ZFTA‑RELA expression in the pathogenesis of ST‑EPNRELA: Ciliary TFs initiate ZFTA‑RELA expression in pre‑E1 cells, and ZFTA‑RELA enhances its own expression using positive feedback

Developmental Changes of Prefrontal Activation in Humans: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study of Preschool Children and Adults

Previous morphological studies indicated that development of the human prefrontal cortex (PFC) appears to continue into late adolescence. Although functional brain imaging studies have sought to determine the time course of functional development of the PFC, it is unclear whether the developmental change occurs after adolescence to adulthood and when it achieves a peak because of the narrow or discontinuous range in the participant's age. Moreover, previous functional studies have not focused on the anterior frontal region, that is, the frontopolar regions (BA9/10). Thus, the present study investigated the developmental change in frontopolar PFC activation associated with letter fluency task by using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), in subjects from preschool children to adults. We analyzed the relative concentration of hemoglobin (ΔHb) in the prefrontal cortex measured during the activation task in 48 typically-developing children and adolescents and 22 healthy adults. Consistent with prior morphological studies, we found developmental change with age in the children/adolescents. Moreover, the average Δoxy-Hb in adult males was significantly larger than that in child/adolescent males, but was not true for females. These data suggested that functional development of the PFC continues into late adolescence. Although the developmental change of the frontopolar PFC was independent of gender from childhood to adolescence, in adulthood a gender difference was shown

Dispersion of single-walled carbon nanotubes modified with poly-l-tyrosine in water

In this study, complexes composed of poly-l-tyrosine (pLT) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were produced and the dispersibility of the pLT/SWCNT complexes in water by measuring the ζ potential of the complexes and the turbidity of the solution were investigated. It is found that the absolute value of the ζ potential of the pLT/SWCNT complexes is as high as that of SWCNTs modified with double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and that the complexes remain stably dispersed in the water at least for two weeks. Thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and visualization of the surface structures of pLT/SWCNT complexes using an atomic force microscope (AFM) were also carried out

Open MRI Operating Room with Automatic Electronic Recording of Medical Equipment Provided by Wireless LAN - Anesthesia Care Experience of ２５ Cases in Hiroshima University Hospital

オープンMRI設置手術室で25例の麻酔を経験した。MRI設置手術室では術中にMRI画像を判断材料として手術をすすめるため，MRI画像へのノイズ混入対策が必要である。また，MRI磁場の影響で術中にモニター機器や麻酔器が誤動作を起こす可能性があるため，MRI非対応機器からの画像ノイズの遮断対策として，電子機器から発生するノイズの軽減には特殊シールドボックスやイキソルメッシュを使用し，手術室外からのノイズには手術室全体にシールド工事を行った。MRIが発生させる磁場による電子機器の誤動作・故障対策は，オープンMRIの磁場が5ガウス以下となる範囲に電子機器や手術器具を置くことで対応した。問題の克服に加えて，医療機器からのデータの無線通信により，ケーブル類をなくすことでMRI撮影時の患者移動の簡素化をはかり，安全性を高めることができた。We provided anesthesia care for 25 patients in an open MRI operating room and summarized here our experience. When surgeons use MRI during surgery, the presence of noise in the images caused by other electronic equipment in the area often hinders accurate diagnosis.　In addition, malfunction of monitoring and anesthesia equipment during surgery due to the MRI magnetic field created during an MR examination can occur. In order to prevent imaging interference affecting equipment not compatible with MRI, we utilized 2 specially prepared shield boxes and wrapped the personal computer used for coordinating the data with a mesh-like cloth made by Ixol-mesh.　In addition, we prepared a shielded operating room in order to block noise from the outside. To prevent malfunction of the surgical and electronic instruments, we kept them outside the magnetic field of 5 Gauss or lower to minimize the magnetic effect generated with MRI.　Furthermore, patient safety during MRI imaging was improved by establishing a wireless communication system to feed data from medical devices, which allowed elimination of cabling

Effect of KAATSU training on thigh muscle size and safety for a patient with knee meniscectomy over 3 years

[Objective] It is well known that knee meniscectomy is one of the major knee surgeries, which induces thigh muscle atrophy. However, it is unclear whether thigh muscle size after knee meniscectomy can be improved with KAATSU training. We examined effect of KAATSU training on thigh muscle size and safety for a patient with knee meniscectomy.[Methods] The patient was a 57-year-old woman (standing height 159 cm and body weight 52 kg). The KAATSU training composed of 7 types of resistance exercise and one type of cycling exercise was provided for a total of 125 sessions over approximately 3 years. Transverse scans were carried out for mid-thigh length. Thigh muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) in affected-leg and unaffected-leg was measured by the CT scan before, 63 weeks, and 152 weeks after the training.[Results] Thigh muscle CSA was highly increased for affected-leg, and the attained level was exactly similar for both legs after the 152 weeks training period.[Conclusion] The long-term KAATSU exercises were a highly safe and effective training method for a patient with knee meniscectomy

Pharmacodynamic analysis of eribulin safety in breast cancer patients using real-world postmarketing surveillance data

Postmarketing surveillance is useful to collect safety data in real-world clinical settings. In this study, we applied postmarketing real-world data on a mechanistic model analysis for neutropenic profiles of eribulin in patients with recurrent or metastatic breast cancer. Demographic and safety data were collected using an active surveillance method from eribulin-treated recurrent or metastatic breast cancer patients. Changes in neutrophil counts over time were analyzed using a mechanistic pharmacodynamic model. Pathophysiological factors that might affect the severity of neutropenia were investigated, and neutropenic patterns were simulated for different treatment schedules. Clinical and laboratory data were collected from 401 patients (5199 neutrophil count measurements) who had not received granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and were eligible for pharmacodynamic analysis. The estimated mean parameters were as follows: mean transit time =\ua0104.5\ua0h, neutrophil proliferation rate constant =\ua00.0377\ua0h−1, neutrophil elimination rate constant =\ua00.0295\ua0h−1, and linear coefficient of drug effect =\ua00.0413\ua0mL/ng. Low serum albumin levels and low baseline neutrophil counts were associated with severe neutropenia. The probability of grade ≥3 neutropenia was predicted to be 69%, 27%, and 27% for patients on standard, biweekly, and triweekly treatment scenarios, respectively, based on virtual simulations using the developed pharmacodynamic model. In conclusion, this is the first application of postmarketing surveillance data to a model-based safety analysis. This analysis of safety data reflecting authentic clinical settings will provide useful information on the safe use and potential risk factors of eribulin