Experimental Studies on an Embedded Structure-Soil Interaction

This paper describes the results of experimental studies performed the evaluation of the embedment effects on the dynamic characteristics of the structure and the correlation anlayses between the test results and the calculated results. The vibration tests of large scale models constructed on actual soil are carried out with the purpose of obtaining the basic data for verification study on analysis codes. In the correlation analyses, the methods used here are the sway-rocking model and the axisymmetric finite element method. These methods are confirmed to be applicable to analyse the response or the embedded structures

Regulation of SNAREs by tomosyn and ROCK: implication in extension and retraction of neurites

Extension of neurites requires the SNARE-dependent fusion of plasmalemmal precursor vesicles with the plasma membrane of growth cones. Here, we show that tomosyn localizes at the palm of growth cones and inhibits the fusion of the vesicles there, thus promoting transport of the vesicles to the plasma membrane of the leading edges of growth cones. Tomosyn localizes because ROCK activated by Rho small G protein phosphorylates syntaxin-1, which increases the affinity of syntaxin-1 for tomosyn and forms a stable complex with tomosyn, resulting in inhibition of the formation of the SNARE complex. In retraction of neurites, tomosyn localizes all over the edges of the neurites and inhibits fusion of the vesicles with the plasma membrane. Thus, tomosyn demarcates the plasma membrane by binding to syntaxin-1 phosphorylated by ROCK, and thereby regulates extension and retraction of neurites

Medical expenses for cilostazol to treat Alzheimer\u27s disease in Japan

Background: Cilostazol (CL) is an antithrombotic agent that was approved for prescribing under Japan’s national health insurance system in 2000. Clinical and experimental studies of CL to treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have been reported since 2009.Aims: To use the propensity score method to ascertain whether CL reduced medical expenses among patients with AD in a prefecture of Japan.Methods: Records of 21,181 patients with AD (6,484 males and 14,697 females) from April 2010 to March 2011 were selected from a claims database of the National Health Insurance and the Long-term Care Insurance systems in a prefecture in Japan. Covariates were patient characteristics, comorbidities, and drugs prescribed for AD, i.e. psychoactive agents, narcotics, anticonvulsants, or cholinesterase inhibitors. The outcome variable was medical expenses for the whole year.Results: The propensity score indicated that patients receiving CL had medical expenses ¥10.9 higher than those of patients not receiving CL.Conclusion: According to the propensity score method, CL did not efficiently reduce medical expenses for patients with AD based on claims data

Structural basis of lignocellulose deconstruction by the wood-feeding anobiid beetle Nicobium hirtum

The details of the lignocellulose deconstruction processes in the digestive systems of wood-feeding insects remain elusive. This study aimed to examine the biochemical conversion of lignocellulose in the digestive system of a wood-feeding anobiid beetle, Nicobium hirtum, one of the most important pests of wooden products in Japan. To this end, N. hirtum larvae were fed with Japanese red pine (softwood) and Japanese beech (hardwood) sapwood diets, as well as an artificial diet containing Shorea wood (hardwood) sapwood sawdust. The structural differences between the original and digested (feces) lignocellulose samples were examined using wet-chemical and two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods. Cellulose and hemicelluloses, especially mannan in the softwood diet, were preferentially degraded over lignin in the larval digestive system. As a result, lignin was enriched in the digested lignocellulose residues. Lignin compositional analyses based on thioacidolysis and 2D NMR determined that the proportions of oxidized lignin aromatic units were notably increased after digestion. Further, the 2D NMR analyses revealed the accumulation of aldehyde and hydroxypropiovanillone/syringone end-unit structures in lignin, indicating that oxidative and/or reductive modifications of lignin polymers occur in the larval digestive system. Such structural alterations of lignin may facilitate the dissociation of the lignin barrier, thereby liberating polysaccharides for subsequent enzymatic conversion for assimilation and energy

Integrin α5β1 expression on dopaminergic neurons is involved in dopaminergic neurite outgrowth on striatal neurons

神経突起が標的神経細胞と相互作用して伸長する仕組みを解明 : 神経細胞移植の治療効果向上に期待. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2017-02-09.During development, dopaminergic neurons born in the substantia nigra extend their axons toward the striatum. However, the mechanisms by which the dopaminergic axons extend the striatum to innervate their targets remain unclear. We previously showed that paired-cultivation of mesencephalic cells containing dopaminergic neurons with striatal cells leads to the extension of dopaminergic neurites from the mesencephalic cell region to the striatal cell region. The present study shows that dopaminergic neurites extended along striatal neurons in the paired-cultures of mesencephalic cells with striatal cells. The extension of dopaminergic neurites was suppressed by the pharmacological inhibition of integrin α5β1. Using lentiviral vectors, short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated knockdown of integrin α5 in dopaminergic neurons suppressed the neurite outgrowth to the striatal cell region. In contrast, the knockdown of integrin α5 in non-dopaminergic mesencephalic and striatal cells had no effect. Furthermore, overexpression of integrin α5 in dopaminergic neurons differentiated from embryonic stem cells enhanced their neurite outgrowth on striatal cells. These results indicate that integrin α5β1 expression on dopaminergic neurons plays an important role in the dopaminergic neurite outgrowth on striatal neurons

Ovarian fibrothecoma with massive edema

We report a rare case of ovarian fibrothecoma with massive edema. The patient was a 59-year-old woman with a left ovarian mass measuring 11x10x7 cm. Magnetic resonance images revealed a solid mass showing unhomogeneous content with predominantly high signal intensity on T2-weighted image. Microscopically, the ovarian mass was composed of a cellular area and an edematous hypocellular area. The latter accounted for more than 75% of the tumor. In the cellular area, spindle-shaped or plump tumor cells were randomly distributed or arranged in a fascicular fashion. These cells contained abundant intracytoplasmic lipid. There was dense collagenous connective tissue in the stroma of the cellular areas. In contrast, in the edematous areas spindle or stellate cells were scattered. Alcian blue stain revealed only a small amount of stromal mucin even in the edematous areas. The microscopic findings were consistent with that of fibrothecoma with massive edema. The present case must be differentiated from massive edema of the ovary and sclerosing stromal tumor of the ovary. Immunohistochemistry was not helpful in distinguishing them. The age of the patient and careful histologic observation are important

Pretransplant HbA1c Is a Useful Predictor for the Development of New-Onset Diabetes in Renal Transplant Recipients Receiving No or Low-Dose Erythropoietin

Aims. To evaluate the predictive power of pretransplant HbA1c for new-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT) in kidney transplant candidates, who had several predispositions for fluctuated HbA1c levels. Methods. We performed a retrospective study of 119 patients without diabetes who received kidney transplantation between March 2000 and January 2012. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the association of several parameters with NODAT. Predictive discrimination of HbA1c was assessed using a receiver-operating characteristic curve. Results. Seventeen patients (14.3%) developed NODAT within 1 year of transplantation. Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that recipient age, gender, and HbA1c were predictors of NODAT. In the multivariate analysis, the association between pretransplant HbA1c and NODAT development did not reach statistical significance ( = 0.07). To avoid the strong influence of high-dose erythropoietin on HbA1c levels, we performed subgroup analyses on 85 patients receiving no or low-dose (≤6000 IU/week) erythropoietin. HbA1c was again an independent predictor for NODAT. Receiver-operating characteristic analysis revealed a cut-off value of 5.2% with an optimal sensitivity of 64% and specificity of 78% for predicting NODAT. Conclusions. Our results reveal that the pretransplant HbA1c level is a useful predictor for NODAT in patients receiving no or low-dose erythropoietin

Co-morbidity of progressive supranuclear palsy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis : a clinical-pathological case report

Background: The coexistence of distinct neurodegenerative diseases in single cases has recently attracted greater attention. The phenotypic co-occurrence of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been documented in several cases. That said, the clinicopathological comorbidity of these two diseases has not been demonstrated. Case presentation: A 77-year-old man presented with gait disturbance for 2 years, consistent with PSP with progressive gait freezing. At 79 years old, he developed muscle weakness compatible with ALS. The disease duration was 5 years after the onset of PSP and 5months after the onset of ALS. Neuropathological findings demonstrated the coexistence of PSP and ALS. Immunohistochemical examination confirmed 4-repeat tauopathy, including globose-type neurofibrillary tangles, tufted astrocytes, and oligodendroglial coiled bodies as well as TAR DNA-binding protein 43 kDa pathology in association with upper and lower motor neuron degeneration. Immunoblotting showed hyperphosphorylated full-length 4-repeat tau bands (64 and 68 kDa) and C-terminal fragments (33 kDa), supporting the diagnosis of PSP and excluding other parkinsonian disorders, such as corticobasal degeneration. Genetic studies showed no abnormalities in genes currently known to be related to ALS or PSP. Conclusions: Our case demonstrates the clinicopathological comorbidity of PSP and ALS in a sporadic patient. The possibility of multiple proteinopathies should be considered when distinct symptoms develop during the disease course