Spinal Extradural Arachnoid Cyst: Significance of Intrathecal Infusion after Fistula Closure

The spinal extradural arachnoid cyst is a rare entity. Obtaining the correct diagnosis and detecting the fistula location are critical for providing effective treatment. A 41-year-old man had numbness in the soles of his feet for 2 years with accompanying gait disturbance, and a defecation disorder. Computed tomography myelography performed at another hospital revealed an epidural arachnoid cyst from Th11 to L2. He received a subarachnoid-cyst shunt at the rostral part of the cyst. However, his symptoms worsened and he was admitted to our hospital. Neuroradiological investigations revealed the correct location of the fistula at the level of Th12. We performed partial removal of the cyst wall with fistula closure via right hemilaminectomy of Th11 and 12. The complete closure of the fistula was confirmed by intrathecal infusion of artificial cerebrospinal fluid through the shunt tube. The shunt tube was removed with the sutures. The patient’s symptoms improved, although numbness remained in his bilateral heels. There has been no recurrence in 15 months since the surgery. Fistula closure may work as a balanced therapeutic strategy for spinal extradural arachnoid cyst, and intrathecal cerebrospinal fluid infusion is useful for the confirmation of complete fistula closure

Cyclin B–Cdk1 activates its own pump to get into the nucleus

The transition to mitosis requires extensive nuclear and cytoplasmic rearrangements that must be spatially and temporally coordinated. In this issue, Gavet and Pines (2010a. J. Cell Biol. doi:10.1083/jcb.200909144) report on a simple yet elegant mechanism as to how this is achieved. By monitoring the activity of cyclin B–Cdk1 in real time, the authors show that concomitant with its activation in the cytoplasm, the kinase complex is rapidly imported into the nucleus by modifying the activity of the nucleocytoplasmic transport machinery. Thus, cyclin B–Cdk1 activates its own pump to get into the nucleus

Surgery in the Standing Position by a Surgeon with Achilles Tendon Rupture

Unexpected injuries can have a profound effect on a surgeonʼs performance and thus on patients and surgical departments. Here we describe a technique for performing surgery in the standing position, as done by a surgeon with an Achilles tendon rupture. During his prescribed 45-day non-weight-bearing period for the left ankle after surgery for an Achilles tendon rupture, the surgeon was able to participate in 15 surgeries as an operator or assistant, due to his use of a combination of injured-leg genuflection on a stool and a ʻSurgical Body Supportʼ device. Similarly injured surgeons may benefit from such support

Superheavy element nuclear chemistry at RIKEN

金沢大学理工研究域物質化学系A gas-jet transport system has been coupled to the RIKEN gas-filled recoil ion separator GARIS to startup superheavy element (SHE) chemistry at RIKEN. The performance of the system was appraised using an isotope of element 104, 261Rf, produced in the 248Cm(18O,5n) 261Rf reaction. Alpha-particles of 261Rf separated with GARIS and extracted to a chemistry laboratory were successfully identified with a rotating wheel apparatus for α spectrometry. The setting parameters such as the magnetic field of the separator and the gas-jet conditions were optimized. The present results suggest that the GARIS/gas-jet system is a promising approach for exploring new frontiers in SHE chemistry: (i) the background radioactivities of unwanted reaction products are strongly suppressed, (ii) the intense beam is absent in the gas-jet chamber and hence high gas-jet efficiency is achieved, and (iii) the beam-free condition also allows for investigations of new chemical systems. © 2010 American Institute of Physics

A cyclin-binding motif in human papillomavirus type 18 (HPV18) E1^E4 is necessary for association with CDK–cyclin complexes and G2/M cell cycle arrest of keratinocytes, but is not required for differentiation-dependent viral genome amplification or L1 capsid protein expression

Investigation into the effects the HPV E4 protein has in viral life cycleThe G2/M arrest function of human papillomavirus (HPV) E4 proteins is hypothesized to be necessary for viral genome amplification. Full-length HPV18 E1^E4 protein is essential for efficient viral genome amplification. Here we identify key determinants within a CDK-bipartite consensus recognition motif in HPV18 E1^E4 that are critical for association with active CDK–cyclin complexes and in vitro phosphorylation at the predicted CDK phosphorylation site (threonine 23). The optimal cyclin-binding sequence (43RRLL46) within this E4 motif is required for G2/M arrest of primary keratinocytes and correlates with cytoplasmic retention of cyclin B1, but not cyclin A. Disruption of this motif in the E4 ORF of HPV18 genomes, and the subsequent generation of stable cell lines in primary keratinocytes revealed that this motif was not essential for viral genome amplification or L1 capsid protein induction. We conclude that the HPV18 E4 G2/M arrest function does not play a role in early vegetative events

PLK1 Interacts and Phosphorylates Axin That Is Essential for Proper Centrosome Formation

10.1371/journal.pone.0049184PLoS ONE711

The Transcription Factor YY1 Is a Substrate for Polo-Like Kinase 1 at the G2/M Transition of the Cell Cycle

Yin-Yang 1 (YY1) is an essential multifunctional zinc-finger protein. It has been shown over the past two decades to be a critical regulator of a vast array of biological processes, including development, cell proliferation and differentiation, DNA repair, and apoptosis. YY1 exerts its functions primarily as a transcription factor that can activate or repress gene expression, dependent on its spatial and temporal context. YY1 regulates a large number of genes involved in cell cycle transitions, many of which are oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes. YY1 itself has been classified as an oncogene and was found to be upregulated in many cancer types. Unfortunately, our knowledge of what regulates YY1 is very minimal. Although YY1 has been shown to be a phosphoprotein, no kinase has ever been identified for the phosphorylation of YY1. Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) has emerged in the past few years as a major cell cycle regulator, particularly for cell division. Plk1 has been shown to play important roles in the G/M transition into mitosis and for the proper execution of cytokinesis, processes that YY1 has been shown to regulate also. Here, we present evidence that Plk1 directly phosphorylates YY1 in vitro and in vivo at threonine 39 in the activation domain. We show that this phosphorylation is cell cycle regulated and peaks at G2/M. This is the first report identifying a kinase for which YY1 is a substrate

The Japanese space gravitational wave antenna; DECIGO

DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (DECIGO) is the future Japanese space gravitational wave antenna. DECIGO is expected to open a new window of observation for gravitational wave astronomy especially between 0.1 Hz and 10 Hz, revealing various mysteries of the universe such as dark energy, formation mechanism of supermassive black holes, and inflation of the universe. The pre-conceptual design of DECIGO consists of three drag-free spacecraft, whose relative displacements are measured by a differential Fabry– Perot Michelson interferometer. We plan to launch two missions, DECIGO pathfinder and pre- DECIGO first and finally DECIGO in 2024