Histological development of stapes footplate in human embryos.

Normal development of the human stapes footplate was investigated in serial sections by light microscopy. Materials were obtained from 35 Japanese embryos from the 6th to 32nd week of embryonal age. Eighteen embryos up to 16 weeks of age (3.5mm to 105mm in crown-rump length) were examined, focusing particularly on the lamina stapedialis of the otic capsule. The present study showed that primordial formation of the lamina stapedialis appeared in 16mm embryo and that the lamina was completely formed and fused to the base of the annular stapes in a 35mm embryo. In a 50mm embryo, the adult form of stapes was found with a rim and annular ligament. The results, therefore, seemed to essentially agree with the theory of dual origin and development of the footplate proposed by Cauldwell and Anson, and teratogenic agents might affect any stage of the process producing anomalies,</p

Local Gene Delivery System by Bubble Liposomes and Ultrasound Exposure into Joint Synovium

Recently, we have developed novel polyethylene glycol modified liposomes (bubble liposomes; BL) entrapping an ultrasound (US) imaging gas, which can work as a gene delivery tool with US exposure. In this study, we investigated the usefulness of US-mediated gene transfer systems with BL into synoviocytes in vitro and joint synovium in vivo. Highly efficient gene transfer could be achieved in the cultured primary synoviocytes transfected with the combination of BL and US exposure, compared to treatment with plasmid DNA (pDNA) alone, pDNA plus BL, or pDNA plus US. When BL was injected into the knee joints of mice, and US exposure was applied transcutaneously to the injection site, highly efficient gene expression could be observed in the knee joint transfected with the combination of BL and US exposure, compared to treatment with pDNA alone, pDNA plus BL, or pDNA plus US. The localized and prolonged gene expression was also shown by an in vivo luciferase imaging system. Thus, this local gene delivery system into joint synovium using the combination of BL and US exposure may be an effective means for gene therapy in joint disorders

Development of the external and internal shame scale: Japanese version

Shame contains external and internal aspects. However, a Japanese language scale for simultaneously assessing both aspects of shame has not been developed to date. This study aimed to standardize the Japanese version of the External and Internal Shame Scale (EISS-J). An online survey was conducted among university students (N = 203) at six universities in Japan (Study 1). A retest questionnaire was sent to the participants by email three weeks after the first survey (Study 2). Study 1 examined the internal consistency, factor structure, and criterion-related validity of the EISS-J, while Study 2 examined its test-retest reliability. Moreover, an additional study was conducted to examine the criterion-related validity of the scale. Study 1 demonstrated the high internal consistency of the EISS-J. Moreover, confirmatory factor analysis indicated a two-factor model: external and internal shame. However, exploratory factor analysis indicated a three-factor structure. Study 2 confirmed the test-retest reliability of the scale. Furthermore, both studies indicated correlations between the EISS-J and fear of compassion, anger, humiliation, depression, anxiety, and stress. In addition, the study established the criterion-related validity of the scale. These results confirmed adequate reliability and validity of the EISS-J.This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI (Grant Number JP19K14412)

Estivation grounds of the sand lance Ammodytes japonicus (Ammoditidae) in the Mihara Strait, mid-western Seto Inland Sea, Japan

瀬戸内海西部水域は過去に大規模な海砂利採取が為され，潜砂習性を持ち砂中で夏眠するイカナゴ資源の減少が明白な状況にあることから，イカナゴの生息底質の環境悪化が懸念されている。そこで，イカナゴの主要生息地の1つであった安芸灘三原瀬戸において，2014年と2015年の夏期にドレッジ調査を実施し，イカナゴの生息状況と底質性状を分析した。夏眠イカナゴは竹原沖から大三島南部の三原瀬戸西部エリア（3地点）と三原湾細島周辺の三原瀬戸東部エリア（2地点）で確認された。これら5 地点はいずれもイカナゴが好むとされる粒径0.25mm–4.0mmの砂粒子をおよそ80％の重量割合で含む砂底質であった。一方，イカナゴの出現が確認できなかった地点 の砂粒子成分の含有率は有意に低かった。三原瀬戸におけるイカナゴの夏眠生息に適した砂底質の分布は地理的に限られた状態にあり，イカナゴ資源回復を制約する要因になっている可能性が示唆された。The sand lance Ammodytes japonicus in the Seto Inland Sea is known to estivate in fine sandy grounds when water temperatures reach above 19ºC, usually from late June to early December. Catches of the sand lance have decreased drastically since the mid-1980s, coinciding with large-scale quarrying for bottom sands, which strongly suggests that sand lance populations have been seriously impacted as a result of deterioration and disturbances to sandy-bottom habitats. Mihara Strait was once a major fishing ground for sand lance and has also suffered from quarrying. To evaluate the present condition of the sandy areas of Mihara Strait as potential estivation grounds of the sand lance, we sampled sediments at 11 survey points, using a square-shaped dredge towed by the training vessel Toyoshio-maru of Hiroshima University, in 2014 and 2015. We then analyzed the physical characteristics of the sediment samples. Sand lance individuals were observed in the sediments collected from five survey points: three on the western side and two on the eastern side of the strait. Sediments at these five survey points comprised sandy elements of 0.25–4.0 mm diameter, which constituted over 80% of the weight ratio of the sediment samples. Sediments from the other survey points included pebble elements and had significantly lower weight ratios of sandy elements, suggesting the unsuitability of the substrate at those points for burrowing by the sand lance. Thus, it is suggested that sandy grounds for estivation of the sand lance are geographically limited in Mihara Strait at present, a situation that may restrict population recovery of this species in these waters.本研究は，環境省環境研究総合推進費S-13「持続可能な沿岸海域実現を目指した沿岸海域管理手法の開発（2014-2018年度；代表 柳 哲雄）」の助成を受け，サブテーマ「閉鎖性海域・瀬戸内海における栄養塩濃度管理法の開発（テーマリーダー 西嶋 渉）」のプロジェクト事業の一環として実施したものである

LRRK2 but not ATG16L1 is associated with Paneth cell defect in Japanese Crohn\u27s disease patients

Complementa esse poema o artigo “Shelley, poesia e liberdade” em verve dobras http://www.nu-sol.org/verve/verve1.php

LRRK2 but not ATG16L1 is associated with Paneth cell defect in Japanese Crohn\u27s disease patients

BACKGROUND. Morphological patterns of Paneth cells are a prognostic biomarker in Western Crohn’s disease (CD) patients, and are associated with autophagy-associated ATG16L1 and NOD2 variants. We hypothesized that genetic determinants of Paneth cell phenotype in other ethnic CD cohorts are distinct but also involved in autophagy. METHODS. We performed a hypothesis-driven analysis of 56 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with CD susceptibility or known to affect Paneth cell function in 110 Japanese CD patients who underwent ileal resection. We subsequently performed a genome-wide association analysis. Paneth cell phenotype was determined by defensin-5 immunofluorescence. Selected genotype–Paneth cell defect correlations were compared to a Western CD cohort (n = 164). RESULTS. The average percentage of abnormal Paneth cells in Japanese CD was similar to Western CD (P = 0.87), and abnormal Paneth cell phenotype was also associated with early recurrence (P = 0.013). In contrast to Western CD, ATG16L1 T300A was not associated with Paneth cell defect in Japanese CD (P = 0.20). Among the 56 selected SNPs, only LRRK2 M2397T showed significant association with Paneth cell defect (P = 3.62 × 10(–4)), whereas in the Western CD cohort it was not (P = 0.76). Pathway analysis of LRRK2 and other candidate genes with P less than 5 × 10(–4) showed connections with known CD susceptibility genes and links to autophagy and TNF-α networks. CONCLUSIONS. We found dichotomous effects of ATG16L1 and LRRK2 on Paneth cell defect between Japanese and Western CD. Genes affecting Paneth cell phenotype in Japanese CD were also associated with autophagy. Paneth cell phenotype also predicted prognosis in Japanese CD. FUNDING. Helmsley Charitable Trust, Doris Duke Foundation (grant 2014103), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (KAKENHI grants JP15H04805 and JP15K15284), Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation grant 274415, NIH (grants 1R56DK095820, K01DK109081, and UL1 TR000448)

TiEMPO: Open-source time-dependent end-to-end model for simulating ground-based submillimeter astronomical observations

The next technological breakthrough in millimeter-submillimeter astronomy is 3D imaging spectrometry with wide instantaneous spectral bandwidths and wide fields of view. The total optimization of the focal-plane instrument, the telescope, the observing strategy, and the signal-processing software must enable efficient removal of foreground emission from the Earth's atmosphere, which is time-dependent and highly nonlinear in frequency. Here we present TiEMPO: Time-Dependent End-to-End Model for Post-process Optimization of the DESHIMA Spectrometer. TiEMPO utilizes a dynamical model of the atmosphere and parametrized models of the astronomical source, the telescope, the instrument, and the detector. The output of TiEMPO is a time-stream of sky brightness temperature and detected power, which can be analyzed by standard signal-processing software. We first compare TiEMPO simulations with an on-sky measurement by the wideband DESHIMA spectrometer and find good agreement in the noise power spectral density and sensitivity. We then use TiEMPO to simulate the detection of a line emission spectrum of a high-redshift galaxy using the DESHIMA 2.0 spectrometer in development. The TiEMPO model is open source. Its modular and parametrized design enables users to adapt it to design and optimize the end-to-end performance of spectroscopic and photometric instruments on existing and future telescopes.Comment: Presented at SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2020. Full published paper, poster and video available at https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2561014 Open-source Python package of TiEMPO: https://pypi.org/project/tiempo-deshima/ Open-source code of TiEMPO: https://zenodo.org/record/4279086#.X_jAsdhKg2

Constraints on Obscured Star Formation in Host Galaxies of Gamma-ray Bursts

We present the results of the 16-cm-waveband continuum observations of four host galaxies of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) 990705, 021211, 041006, and 051022 using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. Radio emission was not detected in any of the host galaxies. The 2sigma upper limits on star-formation rates derived from the radio observations of the host galaxies are 23, 45, 27, and 26 Msun/yr, respectively, which are less than about 10 times those derived from UV/optical observations, suggesting that they have no significant dust-obscured star formation. GRBs 021211 and 051022 are known as the so-called "dark GRBs" and our results imply that dark GRBs do not always occur in galaxies enshrouded by dust. Because large dust extinction was not observed in the afterglow of GRB021211, our result {\bf suggests the possibility} that the cause of the dark GRB is the intrinsic faintness of the optical afterglow. On the other hand, by considering the high column density observed in the afterglow of GRB051022, the likely cause of the dark GRB is the dust extinction in the line of sight of the GRB.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journa