Spontaneous Cardiac Hypertrophy in a Crl:CD(SD) Rat

Cardiac hypertrophy was observed in a 9-week-old Crl:CD(SD) rat that died unexpectedly. The animal was allocated to the control group of a toxicity study, and no abnormalities in its general conditions, body weight or food intake were observed. Necropsy revealed an increase in heart weight. Gross examination indicated cardiac enlargement with thickening of the right and left ventricular walls. Histopathological examination revealed hypertrophy of the cardiomyocytes in the right and left ventricular walls and the interventricular septum. Electron microscopic examination indicated bizarre nuclei and accumulation of an increased number of various sizes of mitochondria in the perinuclear region of the hypertrophied myocytes. Hypertrophied myocytes connected by intensely folded intercalated disks were also observed. Based on these findings, the animal was diagnosed with cardiac hypertrophy. This is the first case report of cardiac hypertrophy in this strain

Sialyl LewisX mimic-decorated liposomes for anti-angiogenic everolimus delivery to E-selectin expressing endothelial cells

In this study, we developed novel E-selectin-targeting liposomes, i.e., 3′-(1-carboxy)ethyl sialyl LewisX (3′-CE sLeX) mimic liposomes, for targeted delivery of everolimus (EVE) in anti-angiogenic therapy. We investigated the uptake and efficacy of these E-selectin targeting liposomes in inflammatory cytokine-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The uptake of EVE in 3′-CE sLeX mimic liposomes increased steadily and almost caught up with the uptake of plain EVE at 3 h, which was higher than that in PEGylated liposomes (PEG-liposomes). Inhibition of uptake by anti-E-selectin antibody suggested involvement of E-selectin-mediated endocytotic processes. Migration in cells treated with EVE/3′-CE sLeX mimic liposomes was suppressed by more than half when compared to the control. This treatment was also seen to significantly inhibit the formation of capillary tubes and networks. In addition, Thr389 phosphorylation of pS6 kinase, as a marker of mTOR activity, was remarkably suppressed to less than endogenous levels by EVE/3′-CE sLeX mimic liposomes. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that EVE/3′-CE sLeX mimic liposomes were intracellularly taken up by E-selectin and prompted anti-angiogenic effects of EVE involved in the mTOR signaling pathway. However, moderate retention of EVE in the liposomes might limit the targeting ability of 3′-CE sLeX mimic liposomes

A Case Report of a Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma in a T-cell Receptor β Chain and p53 Double-knockout Mouse

A subcutaneous tumor was found in the right abdomen of a 16-week-old male TCRβ and p53 double-knockout mouse. The tumor had indistinct borders with the surrounding tissue. The cut surface after formalin fixation was pale yellowish white, partially dark red and partly white. Histologically, the tumor was composed of three distinct regions. The first region showed pleomorphic cells arranged in sheets. The second region showed spindle cells arranged in interlacing fascicles. The final region contained a mixture of the above mentioned two types of cells. Furthermore, a small amount of collagen fibers, round cells, multinucleated giant cells, and cells with eosinophilic granules were observed between these tumor cells. Immunohistochemical examination and electron microscopy identified that the pleomorphic cells and spindle cells were histiocytes and fibroblasts, respectively, and that the round cells were undifferentiated mesenchymal cells. Based on these findings, the tumor was diagnosed as a malignant fibrous histiocytoma

Results of the search for inspiraling compact star binaries from TAMA300's observation in 2000-2004

We analyze the data of TAMA300 detector to search for gravitational waves from inspiraling compact star binaries with masses of the component stars in the range 1-3Msolar. In this analysis, 2705 hours of data, taken during the years 2000-2004, are used for the event search. We combine the results of different observation runs, and obtained a single upper limit on the rate of the coalescence of compact binaries in our Galaxy of 20 per year at a 90% confidence level. In this upper limit, the effect of various systematic errors such like the uncertainty of the background estimation and the calibration of the detector's sensitivity are included.Comment: 8 pages, 4 Postscript figures, uses revtex4.sty The author list was correcte

Observation results by the TAMA300 detector on gravitational wave bursts from stellar-core collapses

We present data-analysis schemes and results of observations with the TAMA300 gravitational-wave detector, targeting burst signals from stellar-core collapse events. In analyses for burst gravitational waves, the detection and fake-reduction schemes are different from well-investigated ones for a chirp-wave analysis, because precise waveform templates are not available. We used an excess-power filter for the extraction of gravitational-wave candidates, and developed two methods for the reduction of fake events caused by non-stationary noises of the detector. These analysis schemes were applied to real data from the TAMA300 interferometric gravitational wave detector. As a result, fake events were reduced by a factor of about 1000 in the best cases. The resultant event candidates were interpreted from an astronomical viewpoint. We set an upper limit of 2.2x10^3 events/sec on the burst gravitational-wave event rate in our Galaxy with a confidence level of 90%. This work sets a milestone and prospects on the search for burst gravitational waves, by establishing an analysis scheme for the observation data from an interferometric gravitational wave detector

看護基礎教育におけるActive Learningの手法を用いた公衆衛生学教育の試み（第3報）

本研究は、A 大学看護学部の看護基礎教育で実施されたActive Leaning の手法を用いた公衆衛生学の演習プログラムにおける学生の学びを明らかにすることを目的とした。対象は、A 大学看護学部の学士課程に在籍する２年次の学生であり、演習は、大学に対する「大学内禁煙対策に対する政策提言」を目指し、３年間を一纏まりとして計画され、３年目の演習では、大学内の禁煙対策で使用できるパンフレットを作成した。その結果、学生は「公衆衛生入門で学んだ地域の特性、生活環境特性から対象に必要なケアを見出し、予防的行動を促すという視点は、病棟看護師にも必要なものである」などの学びを得ていた。また、本演習を通し看護学部と保健センターが連携したことで、大学内で防煙・卒煙の取り組み等が行われるようになった。現実の課題を題材にActive Leaning の手法を用いた本稿の試みは、当初の目的以上の展開を迎えたと考えられるが、その分析については今後の課題である

看護基礎教育におけるActive Learningの手法を用いた公衆衛生学教育の試み（第2報）

本研究は、Ａ大学看護学部の看護基礎教育で実施されたActive Leaning の手法を用いた公衆衛生学の演習プログラムの2 年目の取り組みを記述し、学生が捉えた公衆衛生学を学ぶ意義と看護職が禁煙対策に取り組む意義の2 つを明らかにすることを目的とした。対象は、2015 年度Ａ大学看護学部の学士課程に在籍した2 年次の学生であり、2 年目の演習は、大学におけるプライマリーインフォーマントとキーインフォーマントに対するインタビュー調査を実施した。その結果、学生は【看護・公衆衛生は全ての人々を対象とすることを実感する】こと、【看護学生として大学の健康増進・予防活動でできることがある】と感じることなどを公衆衛生学を学ぶ意義と捉えていた。また、看護職が禁煙対策に取り組む意義として【人々の生命を守るという看護職の使命を果たすことに繋がる】ことなどをあげており、演習が学生の主体性を高め、自身の看護観を深めることに寄与していることが示唆された