The Telomere Bouquet Controls the Meiotic Spindle

SummaryBouquet formation, in which telomeres gather to a small region of the nuclear membrane in early meiosis, has been observed in diverse eukaryotes, but the function of the bouquet has remained a mystery. Here, we demonstrate that the telomere bouquet plays a crucial role in controlling the behavior of the fission yeast microtubule-organizing center (known as the spindle pole body or SPB) and the meiotic spindle. Using mutations that specifically disrupt the bouquet, we analyze chromosome, SPB, and spindle dynamics throughout meiosis. If the bouquet fails to form, the SPB becomes fragmented at meiosis I, leading to monopolar, multiple, and mislocalized spindles. Correct SPB and spindle behavior require not only the SPB recruitment of telomere proteins but also that the proteins are properly bound to telomeric DNA. This discovery illuminates an unanticipated level of communication between chromosomes and the spindle apparatus that may be widely conserved among eukaryotes

Surgery for Irradiation Damage to the Digestive Tract.

The surgical outcome of radiation injury to the gut was evaluated on the basis of clinical experience. The main affected gut was the rectum in frequency. In most cases, colostomy was selected and the affected gut was left as it was. Some suffered from bleeding episode and 4 had carcinoma arising from radiation injury. In conclusion, early resection of affected guts associated with clinical symptoms is recommended as the treatment of radiation-injured gut

ベタヒスチンが一側内耳破壊後のラットの前庭代償に与える影響

Background: Vestibular compensation (VC) after unilateral labyrinthectomy (UL) consists of the initial and late processes. These processes can be evaluated based on the decline in the frequency of spontaneous nystagmus (SN) and the number of MK801-induced Fos-positive neurons in the contralateral medial vestibular nucleus (contra-MVe) in rats. Histamine H3 receptors (H3R) are reported to be involved in the development of VC. Objective: We examined the effects of betahistine, an H3R antagonist, on the initial and late processes of VC in UL rats. Methods: Betahistine dihydrochloride was continuously administered to the UL rats at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg/day using an osmotic minipump. MK801 (1.0 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally administered on days 7, 10, 12, and 14 after UL, while Fos-positive neurons were immunohistochemically stained in the contra-MVe. Results: The SN disappeared after 42 h, and continuous infusion of betahistine did not change the decline in the frequency of SN. The number of MK801-induced Fos-positive neurons in contra-MVe significantly decreased on days 7, 10, and 12 after UL in a dose-dependent manner in the betahistine-treated rats, more so than in the saline-treated rats. Conclusion: These findings suggest that betahistine facilitated the late, but not the initial, process of VC in UL rats

Initial Experience of Percutaneous Extraction of Infected Cardiac Implantable Electric Devices Using Excimer Laser

Article信州医学雑誌 63(2):103-108 (2015)journal articl

Transcriptional response of a target plant to benzoxazinoid and diterpene allelochemicals highlights commonalities in detoxification

Background Plants growing in proximity to other plants are exposed to a variety of metabolites that these neighbors release into the environment. Some species produce allelochemicals to inhibit growth of neighboring plants, which in turn have evolved ways to detoxify these compounds. Results In order to understand how the allelochemical-receiving target plants respond to chemically diverse compounds, we performed whole-genome transcriptome analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana exposed to either the benzoxazinoid derivative 2-amino- 3H-phenoxazin-3-one (APO) or momilactone B. These two allelochemicals belong to two very different compound classes, benzoxazinoids and diterpenes, respectively, produced by different Poaceae crop species. Conclusions Despite their distinct chemical nature, we observed similar molecular responses of A. thaliana to these allelochemicals. In particular, many of the same or closely related genes belonging to the three-phase detoxification pathway were upregulated in both treatments. Further, we observed an overlap between genes upregulated by allelochemicals and those involved in herbicide detoxification. Our findings highlight the overlap in the transcriptional response of a target plant to natural and synthetic phytotoxic compounds and illustrate how herbicide resistance could arise via pathways involved in plant-plant interaction

Rationale and design of assessment of lipophilic vs. hydrophilic statin therapy in acute myocardial infarction (the ALPS-AMI) study

SummaryBackgroundStatins reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Although all statins are equally effective in secondary prevention, there might be certain differences in the effects of lipophilic and hydrophilic statins. Therefore, our aim is to compare the effectiveness of lipophilic atorvastatin and hydrophilic pravastatin in secondary prevention after AMI.Methods and resultsThis study is a prospective, randomized, open-label, multicenter study of 500 patients with AMI. Patients that have undergone successful percutaneous coronary intervention will be randomly allocated to receive either atorvastatin or pravastatin with the treatment goal of lowering their low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level below 100mg/dl for 2 years. The primary endpoint will be death due to any cause, nonfatal MI, nonfatal stroke, unstable angina, or congestive heart failure requiring hospital admission, or any type of coronary revascularization.ConclusionThis is the first multicenter trial to compare the effects and safety of lipophilic and hydrophilic statin therapy in Japanese patients with AMI. It addresses an important issue and could influence the use of statin treatment in the secondary prevention of coronary artery disease

Age-related telomere attrition in the human putamen

Age is a major risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases. Shortening of leucocyte telomeres with advancing age, arguably a measure of "biological" age, is a known phenomenon and epidemiologically correlated with age-related disease. The main mechanism of telomere shortening is cell division, rendering telomere length in post-mitotic cells presumably stable. Longitudinal measurement of human brain telomere length is not feasible, and cross-sectional cortical brain samples so far indicated no attrition with age. Hence, age-related changes in telomere length in the brain and the association between telomere length and neurodegenerative diseases remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that mean telomere length in the putamen, a part of the basal ganglia, physiologically shortens with age, like leukocyte telomeres. This was achieved by using matched brain and leukocyte-rich spleen samples from 98 post-mortem healthy human donors. Using spleen telomeres as a reference, we further found that mean telomere length was brain region-specific, as telomeres in the putamen were significantly shorter than in the cerebellum. Expression analyses of genes involved in telomere length regulation and oxidative phosphorylation revealed that both region- and age-dependent expression pattern corresponded with region-dependent telomere length dynamics. Collectively, our results indicate that mean telomere length in the human putamen physiologically shortens with advancing age and that both local and temporal gene expression dynamics correlate with this, pointing at a potential mechanism for the selective, age-related vulnerability of the nigro-striatal network

Catheter ablation of non-inducible atrial tachycardia after surgical repair of heart disease

We present a patient with non-inducible atrial tachycardia (AT) after atriotomy for surgical repair of heart disease who underwent ablation successfully. Using a 3-D mapping system, we presumed the atriotomy site on the lateral right atrial wall by searching for linear double potentials (DP) during sinus/paced rhythm from the coronary sinus, but it was evaluated incompletely. We could verify the edges of the atriotomy scar precisely by pacing from close to the linear DP lesion and the opposite site. After ablation between the presumed atriotomy scar and the inferior vena cava and cavotricuspid isthmus, no AT recurred without anti-arrhythmic drugs.ArticleHEART AND VESSELS. 27(1):114-118 (2012)journal articl