The Amphibious Mudskipper: A Unique Model Bridging the Gap of Central Actions of Osmoregulatory Hormones Between Terrestrial and Aquatic Vertebrates

Body fluid regulation, or osmoregulation, continues to be a major topic in comparative physiology, and teleost fishes have been the subject of intensive research. Great progress has been made in understanding the osmoregulatory mechanisms including drinking behavior in teleosts and mammals. Mudskipper gobies can bridge the gap from aquatic to terrestrial habitats by their amphibious behavior, but the studies are yet emerging. In this review, we introduce this unique teleost as a model to study osmoregulatory behaviors, particularly amphibious behaviors regulated by the central action of hormones. Regarding drinking behavior of mammals, a thirst sensation is aroused by angiotensin II (Ang II) through direct actions on the forebrain circumventricular structures, which predominantly motivates them to search for water and take it into the mouth for drinking. By contrast, aquatic teleosts can drink water that is constantly present in their mouth only by reflex swallowing, and Ang II induces swallowing by acting on the hindbrain circumventricular organ without inducing thirst. In mudskippers, however, through the loss of buccal water by swallowing, which appears to induce buccal drying on land, Ang II motivates these fishes to move to water for drinking. Thus, mudskippers revealed a unique thirst regulation by sensory detection in the buccal cavity. In addition, the neurohypophysial hormones, isotocin (IT) and vasotocin (VT), promote migration to water via IT receptors in mudskippers. VT is also dipsogenic and the neurons in the forebrain may mediate their thirst. VT regulates social behaviors as well as osmoregulation. The VT-induced migration appears to be a submissive response of subordinate mudskippers to escape from competitive and dehydrating land. Together with implications of VT in aggression, mudskippers may bridge the multiple functions of neurohypophysial hormones. Interestingly, cortisol, an important hormone for seawater adaptation and stress response in teleosts, also stimulates the migration toward water, mediated possibly via the mineralocorticoid receptor. The corticosteroid system that is responsive to external stressors can accelerate emergence of migration to alternative habitats. In this review, we suggest this unique teleost as an important model to deepen insights into the behavioral roles of these hormones in relation to osmoregulation

Monetary Diet Cost is Associated with not only Favorable but also Unfavorable Aspects of Diet in Pregnant Japanese Women: The Osaka Maternal and Child Health Study

While several observational studies in European countries have shown that higher monetary diet cost is associated with healthier diets, information on the relationship of cost to diet quality in other countries is sparse, including Japan. This cross-sectional study examined the association between monetary diet cost and dietary intake in a group of pregnant Japanese women. Subjects were 596 pregnant Japanese housewives. Dietary intake was estimated using a validated, self-administered, comprehensive diet history questionnaire. Monetary diet cost was calculated using retail food prices. Values of monetary diet cost and nutrient and food intake were energy-adjusted using the density method. Monetary diet cost was associated positively with the intake of protein, total fat, saturated fatty acids, dietary fiber, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamins A, D, E, C, and folate, and inversely with that of carbohydrate. For foods, cost was associated positively with the intake of potatoes, pulses and nuts, fish and shellfish, meat, dairy products, vegetables, and fruits, and inversely with that of rice and bread. No association was seen for noodles, confectioneries and sugars, fats and oils, or eggs. Cost was also associated inversely with dietary energy density. In conclusion, monetary diet cost was associated with not only favorable aspects of diet, including a higher intake of dietary fiber, key vitamins and minerals, fruits, and vegetables and lower dietary energy density, but also unfavorable aspects, including a higher intake of fat and sodium and lower intake of carbohydrate and rice, in a group of pregnant Japanese women

Comparative sequence analysis of leucine-rich repeats (LRRs) within vertebrate toll-like receptors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a central role in innate immunity. TLRs are membrane glycoproteins and contain leucine rich repeat (LRR) motif in the ectodomain. TLRs recognize and respond to molecules such as lipopolysaccharide, peptidoglycan, flagellin, and RNA from bacteria or viruses. The LRR domains in TLRs have been inferred to be responsible for molecular recognition. All LRRs include the highly conserved segment, LxxLxLxxNxL, in which "L" is Leu, Ile, Val, or Phe and "N" is Asn, Thr, Ser, or Cys and "x" is any amino acid. There are seven classes of LRRs including "typical" ("<b><it>T</it></b>") and "bacterial" ("<b><it>S</it></b>"). All known domain structures adopt an arc or horseshoe shape. Vertebrate TLRs form six major families. The repeat numbers of LRRs and their "phasing" in TLRs differ with isoforms and species; they are aligned differently in various databases. We identified and aligned LRRs in TLRs by a new method described here.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The new method utilizes known LRR structures to recognize and align new LRR motifs in TLRs and incorporates multiple sequence alignments and secondary structure predictions. TLRs from thirty-four vertebrate were analyzed. The repeat numbers of the LRRs ranges from 16 to 28. The LRRs found in TLRs frequently consists of LxxLxLxxNxLxxLxxxxF/LxxLxx ("<b><it>T</it></b>") and sometimes short motifs including LxxLxLxxNxLxxLPx(x)LPxx ("<b>S</b>"). The <it>TLR7 </it>family (TLR7, TLR8, and TLR9) contain 27 LRRs. The LRRs at the N-terminal part have a super-motif of <b><it>STT </it></b>with about 80 residues. The super-repeat is represented by <b><it>STTSTTSTT </it></b>or <b><it>_TTSTTSTT</it></b>. The LRRs in TLRs form one or two horseshoe domains and are mostly flanked by two cysteine clusters including two or four cysteine residue.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Each of the six major TLR families is characterized by their constituent LRR motifs, their repeat numbers, and their patterns of cysteine clusters. The central parts of the <it>TLR1 </it>and <it>TLR7 </it>families and of TLR4 have more irregular or longer LRR motifs. These central parts are inferred to play a key role in the structure and/or function of their TLRs. Furthermore, the super-repeat in the <it>TLR7 </it>family suggests strongly that "bacterial" and "typical" LRRs evolved from a common precursor.</p

Unilateral cystic inner ear anomalies in siblings.

Unilateral cystic inner ear anomalies were diagnosed in two siblings, a 9 year old boy and a 6 year old girl. X-ray examination of the temporal bone was performed, together with audiological examinations and vestibular function tests. The common tomographic X-ray findings consisted of an enlarged solitary sac type deformity of the vestibule with narrowing of the internal auditory canal, severe hypoplasia of the anterior semicircular canal and no visualized cochlea. Pure-tone audiometry revealed severe mixed type of hearing loss in the right ear in both children. The test for vestibular function showed no response to caloric testing.</p

Application of hot spring pool training in outpatients with chronic diseases and its clinical evaluation

1996年4月より6月までの3ヵ月間に,三朝分院内の温泉プールで水泳ないし歩行訓練を受けた内科外来患者は延べ2109例(実数213例)で,外来患者総数(延べ6848例)に対する利用率は30.8%であった｡これらの対象症例について,リハビリテーション受診カードにより,性別,年令別,疾患別の検討を行った｡その結果,性別では女性が多く(72.3%),年齢別では50才以上の患者が多い(80.3%)傾向が見られた｡また,地域別検討では,鳥取県内からの患 者が多い(88.3%)傾向であった。さらに,1996年12月より1997年1月へかけて,アンケート調査を行い(集計数;64例)継続期間,利用回数,効果を感じた期間,効果のあった症状などについて疾患別に比較検討した｡その結果,慢性閉塞性肺疾患を主とした呼吸器疾患では,週に1～2回の利用回数(50.0%)で長期間(3年以上:52.9%)続けている患者が多い傾向であった｡また慢性関節リウマチ,腰痛などの慢性疼痛性疾患では,訓練期間は比較的短期間であっ たが（3年以下:52.9%),利用回数は週に3～5回(38.0%)と多い傾向が見られた。温泉プール訓練では,疾患本来の症状改善に加えて,全身状態の改善,精神的リラックス,気分転換などを感じていることが示唆された｡For three months from April to June in 1996, 2109(30.8%) of 6848 outpatients (the total number) had swimming and walking traning in a hot spring pool. Of the 213 patients (the actual number), the numbers of female patients (72.3%), of patients over the age of 50 (80.3%), and of those coming inside Tottori prefecture (88.3%) were larger in analysis by the consultation cards for rehabillitation. The results of questionnaire from the patients performed from December 1996 to January 1997 demonstrated that patients with chronic respiratory disease had pool training 1 to 2 times a week (50.0%) and for longer term (more than 3 years, 52.9%), and patients with chronic pain disease had the training 3 to 5 times a week (38.0%) and for shoter term (less than 3 years, 61.9%). It was suggested from the results that tha training in a hot spring pool improved subjective and objective symptoms of each disease, and, furthermore, brought about improvement of general condition, psychological relaxation, and a change of feeling

Solitary mandibular metastasis as an initial manifestation of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Oral metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma are very rare. We encountered a case of hepatocellular carcinoma with a solitary metastasis to the mandible as an initial manifestation. The patient was a 76-year-old man who was admitted for left mandibular swelling. A biopsy specimen of mandible was suspected to be a metastatic tumor. The histological findings, abdominal computed tomography, bone scintigraphy, and F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) revealed it to be a solitary metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma. As a result, he was diagnosed to have liver cirrhosis due to a hepatitis C virus infection and hepatocellular carcinoma with a solitary metastasis to the mandible. The primary lesion was treated with transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE), and the metastasis to the mandible was surgically resected. The patient survived for 9 months after treatment without recurrence

Dark Rearing Promotes the Recovery of Visual Cortical Responses but Not the Morphology of Geniculocortical Axons in Amblyopic Cat

Monocular deprivation (MD) of vision during early postnatal life induces amblyopia, and most neurons in the primary visual cortex lose their responses to the closed eye. Anatomically, the somata of neurons in the closed-eye recipient layer of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) shrink and their axons projecting to the visual cortex retract. Although it has been difficult to restore visual acuity after maturation, recent studies in rodents and cats showed that a period of exposure to complete darkness could promote recovery from amblyopia induced by prior MD. However, in cats, which have an organization of central visual pathways similar to humans, the effect of dark rearing only improves monocular vision and does not restore binocular depth perception. To determine whether dark rearing can completely restore the visual pathway, we examined its effect on the three major concomitants of MD in individual visual neurons, eye preference of visual cortical neurons and soma size and axon morphology of LGN neurons. Dark rearing improved the recovery of visual cortical responses to the closed eye compared with the recovery under binocular conditions. However, geniculocortical axons serving the closed eye remained retracted after dark rearing, whereas reopening the closed eye restored the soma size of LGN neurons. These results indicate that dark rearing incompletely restores the visual pathway, and thus exerts a limited restorative effect on visual function