Belt electrode tetanus muscle stimulation reduces denervation-induced atrophy of rat multiple skeletal muscle groups.

Belt electrode-skeletal muscle electrical stimulation (B-SES) involves the use of belt-shaped electrodes to contract multiple muscle groups simultaneously. Twitch contractions have been demonstrated to protect against denervation-induced muscle atrophy in rats, possibly through mitochondrial biosynthesis. This study examined whether inducing tetanus contractions with B-SES suppresses muscle atrophy and identified the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Estimation of breeding population size using DNA-based pedigree reconstruction in brown bears.

Robust estimates of demographic parameters are critical for effective wildlife conservation and management but are difficult to obtain for elusive species. We estimated the breeding and adult population sizes, as well as the minimum population size, in a high-density brown bear population on the Shiretoko Peninsula, in Hokkaido, Japan, using DNA-based pedigree reconstruction. A total of 1288 individuals, collected in and around the Shiretoko Peninsula between 1998 and 2020, were genotyped at 21 microsatellite loci.

Diel and monthly activity pattern of brown bears and sika deer in the Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan.

Mammals exhibit several types of diel activity pattern, including nocturnal, diurnal, crepuscular, and cathemeral. These patterns vary inter- and intra-specifically and are affected by environmental factors, individual status, and interactions with other individuals or species. Determining the factors that shape diel activity patterns is challenging but essential for understanding the behavioral ecology of animal species, and for wildlife conservation and management.

Response of an Indicator Species, , to Temporal and Spatial Variations in Sika Deer Density.

Identifying appropriate indicator species for the impact of deer on forest vegetation is crucial for forest management in deer habitats and is required to be sensitive to temporal and spatial variations in deer density. was selected as a new indicator to evaluate the response to these variations. We examined the population-level characteristics, morphological characteristics at the individual level, and grazing intensity of at temporally different deer density sites in Hokkaido, Japan.

Parent-Adolescent Agreement on Adolescents' Emotional and Behavioral Problems Assessed by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.

. The perception of emotion and behavior is different between adolescents and their parents. Parent-adolescent agreement on emotional and behavioral problems has not been well researched.

[Image Quality Characteristics of the 3D-parallel Imaging Method (CAIPIRINHA) in Abdominal MRI].

This study investigated the image quality using controlled aliasing in parallel imaging results in higher acceleration (CAIPIRINHA) to shorten the imaging time in dynamic abdominal examinations. Comparisons with the conventional generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisitions (GRAPPA) method were made by changing the sampling shift in CAIPIRINHA using a 3.0 T MRI.

Age- and sex-related emotional and behavioral problems in children with autism spectrum disorders: comparison with control children.

Aim: Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often present with emotional and behavioral problems, which could change the clinical course, especially during childhood, and affect future quality of life. The aim of this study was to clarify the age- and sex-related differences of these problems in ASD.

Methods: The study subjects were 173 patients with ASD (age: 4-16 years) and 173 age- and sex-matched community children (control group).

Risks and clinical features of colorectal cancer complicating Crohn's disease in Japanese patients.

Background And Aim: No reports on the relative risk of development of colorectal cancer (CRC) in Japanese patients with Crohn's disease (CD) have been published. The present study aimed to investigate the relative risk and the clinical features of CRC complicating CD among patients managed at Fukuoka University Chikushi Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan (a tertiary referral center for inflammatory bowel diseases).

Methods: The clinical backgrounds were analyzed of 512 patients with CD who have been treated by our department during the last 20-year period (1985-2005) (total 6212.

Error-related negativity in a visual go/no-go task: children vs. adults.

Thirteen young adults (ages 21-25) and nine children (ages 7-11) were tested on a visual go/no-go task comparing response times (RTs), error rates, and amplitude and latency changes of error-related negativity (ERN). All experimental conditions were identical for both age groups. Results are consistent with the previous flanker task research showing an increase in ERN amplitude as children age.

[Relationship between characteristic behaviors of children with AD/HD and mothers' parenting styles].

Previous studies have revealed that mothers of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) have an authoritarian parenting style. However, the psychological process of developing an authoritarian parenting style has yet to be clearly defined. To clarify this psychological process, the present study examined the hypothesis that the characteristic behaviors of children with AD/HD initially increase the mothers' parenting stress, which influences their parenting style.

Error-related negativity in children: effect of an observer.

This research assessed the effect of an observer upon error-related negativity (ERN) in 20 children (ages 7-11): 9 worked alone and 11 worked under the observation of a friend of theirs (alone/audience groups). Erroneous motor responses were recorded to Go and No-Go visual stimuli (triangles in different orientations) at three brain sites (Fz, Cz, and Pz). Results for children were consistent with past adult studies in showing a significantly larger ERN only to erroneous responses in both the alone and the audience groups.

Evaluation of fetal growth and estimation of fetal age based on skeletal growth in Hokkaido sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis Heude, 1884).

We investigated fetal development and the estimation of fetal age of 127 Hokkaido sika deer fetuses, categorizing them into three groups according to the nutritional condition of populations. The order and time of the appearance of ossification centers were clarified, and fetal age was determined based on bone length and the appearance of ossification centers. Then we observed the differences in fetal growth among three populations, and discussed the effect of poor nutrition on the fetal growth.

[Impulsive behaviors in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder].

The notion that difficulty in behavioral inhibition is the essential impairment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) has been prevailing. In this study, we assessed impulsive behaviors with regard to emotion, rule, and inattentiveness, by developing an impulsiveness scale and applying it for 103 parents of a boy with AD/HD. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of 18 items identified four primary factors: labeled emotion expression, social rule, rule in conversation, and inattentiveness.

Mortality and cause of death in Japanese patients with Crohn's disease.

Purpose: There are no reports based on long-term observation on mortality caused by Crohn's disease in Japan because of the small number of patients recorded throughout the 1970s. Because Crohn's disease patients in Japan are exempt from medical expenses, Crohn's disease is treated mainly with nutritional therapy and less frequently with corticosteroids. This study sought to estimate mortality and cause of death by Crohn's disease in Japan in the referred population.

Orbitofrontal cortex dysfunction in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder revealed by reversal and extinction tasks.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been considered a mental illness in which the frontal lobe is dysfunctional. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) controls emotional and motivational behaviors which are impaired in ADHD. Patients with OFC damage have shown impaired performance in reversal and extinction tasks in a simple go/no-go paradigm.