Infant's Behaviour Checklist for low birth weight infants and later neurodevelopmental outcome.

Assessment of the characteristics of spontaneous movements and behaviour in early infancy helps in estimating developmental outcomes. We introduced the Infant Behaviour Checklist (IBC) and examined the relationship between the behavioural characteristics of low-birth-weight infants and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 6 years of age. The behavioural characteristics during the neonatal (36-43 weeks, adjusted) and early infancy periods (49-60 weeks, adjusted) were assessed in very-low-birth-weight infants.

Quantification of amygdalin, prunasin, total cyanide and free cyanide in powdered loquat seeds.

Amygdalin, prunasin, total cyanide and free cyanide concentrations in 12 powdered loquat seeds were investigated. Loquat () is a species of flowering plant in the family , and its fruit is quite popular in Japan. Amygdalin and prunasin were measured using LC-MS/MS.

Evaluation of Fidgety Movements of Infants Based on Gestalt Perception Reflects Differences in Limb Movement Trajectory Curvature.

Background: Infants aged 2 to 5 months show spontaneous general movements (GMs) of the whole body, which are referred to as fidgety movements (FMs). Although previous studies have shown that evaluation of GMs by the General Movement Assessment (GMA) has predictive value about later neurological impairments, it remains unknown whether raters consistently perceive and rate such complex kinematic information.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to construct a method to reveal which movement features are associated with each rater's evaluation of FMs based on the GMA.

[A Rapid and Simple Method for Detection of Colchicum autumnale Using PCR].

Colchicum autumnale is a perennial, toxic plant that originated in Europe and North Africa. Although inedible, it is occasionally consumed accidentally because it resembles the edible Allium victorialis and other related species. This misidentification has led to episodes of food poisoning in Japan.

Early motor signs of autism spectrum disorder in spontaneous position and movement of the head.

We examined the characteristics of spontaneous movements at 9-20 weeks postterm age in very low birth-weight infants who later developed autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We analyzed video recordings of spontaneous movements of 39 children who had no clinical issues [typically developing (TD) group], 21 children who showed developmental delay, and 14 children who were diagnosed with ASD (ASD group) at 6 years of age. Head position in each video frame was classified by visual inspection.

[Identification of Alocasia odora (Kuwazuimo in Japanese) Using PCR Method].

Kuwazuimo (Alocasia odora) and shimakuwazuimo (Alocasia cucullata) are evergreen perennial plants that originated in East Asia. Although inedible, they are occasionally eaten by mistake because they resemble satoimo (Colocasia esculenta), and this has caused food poisoning in Japan. It is not easy to determine the cause of a food poisoning outbreak from the shape or chemical composition when the available sample is small.

Jerky spontaneous movements at term age in preterm infants who later developed cerebral palsy.

Background: Assessment of spontaneous movements in infants has been a powerful predictor of cerebral palsy (CP). Recent advancements on computer-based video analysis can provide detailed information about the properties of spontaneous movements.

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between spontaneous movements of the 4 limbs at term age and the development of CP at 3 years of age by using a computer-based video analysis system.

Specific characteristics of spontaneous movements in preterm infants at term age are associated with developmental delays at age 3 years.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the characteristics of spontaneous movements in preterm infants at term age and developmental delay at 3 years of age.

Method: We analysed video recordings of the spontaneous movements in the supine position of 124 preterm infants (44 males, 80 females) at 36 to 44 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA). The infants were born preterm (22-36wks PMA; birthweight 489-1696g) and had not received a diagnosis of a neurological or developmental disorder by the age of 3 years.

Role of wild-type p53 in apoptotic and non-apoptotic cell death induced by X-irradiation and heat treatment in p53-mutated mouse M10 cells.

The sensitizing effects of wild-type p53 on X-ray-induced cell death and on heat-induced apoptosis in M10, a radiosensitive and Trp53 (mouse p53 gene)-mutated lymphoma cell line which dies through necrosis by X-irradiation, were investigated using three M10 derived transfectants with wild-type TP53 (human p53 gene). Cell death was determined by colony formation and/or dye exclusion test, and apoptosis was detected as the changes in nuclear morphology by Giemsa staining. Expression of wild-type p53 protein increased radiosensitivity of cell death as determined by both clonogenic and dye exclusion assays.

Threshold level of p53 required for the induction of apoptosis in X-irradiated MOLT-4 cells.

Purpose: To determine the threshold level for the initiation of apoptosis by studying the quantitative aspect of p53 response to DNA damage in individual cells, to better understand the process in X-ray-induced p53-dependent apoptosis.

Methods And Materials: Time-sequential changes in p53 protein level were obtained for X-irradiated MOLT-4 cells using flow cytometry and analyzed.

Results: The changes in the cellular frequency distribution pattern of p53 content could be divided into two parts at a certain p53 level.

Different contributions of the indirect effects of gamma-rays on the cytotoxicity in M10 and XRCC4 transfected M10 cells.

The protective effects of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) against cell killing by (137)Cs gamma-rays were investigated in XRCC4-deficient cell line M10, XRCC4-complemented M10 and the parental mouse leukemia cell line L5178Y. Cell survival was determined by the colony-forming ability. M10 cells were more sensitive to gamma-ray-induced cell death than L5178Y and complemented M10 cells.

Contribution of indirect action to radiation-induced mammalian cell inactivation: dependence on photon energy and heavy-ion LET.

The contribution of indirect action mediated by OH radicals to cell inactivation by ionizing radiations was evaluated for photons over the energy range from 12.4 keV to 1.25 MeV and for heavy ions over the linear energy transfer (LET) range from 20 keV/microm to 440 keV/microm by applying competition kinetics analysis using the OH radical scavenger DMSO.

Effects of single-pulse (< or = 1 ps) X-rays from laser-produced plasmas on mammalian cells.

The effects of low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation on mammalian cells have been studied at dose-rates as high as 10(9) Gy/sec delivered as a single 3-nanosecond pulse, and no increase in cytotoxicity was shown compared with delivery at a conventional dose-rate. There have been no observations on the effects of radiation delivered at even higher dose-rates on the picosecond time-scale. Here we examined, for the first time, the effects on cultured mouse L5178Y cells and its radiosensitive XRCC4-deficient mutant M10 cells of sub-picosecond X-rays emitted from laser-produced plasmas at the ultrahigh dose-rate of 10(12)-10(13) Gy/sec.

Delayed expression of apoptosis in X-irradiated human leukemic MOLT-4 cells transfected with mutant p53.

The effects of X-rays on cell survival, apoptosis, and long-term response in the development of cell death as measured by the dye exclusion test were studied in human leukemic MOLT-4 cells (p53 wild-type) stably transfected with a mutant p53 cDNA expression vector. Cell survival, as determined from colony-forming ability, was increased in an expression level dependent manner, but the increase was partial even with the highest-expressing clone (B3). This contrasts with the prior observation that cell death and apoptosis in B3 are completely inhibited at 24 h after irradiation with 1.

Time sequence analysis of caspase-3-independent programmed cell death and apoptosis in X-irradiated human leukemic MOLT-4 cells.

It has been demonstrated that caspase-3 is responsible for determining the mode of cell death, i.e., apoptosis or necrosis.

A possible intermediate step during apoptotic execution.

Many proteases are known to be involved in apoptosis. Among them, interleukin-1beta converting enzyme (ICE) and its family proteases, which are called caspases, play critical roles in the execution stage of apoptosis. We previously reported that a proteasome-inhibitor, benzyloxycarbonyl Leu-Leu-leucinal (ZLLLal), induced apoptosis in MOLT-4 cells.