Inconsistent locomotion inhibits vection.

We measured the strength of illusory self-motion perception (vection) with and without locomotion on a treadmill. The results revealed that vection was inhibited by inconsistent locomotion, but facilitated by consistent locomotion.

A case of small pancreatic cancer with intra-pancreatic metastasis diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound.

The usefulness of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in the diagnosis of small pancreatic cancer is widely accepted. We experienced a small, 8 mm, pancreatic cancer with intra-pancreatic metastasis of 2 mm revealed by EUS. The patient was a 71-year-old female with a small low echoic tumor observed by abdominal ultrasonography.

Selective intraarterial chemoradiation therapy for oropharyngeal carcinoma with high-dose cisplatin.

Purpose: Cisplatin has shown a high tumor response rate among head and neck carcinomas, and the tumor response is related to the cisplatin dosage. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of selective intraarterial chemoradiation therapy for oropharyngeal carcinomas with high-dose cisplatin.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study consisted of 21 patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma, stages II-IVB, in whom intraarterial chemoradiation therapy was performed between 2000 and 2008.

Possible role of nitric oxide generated by leukocytes in the pathogenesis of hypertensive cerebral edema in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

We investigated the mechanisms responsible for cerebral edema in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP), including leukocyte activation and nitric oxide (NO) generation, both in vivo and in vitro. We also investigated the effects of angiotensin II (AngII) on leukocyte function in relation to NO production. Leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion in brain microvessels was investigated by electron tomography using ultra-high voltage electron microscopy.

Physiological and biochemical characterization of three nucleoside diphosphate kinase isozymes from rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDPK) is a ubiquitous enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of the γ-phosphoryl group from a nucleoside triphosphate to a nucleoside diphosphate. In this study, we examined the subcellular localization, tissue-specific gene expression, and enzymatic characteristics of three rice NDPK isozymes (OsNDPK1-OsNDPK3). Sequence comparison of the three OsNDPKs suggested differential subcellular localization.

Identification of Epstein-Barr virus-induced gene 3 as a novel serum and tissue biomarker and a therapeutic target for lung cancer.

Purpose: This study aims to identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for lung cancer.

Experimental Design: We carried out gene expression profile analysis of 120 lung cancers to screen for genes encoding transmembrane/secretory molecules that are commonly transactivated in lung cancers. Epstein-Barr virus-induced gene 3 (EBI3), which encodes a secretory glycoprotein, was selected as a good candidate.

Self-motion perception compresses time experienced in return travel.

It is often anecdotally reported that time experienced in return travel (back to the start point) seems shorter than time spent in outward travel (travel to a new destination). Here, we report the first experimental results showing that return travel time is experienced as shorter than the actual time. This discrepancy is induced by the existence of self-motion perception.

Baculovirus IAP1 induces caspase-dependent apoptosis in insect cells.

Baculoviruses encode inhibitors of apoptosis (IAPs), which are classified into five groups, IAP1-5, based on their sequence homology. Most of the baculovirus IAPs with anti-apoptotic functions belong to the IAP3 group, with certain exceptions. The functional roles of IAPs from other groups during virus infection have not been well established.

Growth rate of lung cancer recognized as small solid nodule on initial CT findings.

Introduction: To study the characteristics of lung cancer, appearing as small solid nodules on initial computed tomography (CT) findings, and to determine an appropriate follow-up duration so as to differentiate between malignancy and benign tumor.

Methods: We analyzed the records of 34 patients who had undergone surgical resection of lung cancer, which appeared as small solid nodules on initial CT findings. We studied the CT findings, volume doubling times (VDT), follow-up durations, pathological and clinical findings.

Papillary adenoma of the lung with a peculiar raw macroscopic feature.

We report a case of papillary adenoma of the lung with a peculiar raw macroscopic feature at intraoperative consultation. A 52-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for the evaluation of a solitary peripheral nodule in the left lower lobe which was detected with chest CT. When we took staples off from the stump of the partially resected lung in order to make a frozen section diagnosis, granular fragments leaked out from the stump.

Exploiting leaf starch synthesis as a transient sink to elevate photosynthesis, plant productivity and yields.

Improvements in plant productivity (biomass) and yield have centered on increasing the efficiency of leaf CO(2) fixation and utilization of products by non-photosynthetic sink organs. We had previously demonstrated a correlation between photosynthetic capacity, plant growth, and the extent of leaf starch synthesis utilizing starch-deficient mutants. This finding suggested that leaf starch is used as a transient photosynthetic sink to recycle inorganic phosphate and, in turn, maximize photosynthesis.

Delayed closure technique for a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm: report of three cases.

This report describes three cases of a delayed closure to prevent the occurrence of abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) in patients presenting with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAA). The delayed closure technique is useful for rAAA in order to prevent ACS.

Plasma high-mobility group box 1 as an indicator of surgical stress.

Purpose: High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB-1) is a late-phase cytokine, which is released extracellularly in response to systemic inflammation caused by infection, shock, or trauma. We examined the plasma levels of HMGB-1 to clarify its role in surgical stress.

Methods: The subjects of this study were 37 patients who underwent elective general surgery.

Prefrontal overactivation, autonomic arousal, and task performance under evaluative pressure: a near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) study.

To study the mechanism underlying the influence of psychological pressure on task performance, we investigated the relationship between prefrontal activation, autonomic arousal, and performance in an n-back working memory task with 3 load levels (l-, 2-, and 3-back tasks) under evaluative pressure. The tasks were performed by 32 university students with or without evaluative observation by experimenters. The error rate and prefrontal activation were found to increase with pressure only in the highest load task (3-back).

Prognostic value of preoperative FDG-PET in stage IA lung adenocarcinoma.

Background: Maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) has been found to have prognostic value. We previously reported the correlation between SUVmax and pathological invasive area, and determined an SUVmax cut-off value of 2.15 for predicting the recurrence potential of an invasive area of diameter 5mm.

Halt and recovery of illusory motion perception from peripherally viewed static images.

We quantitatively investigated the halt and recovery of illusory motion perception in static images. With steady fixation, participants viewed images causing four different motion illusions. The results showed that the time courses of the Fraser-Wilcox illusion and the modified Fraser-Wilcox illusion (i.

Food restriction improves glucose and lipid metabolism through Sirt1 expression: a study using a new rat model with obesity and severe hypertension.

Aims: To determine the effects of food restriction (FR) on the expression of Sirt1 and its down-stream factors related to lipid and glucose metabolism in obese and hypertensive rats (SHRSP/IDmcr-fa), as a model of human metabolic syndrome.

Main Methods: Male, 10-week-old SHRSP/IDmcr-fa rats were treated with 85% FR for 2 weeks. Metabolic parameters, serum adipocytokines and distribution of serum adiponectin multimers were investigated.

Degree of polymerization of inulin-type fructans differentially affects number of lactic acid bacteria, intestinal immune functions, and immunoglobulin A secretion in the rat cecum.

This study examined the role of degree of polymerization (DP) of inulin-fructans in modulating the interaction between lactic acid bacteria and IgA cecal secretion. Rats were fed a control diet or a diet containing one of the fructans with different DP. Consuming fructans increased the cecal IgA concentrations in the order DP4 > DP8 > DP16.

Attentional load inhibits vection.

In this study, we examined the effects of cognitive task performance on the induction of vection. We hypothesized that, if vection requires attentional resources, performing cognitive tasks requiring attention should inhibit or weaken it. Experiment 1 tested the effects on vection of simultaneously performing a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task.

[Case report of essential thrombocythemia with sudden onset of hemichorea].

A 68-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of sudden onset of involuntary movements, similar to those associated with chorea, of the right side of the body and for further evaluation of thrombocythemia. She had no family history of chorea. Neurological findings did not show any abnormality except for chorea of the right side.

A case of pancreatic solid-pseudopapillary neoplasm with marked ossification.

A cystic lesion of the pancreas was detected in a 25-year-old asymptomatic woman during a company medical checkup. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed an ossified lesion in the pancreatic body, and the patient was referred to us for further management. Abdominal ultrasound and endoscopic ultrasound showed a hypoechoic mass with a large ossific focus, measuring 25 mm in the pancreatic body.

Subpleural honeycombing on high resolution computed tomography is risk factor for fatal pneumonitis.

Background: Postoperative interstitial pneumonitis is a life-threatening complication after lung cancer surgery. We conducted this study to identify risk factors for postoperative interstitial pneumonitis in patients with no clinical evidence of interstitial lung disease.

Methods: We retrospectively studied patients who underwent lung cancer resection.

Motion impressions enhanced by converging motion lines.

We investigated how motion lines drawn in the background of a running human silhouette affect motion impressions of a runner in a static image. Observers evaluated the strength and direction of motion impression. The results show that parallel lines do not enhance frontoparallel motion impressions, while converging lines do so in an in-depth direction.

Specific immunoadsorption therapy using a tryptophan column in patients with refractory heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy.

Background: Certain cardiac-specific autoantibodies found in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) play a role in mediating myocardial damage and fatal ventricular arrhythmias resulting in sudden cardiac death. Immunoadsorption therapy (IA) is one of the therapeutic tools to remove such autoantibodies. Clinical studies from Germany have shown that nonspecific IA using columns loaded by sheep antihuman IgG or protein A improved hemodynamic data and affected favorably cardiac function and survival in patients with heart failure (HF) due to DCM.

[Case of pulmonary edema due to excessive hypertension following extubation].

A 54-year-old man had emergency laparoscopic chelecystectomy for acute cholecystitis. General inflammatory change (CRP 26.6 mg x dl(-1), WBC 26,800) was noted preoperatively.