Scaffold attachment factor B (SAFB)1 and SAFB2 cooperatively inhibit the intranuclear mobility and function of ERα.

Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) plays a key role in physiological and pathophysiological processes as a ligand-activated transcriptional factor that is regulated by cofactors. ERα-mediated transcriptional regulation is closely correlated with the mobility of ERα in the nucleus in association with the nuclear matrix, the framework for nuclear events including transcription. However, the relationship between ERα mobility and the cofactors of ERα is unclear.

Bone marrow-derived cells from the footprint infiltrate into the repaired rotator cuff.

Background: Cells from the bone marrow are considered important during the rotator cuff repair process, but the kinetics of bone marrow-derived cells in this process is unknown.

Purpose: To analyze the kinetics of bone marrow cells during the rotator cuff repair process, to review whether or not they are histologically involved in rotator cuff healing, and to analyze the biomechanics of the repaired tissues.

Methods: Bone marrow chimeric rats that express green fluorescent protein (GFP) only in bone marrow- and circulation-derived cells were created.

Oestrogen-dependent suppression of pulsatile luteinising hormone secretion and kiss1 mRNA expression in the arcuate nucleus during late lactation in rats.

Follicular development and ovulation are strongly suppressed during lactation in mammals via a profound suppression of gonadotrophin secretion. The present study aimed to examine the role of oestrogen feedback action in suppressing luteinising hormone (LH) secretion and hypothalamic kisspeptin expression during the latter half of lactation. Plasma LH concentrations kept at low levels throughout the lactating period in intact and oestrogen-replaced ovariectomised (OVX) lactating rats, whereas plasma LH concentrations gradually elevated from day 10 postpartum in lactating OVX rats.

Evolution of vertebrate tissues driven by differential modes of gene duplication.

In this study, we investigated the evolution of vertebrate tissues by examining the potential association among gene expression, duplication, and base substitution patterns. In particular, we compared whole-genome duplication (WGD) with small-scale duplication (SSD), as well as tissue restricted with ubiquitously expressed genes. All patterns were also analysed in the light of gene evolutionary rates.

Comprehensive primer design for analysis of population genetics in non-sequenced organisms.

Nuclear sequence markers are useful tool for the study of the history of populations and adaptation. However, it is not easy to obtain multiple nuclear primers for organisms with poor or no genomic sequence information. Here we used the genomes of organisms that have been fully sequenced to design comprehensive sets of primers to amplify polymorphic genomic fragments of multiple nuclear genes in non-sequenced organisms.

Epigenetic mechanisms are involved in sexual differentiation of the brain.

Sexual differentiation of the brain can be considered as a process during which effects of sex steroid hormones secreted during early development is maintained into adulthood. Epigenetic regulation is emerging as a potentially important mechanism of conveyance of long-lasting effects of the hormonal and environmental milieu in the developing brain. Evidence has accumulated to show that epigenetic regulation is involved in the control of sexual differentiation of the brain.

Divergence in sex steroid hormone signaling between sympatric species of Japanese threespine stickleback.

Sex steroids mediate the expression of sexually dimorphic or sex-specific traits that are important both for mate choice within species and for behavioral isolation between species. We investigated divergence in sex steroid signaling between two sympatric species of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus): the Japan Sea form and the Pacific Ocean form. These sympatric forms diverge in both male display traits and female mate choice behaviors, which together contribute to asymmetric behavioral isolation in sympatry.

Rapid signaling of steroid hormones in the vertebrate nervous system.

Steroid hormones easily cross the blood-brain barrier because of their physicochemical lipid solubility. The hormones act through nuclear receptor-mediated mechanisms and modulate gene transcription. In contrast to their genomic actions, the non-genomic rapid action of steroid hormones, acting via various types of membrane-associated receptors, reveals pharmacological properties that are distinct from the actions of the intracellular nuclear receptors.

TGF-β-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition of A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells is enhanced by pro-inflammatory cytokines derived from RAW 264.7 macrophage cells.

Cancer cells undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) during invasion and metastasis. Although transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and pro-inflammatory cytokines have been implicated in EMT, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Here, we studied the effects of proinflammatory cytokines derived from the mouse macrophage cell line RAW 264.

Immunohistochemical analysis of the effects of estrogen on intraarticular neurogenic inflammation in a rat anterior cruciate ligament transection model of osteoarthritis.

Synovitis is considered as one of the factors associated with the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). There is currently a significant amount of research linking estrogen deficiencies with the development of OA in estrogen-deficient women, including postmenopausal women; however, the exact etiology remains unclear. Various neuropeptides, such as substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), have been shown to contribute to synovitis in OA joints, and the influence of estrogen on the expressions of SP and CGRP in the synovium of OA joints has been noted.

Home-based music strategies with individuals who have dementia and their family caregivers.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to test a caregiver-administered music program with family members who have dementia. The music protocol was designed to reduce distress and enhance satisfaction with caregiving, while offering the person with dementia the potential to improve mood and psychological state. Fourteen elders with dementia and their family caregivers were recruited, and 8 completed the protocol.

A novel cardioport for beating-heart, image-guided intracardiac surgery.

Objective: Intracardiac beating-heart procedures require the introduction and exchange of complex instruments and devices. To prevent potential complications such as air embolism and bleeding, a universal cardioport was designed and tested.

Methods: The design consists of a port body and a series of interchangeable sleeves.

Case of metastatic pulmonary carcinoma in optic disc diagnosed from results of biopsy performed during vitrectomy surgery.

Background: Most intraocular metastatic tumors occur in the uveal tract, while isolated metastasis to the optic nerve is rarely found. We report a case of metastasis to the optic disc from primary lung cancer, diagnosed from biopsy findings obtained during a vitrectomy.

Patient And Methods: A 69-year-old male presented with gradual visual impairment due to a milky white tumour that extended from the optic disc into the vitreous cavity.

[Final report of the working group for the future planning of the Japanese Association of Anatomists].

The working group for the future planning of the Japanese Association of Anatomists (JAA) has been working to address the issues that were consulted from the president of JAA since October 2009. After making the interim report in March 2010, a public hearing for general members of the JAA was held and a final report was submitted to the President in January 2011. The report contains the analysis of the current situation, the directions in which we should proceed, and recommendations of concrete actions that JAA should take for each issue.

Positive effect on bone fusion by the combination of platelet-rich plasma and a gelatin β-tricalcium phosphate sponge: a study using a posterolateral fusion model of lumbar vertebrae in rats.

We developed a novel method for bone fusion by combining platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and a gelatin β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) sponge. The PRP is an autologous concentration of platelets that includes several growth factors. The gelatin β-TCP sponge comprises gelatin and β-TCP, thus enabling the sustained release of growth factors and osteoconduction.

The long-term consequences of hybridization between the two Daphnia species, D. galeata and D. dentifera, in mature habitats.

Background: Ecological specializations such as antipredator defense can reinforce morphological and distributional divergence within hybridizing species. Two hybridizing species of Daphnia (D. galeata and D.

Histone deacetylation during brain development is essential for permanent masculinization of sexual behavior.

Epigenetic histone modifications are emerging as important mechanisms for conveyance of and maintenance of effects of the hormonal milieu to the developing brain. We hypothesized that alteration of histone acetylation status early in development by sex steroid hormones is important for sexual differentiation of the brain. It was found that during the critical period for sexual differentiation, histones associated with promoters of essential genes in masculinization of the brain (estrogen receptor α and aromatase) in the medial preoptic area, an area necessary for male sexual behavior, were differentially acetylated between the sexes.

Metastatic malignant melanoma presenting as an appendiceal mucocele.

Melanoma metastatic to the appendix is extremely rare. Here we describe a case of a 31-year-old female from Bolivia with a remote history of metastatic malignant melanoma first diagnosed as a cutaneous malignant melanoma ten years prior to this presentation. The patient was being followed for a mucocele which on resection was found to be metastatic melanoma.

Highly visible expression of an oxytocin-monomeric red fluorescent protein 1 fusion gene in the hypothalamus and posterior pituitary of transgenic rats.

We have generated rats bearing an oxytocin (OXT)-monomeric red fluorescent protein 1 (mRFP1) fusion transgene. The mRFP1 fluorescence was highly visible in ventral part of the supraoptic nucleus (SON) and the posterior pituitary in a whole mount. mRFP1 fluorescence in hypothalamic sections was also observed in the SON, the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), and the internal layer of the median eminence.

Intranuclear dynamics of corticosteroid receptors and effects of proteasomal activity in cultured hippocampal neural cells.

Adrenal corticosteroids readily enter the brain and exert markedly diverse effects, such as stress responses in the target neural cells. These effects are regulated by two receptor systems via the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which are both ligand-dependent transcription factors. Several steroid hormone receptors including GR, estrogen receptor, and androgen receptor, have been shown to move rapidly in the nucleus even after ligand treatment, supposedly corresponding to transcriptional "fine-tuning".

Negative pressure wound therapy for left ventricular assist device-related mediastinitis: two case reports.

We report two cases of successful use of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) to control of left ventricular assist device (LVAD)-related mediastinitis. It is difficult to treat mediastinitis in patients who have undergone LVAD implantation, because it is impossible to remove the infected artificial materials from the mediastinal space. This report indicates that NPWT might become the preferred therapeutic option for control of mediastinitis in patients who have undergone LVAD implantation.

The MC1R gene in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata): Genotypic and phenotypic polymorphisms.

Background: The guppy (Poecilia reticulata) is an important model organism for studying sexual selection; male guppies have complex and conspicuous pigmentation, and female guppies exhibit preferences for males with specific color spots. Understanding the genetic basis underlying pigmentation variation in the guppy is important for exploring the factors causing the maintenance of color polymorphism in wild populations.

Findings: We focused on the melanic black pigmentation of guppies, and examined genetic variations in the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene because variation in this gene is known to contribute to polymorphism of melanin pigmentation in several animal species.

In vivo assessment of peripheral nerve regeneration by diffusion tensor imaging.

Purpose: To evaluate the sensitivity of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in assessing peripheral nerve regeneration in vivo. We assessed the changes in the DTI parameters and histological analyses after nerve injury to examine degeneration and regeneration in the rat sciatic nerves.

Materials And Methods: For magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 16 rats were randomly divided into two groups: group P (permanently crushed; n = 7) and group T (temporally crushed; n = 9).

Successful treatment of mediastinitis after ventricular assist device implantation with rerouting of the outflow vascular prosthesis.

We report successful treatment of mediastinitis with rerouting of the outflow vascular prosthesis after bi-ventricular assist device (Bi-VAD) implantation. A 23 years-old male with fulminant myocarditis underwent VAD implantation. He required sternotomy three times.