Neck range of motion measurements using a new three-dimensional motion analysis system: validity and repeatability.

Purpose: Neck movement is important for many activities of daily living (ADL). Neck disorders, such as cervical spondylosis and whiplash can limit neck movement and ADL. The cervical range of motion (CROM) device has been recently used to measure neck range of motion (ROM); however, this measurement includes trunk motion, and therefore does not represent a pure neck ROM measurement.

Age-related decrease of IF5/BTG4 in oral and respiratory cavities in mice.

An IF5 cDNA was isolated by expression cloning from a mouse oocyte cDNA library. It encoded a protein of 250 amino acids, and the region of it encoding amino acids 1-137 showed 86.8% alignment with the anti-proliferative domain of BTG/TOB family genes.

Pain: a distributed brain information network?

Understanding how pain is processed in the brain has been an enduring puzzle, because there doesn't appear to be a single "pain cortex" that directly codes the subjective perception of pain. An emerging concept is that, instead, pain might emerge from the coordinated activity of an integrated brain network. In support of this view, Woo and colleagues present evidence that distinct brain networks support the subjective changes in pain that result from nociceptive input and self-directed cognitive modulation.

Oral collagen-derived dipeptides, prolyl-hydroxyproline and hydroxyprolyl-glycine, ameliorate skin barrier dysfunction and alter gene expression profiles in the skin.

Oral supplementation with collagen hydrolysate (CH) has been shown to improve the condition of the skin in humans and experimental animals. Several hydroxyproline-containing oligo-peptides were previously detected in human peripheral blood after the ingestion of CH, and the two dipeptides, prolyl-hydroxyproline (PO) and hydroxyprolyl-glycine (OG), have been proposed to have beneficial effects on human health. When HR-1 hairless mice were fed a HR-AD diet, which lacked magnesium and zinc, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) increased and water content of stratum corneum decreased.

Collagen-derived dipeptide prolyl-hydroxyproline promotes differentiation of MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells.

Prolyl-hydroxyproline (Pro-Hyp) is one of the major constituents of collagen-derived dipeptides. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of Pro-Hyp on the proliferation and differentiation of MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells. Addition of Pro-Hyp did not affect MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation and matrix mineralization but alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly increased.

Discovery of novel adenylyl cyclase inhibitor by cell-based screening.

We screened 2400 compounds to find novel inhibitors of the adenylyl cyclase (AC)-protein kinase A (PKA)-cAMP response-element-binding protein (CREB) signaling pathway (AC/PKA/CREB pathway). Using a multistep cell-based screening system employing split luciferase technique, we narrowed down the candidates effectively from 2400 chemical compounds and identified a novel AC inhibitor (compound 1). Since dysregulation of the AC/PKA/CREB pathway is known to cause diseases not only in the nervous system but also in other organs, compound 1 is expected to be developed as a medicine for these diseases.

Recurrent CDC25C mutations drive malignant transformation in FPD/AML.

Familial platelet disorder (FPD) with predisposition to acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) is characterized by platelet defects with a propensity for the development of haematological malignancies. Its molecular pathogenesis is poorly understood, except for the role of germline RUNX1 mutations. Here we show that CDC25C mutations are frequently found in FPD/AML patients (53%).

Tissue velocity imaging-based atrial fibrillatory cycle length and wall motion for predicting atrial structural remodeling in patients undergoing catheter ablation.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) causes atrial electrical and structural remodeling, which are linked to recurrence of AF after ablation. Atrial fibrillatory cycle length (AFCL) and AF wall motion velocity (AFW-V) obtained by tissue velocity imaging (TVI) might characterize such atrial electrical and structural remodeling. The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical and electrophysiologic correlates of these parameters and their relation to ablation outcomes.

Secondary EML4-ALK-positive lung adenocarcinoma in a patient previously treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in childhood: a case report.

It is widely recognized that the risk of secondary neoplasms increases as childhood cancer survivors progress through adulthood. These are mainly hematological malignancies, and recurrent chromosome translocations are commonly detected in such cases. On the other hand, while secondary epithelial malignancies have sometimes been reported, chromosome translocations in these epithelial malignancies have not.

The effects of standard electrical PV isolation vs. "pace and ablate" on ATP-provoked PV reconnections.

Background: Catheter ablation procedures for atrial fibrillation (AF) often involve circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Lack of reliable identification of conduction gaps along the ablation line necessitates additional ablation within previous lesion sets. We conducted a retrospective comparative study to determine the best PVI strategy for prevention of PV reconnections.

Increased levels of inflammatory and extracellular matrix turnover biomarkers persist despite reverse atrial structural remodeling during the first year after atrial fibrillation ablation.

Purpose: Left atrial (LA) remodeling associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) is known to be related to inflammation and collagen turnover. We investigated the changes in the biomarkers of inflammation and collagen turnover in relation to LA reverse remodeling during the 1st year after AF ablation.

Methods: Biomarkers of inflammation [high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6)] and collagen turnover [matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), tissue inhibitor of MMP-2 (TIMP-2), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1)], as well as asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and adiponectin levels were measured, and echocardiographic measurements were obtained before and 3, 6, and 12 months after ablation in 60 AF patients (49 males; age, 57.

Development of an Agrobacterium-mediated stable transformation method for the sensitive plant Mimosa pudica.

The sensitive plant Mimosa pudica has long attracted the interest of researchers due to its spectacular leaf movements in response to touch or other external stimuli. Although various aspects of this seismonastic movement have been elucidated by histological, physiological, biochemical, and behavioral approaches, the lack of reverse genetic tools has hampered the investigation of molecular mechanisms involved in these processes. To overcome this obstacle, we developed an efficient genetic transformation method for M.

Activity in early visual areas predicts interindividual differences in binocular rivalry dynamics.

When dissimilar images are presented to the two eyes, binocular rivalry (BR) occurs, and perception alternates spontaneously between the images. Although neural correlates of the oscillating perception during BR have been found in multiple sites along the visual pathway, the source of BR dynamics is unclear. Psychophysical and modeling studies suggest that both low- and high-level cortical processes underlie BR dynamics.

Possible involvement of Hcn1 ion channel in learning and memory dysfunction in SAMP8 mice.

The senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) strain exhibits age-related learning and memory deficits (LMD) at 2 months of age. Combined linkage analysis of 264 F2 intercross SAMP8 × JF1 mice and RNA-seq analysis identified Hcn1 gene out of 29 genes in the LMD region on chromosome 13. Hcn1 in SAMP8 strain showed 15 times less polyglutamine repetition compared to Japanese fancy mouse 1 (JF1).

Three-dimensional high-density bipolar contact mapping of left atrial endocardial activation during sinus rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Non-contact array mapping studies have demonstrated the existence of a line of conduction block along the septopulmonary bundle area and the posterior left atrial (LA) roof during sinus rhythm (SR). However, little is known of the global LA activation pattern during SR using a high-density contact bipolar mapping system. High-density contact bipolar isochronal mapping (bipolar mapping sites: 292 [IQR 250-348] points) of the LA was performed during SR with the NavX mapping system in 20 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) and 11 patients with non-paroxysmal AF.

Rate-dependent electrophysiologic effects of the class III antiarrhythmic drugs nifekalant, amiodarone, and ibutilide on the atrium in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.

Persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) is characterized by electrical remodeling, ie, marked decreases in the atrial effective refractory period (ERP), ERP rate adaptation, and atrial conduction velocity. Little information is available on the effects of class III antiarrhythmic drugs on the remodeled atrium. We studied the effects of the class III antiarrhythmic drugs nifekalant, ibutilide, and amiodarone on rate-dependent changes in atrial action potential duration in patients with persistent AF.

STK10 missense mutations associated with anti-apoptotic function.

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is an aggressive lymphoma with a 5-year overall survival rate of <30%. To identify carcinogenesis-related genes in PTCL, we conducted high-throughput resequencing of target-captured cDNA in a PTCL specimen, revealing a total of 19 missense mutations among 18 independent genes. One of such substitutions, c.

Activity of EGFR-tyrosine kinase and ALK inhibitors for EML4-ALK-rearranged non-small-cell lung cancer harbored coexisting EGFR mutation.

Background: The EML4-ALK (echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 gene and the anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene) fusion oncogene represents a novel molecular target in a small subset of non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). The EML4-ALK fusion gene occurs generally in NSCLC without mutations in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and KRAS.

Case Presentation: We report that a case of EML4-ALK-positive NSCLC with EGFR mutation had a response of stable disease to both an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) and ALK inhibitor.

Cancer-associated missense mutations of caspase-8 activate nuclear factor-κB signaling.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an aggressive cancer with a 5-year survival rate of ~50%. With the use of a custom cDNA-capture system coupled with massively parallel sequencing, we have now investigated transforming mechanisms for this malignancy. The cDNAs of cancer-related genes (n = 906) were purified from a human HNSCC cell line (T3M-1 Cl-10) and subjected to high-throughput resequencing, and the clinical relevance of non-synonymous mutations thus identified was evaluated with luciferase-based reporter assays.

Optimization of mirror therapy to excite ipsilateral primary motor cortex.

Background: Mirror illusion therapy (mirror therapy) is based on the experimental substrate of a visual illusion of active hand movement to excite ipsilateral primary motor cortex (iM1).

Purpose: We tested whether iM1 excitability could be modulated by enabling or disabling vision of the active hand during mirror therapy.

Method: Motor cortical activations of healthy right-handed participants were identified by magnetoencephalography.

Potential anatomic substrate of peri-atrioventricular nodal atrial tachycardia ablated from the noncoronary sinus of Valsalva.

Introduction: Although focal atrial tachycardia (AT) is known to sometimes be ablated from the noncoronary aortic cusp (NCC), the electro-anatomic characteristics of NCC-AT are not well known.

Methods: We compared the clinical, 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), and transthoracic echocardiogram characteristics of 6 women (median age, 66.5 years) with NCC-AT and 12 age-matched women (median age, 64.