Successful wound closure using fibrin glue for intractable neobladder-urethral anastomosis leakage after radical cystectomy and neobladder reconstruction.

Introduction: Complications of cystectomy and neobladder reconstruction such as anastomotic leakage have been reported. It is a common complication; however, most cases improve conservatively. The use of fibrin glue for fistulas has been reported, but no reports have shown its effectiveness for urinary tract anastomotic leakage.

Cysteine Sulfoxides Enhance Steroid Hormone Production via Activation of the Protein Kinase A Pathway in Testis-Derived I-10 Tumor Cells.

Testosterone plays an important role in male sexual characteristics and maturation, and decreased testosterone levels increase the risk of several diseases. Recently, onion extract rich in cysteine sulfoxides, which are amino acids unique to onions, has been reported to alleviate age-related symptoms resulting from decreased testosterone levels in males. However, the mechanism underlying the suppression of low testosterone levels by cysteine sulfoxides has not been elucidated.

Pancreatic-type Acinar Cell Carcinoma of the Stomach Included in Multiple Primary Carcinomas.

Background/aim: Pancreatic-type acinar cell carcinoma (ACC) in the stomach is extraordinarily rare. We pathologically examined two cases with multiple primary carcinomas, including gastric tumors.

Patients And Methods: Gastric cancer specimens were examined by immunostaining and electron microscopy.

Memory block: a consequence of conflict resolution.

Food deprivation for 1 day in the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis before aversive classical conditioning results in optimal conditioned taste aversion (CTA) and long-term memory (LTM) formation, whereas 5-day food deprivation before training does not. We hypothesize that snails do in fact learn and form LTM when trained after prolonged food deprivation, but that severe food deprivation blocks their ability to express memory. We trained 5-day food-deprived snails under various conditions, and found that memory was indeed formed but is overpowered by severe food deprivation.

Effects of serotonin on the heartbeat of pond snails in a hunger state.

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine: 5-HT) is a multimodal transmitter that controls both feeding response and heartbeat in snails. However, the effects of 5-HT on the hunger state are still unknown. We therefore examined the relation among the hunger state, the heartbeat rate and the 5-HT action in food-starved snails.

The Yerkes-Dodson law and appropriate stimuli for conditioned taste aversion in Lymnaea.

The pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis can learn conditioned taste aversion and then consolidate it into long-term memory (LTM). A high-voltage electric shock was used as the unconditioned stimulus, where we have previously used KCl. We varied the strength of both the conditioned and unconditioned stimuli to determine whether the so-called Yerkes-Dodson law prevailed.

An increase in insulin is important for the acquisition conditioned taste aversion in Lymnaea.

Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) in Lymnaea is brought about by pairing a sucrose solution (the conditioned stimulus, CS) with an electric shock (the unconditioned stimulus, US). Following repeated CS-US pairings, CTA occurs and it is consolidated into long-term memory (LTM). The best CTA is achieved, if snails are food-deprived for 1 day before training commences.

The cholinergic system in the olfactory center of the terrestrial slug Limax.

Acetylcholine plays various important roles in the central nervous system of invertebrates as well as vertebrates. In the olfactory center of the terrestrial slug Limax, the local field potential (LFP) oscillates, and the change in its oscillatory frequency is thought to correlate with the detection of odor that potentially changes an ongoing behavior of the animal. Acetylcholine is known to upregulate the frequency of the LFP oscillation, and is one of the candidates for the neurotransmitters that are involved in such higher cognitive functions.

What are the elements of motivation for acquisition of conditioned taste aversion?

The pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis is capable of being classically conditioned to avoid food and to consolidate this aversion into a long-term memory (LTM). Previous studies have shown that the length of food deprivation is important for both the acquisition of taste aversion and its consolidation into LTM, which is referred to as conditioned taste aversion (CTA). Here we tested the hypothesis that the hemolymph glucose concentration is an important factor in the learning and memory of CTA.

Target innervation is necessary for neuronal polyploidization in the terrestrial slug Limax.

The brain of gastropod mollusks contains many giant neurons with polyploid genomic DNAs. Such DNAs are generated through repeated DNA endoreplication during body growth. However, it is not known what triggers DNA endoreplication in neurons.

Target innervation is necessary for neuronal polyploidization in the terrestrial slug Limax.

The brain of gastropod mollusks contains many giant neurons with polyploid genomic DNAs. Such DNAs are generated through repeated DNA endoreplication during body growth. However, it is not known what triggers DNA endoreplication in neurons.

Involvement of insulin-like peptide in long-term synaptic plasticity and long-term memory of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis.

The pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis is capable of learning taste aversion and consolidating this learning into long-term memory (LTM) that is called conditioned taste aversion (CTA). Previous studies showed that some molluscan insulin-related peptides (MIPs) were upregulated in snails exhibiting CTA. We thus hypothesized that MIPs play an important role in neurons underlying the CTA-LTM consolidation process.

Increase in cyclic AMP concentration in a cerebral giant interneuron mimics part of a memory trace for conditioned taste aversion of the pond snail.

Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) can be classically conditioned in the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis and subsequently be consolidated into long-term memory (LTM). The neural trace that subserves CTA-LTM can be summarized as follows: A polysynaptic inhibitory postsynaptic potential recorded in the neuron 1 medial (N1M) cell in the conditioned snails as a result of activation of the cerebral giant cell (CGC) is larger and lasts longer than that in control snails. The N1M cell is ultimately activated by the CGC via the neuron 3 tonic (N3t) cell.

Analysis of DNA endoreplication in the brain neurons in the terrestrial slug, Limax valentianus.

DNA endoreplication is the DNA synthesis without cell division, resulting in the generation of a nucleus containing a larger amount of genomic DNA compared to a normal diploid genome. There are many such giant neurons in the molluscan brain that are generated as a result of repeated endoreplication. However, it has been controversial whether the endoreplication is the whole genome replication (polyploidy) or the local amplification of the genes that are necessary for the neuron's function (polyteny/polysomy).

Whole genome amplification in large neurons of the terrestrial slug Limax.

The brain of gastropod mollusks contains giant neurons whose nuclei are enlarged with a large amount of genomic DNA. Such DNA is produced by repeated endoreplication. We have previously demonstrated that the frequency of the neuronal DNA endoreplication is correlative to the body growth of the adult land slug and to the increase in the amount of transcripts within the neuron.

DNA endoreplication in the brain neurons during body growth of an adult slug.

Endoreplication is DNA synthesis without cell division. Giant neurons observed in the brains of mollusks are thought to be generated as a result of DNA endoreplication. It has been hypothesized that neuronal size becomes larger in parallel with an increase in body size and that DNA endoreplication is involved in this process to meet the increasing demand for macromolecules in neurons.

Two pairs of tentacles and a pair of procerebra: optimized functions and redundant structures in the sensory and central organs involved in olfactory learning of terrestrial pulmonates.

Terrestrial pulmonates can learn olfactory-aversion tasks and retain them in their long-term memory. To elucidate the cellular mechanisms underlying learning and memory, researchers have focused on both the peripheral and central components of olfaction: two pairs of tentacles (the superior and inferior tentacles) and a pair of procerebra, respectively. Data from tentacle-amputation experiments showed that either pair of tentacles is sufficient for olfactory learning.

Unilateral memory storage in the procerebrum of the terrestrial slug Limax.

In most sensory modalities, neuronal inputs are bilaterally processed in a higher center. In some animal species, however, functional lateralization is sometimes observed in the sensory processing at the higher level. For the terrestrial slug Limax, olfaction is the most important sensory modality and this slug can acquire odor-aversion memories.

Upside-down gliding of Lymnaea.

The pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis can often be observed moving upside down on its back just below the surface of the water. We have termed this form of movement "upside-down gliding." To elucidate the mechanism of this locomotion, we performed a series of experiments involving behavioral analyses and microscopic observations.

Redundancy of olfactory sensory pathways for odor-aversion memory in the terrestrial slug Limax valentianus.

Terrestrial slugs have the ability to learn and remember a food odor paired with an aversive stimulus. Olfaction in slugs involves the tips of two pairs of tentacles, the superior and the inferior tentacles. Sensory nerves in both pairs of the tentacles transmit olfactory information to the structure in the CNS, the procerebrum where learning and memory formation occur.