Epidemiological survey for visna-maedi among sheep in northern prefectures of Japan.

Ovine sera collected from the northern Prefectures of Hokkaido, Iwate and Aomori in Japan, were examined for the presence of antibodies against visna-maedi virus using the agar gel immunodiffusion test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Three animals (1.12%), out of 267 samples tested, were found to be seropositive to the visna-maedi antigens in both tests.

Overexpression limits of fission yeast cell-cycle regulators in vivo and in silico.

Cellular systems are generally robust against fluctuations of intracellular parameters such as gene expression level. However, little is known about expression limits of genes required to halt cellular systems. In this study, using the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, we developed a genetic 'tug-of-war' (gTOW) method to assess the overexpression limit of certain genes.

An experimental rat model of ex vivo lung perfusion for the assessment of lungs after prostacyclin administration: inhaled versus parenteral routes.

Objective: To present a model of prostaglandin I2 (PGI2) administration (inhaled vs. parenteral) and to assess the functional performance of the lungs in an ex vivo lung perfusion system.

Methods: Forty Wistar rats were anesthetized and placed on mechanical ventilation followed by median sterno-laparotomy and anticoagulation.

Respiratory mechanics do not always mirror pulmonary histological changes in emphysema.

Objective: To verify the accordance of functional and morphometric parameters during the development of emphysema.

Methods: BALB/c mice received a nasal drop of either papain or saline solution and were studied after 1, 3, 15, 28, and 40 days. Functional parameters, such as airway resistance, tissue damping, and tissue elastance, were analyzed.

A novel mechanism in maggot debridement therapy: protease in excretion/secretion promotes hepatocyte growth factor production.

Maggot debridement therapy (MDT) is effective for treating intractable wounds, but its precise molecular mechanism, including the association between MDT and growth factors, remains unknown. We administered MDT to nine patients (66.3 ± 11.

Critical closing pressure during midazolam-induced sleep.

The critical closing pressure (Pcrit) is the airway pressure at which the airway collapses and reflects the anatomical contribution to the genesis of obstructive sleep apnea. Pcrit is usually determined during non-rapid eye movement sleep at night, but has been determined under midazolam sedation during the day in the absence of sleep stage monitoring. Indeed, little is known about the effects of midazolam on sleep architecture.

Seroepidemiological survey of sheep flocks from Northern Japan for Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae and Mycoplasma agalactiae.

Sheep flocks from Hokkaido, Iwate and Aomori, three northern prefectures of Japan, were screened for antibodies to Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae and Mycoplasma agalactiae by ELISA. Sixty four animals out of 246 (26%) were seropositive to M. ovipneumoniae, with positive results obtained from all three prefectures.

Epidemiological survey of Border disease virus among sheep from northern districts of Japan.

The first epidemiological survey of Border disease virus (BDV) was undertaken in small ruminants in Japan. Ovine sera, collected from the northern prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, were examined for the presence of antibodies against BDV using the neutralization peroxidase-linked antibody test. Twenty-nine (17.

Virtual bronchoscopic navigation combined with endobronchial ultrasound to diagnose small peripheral pulmonary lesions: a randomised trial.

Background: Bronchoscopy using endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) can help to diagnose small peripheral pulmonary lesions. However, although biopsy sites can be confirmed, a bronchoscope cannot be guided in EBUS. Virtual bronchoscopic navigation (VBN) can guide a bronchoscope with virtual images, but its value has not been confirmed.

Aerobic exercise attenuates pulmonary injury induced by exposure to cigarette smoke.

It has recently been suggested that regular exercise reduces lung function decline and risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among active smokers; however, the mechanisms involved in this effect remain poorly understood. The present study evaluated the effects of regular exercise training in an experimental mouse model of chronic cigarette smoke exposure. Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into four groups (control, exercise, smoke and smoke+exercise).

Lymphatic tumor emboli detected by D2-40 immunostaining can more accurately predict lymph-node metastasis.

Background: Resected specimens of superficial squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus (SSCCE) underwent D2-40 immunostaining to accurately assess lymphatic tumor emboli (LY) and to analyze correlations between LY and lymph node metastasis (N). This present study was designed to determine the accuracy of LY grade for predicting the risk of N.

Materials And Methods: We studied 75 patients with SSCCE who underwent surgical resection of their tumors.

Are objects the same as groups? ERP correlates of spatial attentional guidance by irrelevant feature similarity.

It has been proposed that the most fundamental units of attentional selection are "objects" that are grouped according to Gestalt factors such as similarity or connectedness. Previous studies using event-related potentials (ERPs) have shown that object-based attention is associated with modulations of the visual-evoked N1 component, which reflects an early cortical mechanism that is shared with spatial attention. However, these studies only examined the case of perceptually continuous objects.

Intramedullary fixation of proximal phalangeal fractures through a volar extra-tendon sheath approach.

We present an operative technique and the results of intramedullary fixation of proximal phalangeal shaft fractures through a volar extra-tendon sheath approach. A J-shaped nail, which is a curved Kirschner wire sharply bent at the proximal end, was inserted from the palmar aspect of the proximal phalangeal base. Six fingers of the six patients (all male) were treated with this method.

Short-term exposure of mice to cigarette smoke and/or residual oil fly ash produces proximal airspace enlargements and airway epithelium remodeling.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with inflammatory cell reactions, tissue destruction and lung remodeling. Many signaling pathways for these phenomena are still to be identified. We developed a mouse model of COPD to evaluate some pathophysiological mechanisms acting during the initial stage of the disease.

Enhanced clinical mastitis resistance in Holsteins with a FEZL p.Gly105(12_13) polymorphism.

Mastitis is a common infectious disease of the mammary gland and a major problem in the dairy industry. We previously reported that forebrain embryonic zinc finger-like (FEZL) encoding a stretch of 12 glycines (p.Gly105[12]) instead of 13 glycines (p.

Effect of mood states on the breadth of spatial attentional focus: an event-related potential study.

In order to determine the processing stage that is responsible for the effect of mood states on the breadth of attentional focus, we recorded event-related potentials from 18 students who performed a flanker task involving adjacent letters. To induce a specific mood state, positive, neutral, or negative affective pictures were presented repeatedly during the task. The participants' task was to respond to the central target letter by pressing a corresponding button.

Secretion of three enzymes for fatty acid synthesis into mouse milk in association with fat globules, and rapid decrease of the secreted enzymes by treatment with rapamycin.

The mammary epithelium produces numerous lipid droplets during lactation and secretes them in plasma membrane-enclosed vesicles known as milk fat globules. The biogenesis of such fat globules is considered to provide a model for clarifying the mechanisms of lipogenesis in mammals. In the present study, we identified acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase, ATP citrate lyase, and fatty acid synthase in mouse milk.

Impact of lower limbs' arterial calcification on the prevalence and severity of PAD in patients on hemodialysis.

Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is one of the serious complications in patients on hemodialysis (HD) therapy. However, arterial calcification of lower limbs' arteries and its impact on the prevalence and severity of PAD has never been quantitatively evaluated in HD patients with PAD.

Methods: Ninety-seven HD patients were enrolled to evaluate calcification score in superficial femoral artery (SFACS) and below-knee arteries (BKACS) quantitatively by 64-row multidetector computed tomography as well as ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI), toe-brachial pressure index (TBI), and clinical and laboratory parameters.

Acute tubular necrosis due to cutaneous contact with cresol.

The authors report a case of a 43-year-old woman who presented with second degree chemical burns to 9% of the total body surface area due to cutaneous contact with cresol. This was associated with acute oliguric kidney injury requiring haemodialysis. In contrast to previous reports of cresol ingestion, the patient did not have evidence of hepatic dysfunction, possibly due to a low cresol concentration in the portal vein and liver.

Beraprost sodium, an orally active prostaglandin I(2) analog, improves renal anemia in hemodialysis patients with peripheral arterial disease.

Beraprost sodium (BPS) is a stable, orally active prostaglandin I(2) (PGI(2) ) analog with antiplatelet and vasodilating properties. It has been reported that PGI(2) has pleiotropic effects that are anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic. In this study, we aim to determine the relationship between PGI(2) and renal anemia.

Effects of autologous platelet-rich plasma on cell viability and collagen synthesis in injured human anterior cruciate ligament.

Background: Platelet-rich plasma is a fraction of plasma in which platelets are concentrated. It is reported to represent a source of multiple growth factors that promote tissue repair. In anticipation of the eventual testing of platelet-rich plasma in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-deficient patients, we examined the effect of autologous platelet-rich plasma on human ACL cell function in vitro.

A comprehensive molecular interaction map of the budding yeast cell cycle.

With the accumulation of data on complex molecular machineries coordinating cell-cycle dynamics, coupled with its central function in disease patho-physiologies, it is becoming increasingly important to collate the disparate knowledge sources into a comprehensive molecular network amenable to systems-level analyses. In this work, we present a comprehensive map of the budding yeast cell-cycle, curating reactions from ∼600 original papers. Toward leveraging the map as a framework to explore the underlying network architecture, we abstract the molecular components into three planes--signaling, cell-cycle core and structural planes.

Serum biological antioxidant potential predicts the prognosis of hemodialysis patients.

Background: It is well known that oxidative stress is enhanced in patients with end-stage renal disease. However, little is known about the relationship between serum antioxidant capacity and clinical outcome in hemodialysis (HD) patients.

Methods: We examined the relationship between serum biomarkers of oxidative stress and clinical outcomes including all-cause mortality, hospitalization rate and incidence of cardiovascular events in HD patients.

Fragilities caused by dosage imbalance in regulation of the budding yeast cell cycle.

Cells can maintain their functions despite fluctuations in intracellular parameters, such as protein activities and gene expression levels. This commonly observed biological property of cells is called robustness. On the other hand, these parameters have different limitations, each reflecting the property of the subsystem containing the parameter.