Microglial cathepsin B promotes neuronal efferocytosis during brain development.

Half of all newborn neurons in the developing brain are removed via efferocytosis - the phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cells. Microglia are brain-resident professional phagocytes that play important roles in neural circuit development including as primary effectors of efferocytosis. While the mechanisms through which microglia recognize potential phagocytic cargo are widely studied, the lysosomal mechanisms that are necessary for efficient digestion are less well defined.

The serotonergic neurons derived from rhombomere 2 are localized in the median raphe and project to the dorsal pallium in zebrafish.

The serotonergic neurons in the raphe nucleus are implicated in various cognitive functions such as learning and emotion. In vertebrates, the raphe nucleus is divided into the dorsal raphe and the median raphe. In contrast to the abundance of knowledge on the functions of the dorsal raphe, the roles of the serotonergic neurons in the median raphe are relatively unknown.

Nanoscrolls of Janus Monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides.

Tubular structures of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have attracted attention in recent years due to their emergent physical properties, such as the giant bulk photovoltaic effect and chirality-dependent superconductivity. To understand and control these properties, it is highly desirable to develop a sophisticated method to fabricate TMDC tubular structures with smaller diameters and a more uniform crystalline orientation. For this purpose, the rolling up of TMDC monolayers into nanoscrolls is an attractive approach to fabricating such a tubular structure.

Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for the horseshoe kidney with indocyanine green fluorescence guidance under the modified supine position.

Introduction: Owing to the complexity of their blood supply, renal tumors in horseshoe kidneys are sometimes technically challenging to resect through laparoscopic procedures.

Case Presentation: A 75-year-old man presented with a 3-cm lower-pole mass in the right moiety of the horseshoe kidney. Indocyanine green administration allowed for the identification of the tumor's feeding artery, which was selectively clamped to perform laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.

[Neuroendocrine Differentiation of Prostate Cancer : A Case Report].

A 79-year-old man underwent a transrectal prostate needle biopsy with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 12.0 ng/ml. He was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma (Gleason score 4＋3, cT3aN0M0) and underwent radiation therapy.

Prognostic model with alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase and presence of Gleason pattern 5 for worse overall survival in low-risk metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.

Background: Randomized trials showed the survival benefits of the combined use of androgen receptor axis-targeted agents with androgen deprivation therapy in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC), regardless of the risk. However, treating patients with low-risk mHSPC with such intensive treatment is still debatable.

Methods: This retrospective study included 155 low-risk patients among 467 mHSPC patients treated in our affiliated institutions.

Habenula as the experience-dependent controlling switchboard of behavior and attention in social conflict and learning.

The habenula is among the evolutionarily most conserved parts of the brain and has been known for its role in the control of behavior to cope with aversive stimuli. Recent studies in zebrafish have revealed the novel roles of the two parallel neural pathways from the dorsal habenula to its target, the interpeduncular nucleus, in the control of behavioral choice whether to behave dominantly or submissively in the social conflict. They are modifiable depending on the internal state of the fish such as hunger and play another important role in orientation of attention whether to direct it internally to oneself or externally to others.

Hunger Potentiates the Habenular Winner Pathway for Social Conflict by Orexin-Promoted Biased Alternative Splicing of the AMPA Receptor Gene.

Many animals fight for dominance between conspecifics. Because winners could obtain more resources than losers, fighting outcomes are important for the animal's survival, especially in a situation with insufficient resources, such as hunger. However, it remains unclear whether and how hunger affects fighting outcomes.

The behavioral paradigm to induce repeated social defeats in zebrafish.

Social subordination, which causes severe stress in animals, can affect animal's behaviors, homeostasis, and mental health. In rodents, experiences of repeated social defeats, but not a single defeat, induce a depression-like state. However, it is unclear whether such experiences similarly affect behaviors of other model animals than rodents.

Role for tyrosine phosphorylation of SUV39H1 histone methyltransferase in enhanced trimethylation of histone H3K9 via neuregulin-1/ErbB4 nuclear signaling.

Protein-tyrosine kinases transmit signals by phosphorylating their substrates in diverse cellular events. The receptor-type tyrosine kinase ErbB4, a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor subfamily, is activated and proteolytically cleaved upon ligand stimulation, and the cleaved ErbB4 intracellular domain (4ICD) is released into the cytoplasm and the nucleus. We previously showed that generation of nuclear 4ICD by neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) stimulation enhances the levels of trimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 9 (H3K9me3).

Cdk1-mediated phosphorylation of human ATF7 at Thr-51 and Thr-53 promotes cell-cycle progression into M phase.

Activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2) and its homolog ATF7 are phosphorylated at Thr-69/Thr-71 and at Thr-51/Thr-53, respectively, by stress-activated MAPKs regulating their transcriptional functions in G1 and S phases. However, little is known about the role of ATF2 and ATF7 in G2/M phase. Here, we show that Cdk1-cyclin B1 phosphorylates ATF2 at Thr-69/Thr-71 and ATF7 at Thr-51/Thr-53 from early prophase to anaphase in the absence of any stress stimulation.

Is there any difference in human pupillary reaction to acupuncture between light- and dark-adaptive conditions?

Objectives: To determine if acupuncture stimulation elicits a pupillary response under light adaptation and whether there is any difference in the pupillary response between light and dark adaptation environments during acupuncture stimulation.

Methods: The participants consisted of 55 healthy individuals who had no known eye diseases or pupil abnormalities. Experiment 1 compared pupillary responses between acupuncture stimulation and no-stimulation groups under light adaptation.

Is there any difference in human pupillary reaction when different acupuncture points are stimulated?

Objectives: To determine if there is any difference in pupillary response among different acupuncture stimulation sites.

Methods: The subjects were 14 healthy males who had no known eye diseases or abnormality in their pupils. They received five different interventions: no acupuncture stimulation (hereinafter 'no-stimulation') and acupuncture stimulation at four sites (TE5, ST7, CV12 and ST36).

[One-week effects of Tamsulosin on benign prostatic hyperplasia assessed with a daily symptom score].

The early effects of Tamsulosin within one week of administration on lower urinary tract symptoms in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) were investigated. Patients with newly diagnosed BPH were randomized into a Tamsulosin group and a Eviprostat group. Changes in subjective symptoms daily for 7 days after the start of administration and in the 4th week (8 times in total) were evaluated using seven symptoms in the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and the quality of life (QOL) index entered in a self-scoring diary kept by the patients daily.

[Histopathologic changes due to combination of androgen deprivation and transurethral microwave thermotherapy in patients with localized prostate cancer].

Fifty patients with localized prostate cancer, clinical stage T1-T2N0M0 were studied. The therapy started with androgen deprivation therapy for 3 months to reduce the volume of prostate about 35%. High-energy transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT) was then performed.

Two cases of subacute combined degeneration: magnetic resonance findings.

We report two cases of subacute combined degeneration. Both patients had undergone total gastrectomy. The chief complaints were numbness in both upper extremities in case 1 and numbness in both the upper and lower extremities and gait disturbance in case 2.

Clinical applications of ECG-gated myocardial perfusion SPECT.

Erectrocardiogram (ECG)-gated myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) can be used to assess myocardial perfusion and left ventricular function simultaneously. Various clinical applications of gated SPECT and their usefulness have been reported. The functional variables that can be determined with gated SPECT have been limited to systolic indices.

[Histopathological changes due to transurethural microwave thermotherapy associated with androgen deprivation therapy in patients with localized prostate cancer].

Purpose: The 2nd generation transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT), equipped with high energy microwave generator and urethral cooling device is widely accepted as an less invasive effective modality to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia. For prostatic cancer, however, it is generally estimated as insufficient because of limitation in penetration of microwave into deep prostatic tissue. In this study, we examined histopathologic changes after androgen deprivation theraphy (ADT) and TUMT.

A case of dermoid cyst of the ovary with malignant transformation complicated with small intestinal fistula formation.

A 54-year-old woman complained of abdominal pain and watery diarrhea that had begun two days before admission. Physical examination revealed abdominal distention and tenderness throughout the abdomen, but there was no muscle guarding or rebound tenderness. The leukocyte count was 27.

Dual-isotope myocardial SPECT in patients with redefined myocardial infarction.

Background: According to the redefinition of myocardial infarction (MI) by the ESC/ACC Committee, patients with unstable angina (UA) without significant elevation of creatine kinase (CK) but with elevation of troponin T should be diagnosed as MI.

Methods: One hundred and forty-six consecutive patients formerly diagnosed as UA, with peak CK levels0.10 ng/ml).

Assessment of contractile response to dobutamine stress by means of ECG-gated myocardial SPECT: comparison with myocardial perfusion and fatty acid metabolism.

Unlabelled: The present study assessed left ventricular performance during dobutamine stress measured using gated SPECT, and compared the results to myocardial perfusion and fatty acid metabolism.

Methods: Thirty-six patients with myocardial infarction given (99m)Tc-sestamibi or (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin were examined by gated SPECT at rest and during dobutamine stress (4-20 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1)). After acquiring data at the highest dose, 201TlCl was injected and dual-isotope SPECT was performed to assess myocardial ischemia.

Three-dimensional registration of myocardial perfusion SPECT and CT coronary angiography.

Objective: In this study, we describe a new technique for three-dimensional registration of CT coronary angiography (CTCA) and gated myocardial perfusion SPECT.

Methods: Twelve patients with known or suspected CAD who underwent CTCA and gated SPECT were enrolled retrospectively. Coronary arteries and their branches were traced using CTCA data manually and reconstructed in three-dimensions.