We developed "Rattractor" (rat attractor), a system to apply electrical stimuli to the deep brain of a rat as it stays in a specified region or a virtual cage to demonstrate an instant electrophysiological feedback guidance for animals. Two wire electrodes were implanted in the brains of nine rats. The electrodes targeted the medial forebrain bundle (MFB), which is a part of the reward system in the deep brain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLong-chain-fatty-acid (LCFA) metabolism is a fundamental cellular process in bacteria that is involved in lipid homeostasis, energy production, and infection. However, the role of LCFA metabolism in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (. Tm) gut infection remains unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aims to specify the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on individual subjective well-being in Japan and to clarify the mechanism generating social inequality of subjective well-being during the crisis. Data were analyzed using fixed effects ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models from the (SSPW2020-Panel), which was conducted in four waves in June 2020, September 2020, December 2020, and March 2021. The results reveal that COVID-19 spread in a prefecture had differential effects on subjective well-being in prefectures with high infection rates: positive effects for socially advantaged individuals and negative effects for socially disadvantaged individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) is involved in onset and/or exacerbation of Crohn's disease (CD). AIEC adapts to the gut environment by altering gene expression programs, leading to successful gut-lumen colonization. However, the underlying mechanism of gut colonization is still far from clarified.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) causes severe human diseases worldwide. The type 3 secretion system and effector proteins are essential for EHEC infection, and are encoded by the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE). RNA-binding protein Hfq is essential for small regulatory RNA (sRNA)-mediated regulation at a posttranscriptional level and full virulence of many pathogenic bacteria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNihon Hinyokika Gakkai Zasshi
January 2018
The patient was a 53-year-old man who was referred to the department of urology of our hospital after screening results indicated elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. The PSA level was 5.33 ng/ml, and rectal examination revealed that the prostate was elastic and hard with mild prostatic hyperplasia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Gen Appl Microbiol
March 2018
Bacteriophages are genetic elements that play key roles in the evolution and diversification of bacterial genomes. The Shiga toxin (Stx)-encoding phage plays an important role in the horizontal transfer of the stx gene. However, the influence of the Stx phage integration on the physiological properties and gene expression pattern of the host have not been clearly resolved.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) are conserved among a wide range of bacteria. They modulate the translational efficiency of target mRNAs through base-pairing with the help of RNA chaperone Hfq. The present study identified a novel sRNA, Esr41 (enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157 small RNA #41), from an intergenic region of an enterohemorrhagic E.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 43-year-old infertile man with oligozoospermia and normal serum gonadotropin and cytogenetic findings was treated with follicle-stimulating hormone for 1 year at our institution. Two years later, the patient presented with bilateral palpable testicular tumors. His beta-human chorionic gonadotropin and lactate dehydrogenase levels were elevated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF