White matter microstructural changes as vulnerability factors and acquired signs of post-earthquake distress.

Many survivors of severe disasters need psychological support, even those not suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The critical issue in understanding the psychological response after experiencing severe disasters is to distinguish neurological microstructural underpinnings as vulnerability factors from signs of emotional distress acquired soon after the stressful life event. We collected diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI) data from a group of healthy adolescents before the Great East Japan Earthquake and re-examined the DTIs and anxiety levels of 30 non-PTSD subjects from this group 3-4 months after the earthquake using voxel-based analyses in a longitudinal DTI study before and after the earthquake.

A Diels-Alder super diene breaking benzene into C2H2 and C4H4 units.

Cyclic polyene with six carbon atoms (benzene) is very stable, whereas cyclic polyene with four carbon atoms (cyclobutadiene) is extremely unstable. The electron-withdrawing pentafluorophenyl group of a substituted cyclobutadiene lowers the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, greatly increasing its reactivity as a diene in Diels-Alder reactions with acetylene, ethylene and even benzene. Here we show that the reaction with benzene occurs cleanly at the relatively low temperature of 120 °C and results in the formal fragmentation of benzene into C2H2 and C4H4 units, via a unique Diels-Alder/retro-Diels-Alder reaction.

Association of hair iron levels with creativity and psychological variables related to creativity.

Creativity generally involves the conception of original and valuable ideas. Previous studies have suggested an association between creativity and the dopaminergic system, and that physical activity facilitates creativity. Iron plays a key role in the dopaminergic system and physical activity.

High-power electrochemical energy storage system employing stable radical pseudocapacitors.

The development of electrical energy storage devices that can operate at high charge and discharge rates is fundamentally important, however although electrochemical capacitors (ECs) can charge and discharge at high rates, their electrochemical storage capacity remains an order of magnitude lower than that of conventional lithium-ion batteries. Novel pseudocapasitors are developed, based on the stable persilyl-susbtituted free radicals of the heavy group 14 elements, (tBu2 MeSi)3 E(.) [E=Si (1), Ge (2), and Sn (3)], as anode materials for energy storage system.

Effects of multitasking-training on gray matter structure and resting state neural mechanisms.

Multitasking (MT) constitutes engaging in two or more cognitive activities at the same time. MT-training improves performance on untrained MT tasks and alters the functional activity of the brain during MT. However, the effects of MT-training on neural mechanisms beyond MT-related functions are not known.

High-dose-rate brachytherapy and hypofractionated external beam radiotherapy combined with long-term hormonal therapy for high-risk and very high-risk prostate cancer: outcomes after 5-year follow-up.

The purpose of this study was to report the outcomes of high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy and hypofractionated external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) combined with long-term androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) criteria-defined high-risk (HR) and very high-risk (VHR) prostate cancer. Data from 178 HR (n = 96, 54%) and VHR (n = 82, 46%) prostate cancer patients who underwent (192)Ir-HDR brachytherapy and hypofractionated EBRT with long-term ADT between 2003 and 2008 were retrospectively analyzed. The mean dose to 90% of the planning target volume was 6.

Clinical outcomes of 849 laryngeal cancers treated in the past 40 years: are we succeeding?

Objective: We analyzed the clinical outcomes of 849 laryngeal cancers treated in the past 40 years, which overlapped with the era of the global treatment shift.

Methods: To compare the chronological outcomes, patients were divided into four groups according to their registration year as 1972-82, 1983-92, 1993-2002 and 2003-12; treatment trends, larynx preservation rate and overall survival rate were compared.

Results: There were 104, 173, 253 and 319 patients registered in 1972-82, 1983-92, 1993-2002 and 2003-12, respectively.

Type and location of placenta previa affect preterm delivery risk related to antepartum hemorrhage.

Purpose: To evaluate whether type and location of placenta previa affect risk of antepartum hemorrhage-related preterm delivery.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 162 women with singleton pregnancies presenting placenta previa. Through observation using transvaginal ultrasound the women were categorized into complete or incomplete placenta previa, and then assigned to anterior and posterior groups.

125Iodine monotherapy for Japanese men with low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer: outcomes after 5 years of follow-up.

Data from 305 Japanese men with low-risk (n = 175) or intermediate-risk (n = 130) prostate cancer who underwent (125)I monotherapy were retrospectively analyzed. Of the 305 patients, 93 received hormonal therapy for a median of 6 months (range, 1-33 months) before implantation. The prescribed dose to the prostate plus 3- to 5-mm margin was set at 145 Gy.

Four weeks of combination exercise training improved executive functions, episodic memory, and processing speed in healthy elderly people: evidence from a randomized controlled trial.

Previous reports have described that long-term combination exercise training improves cognitive functions in healthy elderly people. This study investigates the effects of 4 weeks of short-term combination exercise training on various cognitive functions of elderly people. We conducted a single-blinded randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups.

From social-signal detection to higher social cognition: an fMRI approach.

Implicit or automatic detection of social signals, which discriminate animate, intentional objects in the environment, is essential for higher social cognition and its development. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we identified the neural substrate of detecting simple visual social signals and examined its functional link with the mechanism of inferring another's mental state. Healthy participants were presented with the eye-gaze shift (EG) and self-propelling motion (SP) under both implicit and explicit task conditions.

One hundred fold increase in current carrying capacity in a carbon nanotube-copper composite.

Increased portability, versatility and ubiquity of electronics devices are a result of their progressive miniaturization, requiring current flow through narrow channels. Present-day devices operate close to the maximum current-carrying-capacity (that is, ampacity) of conductors (such as copper and gold), leading to decreased lifetime and performance, creating demand for new conductors with higher ampacity. Ampacity represents the maximum current-carrying capacity of the object that depends both on the structure and material.

Morphological changes observed via fetal ultrasound in prenatally diagnosed and isolated congenital lymphangiomas: three case reports.

We illustrate three cases of isolated congenital lymphangioma (CL). Fetal ultrasound (US) demonstrated uniloculated cystic masses that changed to multiloculated, subcutaneous, hypoechoic, avascular cystic masses with thin septations without solid components. Case 1: CL of the right forearm; Case 2: CL of the right hypochondrium; and Case 3: CL of the left upper posterior back.

Resting state functional connectivity associated with trait emotional intelligence.

Previous neuroimaging studies have suggested that trait emotional intelligence (TEI) is associated with components of the neural network involved in social cognition (SCN) and somatic marker circuitry (SMC). Our study is the first to investigate the association of TEI with resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between the key nodes of SCN and SMC [medial prefromtal cortex (mPFC) and bilateral anterior insula (AI), respectively] and other brain regions. We found that (a) the intrapersonal factor of TEI was negatively correlated with RSFC between mPFC and the anterior part of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), (b) the TEI interpersonal factor score was positively correlated with RSFC between mPFC and the lingual gyrus, and (c) total TEI was positively correlated with RSFC between mPFC and the precuneus as well as (d) between the left AI and the middle part of the right DLPFC.

Pyramidanes.

Pyramidane is an elusive but highly desirable target for synthetic chemists that has attracted a great deal of attention because of its nonclassical structure and unusual bonding features. Although well studied on theoretical grounds, neither the parent all-carbon pyramidane nor its derivatives containing heavier group 14 elements have ever been isolated and characterized. In this Communication, we report on the synthesis and structural elucidation of the first stable representatives of this class of highly strained polyhedral compounds: germa- and stannapyramidanes Ge[C4(SiMe3)4] and Sn[C4(SiMe3)4].

Activity in the primary somatosensory cortex induced by reflexological stimulation is unaffected by pseudo-information: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

Background: Reflexology is an alternative medical practice that produces beneficial effects by applying pressure to specific reflex areas. Our previous study suggested that reflexological stimulation induced cortical activation in somatosensory cortex corresponding to the stimulated reflex area; however, we could not rule out the possibility of a placebo effect resulting from instructions given during the experimental task. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how reflexological stimulation of the reflex area is processed in the primary somatosensory cortex when correct and pseudo-information about the reflex area is provided.

Chemical constituents of the leaves of Dracaena thalioides.

Two new furostanol bisdesmosides (1 and 2) and seven known compounds (3-9) were isolated from the leaves of Dracaena thalioides (Agavaceae). The structures of the new compounds were determined on the basis of spectroscopic data and the results of hydrolytic cleavage. The isolated compounds were evaluated for cytotoxic activity against HL-60 human promyelocytic leukemia cells.

Anatomical correlates of quality of life: evidence from voxel-based morphometry.

Quality of life (QOL) has been defined in many ways, and these definitions usually emphasize happiness and satisfaction with life. Health-related problems are known to cause lower QOL. However, the neural mechanisms underlying individual differences in QOL measured by questionnaire (QOLMQ) in young healthy subjects are unknown.

Spirobis(pentagerma[1.1.1]propellane): a stable tetraradicaloid.

In this contribution, we report a spirobis(pentagerma[1.1.1]propellane) derivative as a novel type of molecular architecture in cluster chemistry that features two spiro-fused [1.

White matter structures associated with empathizing and systemizing in young adults.

Empathizing is defined as the drive to identify the mental states of others in order to predict their behavior and respond with an appropriate emotion. Systemizing is defined as the drive to analyze a system in terms of the rules that govern it to predict its behavior. We undertook voxel-by-voxel investigations of regional white matter volume (rWMV) and fractional anisotropy (FA) of diffusion tensor imaging to discover the WM structural correlates of empathizing, systemizing, and their difference (D score: systemizing-empathizing).

Neural correlates of adaptive social responses to real-life frustrating situations: a functional MRI study.

Background: Frustrating situations are encountered daily, and it is necessary to respond in an adaptive fashion. A psychological definition states that adaptive social behaviors are "self-performing" and "contain a solution." The present study investigated the neural correlates of adaptive social responses to frustrating situations by assessing the dimension of causal attribution.

Ultrasound detection of lacunae-like image of a cesarean scar pregnancy in the first trimester.

Cesarean scar pregnancy is one of the rare types of ectopic pregnancy. Ultrasonography enables early diagnosis and the successful preservation of the uterus. However, the correct diagnosis of cesarean scar pregnancy can be difficult in some cases.

Anatomical correlates of self-handicapping tendency.

Self-handicaps are obstacles created (or claimed) by individuals in anticipation of failure. Despite the vast amount of psychological research on self-handicapping tendency, the neural mechanisms underlying individual differences in self-handicapping tendency in young and healthy subjects are unknown. We used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and a questionnaire to measure individual self-handicapping tendency, and we investigated the association between regional gray matter volume (rGMV) and self-handicapping tendency across the brain in healthy young adult (mean age, 21.