Exploration of the Factors Impacting Sustained Clinical Care by Multidisciplinary Professionals for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Objective: This study examined the experiences of multidisciplinary medical professionals in providing daily clinical care for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with a focus placed on their persistence in sustaining clinical care for this patient group.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was administered to multidisciplinary medical professionals involved in ALS care at three hospitals in western Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The questionnaire results were used to examine the relationships between years of medical experience, years of ALS care experience, self-evaluation, and motivation to continue providing clinical care to patients with ALS.

Analysis of Unique Motility of the Unicellular Green Alga at Low Temperatures down to -8 °C.

Previous studies of motility at low temperatures in have been conducted at temperatures of up to 15 °C. In this study, we report that exhibits unique motility at a lower temperature range (-8.7 to 1.

Temporal hampering of thyroid hormone synthesis just before hatching impeded the filial imprinting in domestic chicks.

Thyroid hormones play a critical role in the initiation of the sensitive period of filial imprinting. The amount of thyroid hormones in the brains of chicks increases intrinsically during the late embryonic stages and peaks immediately before hatching. After hatching, a rapid imprinting-dependent inflow of circulating thyroid hormones into the brain occurs vascular endothelial cells during imprinting training.

Morphological, ecological, and molecular phylogenetic approaches reveal species boundaries and evolutionary history of (Orchidaceae, Orchidoideae) and its closely related taxa.

Species delimitation within the genus is challenging among closely related species, because of phenotypic plasticity, ecological variation, and hybridization that confound identification methods based solely on morphology. In this study, we investigated the identity of H.-J.

Dopaminergic nuclei in the chick midbrain express serotonin receptor subfamily genes.

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is a phylogenetically conserved modulator of numerous aspects of neural functions. Serotonergic neurons in the dorsal and median raphe nucleus provide ascending innervation to the entire forebrain and midbrain. Another important neural modulatory system exists in the midbrain, the dopaminergic system, which is associated to reward processing and motivation control.

Imprintability of Newly Hatched Domestic Chicks on an Artificial Object: A Novel High Time-Resolution Apparatus Based on a Running Disc.

In filial imprinting, newly hatched chicks repeatedly approach a conspicuous object nearby and memorize it, even though it is an artificial object instead of their mother hen. Imprinting on an artificial object in a laboratory setting has a clear sensitive period from post hatch days 1-3 in the case of domestic chicks. However, the establishment of imprintability are difficult to investigate because of the limitations of the behavioral apparatus.

Subtype-selective contribution of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors for filial imprinting in newly-hatched domestic chicks.

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) play an important role in many brain functions. Our previous study revealed that the injection of mAChRs antagonist scopolamine into the intermediate medial mesopallium (IMM) region, which is critical for filial imprinting, impairs memory formation. In avian brains, four mAChR subtypes have been identified (M, M, M and M).

[Refractory acute promyelocytic leukemia with a complex karyotype].

A 46-year-old woman was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). The patient was given remission induction therapy with all-trans retinoic acid, and complete remission was achieved. Despite consolidation therapies with arsenic trioxide, daunorubicin and cytosine arabinoside (AraC), and gemtuzumab ozogamicin as well as maintenance therapy with tamibarotene, the patient experienced a relapse 6 months after the start of maintenance therapy.

Development of large-scale microalgae production in the Middle East.

Microalgae in the Middle East can theoretically address food security without competing for arable land, but concerns exist around scalability and durability of production systems under the extreme heat. Large-scale Chlorella sorokiniana production was developed in outdoor raceway ponds in Oman and monitored for 2 years to gather data for commercial production. Biological and technical challenges included construction, indoor/outdoor preculturing, upscaling, relating productivity to water temperature and meteorological conditions, harvesting, drying, and quality control.

Phylogenetic analysis reveals the origins of tetraploid and hexaploid species in the Japanese Lepisorus thunbergianus (Polypodiaceae) complex.

The Japanese Lepisorus thunbergianus complex contains diploid and tetraploid races of L. thunbergianus and a hexaploid species, L. mikawanus.

Development and validation of a simulation method, PeCHREM, for evaluating spatio-temporal concentration changes of paddy herbicides in rivers.

In pesticide risk management in Japan, predicted environmental concentrations are estimated by a tiered approach, and the Ministry of the Environment also performs field surveys to confirm the maximum concentrations of pesticides with risk concerns. To contribute to more efficient and effective field surveys, we developed the Pesticide Chemicals High Resolution Estimation Method (PeCHREM) for estimating spatially and temporally variable emissions of various paddy herbicides from paddy fields to the environment. We used PeCHREM and the G-CIEMS multimedia environmental fate model to predict day-to-day environmental concentration changes of 25 herbicides throughout Japan.

Respiratory Uptake and Depuration Kinetics of Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) in a Marine Sandworm Species.

We determined the respiratory uptake and depuration kinetics of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) in Perinereis wilsoni, a polychaete sandworm used as a model species to investigate the fate of chemical pollutants in coastal environments. The sandworms were kept in gravel-packed containers, and the water levels were varied cyclically to mimic the tides. We used seawater kept at 17.

Risk Factors Associated with Retinal Lesions Resulting from Widespread Systemic Infection.

Purpose: To clarify the prevalence, microbiologic features, and risk factors of endogenous intraocular infections in patients with positive fungal or bacterial blood culture results.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Participants: Inpatients (n = 433) with positive blood culture results who underwent an ophthalmology consultation between January 2006 and September 2012 in Japan.

Interdigitation Zone Band Restoration After Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema.

Purpose: To investigate whether the integrity of the interdigitation zone band, the ellipsoid zone band, and the external limiting membrane are reliable markers of treatment outcome in diabetic macular edema (DME).

Methods: In this retrospective study, we examined 41 treatment-naïve eyes (38 patients) with DME that were treated with laser therapy, pharmacotherapy, and/or vitrectomy. Best-corrected visual acuity and the integrity of the interdigitation zone band, the ellipsoid zone band, and the external limiting membrane were assessed before treatment and at 3, 6, and 12 months after DME treatment.

Temporal trends for inflow of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) to Tokyo Bay, Japan, estimated by a receptor-oriented approach.

We estimated inflow rates of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) to Tokyo Bay, Japan, between February 2004 and February 2011 by a receptor-oriented approach based on quarterly samplings of the bay water. Temporal trends in these inflow rates are an important basis for evaluating changes in PFOS and PFOA emissions in the Tokyo Bay catchment basin. A mixing model estimated the average concentrations of these compounds in the freshwater inflow to the bay, which were then multiplied by estimated freshwater inflow rates to obtain the inflow rates of these compounds.

Prognosis of patients with diabetic macular edema before Japanese approval of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor.

Purpose: To examine the prognosis of patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) before Japanese approval of antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

Methods: This retrospective study included 135 eyes of 115 patients who received treatments (photocoagulation, pharmacological treatments, vitrectomy) for DME between January 2003 and August 2012. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) before and 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after treatment was examined.

The effect of steep Trendelenburg positioning on intraocular pressure and visual function during robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy.

Background: To evaluate intraocular pressure (IOP) changes in patients undergoing robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy and to evaluate complications from increased IOP.

Methods: Thirty-one eyes scheduled for robotic prostatectomy were included. Perioperative IOP measurements were performed as follows: prior to induction of anaesthesia while supine and awake (T1); immediately post-induction while supine (T2); every hour from 0 to 5 h while anaesthetised in a steep Trendelenburg position (T3-T8); prior to awakening while supine (T9); and 30 min after awakening while supine (T10).

Transfer kinetics of perfluorooctane sulfonate from water and sediment to a marine benthic fish, the marbled flounder (Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae).

The authors investigated the kinetics of transfer of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) from water, suspended sediment, and bottom sediment to a marine benthic fish, the marbled flounder (Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae). Fish were exposed in 3 treatments to PFOS in combinations of these exposure media for 28 d and then depurated for 84 d. A major part (37-66%) of PFOS in the fish was in the carcass (i.

Beta amyloid deposition and neurofibrillary tangles spontaneously occur in the brains of captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus).

Alzheimer disease is a dementing disorder characterized pathologically by Aβ deposition, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuronal loss. Although aged animals of many species spontaneously develop Aβ deposits, only 2 species (chimpanzee and wolverine) have been reported to develop Aβ deposits and neurofibrillary tangles in the same individual. Here, the authors demonstrate the spontaneous occurrence of Aβ deposits and neurofibrillary tangles in captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus).

Foetal exposure to phthalate esters and anogenital distance in male newborns.

Phthalate esters, commonly used as plasticizers, show anti-androgenic activity and cause male reproductive malformation in experimental animals. However, the effects of prenatal exposure to phthalate esters in humans have not been extensively studied. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between prenatal exposure to phthalate esters and the anogenital distance (AGD) as a reproductive endpoint in human male newborns.

Prenatal exposure to phthalate esters and PAHs and birth outcomes.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the levels of prenatal exposure to phthalate ester and PAHs and birth outcomes among 149 Japanese pregnant women. Urinary concentrations of 9 phthalate ester metabolites, mono methyl phthalate (MMP), mono ethyl phthalate (MEP), mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP), mono benzyl phthalate (MBzP), mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), mono-2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl phthalate (MEHHP), mono-2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl phthalate (MEOHP), mono-iso-nonyl phthalate (MINP) and mono-n-octyl phthalate (MnOP) and PAHs metabolite (1-hydroxypyrene, 1-OHP) were analyzed in spot urine samples collected from pregnant women. Correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were conducted between the concentrations of maternal urinary metabolites and birth outcomes such as birth weight, birth length, head circumference and gestational age.

Sequential arrival and graded secretion of Sema3F by olfactory neuron axons specify map topography at the bulb.

In the mouse olfactory system, the anatomical locations of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) roughly correlate with their axonal projection sites along the dorsal-ventral (D-V) axis of the olfactory bulb (OB). Here we report that an axon guidance receptor, Neuropilin-2 (Nrp2), and its repulsive ligand, Semaphorin-3F (Sema3F), are expressed by OSNs in a complementary manner that is important for establishing olfactory map topography. Sema3F is secreted by early-arriving axons of OSNs and is deposited at the anterodorsal OB to repel Nrp2-positive axons that arrive later.

Spatial, phase, and temporal distributions of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in Tokyo Bay, Japan.

The spatial distribution, partitioning, and time trends of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) were investigated in the water column and bottom sediment of Tokyo Bay, Japan, during 2004-2006. A total of 480 water and 60 sediment samples obtained by regular 20-station samplings ascertained the three-dimensional distributions of these compounds and changes in the seawater structure in the whole bay. The median of volume-based average water-borne concentrations of PFOS and PFOA was 3.