Compact light source for ultrabroadband coherent anti-Stoke Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy.

A compact light source module for ultrabroadband coherent anti-Stoke Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy was developed. It mainly consists of a nanosecond microchip laser, a photonic crystal fiber for Stokes light generation, and a single mode polarization maintaining fiber for pump light propagation. It is alignment-free and relatively low-cost compared with previous light sources of CARS microscopy.

Testosterone replacement alters the cell size in visceral fat but not in subcutaneous fat in hypogonadal aged male rats as a late-onset hypogonadism animal model.

Background: Patients with late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) benefit from testosterone replacement by improvement in the parameters of the metabolic syndrome, but fat cell morphology in these patients is still unclear. This study aims to determine the effect of testosterone replacement on the morphology of fat cells in subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue and on erectile function in hypogonadal aged male rats as a model of LOH.

Methods: Ten male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 20-22 months were randomly allocated to two groups, ie, aged male controls (control group, n=5) and aged males treated with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT group, n=5).

Functional and Electrical Integration of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes in a Myocardial Infarction Rat Heart.

In vitro expanded beating cardiac myocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-CMs) are a promising source of therapy for cardiac regeneration. Meanwhile, the cell sheet method has been shown to potentially maximize survival, functionality, and integration of the transplanted cells into the heart. It is thus hypothesized that transplanted iPSC-CMs in a cell sheet manner may contribute to functional recovery via direct mechanical effects on the myocardial infarction (MI) heart.

Investigation of the biological effects of artificial perfusion using rat extracorporeal circulation model.

Extracorporeal circulation (ECC) is indispensable for cardiac surgery. Since difficulty in clinical research keeps the knowledge insufficient, it is desirable to have a miniature ECC system for small animals. We aimed to establish a miniature ECC system and apply the system to the rat for investigating biochemical changes.

Survival benefit of ghrelin in the heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy.

Although ghrelin has been demonstrated to improve cardiac function in heart failure, its therapeutic efficacy on the life expectancy remains unknown. We aim to examine whether ghrelin can improve the life survival in heart failure using a mouse model of inherited dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) caused by a deletion mutation ΔK210 in cardiac troponin T (cTnT). From 30 days of age, ghrelin (150 μg/kg) was administered subcutaneously to DCM mice once daily, control mice received saline only.

Guanfacine enhances cardiac acetylcholine release with little effect on norepinephrine release in anesthetized rabbits.

An α2A-adrenergic agonist guanfacine improves autonomic imbalance in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, suggesting that it may be useful to correct autonomic imbalance in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. To investigate the effects of guanfacine on cardiac autonomic nerve activities, a microdialysis technique was applied to anesthetized rabbit heart. Acetylcholine (ACh) and norepinephrine (NE) concentrations in atrial dialysates were measured as indices of cardiac autonomic nerve activities.

Acute effects of arterial baroreflex on sympathetic nerve activity and plasma norepinephrine concentration.

Arterial pressure (AP) elevates as a logarithmic function of exogenously administered dose of norepinephrine (NE). In contrast, AP is nearly linearly correlated with efferent sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) during acute baroreflex intervention. The present study aimed at quantifying the relationship between SNA and plasma NE concentration during acute baroreflex intervention.

A highly sensitive and accurate gene expression analysis by sequencing ("bead-seq") for a single cell.

Analyses of gene expressions in single cells are important for understanding detailed biological phenomena. Here, a highly sensitive and accurate method by sequencing (called "bead-seq") to obtain a whole gene expression profile for a single cell is proposed. A key feature of the method is to use a complementary DNA (cDNA) library on magnetic beads, which enables adding washing steps to remove residual reagents in a sample preparation process.

Cell-sheet therapy with omentopexy promotes arteriogenesis and improves coronary circulation physiology in failing heart.

Cell-sheet transplantation induces angiogenesis for chronic myocardial infarction (MI), though insufficient capillary maturation and paucity of arteriogenesis may limit its therapeutic effects. Omentum has been used clinically to promote revascularization and healing of ischemic tissues. We hypothesized that cell-sheet transplantation covered with an omentum-flap would effectively establish mature blood vessels and improve coronary microcirculation physiology, enhancing the therapeutic effects of cell-sheet therapy.

A novel small animal extracorporeal circulation model for studying pathophysiology of cardiopulmonary bypass.

Extracorporeal circulation (ECC) is indispensable for cardiac surgery. Despite the fact that ECCcauses damage to blood components and is non-physiologic, its pathophysiology has not been fully elucidated. This is because difficulty in clinical research and animal experiments keeps the knowledge insufficient.

β2-Adrenergic receptor-dependent attenuation of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction prevents progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension in intermittent hypoxic rats.

In sleep apnea syndrome (SAS), intermittent hypoxia (IH) induces repeated episodes of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) during sleep, which presumably contribute to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, the prevalence of PAH was low and severity is mostly mild in SAS patients, and mild or no right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) was reported in IH-exposed animals. The question then arises as to why PAH is not a universal finding in SAS if repeated hypoxia of sufficient duration causes cycling HPV.

Transient renal dysfunction with reversible splenial lesion.

We report the case of a 6-month-old boy with transient renal dysfunction who had an intensified signal in the splenium of the corpus callosum on magnetic resonance imaging. He presented to hospital with fever and sudden disturbance of consciousness. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis did not show pleocytosis.

Myocardial interstitial serotonin and its major metabolite, 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid levels determined by microdialysis technique in rat heart.

Aims: The aim of this study was to elucidate myocardial interstitial serotonin (5-HT) kinetics in the heart, including 5-HT reuptake and enzymatic degradation to 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) via monoamine oxidase (MAO).

Main Methods: Using microdialysis technique in anesthetized rats, we simultaneously monitored myocardial interstitial levels of 5-HT and its major metabolite, 5-HIAA, in the left ventricle and examined the effects of local administration of a MAO inhibitor, pargyline, or a 5-HT uptake inhibitor, fluoxetine.

Key Findings: Pargyline increased dialysate 5-HT concentration from 1.

In situ electron holographic study of Ionic liquid.

Investigation of the effect of electron irradiation on ionic liquid (IL) droplets using electron holography revealed that electron irradiation changed the electrostatic potential around the IL. The potential for low electron flux irradiation (0.5 × 10(17)e/m(2)s) was almost constant as a function of time (up to 180 min).

Pulmonary vascular tone is dependent on the central modulation of sympathetic nerve activity following chronic intermittent hypoxia.

Chronic intermittent hypoxia (IH) provokes a centrally mediated increase in sympathetic nerve activity (SNA). Although this sympathetic hyperexcitation has been linked to systemic hypertension, its effect on the pulmonary vasculature is unclear. This study aimed to assess IH-mediated sympathetic excitation in modulating pulmonary vasculature tone, particularly acute hypoxia vasoconstrictor response (HPV), and the central β-adrenergic signaling pathway for facilitating the increase in SNA.

Myocardium-derived angiopoietin-1 is essential for coronary vein formation in the developing heart.

The origin and developmental mechanisms underlying coronary vessels are not fully elucidated. Here we show that myocardium-derived angiopoietin-1 (Ang1) is essential for coronary vein formation in the developing heart. Cardiomyocyte-specific Ang1 deletion results in defective formation of the subepicardial coronary veins, but had no significant effect on the formation of intramyocardial coronary arteries.

Accumulation of supramolecular nanoparticles self-assembled from a bola-shaped cytidylic acid-appended fluorescein dye in cell nuclei.

We examined the cellular uptake of the nanoparticles self-assembled from a bola-shaped cytidylic acid-appended fluorescein derivative (C-FLU-C). The accumulation of fluorescence in the Caco-2 cell nucleus was observed mainly after the plateau phase of cell growth, indicating that C-FLU-C permeated the nuclear envelope without nuclear-localizing tags.

Ventilation/perfusion mismatch during lung aeration at birth.

At birth, the transition to newborn life is triggered by lung aeration, which stimulates a large increase in pulmonary blood flow (PBF). Current theories predict that the increase in PBF is spatially related to ventilated lung regions as they aerate after birth. Using simultaneous phase-contrast X-ray imaging and angiography we investigated the spatial relationships between lung aeration and the increase in PBF after birth.

Hereditary spherocytosis diagnosed with the eosin-5'-maleimide binding test.

We describe three cases of hereditary spherocytosis (HS) diagnosed using the eosin-5'-maleimide (EMA) binding test and discuss the relevance of the EMA binding test. In Japan, this test is not widely used because the prevalence of HS is low. This test is a valuable screening test for the diagnosis of HS.

Middle-preserving pancreatectomy for multifocal intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas: report of a case.

Multifocal or continuous pancreatic lesion is identified frequently but finding an appropriate surgical approach is quite challenging. Total pancreatectomy is a useful procedure. However, postoperative endocrine and exocrine disturbance is inevitable.

Effects of acute and chronic boysenberry intake on blood pressure and endothelial function in spontaneous hypertensive rats.

The effects of acute or chronic intake of boysenberry juice or artificial vinegar on blood pressure (BP) and endothelial function were investigated in spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR). A single administration of boysenberry juice (BJ, equivalent to 0.5 mL/kg body weight) or artificial boysenberry juice vinegar (BJV, equivalent to 0.

Medetomidine suppresses cardiac and gastric sympathetic nerve activities but selectively activates cardiac vagus nerve.

Background: To identify a pharmacological agent that can selectively activate cardiac vagus nerve for potential use in vagal activation therapy against heart failure, the effects of medetomidine on autonomic nerve activities in both the heart and stomach were examined.

Methods And Results: In anesthetized rabbits, microdialysis probes were implanted into both the right atrial and gastric walls. Dialysate acetylcholine (ACh) and norepinephrine (NE) concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography.

[Assessment of hand-foot syndrome in cancer patients treated with capecitabine-containing chemotherapy].

Capecitabine is one of the most effective oral chemotherapeutic drugs for advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer and gastric cancer. Capecitabine-containing chemotherapy is recommended as a first-line option for gastrointestinal tract cancer. The incidence of hand-foot syndrome (HFS), an adverse event of chemotherapy with capecitabine, is high.