Effects of -Fermented Milk on Obesity: Improved Lipid Metabolism through Suppression of Lipogenesis and Enhanced Muscle Metabolism.

Obesity is a major global health concern. Studies suggest that the gut microflora may play a role in protecting against obesity. Probiotics, including lactic acid bacteria and , have garnered attention for their potential in obesity prevention.

Sirolimus monotherapy for Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon in a neonate; Case report.

Introduction And Importance: The Kasabach-Merritt Phenomenon (KMP), characterized by thrombocytopenia and consumptive coagulopathy due to endothelial cell growth in the infantile vascular tumor kaposiform hemangioendothelioma, presents a therapeutic challenge. This case highlights the novel use of sirolimus in a neonate, an approach less explored in this age group.

Case Presentation: A female neonate presented with a right anterior chest mass, progressing to respiratory distress and congestive heart failure.

Effect of sample density in prompt γ-ray analysis.

A high-accuracy analytical method is broadly required to obtain reliable research results. Thus, prompt γ-ray analysis (PGA), one of the most accurate non-destructive analytical methods, has been employed in various fields. However, the measurement accuracy of PGA is also known to degrade in hydrogenous samples.

Integrated pathophysiology of schizophrenia, major depression, and bipolar disorder as monoamine axon disorder.

Recent studies provide evidence that similar to early-stage Parkinson's disease, depression is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the degeneration of monoamine axons. The major difference between the two disorders is that the symptoms of depression become evident without loss of monoamine neurons, while the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease appear after loss of the cell body. Given that the axonal degeneration of monoamine neurons underlies the pathophysiology of neurological (Parkinson's disease) and neuropsychiatric (depression) diseases, axonal impairment of monoamine neurons is thought to also occur in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and play a significant role in the pathophysiology of these mental illnesses.

Adenine-related compounds modulate UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) activity in mouse liver microsomes.

Adenine-related compounds are allosteric inhibitors of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) in rat liver microsomes (RLM) and human UGT isoforms treated with detergent or pore-forming peptide, alamethicin.To clarify whether the same is true beyond species, the effects of adenine-related compounds on 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU) glucuronidation were examined using detergent-treated mouse liver microsomes (MLM).Brij-58 treatment of MLM increased the and the Michaelis constant, of 4-MU.

Nondestructive Quantitative Analysis of Difficult-to-Measure Radionuclides Pd and Tc.

Considering the expanding demand for nuclear waste management of the spent nuclear fuel materials in near future, a nondestructive analytical scheme applicable to one of the most difficult-to-measure nuclides Pd, which emits no decay γ-rays and whose half-life is too long to be decayed out during a human lifetime, was designed. The scheme consists of a sophisticated instrument capable of the detection of γ-rays by Ge detectors coupled with time-of-flight measurement of neutrons and a high-intensity pulsed neutron beam and can simultaneously perform time-of-flight-coupled prompt γ-ray analysis (TOF-PGA) as well as PGA and neutron resonance capture analysis (NRCA). The analytical capability for simulated samples of the Tc-platinum group metals (Tc-PGMs) obtained by the group-partitioning process of spent nuclear fuels, which contain not only Pd but also Tc and other difficult-to-measure fission products, was evaluated.

Fecal metabolite of a gnotobiotic mouse transplanted with gut microbiota from a patient with Alzheimer's disease.

Studies of Alzheimer's disease are based on model mice that have been altered by transgenesis and other techniques to elicit pathogenesis. However, changes in the gut microbiota were recently suggested to diminish cognitive function in patients, as well as in model mice. Accordingly, we have created model mice of the human gut microbiota by transplanting germ-free C57BL/6N mice with fecal samples from a healthy volunteer and from an affected patient.

Draft Genome Sequence of Probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus Strain L-55 Isolated from a Healthy Human Gut.

Probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus L-55 was isolated from a healthy human gut. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of this organism.

Synergistic effect of combining two nondestructive analytical methods for multielemental analysis.

We developed a new analytical technique that combines prompt gamma-ray analysis (PGA) and time-of-flight elemental analysis (TOF) by using an intense pulsed neutron beam at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex. It allows us to obtain the results from both methods at the same time. Moreover, it can be used to quantify elemental concentrations in the sample, to which neither of these methods can be applied independently, if a new analytical spectrum (TOF-PGA) is used.

Asphyxia induced by umbilical cord occlusion alters glutamatergic and GABAergic synaptic transmission in neurons of the superior colliculus in fetal rats.

Using optical recordings, we studied the effects of asphyxia on intracellular Cl(-) and Ca(2+) concentrations ([Cl(-)]i; [Ca(2+)]i) in the superior colliculus of fetal rats, which were connected via the umbilical cord to the dam. Acute asphyxia was induced by umbilical cord occlusion. The number of fetal superior colliculus neurons showing GABA-mediated increases in [Cl(-)]i (leading to hyperpolarization) following local synaptic electrical stimulation had decreased by 3 h post-asphyxiation, while the number showing GABA-mediated decreases in [Cl(-)]i (leading to depolarization) increased.

Exposure to 1-bromopropane causes degeneration of noradrenergic axons in the rat brain.

1-Bromopropane (1-BP) has been used as an alternative to ozone-depleting solvents. Previous studies showed that 1-BP is neurotoxic in animals and humans. In humans, exposure to 1-BP caused various neurological and neurobehavioral symptoms or signs including depressive or irritated mood.

Proteomic analysis of proteins expressing in regions of rat brain by a combination of SDS-PAGE with nano-liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry.

Background: Most biological functions controlled by the brain and their related disorders are closely associated with activation in specific regions of the brain. Neuroproteomics has been applied to the analysis of whole brain, and the general pattern of protein expression in all regions has been elucidated. However, the comprehensive proteome of each brain region remains unclear.

Gene expression profiling in progressively MPTP-lesioned macaques reveals molecular pathways associated with sporadic Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive loss of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. To gain an insight into the mechanisms underlying the progression of PD, gene expression analysis was performed using two different brain regions, the substantia nigra pars compacta (SN) and the striatum (STR), of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-lesioned monkey model of PD. 230 genes were differentially expressed in the MPTP-treated SN compared to control, whereas 452 genes showed altered expression in the MPTP-treated STR, implying that MPTP elicits more damages in the striatal gene expression than in the SN.

Stimulation of fetal hypothalamus induces uterine contractions in pregnant rats at term.

The fetal brain is thought to have a role in the onset and progression of labor. Evidence also exists for fetal oxytocin release just before and during parturition. The present study examined whether activation of the fetal brain could induce uterine myometrial contractions through oxytocin receptors in the dam.

Effects of retinoic acids on the dendritic morphology of cultured hippocampal neurons.

Vitamin A-derived retinoic acids (RAs) are known to exert a variety of biological actions, including modulatory effects on cell differentiation and apoptosis. A recent study has demonstrated that 13-cis-RA and all-trans-RA suppressed neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus in adult mice. The present experiments were performed to see whether 13-cis-RA and all-trans-RA could alter the dendritic morphology of cultured hippocampal neurons via RA receptors: retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and retinoid X receptor (RXR).

13-cis-retinoic acid alters the cellular morphology of slice-cultured serotonergic neurons in the rat.

Retinoids influence cellular processes such as differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis via retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and retinoid X receptor (RXR), and have therapeutic applications in several cancers and dermatologic diseases. Recent reports indicate that depression occasionally occurs in patients using the acne drug Accutane, the active component of which is 13-cis-retinoic acid (13-cis-RA). Although impairment of serotonin (5-HT)-expressing neurons, including morphologic changes, is thought to be associated with depressive symptoms, the effects of 13-cis-RA on 5-HT neurons have not been examined.

Interferon-alpha reduces the density of monoaminergic axons in the rat brain.

Interferon-alpha commonly induces depressive symptoms in clinical populations; however, the mechanism by which this occurs is unclear. Recent studies suggest that the degeneration of axons containing serotonin and noradrenaline is involved in the pathophysiology of depression. The present immunohistochemical study shows that the density of serotonergic axons decreased in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala in the interferon-alpha-treated animals.

Postural stabilizing effect of alfacalcidol and active absorbable algal calcium (AAA Ca) compared with calcium carbonate assessed by computerized posturography.

Sway and postural instability have drawn attention as a risk factor for osteoporotic fracture, in addition to low bone mineral density (BMD) and poor bone quality. In view of the fracture-reducing effect of alfacalcidol and active absorbable algal calcium (AAA Ca) not readily explained by rather mild increases of BMD, attempts were made to evaluate postural stabilizing effect of alfacalcidol, AAA Ca, and calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) by computerized posturography. Track of the gravity center was analyzed to calculate parameters related to tract length, track range, and track density to express the degree of sway before and after supplementation in 126 subjects ranging in age between 20 and 81 years randomly divided into four groups.

Selective rapid eye movement sleep deprivation impairs the maintenance of long-term potentiation in the rat hippocampus.

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep deprivation (RSD) is known to impair learning and memory. Previous studies have demonstrated that RSD induces an impairment of hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). In most of these studies, RSD was set up prior to LTP induction.

Ventral hippocampal neurons project axons simultaneously to the medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala in the rat.

The ventral hippocampus (VH) may have an important role in spatial memory processes and emotional behaviors through connections with the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and amygdala. Although the mPFC and amygdala receive afferent projections from the VH, it has not been determined whether the individual VH neurons project to both the mPFC and the amygdala. In this study, antidromic responses to the mPFC and amygdala stimulation were evoked in single VH neurons.

Evaluation of the centroid method of occlusion for studying mandibular and maxillary growth.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the centroid method of occlusion for studying mandibular growth and development. This novel technique comparatively expresses the direction of growth of the maxilla and mandible as a single unit. The centroid 'G' was geometrically calculated from the triangle Deltaabc, which comprised the palatal, articulare-gnathion (Ar-Gn), and A-B planes.

In vivo optical recordings of synaptic transmission and intracellular Ca2+ and Cl- in the superior colliculus of fetal rats.

Although the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor is known to play a crucial role in activity-dependent remodeling of synaptic connections in the fetal superior colliculus (SC), its contribution to the electrical activity of fetal SC neurons has not been determined. Furthermore, whether gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-mediated inhibition occurs either as early as prenatal periods or only after eye opening has been controversial. We therefore performed optical recordings using voltage-, Ca2+- and Cl--sensitive fluorescent dyes to analyse synaptic transmission and changes in intracellular Ca2+ and Cl- in the SC of fetal rats that were still connected with the dams by the umbilical cord.

Stress-induced plasticity of monoamine axons.

Central serotonergic (5-HT) and noradrenergic (NA) neurons, which innervate the same regions of the brain, are known to play a crucial role in emotion and mood. These monoamine neurons have a great capacity to alter axonal morphology in response to repeated stress. The morphological responses of 5-HT and NA axons to repeated stress are different, and they sometimes even demonstrate opposite responses (namely, either sprouting or degeneration).

Essential role of D1 but not D2 receptors in methamphetamine-induced impairment of long-term potentiation in hippocampal-prefrontal cortex pathway.

Methamphetamine (MA) abuse induces deficits in cognitive performance that are related to dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The medial portion of the prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in rats that is crucial for cognitive function has been shown to undergo long-term potentiation (LTP) in the projections from the hippocampus. However, no study has been performed to evaluate the influence of MA on synaptic plasticity in the hippocampal-mPFC pathways.

Effect of age on body sway assessed by computerized posturography.

The swaying and postural instability frequently seen in elderly subjects had not been analyzed quantitatively in detail until the introduction of computerized posturography. In order to assess the changes of body sway with aging, we performed computerized posturography in 144 subjects (51 men and 93 women, between the ages of 22 and 88 years) without specific neurological or metabolic disorders. The total and timed track length of the center of gravity, reflecting the distance of sway, increased with advancing age, with a highly significant positive correlation, without marked sex differences.