Understanding the Mechanisms of Gravity Resistance in Plants.

To understand gravity resistance in plants, it is necessary to analyze the changes induced when the magnitude of gravity in a growth environment is modified. Microgravity in space provides appropriate conditions for analyzing gravity resistance mechanisms. Experiments carried out in space involve a large number of constraints and are quite different from ground-based experiments.

Hypergravity experiments to evaluate gravity resistance mechanisms in plants.

Hypergravity generated by centrifugal acceleration is the only practical method to modify the magnitude of gravitational acceleration for a sufficient duration on Earth and has been used to analyze the nature and mechanism of graviresponse, particularly gravity resistance, in plants. Plant organs are generally resistant to gravitational acceleration. Hypergravity produced from centrifugation speeds in the range of 10-300 × g, which is easily produced by a benchtop centrifuge, is often used during plant experiments.

Cortical microtubules are responsible for gravity resistance in plants.

Mechanical resistance to the gravitational force is a principal gravity response in plants distinct from gravitropism. In the final step of gravity resistance, plants increase the rigidity of their cell walls. Here we discuss the role of cortical microtubules, which sustain the function of the cell wall, in gravity resistance.

[Anesthetic management for robot assisted off-pump construction of composite graft using the da Vinci surgical system].

Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery has become common in recent years. We used the da Vinci surgical system and managed anesthesia in 6 cases of bilateral internal mammary artery dissection and construction of a composite graft using the radial artery. To ensure vision inside the thoracic cavity, endoscopic robotic surgery employs the inflation of the thoracic cavity with carbon dioxide, producing a pneumothorax and turning the thoracic cavity into a positive pressure chamber.

Gravity-induced modifications to development in hypocotyls of Arabidopsis tubulin mutants.

We investigated the roles of cortical microtubules in gravity-induced modifications to the development of stem organs by analyzing morphology and orientation of cortical microtubule arrays in hypocotyls of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) tubulin mutants, tua3(D205N), tua4(S178Delta), and tua6(A281T), cultivated under 1g and hypergravity (300g) conditions. Hypocotyls of tubulin mutants were shorter and thicker than the wild type even at 1g, and hypergravity further suppressed elongation and stimulated expansion. The degree of such changes was clearly smaller in tubulin mutants, in particular in tua6.

Cerebrospinal fluid analysis in children with seizures from respiratory syncytial virus infection.

We report 3 cases of respiratory syncytial virus infection-associated seizures; their abnormalities of cerebrospinal fluid (increased interleukin-6 and positive for virus by highly sensitive assay) were documented. These data revealed that neurological involvement might be caused by a direct invasion.

[Effects of intravenous anesthetics on acidosis induced apoptosis in primary brain cell culture].

Background: We have reported protective effects of intravenous anesthetics on the brain cell. This study examined the effects of extracellular Ca2+ on acidosis-induced apoptosis and the protective effects of intravenous anesthetics on such appearance of apoptosis.

Methods: Using the primary culture of rat cerebellular granule cells, extracellular acidosis was produced at pH 6.