Morphological and genetic characterization of green-banded broodsacs of Leucochloridium (Leucochloridiidae: Trematoda) sporocysts detected in Succinea lauta in Hokkaido, Japan.

Green-banded broodsacs of Leucochloridium sporocysts were obtained from land snails, Succinea lauta, collected in Esashi, Esashi District, Hokkaido, Japan. The broodsacs were similar to those of L. paradoxum, which have never been found on the Japanese archipelago.

First report of Fasciola larva infection in Galba truncatula (Müller, 1774) (Gastropoda, Lymnaeidae) occurring in the natural environment in Hokkaido, Japan.

In Hokkaido, Japan, wild sika deer are highly infected with Fasciola flukes, suggesting that the flukes complete their life cycle via intermediate host snails and definitive host animals occurring in the natural environment. However, infected snails have been found only in cattle farms contaminated with fasciolosis. This study reports the first Fasciola larva infection in Galba truncatula snails occurring in the Shoro and Atsuma rivers in the natural environment.

Presynaptic selectivity of a ligand for serotonin 1A receptors revealed by in vivo PET assays of rat brain.

A novel investigational antidepressant with high affinity for the serotonin transporter and the serotonin 1A (5-HT(1A)) receptor, called Wf-516 (structural formula: (2S)-1-[4-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)piperidin-1-yl]-3-[2-(5-methyl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)benzo[b]furan-4-yloxy]propan-2-ol monohydrochloride), has been found to exert a rapid therapeutic effect, although the mechanistic basis for this potential advantage remains undetermined. We comparatively investigated the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of Wf-516 and pindolol by positron emission tomographic (PET) and autoradiographic assays of rat brains in order to elucidate their molecular interactions with presynaptic and postsynaptic 5-HT(1A) receptors. In contrast to the full receptor occupancy by pindolol in PET measurements, the binding of Wf-516 to 5-HT(1A) receptors displayed limited capacity, with relatively high receptor occupancy being achieved in regions predominantly containing presynaptic receptors.

Use of [18F]FDOPA-PET for in vivo evaluation of dopaminergic dysfunction in unilaterally 6-OHDA-lesioned rats.

Background: We evaluated the utility of L-3,4-dihydroxy-6-[18F]fluoro-phenylalanine ([18F]FDOPA) positron emission tomography (PET) as a method for assessing the severity of dopaminergic dysfunction in unilaterally 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rats by comparing it with quantitative biochemical, immunohistochemical, and behavioral measurements.

Methods: Different doses of 6-OHDA (0, 7, 14, and 28 μg) were unilaterally injected into the right striatum of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Dopaminergic functional activity in the striatum was assessed by [18F]FDOPA-PET, measurement of striatal dopamine (DA) and DA metabolite levels, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunostaining, and methamphetamine-induced rotational testing.

Utility of small-animal positron emission tomographic imaging of rats for preclinical development of drugs acting on the serotonin transporter.

Visualization of neurotransmission components in living small animals using positron emission tomography (PET) has the potential of contributing to the preclinical development of neuroactive drugs, although it is yet to be examined whether quantitative animal PET data on candidate compounds can be extrapolated to humans. Here, we investigated the comparability of the occupancies of serotonin transporter (5-HTT) by therapeutic agents in rat PET studies with our predetermined data from ex- vivo animal experiments and clinical PET scans. Rats were treated with varying doses of fluvoxamine and a newly developed compound, (2S)-1-[4-(3,4-dichlorophenyl) piperidin-1-yl]-3-[2-(5-methyl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)benzo[b]furan-4-yloxy]propan-2-ol monohydrochloride (Wf-516), and underwent PET scans with [11C]3-amino-4-(2-dimethylaminomethyl-phenylsulfanyl)-benzonitrile ([11C]DASB), a selective radioligand for in-vivo quantification of 5-HTT.

The evolution of extreme shell shape variation in the land snail Ainohelix editha: a phylogeny and hybrid zone analysis.

Ainohelix editha from Hokkaido, Japan, exhibit great geographical variation in their shell morphology. In particular, A. editha in two quite separate locations, Shimamaki and Samani, are striking because they are extremely flat and have a sharp keel, whereas at adjacent sites the shells are globular or depressed-globular.