Prevalence, Impact, and Screening Methods of Sarcopenia in Japanese Patients With Parkinson's Disease: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: Sarcopenia is a skeletal muscle disease manifesting as low muscle mass and impaired muscle function. It has been reported that sarcopenia correlates with a low quality of life (QOL) and an increased risk of falls in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Nevertheless, few studies have investigated the prevalence, impact, and screening methods of sarcopenia in Japanese patients with PD.

Noise Pareidolia Test in Parkinson's Disease and Atypical Parkinsonian Syndromes: A Retrospective Study.

Introduction: Pareidolias, or visual misperceptions, are a non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) with unclear pathophysiology. The noise pareidolia test (NPT) is a tool for screening pareidolias. The usefulness of the NPT in differentiating PD from atypical parkinsonian syndromes (APS) is also unknown.

Preventive effect of a heparinoid-containing product on the application site reaction of the rotigotine transdermal patch in Parkinson's disease: A pilot randomized clinical trial (the SkinHeRo study).

Introduction: The rotigotine transdermal patch (RTP) is a dopamine agonist used to treat Parkinson's disease (PD) but is sometimes discontinued because of application site reactions (ASRs). We aimed to investigate the effect of a heparinoid-containing product (HCP) for preventing ASRs due to the RTP by conducting a randomized controlled pilot trial.

Methods: Twenty patients with idiopathic non-demented PD were randomized to the skin care group using a HCP (group H) and the non-skin care group (group N).

Machine-learning guided discovery of a new thermoelectric material.

Thermoelectric technologies are becoming indispensable in the quest for a sustainable future. Recently, an emerging phenomenon, the spin-driven thermoelectric effect (STE), has garnered much attention as a promising path towards low cost and versatile thermoelectric technology with easily scalable manufacturing. However, progress in development of STE devices is hindered by the lack of understanding of the fundamental physics and materials properties responsible for the effect.

Quantum key distribution over 120 km using ultrahigh purity single-photon source and superconducting single-photon detectors.

Advances in single-photon sources (SPSs) and single-photon detectors (SPDs) promise unique applications in the field of quantum information technology. In this paper, we report long-distance quantum key distribution (QKD) by using state-of-the-art devices: a quantum-dot SPS (QD SPS) emitting a photon in the telecom band of 1.5 μm and a superconducting nanowire SPD (SNSPD).

A circuit mechanism for differentiating positive and negative associations.

The ability to differentiate stimuli predicting positive or negative outcomes is critical for survival, and perturbations of emotional processing underlie many psychiatric disease states. Synaptic plasticity in the basolateral amygdala complex (BLA) mediates the acquisition of associative memories, both positive and negative. Different populations of BLA neurons may encode fearful or rewarding associations, but the identifying features of these populations and the synaptic mechanisms of differentiating positive and negative emotional valence have remained unknown.

Spin-current-driven thermoelectric coating.

Energy harvesting technologies, which generate electricity from environmental energy, have been attracting great interest because of their potential to power ubiquitously deployed sensor networks and mobile electronics. Of these technologies, thermoelectric (TE) conversion is a particularly promising candidate, because it can directly generate electricity from the thermal energy that is available in various places. Here we show a novel TE concept based on the spin Seebeck effect, called 'spin-thermoelectric (STE) coating', which is characterized by a simple film structure, convenient scaling capability, and easy fabrication.

Efficient and low-noise single-photon avalanche photodiode for 1.244-GHz clocked quantum key distribution.

An efficient and low-noise 1.244-GHz gating InGaAs single-photon avalanche photodiode (SAPD) was developed for a high-speed quantum key distribution (QKD) system. An afterpulsing probability of 0.

[Patient with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome with prolonged disturbance of consciousness and convulsion after cerebral aneurysm surgery].

A 73-year-old patient developed convulsion and prolonged disturbance of consciousness after clipping surgery for unruptured cerebral aneurysm. The patient's consciousness improved four days after surgery, and radiological findings suggested posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). The cause of PRES is thought to be dysfunction of blood brain barrier by a sudden increase in blood pressure.

Distinct sensory representations of wind and near-field sound in the Drosophila brain.

Behavioural responses to wind are thought to have a critical role in controlling the dispersal and population genetics of wild Drosophila species, as well as their navigation in flight, but their underlying neurobiological basis is unknown. We show that Drosophila melanogaster, like wild-caught Drosophila strains, exhibits robust wind-induced suppression of locomotion in response to air currents delivered at speeds normally encountered in nature. Here we identify wind-sensitive neurons in Johnston's organ, an antennal mechanosensory structure previously implicated in near-field sound detection (reviewed in refs 5 and 6).

Characterization of noradrenaline-induced increases in intracellular Ca2+ levels in Chinese hamster ovary cells stably expressing human alpha1A-adrenoceptor.

The mechanism for noradrenaline (NA)-induced increases in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) and physiological significance of Na(+) influx through receptor-operated channels (ROCs) and store-operated channels (SOCs) were studied in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells stably expressing human alpha(1A)-adrenoceptor (alpha(1A)-AR). [Ca(2+)](i) was measured using the Ca(2+) indicator fura-2. NA (1 microM) elicited transient and subsequent sustained [Ca(2+)](i) increases, which were inhibited by YM-254890 (G(alphaq/11) inhibitor), U-73122 (phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor), and bisindolylmaleimide I (protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor), suggesting their dependence on G(alphaq/11)/PLC/PKC.

Y1 receptor activation is involved in the effect of exogenous neuropeptide Y on pup growth and the early termination of lactational diestrus in the postpartum rat.

The effect of chronic administration of exogenous neuropeptide Y (NPY) and specific NPY receptor agonists and antagonists on reproductive function was examined in lactating rats. As previously demonstrated in our laboratory, chronic (7-day) intracerebroventricular (i.c.

Suppression by methylprednisolone of augmented plasma endotoxin-like activity and interleukin-6 during cardiopulmonary bypass.

It has been reported that plasma endotoxin, measured by Limulus amoebocyte lysate assays, markedly increased during extracorporeal circulation (ECC). Therefore, this study was undertaken to see if pretreatment with methylprednisolone 30 mg kg-1 modifies the endotoxaemia and associated increases in plasma cytokines in 17 patients undergoing cardiac surgery requiring ECC. We found that methylprednisolone suppressed significantly the ECC-induced increases in plasma endotoxin, measured by a conventional Limulus amoebocyte lysate assay (Toxicolor), and interleukin-6.

[Anesthetic management of a patient with severe hyponatremia].

A 79 year old man, with left femoral neck fracture, was scheduled for an elective operation. After admission, severe hyponatremia probably due to diuretics developed. No neurological abnormalities were observed before surgery.

[Premedication in children--a clinical trial of bromazepam and chloral hydrate suppositories].

We performed a study on 141 pediatric patients between 6 months and 7 years of age who underwent scheduled radical operation for inguinal hernia, to evaluate bromazepam suppository and chloral hydrate suppository as anesthetic premedication for short pediatric operations. The study was also focused on the difference of the effects of the two drugs between two age groups: younger than 5 years, and 5 years and older. The younger age group required a larger bromazepam dose compared with the older age group, and in the younger group even the larger bromazepam dose did not produce a high sedative effect as chloral hydrate.

[Heart failure due to rapid right ventricular volume overload in patients with pulmonary hypertension].

We have described three cases of pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH). Two of them developed severe systemic hypotension and cardiac arrest following cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Imminent pre-operative right ventricular (RV) failure and subsequent myocardial injury during CPB may have contributed to the insult following CPB.