Cell encapsulation enhances antidepressant effect of the mesenchymal stem cells and counteracts depressive-like behavior of treatment-resistant depressed rats.

Despite the advances in pharmacological therapies, only the half of depressed patients respond to currently available treatment. Thus, the need for further investigation and development of effective therapies, especially those designed for treatment-resistant depression, has been sorely needed. Although antidepressant effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been reported, the potential benefit of this cell therapy on treatment-resistant depression is unknown.

Muscle mass and intramuscular fat of the quadriceps are related to muscle strength in non-ambulatory chronic stroke survivors: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: Improving muscle mass and intramuscular fat in the mid-thigh increases the muscle strength of the paretic and non-paretic limbs in ambulatory chronic stroke survivors. There is a remarkable decrease in muscle mass and muscle strength and an increase in intramuscular fat in the quadriceps of both limbs of non-ambulatory compared with ambulatory survivors. Therefore, given that paretic lower extremity function does not recover sufficiently in the chronic phase, it may be helpful to improve muscle mass and intramuscular fat to increase muscle strength in the quadriceps of non-ambulatory chronic stroke survivors.

The influence of aging on the methylation status of brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene in blood.

Objective: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders in adults and elderly individuals, and as a result, the DNA methylation (DNAm) of the BDNF gene in peripheral tissues including blood has been extensively examined to develop a useful biomarker for psychiatric disorders. However, studies to date have not previously investigated the effect of age on DNAm of the BDNF gene in blood. In this context, we measured DNAm of 39 CpG units in the CpG island at the promoter of exon I of the BDNF gene.

[Concepts of "urinary bladder" and "vesicles ()" , "" (fluid and humor) and "urine" and other associated issues].

In the ('), (fluid and humor) is described in two senses, broad and narrow, though not so strictly.Sometimes, is explained ambiguously as "sweat" and "urine" , as in the phrase "the bladder, being a house of " , here "" refers to the urine. In the of (-) , the "" in the sentence "heat of moved to bladder" refersto the uterus.

Effect of circulatory system response to motor control in one-sided contractions.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect one-sided skeletal muscle contraction has on the circulatory system, spinal α-motoneuron excitability, and somatosensory-system-evoked potential.

Method: Nine healthy males maintained tension at 10, 20, and 30% of maximal voluntary contraction in static gripping in right hand. Heart rate, ln high frequency (HF), blood pressure (BP), F-wave, and somatosensory-evoked potential (SEP) were recorded during gripping task.

Effects of gait training with non-paretic knee immobilization on patients with hemiplegia: Three single-case studies.

Patients' with a hemiplegic gait and difficulties with activities of daily living may improve through intensive training of their paretic lower limbs. This study examined the possibility of improving their gait by immobilizing the non-paretic knee joint in extension and promoting weight shift toward the paretic side. Single-case ABABA studies were conducted, involving three patients with hemiplegia.

Synthesis of a Cleaved Form of Osteopontin by THP-1 Cells and Its Alteration by Phorbol 12-Myristate 13-Acetate and BCG Infection.

The protease-cleaved osteopontin (OPN) was proposed to enhance the migration of memory T cells to granulomas in tuberculosis. Various forms of OPN were identified in human monocytic THP-1 cells stimulated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Antibodies O-17, 10A16 and 34E3, which recognize N-terminus, the C-half, and thrombin-cleaved site of OPN, respectively, all detected distinct bands on Western blots following PMA stimulation.

Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a smartphone application intervention for subthreshold depression.

Aim: We developed a motion picture-reproducing smartphone application (app) designed to improve self-confidence in individuals with subthreshold depression (StD) and examined the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an app intervention for individuals with StD.

Methods: We conducted an open-label, single-arm pre-post study of 22 young adults with StD. Our intervention involved app usage for at least 70 min/wk for 5 weeks.

Measurement error in the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale: results from a general adult population in Japan.

Although the self-report version of Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) is frequently used to measure social anxiety, data is lacking on the smallest detectable change (SDC), an important index of measurement error. We therefore aimed to determine the SDC of LSAS. Japanese adults aged 20-69 years were invited from a panel managed by a nationwide internet research agency.

Relationships between muscle mass, intramuscular adipose and fibrous tissues of the quadriceps, and gait independence in chronic stroke survivors: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To examine the relationships between muscle mass, intramuscular adipose and fibrous tissues of the quadriceps, and gait independence in chronic stroke survivors.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Hospital-based research.

Adjusting Challenge-Skill Balance to Improve Quality of Life in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: We sought to investigate whether occupational therapy that includes adjusting the challenge-skill balance improves health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for older adults in comparison with standard occupational therapy.

Method: In this single-blind, randomized controlled trial, 56 older adults were assigned to two groups that received 10 sessions of occupational therapy with and without adjustment of challenge-skill balance. The primary outcome was change in HRQOL after 10 sessions of occupational therapy.

Improvement of Upper Extremity Deficit after Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy Combined with and without Preconditioning Stimulation Using Dual-hemisphere Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Peripheral Neuromuscular Stimulation in Chronic Stroke Patients: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

In this study, we investigated the effects of dual-hemisphere transcranial direct current stimulation (dual-tDCS) of both the affected (anodal tDCS) and non-affected (cathodal tDCS) primary motor cortex, combined with peripheral neuromuscular electrical stimulation (PNMES), on the effectiveness of constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) as a neurorehabilitation intervention in chronic stroke. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of feasibility, with a single blind assessor, with patients recruited from three outpatient clinics. Twenty chronic stroke patients were randomly allocated to the control group, receiving conventional CIMT, or the intervention group receiving dual-tDCS combined with PNMES before CIMT.

Differences in neural pathways are related to the short- or long-term benefits of constraint-induced movement therapy in patients with chronic stroke and hemiparesis: a pilot cohort study.

Background No previous studies have determined how the post-stroke integrity of non-corticospinal neural pathways relates to the efficacy of constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT). Objectives We aimed to clarify the relationship between several non-corticospinal neural pathway integrities and the short- and long-term benefits of CIMT. Methods This was a pilot cohort study (UMIN registration number: R00027136UMIN000023566), for which we enrolled 13 patients with chronic stroke and hemiparesis who had undergone CIMT.

Cell Therapy for Parkinson's Disease.

Cell therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD) began in 1979 with the transplantation of fetal rat dopamine-containing neurons that improved motor abnormalities in the PD rat model with good survival of grafts and axonal outgrowth. Thirty years have passed since the 2 clinical trials using cell transplantation for PD patients were first reported. Recently, cell therapy is expected to develop as a realistic treatment option for PD patients owing to the advancement of biotechnology represented by pluripotent stem cells.

Intracranial self-stimulation and immobilization had different effects on neurite extension and the p38 MAPK pathway in PC12m3 cells.

Aim: In mammals, rewarding and aversive states are motivational drivers of behavioral expression. However, it is unclear whether such states affect neuronal functions at the level of individual neurons. In the present study, the neuronal effects of rewarding and aversive states were investigated in using PC12 mutant cells (PC12m3 cells) with low sensitivity to nerve growth factor.

Secretion of Galectin-9 as a DAMP during Dengue Virus Infection in THP-1 Cells.

Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are endogenous cellular molecules released to the extracellular environment in response to stress conditions such as virus infection. Galectins are β-galactoside-binding proteins that are widely expressed in cells and tissues of the immune system, are localized in the cell cytoplasm, and have roles in inflammatory responses and immune responses against infection. Elevated levels of galectin-9 (Gal-9) in natural human infections have been documented in numerous reports.

Smallest detectable change and test-retest reliability of a self-reported outcome measure: Results of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, and 12-item General Health Questionnaire.

Rationale, Aims, And Objectives: This study aims to examine the smallest detectable change (SDC) and test-retest reliability of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12).

Method: We tested 154 young adults at baseline and 2 weeks later. We calculated the intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) for test-retest reliability with a two-way random effects model for agreement.

A quantitative and efficient approach to select MIRU-VNTR loci based on accumulation of the percentage differences of strains for discriminating divergent Mycobacterium tuberculosis sublineages.

Although several optimal mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units-variable number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR) loci have been suggested for genotyping homogenous Mycobacterium tuberculosis, including the Beijing genotype, a more efficient and convenient selection strategy for identifying optimal VNTR loci is needed. Here 281 M. tuberculosis isolates were analyzed.

Immediate effect of subliminal priming with positive reward stimuli on standing balance in healthy individuals: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Information received subconsciously can influence exercise performance; however, it remains unclear whether subliminal or supraliminal reward is more effective in improving standing balance ability when priming stimuli are subconsciously delivered. The present study aimed to compare the effects of subliminal priming-plus-subliminal reward stimuli (experimental) with subliminal priming-plus-supraliminal reward stimuli (control) on standing balance ability.

Methods: This was a single-blind (outcome assessor), parallel-group, randomized controlled trial involving healthy young adults recruited from a university in Japan.

Exogenous stem cells pioneer a biobridge to the advantage of host brain cells following stroke: New insights for clinical applications.

Stroke continues to maintain its status as one of the top causes of mortality within the United States. Currently, the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug in place for stroke patients, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), has a rigid therapeutic window, closing at approximately 4.5 h after stroke onset.

Secretion of IFN-γ Associated with Galectin-9 Production by Pleural Fluid Cells from a Patient with Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis.

In this study, we investigated the role of a matricellular protein galectin-9 (Gal-9) in pleural effusion related to tuberculosis (TB). Plasma and pleural fluid of a patient with extrapulmonary TB were analyzed for cytokine content by ELISA and Luminex. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and pleural fluid cells (PFCs) were examined for interferon-γ (IFN-γ) secretion by the enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay or IFN-γ ELISA, for apoptosis and necrosis by Cell Death Detection ELISA, and also underwent cell sorting.

Identification of common words to improve self-confidence in Japanese students with subthreshold depression.

Background Subthreshold depression (StD) is more common than major depressive disorder. Objective The study aimed to identify common words to improve self-confidence in Japanese university students with StD for developing a smartphone application to help those with StD. Methods In this cross-sectional study, words participants used to improve their self-confidence were gathered using self-report questionnaires in 154 university students in Japan.

Ultra-Deep Sequencing Analysis on HIV Drug-Resistance-Associated Mutations Among HIV-Infected Individuals: First Report from the Philippines.

A sharp increase in the number of people living with HIV has been documented in the Philippines. In response, the government has instituted antiretroviral therapy (ART) nationwide through HIV treatment hubs. However, no data presently exist on the status of ART drug-resistance-associated mutations (DRMs).