Pulmonary Mucormycosis Involving the Left Main Bronchus and the Pulmonary Artery.

Pulmonary mucormycosis is an extremely rare disease. It often occurs in immunocompromised patients, such as patients with diabetes and those on long-term steroid use. The prognosis of the disease is poor despite the administration of antifungal agents and removal of the necrotic tissue. Herein, we present a successfully treated case of pulmonary mucormycosis in a patient with type 2 diabetes who underwent left pneumonectomy because of the involvement of the left main pulmonary artery and the left main bronchus. Irrespective of the infected organ, complete debridement of the infected tissue and treatment with antifungal agents are essential for treating mucormycosis.

Detection of Mycoplasma wenyonii and "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos" from Japanese Black breeding cows in Kyushu and Okinawa region, southern part of Japan.

This study aimed to elucidate the epidemiological status of hemoplasma infection and investigate the interaction between Theileria orientalis and hemoplasmas in Japanese Black breeding cows raised in the Kyushu and Okinawa regions. Blood samples were collected from 400 cows from 80 different farms in eight prefectures (five samples per farm and 10 farms per prefecture). Mycoplasma wenyonii (Mw), "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos" (CMh), and T. orientalis were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay using whole blood samples. PCR results showed that 91.5% (366/400) of cows were positive for bovine hemoplasma: 40.3% were infected with Mw only, 9.5% with CMh only, and 41.8% with both species. T. orientalis was detected in 36% (144/400) of cows. The infection rate of T. orientalis was higher in the grazing group (P<0.001) than in the housed group, while the rate of CMh infection was higher (P<0.05) in the housed group than in the grazing group, suggesting that not only the tick but also other arthropod vectors may contribute to hemoplasma transmission. Although the cows with hemoplasma dual infection showed higher (P<0.05) white blood cell counts compared with hemoplasma-negative cows, there was no difference in hematologic parameters related to the anemia between the hemoplasma-positive and -negative animals. This may indicate that Japanese Black cattle could have resistance to the anemia caused by infection with hemoplasma.

Coordination between the electrical activity of developing indirect flight muscles and the firing activity of a population of neurosecretory cells in the silkmoth, Bombyx mori.

The developing indirect flight muscles of pharate moths are characterized by a rhythmic discharge of a long bout of flight-pattern-like muscle potentials in the absence of contractions. The electrical activity of the dorsal longitudinal flight muscles (DLMs) in the silkmoth, Bombyx mori, was discernible as a cluster of many series of muscle potentials that last for several minutes on day 4 of the pupal period. The duration of the active phases and the period of rhythmic activity gradually increased to a peak value on day 7 or 8 and then declined until the end of the pupal period. Mean duration of the active phases (+/-SD) and the mean period of the rhythmic activity (+/-SD) at the peak were 38.7+/-8.7 min and 74.5+/-7.3 min, respectively. The rhythmic electrical activity of immature DLMs was closely coordinated with the rhythmic (bursting) activity of a population of neurosecretory cells that are known to produce pheromone-biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) and its related peptides, which belong to the multifunctional peptide family, pyrokinin/PBAN. The DLMs always became active a few minutes after the neurosecretory cells, and the timing of onset of these two activities appeared to be strictly regulated by a neural mechanism. The implication of the coordinated activity for development and maturation of imaginal tissues, including the flight motor system, and possible functions of the neuropeptides in this development are discussed.