Genetic Cause of Hybrid Lethality Observed in Reciprocal Interspecific Crosses between Nicotiana simulans and N. tabacum.

Hybrid lethality, a type of postzygotic reproductive isolation, is an obstacle to wide hybridization breeding. Here, we report the hybrid lethality that was observed in crosses between the cultivated tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum (section Nicotiana), and the wild tobacco species, Nicotiana simulans (section Suaveolentes). Reciprocal hybrid seedlings were inviable at 28 °C, and the lethality was characterized by browning of the hypocotyl and roots, suggesting that hybrid lethality is due to the interaction of nuclear genomes derived from each parental species, and not to a cytoplasmic effect. Hybrid lethality was temperature-sensitive and suppressed at 36 °C. However, when hybrid seedlings cultured at 36 °C were transferred to 28 °C, all of them showed hybrid lethality. After crossing between an N. tabacum monosomic line missing one copy of the Q chromosome and N. simulans, hybrid seedlings with or without the Q chromosome were inviable and viable, respectively. These results indicated that gene(s) on the Q chromosome are responsible for hybrid lethality and also suggested that N. simulans has the same allele at the Hybrid Lethality A1 (HLA1) locus responsible for hybrid lethality as other species in the section Suaveolentes. Haplotype analysis around the HLA1 locus suggested that there are at least six and two haplotypes containing Hla1-1 and hla1-2 alleles, respectively, in the section Suaveolentes.

Streptocyanine as an activation mode of amine catalysis for the conversion of pyridine rings to benzene rings.

Amine catalysts have emerged as an invaluable tool in organic synthesis. Iminium, enamine, and enamine radical cation species are representative activation modes of amine catalysis. However, the development of new amine catalysis activation modes that enable novel synthetic strategies remains highly desirable. Herein, we report streptocyanine as a new amine catalysis activation mode, which enables the skeletal editing of pyridine rings to benzene rings. N-Arylation of pyridines bearing an alkenyl substituent at the 3-position generates the corresponding N-arylpyridiniums. The resulting pyridinum reacts with a catalytic amount of piperidine to afford a streptocyanine intermediate. Catalytically generated streptocyanine forms a benzene ring via a ring-closing reaction, thereby releasing the amine catalyst. Consequently, the alkene moiety in the starting pyridines is incorporated into the benzene ring of the products. Pyridiniums bearing various alkene moieties were efficiently converted to formyl-substituted benzene derivatives. Mechanistic studies support the postulation that the present catalytic process was intermediated by streptocyanine. In this reaction system, streptocyanine could be regarded as a new activation mode of amine catalysis.

Effect of intramuscular lidocaine injection with physical therapy on camptocormia in patients with Parkinson's disease who had previously had deep brain stimulation.

[Purpose] We aimed to evaluate the effects of an intervention consisting of intramuscular lidocaine injection in combination with physical therapy on the standing posture, balance ability, and walking ability in patients with Parkinson's disease who had camptocormia after deep brain stimulation. [Participants and Methods] The participants were nine patients with Parkinson's disease who had previously undergone deep brain stimulation. The intervention comprised a lidocaine injection into the abdominal external oblique muscles for five days in combination with physical therapy, including body weight-supported treadmill training for two weeks. Before and after the intervention, the total and upper camptocormia angles were used to assess the standing posture; the Berg balance scale was used to assess the balancing ability; and maximum walking speed and stride length were used to assess the walking ability. [Results] The total and upper camptocormia angles, and Berg balance scale improved significantly more after the intervention than before. Before and after the intervention, there was no significant difference in maximum walking speed, but the stride length was significantly greater after the intervention than before. [Conclusion] The intervention was effective in alleviating camptocormia and improving the balance and walking abilities of patients with Parkinson's disease with camptocormia after deep brain stimulation.

Protonation-Enhanced Reactivity of Triplet State in Dearomative Photocycloaddition of Quinolines to Olefins.

The intermolecular dearomative cycloaddition of acidified bicyclic azaarenes with olefins was recently reported. We report here the crucial role of the acid in the dearomative photocycloaddition of quinolines to olefins. Experimental and theoretical results show that the key role of the protonation of quinolines is not to promote the energy transfer but to enhance the reactivity of the triplet state of quinolines toward olefins.

Effect of the use of a body weight-supported walker on gait parameters in hemiplegic stroke patients.

[Purpose] This study investigated gait parameter changes in hemiplegic stroke patients who walked with a body weight-supported (BWS) walker and evaluated the usefulness of using the BWS walker in a walking exercise. [Participants and Methods] Nineteen hemiplegic stroke patients hospitalized in a convalescent rehabilitation ward were enrolled in the study. Trunk acceleration was used to evaluate walking with and without a BWS walker. Gait speed, cadence, stride length, step time symmetry, stride time variability, and stride time regularity were calculated from the accelerometer waveform. [Results] Hemiplegic stroke patients had a faster gait speed, walked more symmetrically, and had less variation in their gait cycle when using the BWS walker than when not using it. [Conclusion] Using a BWS walker may help hemiplegic stroke patients learn to walk more efficiently in terms of their gait speed.

Results of new policies for inpatient rehabilitation coverage in Japan.

BACKGROUND: A new interdisciplinary postacute rehabilitation unit, the Kaifukuki (convalescent) rehabilitation ward (KRW), has been incorporated into the Japanese medical insurance system since 2000. More than 57 000 beds (45 beds per 100 000 population) are currently available nationwide. The maximal coverage for therapy sessions increased from 2 to 3 hours per day, 7 days a week, in 2006. OBJECTIVE: To investigate how changes in policy affected rehabilitation outcomes of KRWs in a retrospective cohort study of 87 917 patients over 10 years. RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation) age of the patients was 73.0 (13.8) years, and 55.4% were women. Diagnoses included stroke (47.9%); orthopedic diseases, including hip fracture (35.2%); and traumatic brain and spinal cord injury (5.4 %). Onset-admission interval (OAI) was 31.5 (18.6) days, length of stay was 75.9 (46.1) days, and 69.1% were discharged home. Daily therapy time was 79.4 (34.5) minutes. Admission/discharge scores of the Barthel Index and the Functional Independence Measure were 49.3 (31.0)/70.4 (31.9) and 75.3 (31.2)/91.7 (31.8), respectively. Year-by-year comparison revealed that older age, greater initial disability, and shorter OAI were coupled with a higher dose of rehabilitative interventions and a higher rate of home discharge. Longitudinal data from a cohort of hospitals implied a small but significant dose-dependent effect of hours of therapy on rehabilitation outcome after stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Although the organization of KRWs is in flux as the system of hospitals grows, results over the past 8 years suggest that changes in national insurance policies are affecting the quantity and organization of rehabilitation interventions and improvement in patient outcomes.

Preliminary trial to increase gait velocity with high speed treadmill training for patients with hemiplegia.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether high-speed treadmill training improved the gait velocity of patients whose maximum walking speed was assumed to have reached a plateau level. The subjects included seven patients with hemiplegia after stroke. The high-speed treadmill training was performed as the maximum gait velocity of each patient was presumed to have reached a plateau level. The patients walked 20% faster than their maximum gait velocity of the day for 5 days (phase I). Then they walked 20% slower than maximum gait velocity of the day for 5 days, and they repeated the fast treadmill walking for further 5 days (phase II). Before phase I, mean maximum gait velocity of the day was 0.84 m/sec before phase I, 1.08 m/sec after phase I, and 1.24 m/sec after phase II. These results demonstrated that training at a speed 20% faster than the maximum gait velocity of the day on the treadmill for 5 days could further increase a patient's gait velocity.

Stroke outcome prediction using reciprocal number of initial activities of daily living status.

Multiple regression analysis was performed in 87 stroke patients who were admitted to a rehabilitation hospital to predict the total motor subscore of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) at discharge. In addition to the total cognitive subscore of the FIM at admission, age, and days from stroke onset to admission, the total motor subscore of the FIM at admission or its reciprocal number was added to independent variables. The correlation coefficients between the predicted and actual values were .88 (ordinary regression) and .93 (reciprocal regression) in the validation group (44 stroke patients). The median of the residuals (i.e, absolute values of subtraction of predicted motor-FIM from actual motor-FIM at discharge) of the reciprocal prediction (4.57) was significantly smaller than that of the ordinary prediction (6.26). In conclusion, the reciprocal prediction of regression analysis provided a more precise prediction without additional complex calculations.

Full-time integrated treatment program, a new system for stroke rehabilitation in Japan: comparison with conventional rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVE: To validate the effectiveness of the Full-time Integrated Treatment (FIT) program that is characterized by rehabilitation 7 days/wk, encouragement of daytime activity, and enhanced communication between staff in stroke rehabilitation. DESIGN: Since our facility changed from the conventional rehabilitation system of 5 days of treatment to the FIT program in December 2000, we compared the conventional rehabilitation program with the FIT program at our hospital. The conventional treatment group and the FIT group consisted of 48 and 58 first-stroke hemiplegics, respectively. RESULTS: The motor subscore of the FIM instrument at admission and at discharge was 64.3 and 77.0 in the conventional group and 60.6 and 80.9 in the FIT group, respectively. The length of stay and efficiency of the FIM instrument were 80.0 days and 0.16 in the conventional group and 69.8 days and 0.30 in the FIT group, respectively. These differences between groups were statistically significant, with the exception of admission FIM data. CONCLUSIONS: Because the FIT program attained a higher discharge FIM level with a shorter length of stay, the FIT program was concluded to be an efficient and effective method of stroke rehabilitation.