Who said what to whom? Memory for sources and destinations in monolinguals and bilinguals.

Two experiments with monolingual and bilingual participants tested memory for sources (speakers) and destinations (listeners) in conversations consisting of self-referential statements. In Experiment 1, participants directly interacted in English conversations with audio-visually recorded confederates. In Experiment 2, participants observed recorded conversations among confederates. In both conversational situations, source memory was more accurate than destination memory, indicating that the attentional resources consumed by self-focus or sentence production/completion do not explain why destinations are less well remembered than sources in direct-interaction conversations. Source and destination memory were positively associated with item memory at the participant level, indicating that stronger item encoding is associated with stronger encoding of contextual information. In the observed conversations, source and destination accuracy were negatively associated at the trial level, indicating that these features of the memory episode are not encoded independently, and there is a tradeoff in the encoding of these contextual features. Item memory did not differ for monolinguals and bilinguals and was positively associated with proficiency only in conversations with direct interaction. In the observational setting (but not the direct-interaction setting), source and destination memory were more accurate for bilinguals than monolinguals. This finding suggests that bilinguals allocate attention more efficiently than monolinguals when the cognitive demands of sentence production are eliminated. Proficiency in English was positively associated with memory for the appropriate conversational partner only when participants had to produce sentence frames and complete them with self-generated information, suggesting that language proficiency is beneficial when cognitive demands are high.

How word comprehension exposures facilitate later spoken production: implications for lexical processing and repetition priming.

Both comprehension and production exposures to words facilitate spoken production of the same words in picture-naming tasks performed several minutes later. Three experiments examined the mechanisms by which different types of comprehension exposures to words facilitate spoken production. Both overt and silent reading and listening tasks elicited substantial priming in picture naming at 10-minute but not 1-week retention intervals. Relative to silent conditions, encoding conditions that involved speaking the target word overtly elicited stronger priming effects in both RT and accuracy and larger frequency effects in RT. Frequency effects were not reliable in accuracy priming or silent-encoding RT priming. Articulatory suppression did not diminish priming effects relative to silent reading/listening, and priming effects did not depend on whether presentations at encoding were visual or auditory. Together, the results indicate that a common modality-general lemma representation is accessed in comprehension and production, that both lemma and phonological retrieval contribute to repetition priming in production, and that phonological retrieval is sensitive to word frequency. These results are consistent with a theory based on transfer-appropriate processing if word comprehension elicits top-down processing or feedback from the concept to the lemma.

Rethinking Bilingual Enhancement Effects in Associative Learning of Foreign Language Vocabulary: The Role of Proficiency in the Mediating Language.

The present study investigated claims that learning vocabulary in an unfamiliar language is more efficient in bilinguals than in monolinguals and the possible effects of language proficiency and dominance. In Experiment 1, monolingual (n = 48) and bilingual participants (n = 96) learned Japanese words paired with English translations and completed cued-recall and associative-recognition tests. Accuracy did not differ across monolingual and bilingual or language dominance groups. Nevertheless, in bilinguals, higher English proficiency was associated with higher accuracy. In Experiment 2, Japanese-English bilinguals (n = 40) learned Spanish-Japanese word pairs, and higher Japanese proficiency was associated with higher accuracy. Associative strategies were reported at a higher rate in bilingual than in monolingual participants but were not associated with more accurate performance. Careful comparisons of the present and previous results support the conclusion that higher proficiency in the language through which bilinguals learn foreign vocabulary enhances associative memory, but bilingualism itself does not.

A study of the association between patterns of eye drop prescription and medication usage in glaucoma subjects.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between patterns of eye drop prescription and medication usage in patients with glaucoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-seven Japanese patients with glaucoma who were prescribed topical antiglaucoma medications including a prostaglandin analogue bilaterally for >6 months at Nayoro City General Hospital, Nayoro, Japan, were included in the study. A self-administered, 5-item patient questionnaire was administered to determine how patients routinely use medications, including the method of eye drop administration, number of eye drops per instillation, accuracy of eye drop placement, weekly frequency of eye drop application, and their awareness of local side effects. The number of prostaglandin analogue bottles prescribed monthly was compared in each factor. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 74.4±10.0 years (range, 52 to 95 y; 39 women, 28 men). The mean duration of glaucoma treatment was 4.2±3.2 years (range, 0.7 to 10.6 y). Patients who placed the eye drops outside the eye were prescribed significantly more bottles monthly (P=0.008). The other factors had no significant effect on the number of bottles prescribed monthly. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with glaucoma who used eye drops incorrectly were routinely prescribed additional bottles of eye drops. Ophthalmologists should determine whether patients who request an unusual number of eye drops are using the eye drops correctly.

Elevated levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in the aqueous humor after phacoemulsification.

PURPOSE: To elucidate the impact of phacoemulsification on aqueous monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) levels, and identify its cell origin. METHODS: For clinical study, aqueous humor samples were collected before and after surgery (17.0 ± 4.0 months postoperatively) from 21 cataract cases that underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. Aqueous MCP-1 levels were determined using a multiplex immunoassay. For animal experiments, rabbits underwent phacoemulsification (± IOL). Aqueous humor samples were collected from nonoperated eyes and operated eyes, and immunoassays were performed. Eyes were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical studies. RESULTS: In the clinical study, mean (± SD) aqueous MCP-1 levels were higher postoperatively (1773.5 ± 321.2 pg/mL) than preoperatively (796.9 ± 211.3 pg/mL; P < 0.0001). In animal experiments, mean aqueous MCP-1 levels (pg/mL) were higher in postoperative eyes on day 30 (207.1 ± 62.9) than in nonoperated eyes (31.2 ± 12.5; P = 0.018). IOL implantation did not affect the changes in MCP-1 levels. After phacoemulsification, MCP-1 mRNA expression was increased in the cornea, iris, ciliary body, and capsular bag. Expression of MCP-1 mRNA in the capsular bag, but not the other tissues, increased from day 30 to 90. Immunohistochemical studies showed positive immunoreactivity for MCP-1 in cells of the posterior capsule after phacoemulsification. CONCLUSIONS: aqueous MCP-1 levels were elevated in both human and animal eyes after phacoemulsification. Proliferated Lens epithelial cells on the capsule might be the major cell origin for prolonged MCP-1 production after phacoemulsification. (http://www.umin.ac.jp/ number, UMIN000005788.).

The effect of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1/CC chemokine ligand 2 on aqueous humor outflow facility.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1)/CC chemokine ligand 2 on aqueous humor outflow facility. METHODS: Aqueous humor outflow facility was measured in enucleated porcine eyes in a constant pressure perfusion system with or without MCP-1 (1600 ng/mL). Expression of CCR2, an MCP-1 receptor, in Schlemm's canal endothelial (SCE) cells was examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. The effect of MCP-1 (0-1600 ng/mL) on SCE cell viability was evaluated using a WST-8 assay. The effect of MCP-1 (0-800 ng/mL) on SCE-cell monolayer permeability was evaluated with or without a CCR2 antagonist (10 nM) by measuring transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER). The intracellular localization of the gap junction protein ZO-1 was analyzed by immunofluorescence staining of SCE cells. RESULTS: The aqueous humor outflow facility increased significantly from basal levels at 80 minutes after perfusion with MCP-1 compared with control eyes (21.2% ± 6.6% [MCP-1] vs. 5.7 ± 2.5% [control]; P = 0.048). CCR2 was detected by RT-PCR. Cell viability was not affected by MCP-1 treatment. TEER of SCE-cell monolayer at 3 hours after treatment with 800 ng/mL MCP-1 decreased by 21.6 ± 1.7% compared with controls (P = 0.014), and the TEER-decreasing effects of MCP-1 were attenuated by a CCR2 antagonist. Immunocytochemical staining revealed a modest disruption of ZO-1 in MCP-1-treated SCE cells. CONCLUSIONS: The present results revealed that MCP-1 increased aqueous humor outflow facility and decreased TEER via CCR2. These findings suggest that MCP-1 modulates aqueous humor outflow through the conventional pathway.

Involvement of RhoA/Rho-associated kinase signal transduction pathway in dexamethasone-induced alterations in aqueous outflow.

PURPOSE: We investigated the involvement of the RhoA/Rho kinase (ROCK) signal transduction pathway in dexamethasone (DEX)-induced changes in aqueous outflow. METHODS: Using trabecular meshwork (TM) and Schlemm's canal endothelial (SCE) cells, RhoA activation was evaluated with a pull-down assay and myosin light chain phosphorylation was evaluated by Western blot analysis. Outflow facility was measured in perfused porcine anterior segment organ cultures treated with DEX and/or Y-27632, a selective ROCK inhibitor. The barrier function of the cultured cells on a micropore filter was evaluated by measuring the transendothelial electrical resistance. Collagen, fibronectin, and integrin mRNA expression levels were evaluated by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. RESULTS: Relative RhoA activities increased following stimulation with 100 nM DEX in TM and SCE cells. Perfusion with DEX decreased outflow facility by 31.9 ± 14.3% compared to controls at 24 hours, but not by 50 µM Y-27632 in addition to DEX. The transendothelial electrical resistance of the SCE cell monolayer was increased by 48.6 ± 6.4% and 5.3 ± 5.0% following DEX treatments without and with 10 µM Y-27632, respectively, compared to controls. In TM cells, the mRNA expressions of COL4A1 and fibronectin were increased significantly by DEX treatment, but combined treatment with Y-27632 and DEX significantly inhibited the increase in COL4A1 and fibronectin expression. CONCLUSIONS: Activation of the Rho/ROCK pathway in SCE cells contributes to the mechanism of DEX-induced changes in aqueous outflow.

Harmful effects of radicals generated in polluted dew on the needles of Japanese Red Pine (Pinus densiflora).

• The effects of free radicals, ·OH and ·NO, generated in polluted dew water on needles of Pinus densiflora (Japanese Red pine) were investigated. • ·OH-generating solutions (HOOH with Fe(III) and oxalate ion; ·OH treatment) and ·OH- and ·NO-generating solutions (NO2 - ; ·OH/·NO treatment) were regulated at 25, 50 and 100 µmol and pH 4.4. HOOH only (HOOH treatment) was used as a control solution. Solutions were applied as a mist to the needle surface of P. densiflora seedlings before dawn twice a week for 3 months. • Within a month, net photosynthesis at near saturating irradiance (Pn) and stomatal conductance (gl) of ·OH-treated needles decreased with increasing solution concentration. The HOOH treatment had no effects on any of the measured parameters. Therefore, ·OH in the artificial dews caused the decreases in Pn and gl. In ·OH/·NO-treated needles, gl increased during the experiment, but Pn was unchanged. In all experiments, the characteristics of PSII were not significantly altered. • Free radicals in polluted dew water have harmful effects on the photosynthesis of P. densiflora and compound effects of ·OH and ·NO are different.