Tissue-specific promoter usage and diverse splicing variants of found in neurons, an ancestral Hu/ELAV-like RNA-binding protein gene of insects, in the direct-developing insect Gryllus bimaculatus.

Hu/ELAV-like RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of RNA metabolism including splicing, transport, translational control and turnover. The Hu/ELAV-like RBP genes are predominantly expressed in neurons, and are therefore used as common neuronal markers in many animals. Although the expression patterns and functions of the Hu/ELAV-like RBP genes have been extensively studied in the model insect Drosophila melanogaster, little is known in basal direct-developing insects. In the present study, we performed an identification and expression analysis of the found in neurons (fne) gene, an ancestral insect Hu/ELAV-like RBP gene, in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. Contrary to expectation that the Gryllus fne transcript would be predominantly expressed in the nervous system, expression analysis revealed that the Gryllus fne gene is expressed broadly. In addition, we discovered that alternative promoter usage directs tissue-specific and embryonic stage-dependent regulation of fne expression, and that alternative splicing contributes to the generation of diverse sets of fne transcripts. Our data provide novel insights into the evolutionary diversification of the Hu/ELAV-like RBP gene family in insects.

Characteristics and osteogenic differentiation of stem/progenitor cells in the human dental follicle analyzed by gene expression profiling.

The dental follicle is an ectomesenchymal tissue that surrounds developing tooth germ and that contains osteoblastic-lineage-committed stem/progenitor cells. We examined the osteogenic potential of human dental follicle cells (hDFC) by microarray analysis. We first compared the characteristics of hDFC with those of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC). Like hMSC, hDFC expressed stem cell markers such as STRO-1 and Notch-1 and differentiated not only into the osteoblastic lineage, but also into the adipogenic lineage. We analyzed the gene expression profiles of hDFC and hMSC that were not differentiated toward the osteogenic lineage. The expression of cell markers and growth factor receptors by hDFC and hMSC was similar, whereas the expression pattern of homeobox genes differed between hDFC and hMSC. Next, we investigated gene expression in hDFC during osteogenic differentiation. Gene expression profiles were analyzed in hDFC cultured in osteogenic induction medium (OIM) or in growth medium (GM) for 3 and 10 days. Many genes whose expression was regulated under these conditions were functionally categorized as "transcription" genes. Osteogenic markers were up-regulated in hDFC during osteogenic differentiation, whereas neurogenic markers were down-regulated. The genes whose expression was regulated in hDFC during osteogenic differentiation were further analyzed by ingenuity pathway analysis and real-time polymerase chain reaction. Bone morphogenetic protein and transforming growth factor-ß signaling pathways were activated in hDFC cultured in OIM for 3 days. This study indicates that the dental follicle contains stem cells and/or osteoblastic progenitor cells and is a potential cellular resource for bone regeneration therapy.

Octopaminergic system in the brain controls aggressive motivation in the ant, Formica japonica.

The ant, Formica japonica, is polyphagous and workers hunt other insects as foods. In this study, interspecific aggression was examined in the workers and queens. Behavior experiments demonstrated that interspecific aggressiveness was significantly higher in workers than queens. Workers showed predatory aggressive behavior towards crickets, on the other hand, queens elicited threat behavior but they didn't attack crickets. In order to investigate neuronal mechanisms underlying regulation of aggressive motivation, the role of biogenic amine in the brain in evoking aggressive behavior was examined by measuring biogenic amine using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection (ECD). No significant difference in the octopamine (OA) level was found between workers and queens, but the level of N-acetyloctopamine (NacOA) in the brain of queens was significantly higher than that of workers. This study suggests that OAergic system in the brain must involve in controlling aggressive motivation in the ants.

Retinal light damage: protective effect of alpha-tocopherol.

We studied histologically the protective effect of alpha-tocopherol to retinal light damage. After 3-week-old albino rats were fed with an alpha-tocopherol deficient or supplemented diet and kept in a 12-hour dim light/12-hour dark environment for 8 weeks, each animal was exposed to intense light (2500 lux) for 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 72 hours. The eyes were enucleated and prepared for transmission electron microscopy study and image analysis of phagosomes. Before light exposure, the alpha-tocopherol content of the neural retina of the deficient and supplemented groups was 0.3 microgram and 23.34 micrograms, respectively. After 1- and 3-hour exposures, morphological changes in the retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptor membranes were more extensive in the deficient group than in the supplemented group. After a 24-hour exposure, pyknotic photoreceptor nuclei were more numerous in the deficient group than the supplemented group. After 3-, 6-, and 12-hour exposures, large phagosomes were more numerous in the deficient group than in the supplemented group. These findings suggest that alpha-tocopherol can protect the retina from light injury for up to 24 hours of exposure.

Uveitis-glaucoma-hyphema syndrome after posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation.

This article describes uveitis-glaucoma-hyphema (UGH) syndrome following posterior chamber intraocular lens (PCIOL) implantation in a 51-year-old male patient who had had intermittent blurred vision for 2 years prior to cataract surgery. We found the lens haptics fixed in the sulcus and the lens rotated. The lens was extracted and a new implant inserted with a transscleral suture. Etiology of the syndrome in this patient was an unstable sulcus fixation.

Hexagonal structures at lens capsule zonular attachments.

Two years after uneventful phacoemulsification with posterior intraocular lens implant in an 84-year-old female patient, the capsular bag and enclosed intraocular lens luxated into the vitreous cavity. A vitrectomy was done to extract the lens and capsule for electron-microscopic examination. We found very few zonular attachments to the capsule, but did note hexagonal structures of unknown significance that our study indicates may be related to the lens epithelium.

A chorioretinal lesion in a patient with Kimura's disease.

A 47-year-old male patient with Kimura's disease showed a white and slightly elevated choroidal lesion surrounded by serous retinal detachment in his left eye. Serological examination revealed esinophilia. Swelling in his left cheek had been increasing during a period of 20 years, and diagnosis of Kimura's disease had been made earlier by biopsy. Fluorescein angiography suggested disturbance of choroidal circulation and dysfunction of retinal pigment epithelium. After corticosteroid therapy, improvement was seen in the fundus findings, the swelling in the cheek and eosinophilia.

Gastric emptying after pancreatoduodenectomy with total stomach preservation and selective proximal vagotomy.

This study evaluates postoperative gastric emptying following a new method of pancreatoduodenectomy with total stomach preservation and selective proximal vagotomy performed on 10 patients with diseases affecting the head of the pancreas, 7 being malignant and 3 benign. Reconstruction was carried out using the Billroth I and Billroth II techniques in 5 patients each, respectively. Early postoperative gastric emptying was evaluated by the time before intragastric tube removal and the resumption of oral intake, as well as by barium gastric radiography, while late postoperative gastric emptying was evaluated by the acetaminophen method. No difference was seen in early postoperative gastric emptying between the two surgical techniques, the mean time which elapsed before intragastric tube removal being 4.4 days for the Billroth I and 4.5 days for the Billroth II patients, and the mean time until the resumption of oral intake being 6.8 days for the Billroth I and 7.0 days for the Billroth II patients. A significant delay in gastric emptying was seen in the Billroth II patients compared to a normal control group, 30 and 45 min after acetaminophen administration, but the difference in gastric emptying between the Billroth I and II patients was not significant. Moreover, both techniques impaired gastric emptying much less than Traverso's pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy.

[Cavum vergae, cyst of cavum septi pellucidi, mega cisterna magna, and general fibrosis syndrome].

One family of 17 cases of general fibrosis syndrome was reported. Four out of five patients examined with CT and/or MRI revealed cavum vergae or cyst of the cavum septi pellucidi or mega cisterna magna, which were characterized by existing on the midline of the brain. The patient with cavum vergae had also platybasia. In one patient, surgical correction of vertical deviation and blepharoptosis of both eyes was performed. There was abnormal insertion of the superior and inferior rectus muscles in posterior and nasal direction, and adhesion of the superior oblique muscle to the superior rectus muscle at the point of it's insertion was found in both eyes. Histopathological findings of the extraocular muscles of two patients showed mixture of relatively normal muscle tissues and vast amounts of collagen fibers. Electron microscopically many glycogen granules were found in muscle fibers. From these findings, this syndrome may be based on failure in development and differentiation.