Validation of Wistar-Kyoto rats kept in solitary housing as an animal model for depression using voxel-based morphometry.

Major depressive disorder is a common psychiatric condition often resistant to medication. The Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rat has been suggested as an animal model of depression; however, it is still challenging to translate results from animal models into humans. Solitary housing is a mild stress paradigm that can simulate the environment of depressive patients with limited social activity due to symptoms. We used voxel-based morphometry to associate the solitary-housed WKY (sWKY) rat model with data from previous human studies and validated our results with behavioural studies. As a result, atrophy in sWKY rats was detected in the ventral hippocampus, caudate putamen, lateral septum, cerebellar vermis, and cerebellar nuclei (p < 0.05, corrected for family-wise error rate). Locomotor behaviour was negatively correlated with habenula volume and positively correlated with atrophy of the cerebellar vermis. In addition, sWKY rats showed depletion of sucrose consumption not after reward habituation but without reward habituation. Although the application of sWKY rats in a study of anhedonia might be limited, we observed some similarities between the regions of brain atrophy in sWKY rats and humans with depression, supporting the translation of sWKY rat studies to humans.

Evaluation of near-infrared spectroscopy as a contactless method for health monitoring of resin-based coating materials applied to concrete surfaces.

The surfaces of concrete structures are often coated with protective materials to minimize corrosion and weathering-based deterioration. Therefore, it is important to monitor the aging of the coating materials and their overall condition to extend the service lifetime of the structure effectively. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a contactless, nondestructive, rapid, and convenient method for material characterization; therefore, it is useful for onsite inspection of coating materials. Hence, in this study, we attempt to determine whether NIRS can be used for simple inspection for health monitoring of organic resin-based coating materials. In addition to identifying different severities of peeling damage, we characterize the ultraviolet-induced deterioration of coating materials with different thicknesses using diffuse reflection spectra acquired in the near-infrared wavelength region. For independent comparison with the NIR spectra, the state of the coating materials on the mortar specimens was analyzed using a combination of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, while the state of the underlying mortar specimens was analyzed using permeability and salt-water immersion tests. The results confirm that the NIRS could detect the degradation of coating materials at early stages of deterioration before their permeability had been affected. NIRS offers the possibility of intermittent monitoring of coating deterioration. In addition, because the NIR spectrometer is portable, it can help in inspecting high-rise areas and areas that are difficult to reach. Therefore, we believe that NIRS is a simple, safe, and inexpensive method for inspection of surface coating materials.

Duration of untreated illness of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder in Japan.

AIM: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common and severe disease; however, the duration of untreated illness (DUI) of OCD is approximately 7 years, which is longer than that of other psychiatric disorders. Differences in medical environments have been reported to affect the DUI. Therefore, we surveyed the DUI of OCD in Japan and the reason for delayed treatment. METHODS: The study participants were outpatients who visited the OCD specialty outpatient clinic for the first time between June 1, 2017 and May 31, 2019. Obsessive-compulsive disorder was diagnosed using the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, and semistructured clinical interviews, which included asking the reason for the delay in seeking treatment and treatment drop-out history. RESULTS: Seventy-one patients met the inclusion criteria for the study. The mean period between OCD and the first visit to the hospital was 2.8 years and the mean DUI of OCD was 4.7 years. There was a significant difference in the history of tic disorders and treatment drop out between patients with a DUI of >2 years and those with a DUI of ≤2 years. The most common reason for delaying treatment was that the patient did not consider the symptoms of OCD to be those of an illness, and the most common reason for dropping out of treatment was lack of improvement. CONCLUSIONS: This was the first study on the DUI of OCD in Japan. The DUI was relatively shorter than that found by studies in other countries. Stopping treatment lengthened the duration of the illness. Preventing the patient from dropping out of treatment could further shorten the duration of the illness.

A Case of Fetal Tachycardia after Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Possible Effect of Maternal Hypoxia and Uterine Contractions.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is considered to be an effective and safe treatment for depression in pregnant women in that it avoids the risk of psychotropic pharmacotherapy. However, clinicians should be cautious about the adverse effects in the fetus, such as fetal cardiac arrhythmia. Most of the previous studies have demonstrated a reduction in fetal heart rate associated with ECT. However, we encountered a case of fetal tachycardia after maternal ECT-induced convulsions. The patient was a woman who was 30 weeks' pregnant and had severe depression; fetal tachycardia (180-200 bpm) occurred immediately after the electrical stimulation and lasted for more than 30 minutes. The fetal tachycardia might have been caused by maternal hypoxia and uterine contractions. To our knowledge, this is the first report of fetal tachycardia as an adverse effect of ECT. Prolonged fetal tachycardia may cause fetal heart failure. Therefore, oxygenation during convulsions and careful fetal cardiac monitoring are essential when administering ECT in pregnancy.

Super-resolution technique for high-resolution multichannel Fourier transform spectrometer.

We propose a super-resolution technique for multichannel Fourier transform spectrometers, which is advantageous for feeble-light spectroscopy. The spectral resolution of an area sensor is limited by the number of lateral pixels. Our method fills the signals with vertical pixels, which is practically equivalent to increasing the number of lateral pixels. When applying our proposed technique, the resolution of an Ar-lamp spectrum, which is obtained by using an area sensor with 659 lateral pixels, becomes comparable to that of an area sensor with 1,626 lateral pixels. The spectral resolution is improved at least twice. Thus, using our method, a spectrometer with an area sensor can overcome the Nyquist frequency limitations.

The detection of white matter alterations in obsessive-compulsive disorder revealed by TRActs Constrained by UnderLying Anatomy (TRACULA).

PURPOSE: In recent years, a large number of studies have investigated obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) using diffusion-weighted images (DWIs) and have reported microstructural abnormalities in various regions, mainly the corpus callosum and cingulum. In the present study, we aimed to detect microstructural changes in the white matter using whole-brain tractography. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We obtained MRI data from 25 adult non-medicated OCD patients and 27 healthy controls. DWI data from MRI scans were analyzed by the automated probabilistic tractography method referred to as TRActs Constrained by UnderLying Anatomy (TRACULA). We investigated diffusivity parameters: fractional anisotropy, radial diffusivity (RD), axial diffusivity, and mean diffusivity in 18 major white matter tracts and examined indices to know which measurements in which fibers can predict the diagnosis of OCD. RESULTS: Compared to healthy controls, OCD patients had significantly increased RD in the forceps major and a reduction of RD in the right cingulum angular (infracallosal) bundle. There was no correlation between these values and the clinical features. CONCLUSION: We found RD alterations in the forceps major and the right cingulum angular (infracallosal) bundle, which might be associated with myelination changes in the temporal and occipital regions in OCD. Our results suggest that the pathogenesis of OCD may include abonormality of myelination status in not only the fronto-striato-thalamic circuit but also the posterior and temporal regions.

Morphologic features of humeral head and glenoid version in the normal glenohumeral joint.

BACKGROUND: The morphologic features and clinical significance of version of the humeral head and glenoid remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the normal values of humeral head version and glenoid version on computed tomography scans and to clarify their features in the normal glenohumeral joint. METHODS: Images for analysis were computed tomography scans of 410 normal shoulders from healthy volunteers. Values of humeral head and glenoid version were measured. In glenoid version measurement, 3-dimensionally corrected slices were reconstructed to eliminate scapular inclination. Differences in humeral head version and glenoid version were assessed between dominant and nondominant shoulders and between men and women. Correlation analyses were also performed in the values of version between dominant and nondominant shoulders and between humeral head version and glenoid version. RESULTS: The values of humeral head retroversion were widely distributed from -2° to 60°, with an average of 26° ± 11°. Average glenoid retroversion was 1° ± 3°, ranging from -9° to 13°. Both humeral head retroversion and glenoid retroversion were significantly higher on the dominant side than on the nondominant side and significantly higher in men than in women. Humeral head version and glenoid version values were well correlated with those of the contralateral shoulder. No correlation was found between humeral head version and glenoid version. CONCLUSIONS: This study found differences in humeral head version and glenoid version by sex and shoulder dominance in a large sample. Both the humeral head and glenoid are thought to be more retroverted in high-demand shoulders.

Photoelectrochemical Behavior of Self-Assembled Ag/Co Plasmonic Nanostructures Capped with TiO2.

The use of localized surface plasmon resonance induced by Ag nanostructures is a promising way for high-efficiency photoelectric conversion. In plasmonic photoelectric conversion devices, however, the chemical instability of Ag in ambient atmosphere and its immediate deterioration have been a critical issue. Here, we propose a Ag-Co nanostructure array embedded in a TiO2 matrix as a plasmonic resonator that ensures long-term stability. We also developed an electrochemical process to remove surface Co nanoclusters protecting fresh Ag from exposure to air. This enabled us to "unseal" Ag at the desired time. Furthermore, we confirmed photoelectric conversion using Ag-Co-TiO2 nanocomposite films in contact with solution; the photoelectric conversion was substantially enhanced by the plasmon resonance of the Ag nanorods. The Ag nanostructures sealed in a TiO2 matrix are expected to be used in other application fields, such as catalytisis and sensing, in which a fresh Ag surface is needed.

Ultrafast hydrogen scrambling in methylacetylene and methyl-d3-acetylene ions induced by intense laser fields.

Three-body Coulomb explosion processes of triply charged positive ions of methylacetylene (CH(3)-C≡C-H) and its isotopomer, methyl-d(3)-acetylene (CD(3)-C≡C-H), induced by an ultrashort intense laser field (790 nm, ∼40 fs, 5.0 × 10(13) W cm(-2)) are investigated by the coincidence momentum imaging method. Two types of three-body decomposition processes accompanying the ejection of a proton are identified for methylacetylene, and six types of three-body decomposition processes accompanying the ejection of a proton or a deuteron are identified for methyl-d(3)-acetylene. From the observed momentum vectors of all the three fragment ions for each decomposition pathway, the proton and deuteron distributions are constructed in the coordinate space, and the hydrogen migration processes are investigated. It was shown that the hydrogen migration proceeds more efficiently from the methyl group than from the methine group. In addition to the decomposition pathways accompanying the migration of one H (or D) atom, the decomposition pathways accompanying the migration of two light atoms (H/D exchange and 2D migration) are identified. Furthermore, the decomposition pathways ascribable to the migration of three light atoms (H/D exchange followed by D migration) are identified, showing the high intramolecular mobilities of H and D atoms within methylacetylene and methyl-d(3)-acetylene in an intense laser field, resulting in the H/D scrambling.

Two-body Coulomb explosion in methylacetylene in intense laser fields: double proton migration and proton/deuteron exchange.

Two-body decomposition processes of methylacetylene (CH(3)CCH) and its isotopomer methyl-d(3)-acetylene (CD(3)CCH) in intense laser fields (790 nm, 40 fs, 5.0 × 10(13) W cm(-2)) are investigated by the coincidence momentum imaging (CMI). In methyl-d(3)-acetylene, a total of six decomposition pathways in which one of the C-C bonds is broken and a total of six pathways in which an atomic hydrogen ion (H(+) or D(+)) or a molecular hydrogen ion (H(2)(+), HD(+), D(3)(+), or HD(2)(+)) is ejected are identified. It is revealed from the analysis of the CMI data that the migration of two deuterons as well as the exchange between a proton and a deuteron occurs prior to the two-body decomposition of a doubly charged parent molecule.

Fibroma of the tendon sheath that expanded into the radiocarpal joint with bony involvement.

We present a 46-year-old man with a fibroma of the tendon sheath of the left radiocarpal joint and bony involvement of the scaphoid and the radial styloid. Bony involvement of a fibroma of the tendon sheath is rare and has been reported only four times to our knowledge.