Prevalence of absolute pitch: a comparison between Japanese and Polish music students.

Comparable large-scale surveys including an on-site pitch-naming test were conducted with music students in Japan and Poland to obtain more convincing estimates of the prevalence of absolute pitch (AP) and examine how musical experience relates to AP. Participants with accurate AP (95% correct identification) accounted for 30% of the Japanese music students, but only 7% of the Polish music students. This difference in the performance of pitch naming was related to the difference in musical experience. Participants with AP had begun music training at an earlier age (6 years or earlier), and the average year of commencement of musical training was more than 2 years earlier for the Japanese music students than for the Polish students. The percentage of participants who had received early piano lessons was 94% for the Japanese musically trained students but was 72% for the Polish music students. Approximately one-third of the Japanese musically trained students had attended the Yamaha Music School, where lessons on piano or electric organ were given to preschool children in parallel with fixed-do solfège singing training. Such early music instruction was not as common in Poland. The relationship of AP with early music training is discussed.

Fibrotic disorders in the eye: targets of gene therapy.

Fibrotic diseases, e.g., cutaneous and corneal scarring, keloids, and liver and lung fibrosis, etc., are characterized by appearance of myofibroblasts, the key player of the fibrogenic reaction, and excess accumulation of extracellular matrix with resultant tissue contraction and impaired functions. Inflammatory/fibrogenic growth factors/cytokines produced by injured tissues play a pivotal role in fibrotic tissue formation. Ocular tissues are also susceptible to fibrotic diseases. In this article, the pathogenesis of such fibrotic disorders in the eye, i.e., scarring in the cornea and conjunctiva, post-cataract surgery fibrosis of the lens capsule and proliferative vitreoretinopathy are reviewed. Focus is put on the roles of myofibroblast and signals activated by the fibrogenic cytokine, transforming growth factor beta. Modulation of signal transduction molecules, e.g., Smad and mitogen-activated protein kinases, by gene transfer and other technology is beneficial and can be an important treatment regiment to overcome (prevent or treat) these diseases.

Corneal wound healing in an osteopontin-deficient mouse.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of loss of osteopontin (OPN) in the healing of the injured cornea in mice. Cell culture study was also conducted to clarify the effects of OPN in fibroblast behaviors. METHODS: Ocular fibroblasts from wild-type (WT) and OPN-null (KO) mice were used to study the role of OPN on cell behavior. The effect of the lack of OPN on corneal wound healing was evaluated in mice. RESULTS: In cell culture, OPN is involved in cell adhesion and in the migration of ocular fibroblasts. Adhesion of the corneal epithelial cell line was not affected by exogenous OPN. OPN was upregulated in a healing, injured mouse cornea. Loss of OPN did not affect epithelial healing after simple epithelial debridement. Healing of an incision injury in cornea was delayed, with less appearance of myofibroblasts and transforming growth factor beta1 expression in a KO mouse than in a WT mouse. The absence of OPN promoted tissue destruction after an alkali burn, resulting in a higher incidence of corneal perforation in KO mice than in WT mice. CONCLUSIONS: OPN modulates wound healing-related fibroblast behavior and is required to restore the physiological structure of the cornea after wound healing.

Connective tissue growth factor modulates extracellular matrix production in human subconjunctival fibroblasts and their proliferation and migration in vitro.

PURPOSE: We examined the role of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1)-related behavior in cultured human subconjunctival fibroblasts (SCFs), protein production, mRNA expression of CTGF and type I collagen alpha1 chain (colIA1), and cell proliferation and migration. TGFbeta1 is the major factor involved in bleb scarring following filtration surgery. METHODS: An antisense deoxynucleotide (antisense) (5 microM) for CTGF mRNA was used to block endogenous CTGF expression. Effects of antisense on extracellular matrix (ECM) production and immunolocalization, mRNA expression, and cell proliferation and migration were examined in human SCF cultures with or without TGFbeta1 (5 ng/ml). Cell migration was examined in an in vitro wound model of monolayer fibroblast cultures. RESULTS: CTGF antisense reduced mRNA expression of CTGF and colIA1 and production of the ECM components type I collagen, and fibronectin much more markedly in cells treated with TGFbeta1 compared with control fibroblasts, and it inhibited the proliferation of cultured SCFs to 71.9% of that of controls after 13 days of culture. CTGF antisense also delayed defect closure in monolayer cell sheets. In the culture, the defect was closed by TGFbeta1 by 36 h, whereas 7.0% of the defect remained at 48 h in the antisense-treated culture. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that CTGF is involved in ECM production in SCFs activated by exogenous TGFbeta1 in vitro. Inhibition of CTGF expression may be effective in preventing undesirable scar formation during healing following filtration surgery.

Alternative plasticizer, 4-cyclohexene-1,2-dicarboxylic acid dinonyl ester, for blood containers with protective effects on red blood cells and improved cold resistance.

Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a typical plasticizer used for polyvinyl chloride (PVC), is eluted from PVC-made blood containers and protects against red blood cell (RBC) hemolysis. However, concerns have arisen regarding the reproductive and developmental risks of DEHP in humans, and the use of alternative plasticizers for medical devices has been recommended worldwide. In this study, we propose that the use of a novel plasticizer, 4-cyclohexene-1,2-dicarboxylic acid dinonyl ester (DL9TH), could help produce more useful and safe blood containers. PVC sheet containing DL9TH and di (2-ethylhexyl) 4-cyclohexene-1,2-dicarboxylate (DOTH) provides comparable or superior protective effects to RBCs relative to PVC sheet containing DEHP or di-isononyl-cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate (DINCH® , an alternative plasticizer that has been used in PVC sheets for blood containers). The total amount of plasticizer eluted from DOTH/DL9TH-PVC sheets is nearly the same as that eluted from DEHP-PVC sheets. In addition, DOTH/DL9TH-PVC has better cold resistance than DEHP- and DINCH® -PVC sheets. In vitro and in vivo tests for biological safety based on International Organization for Standardization guidelines (10993 series) suggest that the DOTH/DL9TH-PVC sheet can be used safely. Subchronic toxicity testing of DL9TH in male rats in accordance with the principles of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Test Guideline 408 showed that DL9TH did not induce adverse effects up to the highest dose level tested (717 mg/kg body weight/day). There were no effects on testicular histopathology and sperm counts, and no indications of endocrine effects: testosterone, thyroid-stimulating hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and 17ß-estradiol were unchanged by the treatment, compared with the control group. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1052-1063, 2018.

Pilot study on novel blood containers with alternative plasticizers for red cell concentrate storage.

Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a typical plasticizer used for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) blood containers, is eluted from the blood containers and exerts protective effects on red blood cells. However, a concern for detrimental effects of DEHP on human health has led to the development of potential DEHP substitutes. Here, we compared the red blood cell preservation ability of two types of non-DEHP blood containers with safe alternative plasticizers to that of DEHP blood containers. Red cell concentrates in mannitol-adenine-phosphate solution (MAP/RCC) were stored for 6 weeks in PVC blood bags containing DEHP, di-isononyl-cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate (DINCH) and di (2-ethylhexyl) 4-cyclohexene-1,2-dicarboxylate (DOTH), or 4-cyclohexene-1,2-dicarboxylic acid dinonyl ester (DL9TH) and DOTH. There was no significant difference in the total amount of plasticizer eluted into MAP/RCC (till 3 weeks from the beginning of the experiment), hemolysis of MAP/RCC, and osmotic fragility of MAP/RCC between the non-DEHP blood containers and DEHP blood containers. Hematological and blood chemical indices of MAP/RCC in all containers were nearly the same. Thus, DOTH/DINCH and DOTH/DL9TH blood containers demonstrate the same quality of MAP/RCC storing as the DEHP blood containers. Since DOTH, DINCH, and DL9TH were reported to be safe, DOTH/DINCH and DOTH/DL9TH blood containers are promising candidate substitutes for DEHP blood containers.

Gene transfer of Smad7 modulates injury-induced conjunctival wound healing in mice.

PURPOSE: Smad7 is a molecule that blocks the Smad2/3 signal. Herein, we examined the effects of Smad7 gene introduction on post-injury conjunctival wound healing in mice. Its effects on the cultured human subconjunctival fibroblasts (SCFs) were also investigated. METHODS: A circumferential incision was made in the equatorial conjunctiva by using scissors in the right eye of fully anesthetized adult C57BL/6 mice (n=72). Smad7 cDNA-expressing adenoviral vector was topically applied. The control eye received nonfunctioning adenoviral vector. After 2, 5, 7, and 30 days the eyes were processed for histological or immunohistochemical examination to evaluate wound healing of conjunctiva. The expressions of type-I collagen and growth factors were evaluated by real time-reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The effects of Smad7 gene introduction on the cultured human SCFs were also studied. RESULTS: Marked Smad7 protein expression was detected in the vector-treated conjunctival epithelium and fibroblasts that coincided with green fluorescein protein expression, whereas faint endogenous Smad7 expression was observed in the control tissue. In vivo Smad7 gene introduction blocked Smad2/3 nuclear translocation with suppression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alphaSMA) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in fibroblasts and invasion of macrophages. Smad7 gene transfer suppressed mRNA expressions of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), VEGF, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in vivo and those of type-I collagen, alphaSMA, and CTGF in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Smad7 gene transfer modulates injury-induced wound healing of conjunctival tissue in mice, suggesting that this strategy may be effective in preventing excessive scarring following filtration surgery. The mechanism might include suppression of activation of fibroblasts and reduction of macrophage invasion.

Interleukin-7 modulates extracellular matrix production and TGF-beta signaling in cultured human subconjunctival fibroblasts.

PURPOSE: We examined the role of interleukin-7 (IL-7) in modulation of production of extracellular matrix (ECM), immunolocalization of Smads, and cell migration and expressions of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in cultured human subconjunctival fibroblasts. IL-7 is capable of inducing Smad7, an inhibitory Smad that interferes with TGF-beta/Smad signal. METHODS: The effects of IL-7 on ECM production, immunolocalization of Smads, type I collagen, fibronectin, alpha -smooth muscle actin (alpha -SMA), and cell migration were examined in human subconjunctival fibroblast culture with or without TGF-beta1. ECM production, such as type I collagen and fibronectin, was measured by immunoassay or real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Cell migration was examined using an in vitro wound model in monolayer cultures. We also examined the effects of IL-7, PKC inhibitor, and STAT inhibitor on the expressions of TGF-beta1 and type I collagen alpha1 chain (col1A1) m-RNA by using real-time RT-PCR. RESULTS: IL-7 reduced the ECM production much more markedly in the cells treated with TGF-1beta than in the control fibroblasts. TGF-beta1 strongly showed immunolocalization of phospho-Smad2, and IL-7 also showed immunolocalization of Smad7 in the nuclei. The immunoreactivities of alpha -SMA and fibronectin were weaker in the presence of IL-7 than in the control cells. IL-7 also delayed defect closure in the monolayer cell sheets, and the delay was recovered by exogenous type I collagen or fibronectin. Each of IL-7, BIS I, or AGS 490 reduced the mRNA expressions of TGF-beta1 and col1A1. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that IL-7 is involved in ECM production in the subconjunctival fibroblasts activated by exogenous TGF-beta1, suggesting that administration of IL-7 can be a novel therapeutic strategy in preventing undesirable bleb scar formation during healing after filtration surgery.

Treatment of eyelid epithelial neoplasm by targeting sonic hedgehog signaling: an experimental study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of cyclopamine, an inhibitor of the Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signal, on the growth of an epithelial neoplasm. METHODS: Chemically induced eyelid tumors in XPC-null mice (n=40) were treated daily with a subcutaneous injection of cyclopamine (1 mg/animal) for 7 days. The animals were killed after bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling, and the tumors were histologically examined. An in vitro study was conducted by using a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell line. The SCC cells were treated with 0, 12.5, or 25.0 microg/ml recombinant Shh (rShh) and either 0 or 100 microM cyclopamine, and cell proliferation was evaluated by using an MTT assay. Cells from this cell line were also implanted subcutaneously in nude mice (n=8) to develop tumors, and the effect of cyclopamine administration was examined in the developed tumors. RESULTS: Histology showed that cyclopamine treatment suppressed BrdU incorporation and induced apoptosis in the majority of cells in tumors chemically induced in the eyelid of the XPC-null mice. Cell proliferation of the SCC cell line was enhanced by adding rShh, and this effect was abolished by adding cyclopamine. Proliferation of the SCC cell line was not affected by adding cyclopamine in the absence of rShh. On the other hand, the SCC cells expressed Shh in vivo in tumors developed in nude mice, but cyclopamine suppressed cell proliferation in the tumors, and the Shh-signaling pathway was inhibited by cyclopamine-induced apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: Cyclopamine inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in epithelial tumor cells in vivo. The Shh-signaling pathway may be a potential therapeutic target for patients with eyelid tumors.

Suppression of injury-induced conjunctiva scarring by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma gene transfer in mice.

PURPOSE: To examine the effects of introduction of the adenoviral peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma gene on postinjury conjunctival scarring in mice. Its effects on fibrogenic reaction of cultured human subconjunctival fibroblasts (hSCFs) were also evaluated. METHODS: The effects of PPARgamma gene introduction on expression of type I collagen, fibronectin, and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in hSCFs were examined. A circumferential incision was made in the equatorial conjunctiva of the right eye of generally anesthetized adult C57BL/6 mice (n = 72). PPARgamma cDNA-expressing adenoviral vector was topically applied; the control eye received nonfunctioning adenoviral vector. At 2, 5, 7, and 14 days (each, n = 18), the eyes were processed for histologic or immunohistochemical examination to evaluate tissue scarring. Expression of type I collagen and growth factors was evaluated by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in 32 eyes from control and treatment groups. RESULTS: PPARgamma overexpression suppressed type I collagen, fibronectin, and CTGF in cultured hSCFs at the mRNA or protein level. In vivo experiments showed that PPARgamma gene introduction suppressed monocyte/macrophage invasion, generation of myofibroblasts, and mRNA upregulation of cytokines/growth factors and collagen Ialpha2 chain (Col 1A2) in healing conjunctiva. CONCLUSIONS: PPARgamma gene transfer suppresses the fibrogenic reaction in hSCFs as well as the injury-induced scarring of conjunctival tissue in mice, suggesting the effectiveness of this strategy in preventing excess scarring after filtration surgery. The mechanism may include suppression of activation of fibroblasts and reduction of macrophage invasion.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition as a therapeutic target for prevention of ocular tissue fibrosis.

Fibrotic diseases are characterized by the appearance of myofibroblasts, the key cell type involved in the fibrogenic reaction, and by excess accumulation of extracellular matrix with resultant tissue contraction and impaired function. Myofiborblasts are generated by fibroblast-myofibrobalst conversion, and in certain tissues through epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process through which an epithelial cell changes its phenotype to become more like a mesenchymal cell. Although inflammatory/fibrogenic growth factors/cytokines produced by injured tissues orchestrate the process of EMT, transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) is believed to play a central role in the process. Unlike fibrotic lesions in kidney or other tissues where myofibroblasts are generated from both fibroblasts and epithelial cells, fibrotic lesions in the eye crystalline lens are derived only from lens epithelial cells without contamination of fibroblast-derived myofibroblasts. Thus, this tissue is suitable to investigate detailed mechanisms of EMT and subsequent tissue fibrosis. EMT in retinal pigment epithelium is involved in the development of another ocular fibrotic disease, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, a fibrosis in the retina. EMT-related signal transduction cascades, i. e., TGFbeta/Smad, are a target to prevent or treat unfavorable ocular tissue fibrosis, e. g., fibrotic diseases in the crystalline lens or retina, as well as possibly in other organs.

Loss of osteopontin perturbs the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in an injured mouse lens epithelium.

We previously reported that osteopontin (OPN), a matrix structural glycophosphoprotein, is upregulated in the injured mouse lens prior to the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Here, we investigated the role of this protein in EMT of the lens epithelium during wound healing. The crystalline lens was injured by needle puncture in OPN-null (KO, n=40) and wild-type (WT, n=40) mice. The animals were killed at day 1, 2, 5, and 10 postinjury. Immunohistochemistry was employed to detect alpha-smooth muscle action (alphaSMA), a marker of EMT, collagen type I, transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1), TGFbeta2, and phospho-Smad2/3. Cell proliferation was assayed by examining uptake of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU). The results showed that injury-induced EMT of mouse lens epithelium, as evaluated by histology, expression pattern of alphaSMA and collagen I, was altered in the absence of OPN with reduced phospho-Smad2/3 signaling. Upregulation of TGFbeta1 and TGFbeta2 in the epithelium was also inhibited. Cell proliferation was more active in KO mice as compared with WT mice at day 1 and 2, but not at day 5 and 10. An in vitro experiment shows OPN facilitates cell adhesion of lens epithelial cell line. OPN is required for activation of Smad2/3 signal in an injured lens epithelium and lens cell EMT.

Electrophysiological correlates of absolute pitch and relative pitch.

The temporal and spatial characteristics of the cortical processes responsible for absolute pitch (AP) and relative pitch (RP) were investigated by multi-channel event-related potentials (ERPs). Compared to listening, pitch-naming of tones in non-possessors of AP elicited three ERP components (P3b, parietal positive slow wave, frontal negative slow wave) over parietal and frontal scalp between 300 and 900 ms in latency, representing the cortical processes for RP. Possessors of AP elicited a unique left posterior-temporal negativity ('AP negativity') at 150 ms in both listening and pitch-naming conditions, representing the cortical processes for AP that were triggered by pitch input irrespective of the task the subjects were asked to perform. Congruency of auditory Stroop stimuli modulated the amplitudes of parietal positive slow wave (non-possessors of AP) and 'AP negativity' (possessors of AP), confirming that these components reflect the verbal labeling or pitch-to-pitch-name associative transformation that is central to pitch-naming. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that AP is subserved by neuronal processes in the left auditory association cortex that occur earlier and more automatically than the processes for RP, which involve broader areas of the cortex over longer periods of time.

Ear advantage and consonance of dichotic pitch intervals in absolute-pitch possessors.

Left-right asymmetry in the central processing of musical consonance was investigated by dichotic listening tasks. Two piano tones paired at various pitch intervals (1-11 semitones) were presented one note in each ear to twenty absolute-pitch possessors. As a result, a weak overall trend for left ear advantage (LEA) was found, as is characteristic of trained musicians. Second, pitches of dissonant intervals were more difficult to identify than those of consonant intervals. Finally, the LEA was greater with dissonant intervals than with consonant intervals. As the tones were dichotically presented, the results indicated that the central auditory system could distinguish between consonant and dissonant intervals without initial processing of pitch-pitch relations in the cochlea.