Real-world predictors of divorce among outpatients with bipolar disorder: sex differences and clinical implications.

BACKGROUND: Bipolar disorder is a mental illness characterized by recurring episodes of mania and depression and is known to cause social impairment. Additionally, it has been revealed that bipolar disorder increases the risk of divorce and loss of family member support, which can worsen the prognosis. However, there is limited evidence regarding the predictive factors of divorce among patients with bipolar disorder in real-world settings. METHODS: This study utilized an observational approach and involved psychiatrists from 176 member clinics of the Japanese Association of Neuro-Psychiatric Clinics. They were requested to conduct a retrospective review of medical records and complete a questionnaire focused on patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The data collection period for baseline patient characteristics spanned from September to October 2017. Next, we investigated the incidence of divorce over a 2-year period, ranging from baseline to September to October 2019. RESULTS: A total of 1071 outpatients with bipolar disorder were included in the analysis, and 2.8% (30/1071) experienced divorce during the first 2 years of observation. The incidence of divorce in this population was considerably higher than that in the general Japanese population. Binomial logistic regression analysis confirmed that a younger baseline age and lower BMI values were statistically significant predictors of divorce occurrence for all study participants. The predictors of divorce were then examined separately by sex. The results revealed that for men, a younger age at baseline and having bipolar I disorder compared to bipolar II disorder were statistically significant predictors of divorce. In contrast, for women, having a lower BMI and using anxiolytics emerged as statistically significant predictors of divorce. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, a younger baseline age and lower BMI values were statistically significant predictors of divorce in patients with bipolar disorder. Notably, the predictors of divorce varied significantly between men and women. These findings provide important insights from a family perspective regarding social support for individuals with bipolar disorder in real-world clinical settings.

Patterned Deposition of Xylan and Lignin is Independent from that of the Secondary Wall Cellulose of Arabidopsis Xylem Vessels.

The secondary cell wall (SCW) of xylem vessel cells provides rigidity and strength that enables efficient water conduction throughout the plant. To gain insight into SCW deposition, we mutagenized Arabidopsis thaliana VASCULAR-RELATED NAC-DOMAIN7-inducible plant lines, in which ectopic protoxylem vessel cell differentiation is synchronously induced. The baculites mutant was isolated based on the absence of helical SCW patterns in ectopically-induced protoxylem vessel cells, and mature baculites plants exhibited an irregular xylem (irx) mutant phenotype in mature plants. A single nucleic acid substitution in the CELLULOSE SYNTHASE SUBUNIT 7 (CESA7) gene in baculites was identified: while the mutation was predicted to produce a C-terminal truncated protein, immunoblot analysis revealed that cesa7bac mutation results in loss of production of CESA7 proteins, indicating that baculites is a novel cesa7 loss-of-function mutant. In cesa7bac , despite a lack of patterned cellulose deposition, the helically-patterned deposition of other SCW components, such as the hemicellulose xylan and the phenolic polymer lignin, was not affected. Similar phenotypes were found in another point mutation mutant cesa7mur10-2 , and an established knock-out mutant, cesa7irx3-4 Taken together, we propose that the spatio-temporal deposition of different SCW components, such as xylan and lignin, is not dependent on cellulose patterning.

Estimated model of psychotropic polypharmacy for bipolar disorder: Analysis using patients' and practitioners' parameters in the MUSUBI study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to clarify the relevant factors influencing practitioners' methods of prescribing medications for bipolar disorder, in a nation-wide survey in Japan. METHODS: The clinical records of 3130 outpatients with bipolar disorder were consecutively reviewed from 176 psychiatric outpatient clinics. Fifteen parameters, that is, five patients' including five general characteristics (sex, age, education, occupation, and social adjustment), five patients' aspects of mental functioning (onset age, comorbid mental illness, rapid-cycling, psychopathologic severity, and followed-up years), and five practitioners' characteristics (sex, age, specialist experience, clinic standing years, and location), were evaluated. The number of psychotropic drugs (mood stabilizers, antidepressants, antipsychotic drugs, anxiolytics, and hypnotics) was used as an index of pharmacotherapy. Converted data from each practitioner-unit were analyzed. RESULTS: Seven factors (patient's social adjustment, patient's psychopathology, patient's comorbid mental disorders, patient's followed-up years, doctor's age, clinic running years, and patient's education years) were correlated to the number of psychotropic drugs. Multiple regression analysis showed that the severity of illness (poor social adjustment, and comorbid mental illness) and an intractable disease course (long followed-up years), were significantly associated with the number of psychotropic drugs. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that patient-related conditions affected psychotropic polypharmacy more strongly than did practitioner-related conditions.

Cellulose synthase complexes display distinct dynamic behaviors during xylem transdifferentiation.

In plants, plasma membrane-embedded CELLULOSE SYNTHASE (CESA) enzyme complexes deposit cellulose polymers into the developing cell wall. Cellulose synthesis requires two different sets of CESA complexes that are active during cell expansion and secondary cell wall thickening, respectively. Hence, developing xylem cells, which first undergo cell expansion and subsequently deposit thick secondary walls, need to completely reorganize their CESA complexes from primary wall- to secondary wall-specific CESAs. Using live-cell imaging, we analyzed the principles underlying this remodeling. At the onset of secondary wall synthesis, the primary wall CESAs ceased to be delivered to the plasma membrane and were gradually removed from both the plasma membrane and the Golgi. For a brief transition period, both primary wall- and secondary wall-specific CESAs coexisted in banded domains of the plasma membrane where secondary wall synthesis is concentrated. During this transition, primary and secondary wall CESAs displayed discrete dynamic behaviors and sensitivities to the inhibitor isoxaben. As secondary wall-specific CESAs were delivered and inserted into the plasma membrane, the primary wall CESAs became concentrated in prevacuolar compartments and lytic vacuoles. This adjustment in localization between the two CESAs was accompanied by concurrent decreased primary wall CESA and increased secondary wall CESA protein abundance. Our data reveal distinct and dynamic subcellular trafficking patterns that underpin the remodeling of the cellulose biosynthetic machinery, resulting in the removal and degradation of the primary wall CESA complex with concurrent production and recycling of the secondary wall CESAs.

Real-world clinical features of and antidepressant prescribing patterns for outpatients with bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: Several evidence-based practice guidelines have been developed to better treat bipolar disorder. However, the articles cited in these guidelines were not sufficiently based on real-world clinical practice. METHODS: The MUlticenter treatment SUrvey on BIpolar disorder in Japanese psychiatric clinics (MUSUBI) is a study conducted to accumulate evidence on the real-world practical treatment of bipolar disorder. Psychiatrists were asked to complete a questionnaire about patients with bipolar disorder by performing a retrospective medical record survey. The questionnaire included patient characteristics (age, gender, height, weight, academic background, and occupational status), comorbidities, mental status, treatment period, Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score, and details of pharmacological treatment. RESULTS: Data on 2705 patients were included in this study. The proportion of patients receiving antidepressant prescriptions was 40.9%. The most commonly used antidepressant was duloxetine, and the most frequently used antidepressant class was selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Binomial logistic regression analysis and bivariate analysis revealed that the usage of antidepressants was correlated with low prescription rates for mood stabilizers, high prescription rates for anxiolytics and hypnotics, and low GAF scores. In addition, patients in a depressive state had a significantly higher rate of antidepressant prescriptions than patients with other mental states. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately 40% of patients in Japan with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder have received antidepressants. Antidepressants were most often prescribed in combination with mood stabilizers, antipsychotics or both. Patients who were prescribed antidepressants received fewer mood stabilizers, more anxiolytics, and more hypnotics than those who did not receive antidepressant prescriptions.

Distribution, mobility, and anchoring of lignin-related oxidative enzymes in Arabidopsis secondary cell walls.

Lignin is an important phenolic biopolymer that provides strength and rigidity to the secondary cell walls of tracheary elements, sclereids, and fibers in vascular plants. Lignin precursors, called monolignols, are synthesized in the cell and exported to the cell wall where they are polymerized into lignin by oxidative enzymes such as laccases and peroxidases. In Arabidopsis thaliana, a peroxidase (PRX64) and laccase (LAC4) are shown to localize differently within cell wall domains in interfascicular fibers: PRX64 localizes to the middle lamella whereas LAC4 localizes throughout the secondary cell wall layers. Similarly, laccases localized to, and are responsible for, the helical depositions of lignin in protoxylem tracheary elements. In addition, we tested the mobility of laccases in the cell wall using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. mCHERRY-tagged LAC4 was immobile in secondary cell wall domains, but mobile in the primary cell wall when ectopically expressed. A small secreted red fluorescent protein (sec-mCHERRY) was engineered as a control and was found to be mobile in both the primary and secondary cell walls. Unlike sec-mCHERRY, the tight anchoring of LAC4 to secondary cell wall domains indicated that it cannot be remobilized once secreted, and this anchoring underlies the spatial control of lignification.

The cell biology of secondary cell wall biosynthesis.

Background: Secondary cell walls (SCWs) form the architecture of terrestrial plant biomass. They reinforce tracheary elements and strengthen fibres to permit upright growth and the formation of forest canopies. The cells that synthesize a strong, thick SCW around their protoplast must undergo a dramatic commitment to cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin production. Scope: This review puts SCW biosynthesis in a cellular context, with the aim of integrating molecular biology and biochemistry with plant cell biology. While SCWs are deposited in diverse tissue and cellular contexts including in sclerenchyma (fibres and sclereids), phloem (fibres) and xylem (tracheids, fibres and vessels), the focus of this review reflects the fact that protoxylem tracheary elements have proven to be the most amenable experimental system in which to study the cell biology of SCWs. Conclusions: SCW biosynthesis requires the co-ordination of plasma membrane cellulose synthases, hemicellulose production in the Golgi and lignin polymer deposition in the apoplast. At the plasma membrane where the SCW is deposited under the guidance of cortical microtubules, there is a high density of SCW cellulose synthase complexes producing cellulose microfibrils consisting of 18-24 glucan chains. These microfibrils are extruded into a cell wall matrix rich in SCW-specific hemicelluloses, typically xylan and mannan. The biosynthesis of eudicot SCW glucuronoxylan is taken as an example to illustrate the emerging importance of protein-protein complexes in the Golgi. From the trans-Golgi, trafficking of vesicles carrying hemicelluloses, cellulose synthases and oxidative enzymes is crucial for exocytosis of SCW components at the microtubule-rich cell membrane domains, producing characteristic SCW patterns. The final step of SCW biosynthesis is lignification, with monolignols secreted by the lignifying cell and, in some cases, by neighbouring cells as well. Oxidative enzymes such as laccases and peroxidases, embedded in the polysaccharide cell wall matrix, determine where lignin is deposited.

Trans-Golgi network localized ECHIDNA/Ypt interacting protein complex is required for the secretion of cell wall polysaccharides in Arabidopsis.

The secretion of cell wall polysaccharides through the trans-Golgi network (TGN) is required for plant cell elongation. However, the components mediating the post-Golgi secretion of pectin and hemicellulose, the two major cell wall polysaccharides, are largely unknown. We identified evolutionarily conserved YPT/RAB GTPase Interacting Protein 4a (YIP4a) and YIP4b (formerly YIP2), which form a TGN-localized complex with ECHIDNA (ECH) in Arabidopsis thaliana. The localization of YIP4 and ECH proteins at the TGN is interdependent and influences the localization of VHA-a1 and SYP61, which are key components of the TGN. YIP4a and YIP4b act redundantly, and the yip4a yip4b double mutants have a cell elongation defect. Genetic, biochemical, and cell biological analyses demonstrate that the ECH/YIP4 complex plays a key role in TGN-mediated secretion of pectin and hemicellulose to the cell wall in dark-grown hypocotyls and in secretory cells of the seed coat. In keeping with these observations, Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy analysis revealed that the ech and yip4a yip4b mutants exhibit changes in their cell wall composition. Overall, our results reveal a TGN subdomain defined by ECH/YIP4 that is required for the secretion of pectin and hemicellulose and distinguishes the role of the TGN in secretion from its roles in endocytic and vacuolar trafficking.

Golgi- and trans-Golgi network-mediated vesicle trafficking is required for wax secretion from epidermal cells.

Lipid secretion from epidermal cells to the plant surface is essential to create the protective plant cuticle. Cuticular waxes are unusual secretory products, consisting of a variety of highly hydrophobic compounds including saturated very-long-chain alkanes, ketones, and alcohols. These compounds are synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) but must be trafficked to the plasma membrane for export by ATP-binding cassette transporters. To test the hypothesis that wax components are trafficked via the endomembrane system and packaged in Golgi-derived secretory vesicles, Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) stem wax secretion was assayed in a series of vesicle-trafficking mutants, including gnom like1-1 (gnl1-1), transport particle protein subunit120-4, and echidna (ech). Wax secretion was dependent upon GNL1 and ECH. Independent of secretion phenotypes, mutants with altered ER morphology also had decreased wax biosynthesis phenotypes, implying that the biosynthetic capacity of the ER is closely related to its structure. These results provide genetic evidence that wax export requires GNL1- and ECH-dependent endomembrane vesicle trafficking to deliver cargo to plasma membrane-localized ATP-binding cassette transporters.

Laccases direct lignification in the discrete secondary cell wall domains of protoxylem.

Plants precisely control lignin deposition in spiral or annular secondary cell wall domains during protoxylem tracheary element (TE) development. Because protoxylem TEs function to transport water within rapidly elongating tissues, it is important that lignin deposition is restricted to the secondary cell walls in order to preserve the plasticity of adjacent primary wall domains. The Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) inducible VASCULAR NAC DOMAIN7 (VND7) protoxylem TE differentiation system permits the use of mutant backgrounds, fluorescent protein tagging, and high-resolution live-cell imaging of xylem cells during secondary cell wall development. Enzymes synthesizing monolignols, as well as putative monolignol transporters, showed a uniform distribution during protoxylem TE differentiation. By contrast, the oxidative enzymes LACCASE4 (LAC4) and LAC17 were spatially localized to secondary cell walls throughout protoxylem TE differentiation. These data support the hypothesis that precise delivery of oxidative enzymes determines the pattern of cell wall lignification. This view was supported by lac4lac17 mutant analysis demonstrating that laccases are necessary for protoxylem TE lignification. Overexpression studies showed that laccases are sufficient to catalyze ectopic lignin polymerization in primary cell walls when exogenous monolignols are supplied. Our data support a model of protoxylem TE lignification in which monolignols are highly mobile once exported to the cell wall, and in which precise targeting of laccases to secondary cell wall domains directs lignin deposition.

Cell wall polysaccharides are mislocalized to the Vacuole in echidna mutants.

During cell wall biosynthesis, the Golgi apparatus is the platform for cell wall matrix biosynthesis and the site of packaging, of both matrix polysaccharides and proteins, into secretory vesicles with the correct targeting information. The objective of this study was to dissect the post-Golgi trafficking of cell wall polysaccharides using echidna as a vesicle traffic mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana and the pectin-secreting cells of the seed coat as a model system. ECHIDNA encodes a trans-Golgi network (TGN)-localized protein, which was previously shown to be required for proper structure and function of the secretory pathway. In echidna mutants, some cell wall matrix polysaccharides accumulate inside cells, rather than being secreted to the apoplast. In this study, live cell imaging of fluorescent protein markers as well as transmission electron microscopy (TEM)/immunoTEM of cryofixed seed coat cells were used to examine the consequences of TGN disorganization in echidna mutants under conditions of high polysaccharide production and secretion. While in wild-type seed coat cells, pectin is secreted to the apical surface, in echidna, polysaccharides accumulate in post-Golgi vesicles, the central lytic vacuole and endoplasmic reticulum-derived bodies. In contrast, proteins were partially mistargeted to internal multilamellar membranes in echidna. These results suggest that while secretion of both cell wall polysaccharides and proteins at the TGN requires ECHIDNA, different vesicle trafficking components may mediate downstream events in their secretion from the TGN.

CTX-M-55-type ESBL-producing fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli sequence type 23 repeatedly caused avian colibacillosis in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

OBJECTIVES: The production of expanded-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) and fluoroquinolone resistance in Enterobacteriaceae has become a global concern. The aim of this study was to investigate the spread of ESBL-producing and fluoroquinolone-resistant avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) in Kagoshima, a prefecture with the largest amount of poultry in Japan. METHODS: The antimicrobial susceptibility and genetic characteristics of 228 APEC strains isolated from 57 farms in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, between 2005 and 2017 were analysed. Information about the companies with hatcheries connected to the farms was also collected, and the epidemiologic relatedness of APEC strains and the processes of adopting chicks were compared. RESULTS: Seven CTX-M-type ESBL genes, blaCTX-M-1, blaCTX-M-2, blaCTX-M-14, blaCTX-M-15, blaCTX-M-25, blaCTX-M-55, and blaCTX-M-65, were found in 60 (26.3%) of the 228 APEC strains. The ciprofloxacin-resistant strains belonged to 10 different sequence types (ST10, ST23, ST93, ST155, ST156, ST350, ST359, ST602, ST648, and ST9479), and the two ST602 strains showed remarkably high ciprofloxacin resistance (MIC: 128 µg/mL) and had amino acid mutations in GyrA (S83L and D87N), ParC (S80I), and ParE (E460A). A CTX-M-55-type ESBL-producing fluoroquinolone-resistant Og78-ST23 strain was isolated multiple times over two years on a farm. Furthermore, epidemiologically closely related strains were isolated from different farms that used the same common hatcheries. CONCLUSIONS: APEC is often transferred from hatcheries to farms via healthy chicks, and the prudent use of antimicrobials and careful monitoring of resistant strains on poultry farms and hatcheries are important in preventing the selection and spread of high-risk APEC strains such as CTX-M-55-type ESBL-producing Og78-ST23.

Predictors of psychiatric hospitalization among outpatients with bipolar disorder in the real-world clinical setting.

Background: Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric disorder that causes recurrent manic and depressive episodes, leading to decreased levels of social functioning and suicide. Patients who require hospitalization due to exacerbation of bipolar disorder have been reported to subsequently have poor psychosocial functioning, and so there is a need to prevent hospitalization. On the other hand, there is a lack of evidence regarding predictors of hospitalization in real-world clinical practice. Methods: The multicenter treatment survey on bipolar disorder (MUSUBI) in Japanese psychiatric clinics was an observational study conducted to provide evidence regarding bipolar disorder in real-world clinical practice. Psychiatrists were asked, as part of a retrospective medical record survey, to fill out a questionnaire about patients with bipolar disorder who visited 176 member clinics of the Japanese Association of Neuro-Psychiatric Clinics. Our study extracted baseline patient characteristics from records dated between September and October 2016, including comorbidities, mental status, duration of treatment, Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score, and pharmacological treatment details. The incidence and predictors of hospitalization among patients with bipolar disorder over a 1-year period extending from that baseline to September-October 2017 were examined. Results: In total, 2,389 participants were included in our study, 3.06% of whom experienced psychiatric hospitalization over the course of 1 year from baseline. Binomial logistic regression analysis revealed that the presence of psychiatric hospitalization was correlated with bipolar I disorder, lower baseline GAF scores, unemployment, substance abuse and manic state. Conclusions: Our study revealed that 3.06% of outpatients with bipolar disorder were subjected to psychiatric hospitalization during a 1-year period that extended to September-October 2017. Our study suggested that bipolar I disorder, lower baseline GAF scores, unemployment, substance abuse and baseline mood state could be predictors of psychiatric hospitalization. These results may be useful for clinicians seeking to prevent psychiatric hospitalization for bipolar disorder.

Evaluation of microincision vitrectomy wounds made with microvitreoretinal blade or beveled trocar by swept source optical coherence tomography.

PURPOSE: To compare the wound closure and postoperative hypotony after sclerotomy with a microvitreoretinal (MVR) blade trocar with those with a beveled trocar for microincision vitrectomy. METHODS: The study design is a prospective randomized control study. Forty eyes of 40 patients with an epiretinal membrane that underwent 25-gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy were studied. One hundred and twenty sclerotomies were observed by swept source optical coherence tomography at 3 hours and at 1, 3, 7, and 14 days postoperatively. A closure of the sclerotomy site was defined as an absence of a scleral gap in the swept source optical coherence tomography images. The closure rate of the sclerotomies, intraocular pressures, and the incidence of complications were compared between the sclerotomies performed with an MVR blade and those with a beveled trocar. RESULTS: The rates of sclerotomy closure at 3 hours and at 1, 3, 7, and 14 days were 30.0%, 38.3%, 43.3%, 66.7%, and 95.0% with the MVR blade trocar and 21.7%, 26.7%, 36.7%, 53.3%, and 86.7% with the beveled trocar, respectively (P > 0.05 for all, Fisher exact test). The mean size of the sclerotomy was 143.9 ± 45.5 µm with the MVR blade and 158.7 ± 61.7 µm with the beveled trocar (P = 0.55, Mann-Whitney U test). The mean angle of the sclerotomies was significantly larger with the MVR blade trocar (48.9° vs. 45.8°; P = 0.049, Mann-Whitney U test). No significant difference in the speed of wound closure was found between the 2 groups (P = 0.174). Hypotony was not observed in both groups, and the intraocular pressure did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The absence of significant better rates of self-sealing and faster recovery of sclerotomies made with the MVR blade trocar and the bevel trocar indicates that these factors are not related to the type of trocar.

Intracavity second-harmonic generation at 320 nm of an actively Q-switched Pr:LiYF4 laser.

We demonstrate pulse laser operation of a Pr:LiYF(4) laser pumped by InGaN laser diodes (444 nm) using an acousto-optic modulator. We obtained a maximum laser peak power of 167 W (4 µJ/pulse) with a pulse width of 24 ns at an 11 kHz repetition rate for a 63 nm wavelength. Employing an 8 mm long lithium triborate nonlinear crystal in the laser cavity, we obtained a maximum peak power of 55 W (2.7 µJ/pulse) at 320 nm, which corresponds to a conversion efficiency of 69% with respect to the fundamental laser energy. The UV laser pulse width was 36 ns.

Characteristics of Sunburn Browning Fruit and Rootstock-Dependent Damage-Free Yield of Ambrosia™ Apple after Sustained Summer Heat Events.

The 2021 summer heat waves experienced in the Pacific Northwest led to considerable fruit damage in many apple production zones. Sunburn browning (SB) was a particularly evident symptom. To understand the mechanism underlying the damage and to facilitate the early assessment of compromised fruit quality, we conducted a study on external characteristics and internal quality attributes of SB 'Ambrosia' apple (Malus domestica var. Ambrosia) and evaluated the fruit loss on five rootstocks. The cell integrity of the epidermal and hypodermal layers of fruit skins in the SB patch was compromised. Specifically, the number of chloroplasts and anthocyanin decreased in damaged cells, while autofluorescent stress-related compounds accumulated in dead cells. Consequently, the affected sun-exposed skin demonstrated a significant increase in differential absorbance between 670 nm and 720 nm, measured using a handheld apple DA meter, highlighting the potential of using this method as a non-destructive early indicator for sunburn damage. Sunburn browning eventually led to lower fruit weight, an increase in average dry matter content, soluble solids content, acidity, deteriorated weight retention, quicker loss of firmness, and accelerated ethylene emission during ripening. Significant inconsistency was found between the sun-exposed and shaded sides in SB apples regarding dry matter content, firmness, and tissue water potential, which implied preharvest water deficit in damaged tissues and the risk of quicker decline of postharvest quality. Geneva 935 (G.935), a large-dwarfing rootstock with more vigor and higher water transport capacity, led to a lower ratio of heat-damaged fruits and a higher yield of disorder-free fruits, suggesting rootstock selection as a long-term horticultural measure to mitigate summer heat stress.

Secondary cell wall patterning-connecting the dots, pits and helices.

All plant cells are encased in primary cell walls that determine plant morphology, but also protect the cells against the environment. Certain cells also produce a secondary wall that supports mechanically demanding processes, such as maintaining plant body stature and water transport inside plants. Both these walls are primarily composed of polysaccharides that are arranged in certain patterns to support cell functions. A key requisite for patterned cell walls is the arrangement of cortical microtubules that may direct the delivery of wall polymers and/or cell wall producing enzymes to certain plasma membrane locations. Microtubules also steer the synthesis of cellulose-the load-bearing structure in cell walls-at the plasma membrane. The organization and behaviour of the microtubule array are thus of fundamental importance to cell wall patterns. These aspects are controlled by the coordinated effort of small GTPases that probably coordinate a Turing's reaction-diffusion mechanism to drive microtubule patterns. Here, we give an overview on how wall patterns form in the water-transporting xylem vessels of plants. We discuss systems that have been used to dissect mechanisms that underpin the xylem wall patterns, emphasizing the VND6 and VND7 inducible systems, and outline challenges that lay ahead in this field.

Determinants of three-year clinical outcomes in real-world outpatients with bipolar disorder: The multicenter treatment survey for bipolar disorder in psychiatric outpatient clinics (MUSUBI).

BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence regarding predictors of long-term clinical outcomes in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). The objective of this study was to describe 3-year clinical outcomes and identify their predictors from participants in the multicenter treatment survey for BD in psychiatric outpatient clinics (MUSUBI). METHODS: The MUSUBI was a naturalistic study investigating patients with BD in real-world clinical practice. Our study extracted data regarding 1647 outpatients with BD from 2016, 2017, and 2019 as baseline, 1-year, and 3-year assessments. As clinical outcomes, we assessed the presence of time ill (depressive and manic) during the 1 year prior to the 3-year assessment and durable remission (53 weeks or more) prior to the 3-year assessment. RESULTS: Participants with durable remission prior to the 3-year assessment had significant associations with diagnosis of a personality disorder and duration of continuous remission at baseline. Regarding the presence of depressive symptoms during the 1 year prior to the 3-year assessment, work status, Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores, suicidal ideation, and duration of continuous remission at baseline had significant associations with this outcome. CONCLUSIONS: At the 3-year assessment, 19.3% of participants (318/1647) achieved durable remission, while 47.5% of them (782/1647) were not remitted. Our findings can help clinicians predict the illness course of BD by understanding demographic and clinical characteristics.

Effect of intravitreal gas tamponade for sutureless vitrectomy wounds: three-dimensional corneal and anterior segment optical coherence tomography study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of gas tamponade on wound closure and postoperative hypotony by comparing fluid-filled and gas-filled eyes after 25-gauge sutureless vitrectomy using three-dimensional corneal and anterior segment optical coherence tomography. METHODS: Twenty-four eyes of 24 patients who underwent a 25-gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy were included in this prospective study. A total of 72 scleral wounds were observed using three-dimensional corneal and anterior segment optical coherence tomography at 3 hours and at 1, 3, 7, and 14 days postoperatively. Scleral wound closure was defined as the absence of a scleral gap at the sclerotomy site, as observed using three-dimensional corneal and anterior segment optical coherence tomography. The rate of wound closure, intraocular pressure, and the incidence of complications were compared between the fluid- and gas-filled eyes. RESULTS: The rates of scleral wound closure at 3 hours and at 1, 3, 7, and 14 days were 26.2%, 28.6%, 35.7%, 52.4%, and 85.7% in fluid-filled eyes and 53.3%, 73.3%, 76.7%, 83.3%, and 93.3% in gas-filled eyes; these rates were significantly higher for the gas-filled eyes. The intraocular pressure was significantly higher in the gas-filled eyes than in the fluid-filled eyes on postoperative Day 1 but did not differ significantly between the 2 groups on postoperative Day 3 and thereafter. CONCLUSION: Three-dimensional corneal and anterior segment optical coherence tomography provided clear images of 25-gauge sutureless vitrectomy wounds and revealed that the sclerotomies closed faster in gas-filled eyes than in fluid-filled eyes. Thus, gas tamponade might be effective for the closure of sutureless vitrectomy wounds.

Preoperative inner segment/outer segment junction in spectral-domain optical coherence tomography as a prognostic factor in epiretinal membrane surgery.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the macular structure on spectral-domain optical coherence tomographic (SD-OCT) images to predict the outcome of surgery for idiopathic epiretinal membrane. METHODS: Forty-five eyes of 45 consecutive patients with idiopathic epiretinal membrane who had a preoperative visual acuity of ≤ 20/32 and were scheduled to undergo a transconjunctival 25-gauge vitrectomy were involved in this prospective cohort study. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and SD-OCT images of the fovea were examined before the surgery and at 3, 6, and 12 months after the surgery. Associations between the visual acuity parameters and the preoperative SD-OCT features, including the morphology of the photoreceptor inner segment/outer segment junction, macular thickness, presence/absence of retinal cysts, and presence/absence of a macular pseudohole, were investigated as predictors of the outcome of the surgery. The main outcome measures were the association between the macular microstructure on preoperative SD-OCT images and the visual acuity parameters, such as the BCVA, at 12 months after the surgery (postoperative BCVA) and the difference between the preoperative visual acuity and the postoperative BCVA. RESULTS: A total of 45 patients were enrolled in this study. The postoperative visual acuity was significantly better for the eyes with an intact inner segment/outer segment junction on the preoperative SD-OCT images than for those with an irregular or a disrupted inner segment/outer segment junction on the images (P < 0.001). Better preoperative visual acuity was associated with better visual acuity at 12 months and a lesser degree of improvement in the visual acuity (P < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: The presence of an intact inner segment/outer segment junction on the preoperative SD-OCT images was found to be an important predictor of better visual recovery and better postoperative BCVA after epiretinal membrane surgery.