Bipolar disorder and Lewy body dementia: case report and literature review.

Depressive episodes with psychotic symptoms are prevalent among the older adults, emphasizing the need to differentiate them from dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), in which depressive and psychotic symptoms commonly coexist. In contrast, psychotic symptoms occur more frequently in depressive episodes of bipolar disorder (BD) than in major depressive disorder (MDD). Although MDD is a significant risk factor for dementia, studies exploring the relationship between BD and dementia are lacking. This report details the case of a 74-year-old female who experienced severe psychotic depression that led to suicide attempts during a long-term course of young-onset BD. Ultimately, she was diagnosed with DLB based on her neurocognitive symptoms and results of the neuroimaging examination. She had experienced multiple relapses in the past, predominantly characterized by depressive episodes in her old age. Notably, she had never undergone lithium treatment, which is known for its potential efficacy in preventing relapse and dementia. Recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses have suggested that patients with BD have a higher risk of dementia than the general population, and that lithium usage is associated with a reduced risk. Moreover, patients with BD have been suggested to have an elevated risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD), and the pathophysiological relationship between BD and PD may be attributed to dopamine dysregulation resulting from multiple relapses. Future research is imperative to identify strategies for preventing dementia in patients with BD and to develop interventions for the comorbidities of BD and DLB.

Lobular distribution of enhanced expression levels of heat shock proteins using in-situ hybridization in the mouse liver treated with a single administration of CCl4.

This study was conducted to visualize the lobular distribution of enhanced mRNA expression levels of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in liver samples from carbon tetra chloride (CCl4)-treated mice using in-situ hybridization (ISH). Male BALB/c mice given a single oral administration of CCl4 were euthanized 6 hours or 1 day after the administration (6 h or 1 day). Paraffin-embedded liver samples were obtained, ISH for HSPs was conducted, as well as hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC). At 6 h, centrilobular hepatocellular vacuolization was observed, and increased signals for Hspa1a, Hspa1b, and Grp78, which are HSPs, were noted in the centrilobular area using ISH. At 1 day, zonal hepatocellular necrosis was observed in the centrilobular area, but mRNA signal increases for HSPs were no longer observed there. Some discrepancies between ISH and IHC for HSPs were observed, and they might be partly caused by post-transcriptional gene regulation, including the ribosome quality control mechanisms. It is known that CCl4 damages centrilobular hepatocytes through metabolization by cytochrome P450, mainly located in the centrilobular region, and HSPs are induced under cellular stress. Therefore, our ISH results visualized increased mRNA expression levels of HSPs in the centrilobular hepatocytes of mice 6 hours after a single administration of CCl4 as a response to cellular stress, and it disappeared 1 day after the treatment when remarkable necrosis was observed there.

Effectiveness of management protocol for insulin balls in diabetics: a scoping review.

Aim: In order to achieve good glycemic control, the prevention and management of insulin balls is important for diabetic patients during insulin therapy. However, insulin balls still occur within the clinical setting. This review evaluated the effectiveness of programs designed to manage insulin balls. Methods: A scoping review was conducted based on the Japanese and English literature available from a systematic literature search conducted from January 1964 to March 2022. Three databases were searched: PubMed, CINAHL, and Ichushi-Web. Results: A total of 33 articles met the inclusion criteria, which consisted of 3 for prevention management of insulin balls and 30 for management after the occurrence of insulin balls. Findings for prevention management suggested that the insulin injection technique education (avoidance of repeated injections to the same site) and providing knowledge (about insulin balls) prevented the appearance of insulin balls. As for post-occurrence management, insulin injection technique education (avoidance of injections to the insulin ball, avoidance of repeated injections to the same site, and switching the injection site) improved blood glucose control. Hypoglycemia was observed in all studies that included an assessment of hypoglycemia. None of the studies evaluated long-term effects of either preventive or post-occurrence management. Conclusions: Providing insulin injection technique education is an effective management protocol for insulin balls. Moreover, education about hypoglycemia is important for patients with insulin balls. Further studies to investigate the long-term effects in the management of insulin balls are needed.

[Introduction of a joint academic project between the Japan Academy of Nursing Science and the Japanese Pharmacological Society: a scoping review on assessment and preventive care of insulin balls].

Japanese Academy of Nursing Science (JANS) and the Japanese Pharmacological Society (JPS) have been conducting human interaction at each other's scientific meeting symposia in a home-and-away fashion since 2018. JANS and JPS have been working on a joint scientific project, "Scoping Review: Insulin Balls" since 2021. At the 95th Annual Meeting of the JPS held in 2022, we reported from a nursing perspective on the theme of "Assessment and preventive care of insulin balls from a scoping review". Subcutaneous injection into insulin balls has been reported to cause poor blood glucose control. Therefore, it is important to prevent insulin balls. In this study, we had the research questions, "What methods are available for assessment of the insulin injection site?" and "What is the care to prevent induration and how effective is it?" and conducted a scoping review. Regarding methods of injection site assessment, most of the literature identified the injection site by palpation, visual examination, and ultrasonography. About the preventive care, there were some reports of insulin balls occurring because patients have been injecting insulin at the same site, even though healthcare professionals instructed them to avoid the same site. Some of the literature had specific teaching methods such as hand site rotation and calendar injection method, and they were reported effective. In the future, we plan to proceed with the review including care after the development of insulin balls.

Amphiphilic peptide-tagged N-cadherin forms radial glial-like fibers that enhance neuronal migration in injured brain and promote sensorimotor recovery.

The mammalian brain has very limited ability to regenerate lost neurons and recover function after injury. Promoting the migration of young neurons (neuroblasts) derived from endogenous neural stem cells using biomaterials is a new and promising approach to aid recovery of the brain after injury. However, the delivery of sufficient neuroblasts to distant injured sites is a major challenge because of the limited number of scaffold cells that are available to guide neuroblast migration. To address this issue, we have developed an amphiphilic peptide [(RADA)3-(RADG)] (mRADA)-tagged N-cadherin extracellular domain (Ncad-mRADA), which can remain in mRADA hydrogels and be injected into deep brain tissue to facilitate neuroblast migration. Migrating neuroblasts directly contacted the fiber-like Ncad-mRADA hydrogel and efficiently migrated toward an injured site in the striatum, a deep brain area. Furthermore, application of Ncad-mRADA to neonatal cortical brain injury efficiently promoted neuronal regeneration and functional recovery. These results demonstrate that self-assembling Ncad-mRADA peptides mimic both the function and structure of endogenous scaffold cells and provide a novel strategy for regenerative therapy.

Relationships between cognitive appraisal and roles/personality traits in basic life support.

Objective: To examine the relationship between the cognitive assessment of stress (cognitive appraisal) caused in a scenario requiring basic life support (BLS) and the roles during BLS/personality traits in nursing students. Methods: We conducted an anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey for 264 freshman and senior nursing students. The study period was one month from June 2019. The questionnaire included characteristics, roles (active involvement group/passive involvement group/no involvement group), Cognitive Appraisal Rating Scale (CARS), and Maudsley Personality Inventory (MPI). We only included data for female students (107 people) in the analysis because very little data is available for male students. The Mann-Whitney test was used for the comparison between two groups and the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for the comparison between three groups. The significance level was set at p<0.05. Results: The total number of responses was 133 (50.4%), and the number of valid responses was 107 (40.5%). As a result of analyzing the relationship between the role and the CARS subscale, the controllability of the active and passive involvement groups was significantly lower than that of the no involvement group (p=0.046). Also, the analysis of the relationship between the grade and the CARS subscale showed that the controllability was significantly lower in freshmen than seniors (p=0.020). Conclusion: This study showed the relationship between controllability and cognitive appraisal of stress in the simulation scenario of BLS. Therefore, it was suggested that support for improving controllability is necessary as a preventive measure to reduce the stress associated with BLS.

Augmented Lipocalin-2 Is Associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Counteracts Lung Adenocarcinoma Development.

Rationale: Early pathogenesis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains largely unknown. We found that, relative to wild-type littermates, the innate immunomodulator Lcn2 (lipocalin-2) was increased in normal airways from mice with knockout of the airway lineage gene Gprc5a (Gprc5a-/-) and that are prone to developing inflammation and LUAD. Yet, the role of LCN2 in lung inflammation and LUAD is poorly understood.Objectives: Delineate the role of Lcn2 induction in LUAD pathogenesis.Methods: Normal airway brushings, uninvolved lung tissues, and tumors from Gprc5a-/- mice before and after tobacco carcinogen exposure were analyzed by RNA sequencing. LCN2 mRNA was analyzed in public and in-house data sets of LUAD, lung squamous cancer (LUSC), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and LUAD/LUSC with COPD. LCN2 protein was immunohistochemically analyzed in a tissue microarray of 510 tumors. Temporal lung tumor development, gene expression programs, and host immune responses were compared between Gprc5a-/- and Gprc5a-/-/Lcn2-/- littermates.Measurements and Main Results:Lcn2 was progressively elevated during LUAD development and positively correlated with proinflammatory cytokines and inflammation gene sets. LCN2 was distinctively elevated in human LUADs, but not in LUSCs, relative to normal lungs and was associated with COPD among smokers and patients with LUAD. Relative to Gprc5a-/- mice, Gprc5a-/-/Lcn2-/- littermates exhibited significantly increased lung tumor development concomitant with reduced T-cell abundance (CD4+) and richness, attenuated antitumor immune gene programs, and increased immune cell expression of protumor inflammatory cytokines.Conclusions: Augmented LCN2 expression is a molecular feature of COPD-associated LUAD and counteracts LUAD development in vivo by maintaining antitumor immunity.

Effects of interferon-alpha on hippocampal neurogenesis and behavior in common marmosets.

In many mammalian species, the production of new neurons in the hippocampal dentate gyrus continues throughout life. Previous studies using rodents suggest that adult-born neurons are involved in memory and cognition tasks and mood regulation. Interferon-alpha (IFNα), a proinflammatory cytokine used for the treatment of chronic viral hepatitis and malignancies, frequently causes depressive symptoms in patients and animals, including non-human primates. We have previously demonstrated that chronic IFNα treatment decreases hippocampal neurogenesis in mice. Here, we investigated the effects of four-week human pegylated IFNα treatment on hippocampal neurogenesis and behavior in common marmosets. Continuous monitoring of voluntary activity levels using an actigraphy device suggested that adaptive ability is impaired in IFNα-treated animals. Analyses of BrdU-labeled cells expressing a marker for immature or mature neurons revealed a significant reduction in the number of new neurons in the hippocampus of IFNα-treated animals. These data indicate that chronic human IFNα treatment causes behavioral changes and a decrease in hippocampal neurogenesis in common marmosets.

Ngly1 -/- rats develop neurodegenerative phenotypes and pathological abnormalities in their peripheral and central nervous systems.

N-glycanase 1 (NGLY1) deficiency, an autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in the NGLY1 gene, is characterized by developmental delay, hypolacrima or alacrima, seizure, intellectual disability, movement disorders and other neurological phenotypes. Because of few animal models that recapitulate these clinical signatures, the mechanisms of the onset of the disease and its progression are poorly understood, and the development of therapies is hindered. In this study, we generated the systemic Ngly1-deficient rodent model, Ngly1-/- rats, which showed developmental delay, movement disorder, somatosensory impairment and scoliosis. These phenotypes in Ngly1-/- rats are consistent with symptoms in human patients. In accordance with the pivotal role played by NGLY1 in endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation processes, cleaving N-glycans from misfolded glycoproteins in the cytosol before they can be degraded by the proteasome, loss of Ngly1 led to accumulation of cytoplasmic ubiquitinated proteins, a marker of misfolded proteins in the neurons of the central nervous system of Ngly1-/- rats. Histological analysis identified prominent pathological abnormalities, including necrotic lesions, mineralization, intra- and extracellular eosinophilic bodies, astrogliosis, microgliosis and significant loss of mature neurons in the thalamic lateral and the medial parts of the ventral posterior nucleus and ventral lateral nucleus of Ngly1-/- rats. Axonal degradation in the sciatic nerves was also observed, as in human subjects. Ngly1-/- rats, which mimic the symptoms of human patients, will be a useful animal model for preclinical testing of therapeutic options and understanding the detailed mechanisms of NGLY1 deficiency.

Dynamic Changes in the Neurogenic Potential in the Ventricular-Subventricular Zone of Common Marmoset during Postnatal Brain Development.

Even after birth, neuronal production continues in the ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) and hippocampus in many mammals. The immature new neurons ("neuroblasts") migrate and then mature at their final destination. In humans, neuroblast production and migration toward the neocortex and the olfactory bulb (OB) occur actively only for a few months after birth and then sharply decline with age. However, the precise spatiotemporal profiles and fates of postnatally born neurons remain unclear due to methodological limitations. We previously found that common marmosets, small nonhuman primates, share many features of V-SVZ organization with humans. Here, using marmosets injected with thymidine analogue(s) during various postnatal periods, we demonstrated spatiotemporal changes in neurogenesis during development. V-SVZ progenitor proliferation and neuroblast migration toward the OB and neocortex sharply decreased by 4 months, most strikingly in a V-SVZ subregion from which neuroblasts migrated toward the neocortex. Postnatally born neurons matured within a few months in the OB and hippocampus but remained immature until 6 months in the neocortex. While neurogenic activity was sustained for a month after birth, the distribution and/or differentiation diversity was more restricted in 1-month-born cells than in the neonatal-born population. These findings shed light on distinctive features of postnatal neurogenesis in primates.

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 and 2 inhibition ameliorates steatosis and hepatic fibrosis in a MC4R knockout murine model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in de novo lipogenesis, which is increased in the livers of patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. GS-0976 (firsocostat), an inhibitor of isoforms ACC1 and ACC2, reduced hepatic steatosis and serum fibrosis biomarkers such as tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in a randomized controlled trial, although the impact of this improvement on fibrosis has not fully been evaluated in preclinical models. Here, we used Western diet-fed melanocortin 4 receptor-deficient mice that have similar phenotypes to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients including progressively developed hepatic steatosis as well as fibrosis. We evaluated the effects of ACC1/2 inhibition on hepatic fibrosis. After the confirmation of significant hepatic fibrosis with a 13-week pre-feeding, GS-0976 (4 and 16 mg/kg/day) treatment for 9 weeks lowered malonyl-CoA and triglyceride content in the liver and improved steatosis, histologically. Furthermore, GS-0976 reduced the histological area of hepatic fibrosis, hydroxyproline content, mRNA expression level of type I collagen in the liver, and plasma tissue metalloproteinase inhibitor 1, suggesting an improvement of hepatic fibrosis. The treatment with GS-0976 was also accompanied by reductions of plasma ALT and AST levels. These data demonstrate that improvement of hepatic lipid metabolism by ACC1/2 inhibition could be a new option to suppress fibrosis progression as well as to improve hepatic steatosis in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Relationship between peer evaluation and interprofessional self-evaluation in a joint healthcare team-based learning class involving three universities.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to clarify the relationship between interprofessional self-evaluation and peer evaluation during interprofessional education (IPE) using team-based learning (TBL). We also aimed to clarify differences in interprofessional cooperation between students with high and low peer evaluation scores. METHODS: In total, 483 students (grades 3-5) from nine faculties at three universities participated in a TBL-based IPE program. The students completed five interprofessional self-evaluation domains (the modified Tsukuba IPE model) before and after IPE. Students also completed peer evaluation after IPE. Students were divided into three groups by peer evaluation scores (low, middle, high), and the post-class self-evaluation scores of these groups were compared using a Kruskal-Wallis test. Multiple regression analysis was also performed. Peer evaluation comments were analyzed using a qualitative inductive method. RESULTS: Students in the low peer evaluation group had significantly lower scores in the "Regarding participation in group work" domain than students in the high group (P<0.05). Students in the high group received positive comments, such as [good communication] and [working cooperatively], whereas students in the low group were required to improve in two areas: [speaking up more] and [need more communication]. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant relationship between peer evaluation by team members and self-evaluation for "Regarding participation in group work." Students with high peer evaluation scores participated with active attitudes, whereas students with low scores were considered passive. This study suggested that using peer evaluation may enhance students' professional cooperation by improving their communication and attitudes toward active participation.

Genome-Wide Gene Expression Changes in the Normal-Appearing Airway during the Evolution of Smoking-Associated Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Smoking perpetuates in cytologically normal airways a molecular "field of injury" that is pertinent to lung cancer and early detection. The evolution of airway field changes prior to lung oncogenesis is poorly understood largely due to the long latency of lung cancer in smokers. Here, we studied airway expression changes prior to lung cancer onset in mice with knockout of the Gprc5a gene (Gprc5a-/-) and tobacco carcinogen (NNK) exposure and that develop the most common type of lung cancer, lung adenocarcinoma, within 6 months following exposure. Airway epithelial brushings were collected from Gprc5a-/- mice before exposure and at multiple times post-NNK until time of lung adenocarcinoma development and then analyzed by RNA sequencing. Temporal airway profiles were identified by linear models and analyzed by comparative genomics in normal airways of human smokers with and without lung cancer. We identified significantly altered profiles (n = 926) in the NNK-exposed mouse normal airways relative to baseline epithelia, a subset of which were concordantly modulated with smoking status in the human airway. Among airway profiles that were significantly modulated following NNK, we found that expression changes (n = 22) occurring as early as 2 months following exposure were significantly associated with lung cancer status when examined in airways of human smokers. Furthermore, a subset of a recently reported human bronchial gene classifier (Percepta; n = 56) was enriched in the temporal mouse airway profiles. We underscore evolutionarily conserved profiles in the normal-appearing airway that develop prior to lung oncogenesis and that comprise viable markers for early lung cancer detection in suspect smokers. Cancer Prev Res; 11(4); 237-48. ©2018 AACR.

Intratumoral heterogeneity of programmed cell death ligand-1 expression is common in lung cancer.

Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression may predict the response to both programmed cell death-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors in lung cancer. However, the extent of intratumoral heterogeneity of PD-L1 expression, which may cause false negative results, is largely unexplored. We aimed to assess the intratumoral heterogeneity of PD-L1 expression in surgically resected lung cancer specimens by applying a novel method of tissue microarray, namely Spiral Arrays, which enables us to observe the heterogeneity in spiral-shaped tissue cores. Adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma specimens were obtained from consecutive patients with lung cancer who had undergone surgical resection at Nagasaki University Hospital (Nagasaki, Japan) since 2009. Small cell lung cancer and large cell carcinoma specimens were selected from patients in the same archive who had undergone resection since 1998. Spiral Arrays were constructed of spiral-shaped cores, prepared from representative blocks of each case, which were subjected to immunohistochemistry using an anti-PD-L1 antibody. Each core was divided into 8 segments and each segment was classified as either PD-L1-positive or PD-L1-negative using thresholds of 1.0%, 5.0%, 10.0%, and 50.0%, respectively. In total, 138 specimens were selected, including 60 adenocarcinomas, 59 squamous cell carcinomas, 12 small cell lung cancers, and 7 large cell carcinomas. The majority of specimens with PD-L1-positive segments exhibited heterogeneous expression (i.e., had a mixture of PD-L1-positive and PD-L1-negative segments within a core) irrespective of the threshold (1.0%, 66.7%; 5.0%, 74.4%; 10.0%, 75.8%; and 50.0%, 85.7%]. Large variations in the ratios of PD-L1-positive segments were observed. At least 50.0% of the segments within a core were negative in no fewer than 50.0% (range, 50.0-76.0%) of cases with heterogeneous PD-L1 expression. In conclusion, intratumoral heterogeneity of PD-L1 expression was frequently observed in cases of lung cancer. Thus, multiple tumor biopsy specimens may be needed to accurately determine the PD-L1 expression status.

The phosphodiesterase 10A selective inhibitor, TAK-063, induces c-Fos expression in both direct and indirect pathway medium spiny neurons and sub-regions of the medial prefrontal cortex in rats.

TAK-063, a selective phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) inhibitor, produces potent antipsychotic-like and pro-cognitive effects in rodents via balanced activation of striatal direct and indirect pathway medium spiny neurons (MSNs). Brain activity modulation by TAK-063 has been characterized using pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography in animals, revealing modulation of activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) where there is little or no PDE10A expression. To understand the specific brain regions and cells affected by TAK-063 in rats, we assessed neural activation in the striatal complex and PFC using immunofluorescence staining to measure c-Fos expression. TAK-063 at 0.3 and 3mg/kg induced a dose-dependent increase in the number of c-Fos immunoreactive cells in the striatal complex. Furthermore, TAK-063 increased the number of MSNs expressing c-fos mRNA in both the D1 receptor-expressing direct pathway and D2 receptor-expressing indirect pathway of the striatal complex. TAK-063 (0.3 and 3mg/kg) induced c-Fos expression in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and prelimbic cortex (PrL), but not the infralimbic, dorsal peduncular, primary motor or anterior insular cortices. These findings suggest that administration of TAK-063 activates similar numbers of direct and indirect pathway MSNs, resulting in activation predominantly in medial PFC sub-regions, such as the ACC and PrL.

Development of Kras mutant lung adenocarcinoma in mice with knockout of the airway lineage-specific gene Gprc5a.

Despite the urgency for prevention and treatment of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), we still do not know drivers in pathogenesis of the disease. Earlier work revealed that mice with knockout of the G-protein coupled receptor Gprc5a develop late onset lung tumors including LUADs. Here, we sought to further probe the impact of Gprc5a expression on LUAD pathogenesis. We first surveyed GPRC5A expression in human tissues and found that GPRC5A was markedly elevated in human normal lung relative to other normal tissues and was consistently downregulated in LUADs. In sharp contrast to wild-type littermates, Gprc5a-/- mice treated chronically with the nicotine-specific carcinogen NNK developed LUADs by 6 months following NNK exposure. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that the LUADs exhibited abundant expression of surfactant protein C and lacked the clara cell marker Ccsp, suggesting that these LUADs originated from alveolar type II cells. Next, we sought to survey genome-wide alterations in the pathogenesis of Gprc5a-/- LUADs. Using whole exome sequencing, we found that carcinogen-induced LUADs exhibited markedly higher somatic mutation burdens relative to spontaneous tumors. All LUADs were found to harbor somatic mutations in the Kras oncogene (p. G12D or p. Q61R). In contrast to spontaneous lesions, carcinogen-induced Gprc5a-/- LUADs exhibited mutations (variants and copy number gains) in additional drivers (Atm, Kmt2d, Nf1, Trp53, Met, Ezh2). Our study underscores genomic alterations that represent early events in the development of Kras mutant LUAD following Gprc5a loss and tobacco carcinogen exposure and that may constitute targets for prevention and early treatment of this disease.

Assessment of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography of the hepatic vein for detection of hemodynamic changes associated with experimentally induced portal hypertension in dogs.

OBJECTIVE To assess the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) of the hepatic vein for the detection of hemodynamic changes associated with experimentally induced portal hypertension in dogs. ANIMALS 6 healthy Beagles. PROCEDURES A prospective study was conducted. A catheter was surgically placed in the portal vein of each dog. Hypertension was induced by intraportal injection of microspheres (10 to 15 mg/kg) at 5-day intervals via the catheter. Microsphere injections were continued until multiple acquired portosystemic shunts were created. Portal vein pressure (PVP) was measured through the catheter. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography was performed before and after establishment of hypertension. Time-intensity curves were generated from the region of interest in the hepatic vein. Perfusion variables measured for statistical analysis were hepatic vein arrival time, time to peak, time to peak phase (TTPP), and washout ratio. The correlation between CEUS variables and PVP was assessed by use of simple regression analysis. RESULTS Time to peak and TTPP were significantly less after induction of portal hypertension. Simple regression analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between TTPP and PVP. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE CEUS was useful for detecting hemodynamic changes associated with experimentally induced portal hypertension in dogs, which was characterized by a rapid increase in the intensity of the hepatic vein. Furthermore, TTPP, a time-dependent variable, provided useful complementary information for predicting portal hypertension. IMPACT FOR HUMAN MEDICINE Because the method described here induced presinusoidal portal hypertension, these results can be applied to idiopathic portal hypertension in humans.

Astrocytic growth through the autocrine/paracrine production of IL-1ß in the early infectious phase of fowl glioma-inducing virus.

Fowl glioma is characterized morphologically by multiple nodular astrocytic growth with disseminated non-suppurative encephalitis. The disease is caused by fowl glioma-inducing virus (FGV) and its variants, belonging to subgroup A of avian leukosis virus (ALV-A). Fifty-seven FGV variants have so far been isolated from Japanese fowls and these variants have a variable degree of glioma inducibility. However, how these ALVs induce glioma with different degrees and frequencies has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated the relationship between intracerebral viral replication and astrocytic growth in the early infectious phase. Replication abilities of two ALV strains, Sp-53 (a FGV variant) and ALV-based replication-competent vector RCAS(A) without glioma inducibility, were compared in the brains of C/O specific pathogen free chickens at 35 days of age. Sp-53 replicated faster than RCAS(A), and the histological score and the level of interleukin (IL)-1ß in brains increased depending on the level of intracerebral viral RNA. Up-regulation of IL-1ß was also demonstrated in primary cultured astrocytes. These results suggest that the astrocytic growth in this phase is enhanced through the autocrine/paracrine production of IL-1ß in the FGV-infected astrocytes.

Congenital cerebellar dysplasia in White Leghorn chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus).

Congenital cerebellar anomalies have been rarely reported in birds. We examined cerebellums with disorganized folia from seven specific-pathogen-free White Leghorn chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). Islands of heterotopic cortex were distributed from the deeper cortices to the medulla in the cerebellum. The characteristic lesions were composed of randomly admixed components of the cerebellar cortex, including Purkinje cells, a molecular layer and granular cells. Immunofluorescent analysis revealed Purkinje cells with haphazardly extended dendrites and a lack of Bergmann's glial fibres in the foci. Chicken parvovirus, Aino virus and avian retrovirus were not detected in the affected birds by polymerase chain reaction. This is the first report of cerebellar dysplasia in chickens possibly caused by a genetic abnormality.

Cardiac pathology and molecular epidemiology by avian leukosis viruses in Japan.

Epidemiological studies suggest that retroviruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1, are associated with cardiomyopathy and myocarditis, but a causal relationship remains to be established. We encountered unusual cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and mitosis in Japanese native fowls infected with subgroup A of the avian leukosis viruses (ALVs-A), which belong to the genus Alpharetrovirus of the family Retroviridae and mainly induce lymphoid neoplasm in chickens. The affected hearts were evaluated by histopathology and immunohistochemistry, viral isolation, viral genome sequencing and experimental infection. There was non-suppurative myocarditis in eighteen fowls and seven of them had abnormal cardiomyocytes, which were distributed predominantly in the left ventricular wall and showed hypertrophic cytoplasm and atypical large nuclei. Nuclear chains and mitosis were frequently noted in these cardiomyocytes and immunohistochemistry for proliferating cell nuclear antigen supported the enhancement of mitotic activity. ALVs were isolated from all affected cases and phylogenic analysis of envSU genes showed that the isolates were mainly classified into two different clusters, suggesting viral genome diversity. In ovo experimental infection with two of the isolates was demonstrated to cause myocarditis and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy similar to those in the naturally occurring lesions and cardiac hamartoma (rhabdomyoma) in a shorter period of time (at 70 days of age) than expected. These results indicate that ALVs cause myocarditis as well as cardiomyocyte abnormality in chickens, implying a pathogenetic mechanism different from insertional mutagenesis and the existence of retrovirus-induced heart disorder.