Active fractions of mannoproteins derived from yeast cell wall stimulate innate and acquired immunity of adult and elderly dogs.

Nutritional intervention in older dogs aims to increase lifespan and improve life quality as well as delay the development of diseases related to ageing. It is believed that active fractions of mannoproteins (AFMs) obtained through extraction and fractionation of yeast cell walls (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) may beneficially modulate the immune system. However, studies that have evaluated this component and the effects of ageing on the immune system of dogs are scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the immunological effects of AFMs in adult and elderly dogs. Three extruded iso-nutrient experimental diets were formulated: without addition of AFM (T0); with AFM at 400 mg/kg (T400); and with AFM at 800 mg/kg (T800). Thirty-six beagle dogs were used, and six experimental treatments, resulting in combinations of age (adult and elderly) and diet (T0, T400, and T800), were evaluated. On days zero, 14, and 28, blood samples were obtained for leucocyte phenotyping and phagocytosis assays. On days zero and 28, a lymphoproliferation test, quantification of reactive oxygen (H2O2) and nitrogen (NO) intermediate production, evaluation of faecal immunoglobulin A (IgA) content, and a delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity test (DCHT) were performed. Statistical analyses were performed with SAS software. Repeated measure variance analyses were performed, and means were compared by the Tukey test. Values of P ≤ 0.05 were considered significant, and values of P ≤ 0.10 were considered tendencies. Dogs fed T400 tended to have higher neutrophilic phagocytic activity than dogs fed T800 (P = 0.073). Regarding reactive oxygen intermediates, bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated neutrophils from animals that were fed T400 had a tendency to produce more H2O2 than those from animals fed the control diet (P = 0.093). Elderly dogs, when compared to adult dogs, had lower absolute T and B lymphocyte counts, lower auxiliary T lymphocyte counts, and higher cytotoxic T lymphocyte counts (P < 0.05). A significant effect of diet, age, and time with saline inoculation was noted for the DCHT. There was no effect of diet or age on faecal IgA content in dogs. This study suggests beneficial effects of mannoproteins on the specific and nonspecific immune responses in adult and elderly dogs.

Temperature affects phenological synchrony in a tree-killing bark beetle.

Phenological synchrony can promote population growth in species with positive density dependence. Variation among life stages in the thermal thresholds for development can foster phenological synchrony under thermal regimes that include frequent occurrence of temperatures between developmental thresholds. The southern pine beetle is an insect with positive density dependence that has recently undergone important shifts in population abundance at the northern extremes of their distribution. We evaluated the hypothesis that cooler winter temperatures in their northern range cause a convergence of the population life stage structure that leads to synchrony in spring flight phenology. We used a combination of approaches. First, in situ laboratory experiments demonstrated a threshold temperature for pupation that was greater than was required for larval development; rearing larvae at lower temperatures increased the pooling of individuals at the end stage of larval development and synchrony in adult emergence. Second, a development rate model showed a similar convergence of the majority of the population at the end stage of larval development when brood experienced the cooler temperatures of the northern region, but not with temperatures from the southern region, or as a null model. Finally, field trapping of wild beetles showed greater synchrony in the pine forests of New Jersey than in the warmer, historically occupied forests of Georgia and Mississippi. Given these results, pine-dominated forests in the northern edge of the southern pine beetle's range may experience more frequent occurrence of outbreaks, due to the positive feedbacks associated with a synchronous spring emergence of this insect.

Effects of Physical Exercise on Working Memory and Prefrontal Cortex Function in Post-Stroke Patients.

Physical exercise enhances prefrontal cortex activity and improves working memory performance in healthy older adults, but it is not clear whether this remains the case in post-stroke patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the acute effect of physical exercise on prefrontal cortex activity in post-stroke patients using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). We studied 11 post-stroke patients. The patients performed Sternberg-type working memory tasks before and after moderate intensity aerobic exercise (40 % of maximal oxygen uptake) with a cycling ergometer for 15 min. We measured the NIRS response at the prefrontal cortex during the working memory task. We evaluated behavioral performance (response time and accuracy) of the working memory task. It was found that physical exercise improved behavioral performance of the working memory task compared with the control condition (p < 0.01). In addition, NIRS analysis indicated that physical exercise enhanced prefrontal cortex activation, particularly in the right prefrontal cortex (p < 0.05), during the working memory task compared with the control condition. These findings suggest that the moderate-intensity aerobic exercise enhances prefrontal cortex activity and improves working memory performance in post-stroke patients.

Exogenous progesterone exacerbates running response of adolescent female mice to repeated food restriction stress by changing α4-GABAA receptor activity of hippocampal pyramidal cells.

Adolescent females are particularly vulnerable to mental illnesses with co-morbidity of anxiety, such as anorexia nervosa (AN). We used an animal model of AN, called activity-based anorexia (ABA), to investigate the neurobiological basis of vulnerability to repeated, food restriction (FR) stress-evoked anxiety. Twenty-one of 23 adolescent female mice responded to the 1st FR with increased wheel-running activity (WRA), even during the limited period of food access, thereby capturing AN's symptoms of voluntary FR and over-exercise. Baseline WRA was an excellent predictor of FR-elicited WRA (severity of ABA, SOA), with high baseline runners responding to FR with minimal SOA (i.e., negative correlation). Nine gained resistance to ABA following the 1st FR. Even though allopregnanolone (3α-OH-5α-pregnan-20-one, THP), the metabolite of progesterone (P4), is a well-recognized anxiolytic agent, subcutaneous P4 to these ABA-resistant animals during the 2nd FR was exacerbative, evoking greater WRA than the counterpart resistant group that received oil vehicle, only. Moreover, P4 had no WRA-reducing effect on animals that remained ABA-vulnerable. To explain the sensitizing effect of P4 upon the resistant mice, we examined the relationship between P4 treatment and levels of the α4 subunit of GABAARs at spines of pyramidal cells of the hippocampal CA1, a parameter previously shown to correlate with resistance to ABA. α4 levels at spine membrane correlated strongly and negatively with SOA during the 1st ABA (prior to P4 injection), confirming previous findings. α4 levels were greater among P4-treated animals that had gained resistance than of vehicle-treated resistant animals or of the vulnerable animals with or without P4. We propose that α4-GABAARs play a protective role by counterbalancing the ABA-induced increase in excitability of CA1 pyramidal neurons, and although exogenous P4's metabolite, THP, enhances α4 expression, especially among those that can gain resistance, it also interferes with α4-GABAARs' protective role by desensitizing α4-GABAARs.

Implementing new northernmost records to modelling the distribution of Hypsiboas caingua (Anura: Hylidae) in South America / Uso de novos registros ao norte para a modelagem de distribuição de Hypsiboas caingua (Anura: Hylidae) na América do Sul

New northwestern records of the striped treefrog Hypsiboas caingua (Carrizo, 1991 “1990”) are presented for Brazil, extending its known geographic distribution approximately 115 km northward (linear distance) of the previous northernmost record of the species. In all new localities, individuals of H. caingua were only found in calling activity under temperatures below 18°C. The species appears to be associated with Atlantic Forest, although it had already been recorded in Cerrado. Although the scientific literature data suggests that H. caingua presents discontinuous geographical distribution, three methods of distribution modelling based on climatic data show that the species' distribution is continuous. The gap in the distribution may be related to the lack of field surveys in the regions that connect these populations, especially in colder periods. Nevertheless, factors other than climate might also be responsible for the current distribution of H. caingua, since the species was absent in well-surveyed sites situated between the areas of modeled distribution. Therefore, further studies on natural history, populations' genetic structure, and geographic distribution models implementing factors other than climate will be important to elucidate some ecological and evolutionary aspects of the distribution of H. caingua in South America.

Novos registros da perereca Hypsiboas caingua (Carrizo, 1991 “1990”) são apresentados para o noroeste do Brasil, ampliando sua distribuição geográfica em aproximadamente 115 km ao norte (distância linear) em relação ao registro anterior setentrional da espécie. Em todas as novas localidades, indivíduos de H. caingua foram apenas encontrados vocalizando sob temperaturas abaixo de 18 °C. A espécie aparenta estar associada com a Mata Atlântica, embora já tenha sido registrada no Cerrado. Apesar de dados da literatura científica sugerirem que H. caingua apresente distribuição geográfica descontínua, os três métodos de modelagem de distribuição, baseados em dados climáticos demonstram que a distribuição da espécie é contínua. A lacuna na distribuição pode estar relacionada à ausência de levantamentos de campo nas regiões que conectam essas populações, principalmente em períodos frios. Contudo, outros fatores além do climático também podem ser responsáveis pela atual distribuição de H. caingua, visto a ausência da espécie em locais bem amostrados situados entre as áreas de distribuição modeladas. Portanto, mais estudos sobre a história natural, genética de populações e modelos de distribuição geográfica que abordem outros fatores além do clima, serão importantes para elucidar alguns aspectos ecológicos e evolucionários da distribuição de H. caingua na América do Sul.

α4ßδ-GABAARs in the hippocampal CA1 as a biomarker for resilience to activity-based anorexia.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric illness characterized by restricted eating and an intense fear of gaining weight. Most individuals with AN are females, diagnosed first during adolescence, 40-80% of whom exhibit excessive exercise, and an equally high number with a history of anxiety disorder. We sought to determine the cellular basis for individual differences in AN vulnerability by using an animal model, activity-based anorexia (ABA), that is induced by combining food restriction (FR) with access to a running wheel that allows voluntary exercise. Previously, we showed that by the fourth day of FR, the ABA group of adolescent female rats exhibit >500% greater levels of non-synaptic α4ßδ-GABAARs at the plasma membrane of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cell spines, relative to the levels found in age-matched controls that are not FR and without wheel access. Here, we show that the ABA group exhibits individual differences in body weight loss, with some losing nearly 30%, while others lose only 15%. The individual differences in weight loss are ascribable to individual differences in wheel activity that both precedes and concurs with days of FR. Moreover, the increase in activity during FR correlates strongly and negatively with α4ßδ-GABAAR levels (R=-0.9, p<0.01). This negative correlation is evident within 2days of FR, before body weight loss approaches life-threatening levels for any individual. These findings suggest that increased shunting inhibition by α4ßδ-GABAARs in spines of CA1 pyramidal neurons may participate in the protection against the ABA-inducing environmental factors of severe weight loss by suppressing excitability of the CA1 pyramidal neurons which, in turn, is related indirectly to suppression of excessive exercise. The data also indicate that, although exercise has many health benefits, it can be maladaptive to individuals with low levels of α4ßδ-GABAARs in the CA1, particularly when combined with FR.

Implementing new northernmost records to modelling the distribution of Hypsiboas caingua (Anura: Hylidae) in South America.

New northwestern records of the striped treefrog Hypsiboas caingua (Carrizo, 1991 "1990") are presented for Brazil, extending its known geographic distribution approximately 115 km northward (linear distance) of the previous northernmost record of the species. In all new localities, individuals of H. caingua were only found in calling activity under temperatures below 18°C. The species appears to be associated with Atlantic Forest, although it had already been recorded in Cerrado. Although the scientific literature data suggests that H. caingua presents discontinuous geographical distribution, three methods of distribution modelling based on climatic data show that the species' distribution is continuous. The gap in the distribution may be related to the lack of field surveys in the regions that connect these populations, especially in colder periods. Nevertheless, factors other than climate might also be responsible for the current distribution of H. caingua, since the species was absent in well-surveyed sites situated between the areas of modeled distribution. Therefore, further studies on natural history, populations' genetic structure, and geographic distribution models implementing factors other than climate will be important to elucidate some ecological and evolutionary aspects of the distribution of H. caingua in South America.

Comparison of the germination rates of Metarhizium spp. conidia from Japan at high and low temperatures.

UNLABELLED: The knowledge of the growth characteristics of entomopathogenic fungi at different temperatures is very important for understanding their ecology and field efficacy as biological control agents. However, the relationships between their DNA-based phylogenetic tree classifications and growth characteristics at different temperatures have not been adequately investigated. In this study, we compared the phylogenetic relationships between Metarhizium anisopliae sensu lato and M. flavoviride isolates obtained from soils in various environments in Japan and the germination rates of their conidia on agar medium in hot and cold conditions. The results showed that the 89 Japanese isolates belonged to the clade of eight species, according to the molecular phylogenetic analysis. The germination rates of isolates belonging to the M. brunneum and M. flavoviride var. pemphigi clades were higher at lower temperatures (9·7-11·0°C) and lower at higher temperatures (34·3-35·2°C) compared with the other six species. The isolates of these two species originated from different geographical regions in Japan, despite their uniform germination characteristics. This study detected the clear interspecific differences in the in vitro germination characteristics of the Japanese isolates of Metarhizium spp. at two different temperature regimes. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The relationships between the growth characteristics and phylogenetic placements have not been adequately investigated in species of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium. This study determined the relationships between the germination rates in hot and cold conditions and the phylogenetic placements of 89 Japanese soil isolates of Metarhizium spp. Fourteen isolates each of M. brunneum and M. flavoviride var. pemphigi, identified by molecular phylogenetic analysis, showed relatively high germination rates at lower temperatures and low germination rates at higher temperatures compared with isolates, which were identified as six other species. This study detected a strong relationship between the phylogenetic placements of Japanese Metarhizium spp. isolates and their in vitro germination characteristics.

Adolescent female C57BL/6 mice with vulnerability to activity-based anorexia exhibit weak inhibitory input onto hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder characterized by self-imposed severe starvation and often linked with excessive exercise. Activity-based anorexia (ABA) is an animal model that reproduces some of the behavioral phenotypes of AN, including the paradoxical increase in voluntary exercise following food restriction (FR). Although certain rodents have been used successfully in this animal model, C57BL/6 mice are reported to be less susceptible to ABA. We re-examined the possibility that female C57BL/6 mice might exhibit ABA vulnerability during adolescence, the developmental stage/sex among the human population with particularly high AN vulnerability. After introducing the running wheel to the cage for 3 days, ABA was induced by restricting food access to 1h per day (ABA1, N=13) or 2 h per day (ABA2, N=10). All 23 exhibited increased voluntary wheel running (p<0.005) and perturbed circadian rhythm within 2 days. Only one out of five survived ABA1 for 3 days, while 10 out of 10 survived ABA2 for 3 days and could subsequently restore their body weight and circadian rhythm. Exposure of recovered animals to a second ABA2 induction revealed a large range of vulnerability, even within littermates. To look for the cellular substrate of differences in vulnerability, we began by examining synaptic patterns in the hippocampus, a brain region that regulates anxiety as well as plasticity throughout life. Quantitative EM analysis revealed that CA1 pyramidal cells of animals vulnerable to the second ABA2 exhibit less GABAergic innervation on cell bodies and dendrites, relative to the animals resilient to the second ABA (p<0.001) or controls (p<0.05). These findings reveal that C57BL/6J adolescent females can be used to capture brain changes underlying ABA vulnerability, and that GABAergic innervation of hippocampal pyramidal neurons is one important cellular substrate to consider for understanding the progression of and resilience to AN.

Blackfly vectors of zoonotic onchocerciasis in Japan.

Studies of blackfly vectors of Onchocerca dewittei japonica Uni, Bain & Takaoka (Spirurida: Onchocercidae), a parasite of wild boar implicated in the aetiology of zoonotic onchocerciasis in Japan, and six other zoonotic Onchocerca species of this country are reviewed. Molecular identification of infective larvae found in wild-caught female blackflies showed that Simulium bidentatum (Shiraki) (Diptera: Simuliidae) is a natural vector of O. dewittei japonica, and also Onchocerca sp. sensu Fukuda et al., another parasite of wild boar. Inoculation experiments demonstrated that Simulium arakawae Matsumura and four other Simulium species are putative vectors. Similarly, S. arakawae, S. bidentatum and Simulium oitanum (Shiraki) are putative vectors of Onchocerca eberhardi Uni & Bain and Onchocerca skrjabini Rukhlyadev, parasites of sika deer. Morphometric studies of infective larvae indicated that Onchocerca lienalis Stiles, a bovine species, is transmitted by S. arakawae, Simulium daisense (Takahasi) and Simulium kyushuense Takaoka, and that Onchocerca sp. sensu Takaoka & Bain, another bovine species, is transmitted by S. arakawae, S. bidentatum, S. daisense and S. oitanum. Prosimulium sp. (Diptera: Simuliidae) and Simulium japonicum Matsumura are suspected vectors of Onchocerca suzukii Yagi, Bain & Shoho and O. skrjabini [Twinnia japonensis Rubtsov (Diptera: Simuliidae) may also transmit the latter], parasites of Japanese serow, following detection of the parasites' DNA genes in wild-caught blackflies.

Nutrient flux associated with the emergence of Quesada gigas Olivier (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in an urban ecosystem.

Large-bodied arthropods, such as cicadas, can be able to reallocate significant amounts of nutrients during adult emergence. Evidence suggests that Quesada gigas Olivier emergence constitutes an important nutrient flux from belowground to aboveground. The purpose of this study was to estimate the amount of nitrogen, proteins, and lipids resulting from the emergence of Q. gigas in an urban ecosystem in Central Brazil. Adult specimens captured from September to November 2006 were weighed and submitted to biochemical analysis. Population density was approximately 4,200 individuals per hectare. Mean individual dry mass was 1.03 g and contained 12.6% proteins, 8.4% lipids, and 5% nitrogen. Total biomass input from the species was 4.3 kg ha(-1) y(-1), with a consequent annual reallocation of approximately 545 g of proteins, 363 g of lipids, and 216 g of nitrogen per hectare. The data obtained suggest that Q. gigas emergence can cause significant translocation of nutrients from belowground to aboveground, and is therefore an important biological event for ecosystem function.

Nutrient flux associated with the emergence of Quesada gigas Olivier (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in an urban ecosystem

Large-bodied arthropods, such as cicadas, can be able to reallocate significant amounts of nutrients during adult emergence. Evidence suggests that Quesada gigas Olivier emergence constitutes an important nutrient flux from belowground to aboveground. The purpose of this study was to estimate the amount of nitrogen, proteins, and lipids resulting from the emergence of Q. gigas in an urban ecosystem in Central Brazil. Adult specimens captured from September to November 2006 were weighed and submitted to biochemical analysis. Population density was approximately 4,200 individuals per hectare. Mean individual dry mass was 1.03 g and contained 12.6 percent proteins, 8.4 percent lipids, and 5 percent nitrogen. Total biomass input from the species was 4.3 kg ha-1 y-1, with a consequent annual reallocation of approximately 545 g of proteins, 363 g of lipids, and 216 g of nitrogen per hectare. The data obtained suggest that Q. gigas emergence can cause significant translocation of nutrients from belowground to aboveground, and is therefore an important biological event for ecosystem function.

Effects of bone mineral density of the lumbar spine and prevalent vertebral fractures on the risk of immobility.

SUMMARY: To clarify the contribution of osteoporosis to future immobilization, a prospective observational study was carried out on Japanese postmenopausal women. The prevalence of low bone mineral density (BMD) and vertebral fracture were independent risks for future immobilization. INTRODUCTION: Immobilization by hip fracture requires more medical care and higher costs. Osteoporosis increases the risk of hip fracture, but there is little data linking osteoporosis and immobilization in postmenopausal Japanese women. METHODS: The study participants consisted of postmenopausal ambulatory volunteers. Baseline information such as BMD, prevalent fractures, comorbidities, pain in the body, and variables were obtained from 1993, and time course of occurrence of immobilization was observed until 2008. RESULTS: A total of 1,312 participants were enrolled and were observed for a total of 6.7 +/- 4.1 years. A total of 75 subjects suffered immobilization. In multivariate analysis to calculate the Cox's hazard ratio of baseline parameters for immobilization, four independent variables were observed: age (hazard ratio, 1.52 [95% CI, 1.29 to 1.80], p = 0.000), pain in the body (2.54 [1.42 to 4.89, p = 0.001]), low BMD (1.83 [1.10 to 3.13, p = 0.020]), and dementia (3.58 [91.80 to 6.76, p = 0.001]). The hazard ratio of prevalent vertebral fracture was 1.98 (1.20 to 3.30, p = 0.007) instead of low BMD of above model. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that low BMD and prevalent vertebral fracture pose an independent risk for future immobilization in postmenopausal Japanese women.

[Surgical stratery for abdominal aortic aneurysm with coronary artery disease].

Coronary artery disease (CAD) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) frequently coexist. One-stage surgery of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and AAA repair is recommended for the treatment of patients having a combination of severe CAD and large AAA. Fifty-three patients underwent simultaneous CABG and AAA repair. By operative methods, we classified them into 3 groups; on-pump CABG and AAA repair group (group A: n=13), AAA repair and off-pump CABG using partial sternotomy group (group B: n=23) and those using full sternotomy group (group C: n=16). It was evaluated which operative method was superior. Off-pump method was superior to on-pump method. A problem of simultaneous CABG and AAA repair was postoperative respiratory complication. This study suggests that the minimally invasive methods should be used for one-stage operation of CABG and AAA repair.

Abnormal expression of the genes involved in cytokine networks and mitochondrial function in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis identified by DNA microarray analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is a rheumatic disease in childhood characterised by systemic symptoms and a relatively poor prognosis. Peripheral leukocytes are thought to play a pathological role in sJIA although the exact cause of the disease is still obscure. In this study, we aimed to clarify cellular functional abnormalities in sJIA. METHODS: We analysed the gene expression profile in peripheral leukocytes from 51 patients with sJIA, 6 patients with polyarticular type JIA (polyJIA) and 8 healthy children utilising DNA microarrays. Gene ontology analysis and network analysis were performed on the genes differentially expressed in sJIA to clarify the cellular functional abnormalities. RESULT: A total of 3491 genes were differentially expressed in patients with sJIA compared to healthy individuals. They were functionally categorised mainly into a defence response group and a metabolism group according to gene ontology, suggesting the possible abnormalities in these functions. In the defence response group, molecules predominantly constituting interferon (IFN)gamma and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) network cascades were upregulated. In the metabolism group, oxidative phosphorylation-related genes were downregulated, suggesting a mitochondrial disorder. Expression of mitochondrial DNA-encoded genes including cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1(MT-CO1) and MT-CO2 were suppressed in patients with sJIA but not in patients with polyJIA or healthy children. However, nuclear DNA-encoded cytochrome c oxidases were intact. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that sJIA is not only an immunological disease but also a metabolic disease involving mitochondria disorder.

In vivo, competitive blockade of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors induces rapid changes in filamentous actin and drebrin A distributions within dendritic spines of adult rat cortex.

In vitro studies have demonstrated that prolonged N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) blockade triggers a homeostatic up-regulation of NMDARs at synapses. Such upregulation can also be seen within 30 min in vivo in adult rats, implicating trafficking of reserve pools of NMDARs. Here, we evaluated the involvement of filamentous actin (F-actin), the major cytoskeletal component in spines, in this rapid in vivo homeostatic response, using biotinylated phalloidin as its probe. We also immuno-labeled spines for drebrin A, an F-actin-binding protein found at excitatory synapses and with a proposed role of modulating F-actin's cross-linking with one another and interactions with NMDARs. Quantitative 2-D analysis of ultrastructural images revealed that NMDAR blockade increased filamentous actin labeling per spine by 62.5% (P<0.005). The proportion of dendritic spines immuno-labeled for drebrin A also increased significantly, from 67.5% to 85% following NMDAR blockade (P<0.001), especially among larger spines. The frequency distributions of spine widths and postsynaptic density lengths were not affected by the D-(+)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (D-APV) treatment. However, the average postsynaptic density length was reduced by 25 nm among the fewer, drebrin A immuno-negative spines, indicating that drebrin A confers stability to synapse size. We propose that, in a homeostatic in vivo response, increases of drebrin A and F-actin within spines can enhance NMDAR trafficking by reducing cytoskeletal rigidity within the spine cytoplasm without changing the overt morphology of axo-spinous synapses. Alternatively or in addition, the cytoskeletal redistribution within spine cytoplasm may be triggered by the D-APV-induced, homeostatic up-regulation of NMDAR.

An adult case of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia presenting as hepatic dysfunction.

Acute hepatic dysfunction is a rare and often fatal presentation of haematological malignancies. We describe an adult case of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia presenting as an acute hepatitis. Due to the elevation in the patient's transaminases and bilirubin, standard acute lymphoblastic leukaemia induction therapy could not be used. Instead the combination of prednisone and asaparaginase were used to successfully induce remission.

Zoonotic onchocerciasis caused by a parasite from wild boar in Oita, Japan. A comprehensive analysis of morphological characteristics of the worms for its diagnosis.

Histological examination of a nodule removed from the back of the hand of a 58-year-old woman from Oita, Kyushu, Japan showed an Onchocerca female sectioned through the posterior region of the worm (ovaries identifiable) and young (thin cuticle). Six Onchocerca species are enzootic in that area: O. gutturosa and O. lienalis in cattle, O. suzukii in serows (Capricornis crispus), O. skrjabini and an Onchocerca sp. in Cervus nippon nippon, and O. dewittei japonica in wild boar (Sus scrofa leucomystax). Diagnostic characters of female Onchocerca species, such as the cuticle and its ridges, change along the body length. Tables of the histologic morphology of the mid- and posterior body-regions of the local species are presented. In addition, it was observed that transverse ridges arose and thickened during the adult stage (examination of fourth stage and juvenile females of O. volvulus). The specimen described in this report, with its prominent and widely spaced ridges, was identified as O. d. japonica. Four of the 10 zoonotic cases of onchocerciasis reported worldwide were from Oita, three of them being caused by O. d. japonica, the prevalence of which in local wild boar was 22 of 24 (92%).

Experimental evidence for the p-d hybridization in the Cd-Ca quasicrystal: origin of the pseudogap.

Ca 2p-3d resonant photoemission spectroscopy of a Cd6Ca crystalline approximant unambiguously demonstrates that the low-lying unoccupied 3d levels of calcium are lowered below the Fermi energy by the formation of the approximant, as suggested from electronic structure calculations [Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 206408 (2001)]]. Moreover, the Ca 3d partial density of states (DOS) obtained near the Fermi energy is in reasonable agreement with theoretical Ca 3d DOS. These results verify the unconventional picture that the origin of the pseudogap in the Cd-based quasicrystals is due to hybridization of the Ca 3d band with the Cd 5p band.