Agreement of intracranial vessel diameters measured on 2D and 3D digital subtraction angiography using an automatic windowing algorithm.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Precise vessel measurement plays a major role in size selection of stents used for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms and became even more critical after the introduction of flow diverter stents. We assessed agreement between intracranial vessel diameters of aneurysm patients measured on 2D digital subtraction (2D DSA) and 3D volume rendering digital subtraction angiography (3D DSA) images using an automatic windowing algorithm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten patients with intracranial aneurysms were enrolled and 120 measurement points were selected on both 2D and 3D DSA images acquired by a biplane angiographic system. Automatic windowing was applied to the 3D DSA images. Inter-method agreement of vessel measurements on 2D and 3D DSA images was assessed by Bland Altman plots and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Inter- and intra-rater agreement of measurements on 3D DSA images were assessed by ICCs. RESULTS: The mean differences between measurements on 2D and 3D DSA images were 0.14mm for the ICA, and 0.18mm for the ACA and MCA, which is about the size of one 3D DSA image voxel. For ICA measurements, inter-method, inter-rater and intra-rater agreements were good or excellent (consistency and absolute ICC≥0.95). For ACA and MCA measurements, the inter-method, inter-rater and intra-rater agreements were also good or excellent (consistency ICC=0.94, 0.89 and 0.93, absolute ICC=0.83, 0.84 and 0.85 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Vessel diameters may be measured on 3D DSA images with sufficient reliability for clinical use when applying an automatic windowing algorithm.

Rotational acetabular osteotomy for symptomatic hip dysplasia in patients younger than 21 years of age: seven- to 30-year survival outcomes.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to report the long-term results of rotational acetabular osteotomy (RAO) for symptomatic hip dysplasia in patients aged younger than 21 years at the time of surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We evaluated 31 patients (37 hips) aged younger than 21 years at the time of surgery retrospectively. There were 29 female and two male patients. Their mean age at the time of surgery was 17.4 years (12 to 21). The mean follow-up was 17.9 years (7 to 30). The RAO was combined with a varus or valgus femoral osteotomy or a greater trochanteric displacement in eight hips, as instability or congruence of the hip could not be corrected adequately using RAO alone. RESULTS: The mean Merle d'Aubigné clinical score improved significantly from 15.4 to 17.2 (p < 0.0001). The mean centre-edge (CE) angle improved from -2.6° to 26°, the mean acetabular roof angle improved from 3.0° to 5.2°, and the mean head lateralization index improved from 0.68 to 0.62. Progression of radiological osteoarthritis (OA) was seen in seven hips, but no patient underwent total hip arthroplasty. CONCLUSION: RAO is an effective form of correction for a severely dysplastic hip in adolescent and young adult patients. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2019;101-B:390-395.

Factors affecting the potential for posterior bony impingement after total hip arthroplasty.

AIMS: Our aim was to evaluate the radiographic characteristics of patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) for the potential of posterior bony impingement using CT simulations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Virtual CT data from 112 patients who underwent THA were analysed. There were 40 men and 72 women. Their mean age was 59.1 years (41 to 76). Associations between radiographic characteristics and posterior bony impingement and the range of external rotation of the hip were evaluated. In addition, we investigated the effects of pelvic tilt and the neck/shaft angle and femoral offset on posterior bony impingement. RESULTS: The range of external rotation and the ischiofemoral length were significantly lower, while femoral anteversion, the ischial ratio, and ischial angle were significantly higher in patients with posterior bony impingement compared with those who had implant impingement (p < 0.05). The range of external rotation positively correlated with ischiofemoral length (r = 0.49, p < 0.05), and negatively correlated with ischial length (r = -0.49, p < 0.05), ischial ratio (r =- 0.49, p < 0.05) and ischial angle (r = -0.55, p < 0.05). The range of external rotation was lower in patients with posterior pelvic tilt (p < 0.05) and in those with a high offset femoral component (p < 0.05) due to posterior bony impingement. CONCLUSION: Posterior bony impingement after THA is more likely in patients with a wider ischium and a narrow ischiofemoral space. A high femoral offset and posterior pelvic tilt are also risk factors for this type of impingement. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B:1140-6.

Constitutively active ABL family kinases, TEL/ABL and TEL/ARG, harbor distinct leukemogenic activities in vivo.

ABL (ABL1) and ARG (ABL2) are highly homologous to each other in overall domain structure and amino-acid sequence, with the exception of their C termini. As with ABL, translocations that fuse ARG to ETV6/TEL have been identified in patients with leukemia. To assess the in vivo leukemogenic activity of constitutively active ABL and ARG, we generated a bone marrow (BM) transplantation model using the chimeric forms TEL/ABL and TEL/ARG, which have comparable kinase activities. TEL/ABL rapidly induced fatal myeloid leukemia in recipient mice, whereas recipients of TEL/ARG-transduced cells did not develop myeloid leukemia, instead, they succumbed to a long-latency infiltrative mastocytosis that could be adoptively transferred to secondary recipients. Swapping of the C termini of ABL and ARG altered disease latency and phenotypes. In a detailed in vitro study, TEL/ARG strongly promoted mast cell differentiation in response to stem cell factor or interleukin-3, whereas TEL/ABL preferentially induced myeloid differentiation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. These results indicate that ABL and ARG kinase activate distinct differentiation pathways to induce specific diseases in vivo, that is, myeloid leukemia and mastocytosis, respectively. Further elucidation of the differences in their properties should provide important insight into the pathogenic mechanisms of oncogenes of the ABL kinase family.

POTENTIAL ADVANTAGE OF REPAGLINIDE MONOTHERAPY IN GLYCEMIC CONTROL IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES AND SEVERE RENAL IMPAIRMENT.

CONTEXT: Oral anti-diabetic drugs (OADs) are leading option for treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, availability of OADs are limited in the presence of renal impairment (RI). OBJECTIVE: In this study, we examined the efficacy of repaglinide, which is mainly metabolized and excreted via non-renal route, in patients with T2D and severe RI that consists mainly of chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 4. DESIGN SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This was an open label, single arm, interventional study by repaglinide monotherapy. The primary efficacy end point was HbA1c change from baseline to week 12. RESULTS: Repaglinide treatment significantly reduced HbA1c levels from 7.7 ± 0.7% to 6.1 ± 0.3% (p<0.001) in 9 patients with severe RI (mean estimated glomerular filtration rate was 26.4 ± 7.5 mL/min/1.73m2). Focusing on 4 patients who received DPP-4 inhibitor monotherapy at enrolment, switching to repaglinide also significantly improved HbA1c levels. No hypoglycemic symptoms or severe hypoglycemia was reported in patients who completed the period of 12 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated the efficacy of repaglinide in patients with T2D and severe RI. In case that DPP-4 inhibitors are not enough to achieve targeted range of glycemic control, repaglinide is another good candidate.

Performance evaluation of the small-animal PET scanner ClairvivoPET using NEMA NU 4-2008 Standards.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of ClairvivoPET using NEMA NU4 standards. The ClairvivoPET incorporates a LYSO dual depth-of-interaction detector system with 151 mm axial field of view (FOV). Spatial resolution, sensitivity, counting rate capabilities, and image quality were evaluated using NEMA NU4-2008 standards. Normal mouse imaging was also performed for 10 min after intravenous injection of (18)F(-)-NaF. Data were compared with 19 other preclinical PET scanners. Spatial resolution measured using full width at half maximum on FBP-ramp reconstructed images was 2.16 mm at radial offset 5 mm of the axial centre FOV. The maximum absolute sensitivity for a point source at the FOV centre was 8.72%. Peak noise equivalent counting rate (NECR) was 415 kcps at 14.6 MBq ml(-1). The uniformity with the image-quality phantom was 4.62%. Spillover ratios in the images of air and water filled chambers were 0.19 and 0.06, respectively. Our results were comparable with the 19 other preclinical PET scanners based on NEMA NU4 standards, with excellent sensitivity because of the large FOV. The ClairvivoPET with iterative reconstruction algorithm also provided sufficient visualization of the mouse spine. The high sensitivity and resolution of the ClairvivoPET scanner provided high quality images for preclinical studies.

Extracted ion current density in close-coupling multi-antenna type radio frequency driven ion source: CC-MATIS.

Positive ions are extracted by using a small extractor from the Close-Coupling Multi-Antenna Type radio frequency driven Ion Source. Two types of RF antenna are used. The maximum extracted ion current density reaches 0.106 A/cm(2). The RF net power efficiency of the extracted ion current density under standard condition is 11.6 mA/cm(2)/kW. The efficiency corresponds to the level of previous beam experiments on elementary designs of multi-antenna sources, and also to the efficiency level of a plasma driven by a filament in the same chamber. The multi-antenna type RF plasma source is promising for all metal high density ion sources in a large volume chamber.

Biological filter capable of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification for Aquatic Habitat in International Space Station.

The biological filter capable of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification was constructed for aquatic animal experiments in the International Space Station (ISS). The biological filter will be used to remove harmful ammonia excreted from aquatic animals in a closed water circulation system (Aquatic Habitat). The biological filter is a cylindrical tank packed with porous glass beads for nitrification and dual plastic bags for denitrification. The porous beads are supporting media for Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrobacter winogradskyi. The N. europaea cells and N. winogradskyi cells on the porous beads, oxidize the excreted ammonia to nitrate via nitrite. On the other hand, the dual bag is composed of an outer non-woven fabric bag and an inner non-porous polyethylene film bag. The outer bag is supporting media for Paracoccus pantotrophus. The inner bag, in which 99.5% ethanol is packed, releases the ethanol slowly, since ethanol can permeate through the non-porous polyethylene film. The P. pantotrophus cells on the outer bag reduce the produced nitrate to nitrogen gas by using the released ethanol as an electron donor for denitrification. The biological filter constructed in this study consequently removed the ammonia without accumulating nitrate. Most of the excess ethanol was consumed and did not affect the nitrification activity of the N. europaea cells and N. winogradskyi cells severely. In accordance with the aquatic animal experiments in the ISS, small freshwater fish had been bred in the closed water circulation system equipped with the biological filter for 90 days. Ammonia concentration daily excreted from fish is assumed to be 1.7 mg-N/L in the recirculation water. Under such conditions, the harmful ammonia and nitrite concentrations were kept below 0.1 mg-N/L in the recirculation water. Nitrate and total organic carbon concentrations in the recirculation water were kept below 5 mg-N/L and 3 mg-C/L, respectively. All breeding fish were alive and ate the feed well. The results show that the nitrification and denitrification abilities of the biological filter sufficed to keep water quality for aquatic animal experiments in the ISS. This simple and effective system is certainly applicable to aquarium systems and aquaculture systems.

Efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical hysterectomy in locally advanced non-squamous carcinoma of the uterine cervix: a retrospective multicenter study of Tohoku Gynecologic Cancer Unit.

OBJECTIVE: Radical hysterectomy (RH) is a standard treatment for locally advanced non-squamous cell carcinoma (N-SCC) of the uterine cervix, but there have been no reports on whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by radical hysterectomy could improve the outcome of patients with this disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This multicenter retrospective study enrolled 77 patients with Stage IB2 to IIB N-SCC of the uterine cervix. Of these, 27 patients were treated with NAC prior to radical hysterectomy (NAC group) and 50 with RH alone (RH group). The two-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were compared between the two groups. Clinical parameters such as clinical stage, histological type, and postoperative treatment were also examined between the groups. RESULTS: While the two-year RFS rates were 81.5% and 70.0% in NAC and RH groups, respectively (p = 0.27) and the median PFS was 51 months and 35 months in NAC and RH groups, respectively (p = 0.35), the median OS was 58 months and 48 months in NAC and RH groups, respectively, which was significant (p = 0.0014). The median OS of patients with mucinous adenocarcinoma in NAC group was significantly higher than that in RH group: 58 months versus 37 months (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: NAC prior to RH may offer the prognostic advantage of patients with locally advanced N-SCC of the uterine cervix, especially mucinous adenocarcinoma.

A close-coupling multi-antenna type radio frequency driven ion source.

A newly close coupling multi-antenna type radio frequency driven ion source is tested for the purpose of essentially improving plasma coupling on the basis of our old type ion source, which reuses a NNBI (negative ion source for neutral beam injection) ion source used in 1∕5th scale of the Large Helical Device NNBI. The ion source and the antenna structure are described, and the efficient plasma production in terms of the positive ion saturation current (the current density) is studied. The source is made of a metal-walled plasma chamber which is desirable from the point of view of the structural toughness for fusion and industrial application, etc. At around 160 kW of rf input power, the ion saturation current density successfully reaches the 5 A∕cm(2) level with a gas pressure of 0.6-2 Pa in hydrogen for 10 ms pulse duration. The rf power efficiency of the plasma production with a close coupling configuration of the antenna is improved substantially compared to that with the previous antenna unit in the old type ion source. The power efficiency is assessed as competing with that of other types of sources.

Less maintenance immunosuppression in lung transplantation following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from the same living donor.

Living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT) is one of the final options for saving patients with pulmonary complications after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We retrospectively investigated 19 patients who had undergone LDLLT after HSCT in Japan. Eight patients underwent LDLLT after HSCT in which one of the donors was the same living donor as in HSCT (SD group), while 11 received LDLLT from relatives who were not the HSCT donors (non-SD group). In the SD group, three patients underwent single LDLLT. The 5-year survival rate was 100% and 58% in the SD and non-SD groups, respectively. In the SD group, postoperative immunosuppression was significantly lower than in the non-SD group. Two patients died of infection and one died of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) in the non-SD group, while only one patient died of PTLD 7 years after LDLLT in the SD group. Hematologic malignancy relapsed in two patients in the non-SD group. For the three single LDLLTs in the SD group, immunosuppression was carefully tapered. In our study, LDLLT involving the same donor as for HSCT appeared to have advantages related to lower immunosuppression compared to LDLLT from relatives who were not the HSCT donors.

Role of Rho kinase isoforms in murine allergic airway responses.

Inhibition of Rho-associated coiled-coil forming kinases (ROCKs) reduces allergic airway responses in mice. The purpose of this study was to determine the roles of the two ROCK isoforms, ROCK1 and ROCK2, in these responses. Wildtype (WT) mice and heterozygous ROCK1 and ROCK2 knockout mice (ROCK1(+/-) and ROCK2(+/-), respectively) were sensitised and challenged with ovalbumin. ROCK expression and activation were assessed by western blotting. Airway responsiveness was measured by forced oscillation. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed and the lungs were fixed for histological assessment. Compared with WT mice, ROCK1 and ROCK2 expression were 50% lower in lungs of ROCK1(+/-) and ROCK2(+/-) mice, respectively, without changes in the other isoform. In WT lungs, ROCK activation increased after ovalbumin challenge and was sustained for several hours. This activation was reduced in ROCK1(+/-) and ROCK2(+/-) lungs. Airway responsiveness was comparable in WT, ROCK1(+/-), and ROCK2(+/-) mice challenged with PBS. Ovalbumin challenge caused airway hyperresponsiveness in WT, but not ROCK1(+/-) or ROCK2(+/-) mice. Lavage eosinophils and goblet cell hyperplasia were significantly reduced in ovalbumin-challenged ROCK1(+/-) and ROCK2(+/-) versus WT mice. Ovalbumin-induced changes in lavage interleukin-13, interleukin-5 and lymphocytes were also reduced in ROCK1(+/-) mice. In conclusion, both ROCK1 and ROCK2 are important in regulating allergic airway responses.

Water irradiation by high-frequency ultrasonic wave: effects on properties of passive film formed on stainless steel.

In this paper an aqueous solution was irradiated with a 1.63MHz ultrasonic wave. It is shown that if stainless steel can passivate under dynamic polarization in this medium, under static polarization, the latter does not show any repassivation behaviour with time. This is attributed to a diminution of the diffusion layer thickness that is developed at the electrode/electrolyte interface, which is associated with a production of H(2) species by sonolysis and which maintains reductive conditions at the interface. The oxide film formed under ultrasonic irradiation for 1h at a passive potential of+0.2V(SCE) shows an early stage of passivation and an increased disordered state, which implies a considerable decrease in the corrosion resistance behaviour of the sample. The polarization resistance of the stainless steel R(p) is divided by a value of 4.5 under ultrasonic conditions.

Do type 2 diabetes patients without diabetic retinopathy or subjects with impaired fasting glucose have impaired colour vision? The Okubo Color Study Report.

AIMS: To investigate associations between fasting plasma glucose level and the prevalence of acquired colour vision impairment in type 2 diabetes patients without diabetic retinopathy. METHODS: Participants in this cross-sectional study of male officials aged 20-60 yr in the Japanese Self Defence Force, underwent colour vision testing, ophthalmic examination, a standardized interview and examination of venous blood samples. Ishihara plates, a Lanthony 15-hue desaturated panel and Standard Pseudoisochromatic Plates Part 2 were used to examine colour vision. The Farnsworth-Munsell 100-hue test was performed to define acquired colour vision impairment. Cardiovascular disease risk factors were determined from serum blood samples, physical records and an interview. We performed logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, diagnosed hypertension, dyslipidaemia, cataract, glaucoma, being overweight, smoking status and alcohol intake. Crude and adjusted odds ratios were calculated for three glucose levels, which included normal fasting glucose, impaired fasting glucose and diabetes. RESULTS: Out of a total of 1042 men enrolled, 872 were eligible for the study, and 31 were diagnosed with acquired colour vision impairment. As compared with the subjects with normal fasting glucose (< 5.6 mmol/l), the crude odds ratio for acquired colour vision impairment was 0.93 (95% CI 0.32-2.74) for the subjects with impaired fasting glucose (5.6-6.9 mmol/l) and 8.07 (95% CI 2.48-26.22) for the patients with type 2 diabetes. The multiple-adjusted odds ratios were 0.77 (95% CI 0.25-2.34) for the subjects with impaired fasting glucose and 5.89 (95% CI 1.55-22.40) for the patients with type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that there is a dramatically increased prevalence of acquired colour vision impairment in type 2 diabetes patients without diabetic retinopathy which might be attributable to another pathogenesis associated with diabetic retinopathy.

Factors associated with silent cerebral microbleeds in hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: The recent development of gradient-echo T2*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has enabled the highly accurate detection of prior cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), which might indicate a higher risk of future intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and be a marker of cerebral small-vessel disease in the general population. The present study investigated the clinical factors associated with the presence of CMBs in hemodialysis (HD) patients. METHODS: Cranial MRI, including T2*-weighted MRI, was performed on 179 HD patients without symptomatic cerebrovascular disease and 58 healthy control subjects, and we investigated the prevalence of CMBs and clinical factors associated with the presence of CMBs. We also investigated the relationship between CMBs and other cerebral small-vessel diseases. RESULTS: The prevalence of CMBs was significantly higher in the HD patients than in the healthy subjects (45 patients (25.1%) vs. none in the healthy controls (0%), p < 0.0001). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that independent and significant factors associated with the presence of CMBs were age, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and pulse pressure. Moreover, the presence of CMBs correlated significantly with the presence of lacunar infarcts, periventricular hyperintensity and deep and subcortical white matter hyperintensity. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicated a high prevalence of CMBs among HD patients, and that older age and high blood pressure were strong factors associated with the presence of CMBs. Moreover, CMBs were closely associated with other cerebral small-vessel diseases.

Effect of rikkunshito on gastric sensorimotor function under distention.

BACKGROUND: The herbal medicine rikkunshito is effective for the treatment of gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with functional dyspepsia. Although some basic studies on the effects of rikkunshito have been reported in rats, its effects on human gastric function have not yet been clarified. Psychosocial stress induces visceral hypersensitivity and elements of rikkunshito may reasonably affect or suppress this process. We conducted a study to verify the hypothesis that rikkunshito improves stress-induced gastric hypersensitivity and/or changes in gastric wall tone. METHODS: Nine healthy volunteers (five males, four females) participated in the study. The counterbalanced regimen consisted of a 2-week period of oral administration of 7.5 g day(-1) rikkunshito, then a 2-week period without treatment. Fundic sensorimotor function was examined using a gastric barostat twice on the day after each period. Virtual reality stress was imposed during the measurements of gastric tone and electrocardiogram. KEY RESULTS: Stress induced a significant increase in heart rate (P = 0.041), gastric volume (P = 0.008), and phasic volume events (P = 0.049) and a decrease in sensory (P = 0.038), discomfort (P = 0.011), and pain (P = 0.041) thresholds of the stomach. Rikkunshito significantly reduced epigastric fullness (P = 0.037) and perceived stress (P = 0.034) following stimulation of the pain threshold, regardless of stress without the drug. Stress reduced gastric volume at the sensory threshold and increased anxiety at the discomfort threshold, and these responses were significantly inhibited by rikkunshito (P = 0.026, P = 0.022, respectively). CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: These findings suggest that rikkunshito may improve symptoms and impaired gastric accommodation under distention stimuli of the proximal stomach superimposed by stress.

Gastric tumor from metastasis of breast cancer.

Metastatic tumours of the stomach have been reported to result from various types of cancer. Among them, gastric metastasis from breast cancer has been recognised in 0.3-18% patients (1-4). Here, a rare case of metastatic gastric tumour derived from breast carcinoma is reported. Gastric endoscopy confirmed a large, friable mass (approximately 5 cm in diameter) in the upper part of the gastric body. The mass within the stomach was difficult to distinguish from primary gastric cancer, although biopsies of this lesion revealed the characteristics of adenocarcinoma. In addition, immunohistochemistry showed the positive expression of mammaglobin. Taken together, the evidence pointed to metastasis of breast cancer to the stomach. The patient was treated with hormonal therapy (letrozole), and the size of the metastasis in the stomach was markedly reduced. Therefore, a gastric metastasis from breast cancer was diagnosed successfully using immunohistochemistry and unnecessary surgery was avoided. In conclusion, although gastric metastatic tumours derived from breast carcinoma are rare, their accurate pre-operative diagnosis and appropriate systemic treatment is essential.

Higher survival rates of chronic hemodialysis patients on anti-hypertensive drugs.

BACKGROUND: The effects of anti-hypertensive drugs on survival have not been examined in a large cohort of hemodialysis (HD) patients. METHODS: We examined the relationship between blood pressure, anti-hypertensive drug therapy, and survival using the nationwide HD registry of the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy. Outcomes were confirmed using the coded ID numbers of the 2005 and 2006 registries. Logistic analyses were performed to determine the effect of anti-hypertensive drug therapy on survival. RESULTS: A total of 163,668 patients (50.6% men; 31.5% with diabetes mellitus; mean age 63.6 years) on HD 3 times a week in 2005 were studied. Mean (SD) levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 153.4 (24.1) and 78.7 (13.7) mm Hg, respectively, before the HD session. Two-thirds of the HD patients were prescribed anti-hypertensive drugs and the numbers of anti-hypertensive medications were: 1 in 26.8%, 2 in 24.4%, and 3 or more in 14.5% of the total patients. The 1-year mortality rate was 6.6% overall: 8.5% in patients not prescribed anti-hypertensive drugs and 5.6% among those prescribed anti-hypertensive drugs. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for the 1-year mortality rate was 0.724 (0.681-0.770, p < 0.0001) for patients prescribed anti-hypertensive drugs, after adjusting for age, sex, diabetes mellitus, body mass index, HD duration, serum albumin, and systolic blood pressure. CONCLUSION: Survival was better in patients prescribed anti-hypertensive drugs, particularly renin-angiotensin system inhibitors, than in those not prescribed anti-hypertensive drugs. The causality on this association remained to be determined and prospective studies on blood pressure target levels and the effects of anti-hypertensive drug class in HD patients are warranted.

Interspecies somatic cell nucleus transfer with porcine oocytes as recipients: A novel bioassay system for assessing the competence of canine somatic cells to develop into embryos.

Interspecies somatic cell nucleus transfer (iSCNT) could be a useful bioassay system for assessing the ability of mammalian somatic cells to develop into embryos. To examine this possibility, we performed canine iSCNT using porcine oocytes, allowed to mature in vitro, as recipients. Canine fibroblasts from the tail tips and dewclaws of a female poodle (Fp) and a male poodle (Mp) were used as donors. We demonstrated that the use of porcine oocytes induced blastocyst formation in the iSCNT embryos cultured in porcine zygote medium-3. In Fp and Mp, the rate of blastocyst formation from cleaved embryos (Fp: 6.3% vs. 22.4%; and Mp: 26.1% vs. 52.4%) and the number of cells at the blastocyst stage (Fp: 30.7 vs. 60.0; and Mp: 27.2 vs. 40.1) were higher in the embryos derived from dewclaw cells than in those derived from tail-tip cells (P<0.05). The use of donor cells of any type in later passages decreased the rate of blastocyst formation. Treatment with trichostatin-A did not improve the rate of blastocyst formation from cleaved dewclaw cell-derived embryos but did so in the embryos derived from the tail-tip cells of Fp. Only blastocysts derived from dewclaw cells of Mp developed outgrowths. However, outgrowth formation was retrieved in the embryos derived from dewclaw cells of Fp by aggregation at the 4-cell stage. We inferred that iSCNT performed using porcine oocytes as recipients could represent a novel bioassay system for evaluating the developmental competence of canine somatic cells.