Ingestion of paddy rice increases intestinal mucin secretion and goblet cell number and prevents dextran sodium sulfate-induced intestinal barrier defect in chickens.

Paddy rice is a potential feed grain for chickens, whose strong gizzards can crush the hull. Here, we investigated whether paddy rice rich in hull-derived water-insoluble dietary fiber stimulates intestinal mucin secretion and production, as well as the possible involvement of paddy rice in intestinal barrier function. Layer male chicks at 7 d of age were divided into four groups according to the diet: corn, polished rice, brown rice, or paddy rice (650 g/kg diet), which they ate for 14 consecutive days. At 21 d of age, the birds were refed their experimental diets, and small intestinal mucin fractions were collected to determine intestinal mucin content. Small intestinal mucin secretion was induced most strongly in the paddy rice group (Experiment 1). The rank order of diet-induced mucin secretion was paddy rice > corn = brown rice > polished rice. Ileal MUC2 gene expression and ileal number of goblet cells were highest in the paddy rice group (Experiment 1). A study of bromodeoxy-U uptake into ileal epithelial cells indicated the increase in goblet cells in the paddy rice group was related to accelerate epithelial cell migration (Experiment 2). A single supplementation of isolated rice hulls without kernels increased MUC2 gene expression and goblet cell numbers (Experiment 3), suggesting the importance of the hull's bulk-forming capacity on mucin production. Finally, chicks fed corn or paddy rice were orally administered dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) to disrupt intestinal barrier function. In the DSS-treated birds, the intestinal permeability of fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran in the everted gut sacs was much lower in the paddy rice group than in the corn group (Experiment 4), showing that paddy rice protects against mucosal disruption. In conclusion, ingestion of paddy rice increases intestinal mucin secretion and production through enhanced MUC2 gene expression and epithelial turnover and prevents DSS-induced intestinal barrier defects in chickens.

Repair of symptomatic perineal hernia with a titanium mesh.

PURPOSE: Surgical repair of symptomatic perineal hernia is challenging, especially via a perineal approach with limited exposure of the hernia sac. Furthermore, insecure fixation of autologous or synthetic materials to bony structures often results in recurrence. Here, we describe the application of a titanium mesh for perineal hernia repair. METHODS: We performed hernia repair with a thin titanium mesh via a perineal approach in three patients who developed secondary perineal hernia following abdominoperineal resection. After the hernia sac was isolated and dissected, the titanium mesh was molded and placed over the ischium and coccyx to support the pelvic floor. RESULTS: No major complications occurred, and all three patients were free of recurrence at follow-up after 73, 109, and 6 months, respectively. The patients experienced slight pain in the perineal region when sitting, which resolved within 6 months. CONCLUSION: Our successful preliminary results indicate that a titanium mesh is useful for perineal hernia repair by the perineal approach, as it can provide rigid support for the pelvic floor by its entire surface while ensuring stability without any fixation.

Note: Development of a high resolution and wide band terahertz spectrometer based on a 1 µm-band external cavity diode laser.

We have developed a frequency-domain terahertz spectrometer based on homebuilt 1 µm band external cavity diode lasers, for high resolution spectroscopy. Our spectrometer is digitally controlled to a resolution of 10 MHz, and uses InGaAs/GaAs photoconductive antennas. We have obtained a spectrum in the range 0.02 THz to 2.5 THz, which exceeds the conventional temperature tuning range of a distributed feedback diode laser. We achieved a signal-to-noise ratio of up to 80 dB at around 0.05 THz, and 20 dB at around 2.0 THz. We observed water vapor spectra in the atmosphere with a frequency step of 0.6 GHz in the region between 1.0 THz and 2.0 THz. We have demonstrated that our 1 µm-band frequency-domain terahertz spectrometer is competitive when compared with existing 800 nm- and 1.5 µm-band systems.

What are the reliable radiological indicators of lumbar segmental instability?

We examined the reliability of radiological findings in predicting segmental instability in 112 patients (56 men, 56 women) with a mean age of 66.5 years (27 to 84) who had degenerative disease of the lumbar spine. They underwent intra-operative biomechanical evaluation using a new measurement system. Biomechanical instability was defined as a segment with a neutral zone > 2 mm/N. Risk factor analysis to predict instability was performed on radiographs (range of segmental movement, disc height), MRI (Thompson grade, Modic type), and on the axial CT appearance of the facet (type, opening, vacuum and the presence of osteophytes, subchondral erosion, cysts and sclerosis) using multivariate logistic regression analysis with a forward stepwise procedure. The facet type was classified as sagittally orientated, coronally orientated, anisotropic or wrapped. Stepwise multivariate regression analysis revealed that facet opening was the strongest predictor for instability (odds ratio 5.022, p = 0.009) followed by spondylolisthesis, MRI grade and subchondral sclerosis. Forward stepwise multivariate logistic regression indicated that spondylolisthesis, MRI grade, facet opening and subchondral sclerosis of the facet were risk factors. Symptoms evaluated by the Short-Form 36 and visual analogue scale showed that patients with an unstable segment were in significantly more pain than those without. Furthermore, the surgical procedures determined using the intra-operative measurement system were effective, suggesting that segmental instability influences the symptoms of lumbar degenerative disease.

A novel heterophilic antibody interaction involves IgG4.

IgG4 has been implicated in a diverse set of complex pathologies - e.g. autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), idiopathic membranous nephropathy - and carries unique features including lack of activation of the classical complement pathway and a dynamic Fab-arm exchange. We recently showed that the rheumatoid factor (RF)-like activity of IgG4 is achieved through a hitherto unknown, Fc-Fc (and not Fab-Fc as is the case in classical RF; CRF) interaction; hence the name, novel RF (NRF). Here, we further explore the resemblance/difference between CRF and NRF. As heterophilic interactions of human IgM RF (CRF) are well known, we checked whether this is the case for IgG4. Human IgG4 showed variable reactivity to animal IgGs: reacting intensely with rabbit and mouse IgGs, but weakly with others. The binding to rabbit IgG was not through the Fab (as in CRF) but via the Fc piece, as was recently shown for human IgG (NRF). This binding correlates with the IgG4 concentration per se and could therefore be of diagnostic usage and incidentally explain some observed interferences in biological assays. In conclusion, here is defined a novel heterophilic antibody interaction and is established the universality of the unique Fc-Fc binding, both involving IgG4.

Seasonal changes of arsenic speciation in lake waters in relation to eutrophication.

In this study, the influence of eutrophication on arsenic speciation in lake waters was investigated. Surface water samples (n=1-10) were collected from 18 lakes in Japan during July 2007 and February 2008. The lakes were classified into mesotrophic (7 lakes) and eutrophic (11 lakes) based on the total phosphate (T-P) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentrations in water column. Inorganic, methylated and ultraviolet-labile fractions of arsenic species were determined by combining hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry with ultraviolet irradiation. Organoarsenicals (mainly methylated and ultraviolet-labile fractions) comprised 30-60% of the total arsenic in most lakes during summer. On the other hand, inorganic arsenic species (As(III+V)) dominates (about 60-85%) during winter. The occurrence of ultraviolet-labile fractions of arsenic was higher in eutrophic lakes than those in mesotrophic lakes in both seasons. The concentration of dimethyl arsenic (DMAA) was high in eutrophic lakes during winter; and in mesotrophic lakes during summer. The results suggest that the conversion of As(III+V) to more complicated organoarsenicals occurred frequently in eutrophic lakes compared to that in mesotrophic lakes, which is thought to be the influence of biological activity in the water column. The distribution of arsenic species were well correlated with phosphate concentrations than those of Chl-a. This might be due to the competitive uptake of As(V) and phosphate by phytoplankton. The organoarsenicals (OrgAs)/As(V) ratio was higher at low phosphate concentration indicating that conversion of As(V) to OrgAs species was more active in phosphate-exhausted lakes with high phytoplankton density.

Cross-sectional study on respiratory effect of toner-exposed work in manufacturing plants, Japan: pulmonary function, blood cells, and biochemical markers.

The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between toner-exposed work and health indices related to respiratory disorders and to confirm the baseline of a cohort study to clarify the effect of toner exposure in manufacturing plants. Subjects were 1614 male workers (809 toner-exposed workers and 805 referents) who were engaged in toner manufacturing plants in Japan (Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd). The age of subjects was from 19 to 59 years, and the average age was 40.2 years(median 40 years, SD 7.67). We conducted a pulmonary function test (PEFR, VC, FVC, FEV(1.0)%, V25/Ht) and a blood cell test (RBC, Hb, Hct, Plt, WBC, cell contents of WBC) and measured biochemical indices in blood (ALT, AST, gamma-GTP, CRP, IgE) and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in urine. Student t-test and logistic regression analysis were applied to compare between the toner-exposed workers and the referents and to analyze the relationship among indices of effects and independent factors. There was no significant difference between the two groups in blood cell count and biochemical indices. Inflammation- and allergy-related markers such as 8OHdG and IgE also showed no significant difference between toner-exposed workers and the referents. The influence of smoking on pulmonary function indices was observed, but there was no relationship between the pulmonary function and toner-exposed work. In this article, we report a preliminary cross-sectional analysis in the subjects of a cohort study. No difference in pulmonary function indices was observed between the toner-exposed workers and the referents, and there was no consistent relationship between the exposure status and examined indices; however, the prevalence of subjective respiratory symptoms was higher in the exposed workers as presented in another report. Further analysis is important in the ongoing cohort study to clarify the effect of toner exposure on respiratory systems.

Local circular polarization observed in surface vortices of optical near-fields.

We demonstrate local circular polarization in surface vortices of an optical near-field generated by superposing two cross-propagating evanescent waves with transverse electric fields on a planar dielectric surface. The circularly rotating local electric fields are converted into circularly polarized propagating light waves in free space via a near-field interaction with a sub-wavelength size local probe. The results show that optical near-fields generated under the influence of a material environment with local rotational symmetry carry angular pseudo-momentum with respect to the symmetry axis. The local circular polarization is of fundamental significance in spin-related and magneto-optical phenomena in nanophotonics.

3D morphological assessment of occlusal treatment by measuring dental casts with a micro-focus X-ray CT.

The analysis of occlusal relationship is important for the success of dental treatment. Three-dimensional (3D) computer models of upper and lower dental casts can play a significant role. In this study, we proposed and applied a new method in actual clinical assessment to measure dental casts with occlusal relationship by using a micro-focus X-ray CT system. We examined the modelling accuracy by comparing multiple 3D images taken by shifting the dental cast position. Modelling accuracy was confirmed as 0.03 mm. One occlusal treatment in clinical practice was selected as a case example. The dental casts and bite impression, taken before treatment, were scanned and the occlusal contacts and distance distribution between the upper and lower casts were visualized by a coloured map and overlaid on the computer models. Distances between the upper and lower casts of selected points were compared before and after the treatment. Initially, the subject had early contact on the anterior teeth, where distance was measured as 0.04 mm, and only one area measured less than 0.15 mm. After treatment, five areas measured less than 0.15 mm. Also, by comparing the dental cast models taken before and after occlusal adjustment of the tooth, the position and amount of adjustment were visualized. We successfully demonstrated the quantitative clinical assessment of occlusal treatment.

Comparison of Swedish interactive threshold algorithm and full threshold algorithm for glaucomatous visual field loss.

PURPOSE: To compare the prevalence of visual field loss, the sensitivity distribution, and the size and depth of glaucomatous visual field defects using the standard full threshold (FT) and the Swedish interactive threshold algorithm (SITA) standard (SS) procedures in patients with early or suspected glaucoma. METHODS: Automated perimetry findings were retrospectively evaluated in 53 patients (105 eyes) with early or suspected glaucoma. RESULTS: The number of eyes judged to have glaucomatous visual field loss by SS (48 eyes) was significantly larger than what was found with FT (35 eyes), and 70 eyes were classified as pre-perimetric glaucoma. In these 70 eyes, there were many locations where the sensitivity was significantly higher with SS than with FT (intrasubject difference), and SS had less intersubject variability than FT at most locations. The cumulative decibel scores at the region of glaucomatous defects were larger with SS (206.2+/-103.3 dB) than with FT (162.1+/-87.5 dB) (p=0.02), which indicated that the depth of defects measured by SS was shallower than that by FT. The sizes of defects were significantly larger with SS (11.2+/-5.6) than with FT (9.7+/-5.1) (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Glaucomatous defects were measured as being significantly shallower and larger with SS than with FT. In addition, the prevalence of visual field defect was higher with SS according to some of the criteria for glaucomatous visual field defects. These results might be related to the fact that SS strategy has a lower variability and to the Bayesian statistical properties of the SITA algorithm.

Dominant optic atrophy in a Japanese family with OPA1 frameshift mutation (V942fsX966).

PURPOSE: The authors report the ophthalmic characteristics of a male proband in a Japanese family with autosomal dominant optic atrophy (DOA) harboring a frameshift mutation in the OPA1 gene. METHODS: Conventional ophthalmologic examinations including static automated perimetry were performed, as well as assessment of the three-generation family history. The peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) was evaluated using scanning laser polarimetry. Mutation screening of the OPA1 gene was performed with polymerase chain reaction amplification and direct sequencing. RESULTS: A frameshift mutation (p.V942fsX966) was identified in the proband and his mother. In comparison with the adolescent onset of visual loss in the proband and his maternal grandfather, the mother presented with only subtle temporal disc pallor and has never been aware of any visual disturbances. Symmetric thinned peripapillary RNFL was detected in the proband, whose visual field abnormalities were limited to central scotomas and were without mean deviation worsening between 11 to 17 years of age in both eyes. The proband's logMAR visual acuity (0.52 to 0.7) has remained almost unchanged for more than 10 years since initial evaluation at age 10. CONCLUSIONS: The OPA1 mutation may be correlated with slow progression of DOA, and with phenotypic variations within the family. Further study is necessary to determine whether symmetric thinned peripapillary RNFL represents a feature of DOA.

[Functional amblyopia: a functional MRI evaluation of the visual cortex response after treatment]. / Amblyopie fonctionnelle : évaluation en IRM fonctionnelle de la réponse corticale visuelle après traitement.

PURPOSE: Functional MRI evaluation of the cortical response in treated amblyopic patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Clinical and functional MRI exploration of ten patients, seven men and three women aged from 21 to 59 years, with strabismus management during childhood. Functional evaluations were performed on a 1.5 Tesla MR device, with four monocular functional sessions, two stimulations per eye. Alternating rest and active phases displayed still and flickering black and white checkerboards with spatial and temporal frequencies of 1 degree/8Hz and 15'/4Hz. Anatomical realignment and statistical analysis were performed using SPM99 (Statistical Parametric Mapping) to compare the four sessions in individuals. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In patients presenting a visual acuity of the amblyopic eye less than 0.7, stimulation of this eye induced lower response in V1, V3, and V5 in comparison with the contralateral eye stimulation. Unexpectedly, in patients recovering normal or subnormal acuity, the amblyopic eye gave comparable or enhanced response in these areas. Additional response was found in the secondary visual cortex, the cuneus, the lingual gyrus, and in parietal, frontal, and orbitofrontal areas. These results suggest a variation in cortical response depending on the efficacy of the treatment. Recovered amblyopic eye, even with acuity less than the contralateral eye, may induce a reinforced cortical sensitivity to visual stimulus. Secondary visual areas may contribute to an attentional process in image perception and analysis. Cortical plasticity may be observed several years after amblyopia treatment. CONCLUSION: Our study substantiates the importance of an effective and early treatment of functional amblyopia, inducing cortical plasticity with reinforced attention and sensitivity to visual perception.

Optical coherence tomography in enhanced S-cone syndrome: large macular retinoschisis with disorganized retinal lamination.

PURPOSE: The authors previously reported clinical and molecular features of a boy (at age 17) with enhanced S-cone syndrome (ESCS) who had bilateral cystoid maculopathies. The purpose of the current study was to describe the patient's optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings. METHODS: OCT was performed when the patient was 23 years old. RESULTS: OCT images revealed formations of single large hyporeflective cystic spaces in the cystoid maculopathies of both eyes. The cystic spaces were much larger than those of previously reported cases. In the temporal region of each cystic space, symmetric disorganized retinal lamination was observed with the retina lacking well-defined and hyporeflective bands of the inner nuclear layer and the outer nuclear layer, which are seen in normal retina. Splitting in the retinal thickness was at the level of the outer retinal layer rather than at the inner retinal layer in both eyes. CONCLUSIONS: Splitting is likely to occur close to the outer plexiform layer in which the cleavage plane of familial juvenile retinoschisis is identified. The unique OCT manifestation of symmetric large macular retinoschisis with disorganized retinal lamination may indicate a severe form of ESCS.

MR tractography with diffusion tensor imaging in clinical routine.

Using MRI, we demonstrated that the depiction of the cerebral white matter fiber tracts has become a routine procedure. Diffusion tensor (DT) sequences may be analyzed with combined volume analysis and tractography extraction software, giving indirect visualization of white matter connections. We obtained DT data from 20 subjects with normal MR imaging and five patients presenting cerebral diseases such as brain tumors, multiple sclerosis and stroke, with five patients explored on two different MR scanners. Data were transferred to dedicated workstations for anatomical realignment, determination of voxel eigenvectors and calculation of fiber tract orientations in a region of interest. In all subjects, axonal directions underlying the main neuronal pathways could be delineated. Comparisons between diseased regions and contralateral areas demonstrated changes in voxel anisotropy in injured regions, revealing possible preferential fiber orientations within diffuse T2 hyperintensities. Rapid data processing allows imaging of the normal and diseased fiber pathways as part of the routine MRI examination. Therefore, it appears that whenever white matter disease is suspected a tractography can be performed with this fast and simple method that we proved to be reliable and reproducible.

Snail accelerates cancer invasion by upregulating MMP expression and is associated with poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

We have previously demonstrated in an in vitro study that Snail increased the invasion activity of hepatoma cells by upregulating matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) gene expression. In the present study, we examined whether Snail gene expression correlates with cancer invasion and prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to evaluate Snail, E-cadherin, and MMP mRNA expressions in eight nodule-in-nodule tumours and 47 ordinary HCC tissues. In the nodule-in-nodule tumours, Snail expression significantly increased with tumour dedifferentiation (P=0.047). In the ordinary HCC tissues, Snail expression was significantly correlated with portal vein invasion (P=0.035) and intrahepatic metastasis (P=0.050); it also showed a significant correlation with MT1-MMP expression (r=0.572, P<0.001). In recurrence-free survival, the group with high Snail expression showed significantly poorer prognosis (P=0.035). Moreover, high Snail expression was an independent risk factor for early recurrence after curative resection. During the progression of HCC, Snail expression may be induced and accelerate invasion activity by upregulating MMP expression, resulting in portal invasion, intrahepatic metastasis, and poor prognosis.

Excitation dynamics in a three-quantum dot system driven by optical near-field interaction: towards a nanometric photonic device.

Using density operator formalism, we discuss interdot excitation energy transfer dynamics driven by the optical near-field and phonon bath reservoir, as well as coherent excitation dynamics of a quantum dot system. As an effective interaction between quantum dots induced by the optical near-field, the projection operator method gives a renormalized dipole interaction, which is expressed as a sum of the Yukawa functions and is used as the optical near-field coupling of quantum dots. We examine one- and two-exciton dynamics of a three-quantum dot system suggesting a nanometric photonic switch, and numerically obtain a transfer time comparable with the recent experimental results for CuCl quantum dots.

A method for controlling the spins of atoms using optical near-fields.

On the basis of the procedure for controlling the spins of atoms using circularly polarized evanescent light proposed by Hori et al.[(1996) Abstracts of the 1st Asia-Pacific Workshop on Near-field Optics] we discuss the influence of boundary conditions on the probability of spontaneous emission and thus on the spin polarization efficiency, which was not considered in the Hori et al. study. Using the Carniglia-Mandel mode expansion of electromagnetic fields, we derive the spontaneous emission and spin polarization probabilities of atoms near a dielectric surface, and show the atom-surface distance dependence and refractive index dependence. Numerical evaluation for the 6P1/2-6S1/2 transition of a Cs atom indicates an increase in the efficiency of spin polarization by 30%.

Thermal conduction in a chain of colliding harmonic oscillators revisited.

Thermal conduction in a chain of colliding harmonic oscillators, sometimes called the ding-dong model, is investigated. We first argue that this system is equivalent to the Dawson plasma sheet model. Next we show the Lyapunov analysis for this system to characterize its dynamical property. Finally, we reconsider the numerical study of thermal conduction for this system using the Green-Kubo relation and the direct simulation of Fourier law. Both show that thermal conduction is normal in that kappa(N,T) approximately equals N(0), at least, at low temperature in a large system.