The effectiveness of dance movement therapy for individuals with Down syndrome: a pilot randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) exhibit deficits in static and dynamic balance abilities and maladaptive functions. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of dance movement therapy (DMT) group intervention in individuals with DS. METHODS: The 31 participating individuals with DS, aged 5-29 years, were randomly divided into intervention (n = 16) and control (n = 15) groups. Posturography was used for static balance measurement, timed up and go test for dynamic balance measurement and the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) questionnaire for adaptive function and behavioural problem measurement in participants before and after the DMT interventions. The intervention group underwent 60-min DMT intervention once a week for 10 times, while the control group had usual daily activities. RESULTS: The results revealed a statistically significant difference and large effect sizes in dynamic balance [(f(1, 29) = 4.52, P = 0.04, ηp 2 = 0.14)] in the intervention group compared with the control group. There were no statistically significant differences in static balance and ASEBA scores between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the DMT interventions helped to improve the dynamic balance in individuals with DS.

Evidence and molecular characterization of Bartonella spp. and hemoplasmas in neotropical bats in Brazil.

The order Chiroptera is considered the second largest group of mammals in the world, hosting important zoonotic virus and bacteria. Bartonella and hemotropic mycoplasmas are bacteria that parasite different mammals' species, including humans, causing different clinical manifestations. The present work aimed investigating the occurrence and assessing the phylogenetic positioning of Bartonella spp. and Mycoplasma spp. in neotropical bats sampled from Brazil. Between December 2015 and April 2016, 325 blood and/or tissues samples were collected from 162 bats comprising 19 different species sampled in five states of Brazil. Out of 322 bat samples collected, while 17 (5·28%) were positive to quantitative PCR for Bartonella spp. based on nuoG gene, 45 samples (13·97%) were positive to cPCR assays for hemoplasmas based on 16S rRNA gene. While seven sequences were obtained for Bartonella (nuoG) (n = 3), gltA (n = 2), rpoB (n = 1), ftsZ (n = 1), five 16S rRNA sequences were obtained for hemoplasmas. In the phylogenetic analysis, the Bartonella sequences clustered with Bartonella genotypes detected in bats sampled in Latin America countries. All five hemoplasmas sequences clustered together as a monophyletic group by Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference analyses. The present work showed the first evidence of circulation of Bartonella spp. and hemoplasmas among bats in Brazil.

Effects of professional oral health care on elderly: randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: To better understand the role of the professional oral health care for elderly in improving geriatric oral health, the effects of short-term professional oral health care (once per week for 1 month) on oral microbiological parameters were assessed. METHODS: Parallel, open-labelled, randomize-controlled trial was undertaken in a nursing home for elderly in Shizuoka, Japan. Thirty-four dentate elderly over 74 years were randomly assigned from ID number to the intervention (17/34) and control (17/34) groups. The outcomes were changes in oral microbiological parameters (number of bacteria in unstimulated saliva; whole bacteria, Streptococcus, Fusobacterium and Prevotella: opportunistic pathogens detection: and index of oral hygiene evaluation [Dental Plaque Index, DPI]) within the intervention period. Each parameter was evaluated at before and after intervention period. Four elderly were lost from mortality (1), bone fracture (1), refused to participate (1) and multi-antibiotics usage (1). Finally, 30 elderly were analysed (14/intervention and 16/control). RESULTS: At baseline, no difference was found between the control and intervention groups. After the intervention period, the percentage of Streptococcus species increased significantly in the intervention group (Intervention, 86% [12/14]; Control, 50% [8/16]: Fisher's, right-tailed, P < 0.05). Moreover, DPI significantly improved in the intervention group (Intervention, 57% [8/14]; Control, 13% [2/16]: Fisher's, two-tailed, P < 0.05). The improvement in DPI extended for 3 months after intervention. None of side effects were reported. CONCLUSION: The short-term professional oral health care can improve oral conditions in the elderly.

Lactobacillus pentosus strain b240 suppresses pneumonia induced by Streptococcus pneumoniae in mice.

AIMS: Oral administration of probiotics has been known to improve inflammatory responses against infectious diseases. Here, we describe the inhibitory effect of oral intake of heat-killed Lactobacillus pentosus strain b240 (b240) on pneumococcal pneumonia in a murine experimental model. METHOD AND RESULTS: The mice treated with oral b240 for 21 days before Streptococcus pneumoniae infection exhibited prolonged survival time and less body weight loss, compared with saline-treated control mice. Mild pneumonia with significantly reduced secretion of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines according to related mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling molecules (phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase) was found in b240-treated mice, whereas severe pneumonia with hypercytokinemia was evident in control mice. Prominent reduction in the number of pneumococci and elevated expression of Toll-like receptor 2 and 4 in the lung tissues was concomitantly noted in b240-treated mice. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that b240 has inhibitory effects on pneumococcal pneumonia induced by Strep. pneumoniae infection and improves inflammatory tissue responses, resulting in reduced damages to the respiratory tissues. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: These results demonstrate that oral administration of b240 might protect host animals from Strep. pneumoniae infection by augmentation of innate immune response.

Distribution of mast-cell precursors in hematopoeitic and lymphopoietic tissues of mice.

Two experimental systems were used to investigate the origin of precursor cells which differentiate into tissue mast cells in vivo. (a) Increase of mast cell number was examined in the skin, stomach, cecum, and mesentery of genetically mast cell-depleted WBB6F1 (WB X C57BL/6)-W/WV mice after the injection of various hematolymphoid cells of congenic +/+ mice. (b) Appearance of mast cells with giant granules was studied in irradiated C57BL/6-+/+ mice after the injection of lymphoid cells of C57BL/6-bgJ/bgJ (beige, Chediak-Higashi syndrome) mice. Concentrations of mast cell precursors in the thymus, lymph node and Peyer's patch were less than 0.1% of the concentration in the bone marrow. Neither treatment of donor bone marrow cells with anti-Thy-1.2 serum and complement nor thymectomy of the recipient mice affects the development of mast cells in the skin, stomach, cecum, and mesentery. Moreover, the number of mast cells increased to normal level when the skin of WBB6F1-W/WV mice was grafted on the back of nude athymic (BALB/c-nu/nu) mice. These results indicate that mast cell precursors are derived from hematopoietic tissues rather than lymphopoetic ones and that the differentiation of the precursor cells does not depend on T lymphocytes or the thymus.

Growth and differentiation of mitochondria in the regenerating rat adrenal cortex.

Diameters of the circular profiles of spherical mitochondria in parenchymal cells of the zona fasciculata in rat adrenal cortex were measured for intact controls and for the regenerating adrenal cortex on electron micrographs recorded at random. The diameter data were then processed by Bach's method which deals with the sphere size distribution. The structural parameters of the mitochondria were computed with the aid of an electronic computer. The total number of mitochondria in all the parenchymal cells of the zona fasciculata were calculated. The surface area of the inner mitochondrial membrane was then determined stereologically. Biochemical parameters were obtained for the protein, the phospholipid, and the cytochrome P-450 content, per averaged mitochondrion. The number of cytochrome P-450 molecules contained in the inner membrane was determined in terms of the unit surface area and of the unit amount of phospholipid. These correlated biochemical and stereological parameters have led to the following conclusions. (a) The genesis of the mitochondria after the adrenal enucleation is almost completed within 10 days. (b) During the period of mitochondrial proliferation, the mitochondria are small in size and also immature both in the structure and in the function of their inner membrane, (c) These small and immature mitochondria grow through an increase of the phospholipid and protein, and this increase is accompanied by expansion of the area of the membrane surface, (d) An enrichment of the inner membrane with cytochrome P-450 molecules occurs, thus indicating the differentiation of adrenocortical mitochondria. The process of membrane differentiation is not tightly coupled with that of membrane growth.

Raman scattering study of multiferroic Ho(3)Fe(5)O(12) thin films.

Ho(3)Fe(5)O(12) crystallizes in a body-centered cubic lattice and shows no ferroelectricity because of its highly symmetric (centrosymmetric) crystal structure. However, in heteroepitaxially grown thin films, Ho(3)Fe(5)O(12) may exhibit ferroelectricity because of lattice strains induced by the substrate. In this work, heteroepitaxial films of Ho(3)Fe(5)O(12) were grown with different thicknesses of 50-160 nm and studied by x-ray diffraction and Raman scattering. The results were compared with those of bulk polycrystals to characterize residual strains. At room temperature, Raman spectra of films revealed a phonon frequency shift from those of bulk samples, showing lattice distortion. There was a difference in the lattice distortion scheme between the thinner and thicker films. Results of x-ray diffraction were well correlated with the Raman data. Raman measurements at 300-800 K showed the existence of lattice strain up to ∼650 K. This suggests a remanent-polarization character of Ho(3)Fe(5)O(12) films up to this temperature. Closeness between the magnetic ordering temperature T(N) = 567 K and T(C)∼650 K may bring us the ideal multiferroic material with an enhanced magnetoelectric effect at room temperature.

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis analysis in simultaneous influenza pneumonia and bacterial infection in mice.

Severe pneumonia is found in simultaneous influenza pneumonia and bacterial infection, and suggests a relationship with immunological mechanisms. Here, we performed two-dimensional gel electrophoresis to detect immunological molecules related to the fulminant pneumonia caused by influenza virus and Streptococcus pneumoniae co-infection in mice. We found two spots that were expressed strongly in co-infected mouse lungs, compared with S. pneumoniae or influenza virus singly infected mouse lungs. The spots were analysed by mass spectrometry, and identified as alpha-1 anti-trypsin (A1AT), known as an anti-protease for neutrophil-derived proteolytic enzymes, and creatine kinase, which reflects a greater degree of lung damage and cell death. A1AT expression was increased significantly, and proteolytic enzymes from neutrophils, such as neutrophil elastase, myeloperoxidase and lysozyme, were also secreted abundantly in influenza virus and S. pneumoniae co-infected lungs compared with S. pneumoniae or influenza virus singly infected lungs. These data suggest that A1AT may play a central role as a molecule with broad anti-inflammatory properties, and regulation of the neutrophil-mediated severe lung inflammation is important in the pathogenesis of co-infection with influenza virus and bacteria.

Neurological response to early removal of ovarian teratoma in anti-NMDAR encephalitis.

We report an 18-year-old woman with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis, who developed psychiatric symptoms, progressive unresponsiveness, dyskinesias, hypoventilation, hypersalivation and seizures. Early removal of an ovarian teratoma followed by plasma exchange and corticosteroids resulted in a prompt neurological response and eventual full recovery. Serial analysis of antibodies to NR1/NR2B heteromers of the NMDAR showed an early decrease of serum titres, although the cerebrospinal fluid titres correlated better with clinical outcome. The patients' antibodies reacted with areas of the tumour that contained NMDAR-expressing tissue. Search for and removal of a teratoma should be promptly considered after the diagnosis of anti-NMDAR encephalitis.

Gabexate mesilate suppresses influenza pneumonia in mice through inhibition of cytokines.

Gabexate mesilate is a synthetic protease inhibitor that is effective for acute pancreatitis. The effect of gabexate mesilate in influenza pneumonia in mice was investigated by examining the changes in pulmonary inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Pathological changes in the lungs of treated mice were extremely mild, compared with changes in infected, untreated mice. Intrapulmonary levels of interleukin-6 and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 decreased in treated mice compared with untreated mice, despite similar viral titres in the lungs. Survival terms for treated and untreated groups were similar. These data indicate that gabexate mesilate has beneficial effects on influenza pneumonia, which may be due to the modulation of inflammatory cytokine/chemokine responses.

Endoscopic photodynamic therapy using talaporfin sodium for recurrent intranasal carcinomas after radiotherapy in three dogs.

Radiation is the treatment of choice for canine nasal tumours but, in almost all cases, there is local recurrence associated with poor prognosis. This report describes the effect of endoscopic photodynamic therapy using talaporfin sodium for canine intranasal carcinoma recurring after radiation therapy. Rhinoscopic photodynamic therapy was administered after radiation therapy in three dogs with recurrent intranasal carcinoma. Two to 24 illuminations of a 665-nm diode laser were performed two hours after intravenous bolus injection of 5·0 mg/kg of talaporfin sodium. Photodynamic therapy induced almost complete remission and prolonged survival time in all cases suggesting that it might be a useful treatment for intranasal carcinomas that recur after radiation.

Versatility of HDA19-deficiency in increasing the tolerance of Arabidopsis to different environmental stresses.

Histone acetylation is controlled by HATs and HDACs, which are essential epigenetic elements that regulate plant response to environmental stresses. A previous study revealed that a deficiency in an HDAC isoform (HDA19) increases tolerance to high salinity stress in the Arabidopsis wild-type Col-0 background. Here, the increased tolerance of hda19 to drought and heat stresses is demonstrated. Results indicate that hda19 plants have greater tolerance than wild-type plants to stress conditions. The data indicate that the stress response pathway coordinated by HDA19 plays a pivotal role in increasing tolerance to a variety of different abiotic stresses in Arabidopsis, including salinity, drought, and heat. The greater level of tolerance of hda19 plants to several different environmental stresses suggests that HDA19 represents a promising target for pharmacological manipulation in order to enhance abiotic stress tolerance in plants. ABBREVIATIONS: HAT, histone acetyltransferase; HDAC, histone deacetylase; HSF, heat shock transcription factor; RPD3, reduced potassium dependency 3; SIRT, Silent Information Regulator 2.

Anti-tuberculosis drug susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium bovis BCG Tokyo strain.

SETTING: The Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is the only vaccine against tuberculosis (TB), owing to its valuable protective effects and low virulence. However, it can occasionally cause systemic infection in immunocompromised hosts. Isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RMP), streptomycin (SM) and ethambutol (EMB) are known to be effective anti-tuberculosis drugs and are used for the treatment of BCG infections. Unfortunately, there are few studies of the susceptibility of BCG vaccine strains to these drugs. OBJECTIVE: To measure the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of BCG Tokyo vaccine products for anti-tuberculosis drugs and assess vaccine safety in terms of drug susceptibility. DESIGN: We measured the MIC for one seed and five product lots of BCG Tokyo strain for INH, RMP, SM and EMB using Middlebrook 7H11 agar plates. RESULTS: The MIC results for INH were 0.06 and 0.125 mg/ml for the product and seed lots, respectively. The MIC results for RMP, SM and EMB were 0.25-0.5, 0.25 and 2-4 microg/ml, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the BCG Tokyo strain was susceptible to the major anti-tuberculosis drugs and treatable even in cases of severe adverse events, including systemic infection.

Sgs1 helicase activity is required for mitotic but apparently not for meiotic functions.

The SGS1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a homologue for the Bloom's syndrome and Werner's syndrome genes. The disruption of the SGS1 gene resulted in very poor sporulation, and the majority of the cells were arrested at the mononucleated stage. The recombination frequency measured by a return-to-growth assay was reduced considerably in sgs1 disruptants. However, double-strand break formation, which is a key event in the initiation of meiotic DNA recombination, occurred; crossover and noncrossover products were observed in the disruptants, although the amounts of these products were slightly decreased compared with those in wild-type cells. The spores produced by sgs1 disruptants showed relatively high viability. The sgs1 spo13 double disruptants sporulated poorly, like the sgs1 disruptants, but spore viability was reduced much more than with either sgs1 or spo13 single disruptants. Disruption of the RED1 or RAD17 gene partially alleviated the poor-sporulation phenotype of sgs1 disruptants, indicating that portions of the population of sgs1 disruptants are blocked by the meiotic checkpoint. The poor sporulation of sgs1 disruptants was complemented with a mutated SGS1 gene encoding a protein lacking DNA helicase activity; however, the mutated gene could suppress neither the sensitivity of sgs1 disruptants to methyl methanesulfonate and hydroxyurea nor the mitotic hyperrecombination phenotype of sgs1 disruptants.

Characterization of DNA synthesis and DNA-dependent ATPase activity at a restrictive temperature in temperature-sensitive tsFT848 cells with thermolabile DNA helicase B.

A temperature-sensitive mutant defective in DNA replication, tsFT848, was isolated from the mouse mammary carcinoma cell line FM3A. In mutant cells, the DNA-dependent ATPase activity of DNA helicase B, which is a major DNA-dependent ATPase in wild-type cells, decreased at the nonpermissive temperature of 39 degrees C. DNA synthesis in tsFT848 cells at the nonpermissive temperature was analyzed in detail. DNA synthesis measured by incorporation of [3H]thymidine decreased to about 50% and less than 10% of the initial level at 8 and 12 h, respectively. The decrease in the level of thymidine incorporation correlated with a decrease in the number of silver grains in individual nuclei but not with the number of cells with labeled nuclei. DNA fiber autoradiography revealed that the DNA chain elongation rate did not decrease even after an incubation for 10 h at 39 degrees C, suggesting that initiation of DNA replication at the origin of replicons is impaired in the mutant cells. The decrease in DNA-synthesizing ability coincided with a decrease in the level of the DNA-dependent ATPase activity of DNA helicase B. Partially purified DNA helicase B from tsFT848 cells was more heat sensitive than that from wild-type cells. Inactivation of DNA-dependent ATPase activity of DNA helicase B from mutant cells was considerably reduced by adding DNA to the medium used for preincubation, indicating that the DNA helicase of mutant cells is stabilized by binding to DNA.

Ovarian follicular and corpus luteum changes, progesterone concentrations, estrus and ovulation following estradiol benzoate/progesterone based treatment protocol in cross-bred cows.

The objectives of the present study were to investigate the effects of the stage of the estrous cycle at the start of an estradiol benzoate (EB) and progesterone (P) based treatment protocol on new follicular wave emergence, subsequent estrus and ovulation. The experiment was conducted using a crossover design with each cow (five cross-bred cows) being assigned to one of three groups at 3-month intervals within a 1-year period. Estrous cycle stage in individual cows was initially synchronized with prostaglandin F(2)alpha. After detection of estrus, each cow was injected intramuscularly (i.m.) with 2 mg EB and 200 mg P (EB/P) on day 5, 12 or 17 of the estrous cycle (estrus=day 0), followed by 1 mg EB i.m. 12 days after the EB/P treatment. Ovarian ultrasonographic examinations showed that the emergence of a new follicular wave occurred after EB/P treatment in all groups and the mean interval from EB/P treatment to wave emergence did not differ among the groups (3.2-3.8 days). All cows in each group exhibited behavioral estrus and ovulated the newly formed dominant follicle. However, cows in the day-17 group exhibited estrus 1-3 days before the second EB injection. The concentrations of progesterone showed faster reduction, during the treatment period, in the day-12 and -17 groups compared to the day-5 group. These results indicate that the EB/P treatment induces an emergence of a new follicular wave, irrespective of the estrous cycle stage at the start of treatment, but the effect of EB/P protocol on estrous/ovulation synchronization is influenced by the stage of the estrous cycle.

Long-term outcome of 6-month maintenance chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children.

In the treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), excess shortening of maintenance therapy resulted in high relapse rate, as shown by our previous trial, TCCSG L92-13, in which maintenance therapy was terminated at 1 year from initiation of treatment. In this study, we aimed to confirm the long-term outcome of L92-13, and to identify who can or cannot be cured by shorter duration of maintenance therapy. To obtain sentinel cytogenetics information that had been missed before, we performed genetic analysis with genomic microarray and target intron-capture sequencing from diagnostic bone marrow smear. Disease-free survival (DFS) at 10 years from the end of therapy was 66.0±2.8%. Females (n=138) had better DFS (74.6±3.7%) than males (n=142, 57.5±4.2%, P=0.002). Patients with TCF3-PBX1 (n=11) and ETV6-RUNX1 (n=16) had excellent DFS (90.9±8.7% and 93.8±6.1%, respectively), whereas high hyperdiploidy (n=23) was the most unfavorable subgroup, with 56.6±10.3% of DFS. Short duration of therapy can cure more than half of pediatric ALL, especially females, TCF3-PBX1 and ETV6-RUNX1. Our retrospective observations suggest a gender/karyotype inhomogeneity on the impact of brief therapy.

Neurolysis is not required for young patients with a spontaneous palsy of the anterior interosseous nerve: retrospective analysis of cases managed non-operatively.

We studied 21 patients with a spontaneous palsy of the anterior interosseous nerve. There were 11 men and 10 women with a mean age at onset of 39 years (17 to 65). Pain around the elbow or another region (forearm, shoulder, upper arm, systemic arthralgia) was present in 17 patients and typically lasted for two to three weeks. It had settled within six weeks in every case. In ten cases the palsy developed as the pain settled. A complete palsy of flexor pollicis longus and flexor digitorum profundus to the index finger was seen in 13 cases and an isolated palsy of flexor pollicis longus in five. All patients were treated without operation. The mean time to initial muscle contraction was nine months (2 to 18) in palsy of the flexor digitorum profundus to the index finger, and ten months (1 to 24) for a complete palsy of flexor pollicis longus. An improvement in muscle strength to British Medical Research Council grade 4 or better was seen in all 15 patients with a complete palsy of the flexor digitorum profundus and in 16 of 18 with a complete palsy of flexor pollicis longus. There was no significant correlation between the duration of pain and either the time to initial muscle contraction or final muscle strength. Prolonged pain was not always associated with a poor outcome but the age of the patient when the palsy developed was strongly correlated. Recovery occurred within 12 months in patients under the age of 40 years who achieved a final British Medical Research Council grade of 4 or better. Surgical decompression does not appear to be indicated for young patients with this condition.

Molecular cloning of a cDNA encoding mouse DNA helicase B, which has homology to Escherichia coli RecD protein, and identification of a mutation in the DNA helicase B from tsFT848 temperature-sensitive DNA replication mutant cells.

DNA helicase B is a major DNA helicase in mouse FM3A cells. A temperature-sensitive mutant defective in DNA replication, tsFT848, isolated from FM3A cells, has a heat-labile DNA helicase B. In this study, we purified DNA helicase B from mouse FM3A cells and determined partial amino acid sequences of the purified protein. By using a DNA probe synthesized according to one of the partial amino acid sequences, a cDNA was isolated, which encoded a 121.5 kDa protein containing seven conserved motifs for DNA/RNA helicase superfamily members. A database search revealed similarity between DNA helicase B and the alpha subunit of exodeoxyribonuclease V of a number of prokaryotes including Escherichia coli RecD protein, but no homologous protein was found in yeast. The cDNA encoding DNA helicase B from tsFT848 was sequenced and a mutation was found between DNA/RNA helicase motifs IV and V.

High frequency of K-ras mutations in biliary duct carcinomas of cases with a long common channel in the papilla of Vater.

The frequency of K-ras mutation in biliary duct carcinomas in different locations and the relationship to the form of the junction of the pancreaticobiliary duct (JPBD) are not understood clearly. These points were investigated in the present study. Thirty-seven biliary duct carcinomas in patients without anomalous JPBD were investigated for K-ras mutations. Regarding location, 12 were hilar, 4 in the upper, 11 in the middle, and 10 in the lower portion of the duct. Furthermore, with 14 cases for which the form of the JPBD could be confirmed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography or postoperative cholangiopancreatography, division was made into two types: those with a long common channel (>5 mm) in the papilla of Vater (type 1, n = 4), and the other with a shorter or nonapparent common channel (type 2, n = 10). The overall frequency of K-ras mutation was 30%, the incidence gradually increasing from upper to lower regions. K-ras mutations were significantly more frequent in biliary duct carcinomas associated with long common channels (P < 0.05). These results suggest that a long common channel may bear a relation to K-ras mutations in biliary duct carcinogenesis, presumably through its influence on pancreatic juice regurgitation.