Experimental analysis of the spinal cord compressed by spinal metastasis

The purpose of the present study of experimental spinal metastasis, developed in rats by inoculation of tumor cells through the spinous process, was to find the factor that causes the initial damage to the cord in this disorder. In the early stage of paralysis, the degenerated posterior funiculus originated from a small hemorrhagic area in the posterior column of the involved cord. Using the scanning electron microscope, the hemorrhage was found to be from the intrinsic vein, resulting from the disturbance of venous drainage in the compressed portion. In the early stage of compression, extravasation of horseradish peroxidase was observed in the white matter, but histologic degeneration was not. A hemorrhage existed wherever degeneration of the funiculus was observed. Therefore, the trigger to induce the initial damage on the cord in spinal metastasis was not likely to be vasogenic edema, but instead the intrinsic venous hemorrhage.

Role(s) of nucleoli and phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 and/or HSP27 in the regulation of muscle mass

Effects of 14 days of hindlimb unloading or synergist ablation-related overloading with or without deafferentation on the fiber cross-sectional area, myonuclear number, size, and domain, the number of nucleoli in a single myonucleus, and the levels in the phosphorylation of the ribosomal protein S6 (S6) and 27-kDa heat shock protein (HSP27) were studied in rat soleus. Hypertrophy of fibers (+24%), associated with increased nucleolar number (from 1–2 to 3–5) within a myonucleus and myonuclear domain (+27%) compared with the preexperimental level, was induced by synergist ablation. Such phenomena were associated with increased levels of phosphorylated S6 (+84%) and HSP27 (+28%). Fiber atrophy (−52%), associated with decreased number (−31%) and domain size (−28%) of myonuclei and phosphorylation of S6 (−98%) and HSP27 (−63%), and with increased myonuclear size (+19%) and ubiquitination of myosin heavy chain (+33%, P > 0.05), was observed after unloading, which inhibited the mechanical load. Responses to deafferentation, which inhibited electromyogram level (−47%), were basically similar to those caused by hindlimb unloading, although the magnitudes were minor. The deafferentation-related responses were prevented and nucleolar number was even increased (+18%) by addition of synergist ablation, even though the integrated electromyogram level was still 30% less than controls. It is suggested that the load-dependent maintenance or upregulation of the nucleolar number and/or phosphorylation of S6 and HSP27 plays the important role(s) in the regulation of muscle mass. It was also indicated that such regulation was not necessarily associated with the neural activity.

Wolbachia and nuclear-nuclear interactions contribute to reproductive incompatibility in the spider mite Panonychus mori (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Maternally transmitted bacteria of the genus Wolbachia are obligate, intracellular symbionts that are responsible for cytoplasmic incompatibility in a wide range of arthropods such as insects and mites. Spider mites often show uni- and bidirectional incompatibilities among populations with and without Wolbachia. Therefore, we surveyed the presence of Wolbachia by PCR and then conducted crossing experiments among 25 populations of Panonychus mori to determine how Wolbachia are related to the incompatibility in this species. Five out of the 25 populations were infected with Wolbachia. These five populations were treated with an antibiotic (rifampicin) to eliminate Wolbachia. We carried out round-robin crosses among 20 Wolbachia-uninfected populations, five infected populations and five rifampicin-treated populations (30 x 30=900 crosses in total). Incompatibility among P. mori populations was caused by Wolbachia infection, nuclear-cytoplasmic interactions or nuclear-nuclear interactions. Wolbachia-mediated incompatibility was observed in crosses between uninfected females and infected males or between females and males harboring different Wolbachia strains. Nuclear-cytoplasmic interactions may be responsible for the unidirectional incompatibility in crosses between the two northern populations and one of the southern populations. Bidirectional incompatibility caused by nuclear-nuclear interactions was observed in 99 combinations of interpopulation crosses (99/300=0.33). Although no geographical trends were detected in the distribution of bidirectionally compatible populations, the results reveal a genetic divergence among P. mori populations.

Promoter sequence analysis in Bacillus and Escherichia: construction of strong promoters in E. coli

Many derivatives of the nprM promoter of Bacillus stearothermophilus and the strong early promoter, A3, of coliphage T3 were designed and chemically synthesized. These promoters consisted of some or all of the AT box, consensus sequence, tac promoter sequence, spacer, and lac operator. The promoter activities were assessed by their ability to express the cat gene in Escherichia coli. One of the derivatives of the A3 promoter, which contained the lac operator, was much stronger (about 3.5 times) than the tac promoter. The promoter activities in E. coli were considerably modified by the substitutions in the -43 (AT box) and -35 regions.

Generation of pressures over 40 GPa using Kawai-type multi-anvil press with tungsten carbide anvils

We have generated over 40 GPa pressures, namely, 43 and 44 GPa, at ambient temperature and 2000 K, respectively, using Kawai-type multi-anvil presses (KMAP) with tungsten carbide anvils for the first time. These high-pressure generations were achieved by combining the following pressure-generation techniques: (1) precisely aligned guide block systems, (2) high hardness of tungsten carbide, (3) tapering of second-stage anvil faces, (4) materials with high bulk modulus in a high-pressure cell, and (5) high heating efficiency.

Fracture Behavior of Micro-Sized Ni-P Amorphous Alloy Specimens

Fracture behavior of micro-sized Ni-P Amorphous alloy specimens has been investigated using a newly developed mechanical testing machine. Specimens with dimensions of 10 × 12 × 50 μm were prepared by focused ion beam machining. Two types of specimens with different crack geometries were prepared. One specimen has a notch with root radius is 0.25 μtm and the other has a fatigue pre-crack. The shapes of the loaddisplacement curves are different for each type of specimen. The fracture strength of the specimens with a notch is higher than that with a fatigue pre-crack and the fracture surfaces of the specimens are also different for each type of specimen. This may be due to the difference in stress concentration at the crack (notch) tip, and indicates that even a notch with a root radius of 0.25 μm is not able to be regarded as a crack for micro-sized specimens. Therefore, the introduction of a fatigue pre-crack is essential for the evaluation of fracture toughness for such micro-sized specimens.

Fatigue Properties for Micro-Sized Ni-P Amorphous Alloy Specimens

Fatigue crack propagation tests at different stress ratios of 0.1 and 0.5 have been performed on microsized Ni-P amorphous alloy specimens to investigate the influence of stress ratio in the crack growth properties of microsized materials. The specimens tested were cantileverbeam-type with dimensions of 10 × 12 × 50 νm3 prepared by focused ion beam machining. Notches with a depth of 3 [m were introduced in all specimens. The entire set of fatigue tests as performed using a newly developed fatigue testing machine in air at room temperature. Fine stripes deduced to be striations were observed on the fatigue fracture surface. Careful measurements of the striation spacings were made. Fatigue crack propagation rate, that is striation spacing, is plotted as a function stress intensity factor range. Fatigue crack propagation rate at stress-ratios of 0.1 and 0.5 in microsized Ni-P amorphous alloy specimens are given by da/dN ∼ 1.3 × 10−8 ΔK;1.16 and da/dN ∼ 3.7 × 10−8 ΔK0.5, respectively. At a given ΔK, crack propagation rate at a stress ratio of 0.5 was higher than that at 0.1. It is considered that a decrease in crack propagation rate at stress ratio of 0.1 is due to adecrease in effective stress intensity factor range ΔKeff, by the effect of crack closure.

Pathological analyses on the compressed cord by the experimental spinal metastasis

The purpose of the present experimental spinal metastasis developed in rats by inoculation of Walker's cancer cells through the spinous process is to find the factor which causes the initial damage of the cord in this disorder. In the early stage of paralysis, microangiogram exhibited that the degenerated posterior funiculus originated from the small hemorrhagic area in the posterior column of the involved cord. Scanning electron microscopic findings showed that the hemorrhage was of the intrinsic vein resulting from the disturbance of venous drainage in the compressed portion. In the early stage of compression, however, vascular permeability was observed in the white matter, but histologic degeneration was not. It was concluded that the trigger to induce the initial damage on the cord in spinal metastasis was likely to be the intrinsic venous hemorrhage.

Immunocytochemical diagnosis of small cell undifferentiated carcinoma of the cervix

Ethanol-fixed and Papanicolaou-stained smears of 5 cases of cervical small cell undifferentiated carcinoma and 10 control cases of non-small cell cervical cancer were immunocytochemically examined with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against cluster 1 small cell lung cancer (SCLC) antigen, which were found to react with neural cell adhesion molecules (N-CAM). MAbs against cluster 1 SCLC antigen used in this study were NCC-LU-243, NCC-LU-246 and anti-Leu-19. The expression of cluster 1 SCLC antigen was recognized by MAb NCC-LU-243 and NCC-LU-246 in all five cases and by anti-Leu-19 MAb in three. The cluster 1 SCLC antigen was not detected in any of the 10 non-small cell cervical cancers. These results suggest that cluster 1 SCLC antigen is stable and immunocytochemically detectable in Papanicolaou-stained smears and is helpful in the cytologic diagnosis of cervical small cell undifferentiated carcinoma.

FFR-CT is extremely useful in detecting hemodynamically significant left-main coronary artery stenosis with right coronary artery hypoplasia: A case report

Left main coronary artery (LMCA) stenosis in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) is associated with a significant increase in cardiac events, and determining its contribution to ischemia is essential. Currently, several noninvasive modalities are available for the ischemic assessment of CAD. In multi-vessel disease, including LMCA disease, the accuracy of myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) for detecting myocardial ischemia can be poor. Fractional flow reserve from computed tomography (FFR-CT) has emerged as a promising noninvasive modality that can provide functional myocardial ischemia information. Herein, we describe the case of a 50-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes who presented to the hospital due to intermittent chest pain on exertion. Coronary computed tomography angiography showed right coronary artery hypoplasia, 25 % stenosis in the LMCA, and 75 % stenosis in the left anterior descending. FFR-CT identified myocardial ischemia due to LMCA stenosis, but MPS did not. Invasive coronary angiography with conventional fractional flow reserve was mostly consistent with the results of FFR-CT.

Learning objective

Fractional flow reserve from computed tomography (FFR-CT), which is a novel noninvasive method, can provide absolute, not relative, functional myocardial ischemia information by applying computational fluid dynamics to coronary computed tomography angiography on a lesion-by-lesion basis. FFR-CT can be extremely useful in detecting patients with left main coronary artery stenosis with right coronary artery hypoplasia.