Increasing Intermammary Distance During Estrus in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).

Cetaceans' mammary slits, situated bilaterally to the genital slit, have been identified as an instrumental metric for the quantitative assessment of alterations in genital morphology. Increase in the intermammary distance in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) associate modification of the genitalia, which occurs immediately before parturition. In certain mammalian taxa, estrus phase is characterized by conspicuous swelling of the external genitalia.

Improvement of speech function in submucous cleft palate through conservative treatment.

Submucous cleft palate (SMCP) is a type of cleft lip and/or palate that is often diagnosed based on speech symptoms caused by velopharyngeal insufficiency and is frequently accompanied by complications. Although both surgery and speech therapy are treatment options, reports vary according to appropriate timing and suitability. At our hospital, patients who opted against surgery underwent speech therapy with positive results.

Loss-of-functional mutation in ANGUSTIFOLIA3 causes leucine hypersensitivity and hypoxia response during Arabidopsis thaliana seedling growth.

Introduction: The ANGUSTIFOLIA3 (AN3) gene encodes a transcriptional co-activator for cell proliferation in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves. We previously showed that Physcomitrium patens AN3 orthologs promote gametophore shoot formation through arginine metabolism.

Objectives: We analyzed the role of AN3 in Arabidopsis thaliana to understand how seedling growth is regulated by metabolic and physiological modulations.

Successful Treatment of Fungal Dermatitis in a Bottlenose Dolphin ().

In recent decades, many fungi have emerged as major causes of disease in marine mammals. This study reports on the detection of filamentous fungi in the subcutaneous tissue and wound surface on the tail fin of a managed bottlenose dolphin () emaciated due to severe digestive problems. Immunosuppression by chronic diseases and starvation decreased resistance against opportunistic infections.

Neural-network based high-speed volumetric dynamic optical coherence tomography.

We demonstrate deep-learning neural network (NN)-based dynamic optical coherence tomography (DOCT), which generates high-quality logarithmic-intensity-variance (LIV) DOCT images from only four OCT frames. The NN model is trained for tumor spheroid samples using a customized loss function: the weighted mean absolute error. This loss function enables highly accurate LIV image generation.

Surveillance of antimicrobial awareness among patients visiting community pharmacies.

Objective: Although antimicrobial resistance (AMR) measures have been progressing, cases of patients requesting their doctors to prescribe antimicrobial agents and patients mistakenly believing that these agents are effective against viruses occasionally occur. In the AMR action plan (2023-2027) in Japan, one of the primary goals are public awareness and education. However, public understanding of AMR and antimicrobial agents has been reported to be at an unsatisfactory level.

Label-free visualization and quantification of the drug-type-dependent response of tumor spheroids by dynamic optical coherence tomography.

We demonstrate label-free dynamic optical coherence tomography (D-OCT)-based visualization and quantitative assessment of patterns of tumor spheroid response to three anti-cancer drugs. The study involved treating human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7 cell-line) with paclitaxel (PTX), tamoxifen citrate (TAM), and doxorubicin (DOX) at concentrations of 0 (control), 0.1, 1, and 10 µM for 1, 3, and 6 days.

Efficacy of telepractice, an alternative therapy tool during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, for speech disorders related to congenital anomalies.

Since telepractice regulation does not yet exist in Japan, we assessed telepractice efficacy and the level of satisfaction with telepractice versus that with face-to-face practice (FTFP) in speech therapy to establish effective telepractice in Japan. Changes in the number of therapy sessions and therapy levels were compared between telepractice and FTFP sessions conducted during the study period. Additionally, the patients' parents completed a questionnaire survey regarding telepractice.

Label-free drug response evaluation of human derived tumor spheroids using three-dimensional dynamic optical coherence tomography.

This study aims at demonstrating label-free drug-response-patterns assessment of different tumor spheroids and drug types by dynamic optical coherence tomography (D-OCT). The study involved human breast cancer (MCF-7) and colon cancer (HT-29) spheroids. The MCF-7 and HT-29 spheroids were treated with paclitaxel (Taxol; PTX) and the active metabolite of irinotecan SN-38, respectively.

Reactive Sulfur Species Produced by Cystathionine γ-lyase Function in the Establishment of Mesorhizobium loti-Lotus japonicus Symbiosis.

Reactive sulfur species (RSS) are present in root nodules; however, their role in symbiosis and the mechanisms underlying their production remain unclear. We herein investigated whether RSS produced by the cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) of microsymbionts are involved in root nodule symbiosis. A cse mutant of Mesorhizobium loti exhibited the decreased production of hydrogen sulfide and other RSS.

Surveillance of Antimicrobial Prescriptions in Community Pharmacies Located in Tokyo, Japan.

An antimicrobial resistance (AMR) Action Plan was launched in 2016 to prevent the spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in Japan. Additional support for the appropriate use of pediatric antimicrobial agents was initiated in 2018 to promote the appropriate use of antimicrobial agents in the community. To evaluate the effectiveness of the AMR Action Plan in the community, we investigated antimicrobial prescriptions in community pharmacies.

Theoretical model for optical coherence tomography imaging and its application to volumetric differential contrast imaging.

A new formulation of the lateral imaging process of point-scanning optical coherence tomography (OCT) and a new differential contrast method designed by using this formulation are presented. The formulation is based on a mathematical sample model called the dispersed scatterer model (DSM), in which the sample is represented as a material with a spatially slowly varying refractive index and randomly distributed scatterers embedded in the material. It is shown that the formulation represents a meaningful OCT image and speckle as two independent mathematical quantities.

The draft genome sequence of the Japanese rhinoceros beetle Trypoxylus dichotomus septentrionalis towards an understanding of horn formation.

The Japanese rhinoceros beetle Trypoxylus dichotomus is a giant beetle with distinctive exaggerated horns present on the head and prothoracic regions of the male. T. dichotomus has been used as a research model in various fields such as evolutionary developmental biology, ecology, ethology, biomimetics, and drug discovery.

Eyestalk transcriptome and methyl farnesoate titers provide insight into the physiological changes in the male snow crab, Chionoecetes opilio, after its terminal molt.

The snow crab, Chionoecetes opilio, is a giant deep-sea brachyuran. While several decapod crustaceans generally continue to molt and grow throughout their lifetime, the snow crab has a fixed number of molts. Adolescent males continue to molt proportionately to their previous size until the terminal molt at which time an allometric increase in chela size occurs and an alteration of behavioral activities occurs, ensuring breeding success.

Culture of circulating tumor cells using a microfilter device.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are associated with cancer metastasis and prognosis but their scarcity in whole blood prevents their use as a diagnostic tool. The purpose of the present study was to establish a novel approach to capture and cultivate CTCs using a microfilter device. The present study was a prospective study of patients with pancreatic cancer at the University of Tsukuba Hospital (Tsukuba, Japan).

Early essential newborn care in national tertiary hospitals in Cambodia and Lao People's Democratic Republic: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Ministries of health in collaboration with the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO) have been scaling up early essential newborn care (EENC). This study was carried out to understand current EENC practices at hospitals in two priority countries: the Kingdom of Cambodia (Cambodia) and Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR).

Methods: EENC is subdivided into 79 checkpoints, referencing the self-monitoring checklist developed by the WPRO.

Simultaneous Detection and HER2 Profiling of Circulating Breast Cancer Cells in Clinical Patients Using a Rare Cell Sorter.

Background/aim: This study describes a rare cell sorter (RCS) method to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and CTC clusters in whole blood without pretreatment.

Patients And Methods: We collected samples from breast cancer patients at the University of Tsukuba Hospital. A total of 15 whole-blood specimens from patients with breast cancer were collected and analyzed via a microfluidics chip, fluorescence-conjugated antibody staining, and fluorescence microscopy.

Longitudinal investigation of a xenograft tumor zebrafish model using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography.

Breast cancer is a leading cause of death in female patients worldwide. Further research is needed to get a deeper insight into the mechanisms involved in the development of this devastating disease and to find new therapy strategies. The zebrafish is an established animal model, especially in the field of oncology, which has shown to be a promising candidate for pre-clinical research and precision-based medicine.

Auxin methylation by , duplicated in the legume lineage, promotes root nodule development in .

Legumes attract symbiotic bacteria and create de novo root organs called nodules. Nodule development consists of bacterial infection of root epidermis and subsequent primordium formation in root cortex, steps that need to be spatiotemporally coordinated. The mutant “ ” has uncoupled symbiotic events in epidermis and cortex, in that it promotes excessive bacterial infection in epidermis but does not produce nodule primordia in cortex.

PET imaging of brain aromatase in humans and rhesus monkeys by C-labeled cetrozole analogs.

Aromatase is an estrogen synthetic enzyme that plays important roles in brain functions. To quantify aromatase expression in the brain by positron emission tomography (PET), we had previously developed [C]cetrozole, which showed high specificity and affinity. To develop more efficient PET tracer(s) for aromatase imaging, we synthesized three analogs of cetrozole.

A novel Tungsten-based fiducial marker for multi-modal brain imaging.

Background: Multi-modal brain image registration is a prerequisite for accurate mapping of brain structure and function in neuroscience. Image registration is commonly performed using automated software; however, its accuracy decreases when images differ in modality, contrast, uniformity, and resolution. This limitation could be overcome by using an external reference point; however, high-contrast agents in multi-modal imaging have not been previously reported.