Gobioecetes longibasais n. sp. (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) from Rhinogobius similis Gill (Perciformes: Gobiidae) from Okinawa-jima Island,the Ryukyu Archipelago,southern Japan,with a new host record for Gobioecetes biwaensis Ogawa & Itoh, 2017

Systematic Parasitology - Gobioecetes longibasis n. sp. (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) from the gills of the freshwater goby Rhinogobius similis Gill (Perciformes: Gobiidae) in the River Teima,...     

Osteopontin aggravates experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis in mice

Human endogenous uveitis is a common sight-threatening intraocular inflammatory disease and has been studied extensively using a murine model of experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU). It is possibly mediated by Th1 immune responses. In the present study, we investigated the role of osteopontin (OPN), a protein with pleiotropic functions that contributes to the development of Th1 cell-mediated immunity. Accompanying EAU progression, OPN was elevated in wild-type (WT) mice that had been immunized with human interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (hIRBP) peptide 1-20. OPN-deficient (OPN-/-) mice showed milder EAU progression in clinical and histopathological scores compared with those of WT mice. The T cells from hIRBP-immunized OPN-/- mice exhibited reduced Ag-specific proliferation and proinflammatory cytokine (TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma) production compared with those of WT T cells. When hIRBP-immunized WT mice were administered M5 Ab reacting to SLAYGLR sequence, a cryptic binding site to integrins within OPN, EAU development was significantly ameliorated. T cells from hIRBP-immunized WT mice showed significantly reduced proliferative responses and proinflammatory cytokine production upon stimulation with hIRBP peptide in the presence of M5 Ab in the culture. Our present results demonstrate that OPN may represent a novel therapeutic target to control uveoretinitis.     

Caldesmon,an actin-linked regulatory protein,comes across glucocorticoids

The glucocorticoids (GCs), the most downstream effectors of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, are the main mediators of stress response. Stress-triggered GCs as well as acute and chronic GC treatment can impair the structural plasticity and function of the brain. The exposure of perinatal animals and humans to excess stress or GCs can affect the brain development, resulting in altered behaviors in the adult offspring of animals and an increased risk of psychiatric disorders in humans. Despite the numerous studies documenting these effects, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this commentary we will focus on the effect of excess GCs on cortical development. We have recently showed that excess-GC-dependent retardation of the radial migration of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) is caused by the dysregulation of actin-myosin interaction via upregulation of caldesmon (CaD), an actin-linked regulatory protein. The elucidation of the molecular mechanisms that underlie the detrimental action of GCs on cortical development will expand our understanding of how stress/GCs alter the formation of neural networks and affect behaviors later in life.Key words: neuronal migration, actin-myosin interaction, cortical development, stress, psychiatric disorderIt has been well documented that the elevation of GCs in response to stress impairs the development and function of the brain.^1–3 Prenatal stress is associated with an increase in abnormal behaviors of adult offspring.² In humans, maternal stress increases the risk of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression and schizophrenia, in the offspring during adolescence and adulthood.^3–6 The treatment of neonatal rats with GC transiently retards their brain development,^3,5,7 and giving GC to pregnant sheep retards fetal brain growth.⁸ Antenatal exposure to synthetic GC in humans results in a reduced cortex convolution index and surface area in infants.⁹ Thus, excessive stress or GC exposure during the perinatal stages affects the brain development and subsequently causes abnormal behaviors in experimental animals and an increased incidence of psychiatric disorders in humans. Despite the numerous studies documenting these detrimental effects of GCs, the underlying mechanism remains unclear.Cortical development progresses by two types of neuronal migration: radial and tangential.^10,11 Postmitotic NPCs in the ventricular zone (VZ) migrate radially along radial glial fibers toward the surface of the neocortex, until they reach their final destination within the cortical plate (CP). About 80–90% of all cortical neurons arise from NPCs by radial migration. The remaining cells, which include the majority of GABAergic interneurons, migrate tangentially from the ganglionic eminence to the neocortex. Several human disorders that arise from defective neuronal migration have been identified. These disorders include periventricular nodular heterotopia and lissencephaly, which are caused by mutations in the genes involved in radial migration.¹² More commonly than gene mutations, however, environmental factors such as stress-triggered GCs as described above are implicated in inducing abnormalities in brain development. Most recently, we have found that excess GCs cause a change in radial migration during cortical development via the dysregulation of actomyosin system by GC-induced upregulation of CaD.¹³     

Enhancement of calcification by osteoblasts cultured on hydroxyapatite surfaces with adsorbed inorganic polyphosphate

Inorganic polyphosphate has been expected to accelerate bone regeneration. However, there are limited evidences to prove that polyphosphate adsorbed on the surface of a hydroxyapatite plate enhances calcification of cultured osteoblasts. In this study, we examined the effect of polyphosphate adsorbed onto the surface of a hydroxyapatite plate on the attachment, proliferation, differentiation, and calcification of osteoblasts. After hydroxyapatite plates were soaked in solutions of polyphosphate, the plate surfaces were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and toluidine blue staining to confirm adsorption of polyphosphate. The hydroxyapatite plates were further subjected to the measurements of surface roughness, water contact angle, and the binding capacity of calcium ions. Cell culture experiments were carried out using MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblastic cells. It was found that soaking a hydroxyapatite plate in a polyphosphate solution gave rise to an increase in surface roughness and reduction in water contact angle in a concentration-dependent manner, suggesting the adsorption of polyphosphate onto the surface of a hydroxyapatite plate. It was further observed that surface-adsorbed polyphosphate exhibited an inhibitory effect on cell adhesion and proliferation. In contrast, cell differentiation was promoted on hydroxyapatite plates with adsorbed polyphosphate, when assessed from expression of differentiation marker genes including alkaline phosphatase, osteopontin, and osteocalcin. In addition, calcification of the culture was enhanced on hydroxyapatite plates with relatively low density of adsorbed polyphosphate. Our results as a whole provided an evidence to show that there is a narrow window with regard to the surface density of adsorbed polyphosphate for the enhancement of osteoblast calcification.     

Enhanced sensitivity to an insecticide carbaryl in Daphnia magna mediated by fish kairomone

Limnology - Fish kairomone-exposed Daphnia produce smaller offspring than unexposed mothers. These smaller offspring are expected to be more vulnerable to pesticides because Daphnia show...     

Nocturnal activity and feeding of juvenile channel catfish,Ictalurus punctatus,around offshore breakwaters in Lake Kasumigaura,Japan

Ichthyological Research - Diel changes in occurrence and feeding habits of juvenile channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) were examined in offshore breakwater areas in Lake Kasumigaura, Japan, to...     

Three species of copepods parasitic on the blue mackerel Scomber australasicus Cuvier (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Scombridae) from southern Japan,with description of a new species Colobomatus itoui n. sp. (Cyclopoida: Philichthyidae)

Systematic Parasitology - The blue mackerel Scomber australasicus is one of the major commercial fishes consumed in southern Japan. Three species of parasitic copepods were collected from S....     

Cage evaluation of augmentative biological control of Thrips palmi with Wollastoniella rotunda in winter greenhouses

Cage trials of an anthocorid predator, Wollastoniella rotunda Yasunaga et Miyamoto, as a biological control agent of Thrips palmi Karny were conducted in Fukuoka, Japan, under winter greenhouse production conditions. Females of W. rotunda were released on caged eggplants, and placed in two greenhouses on 27 October. The development, population growth, and effectiveness of W. rotunda were observed until early March. Results from the cage trials showed that W. rotunda successfully developed, reproduced, and suppressed T. palmi populations under the conditions found in winter greenhouses. During the experiment, one full generation and a second generation of adult predators occurred. The T. palmi population which was exposed to predators remained at a low density throughout the trial period, but it increased dramatically on eggplants without W. rotunda. The maximum difference between predator treatments and controls was approximately 10‐fold by the end of January. Wollastoniella rotunda has the potential to be an effective control agent for T. palmi on eggplant, even during the winter in temperate regions.     

The utility of superficial abdominal reflex in the initial diagnosis of scoliosis: a retrospective review of clinical characteristics of scoliosis with syringomyelia

Background

The incidence of spinal deformity in children with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is high, with 86% of these patients found to have a significant structural scoliosis; however, there are very few case reports describing surgical treatment for this deformity.

Methods

The authors reviewed a case series consisting of 6 patients who underwent spine surgery for scoliosis. Children's mean age at index surgery was 12 years and 10 months (range, 10 to 15 yrs). Clinical evaluation revealed the typical phenotypic features of the PWS in all of the patients; 4 subjects had a karyotype confirmation of PWS. Major structural curves showed preoperative mean Cobb angles of 80.8° (range, 65° to 96°). Hybrid instrumentation with sublaminar wires, hooks and screws was used in the first 2 patients, while the remaining 4 were treated with titanium pedicle screw constructs.

Results

The mean clinical and radiological follow-up was 3 years and 10 months (range, 2 years to 9 years). Major complication rate was 50%. One patient who developed a major intraoperative complication (paraparesis) prevented spinal fusion to be obtained: the neurologic deficit resolved completely after instrumentation removal. Solid arthrodesis and deformity correction in both coronal and sagittal plane was, however, achieved in the other 5 cases and no significant curve progression was observed at follow-up. Another major short-term complication was encountered 3 months after surgery in a patient who experienced the detachment of a distally located rod and required correction through revision surgery and caudal extension by one level. Cervico-thoracic kyphosis was seen in 1 patient who did not require revision surgery.

Conclusions

Spine reconstructive surgery in patients with PWS is rare and highly demanding. The best method of reconstruction is posterior multilevel pedicle screw fixation. Moreover, even with modern techniques, the risk of complications is still high. These new techniques, however, have shown to improve the postoperative course by allowing for immediate mobilization without any brace or cast. The use of the growing rod techniques, requiring repeated surgeries, should be carefully evaluated in each single case.