Positional instillation of contrast (PIC) cystography is effective for detecting occult vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), which can not be revealed by standard voiding cystourethrography (VCUG). We ...experienced two cases of young female patients; one had repeated urinary tract infection with a negative VUR on standard VCUG, and the other had findings suggestive of reflux hydronephrosis and intolerance of standard VCUG. They underwent PIC cystography, and occult VUR was detected in both cases. Both were successfully treated with simultaneous endoscopic injection therapy with dextranomer/hyaluronic acid. PIC cystography is useful for detecting occult VUR in children with negative VUR findings on standard VCUG or who are unable to tolerate standard VCUG.
(1) Background:
is a dioecious plant, whose sex is determined by XY-type sex chromosomes.
is a smut fungus that infects
plants and causes masculinization in female flowers, as if
were acting as a ...sex-determining gene. Recent large-scale sequencing efforts have promised to provide candidate genes that are involved in the sex determination machinery in plants. These candidate genes are to be analyzed for functional characterization. A virus vector can be a tool for functional gene analyses; (2) Methods: To develop a viral vector system in
plants, we selected
(ALSV) as an appropriate virus vector that has a wide host range; (3) Results: Following the optimization of the ALSV inoculation method,
plants were infected with ALSV at high rates in the upper leaves. In situ hybridization analysis revealed that ALSV can migrate into the flower meristems in
plants. Successful VIGS (virus-induced gene silencing) in
plants was demonstrated with knockdown of the phytoene desaturase gene. Finally, the developed method was applied to floral organ genes to evaluate its usability in flowers; (4) Conclusion: The developed system enables functional gene analyses in
plants, which can unveil gene functions and networks of
plants, such as the mechanisms of sex determination and fungal-induced masculinization.
Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) is a dioecious plant with its sex determined by the XY system. Male and female floral organs differ morphologically, but plants do not differ in the vegetative stage ...before flowering. PCR with Y chromosome markers has been used to determine the sex of dioecious plants before flowering. In this study, we developed a genotype-specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for sex identification of individual vegetative-stage spinach plants, using primers designed for the genomic region flanked by male-specific markers. LAMP could specifically detect spinach males. The method was further modified to omit DNA purification and use just an aliquot of crude leaf extract homogenized in water. We compared the nutrient composition of males and females, finding higher amounts of iron in the males. Our method could therefore be used for rapidly discriminating male plants in the field, which is useful for efficient hybrid breeding.
Abstract
An impulsive solar flare was observed on 2012 June 3 by the Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite. In this flare, a salient feature was recognized whereby high-energy ions were ...accelerated to a few GeV within one minute. Associated with this flare, high-energy gamma-rays as well as high-energy neutrons were detected by the Space Environment Data Acquisition equipment onboard the International Space Station. A remarkable feature found of this event was an exceedingly high n$/$γ-ratio observed between the intensities of high-energy neutrons and gamma-rays. To understand a high n$/$γ-ratio of about 600, the interaction processes between the accelerated ions and ambient solar atmosphere were simulated for various test cases, taking into account the magnetic field of the photosphere. The simulation was extended by using the GEANT4 code and it was shown that the observed results could be reproduced under certain conditions selected for the actual interaction process. The results suggest that helium and C, N, and O ions were predominantly accelerated in this flare, and that high-energy gamma-rays and neutrons were produced by interactions between the accelerated ions and the ambient gas. As a result, a high n$/$γ-ratio was produced.
The habenula plays a key role in various motivated and pathological behaviors and is composed of molecularly distinct neuron subtypes. Despite progress in identifying mature habenula neuron subtypes, ...how these subtypes develop and organize into functional brain circuits remains largely unknown. Here, we performed single-cell transcriptional profiling of mouse habenular neurons at critical developmental stages, instructed by detailed three-dimensional anatomical data. Our data reveal cellular and molecular trajectories during embryonic and postnatal development, leading to different habenular subtypes. Further, based on this analysis, our work establishes the distinctive functional properties and projection target of a subtype of Cartpt+ habenula neurons. Finally, we show how comparison of single-cell transcriptional profiles and GWAS data links specific developing habenular subtypes to psychiatric disease. Together, our study begins to dissect the mechanisms underlying habenula neuron subtype-specific development and creates a framework for further interrogation of habenular development in normal and disease states.
We attempted to reproduce the total electron content (TEC) variation in the Earth's atmosphere from the temporal variation of the solar flare spectrum of the X9.3 flare on September 6, 2017. The ...flare spectrum from the Flare Irradiance Spectral Model (FISM), and the flare spectrum from the 1D hydrodynamic model, which considers the physics of plasma in the flare loop, are used in the GAIA model, which is a simulation model of the Earth's whole atmosphere and ionosphere, to calculate the TEC difference. We then compared these results with the observed TEC. When we used the FISM flare spectrum, the difference in TEC from the background was in a good agreement with the observation. However, when the flare spectrum of the 1D-hydrodynamic model was used, the result varied depending on the presence or absence of the background. This difference depending on the models is considered to represent which extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation is primarily responsible for increasing TEC. From the flare spectrum obtained from these models and the calculation result of TEC fluctuation using GAIA, it is considered that the enhancement in EUV emission by approximately 15
–
35 nm mainly contributes in increasing TEC rather than that of X-ray emission, which is thought to be mainly responsible for sudden ionospheric disturbance. In addition, from the altitude/wavelength distribution of the ionization rate of Earth's atmosphere by GAIA (Ground-to-topside Atmosphere and Ionosphere model for Aeronomy), it was found that EUV radiation of approximately 15
–
35 nm affects a wide altitude range of 120
–
300 km, and TEC enhancement is mainly caused by the ionization of nitrogen molecules.
The resolution of lithography used for the high-volume production of semiconductor devices has been improved to meet the market demands for highly integrated circuits. With the reduction in feature ...size, the molecular size becomes non-negligible in the resist material design. In this study, the excluded volume effects caused by adding high-concentration acid generators were investigated for triphenylsulfonium nonaflate. The resist film density was measured by X-ray diffractometry. The dependences of absorption coefficient and protected unit concentration on acid generator weight ratio were calculated from the measured film density. Using these values, the effects on the decomposition yield of acid generators, the protected unit fluctuation, and the line edge roughness (LER) were evaluated by simulation on the basis of sensitization and reaction mechanisms of chemically amplified extreme ultraviolet resists. The positive effects of the increase in acid generator weight ratio on LER were predominant below the acid generator weight ratio of 0.3, while the negative effects became equivalent to the positive effects above the acid generator weight ratio of 0.3 owing to the excluded volume effects.
The genus Pseudopestalotiopsis comprises only seven species: Ps. camelliae, Ps. cocos, Ps. ignota, Ps. indica, Ps. kubahensis, Ps. simitheae, and Ps. theae. While surveying Pseudopestalotiopsis in ...Vietnam during 2013 and in Myanmar during 2015, we found 19 strains, including two novel Pseudopestalotiopsis species, based on morphological and phylogenetic analyses of internal transcribed spacer of nuclear ribosomal RNA, β-tubulin, and translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene region data sets. These new species are named Pseudopestalotiopsis myanmarina and Ps. vietnamensis. Among 13 strains identified as Ps. myanmarina, seven produced sexual morphs with similar morphological characteristics to those of “Pestalosphaeria,” indicating that sexual morphs of Pseudopestalotiopsis and Pestalotiopsis are common. Among the asexual morphs, one strain of Pseudopestalotiopsis had conidia with three pale-pigmented median cells, which is the same character found in Pestalotiopsis. In this study, we distinguished Pseudopestalotiopsis based on molecular analyses, whereas the results were unclear according to the morphological analyses.
•Two new species of Pseudopestalotiopsis were found.•Sexual morph of Pseudopestalotiopsis myanmarina was described.•Sexual morph of P. myanmarina was similar to that of Pestalotiopsis.
Introduction
Untreated nonalcoholic fatty liver may progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and cirrhosis and induce hepatocellular carcinoma and liver failure. Type 2 diabetes mellitus ...(T2DM), often complicated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is a driver of NAFLD progression. Thus, efficacious treatment strategies for patients with coexisting NAFLD and T2DM are important for preventing NAFLD progression. Although previous studies have demonstrated that either sodium-glucose transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) or glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) benefit NASH patients with T2DM, the rate of NASH resolution has not sufficiently improved. Therefore, we developed a protocol for a randomized controlled trial to examine whether the addition of an SGLT2i to the treatment regimen of patients receving a GLP-1 RA (combination therapy), within the therapeutic dose range for T2DM, increases the rate of NASH resolution in patients with coexisting NASH and T2DM.
Methods
This open-label, randomized, parallel-group study commenced in June 2021, will conclude recruitment in May 2023, and will end by March 2025. Sixty patients with NASH complicated by T2DM are enrolled at the Ehime University Hospital in Toon, Japan. Participants will be randomized into: (1) an intervention group receiving combination therapy with the SGLT2i luseogliflozin 2.5 mg, once daily (Taisho Pharmaceutical, Tokyo, Japan) and the GLP-1 RA semaglutide 0.5 mg, once per week (Novonordisk, Copenhagen, Denmark); and (2) a control group receiving monotherapy with the GLP-1 analog semaglutide. The primary endpoints, which will be ascertained by liver biopsy, are: (1) NASH resolution rate from baseline without worsening of liver fibrosis after 52 weeks of intervention; (2) rate of improvement from baseline of at least 1 point in the NAFLD activity score without worsening of liver fibrosis after 52 weeks of intervention; and (3) rate of improvement from baseline of at least one fibrosis stage without worsening of NASH after 52 weeks of intervention.
Trial Registration
University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trial Registry (UMIN-CTR) number: UMIN000045003. Japan Registry of Clinical Trials registration number: jRCTs061210009.
PDF
