To evaluate the clinical outcomes after vitrectomy, without gas tamponade or laser photocoagulation to the margin of the optic nerve, for the treatment of macular detachment associated with optic ...disc pits and to characterize retinal manifestations during treatment of optic pit maculopathy using optical coherence tomography (OCT).
Noncomparative, retrospective, interventional case series.
Eight consecutive patients (8 to 56 years of age) with unilateral macular detachment associated with optic disc pit.
Pars plana vitrectomy with induction of a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) was performed in all eyes. No laser or gas injection was performed in any eye during the original surgery. Patients were followed up for 10 to 46 months (mean, 26 months) after surgery.
Anatomic outcome as determined by OCT and postoperative visual acuities were the main outcome parameters. Fundus autofluorescence (FAF) images were obtained in 4 eyes to document anatomic changes in the macula.
Although complete retinal reattachment was achieved in 7 of 8 eyes, up to about 1 year was necessary for the retinal detachment to resolve fully. The 1 eye in which macular detachment failed to resolve completely underwent revision of vitrectomy with a gas tamponade and laser photocoagulation in the peripapillary area. In the early postoperative period, despite persistent macular detachment, the visual acuities improved in 7 eyes. These improved acuities corresponded with remodeling of the photoreceptor outer segments on OCT and the appearance of granular hyperfluorescence on FAF imaging.
Vitrectomy with induction of a PVD at the optic disc without gas tamponade or laser photocoagulation seems to be an effective method of managing macular detachment resulting from optic disc pits. The OCT scanning before and after surgery suggests that peripapillary vitreous traction with the passage of fluid into the retina through the pit is the cause of the schisis-like separation seen in optic disc pit maculopathy.
We examined how attention alters chewing and swallowing behaviors. Twenty-one healthy volunteers were asked to freely eat 8 g of steamed rice in three separate trials, and we obtained the average ...number of chewing cycles (N) and chewing duration (T) prior to the first swallow in each trial. We also conducted an N-limited test, in which participants chewed the food while independently counting the number of chewing cycles and swallowed the food when they reached N, and a T-limited test, in which they chewed the food for T sec and then swallowed. We recorded electromyograms (EMGs) from masseter and suprahyoid muscles and collected videoendoscopic images. In the N-limited test, chewing speed decreased, masseter muscle activity (area under the curve of the rectified EMG burst) per cycle increased, and suprahyoid muscle activity per cycle decreased. In the T-limited test, the chewing speed increased, muscle activities per cycle decreased, and the number of cycles increased. The occurrence frequency of bolus propulsion into the pharynx before swallowing was smaller in the N- and T-limited tests than in the free chewing test. Further, the whiteout time was longer in the T-limited test than in the free chewing test. Attentional chewing changes not only chewing but also swallowing behavior.
Coughing, huffing and swallowing protect the airway from aspiration. This study was conducted to compare the physical properties of voluntary coughing, huffing and swallowing in healthy subjects. Ten ...healthy men were asked to huff, cough and swallow repeatedly. Electromyograms (EMGs) were recorded from the left side of the external oblique (EO), sternocleidomastoid, suprahyoid (SH) and thyrohyoid muscles. Airflow was recorded using a face mask with two-way non-rebreathing valves. The expiratory velocity of huffing and coughing and the SH EMG of all actions presented high intraclass correlation coefficients (> 0.8). The inspiratory and expiratory velocities did not differ significantly between coughing and huffing. The expiratory acceleration of coughing was significantly higher than that of huffing, whereas the expiratory volume of coughing was significantly smaller than that of huffing. The EO EMG of coughing and huffing were significantly larger than that of swallowing. The EO EMG activity during the expiratory phase was significantly higher than that of the other phases of both coughing and huffing. The SH EMG of coughing and huffing were significantly smaller than that of swallowing. Correlation analysis revealed that the expiratory velocity of coughing was strongly positively correlated with that of huffing. The expiratory volume of huffing was significantly positively correlated with hand grip strength. These results suggest that EO and SH muscle activities during huffing or coughing differ those during swallowing, and huffing and coughing may work similarly in expiratory function.
We investigated how swallowing behaviors are affected by the temperature and carbonation of water in healthy humans. Twenty-nine healthy volunteers were instructed to drink as much natural water, ...carbonated water, or cider as they wanted, and we recorded the volume of solution swallowed and electromyographic (EMG) activity of the masseter and suprahyoid muscles. Sensory tests regarding the ease of holding the solution in the mouth and ease of swallowing were also performed. The volume of carbonated water swallowed was significantly lower than that of natural water and cider. The ease of holding and swallowing the solution significantly differed between solution types such that natural water was the easiest solution to hold and swallow, followed by cider and then carbonated water in both tests. EMG activity was also affected by the solution type. Masseter EMG activity was significantly lower when swallowing natural water compared with carbonated water. Suprahyoid EMG activity was significantly lower when swallowing natural water compared with carbonated water and cider. The volume of solution swallowed was significantly correlated with the ease of holding and swallowing the solution, but not with masseter or suprahyoid EMG activities. The ease of holding and swallowing the solution significantly affected masseter and suprahyoid EMG activities. The results suggested that when participants experienced difficulty holding and swallowing the solution, masseter and suprahyoid EMG activity increased. Considering our findings that mechanical stimulation with bubbles decreased the volume of solution swallowed and increased EMG activities, carbonated water swallowing may be useful in treating deglutition disorders.
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Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), a member of the FGF subfamily that acts through the FGF receptor 1 with the co-receptor β-Klotho, functions as an important metabolic regulator of ...peripheral glucose tolerance and lipid homeostasis in an endocrine or autocrine and/or paracrine manner. Previous studies showed that FGF21 ameliorated and prevented the development of metabolic disorders, such as obesity and diabetes mellitus. In the present study, we demonstrated that berberine, a naturally occurring compound, stimulated FGF21 expression in brown adipose tissue (BAT). Furthermore, the up-regulated expression of FGF21 in brown adipocytes in response to berberine was due, at least in part, to the activation of the AMP-activated protein kinase pathway. We also found that berberine reversed high-fat diet-induced obesity concomitant with its regulation of the expression of Fgf21 and the core clock component brain and muscle Arnt-like 1 (Bmal1) in BAT. Berberine significantly up-regulated the gene expression and production of FGF21 in a dose-dependent manner in C3H10T1/2 brown adipocytes. Furthermore, the knockdown of Bmal1 prevented the up-regulated expression of FGF21 in response to berberine in C3H10T1/2 brown adipocytes, suggesting that Bmal1 links the regulatory mechanisms of FGF21 in response to berberine.
The present results suggest that berberine stimulates the expression of FGF21 by modulating molecular clock Bmal1 in BAT, which may, in turn, attenuate diet-induced obesity. They also indicate the potential of berberine as a therapeutic agent for obesity and obesity-associated metabolic disorders related to circadian misalignments.
The balance of myeloid populations and lymphoid populations must be well controlled. Here we found that osteopontin (OPN) skewed this balance during pathogenic conditions such as infection and ...autoimmunity. Notably, two isoforms of OPN exerted distinct effects in shifting this balance through cell-type-specific regulation of apoptosis. Intracellular OPN (iOPN) diminished the population size of myeloid progenitor cells and myeloid cells, and secreted OPN (sOPN) increase the population size of lymphoid cells. The total effect of OPN on skewing the leukocyte population balance was observed as host sensitivity to early systemic infection with Candida albicans and T cell-mediated colitis. Our study suggests previously unknown detrimental roles for two OPN isoforms in causing the imbalance of leukocyte populations.
Epiretinal membrane (ERM) causes visual impairment such as reduction in visual acuity and metamorphopsia due to retinal traction. With the improvement of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and ...microincision vitrectomy surgery (MIVS), the surgery of ERM has significantly advanced. However, there have been no large-scale studies on the following: (1) how to evaluate visual impairment in ERM, (2) the relationship between OCT findings and visual function, (3) when is the optimal timing of surgery, and (4) the relationship between the surgical instruments as well as techniques and prognosis. The purpose of this study was to obtain evidence regarding these ERM surgeries.
This is a prospective, multicenter cohort study of ERM surgery in Japan from March 1, 2023, to March 31, 2027 (UMIN000048472, R-3468-2). Patients who underwent ERM surgery during the study period and agreed to participate in this study will be included. The goal is to have a total of 5,000 eyes surgically treated for ERM. The following data will be collected: age, gender, medical history, subjective symptoms, visual function before and 6 and 12 months after surgery, clinical findings, OCT data, surgical technique, instruments used in surgery, and complications.
The results of this study will support the surgical decisions and procedures in ERM practices.
The dynamical response of the southern hemisphere stratosphere to the ocean-surface conditions in 2002 and 2019, when exceptional sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events occurred, was examined ...through the chemistry–climate model and experiments with 1,000 ensemble members using the sea-surface temperature (SST) and sea-ice conditions. Planetary waves propagating from the troposphere to the stratosphere in experiments using the ocean-surface conditions in 2002 and 2019 were markedly enhanced compared to those in experiments using climatological ocean conditions, owing to the enhancement of the zonal wavenumber-2 component in August 2002 and the wavenumber-1 component from August to November 2019. The distribution function from the ensemble members of the Antarctic polar-vortex intensity shifted to a weaker side in the 2002 and 2019 experiments relative to that of the climatological ocean conditions. The planetary wave propagation to the stratosphere was more enhanced in 2019 than in 2002 from austral winter to spring. This result is consistent with the weakening of the Antarctic polar-vortex intensity in the 2019 experiment relative to the 2002 experiment. These results suggest that the SSWs in 2002 and 2019 are closely related to the ocean surface conditions in these years through wave propagation in the troposphere and stratosphere.
NLRP3 Inflammasome and MS/EAE Inoue, Makoto; Shinohara, Mari L.
Autoimmune Diseases,
01/2013, Letnik:
2013
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Inflammasomes are cytosolic sensors that detect pathogens and danger signals in the innate immune system. The NLRP3 inflammasome is currently the most fully characterized inflammasome and is known to ...detect a wide array of microbes and endogenous damage-associated molecules. Possible involvement of the NLRP3 inflammasome (or inflammasomes) in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) was suggested in a number of studies. Recent studies showed that the NLRP3 inflammasome exacerbates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS, although EAE can also develop without the NLRP3 inflammasome. In this paper, we discuss the NLRP3 inflammasome in MS and EAE development.
ABSTRACT The Galactic Center black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) is a prime observing target for the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), which can resolve the 1.3 mm emission from this source on angular ...scales comparable to that of the general relativistic shadow. Previous EHT observations have used visibility amplitudes to infer the morphology of the millimeter-wavelength emission. Potentially much richer source information is contained in the phases. We report on 1.3 mm phase information on Sgr A* obtained with the EHT on a total of 13 observing nights over four years. Closure phases, which are the sum of visibility phases along a closed triangle of interferometer baselines, are used because they are robust against phase corruptions introduced by instrumentation and the rapidly variable atmosphere. The median closure phase on a triangle including telescopes in California, Hawaii, and Arizona is nonzero. This result conclusively demonstrates that the millimeter emission is asymmetric on scales of a few Schwarzschild radii and can be used to break 180° rotational ambiguities inherent from amplitude data alone. The stability of the sign of the closure phase over most observing nights indicates persistent asymmetry in the image of Sgr A* that is not obscured by refraction due to interstellar electrons along the line of sight.
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