Highly Accurate Analysis of the Cervical Neural Tract of the Elderly Using ZOOM DTI

Sho Furuya,Motoyuki Iwasaki,Takumi Yokohama,Daisuke Ohura,Tomoyuki Okuaki 대한척추신경외과학회 2018 Neurospine Vol.15 No.2

Objective: To investigate the fractional anisotropy (FA) values of the cervical spinal cord in elderly individuals using zonally magnified oblique multislice (ZOOM) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Methods: Fourteen healthy elderly volunteers (group E) and 10 young volunteers (group Y) were enrolled. We assessed the FA, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and λ1–λ3 values using 3-T magnetic resonance imaging. The region of interest was contoured entirely inside the spinal cord, with no gray/white matter distinction, in order to avoid including the cerebrospinal fluid. Results: As lower cervical levels were approached, the FA values gradually decreased, while the ADC values increased. The mean FA values at each cervical level were as follows in groups E and Y: 0.71 and 0.70 at the C2/3 level, 0.66 and 0.66 at the C3/4 level, 0.63 and 0.62 at the C4/5 level, 0.57 and 0.57 at the C5/6 level, and 0.58 and 0.57 at the C6/7 level, respectively. The mean ADC values in groups E and Y were 1.06 and 0.99 at the C2/3 level, 1.05 and 1.06 at the C3/4 level, 1.14 and 1.06 at the C4/5 level, 1.18 and 1.21 at the C5/6 level, and 1.39 and 1.46 at the C6/7 level, respectively. There were no significant differences between the elderly and young participants. Conclusion: In both asymptomatic elderly and young individuals, the FA values gradually decreased and the ADC values increased moving towards lower cervical levels. Age did not affect the FA values, even though mild cord compression was evident due to spondylotic changes. ZOOM DTI has the potential to provide more information than conventional DTI.

Photosynthetic performanc of temperate Sargassum and kelp species growing in the same habitat

Hiroshige Murakami,Yukihiko Serisawa,Akira Kurashima,Yasutsugu Yokohama 한국조류학회I 2004 ALGAE Vol.19 No.3

Photosynthetic Performances of Temperate Sargassum and Kelp Species Growing in the Same Habitat

Murakami, Hiroshige,Serisawa, Yukihiko,Kurashima, Akira,Yokohama, Yasutsugu The Korean Society of Phycology 2004 ALGAE Vol.19 No.3

Characteristics of photosynthesis-light and photosynthesis-temperature relationships were seasonally compared among 4 species, two temperate Sargassurn (S. ringgoldianum and S. spathulophyllum) and two temperate kelp (Ecklonia cava and Eisenia bicyclis), growing in the same habitat in Oura Bay, Shimoda, central Japan. The photosynthesis-irradiance (P-I) curve of each species at the in situ temperature and the photosynthesis-temperature (P-T) curve at near saturation irradiance (400μmol·m^(-2)·s^(-1)) were determined by using differential gas-volumeters. Maximum photosynthetic rates (Prnax) for P-I curves of the two Sargassurn species were higher from summer to autumn than from winter to spring, while those of the two kelp species showed little difference among seasons. Net photosynthetic rates (Pn) at 100-400μmol·m^(-2)·s^(-1) of the Sargassurn species were higher than those of the kelp species in autumn, spring and summer, while in winter the rates were about the same between the Sargassurn and kelp species. Among seasons, the light saturation index (1k) values, dark respiration rates and light compensation points of Sargassurn species differed more than those of kelp species. Optimum temperature for P-T curves of Sargassurn species was 29℃ and that of kelp species was 27℃ in summer, while in winter the former was 27℃ and the latter was 25℃. Pn at 400 μmol·m^(-2)·s^(-1) at 10-33℃ of Sargassurn species were considerably higher than those of kelp species from spring to summer, while from autumn to winter the rates at 5-27℃ were about the same between the two. At supra-optimum temperatures, Pn of kelp species decreased more sharply than those of Sargassurn species in each season. These facts indicate that the two temperate Sargassurn species have a higher potential photosynthetic performance under warmer conditions than the two temperate kelp species even though they grow in the same habitat.

The Prediction of Neurological Prognosis for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Soichiro Takamiya,Motoyuki Iwasaki,Takumi Yokohama,Daisuke Oura,Yoshimasa Niiya,Miki Fujimura 대한척추신경외과학회 2023 Neurospine Vol.20 No.1

Objective: Although cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) can be easily diagnosed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), prediction of surgical effect using preoperative radiological examinations remains difficult. In previous studies, it was reported that diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) may be used for the prediction of surgical effect; however, these studies did not consider the influences of spinal cord compression even though the values of DTI indexes can be distorted by compressive lesions in patients with CSM. Therefore, it is uncertain whether preoperative DTI indexes can actually predict the surgical effect. The aim of this study was to investigate DTI metrics that are hardly affected by spinal cord compression and can accurately predict neurological status after decompressive surgery. Methods: Twenty-one patients with CSM who underwent surgery and 10 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. The subjects underwent cervical MRI, and values of DTI indexes including axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and fractional anisotropy (FA) were recorded at each intervertebral level. Further, the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score of each patient with CSM was recorded before and after surgery for neurological status evaluation. Preoperative and postoperative values of DTI indexes were compared, and correlations between preoperative DTI parameters and postoperative neurological recovery were assessed. Results: After surgery, the lesion-adjacent (LA) ratios of RD and ADC increased (p = 0.04 and p = 0.062, respectively), while the LA ratio of FA decreased (p = 0.075). In contrast, the LA ratio of AD hardly changed. A negative correlation was observed between preoperative LA ratio of AD and JOA recovery rate 6 months after surgery (r = -0.379, p = 0.091). Based on preoperative LA ratio of AD, the patients were divided into a low AD group and a high AD group, and JOA recovery rate 6 months after surgery was found to be higher in the low AD group than in the high AD group (p = 0.024). Conclusion: In patients with CSM, preoperative LA ratio of AD is seldom affected by spinal cord compression, and it negatively correlates with JOA recovery rate 6 months after surgery.

Genetic Structure of Mongolian Goat Populations Using Microsatellite Loci Analysis

Takahashi, H.,Nyamsamba, D.,Mandakh, B.,Zagdsuren, Yo.,Amano, T.,Nomura, K.,Yokohama, M.,Ito, S.,Minezawa, M. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2008 Animal Bioscience Vol.21 No.7

We studied genetic diversity and relationships among Mongolian goat populations on the basis of microsatellite DNA polymorphisms. DNA samples from eight populations (Bayandelger, Ulgii Red, Zavkhan Buural, Sumber, Zalaajinst White, Erchim Black, Dorgon, and Gobi Gurvan Saikhan) from geographically distinct areas of Mongolia were analyzed by using 10 microsatellite DNA markers. Since the 10 markers were highly polymorphic, the genetic characteristics of these native goat populations could be estimated. Genetic diversity within populations, as estimated by the expected heterozygosities, was high, ranging from 0.719 to 0.746, but genetic differentiation between populations was low, representing only 1.7% of the total genetic variation. The results suggest that Mongolian native goat populations still have a semi-wild genetic structure reflecting traditional Mongolian nomadism and the short history of artificial selection. The genetic relationships among the populations were not clear in the neighbor-joining tree generated from the modified Cavalli-Sforza chord genetic distances. By using principal components analysis, the five core populations of Mongolian native goats (Bayandelger, Ulgii Red, Zavkhan Buural, Sumber, and Dorgon) and the populations crossed with Russian breeds (Zalaajinst White, Erchim Black, and Gobi Gurvan Saikhan) were distinguished. There was no correlation between genetic relationships among the populations and the geographical distribution of the populations.

Diagnostic criteria for dementia with Lewy bodies: Updates and future directions

Masahito Yamada,Junji Komatsu,Keiko Nakamura,Kenji Sakai,Miharu Samuraki-Yokohama,Kenichi Nakajima,Mitsuhiro Yoshita 대한파킨슨병및이상운동질환학회 2020 Journal Of Movement Disorders Vol.13 No.1

The aim of this article is to describe the 2017 revised consensus criteria for the clinical diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) with future directions for the diagnostic criteria. The criteria for the clinical diagnosis of probable and possible DLB were first published as the first consensus report in 1996 and were revised in the third consensus report in 2005. After discussion at the International DLB Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, in 2015, the International DLB Consortium published the fourth consensus report including the revised consensus criteria in 2017. The 2017 revised criteria clearly distinguish between clinical features and diagnostic biomarkers. Significant new information about previously reported aspects of DLB has been incorporated, with increased diagnostic weighting given to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and iodine-123-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) myocardial scintigraphy. Future directions include the development of the criteria for early diagnosis (prodromal DLB) and the establishment of new biomarkers that directly indicate Lewy-related pathology, including α-synuclein imaging, biopsies of peripheral tissues (skin, etc.) for the demonstration of α-synuclein deposition, and biochemical markers (cerebrospinal fluid/blood), as well as the pathological evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of the 2017 revised diagnostic criteria. In conclusion, the revised consensus criteria for the clinical diagnosis of DLB were reported with the incorporation of new information about DLB in 2017. Future directions include the development of the criteria for early diagnosis and the establishment of biomarkers directly indicative of Lewy-related pathology.