Rapid turnover of the W chromosome in geographical populations of wild silkmoths, Samia cynthia ssp.

Our previous studies revealed a considerably high level of chromosomal polymorphism in wild silkmoths, Samia cynthia ssp. (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae). Geographical populations of this species complex differ in chromosome numbers and show derived sex chromosome systems including Z0/ZZ in S. cynthia ricini (2n?=?27/28; Vietnam), neo-Wneo-Z/neo-Zneo-Z in S. cynthia walkeri (2n?=?26/26; Sapporo, Hokkaido) and neo-WZ₁Z₂/Z₁Z₁Z₂Z₂ in S. cynthia subsp. indet. (2n?=?25/26; Nagano, Honshu). In this study, we collected specimens of S. cynthia pryeri in Japanese islands Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu, with an ancestral-like karyotype of 2n?=?28 in both sexes and a WZ/ZZ sex chromosome system, except for one population, in which females have lost the W chromosome. However, the S. cynthia pryeri W chromosome showed a very unusual morphology: It was composed of a highly heterochromatic body, which remained condensed throughout the whole cell cycle and of a euchromatin-like “tail.” We examined molecular composition of the W and neo-W chromosomes in S. cynthia subspecies by comparative genomic hybridisation and fluorescence in situ hybridisation with W chromosome painting probes prepared from laser-microdissected W chromatin of S. cynthia pryeri. These methods revealed that the molecular composition of highly heterochromatic part of the S. cynthia pryeri W chromosome is very different and lacks homology in the genomes of other subspecies, whereas the euchromatin-like part of the W chromosome corresponds to a heterochromatic part of the neo-W chromosomes in S. cynthia walkeri and S. cynthia subsp. indet. Our findings suggest that the curious WZ system of S. cynthia pryeri may represent an ancestral state of the Samia species complex but do not exclude an alternative hypothesis of its derived origin.     

Epidemiological trends of imported infectious diseases in Japan: Analysis of imported 2-year infectious disease registry data

IntroductionThe epidemiology of infectious diseases in Japan remains undefined despite the increasing tourism. GeoSentinel, an epidemiological surveillance system for reporting imported infectious diseases, has only two participating facilities in Japan. Although the number of infectious diseases is reported by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, there is no detailed clinical information about these cases. Therefore, we established J-RIDA (Japan Registry for Infectious Diseases from Abroad) to clarify the status of imported infectious diseases in Japan and provide detailed information.MethodsJ-RIDA was started as a registry of imported infectious diseases. Case registration began in October 2017. Between October 2017 and September 2019, 15 medical institutions participated in this clinical study. The registry collected information about the patient's age, sex, nationality, chief complaint, consultation date, date of onset, whether visit was made to a travel clinic before travel, blood test results (if samples were collected), travel history, and final diagnosis.ResultsOf the 3046 cases included in this study, 46.7% to Southeast Asia, 13.0% to Africa, 13.7% to East Asia, 11.5% to South Asia, 7.5% to Europe, 3.8% to Central and South America, 4.6% to North America, 3.9% to Oceania, and 2.8% to Central and west Asia. More than 85% of chief complaints were fever and general symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, respiratory symptoms, or dermatologic problems. The most common diseases were travelers’ diarrhea, animal bite, upper respiratory infection, influenza, and dengue fever.ConclusionsWe summarized two-year cases registered in Japan's imported infectious disease registry. These results will significantly contribute to the epidemiology in Japan.     

Mechanisms of acute gain and late lumen loss after atherectomy in different preintervention arterial remodeling patterns

The main mechanism of restenosis after directional coronary atherectomy (DCA) remains obscure. We investigated mechanisms of restenosis after DCA in different coronary artery remodeling patterns. DCA was performed in 51 de novo lesions. The lesions were evaluated by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) before, immediately after, and 6 months after the procedure. According to the IVUS findings before DCA, we classified the lesions into the following 3 groups: (1) positive (n = 10), (2) intermediate (n = 25), and (3) negative (n = 16) remodeling. We measured lumen area, vessel area, and plaque area using IVUS before DCA, immediately after DCA, and at follow-up. Lumen area increase after DCA was mainly due to plaque area reduction in the positive and intermediate remodeling groups (90 plus minus 15% and 80 plus minus 25% increase in lumen area, respectively), whereas that in the negative remodeling group was due to both plaque area reduction (57 plus minus 22% increase in lumen area) and vessel area enlargement (43 plus minus 33% increase in lumen area). The plaque area increase correlated strongly with late lumen area loss in the positive and intermediate remodeling groups (r = 0.884, p <0.001; r = 0.626, p <0.001, respectively), but the decrease in vessel area was not correlated with lumen area loss. In contrast, both an increase in plaque area and a decrease in vessel area were correlated with late lumen area loss (r = 0.632, p = 0.009; r = 0.515, p = 0.041) in the negative remodeling group. Coronary artery restenosis after atherectomy was primarily due to an increase in plaque in the positive and/or intermediate remodeling groups. However, in the negative remodeling group, late lumen loss might have been caused by both an increase in plaque and vessel shrinkage.     

A serum amyloid A and LDL complex as a new prognostic marker in stable coronary artery disease

BACKGROUND: Although some reports have indicated that acute phase proteins such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA) can predict the prognosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome, the value of these markers in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) still remains obscure. Therefore, our aim was to determine the prognostic value of inflammatory markers in patients with stable coronary artery disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a prospective cohort study in 140 consecutive patients with stable coronary artery disease who had at least one coronary stenosis more than 50% in diameter seen on diagnostic coronary angiography (CAG). We determined serum levels of the SAA/LDL complex as a new marker in addition to CRP and SAA. Serum levels of the SAA/LDL complex were measured by a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). End-points were defined as cardiac death, myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction, and coronary revascularization. End-point events occurred in 21 patients (2 death from myocardial infarction, 2 cerebral infarction, and 17 revascularization). Age (year) (OR = 1.14, CI: 1.05-1.25), diabetes mellitus (OR = 3.50, CI: 1.08-11.40), triglyceride (10mg/dl) (OR = 1.12, CI: 1.01-1.23) and SAA/LDL complex (10 microg/ml) (OR = 2.32, CI: 1.05-4.70) were independently related to the events. A reconstitution experiment suggested that the SAA/LDL complex is derived by oxidative interaction between SAA and lipoproteins. CONCLUSIONS: The SAA/LDL complex reflects intravascular inflammation directly and can be a new marker more sensitive than CRP or SAA for prediction of prognosis in patients with stable coronary artery disease.     

Age-related decline in white matter integrity in a mouse model of tauopathy: an in vivo diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging study

Elevated expression of human hyperphosphorylated tau is associated with neuronal loss and white matter (WM) pathology in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related neurodegenerative disorders. Using in vivo diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI) at 11.1 Tesla we measured age-related alterations in WM diffusion anisotropy indices in a mouse model of human tauopathy (rTg4510) and nontransgenic (nonTg) control mice at the age of 2.5, 4.5, and 8 months. Similar to previous DT-MRI studies in AD subjects, 8-month-old rTg4510 mice showed lower fractional anisotropy (FA) values in WM structures than nonTg. The low WM FA in rTg4510 mice was observed in the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum, anterior commissure, fimbria, and internal capsule and was associated with a higher radial diffusivity than nonTg. Interestingly, rTg4510 mice showed lower estimates for the mode of anisotropy than controls at 2.5 months suggesting that changes in this diffusivity metric are detectable at an early stage preceding severe tauopathy. Immunogold electron microscopy partly supports our diffusion tensor imaging findings. At the age of 4 months, rTg4510 mice show axonal tau inclusions and unmyelinated processes. At later ages (12 months and 14 months) we observed inclusions in myelin sheath, axons, and unmyelinated processes, and a “disorganized” pattern of myelinated fiber arrangement with enlarged inter-axonal spaces in rTg4510 but not in nonTg mice. Our data support a role for the progression of tau pathology in reduced WM integrity measured by DT-MRI. Further in vivo DT-MRI studies in the rTg4510 mouse should help better discern the detailed mechanisms of reduced FA and anisotropy mode, and the specific role of tau during neurodegeneration.