Time-restricted feeding of rapidly digested starches causes stronger entrainment of the liver clock in PER2::LUCIFERASE knock-in mice

Restricting feeding to daytime can entrain circadian clocks in peripheral organs of rodents, and nutrients that rapidly increase the blood glucose level are suitable for inducing entrainment. However, dietetic issues, for example, whether or not the diet comprises heated food, have not been fully explored. We therefore hypothesized that rapidly digested starch causes stronger entrainment than slowly digested starch. The entrainment ability of the liver clock in PER2::LUCIFERASE knock-in mice, blood glucose levels, insulin levels, and acute changes in liver clock gene expression were compared between a β-starch (native)–substituted AIN-93M standard diet and an α-starch (gelatinized)–substituted diet. β-Corn and β-rice starch induced larger phase delays of the liver clock, larger blood glucose increases, and higher Per2 gene expression in the liver compared with β-potato starch. Starch granule size, as examined by electron microscopy, was larger for β-potato starch than for β-corn or β-rice starch. After heating, we obtained gelatinized α-potato, α-corn, and α-rice starch, which showed destruction of the crystal structure and a high level of gelatinization. No difference in the increase of blood glucose or insulin levels was observed between β-corn and α-corn starch, or between β-rice and α-rice starch. In contrast, α-potato starch caused higher levels of glucose and insulin compared with β-potato starch. An α-potato starch–substituted diet induced larger phase delays of the liver clock than did β-potato starch. Therefore, rapidly digested starch is appropriate for peripheral clock entrainment. Dietetic issues (heated vs unheated) are important when applying basic mouse data to humans.     

Spontaneous dwarf rat: A novel model for aging research

Aim:   Dwarf animal models can provide new models for aging research. For the spontaneous dwarf rat (SDR), a dwarf strain derived from the Sprague–Dawley (SD) rat, no data relevant to aging research are available. The present study aimed to examine its growth, hormonal background, lifespan and age-related diseases.
Methods:   Male SDR and SD rats were used for growth comparison and for immunohistochemistry and plasma hormonal analysis. SDR of each sex were maintained until natural death and then inspected pathologically.
Results:   SDR showed an apparent dwarfism in their youth. Immunohistochemistry indicated that the development of growth hormone (GH)-positive cells in the pituitary was insufficient in SDR. In SDR, plasma GH levels were lower than in SD rats. Moreover, both insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and insulin levels were decreased compared to levels in SD rats. Male and female SDR showed a mean lifespan of 29.3 ± 3.3 and 26.8 ± 5.3 months, respectively. The main neoplastic lesions in SDR were pituitary and mammary tumors. Major non-neoplastic lesions were incisor malocclusion, heart disease, chronic nephropathy (male) and cerebral hemorrhage (female). Most cases of chronic nephropathy were mild.
Conclusion:   Compared with longevity data and pathological data reported for SD rats, the lifespan in SDR was increased by 20–40% in males and 10–20% in females, and SDR had characteristic decreases in pituitary and mammary tumors as well as in severe chronic nephropathy. The SDR, differing in endocrinology, longevity and pathology from the SD rat, is potentially a new animal model for aging research.     

Review of neurophysiological findings in patients with schizophrenia

Schizophrenia has been conceptualized as a failure of cognitive integration, and abnormalities in neural circuitry have been proposed as a basis for this disorder. In this article, we focus on electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography findings in patients with schizophrenia. Auditory‐P50, ‐N100, and ‐P300 findings, visual‐P100, ‐N170, and ‐N400 findings, and neural oscillations in patients with schizophrenia are overviewed. Published results suggest that patients with schizophrenia have neurophysiological deficits from the very early phase of sensory processing (i.e. P50, P100, N100) to the relatively late phase (i.e. P300, N400) in both auditory and visual perception. Exploring the associations between neural substrates, including neurotransmitter systems, and neurophysiological findings, will lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.     

Recurrent anterior dislocation of the hip joint--a case report

We determined changes in serum chromium concentration every 6 months up to 3 years after implantation in 44 patients (mean age 63 (49–79) years, 35 women) who underwent modern metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty (Metasul). The serum chromium levels increased between the first and second year after implantation (1 year: 1.05 (SD 0.76) µg/L, 2 years: 1.46 (SD 0.91) µg/L). A small increase was observed during the third year (1.61 (SD 1.31) µg/L). The clinical relevance of this finding is uncertain and should be determined in long-term studies on a large scale.     

Guideline for treatment of bipolar disorder by the Japanese Society of Mood Disorders, 2012

The Japanese Society of Mood Disorders established a committee for treatment guidelines of mood disorders, which created the first edition of a treatment guideline for bipolar disorders on 10 March 2011. The committee has now created a second edition, which we report here. In creating this treatment guideline, the first step was to have several bipolar disorder specialists review well‐conducted studies and meta‐analyses. Based on this evidence, and with a consensus among the specialists, treatment procedures that were considered optimal were compiled and the strength of recommendation for each treatment method was determined. The first draft, prepared in this manner, was further revised through a process of critical investigation by all committee members to produce the final edition.     

Characterization of 12 polymorphic microsatellite DNA loci in the blue shark, Prionace glauca, isolated by next generation sequencing approach

Genetic markers estimating the genetic diversity and population structure of the blue shark (Prionace glauca, Carcharhinidae) have been limited, although this species is one of the most common fishes caught incidentally in the open ocean. A total of twelve novel microsatellite markers in the blue shark were developed using a next generation sequencing approach. All the microsatellite loci isolated were polymorphic with 2–19 alleles, with the observed and expected heterozygosities of 0.25–0.90 and 0.35–0.92, respectively. Cross-species amplification in three other carcharhinid sharks was successful in ten out of twelve loci. The developed microsatellite markers will be useful to analyze the population genetic structure of the carcharhinid sharks including the blue shark.     

Decreased spatial frequency sensitivities for processing faces in male patients with chronic schizophrenia

ObjectiveSchizophrenia impairs early visual cognitive processing. Low and high spatial frequency (LSF, HSF) visual information are differentially processed in humans. We investigated whether electrophysiological abnormalities exist in visual processing for spatial frequency (SF)-filtered neutral/emotional faces in schizophrenics.MethodsSubjects consisted of 16 male chronic schizophrenics and 23 controls. Event-related potentials (ERPs) to SF-filtered (LSF or HSF) and unfiltered (broad SF; BSF) pictures of neutral, happy, and fearful faces were recorded at 20 scalp sites. The relationships between the P100 (P1)/N170 amplitudes and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores in patients were also evaluated.ResultsFor the P1 amplitudes at O1/O2, controls exhibited a significant LSF > BSF difference, while schizophrenics showed no LSF > BSF difference. For the N170 amplitudes at T5/T6, controls revealed a significant HSF > BSF difference, while schizophrenics showed no such difference. For the P1 latencies, controls but not schizophrenics showed a significant difference (LSF > BSF = HSF). For the N170 latencies, no significant SF differentiation was found between the two groups. For both P1 and N170 amplitudes, no significant effects of facial expressions were observed in controls and patients regardless of SFs. There were significant negative correlations between the GAF scores and the N170 amplitudes to BSF faces in schizophrenics, but not for P1 amplitudes.ConclusionsSchizophrenics showed abnormal P1 and N170 responses to SF changes in faces, thus indicating decreased SF sensitivities for processing of faces.SignificanceAbnormal early visual processing may underlie some of the deficits associated with face recognition in schizophrenia.     

'Insistence on recovery' as a positive prognostic factor in Japanese stroke patients

Aim:  The present study used two-step analyses to examine the effect of acceptance of disability or 'insistence on recovery' in Japanese stroke patients: first on their functional improvement and second, on their psychological symptoms.
Methods:  Disability was assessed using functional independence measurements (FIM), examining the stage of acceptance of disability by observation using Fink's theory (from shock to defensive retreat, acknowledgement, and acceptance/change stage), and estimation of insistence on recovery (on a scale of 1–4) by observation. The differences over time and the effects on the improvement in their FIM were then assessed. Depression was measured using the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS); apathy was measured using the Apathy Scale (AS), and the correlation with the acceptance stage or insistence on recovery was analyzed.
Results:  The acceptance stage and functional improvement progressed significantly, but insistence on recovery did not change significantly during hospitalization. Multiple regression indicated that the insistence on recovery score (but not the acceptance stage) was a good predictor of the degree of improvement in FIM (FIM gain per week) in the elderly group. Post-hoc testing showed that the SDS or AS score decreased from the first stage to the fourth stage (but increased at the third stage) of acceptance; whereas for insistence on recovery score, the SDS and AS scores decreased as insistence on recovery score changed from 1 to 3, and then increased as insistence on recovery score changed from 3 to 4.
Conclusions:  The appropriate level of insistence on recovery reduced depression and apathy, resulting in enhanced improvement of disability after a stroke in elderly stroke patients.