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Corneal hysteresis (CH) is associated with glaucomatous structural changes. We retrospectively investigated the association between CH and the regional circumpapillary retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (cpRNFLT) in 419 eyes of 419 patients with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). CH was used as the explanatory variable, and cpRNFLT (total and quadrant) was used as the dependent variable. Standardized β coefficients were compared both overall and between the NTG and POAG groups. Multiple regression analysis with CH as the explanatory variable and cpRNFLT parameters as the dependent variables suggested that even after adjusting for age, sex, intraocular pressure (IOP), axial length, and central corneal thickness, all areas of the cpRNFLT were significantly associated with CH, except for the nasal quadrant. In the stratified analysis by glaucoma type, a positive relationship between CH and regional cpRNFLT tended to be maintained in the NTG group but not in the POAG group (P = 0.060 for interaction). Additionally, in the NTG group, the CH-inferior cpRNFLT relationship was particularly strong in the less-IOP fluctuation group. These results suggest that CH may be a potential predictor of anatomical vulnerability around the optic nerve, particularly enhancing the inferior regions of NTG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There is limited evidence to evaluate the numerical cutoff point for detecting early presbyopia. Thus, we aimed to establish a clinically relevant optimal cutoff value of near visual acuity for detecting early presbyopia. Study design: Prospective diagnostic accuracy study. Methods: We included consecutive individuals aged ≥ 20 years with a binocular-corrected distance visual acuity of ≥ 20/25 who did not undergo ophthalmic surgery between December 17, 2020 and December 19, 2021, at two healthcare facilities in Japan. Binocular distance-corrected near visual acuity at 40 cm, accommodative amplitude, awareness of presbyopia, and Near Activity Visual Questionnaire scores were examined. The optimal cutoff values of distance-corrected near visual acuity for diagnosing early presbyopia were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic plots. Results: Among 115 participants, 74 (64.3%) had presbyopia. The proportion of participants with no difficulty performing near-vision tasks decreased markedly when near visual acuity decreased to 20/20 (> 0.00 logMAR). A cutoff value of 0.00 logMAR for distance-corrected near visual acuity was optimal, showing high sensitivity of 56.76% and specificity of 92.68%, as opposed to the commonly used cutoff value of 0.40 logMAR (20/50; sensitivity, 9.46% and specificity, 100%) for diagnosing early presbyopia. Conclusion: Near visual acuity of 0.00 logMAR (20/20) could be the optimal cutoff value for diagnosing early presbyopia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accumulation of information on the geographical distribution range, genetic structure, and host utilization of the symbiont is important for studying how the symbiont spreads its distribution. Pseudocladophora conchopheria is a green alga that grows on the shells of intertidal gastropods distributed in the Japanese Archipelago, the Ryukyu Archipelago, and the southern part of Korean Peninsula. However, we discovered algae similar to P. conchopheria on the shells of gastropods from Vietnam. Therefore, species identification of the algae and the host gastropods was performed based on morphological observations and molecular genetic methods. As a result, the morphological characteristics of the algae were consistent with those of P. conchopheria, and the morphological characteristics of the host gastropods were consistent with those of Lunella granulata. Molecular genetic methods further supported these results of morphological identification. Interestingly, their algae were more closely related to P. conchopheria attached to L. correensis from the Sea of Japan rather than those attached to L. granulata from the Ryukyu Archipelago. These results suggest that P. conchopheria has expanded its distribution by utilizing multiple hosts and are explained on a wider scale than previous findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, a new type of lubricant called two-phase lubricants has been developed to realize a high viscosity index. Two-phase lubricants are mixtures of two different lubricants, realizing low viscosity even at low temperatures due to the temperature dependence of the solubility of the lubricant molecules. In the present paper, the effect of surface energy on the tribological behavior of the two-phase lubricant is clarified using in situ observation with reflection spectroscopy. Sliding surfaces with high hydrogen-bonding terms in the surface energy components attracted high-polar lubricants, resulting in reduced friction. Analysis of the theoretical friction coefficient using Couette flow assumption revealed an important design concept of two-phase lubricants: the concentration of high viscosity lubricants on solid surfaces develops a viscosity distribution in the oil film, resulting in reduced friction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In ophthalmology, the availability of many fundus photographs and optical coherence tomography images has spurred consideration of using artificial intelligence (AI) for diagnosing retinal and optic nerve disorders. However, AI application for diagnosing anterior segment eye conditions remains unfeasible due to limited standardized images and analysis models. We addressed this limitation by augmenting the quantity of standardized optical images using a video-recordable slit-lamp device. We then investigated whether our proposed machine learning (ML) AI algorithm could accurately diagnose cataracts from videos recorded with this device. We collected 206,574 cataract frames from 1812 cataract eye videos. Ophthalmologists graded the nuclear cataracts (NUCs) using the cataract grading scale of the World Health Organization. These gradings were used to train and validate an ML algorithm. A validation dataset was used to compare the NUC diagnosis and grading of AI and ophthalmologists. The results of individual cataract gradings were: NUC 0: area under the curve (AUC) = 0.967; NUC 1: AUC = 0.928; NUC 2: AUC = 0.923; and NUC 3: AUC = 0.949. Our ML-based cataract diagnostic model achieved performance comparable to a conventional device, presenting a promising and accurate auto diagnostic AI tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residents of Chikusei City, aged 40–74 years, underwent systemic and ophthalmological screening, and participants with diabetes were included in this analysis. Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and calculated as a percentage of the total energy. The presence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) was defined as Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study levels ≥ 20 in either eye. The association between dietary fatty acid intake and DR has been examined in a cross-sectional study. Among the 647 diabetic participants, 100 had DR. The mean total fat and saturated fatty acid (SFA) intakes were 22.0% and 7.3% of the total energy intake, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, the highest quartiles of total fat and SFA intake were positively associated with the presence of DR compared with the lowest quartiles (odds ratios (95% confidence intervals), 2.61 (1.07–6.39), p for trend = 0.025, and 2.40 (1.12–5.17), p for trend = 0.013, respectively). No significant associations were found between DR prevalence and monounsaturated or unsaturated fatty acid intake. These results suggest that a high intake of fat and SFA may affect the development of DR, even in individuals whose total fat intake is generally much lower than that of Westerners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observational studies suggest that abnormal glucose metabolism and insulin resistance contribute to colorectal cancer; however, the causal association remains unknown, particularly in Asian populations. A two-sample Mendelian randomisation analysis was performed to determine the causal association between genetic variants associated with elevated fasting glucose, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and fasting C-peptide and colorectal cancer risk. In the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-exposure analysis, we meta-analysed study-level genome-wide associations of fasting glucose (~ 17,289 individuals), HbA1c (~ 52,802 individuals), and fasting C-peptide (1,666 individuals) levels from the Japanese Consortium of Genetic Epidemiology studies. The odds ratios of colorectal cancer were 1.01 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.99–1.04, P = 0.34) for fasting glucose (per 1 mg/dL increment), 1.02 (95% CI, 0.60–1.73, P = 0.95) for HbA1c (per 1% increment), and 1.47 (95% CI, 0.97–2.24, P = 0.06) for fasting C-peptide (per 1 log increment). Sensitivity analyses, including Mendelian randomisation-Egger and weighted-median approaches, revealed no significant association between glycaemic characteristics and colorectal cancer (P > 0.20). In this study, genetically predicted glycaemic characteristics were not significantly related to colorectal cancer risk. The potential association between insulin resistance and colorectal cancer should be validated in further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the diagnosis of dry eye disease (DED) remains limited due to the lack of standardized image formats and analysis models. To overcome these issues, we used the Smart Eye Camera (SEC), a video-recordable slit-lamp device, and collected videos of the anterior segment of the eye. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the AI algorithm in estimating the tear film breakup time and apply this model for the diagnosis of DED according to the Asia Dry Eye Society (ADES) DED diagnostic criteria. Using the retrospectively corrected DED videos of 158 eyes from 79 patients, 22,172 frames were annotated by the DED specialist to label whether or not the frame had breakup. The AI algorithm was developed using the training dataset and machine learning. The DED criteria of the ADES was used to determine the diagnostic performance. The accuracy of tear film breakup time estimation was 0.789 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.769–0.809), and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of this AI model was 0.877 (95% CI 0.861–0.893). The sensitivity and specificity of this AI model for the diagnosis of DED was 0.778 (95% CI 0.572–0.912) and 0.857 (95% CI 0.564–0.866), respectively. We successfully developed a novel AI-based diagnostic model for DED. Our diagnostic model has the potential to enable ophthalmology examination outside hospitals and clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between vitamin D and total and colorectal cancer risk was inconsistent in observational studies. We conducted Mendelian randomization approach in which the effect of confounding might be reduced. 110 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were systematically selected according to the "GWAS Catalog" from all ethnic populations. For the SNP-vitamin D concentration association, 3978 individuals from two Japanese cohorts were included. Regarding SNP-total and colorectal cancer association, 4543 cancer cases and 14,224 controls and 7936 colorectal cancer cases and 38,042 controls, respectively were included from the Japanese Consortium of Genetic Epidemiology and other studies in Japan. There was no significant association between the genetically predicted plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and total or colorectal cancer in any of the MR analyses. Odds ratios per doubling in vitamin D concentration were 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63–1.09) for total cancer and 1.00 (95% CI 0.80–1.24) for colorectal cancer in inverse variance weighted method, 0.83 (95% CI 0.57–1.19) for total cancer and 1.01 (95% CI 0.75–1.37) for colorectal cancer in MR-Egger method. Consistent with previous MR analyses among European ancestries, there was no significant association identified between 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and total or colorectal cancer among Asians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring dynamic changes in near vision is important for early detection of presbyopia. This study assessed the accuracy and reliability of a new smartphone-based application, the Smart Vision Check (SVC), compared with those of a conventional device (AS-28; Kowa, Aichi, Japan), for measuring near functional visual acuity (NFVA). We enrolled 115 healthy volunteers aged ≥ 20 years with bilateral best-corrected visual acuity of ≥ 20/25. The SVC was designed for use on an Apple iPhone SE2 to measure NFVA by tapping on the orientation icon manually. Conventional FVA was measured using the AS-28 with − 2.50 D added to the best distance correction at baseline. There was no significant difference in NFVA-related measurements between the AS-28 and SVC (P > 0.05). The Spearman correlation coefficients of NFVA measurements between the two devices were over 0.60 (P < 0.001). The Bland–Altman plot indicated minimal bias with limits of agreements of ± 0.34 logMAR for NFVA with habitual correction when comparing the AS-28 and SVC. The intraclass correlation coefficient of the repeated SVC-measured NFVA was 0.915 (95% CI 0.800–0.969). In summary, the SVC has the potential to evaluate NFVA in a relatively easy manner. Applied clinically, the SVC can be useful for presbyopia screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kelps are among the most studied groups of macroalgae globally, as they are large foundation species that form some of the world's most productive and diverse marine habitats. Yet little is known about diversity and ecology of tropical kelps, which tend to inhabit the more difficult to survey mesophotic zone. Eisenia galapagensis is the first tropical kelp species to be recorded globally, and is an endemic and endangered species to the Galapagos. Here, we reveal the presence of previously unknown off-shore mesophotic kelp populations in the Galapagos, made up by a potentially new Eisenia species for the region, and present phylogenetics and morphological analysis to support our claim. We find that these novel populations form extensive kelp forest habitats with a kelp density of 2.6 ± 1.5 m−2 at depths of 48–67 m, where mean water temperatures are 3–5 ℃ cooler than at the surface (18.1–19.9 ℃). Despite low levels of light and macronutrients (measured in August 2019), observations of juveniles and sori on blades suggests these kelp populations are successfully reproducing and recruiting. Our findings provide information about foundation species and complex marine communities previously unknown to managers of the Galápagos Marine Reserve. They also support the notion that this region is uniquely important for harboring brown macroalgal diversity. Our study highlights critical knowledge gaps on the distribution of primary foundation species in colder mesophotic zones, and how their invisibility from the surface prevents their inclusion in current conservation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a positive link between hypertension and intraocular pressure (IOP) has been suggested, the individual effects of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP, respectively) on IOP remain unclear, particularly among Japanese populations. Here, we conducted a large-scale, cross-sectional study to determine individual and combined effects of SBP/DBP and hypertension on IOP. In total, 6783 Japanese people aged over 40 years underwent systemic and ophthalmological examinations, including measurements of blood pressure and IOP, conducted using non-contact tonometers. After adjusting for a priori known confounding factors, SBP and DBP levels were found to be positively correlated with IOP levels. The multivariable-adjusted odds ratio when comparing the hypertensive and normotensive groups for the prevalence of ocular hypertension was 1.88 (95% confidence interval, 1.14–3.08). When analysing the combined effects of SBP and DBP on ocular hypertension, SBP elevation had a greater effect on ocular hypertension than DBP increase. In conclusion, SBP and DBP levels and the prevalence of systemic hypertension were found to be positively associated with IOP levels and the prevalence of ocular hypertension in an ophthalmologically healthy Japanese population. Our findings suggest that systemic blood pressure control may be key for controlling IOP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the target space entanglement in quantum mechanics of non-interacting fermions at finite temperature. Unlike pure states investigated in [1], the (Rényi) entanglement entropy for thermal states does not follow a simple bound because all states in the infinite-dimensional Hilbert space are involved. We investigate a general formula of the target space Rényi entropy for N fermions at finite temperature, and present numerical results of the entropy in a one-dimensional model. We also argue the large N behaviors with a comparison to the grand canonical ensemble. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between dry eye disease (DED) and myopia by evaluating higher order aberrations (HOAs) and choroidal thickness (CT). We recruited 72 myopic children with DED symptoms (mean age 12.8 years), measured the tear film breakup time (TBUT), corneal/intraocular/total ocular HOAs, CT, and axial length (AL), administered lifestyle questionnaires, and evaluated the relationships among TBUT, HOAs, CT, and AL. The TBUT was correlated significantly with the corneal HOAs and intraocular HOAs but not with the total ocular HOAs. Multiple regression analyses showed that the AL was associated significantly with the TBUT (β = − 0.067, P = 0.004), the intraocular HOAs, and total ocular HOAs but not with the corneal HOAs. The CT was associated significantly with the TBUT and AL (β = 9.15 and − 7.85, respectively; P < 0.001 and = 0.01, respectively). Our data suggested the association between DED and myopia might be independent of the HOAs. We showed that the TBUT was associated with the CT, which is related to the AL. Because the parasympathetic nervous system affects the lacrimal glands and CT, the parasympathetic nervous system might be a common upstream factor in the association between DED and myopia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although accumulating evidence suggests a higher prevalence of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) in highly myopic eyes, the relation between ocular biometric features and PVD stages in such eyes remains unclear. Therefore, we enrolled 170 patients with high myopia (axial length ≥ 26.0 mm) to investigate the status of PVD regarding subfoveal choroidal thickness and axial length. Utilising swept-source optical coherence tomography, we classified the PVD status into five stages. The distribution of PVD grades increased as the choroidal thickness decreased and axial length increased (P < 0.01). On adjusting for age and sex, decreased choroidal thickness and increased axial length were associated with more advanced PVD stages: odds ratios with the highest vs. lowest groups were 0.31 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.09–1.01; Ptrend = 0.009) for choroidal thickness and 5.16 (95% CI 1.34–19.80; Ptrend = 0.002) for axial length. The inverse association between choroidal thickness and PVD status seemed stronger in women than in men (Pinteraction = 0.05). In conclusion, we firstly observed a significant trend of decreased choroidal thickness, along with increased axial length, with increased grade of PVD, particularly among women with highly myopic eyes, suggesting that advanced morphological myopic changes contribute to PVD in middle-aged adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a new genus and species of brown algae from the Seto Inland Sea, Japan. This species is similar to Delamarea in gross morphology and anatomy, but distinctive in having longer thalli with rare branching and shorter cortical cells. In culture, pluri-zoids derived from plurilocular zoidangia on the erect thalli developed into filamentous gametophytes bearing ectocarpoid plurilocular zoidangia, but also formed parenchymatous erect thalli of sub-sympodial growth similar to Trachynema often having branches, and formed lateral and terminal plurilocular zoidangia. Molecular phylogenies using concatenated chloroplast and mitochondrial gene sequences showed the new alga nested in the clade composed of ectocarpalean genera with diffuse growth, parenchymatous thalli, and multiple chloroplasts, but this species is distinctive. Therefore, we propose Setoutiphycus delamareoides gen. & sp. nov. for this new alga, and provisionally place it in Chordariaceae, Ectocarpales. The Seto Inland Sea repeatedly dried during sea level regressions during glacial periods, and the present sea level recovered after the last glacial maximums (LGM), ca. 10,000 years ago. Therefore, it is unlikely that the species evolved within this area. Its distribution in the area may be explained as a remnant population that survived in refugia in southern Japan during the LGM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a meta-analysis previously suggested a positive relationship between diabetes and intraocular pressure (IOP), the interrelationships among diabetes, IOP, and other ocular biometric parameters remain unclear. The present study investigated the relationships of diabetes, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and serum glucose with IOP and ocular hypertension (IOP > 21 mmHg) in non-glaucomatous Japanese adults living in Chikusei City. Diabetes was defined as a self-reported history of diabetes, the use of antidiabetic medication, or HbA1c levels ≥6.5%. Among 6,786 enrolled participants aged 40 years and above, 734 were classified as diabetic (10.8%). After adjusting for several confounders, the IOP values were significantly higher in participants with diabetes than in those without diabetes (14.4 ± 0.1 vs. 13.9 ± 0.1 mmHg, P < 0.001) and were also significantly increased in those with elevated HbA1c and serum glucose levels (both P < 0.001). Moreover, diabetes was significantly related to ocular hypertension (multivariable-adjusted odds ratio, 1.75; 95% confidence interval, 1.09–2.81; P < 0.05). The positive influence of diabetes with ocular hypertension was consistent even after adjustment for central corneal thickness. In conclusion, diabetes, elevated HbA1c, and increased serum glucose are significant contributing factors for elevated IOP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers of Ecklonia radicosa were developed using Illumina MiSeq next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis. In total, 3112 SSRs (di- to hexanucleotide motifs repeated more than six times) were identified from 61.5-Mb assembled genomic DNA using MISA perl script. Among the SSRs, di- (853 loci, 27.4%) and trinucleotides (1813 loci, 58.3%) were dominant, while tetra- (172 loci, 5.5%), penta- (175 loci, 5.6%), and hexanucleotides (99 loci, 3.2%) were not common. After specific amplification and polymorphic tests of 75 selected loci (tri- to hexanucleotide motifs repeated more than eight times), 11 SSR markers (Eradic01-11) were successfully developed. The range of the number of alleles, observed heterozygosity, and expected heterozygosity in the 11 markers was 3-13, 0.200-0.683, and 0.258-0.864, respectively. Polymorphic information content (PIC) analysis indicated that eight markers (Eradic01, 02, 04, 05, 06, 08, 09, and 11) were highly informative (PIC > 0.5) and the other three were reasonably informative (0.5 < PIC < 0.25). In addition, intra-genus amplification was obtained in all markers except for Eradic02, 08, and 11. These markers could help to reveal the genetic diversity and population structure of E. radicosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies suggest that abnormal energy balance status may dysregulate intestinal epithelial homeostasis and promote colorectal carcinogenesis, yet little is known about how host energy balance and obesity influence enterocyte differentiation during carcinogenesis. We hypothesized that the association between high body mass index (BMI) and colorectal carcinoma incidence might differ according to tumor histopathologic differentiation status. Using databases of the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and duplication-method Cox proportional hazards models, we prospectively examined an association between BMI and the incidence of colorectal carcinoma subtypes classified by differentiation features. 120,813 participants were followed for 26 or 32 years and 1528 rectal and colon cancer cases with available tumor pathological data were documented. The association between BMI and colorectal cancer risk significantly differed depending on the presence or absence of poorly-differentiated foci (P = 0.006). Higher BMI was associated with a higher risk of colorectal carcinoma without poorly-differentiated foci (≥30.0 vs. 18.5-22.4 kg/m: multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio, 1.87; 95% confidence interval, 1.49-2.34; P < 0.001), but not with risk of carcinoma with poorly-differentiated foci (P = 0.56). This differential association appeared to be consistent in strata of tumor microsatellite instability or FASN expression status, although the statistical power was limited. The association between BMI and colorectal carcinoma risk did not significantly differ by overall tumor differentiation, mucinous differentiation, or signet ring cell component (P > 0.03, with the adjusted α of 0.01). High BMI was associated with risk of colorectal cancer subtype containing no poorly-differentiated focus. Our findings suggest that carcinogenic influence of excess energy balance might be stronger for tumors that retain better intestinal differentiation throughout the tumor areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High-level physical activity is associated with lower colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality, likely through insulin sensitization. Insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) is a mediator of insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling pathways, and its down-regulation is associated with insulin resistance. Therefore, we hypothesized that tumor IRS1 expression status might modify cellular sensitivity to insulin and IGF, and the prognostic association of physical activity. Methods: We assessed IRS1 expression level in 371 stage I-III rectal and colon cancers in the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study by immunohistochemistry. In survival analysis, Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess an interaction between post-diagnosis physical activity (ordinal scale of sex-specific quartiles Q1 to Q4) and IRS1 expression (ordinal scale of negative, low, and high), controlling for potential confounders, including microsatellite instability, CpG island methylator phenotype, long interspersed nucleotide element-1 (LINE-1) methylation level, and KRAS, BRAF, and PIK3CA mutation status. Results: There was a statistically significant interaction between post-diagnosis physical activity and tumor IRS1 expression in CRC-specific mortality analysis ( P = 0.005). Multivariable hazard ratio (95 % confidence interval) for higher post-diagnosis physical activity (Q3-Q4 vs. Q1-Q2) was 0.15 (0.02-1.38) in the IRS1-negative group, 0.45 (0.19-1.03) in the IRS1-low group, and 1.32 (0.50-3.53) in the IRS1-high group. Conclusions: The association of post-diagnosis physical activity with colorectal carcinoma patient survival may differ by tumor IRS1 expression level. If validated, tumor IRS1 expression status may serve as a predictive marker to identify subgroups of patients who might gain greater survival benefit from an increased level of exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laminarialean species (so-called kelps) are the largest photosynthetic organisms in aquatic environments, constituting significant ecological components of coastal ecosystems. The largest kelps such as Macrocystis exhibit differentiation between stipe and blade, as well as buoyancy to maintain the distal portion at the water's surface for photosynthesis, while bearing reproductive structures only near the base on special blades (sporophylls). There is a considerable gap between basic kelps such as Chorda and derived kelps, and the evolution of kelp specialization remains unclear. Here we report novel reproductive adaptations in the recently discovered species Aureophycus aleuticus; unlike any known kelps, A. aleuticus forms zoidangia only on the expanded, disc-shaped holdfast. Molecular phylogeny suggests that A. aleuticus is most basal among derived kelps. Because Aureophycus lacks any of the elaborate anatomical structures found in other derived kelps, we suggest that it exhibits some of the most ancestral morphological features of kelps [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate whether CT images reflect the anatomical condition of mylohyoid muscle defects by confirmation with subsequent dissection of cadavers, and to evaluate whether CT images are useful for detecting such defects. Methods: CT scans of the head and upper neck were performed in six cadavers. Multiplanar reconstruction was carried out to obtain 2-mm-thick axial and coronal images of the mylohyoid muscle. The number of defects was determined. All the cadavers were subsequently dissected for comparison with the CT findings. The contents of the defects were also identified. Results: CT demonstrated the presence of one or more mylohyoid defects in four of the six cadavers. Defects were seen bilaterally in three of the four cadavers. Five of eight defects were observed on both axial and coronal images, whereas two were not observed on coronal images and one was not observed on axial images. The defects contained part of the sublingual gland bilaterally in one cadaver and unilaterally in another. In one cadaver, the submental artery passed through the defect bilaterally. In the other cadaver, there were bilateral defects without any substantial contents. Conclusions: Our results indicate that mylohyoid defects are commonly seen anatomically, and that some of them show herniation of the sublingual gland. CT images can demonstrate mylohyoid defects on multiplanar reconstructed images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

gene have been reported to date. Four new cases from Caulerpales, Ulvophyceae are described here. In the genus Caulerpa, the presence of an intron was unstable even in the infraspecific taxa. Based on comprehensive comparisons of the inserted positions, lengths of introns and so on, the presence of at least three kinds of introns, which probably have independent origins, was suggested in Caulerpales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Podostemaceae are aquatic herbs and are famous for their anomalous vegetative morphology, occurring only in rapids. Because of its peculiar morphology, there were no established theory nor accepted opinion on the phylogenetic position. Especially, Cusset and Cusset (1988) proposed the new class, Podostemopsida beside the Magnollopsida and Liliopsida. We, therefore, consequences extensive and detailled analyses using nucleotide sequences of rbcL genes for two genera and three species of the family together with many representatives of the families of flowering plants to determine the closest ally. The conclusion was that the Crassulaceae is a sister group to the Podostemaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]