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Childhood socioeconomic status is robustly associated with various children’s cognitive factors and neural mechanisms. Here we show the association of childhood socioeconomic status with psychometric intelligence and mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy using diffusion tensor imaging at the baseline experiment (N = 285) and longitudinal changes in these metrics after 3.0 ± 0.3 years (N = 223) in a large sample of normal Japanese children (mean age = 11.2 ± 3.1 years). After correcting for confounding factors, cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses show that higher childhood socioeconomic status is associated with greater baseline and baseline to follow-up increase of psychometric intelligence and mean diffusivity in areas around the bilateral fusiform gyrus. These results demonstrate that higher socioeconomic status is associated with higher psychometric intelligence measures and altered microstructural properties in the fusiform gyrus which plays a key role in reading and letter recognition and further augmentation of such tendencies during development. Definitive conclusions regarding the causality of these relationships requires intervention and physiological studies. However, the current findings should be considered when developing and revising policies regarding education., Takeuchi et al perform cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of associations between childhood socioeconomic status and psychometric intelligence as well as microstructural brain development in Japanese children. They report that higher socioeconomic status is associated with greater psychometric intelligence and altered microstructural properties in the fusiform gyrus which plays a role in reading and letter recognition.

Aim To examine the long‐term efficacy and safety of dapagliflozin, a sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 (SGLT2) inhibitor used to treat type 1 diabetes, in the Japanese subpopulation of the DEPICT‐2 study. Materials and Methods Patients with type 1 diabetes were randomized to dapagliflozin 5 mg (n = 55), dapagliflozin 10 mg (n = 41) or placebo (n = 58) plus insulin for a 24‐week, double‐blind period followed by a 28‐week, single‐blind extension phase. Results From baseline to 24 weeks, dapagliflozin reduced HbA1c compared with placebo (mean change of −0.58% and −0.80% for 5 and 10 mg, respectively), and an HbA1c reduction was observed up to 52 weeks. Compared with placebo, dapagliflozin 5 and 10 mg increased the proportion of patients achieving HbA1c reductions of 0.5% or more without severe hypoglycaemia events and reduced glycaemic variability assessed via continuous glucose monitoring. Both dapagliflozin doses decreased body weight and total daily insulin dose at 24 weeks compared with placebo; these reductions were maintained up to 52 weeks. Diabetic ketoacidosis occurred in both dapagliflozin groups (one and two cases, respectively) but not with placebo. Conclusions Efficacy and safety results from the Japanese subpopulation of the DEPICT‐2 study were generally consistent with those from the overall population, indicating that long‐term dapagliflozin adjunct to insulin therapy improves glycaemic control without an increased risk of hypoglycaemia but with a risk of diabetic ketoacidosis in Japanese patients with type 1 diabetes.

Synesthesia is a condition in which the perception of a stimulus in one modality automatically triggers a secondary sensation in another modality or processing stream. Our study focused on grapheme-color synesthesia, in which the visual perception of letters or numbers (graphemes) induces a specific color sensation (the synesthetic color). Grapheme-color synesthetes do not typically experience colors for novel graphemes. However, synesthetic colors associated with familiar graphemes can be transferred to graphemes learned later, even in adulthood. A previous study has shown that such a transfer can take place after only a 10-min writing exercise. In this study, we found that this immediate transfer occurs only when the synesthetic colors for familiar graphemes contribute to the discrimination of the graphemes to be learned. Synesthetes learned six novel graphemes, each of which was arbitrarily associated with one of six familiar graphemes. Half of the synesthetes were assigned to the heterogeneous condition, in which the synesthetic colors of one group of familiar graphemes were different from one another. The other half of the synesthetes were assigned to the homogeneous condition, in which the various colors of a whole group of familiar graphemes were categorically the same. After this learning session, less transfer of synesthetic colors to novel graphemes from the corresponding familiar graphemes occurred in the homogeneous condition than in the heterogeneous condition. These results support the view that synesthetic colors for graphemes may function as a grapheme acquisition aid.

Childhood is an extremely important time for neural development that has a critical role in human intelligence. Efficient information processing is crucial for higher intelligence, so the intra- or inter-hemispheric interaction is vital. However, the relationship between neuroanatomical connections and intelligence in typically developing children, as well as sex differences in this relationship, remains unknown.Participants were 253 typically developing children (121 boys and 132 girls) aged 5-18. We acquired diffusion tensor imaging data and intelligence using an age-appropriate version of the IQ test; Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) or Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). We conducted whole-brain multiple regression analysis to investigate the association between fractional anisotropy (FA), which reflects white matter microstructural properties, and each composite score of IQ test (full-scale IQ, performance IQ, and verbal IQ).FA was positively correlated with full-scale IQ in bilateral inferior occipitofrontal fasciculus, genu, and splenium of corpus callosum (CC). FA in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus, bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and splenium of CC were also positively correlated with performance IQ. Furthermore, we found significant sex interaction between FA in the CC and verbal IQ. FA was positively correlated in boys, and negatively correlated in girls.Results suggest that efficient anatomical connectivity between parietal and frontal regions is crucial for children's intelligence. Moreover, inter-hemispheric connections play a critical role in verbal abilities in boys.

Aims To investigate the safety and tolerability of 5 and 10 mg dapagliflozin added to insulin therapy over 52 weeks in Japanese patients with inadequately controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Materials and methods This randomized, open‐label, parallel‐group, multicentre phase III clinical trial was conducted from October 26, 2015 to June 15, 2017. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of adverse events such as hypoglycaemia and diabetic ketoacidosis. Secondary endpoints included changes in glycaemic parameters, total daily insulin dosage and body weight over time. The efficacy of dapagliflozin in patients stratified by body mass index (BMI)

Grapheme-color synesthetes experience graphemes as having a consistent color (e.g., “N is turquoise”). Synesthetes’ specific associations (which letter is which color) are influenced by linguistic properties (letter frequency, phonetic similarity, etc.), and plausibly reveal the characteristics of underlying letter representations. Despite their clear linguistic origin, these influences (termed “Regulatory Factors”, RFs) are almost always studied in a single language, typically English. Here, we measure the influence of three RFs (previously examined only in English) in Dutch, English, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Spanish synesthetes. For two RFs, effect size significantly differed between languages. In contrast, an RF which we predicted to be universal (because it is shaped by prelinguistic shape-color associations) did not differ between languages. Our results suggest that monolingual synesthesia studies should be interpreted with caution. Furthermore, they show how synesthetic associations offer an exceptional opportunity to study linguistic and prelinguistic influences on letter representations in different languages.

Background: Immunogenicity and safety of the AZD1222 (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) vaccine was evaluated in Japanese adults in an ongoing phase 1/2, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, multi-centre trial (NCT04568031). Methods: Adults (n=256, age ≥18 years) seronegative for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) were stratified by age into 18–55- (n=128), 56–69- (n=86) and ≥70-year-old cohorts (n=42), and randomized 3:1 to receive AZD1222 or placebo (two intramuscular injections 4 weeks apart). Immunogenicity and safety were coprimary endpoints. Data collected up to Day 57 are reported. Results: Positive seroresponses to SARS-CoV-2 spike and receptor-binding domain antigens were seen in all 174 participants who received two doses of AZD1222. Neutralizing antibody seroresponses were seen in 67.5%, 60.3% and 50.0% of participants receiving AZD1222 aged 18–55, 56–69 and ≥70 years, respectively. Solicited adverse events (AEs) were typically mild/moderate in severity and included pain and tenderness at the injection site, malaise, fatigue, muscle pain and headache. Common unsolicited AEs included pain and tenderness at the injection site, fatigue and elevated body temperature. No vaccine-related serious AEs or deaths were reported. Conclusions: AZD1222 elicited a strong humoral immune response against SARS-CoV-2, and was well tolerated in Japanese participants, including elderly participants.

Aims To assess the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) of dapagliflozin, a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor that increases urinary glucose excretion (UGE) and its major metabolite, dapagliflozin-3-O-glucuronide (D3OG), in Japanese patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and inadequate glycaemic control (HbA1c 7%-10%). Materials and methods Japanese patients (18-65 years) with inadequately controlled T1D were randomized 1:1:1 to dapagliflozin 5 mg, 10 mg or placebo (n = 14 each) once daily for 7 days, with adjustable insulin. The PK/PD characteristics of dapagliflozin and D3OG were assessed on Day 7. Patients underwent follow-up evaluation on Days 8 and 14. Adverse events (AEs), hypoglycaemic episodes and events of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) were recorded over the treatment and follow-up periods. Results A total of 42 randomized patients received dapagliflozin or placebo. PK variables increased in a dose-dependent manner. D3OG was generated rapidly, with a median time to maximum plasma concentration of 2.0 hours (1.0-3.0). The dapagliflozin dose-UGE relationship was attenuated, with larger insulin dose reductions than anticipated. Mean percent (standard error) changes in total daily insulin dose from baseline to Day 7 were - 36.86% (3.32), -39.13% (2.68) and - 4.97% (5.28) for dapagliflozin 5 mg and 10 mg and for placebo, respectively. No DKA was reported. AEs were consistent with the established dapagliflozin safety profile. There was no increase in hypoglycaemia. Conclusions The PK and safety profiles of dapagliflozin in Japanese patients with T1D were consistent with previous studies, but with an unanticipated attenuation of the PD dose-response measured as UGE.

To evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of cotadutide, a dual glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucagon receptor agonist, in overweight Asian participants with or without type 2 diabetes (T2D).In the phase 1, randomized, blinded, single-ascending dose study, 24 Japanese and eight Chinese healthy adults (body mass index [BMI] 23-40 kg/mSignificant reductions from baseline to day 48 were observed with cotadutide for glucose AUCOnce-daily cotadutide was effective and well tolerated up to 300 μg in overweight Japanese patients with T2D. Further evaluation in Asian populations is warranted.

Irony comprehension requires integration of social contextual information. Previous studies have investigated temporal aspects of irony processing and its neural substrates using psychological/electroencephalogram or functional magnetic resonance imaging methods, but have not clarified the temporospatial neural mechanisms of irony comprehension. Therefore, we used magnetoencephalography to investigate the neural generators of alpha-band (8-13Hz) event-related desynchronization (ERD) occurring from 600 to 900ms following the onset of a critical sentence at which social situational contexts activated ironic representation. We found that the right anterior temporal lobe, which is involved in processing social knowledge and evaluating others' intentions, exhibited stronger alpha ERD following an ironic statement than following a literal statement. We also found that alpha power in the left anterior temporal lobe correlated with the participants' communication abilities. These results elucidate the temporospatial neural mechanisms of language comprehension in social contexts, including non-literal processing.

Aims To evaluate the efficacy and safety of dapagliflozin as add-on to insulin in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. Materials and methods Insulin-treated Japanese patients were randomized to 5 mg dapagliflozin or placebo during a 16-week double-blind treatment period. Both groups then received dapagliflozin 5 or 10 mg (the dose was increased at or after week 24 if glycated haemoglobin [HbA1c] at the previous visit was >7.5%) during a 36-week open-label extension period. The exploratory efficacy endpoint was to assess the maintenance efficacy of 5/10 mg dapagliflozin + insulin over 52 weeks of treatment. Safety was assessed in terms of adverse events, laboratory variables and vital signs. Results The changes in HbA1c from baseline to weeks 16 and 52 were −0.62% and −0.74%, respectively, in the dapagliflozin group, vs −0.08% and −0.83%, respectively, in the placebo–dapagliflozin group. Body weight decreased at both time points in the dapagliflozin group and after switching to open-label dapagliflozin in the placebo–dapagliflozin group. The total insulin dose decreased slightly after starting dapagliflozin. Adverse events occurred in 82.9% and 71.7% of patients in the dapagliflozin and placebo–dapagliflozin groups, respectively. Hypoglycaemia occurred in 35.0% and 41.7% of patients in the dapagliflozin and placebo–dapagliflozin groups, respectively, but the incidence was not increased by use of dapagliflozin in either trial period. Genital/urinary tract infections, renal impairment/failure, volume depletion, fracture and hepatic disorders occurred in ≤5% of patients. Conclusion This trial showed that administration of dapagliflozin as an add-on to insulin therapy was effective, was well tolerated and had insulin-sparing effects in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.

Sound symbolism, which is the systematic and non-arbitrary link between a word and its meaning, has been suggested to bootstrap language acquisition in infants. However, it is unclear how sound symbolism is processed in the infants’ brain. To address this issue, we investigated the cortical response in 11-month-old infants in relation to sound-symbolic correspondences using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Two types of stimuli were presented: a novel visual stimulus (e.g., a round shape) followed by a novel auditory stimulus that either sound-symbolically matched (moma) or mismatched (kipi) the shape. We found a significant hemodynamic increase in the right temporal area, when the sound and the referent sound were symbolically matched, but this effect was limited to the moma stimulus. The anatomical locus corresponds to the right posterior superior temporal sulcus (rSTS), which is thought to process sound symbolism in adults. These findings suggest that prelinguistic infants have the biological basis to detect cross-modal correspondences between word sounds and visual referents.

This research investigated how children build up the language-specific system of the color lexicon, examining factors that play important roles for the construction of an adult-like color lexicon. We had 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old Japanese-speaking children and adults (n = 20, 18, 19, and 19, respectively) produce names for 93 color swatches. The results showed that children of all ages were able to apply most of the chromatic words to the colors close to the center of each category, but even 5-year-olds struggle to delineate the boundaries between the words. Furthermore, the model analyses revealed that broad-covering and high-frequency words are mapped to the center of the lexical category earlier. However, cross-individual consistency in adults' use contributed most strongly for the adult-like boundary delineation. The results suggest that the process of system construction consists of at least two steps (i.e., mapping words to their category center and finding appropriate boundaries between neighboring words), with the quantity and the quality of the input contributing differently to the steps.

Grapheme-color synesthesia is a condition in which the visual perception of letters or numbers induces a specific color sensation. The consistency of grapheme-color association has been considered as a fundamental characteristic of synesthesia. However, recent studies have indicated that this association can change across the adult lifespan, and it has become necessary to investigate the factors behind the changes within each synesthete. We conducted a longitudinal study of Japanese adult synesthetes to investigate long-term (5–8 years) changes in color responses to 300 graphemes (alphanumeric and Japanese characters). Graphemes with lower long-term consistency of synesthetic association also tended to have lower short-term consistency, indicating that grapheme-color association's consistency is determined for each grapheme. Further, less familiar graphemes had less consistent associations with their synesthetic colors. These findings suggest that a stronger grapheme-color association is formed for more familiar graphemes, leading to the consolidation of synesthetic color for such graphemes.

Highlights • The Brain/MINDS beyond project plans to collect multi-site/scanner brain MRI data. • Prospective harmonization of MRI was achieved by standardizing scanning protocols. • The preliminary data showed moderate reliability of brain connectome data. • Completing traveling subject plan will allow robust statistical harmonization. • Scanning protocols are publicly available and data will also be shared by 2024., Psychiatric and neurological disorders are afflictions of the brain that can affect individuals throughout their lifespan. Many brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have been conducted; however, imaging-based biomarkers are not yet well established for diagnostic and therapeutic use. This article describes an outline of the planned study, the Brain/MINDS Beyond human brain MRI project (BMB-HBM, FY2018 ~ FY2023), which aims to establish clinically-relevant imaging biomarkers with multi-site harmonization by collecting data from healthy traveling subjects (TS) at 13 research sites. Collection of data in psychiatric and neurological disorders across the lifespan is also scheduled at 13 sites, whereas designing measurement procedures, developing and analyzing neuroimaging protocols, and databasing are done at three research sites. A high-quality scanning protocol, Harmonization Protocol (HARP), was established for five high-quality 3 T scanners to obtain multimodal brain images including T1 and T2-weighted, resting-state and task functional and diffusion-weighted MRI. Data are preprocessed and analyzed using approaches developed by the Human Connectome Project. Preliminary results in 30 TS demonstrated cortical thickness, myelin, functional connectivity measures are comparable across 5 scanners, suggesting sensitivity to subject-specific connectome. A total of 75 TS and more than two thousand patients with various psychiatric and neurological disorders are scheduled to participate in the project, allowing a mixed model statistical harmonization. The HARP protocols are publicly available online, and all the imaging, demographic and clinical information, harmonizing database will also be made available by 2024. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first project to implement a prospective, multi-level harmonization protocol with multi-site TS data. It explores intractable brain disorders across the lifespan and may help to identify the disease-specific pathophysiology and imaging biomarkers for clinical practice.

Psychological studies showed the quantity of reading habit affects the development of their reading skills, various language skills, and knowledge. However, despite a vast amount of literature, the effects of reading habit on the development of white matter (WM) structures critical to language and reading processes have never been investigated. In this study, we used the fractional anisotropy (FA) measure of diffusion tensor imaging to measure WM microstructural properties and examined cross-sectional and longitudinal correlations between reading habit and FA of the WM bundles in a large sample of normal children. In both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, we found that greater strength of reading habit positively affected FA in the left arcuate fasciculus (AF), in the left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), and in the left posterior corona radiata (PCR). Consistent with previous studies, we also confirmed the significance or a tendency for positive correlation between the strength of reading habit and the Verbal Comprehension score in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. These cross-sectional and longitudinal findings indicate that a healthy reading habit may be directly or indirectly associated with the advanced development of WM critical to reading and language processes. Future intervention studies are needed to determine the causal effects of reading habits on WM in normal children.

Introduction Dapagliflozin treatment when added to insulin therapy in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes remains to be evaluated. Materials and Methods This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study to evaluate efficacy (at 16 weeks) and long-term safety (at 52 weeks) of dapagliflozin in addition to insulin therapy. The interim analysis was carried out at week 16 to assess the efficacy and safety profiles. The patients receiving insulin (n = 182) were randomized to either dapagliflozin 5 mg or a placebo at a 2:1 ratio. The primary efficacy end-point was the change in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) from baseline at week 16. Results Patients in the dapagliflozin group showed an adjusted decrease in HbA1c of −0.55% from baseline, whereas the placebo showed a marginal increase of 0.05%. The placebo-corrected mean change of HbA1c from baseline to week 16 in dapagliflozin was −0.60% (P < 0.0001). In addition, the placebo-corrected mean change of fasting plasma glucose and bodyweight from baseline to week 16 in the dapagliflozin group was −22.7 mg/dL (P < 0.0001) and −1.21 kg (P < 0.0001), respectively. The placebo-corrected mean daily insulin dose in the dapagliflozin group was numerically decreased (treatment difference: −0.72 IU/day; P = 0.0743). No major episodes or discontinuations as a result of hypoglycemia were reported during the study period. Conclusions Dapagliflozin used as add-on treatment to insulin therapy showed significantly greater reduction of HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose and bodyweight without severe hypoglycemia compared with the placebo at week 16. These results show the clinical benefit of prescribing dapagliflozin for Japanese patients with insufficient glycemic control even with insulin therapy.

Videogame play (VGP) has been associated with numerous preferred and non-preferred effects. However, the effects of VGP on the development of microstructural properties in children, particularly those associated with negative psychological consequences of VGP, have not been identified to date. The purpose of this study was to investigate this issue through cross-sectional and longitudinal prospective analyses. In the present study of humans, we used the diffusion tensor imaging mean diffusivity (MD) measurement to measure microstructural properties and examined cross-sectional correlations with the amount of VGP in 114 boys and 126 girls. We also assessed correlations between the amount of VGP and longitudinal changes in MD that developed after 3.0±0.3 (s.d.) years in 95 boys and 94 girls. After correcting for confounding factors, we found that the amount of VGP was associated with increased MD in the left middle, inferior and orbital frontal cortex; left pallidum; left putamen; left hippocampus; left caudate; right putamen; right insula; and thalamus in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Regardless of intelligence quotient type, higher MD in the areas of the left thalamus, left hippocampus, left putamen, left insula and left Heschl gyrus was associated with lower intelligence. We also confirmed an association between the amount of VGP and decreased verbal intelligence in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. In conclusion, increased VGP is directly or indirectly associated with delayed development of the microstructure in extensive brain regions and verbal intelligence.

Associations between graphemes and colours in a nonsynaesthetic Japanese population were investigated. Participants chose the most suitable colour from 11 basic colour terms for each of 40 graphemes from the four categories of graphemes used in the Japanese language (kana characters, English alphabet letters, and Arabic and kanji numerals). This test was repeated after a three-week interval. In their responses, which were not as temporally consistent as those of grapheme–colour synaesthetes, participants showed biases and regularities that were comparable to those of synaesthetes reported in past studies. Although it has been believed that only synaesthetes, and not nonsynaesthetes, tended to associate graphemes with colours based on grapheme frequency, Berlin and Kay's colour typology, and colour word frequency, participants in this study tended in part to associate graphemes with colours based on the above factors. Moreover, participants that were nonsynaesthetes tended to associate different graphemes that shared sounds and/or meanings (e.g., Arabic and kanji numerals representing the same number) with the same colours, which was analogous to the findings in Japanese synaesthetes. These results support the view that grapheme–colour synaesthesia might have its origins in cross-modal association processes that are shared with the general population.

The empathizing-systemizing model describes human cognitive style using empathizing (the drive to identify another's mental state and respond appropriately) and systemizing (the drive to assess or construct rule-based systems). 'Brain type' was envisioned to explain individual differences in cognitive style based on the discrepancy of the two drives. In this model, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disorder, have extremely stronger systemizing. Revealing the underlying mechanisms of individual differences in cognitive style might contribute to elucidation of the pathology of ASD. We used voxel-based morphometry to compare the brain structures among the brain types (those who have stronger empathizing, those who have equally stronger drive to both, and those who have stronger systemizing) in 207 healthy children (age range: 5-15). Results showed that children with stronger systemizing had significantly greater grey matter volume of the right superior temporal gyrus (rSTG) than the others. The brain region, a distinctive brain structure of those with stronger systemizing, was overlapped with that of children with ASD. The rSTG is involved in detailed perceptual processing in social cognition, which is partially related to stronger systemizing. Our results contribute to elucidation of the underlying mechanisms of individual differences in cognitive style.

Excessive internet use is shown to be cross sectionally associated with lower cognitive functioning and reduced volume of several brain areas. However, the effects of daily internet use on the development of verbal intelligence and brain structures have not been investigated. Here, we cross sectionally examined the effects of the frequency of internet use on regional gray/white matter volume (rGMV/rWMV) and verbal intelligence as well as their longitudinal changes after 3.0 ± 0.3 (standard deviation) years in a large sample of children recruited from the general population (mean age, 11.2 ± 3.1 years; range, 5.7-18.4 years). Although there were no significant associations in cross sectional analyses, a higher frequency of internet use was found to be associated with decrease of verbal intelligence and smaller increase in rGMV and rWMV of widespread brain areas after a few years in longitudinal analyses. These areas involve areas related to language processing, attention and executive functions, emotion, and reward. In conclusion, frequent internet use is directly or indirectly associated with decrease of verbal intelligence and development to smaller gray matter volume at later stages.

A 74-year-old man with a history of occupational asbestos exposure in a shipyard was diagnosed with lymphohistiocytoid mesothelioma (LHM). Systemic chemotherapy consisted of cisplatin, and pemetrexed was administered. After six courses of chemotherapy, multiple tumours had regressed. Six months after chemotherapy, the tumours on the pleura exhibited regrowth and partly invaded the liver. Salvage chemotherapies, including irinotecan and vinorelbine, were administered and his disease was stable for several months. Then he suddenly vomited and complained of abdominal pain. Contrast CT showed small intestine intussusception. Partial resection of the small intestine was performed. We found a tumour in the resected small intestine. Review the …

The brain is a rare site of metastasis in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), and its clinical features and prognosis remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence, prognosis, and risk factors for brain metastases (BM) in MPM patients. Between July 1993 and October 2014, 150 patients with histologically proven MPM were included in this retrospective study. The cumulative incidence of BM was estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences between groups were analyzed by the log-rank test. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to assess risk factors for BM. The median follow-up time was 11 months (range 0-154.0 months). A total of eight patients (5.3 %) developed BM during the course of their illness. Multivariate analysis identified age

Chronic inflammation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) as a result of asbestos exposure. Several inflammation-based prognostic scores including the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) reportedly predict survival in many malignancies, while the role of LMR in MPM remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical value of LMR and to compare the prognostic value of these inflammation-based scores in predicting overall survival (OS) in MPM.One hundred and fifty patients with histologically proven MPM were included in this retrospective study. Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariate Cox-regression analyses were calculated for OS. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) was calculated to compare the discriminatory ability of each scoring system.An elevated LMR was significantly associated with prolonged OS. Patients with LMR2.74 had significantly poor survival compared with LMR ≥2.74 (median, 5.0 versus 14.0 months; p=0.000). The LMR consistently had a higher AUC value at 6 months (0.722), 12 months (0.712), and 24 months (0.670), compared with other scores. Multivariate analysis showed that the LMR was independently associated with OS.The LMR is an independent prognostic marker for OS in patients with MPM and is superior to other inflammation-based prognostic scores with respect to prognostic ability.

We investigated cultural differences between U.S. and Japanese color preferences and the ecological factors that might influence them. Japanese and U.S. color preferences have both similarities (e.g., peaks around blue, troughs around dark-yellow, and preferences for saturated colors) and differences (Japanese participants like darker colors less than U.S. participants do). Complex gender differences were also evident that did not conform to previously reported effects. Palmer and Schloss's (2010) weighted affective valence estimate (WAVE) procedure was used to test the Ecological Valence Theory's (EVT's) prediction that within-culture WAVE-preference correlations should be higher than between-culture WAVE-preference correlations. The results supported several, but not all, predictions. In the second experiment, we tested color preferences of Japanese-U.S. multicultural participants who could read and speak both Japanese and English. Multicultural color preferences were intermediate between U.S. and Japanese preferences, consistent with the hypothesis that culturally specific personal experiences during one's lifetime influence color preferences.

Highlights • We investigated the relationship between cognitive pattern and gray matter volume. • Cognitive patterns were classified into 6 subtypes. • Volume of right middle temporal gyrus was differentiated by cognitive patters., Individual differences in cognitive patterning is informative in understanding one's cognitive strengths and weaknesses. However, little is known about the difference in brain structures relating to individual differences in cognitive patterning. In this study, we classified typically developing children (n = 277; age range, 5–16 years) into subtypes with k-means cluster analysis along with factor index scores using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Third Edition). We then applied voxel-based morphometry to investigate whether significant gray-matter-volume differences existed among subtypes of cognitive patterns. Depending on the level of performance and cognitive patterning, we obtained six subtypes. One subtype that generally scored below average showed larger volume in the right middle temporal gyrus than the other five. On the other hand, two subtypes that achieved average levels of performance showed reverse-patterned factor index scores (one scored higher in Verbal Comprehension and Freedom from Distractibility, and the other scored lower in these two factor index scores) and had smaller volume in the right middle temporal gyrus than the other subtypes. From these results, we concluded that cognitive discrepancy was also obvious in typically developing children and that differences in cognitive patterning are represented in brain structure.

An 81-year-old woman visited a local clinic due to chest pain and a skin induration on the right precordia. She had a history of right breast cancer, and she had undergone a mastectomy and radiation therapy 10 years prior. Computed tomography (CT) imaging of the chest demonstrated a lobular mass that involved the right anterior thoracic wall and partially extruded from the thoracic cavity into the subcutaneous tissue. The tumor was surgically excised, and pathological analyses yielded a diagnosis of angiosarcoma. Five months after the operation, CT imaging showed multiple masses on the right pleura, indicating a local relapse and pleural dissemination of the angiosarcoma. Systemic chemotherapy composed of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX) (80 mg/m(2)) was delivered weekly. After 4 courses of chemotherapy, the tumors regressed remarkably. Nab-PTX may be an effective treatment option for recurrent or metastatic angiosarcoma.

Grapheme-color synesthesia is a neurological phenomenon in which viewing a grapheme elicits an additional, automatic, and consistent sensation of color. Color-to-letter associations in synesthesia are interesting in their own right, but also offer an opportunity to examine relationships between visual, acoustic, and semantic aspects of language. Research using large populations of synesthetes has indeed found that grapheme-color pairings can be influenced by numerous properties of graphemes, but the contributions made by each of these explanatory factors are often confounded in a monolingual dataset (i.e., only English-speaking synesthetes). Here, we report the first demonstration of how a multilingual dataset can reveal potentially-universal influences on synesthetic associations, and disentangle previously-confounded hypotheses about the relationship between properties of synesthetic color and properties of the grapheme that induces it. Numerous studies have reported that for English-speaking synesthetes, “A” tends to be colored red more often than predicted by chance, and several explanatory factors have been proposed that could explain this association. Using a five-language dataset (native English, Dutch, Spanish, Japanese, and Korean speakers), we compare the predictions made by each explanatory factor, and show that only an ordinal explanation makes consistent predictions across all five languages, suggesting that the English “A” is red because the first grapheme of a synesthete's alphabet or syllabary tends to be associated with red. We propose that the relationship between the first grapheme and the color red is an association between an unusually-distinct ordinal position (“first”) and an unusually-distinct color (red). We test the predictions made by this theory, and demonstrate that the first grapheme is unusually distinct (has a color that is distant in color space from the other letters' colors). Our results demonstrate the importance of considering cross-linguistic similarities and differences in synesthesia, and suggest that some influences on grapheme-color associations in synesthesia might be universal.

Humans perceive textual and nontextual information in visual perception, and both depend on language. In childhood education, students exhibit diverse perceptual abilities, such that some students process textual information better and some process nontextual information better. These predispositions involve many factors, including cognitive ability and learning preference. However, the relationship between verbal and nonverbal cognitive abilities and brain activation during visual perception has not yet been examined in children. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the relationship between nonverbal and verbal cognitive abilities and brain activation during nontextual visual perception in large numbers of children. A significant positive correlation was found between nonverbal cognitive abilities and brain activation in the right temporoparietal junction, which is thought to be related to attention reorienting. This significant positive correlation existed only in boys. These findings suggested that male brain activation differed from female brain activation, and that this depended on individual cognitive processes, even if there was no gender difference in behavioral performance.

One of the fundamental questions about grapheme–colour synaesthesia is how specific associations between the graphemes and colours are formed. We addressed this question by focusing on the determinants of synaesthetic colours for Japanese Kanji characters (logographic characters) using a psycholinguistic approach. Study 1 explored the influence meaning has on synaesthetic colours for Kanji characters representing abstract meanings by examining synaesthetic colours for antonym pairs (i.e. characters with meanings opposed to each other) in Japanese synaesthetes. Results showed that semantic relations influenced the grapheme–colour associations for characters representing abstract meanings in the early stages of learning abstract Kanji, while the influence was reduced in the grapheme–colour associations for those learned later. Study 2 examined the effect that learning new sounds or meanings of graphemes has on synaesthetic colours for those graphemes. Japanese synaesthetes were taught new sounds or new meanings for familiar Kanji characters. Results indicated that acquiring new information for graphemes slightly but significantly reduced the test–retest grapheme–colour association consistency, suggesting that synaesthetic colours can be modulated to reflect the synaesthete's latest knowledge about graphemes. Implications of these findings are discussed from the perspective of the relationship between synaesthesia and grapheme learning. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Bridging senses: novel insights from synaesthesia’.

A 76-year-old woman came to us because of staggering, fever, dysarthria, and appetite loss. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed multiple masses with surrounding edema. Chest X-ray and computed tomography demonstrated a mass-like lesion in the left lung and left pleural effusion. Lung cancer and multiple brain metastases were suspected. However, the brain lesions demonstrated a high intensity through diffusion-weighted MRI. The finding was an important key to differentiate brain abscesses from lung cancer metastases.

We examined linear and curvilinear correlations of gray matter volume and density in cortical and subcortical gray matter with age using magnetic resonance images (MRI) in a large number of healthy children. We applied voxel‐based morphometry (VBM) and region‐of‐interest (ROI) analyses with the Akaike information criterion (AIC), which was used to determine the best‐fit model by selecting which predictor terms should be included. We collected data on brain structural MRI in 291 healthy children aged 5–18 years. Structural MRI data were segmented and normalized using a custom template by applying the diffeomorphic anatomical registration using exponentiated lie algebra (DARTEL) procedure. Next, we analyzed the correlations of gray matter volume and density with age in VBM with AIC by estimating linear, quadratic, and cubic polynomial functions. Several regions such as the prefrontal cortex, the precentral gyrus, and cerebellum showed significant linear or curvilinear correlations between gray matter volume and age on an increasing trajectory, and between gray matter density and age on a decreasing trajectory in VBM and ROI analyses with AIC. Because the trajectory of gray matter volume and density with age suggests the progress of brain maturation, our results may contribute to clarifying brain maturation in healthy children from the viewpoint of brain structure. Hum Brain Mapp, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Determinants of synesthetic color choice for Japanese phonetic characters were studied in six Japanese synesthetes. The study used Hiragana and Katakana characters, which represent the same set of syllables although their visual forms are dissimilar. From a palette of 138 colors, synesthetes selected a color corresponding to each character. Results revealed that synesthetic color choices for Hiragana characters and those for their Katakana counterparts were remarkably consistent, indicating that color selection depended on character-related sounds and not visual form. This Hiragana–Katakana invariance cannot be regarded as the same phenomenon as letter case invariance, usually reported for English grapheme-color synesthesia, because Hiragana and Katakana characters have different identities whereas upper and lower case letters have the same identity. This involvement of phonology suggests that cross-activation between an inducer (i.e., letter/character) brain region and that of the concurrent (i.e., color) area in grapheme-color synesthesia is mediated by higher order cortical processing areas.

The Rapid Appearance and Disappearance of Dendriform Pulmonary Ossification after Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage Tomoko Yamagishi, Nobukazu Fujimoto, Yosuke Miyamoto, Naofumi Hara, Michiko Asano, Yasuko Fuchimoto, Sae Wada, Kenichi Kitamura, Shinji Ozaki, Hideyuki Nishi, and Takumi Kishimoto Department of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medical Oncology, Department of Surgery, and Department of Internal Medicine, Okayama Rosai Hospital, Okayama, Japan

There is a vast amount of evidence from psychological studies that the amount of parent–child interaction affects the development of children's verbal skills and knowledge. However, despite the vast amount of literature, brain structural development associated with the amount of parent–child interaction has never been investigated. In the present human study, we used voxel-based morphometry to measure regional gray matter density (rGMD) and examined cross-sectional correlations between the amount of time spent with parents and rGMD among 127 boys and 135 girls. We also assessed correlations between the amount of time spent with parents and longitudinal changes that occurred a few years later among 106 boys and 102 girls. After correcting for confounding factors, we found negative effects of spending time with parents on rGMD in areas in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus (STG) via cross-sectional analyses as well as in the contingent areas of the right STG. We also confirmed positive effects of spending time with parents on the Verbal Comprehension score in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. rGMD in partly overlapping or contingent areas of the right STG was negatively correlated with age and the Verbal Comprehension score in cross-sectional analyses. Subsequent analyses revealed verbal parent–child interactions have similar effects on Verbal Comprehension scores and rGMD in the right STG in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. These findings indicate that parent–child interactions affect the right STG, which may be associated with verbal skills.

A 59-year-old man who was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer (SCLC), achieved a complete response to the induction chemoradiotherapy and received prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) (25 Gy at 250 cGy per fraction) in October 2008. Three months later, he complained of anorexia, weight loss, fatigue, and short-term memory loss and developed dementia and systemic muscle weakness. Magnetic resonance imaging in April and July 2009 revealed the progression of the diffuse brain atrophy without evidence of the metastasis of SCLC. Paraneoplastic neurological syndrome was suspected because anti-Hu antibody was detected in his serum and cerebrospinal fluid, but the adverse effects of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy were also suspected as the cause of his neurological disorder.

People are generally lean during childhood and show more variability in body sizes and shapes later in life. Cortical development generally correlates with body growth. However, in children cortical growth may be impaired with oversized body growth. Inverse correlations between body mass index (BMI) and brain volumes suggest that lean bodies may be associated with increased cortical volume. To clarify the positive effects of a lean body on a child's cortical development, we used MRI to measure brain structures longitudinally in 107 children and adolescents aged 5-16 years. The relationships between changes in BMI and cortical volumes during 3 years of development were investigated, while controlling for age, gender and intracranial volume changes. Voxel-based morphometry analyses revealed that an increase in the volume of the right posterior medial temporal lobe - including the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus - was associated with lower BMI increases. No correlations were observed between higher BMI increases and cortical volumes. Our results suggest that keeping a lean body - or not getting fat - during childhood can induce an increase in regional cortical volume rather than impair growth. This is the first longitudinal study showing positive effects of a lean body on cortical development in children.

Vascular endothelial growth factor/vascular permeability factor (VEGF/VPF) is a secreted mitogen for vascular endothelial cells, and it promotes vascular permeability and neovascularization in vivo. We investigated the mechanisms by which low oxygen tension modulates the expression of VEGF in human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (h-SMC) in vitro. Moreover, we measured VEGF levels in the cultured medium with or without endothelin-1 (ET-1) using a newly developed, highly sensitive, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Hypoxia resulted in a substantial induction of VEGF transcripts at 3 and 24 hr. VEGF levels were significantly higher when h-SMC were cultured in medium containing ET-1 than when cultured in medium without ET-1. In conclusion, hypoxia and ET-1 constitute potent stimuli for VEGF production in h-SMC.

Arterial smooth muscle cell migration from the media to the intima is a crucial process in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) has been proposed to play a key role in the development of advanced atherosclerotic lesions by stimulating the migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of the omega-3 series, extracted from fish oil has been shown to have beneficial effects on atherosclerosis. In this study, we evaluated the effects of omega-3 PUFA on the migration of human aortic smooth muscle cell (hASMC) in vitro. The migration assay was performed according to the Capsoni's method using transwell culture plates. PDGF, fibrinogen or 10% FCS significantly stimulated hASMC migration, however, omega-3 PUFA significantly inhibited PDGF-induced migration of hASMC. These results suggest that the inhibitory effect of omega-3 PUFA on cell migration may be an important aspect by which omega-3 PUFA exerts its antiatherosclerotic influence.

Television (TV) viewing is known to affect children's verbal abilities and other physical, cognitive, and emotional development in psychological studies. However, the brain structural development associated with TV viewing has never been investigated. Here we examined cross-sectional correlations between the duration of TV viewing and regional gray/white matter volume (rGMV/rWMV) among 133 boys and 143 girls as well as correlations between the duration of TV viewing and longitudinal changes that occurred a few years later among 111 boys and 105 girls. After correcting for confounding factors, we found positive effects of TV viewing on rGMV of the frontopolar and medial prefrontal areas in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, positive effects of TV viewing on rGMV/rWMV of areas of the visual cortex in cross-sectional analyses, and positive effects of TV viewing on rGMV of the hypothalamus/septum and sensorimotor areas in longitudinal analyses. We also confirmed negative effects of TV viewing on verbal intelligence quotient (IQ) in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. These anatomical correlates may be linked to previously known effects of TV viewing on verbal competence, aggression, and physical activity. In particular, the present results showed effects of TV viewing on the frontopolar area of the brain, which has been associated with intellectual abilities. Language: en

Introduction Like sleeping and eating habits, the study habits adopted by children when they are at home are important contributors to lifestyle and they affect cognitive ability. It has recently been reported that sleeping and eating habits change the brain structure of children. However, no research on the effect of study habits at home on the brain structure of children has been conducted thus far. We investigated the effects of study habits at home on the brain structures of healthy children by examining correlations between study time at home and changes in brain structure over the course of 3 years. Methods We used the brain magnetic resonance images of 229 healthy children aged 5.6–18.4 years and computed the changes (time 2–time 1) in regional gray matter and white matter volume (rWMV) using voxel-based morphometry. Whole-brain multiple regression analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between study time at home and changes in rWMV in the right superior frontal gyrus (SFG). Behaviorally, we found a significant positive correlation between study time at home and change in the verbal comprehension index (VCI), one of the subscales of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–third edition (WISC–III). Results and Conclusions Given that the SFG is involved in memory control and that the VCI measures abilities related to vocabulary, our results indicate that greater SFG involvement in the memorization component of longer study times may result in greater increases in the number of axons and more axon branching and myelination, causing plastic changes in the neural network involved in memory processes.

Using the eye-tracking method, the present study depicted pre- and post-head processing for simple scrambled sentences of head-final languages. Three versions of simple Japanese active sentences with ditransitive verbs were used: namely, (1) \(\text{ SO }_{\!1\!}\text{ O }_{\!2\!}\text{ V }\) canonical, (2) \(\text{ SO }_{\!2\!}\text{ O }_{\!1\!}\text{ V }\) single-scrambled, and (3) \(\text{ O }_{\!1\!}\text{ O }_{\!2\!}\text{ SV }\) double-scrambled order. First pass reading times indicated that the third noun phrase just before the verb in both single- and double-scrambled sentences required longer reading times compared to canonical sentences. Re-reading times (the sum of all fixations minus the first pass reading) showed that all noun phrases including the crucial phrase before the verb in double-scrambled sentences required longer re-reading times than those required for single-scrambled sentences; single-scrambled sentences had no difference from canonical ones. Therefore, a single filler-gap dependency can be resolved in pre-head anticipatory processing whereas two filler-gap dependencies require much greater cognitive loading than a single case. These two dependencies can be resolved in post-head processing using verb agreement information.

The effects of elevated glucose and aldose reductase inhibitor (ARI:ONO-2235) on nitric oxide (NO) production in cultured human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVEC) were evaluated. Aldose reductase and nitric oxide synthase(NOS) share NADPH as an obligate cofactor, therefore it is suggested that the enhanced of glucose flux (27.5 mM) by aldose reductase inhibited NO production by blunting NOS activity. However, the addition of ONO-2235 (100 μM) prevented the inhibition of [NO 2 − ] production. Since ARI decreases glucose-mediated inhibition of NO production in HUVEC, this agent might ameliorate endothelial function associated with diabetes.

The mechanisms responsible for the abnormalities in the vascular wall associated with long standing diabetes mellitus are incompletely understood. The aim of this investigation was to assess the effects of angiotensin II and high glucose on the production of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in human endothelial cells. For this purpose, a primary culture was obtained from fresh human umbilical cords by collagenase digestion of the vein interior. A high glucose medium increased the production of PDGF and a similar effect was observed by the addition of mannitol. These data are consistent with a stimulatory effect of glucose on PDGF that is mediated by the osmotic effect of this substance. Angiotensin II significantly increased PDGF in human endothelial cells and the effect was accompanied by a transient increase in cytosolic calcium. The angiotensin II-induced intracellular Ca2+ increases, PDGF production were completely abolished by saralasin and neomycin, respectively. We postulate that the increased production of PDGF by the vascular endothelium in response to high glucose and angiotensin II may participate in the development of the diabetic angiopathy.

A positive parenting style affects psychological and cognitive development in children. Neuroimaging studies revealed that a positive parenting style influenced brain structure in children. Parental praise is a concrete behavior observed in positive parenting. Although previous psychological studies revealed a positive effect of parental praise on children, little is known about the relationship between parental praise and brain structure in children. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to determine whether there was a correlation between the parental attitude towards praising their child and gray matter volume in the children (116 boys and 109 girls; mean age, 10.6 years old). We examined the correlation between regional gray matter volume and parental praise using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) following magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In addition, to confirm the positive effects of parental praise, we analyzed the correlation between the frequency of parental praise and personality traits in children. We showed that the parental attitude towards praising their child was significantly and positively correlated with the gray matter volume of the left posterior insular cortex in children. Moreover, we found a significant positive correlation between parental attitude towards praising their child and the personality traits of conscientiousness and openness to experience in the children. Prior studies said that gray matter volume in the posterior insula was correlated with empathy, and the functional connectivity between this area and the amygdala was associated with emotional regulation. Furthermore, the posterior insula relates to auditory function, and therefore, was likely involved in the processing of parental praise. Considering the possibility of experience-dependent plasticity, frequent parental praise would lead to increased posterior insular gray matter volume in children. Our study is the first to elucidate the relationship between a specific positive parenting behavior and brain structure in children.

Background We retrospectively analyzed hyaluronic acid (HA) concentrations in pleural fluid and evaluated its utility for the differential diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Methods Pleural fluid HA concentrations were measured in 334 patients, including 50, 48, 85, 18, 86, 6, and 41 patients with MPM, benign asbestos pleurisy (BAP), lung cancer (LC), other malignant conditions (OMCs), infectious pleuritis (IP), collagen disease (CD), and other conditions, respectively. Results The median (range) HA concentrations in pleural fluid were 78,700 (7920–2,630,000)ng/ml in the MPM group, 35,950 (900–152,000)ng/ml in the BAP group, 19,500 (2270–120,000)ng/ml in the LC group, 14,200 (900–101,000)ng/ml in the OMC group, 23,000 (900–230,000)ng/ml in the IP group, 24,600 (9550–80,800)ng/ml in the CD group, and 8140 (900–67,800)ng/ml in the other diseases group. HA levels were significantly higher in the MPM group than in the other groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed an area under the ROC curve value of 0.832 (95% confidence interval, 0.765–0.898) for the differential diagnosis of MPM. With a cutoff value of 100,000ng/ml, the sensitivity and specificity were 44.0 and 96.5%, respectively. In the MPM group, HA values were significantly higher for the epithelioid subtype than for the sarcomatous subtype ( p =0.007), and higher in earlier stages (I and II) than in advanced stages (III and IV) ( p =0.007). Conclusions A diagnosis of MPM should be strongly considered in patients with pleural fluid HA concentrations exceeding 100,000ng/ml.

Older children are more successful at producing unfamiliar, non-native speech sounds than younger children during the initial stages of learning. To reveal the neuronal underpinning of the age-related increase in the accuracy of non-native speech production, we examined the developmental changes in activation involved in the production of novel speech sounds using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Healthy right-handed children (aged 6–18 years) were scanned while performing an overt repetition task and a perceptual task involving aurally presented non-native and native syllables. Productions of non-native speech sounds were recorded and evaluated by native speakers. The mouth regions in the bilateral primary sensorimotor areas were activated more significantly during the repetition task relative to the perceptual task. The hemodynamic response in the left inferior frontal gyrus pars opercularis (IFG pOp) specific to non-native speech sound production (defined by prior hypothesis) increased with age. Additionally, the accuracy of non-native speech sound production increased with age. These results provide the first evidence of developmental changes in the neural processes underlying the production of novel speech sounds. Our data further suggest that the recruitment of the left IFG pOp during the production of novel speech sounds was possibly enhanced due to the maturation of the neuronal circuits needed for speech motor planning. This, in turn, would lead to improvement in the ability to immediately imitate non-native speech. Hum Brain Mapp 35:4079–4089, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

In this study, we examined linear and curvilinear correlations of fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and white matter volume with age by using brain structural and diffusion‐tensor magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a large number of healthy children and voxel‐based morphometry (VBM) and region‐of‐interest (ROI) analyses. We collected data by brain structural MRI in 246 healthy children, aged 5–18 years. FA and MD images were normalized using the normalization parameter of the corresponding structural MRI. Next, we analyzed the correlations between FA and age and between MD and age by estimating linear and logarithmic functions. We also analyzed the correlation between white matter volume and age by linear, quadratic, and cubic functions. Correlations between FA and age and between MD and age showed exponential trajectories in most ROIs in boys and girls, except for several fibers, such as the corpus callosum connecting the bilateral rectal gyri in boys. The correlation between white matter volume and age showed significant positive linear trajectories in most ROIs in boys and girls, except for a few fibers, such as the bilateral uncinate fasciculus. Additionally, maturational rates differed among major fibers, and in girls, the left superior longitudinal fasciculus, which connects the frontal and temporal lobes, showed a slower rate of maturation than other fibers. Our results may help to clarify the mechanisms of normal brain maturation from the viewpoint of brain white matter. Hum Brain Mapp, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A 62-year-old man with left chest pain had left pleural effusion pointed out on a chest radiograph. Chest CT scans showed multiple nodules on the left parietal pleura and pleural effusion. He was referred to our hospital and we performed thoracoscopic examination. Malignant pleural mesothelioma (biphasic type) was diagnosed, based on the pathological findings of a parietal nodular mass, including immunohistological analysis. Chemotherapy using carboplatin and pemetrexed reduced the size of tumor and left pleural effusion. This is a rare case with atypical CT findings of malignant pleural mesothelioma.