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[Purpose] Rotating hinge knee prostheses are often used in primary total knee arthroplasty. However, the biomechanics resulting from this treatment remain unexplored. This cross-sectional study compared patient data on gait kinetics and kinematics to assess the efficacy of primary total knee arthroplasty using a rotating hinge knee or other prostheses. [Participants and Methods] Thirty-three participants were assigned to the following groups: rotating hinge knee (n=7); cruciate-retaining prosthesis (n=7); untreated osteoarthritis (n=10); and young adults as a reference group (n=9). Participant data on biomechanical and spatiotemporal parameters were analyzed. [Results] The postoperative course of the rotating hinge knee group was not significantly longer than that of the cruciate-retaining prosthesis group. The knee varus angle and adduction moment of the rotating hinge knee group were significantly smaller than those of the untreated osteoarthritis group. Gait kinetics and kinematics were not different between the rotating hinge knee and cruciate-retaining prosthesis groups. [Conclusion] Participants who had undergone primary total knee arthroplasty with a rotating hinge knee prosthesis had worse preoperative conditions and demonstrated a similar postoperative gait as those who had undergone total knee arthroplasty with other prostheses. Our findings may be used to tailor rehabilitation programs for participants who have undergone total knee arthroplasty with a rotating hinge knee implant.

We quantitatively investigated temporal changes of macrophages and microglia (MΦ/MG) after focal infarction of the internal capsule using a macaque model we recently established. Immunoreactivity for Iba1, a general marker for MΦ/MG, in the periinfarct core gradually increased from 0 days to 2-3 weeks after infarction, and the increased immunoreactivity continued at least until 6 months; no study in rodents has reported increased Iba1-immunoreactive cells for so long. Retrograde atrophy or degeneration of neurons in layer V of the primary motor cortex, where the descending motor tract originates, was seen as secondary damage. Here we found that Iba1-positive MΦ/MG transiently increased in layer V during several weeks after the infarction. Therefore, the time course of MΦ/MG activation differs between the perilesional area and the remote brain area where secondary damage occurs to tissue initially preserved after the infarct. Detailed analyses using the functional phenotype markers CD68, CD86, and CD206, as well as cytokines released by cells with each phenotype, suggest an anti-inflammatory role for activated MΦ/MG both in the periinfarct core during the chronic phase and in the primary motor cortex.

Compensatory plastic changes in the remaining intact brain regions are supposedly involved in functional recovery following stroke. Previously, a compensatory increase in cortical activation occurred in the ventral premotor cortex (PMv), which contributed to the recovery of dexterous hand movement in a macaque model of unilateral internal capsular infarcts. Herein, we investigated the structural plastic changes underlying functional changes together with voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis of magnetic resonance imaging data and immunohistochemical analysis using SMI-32 antibody in a macaque model. Unilateral internal capsular infarcts were pharmacologically induced in 5 macaques, and another 5 macaques were used as intact controls for immunohistochemical analysis. Three months post infarcts, we observed significant increases in the gray matter volume (GMV) and the dendritic arborization of layer V pyramidal neurons in the contralesional rostral PMv (F5) as well as the primary motor cortex (M1). The histological analysis revealed shrinkage of neuronal soma and dendrites in the ipsilesional M1 and several premotor cortices, despite not always detecting GMV reduction by VBM analysis. In conclusion, compensatory structural changes occur in the contralesional F5 and M1 during motor recovery following internal capsular infarcts, and the dendritic growth of pyramidal neurons is partially correlated with GMV increase.

Because compensatory changes in brain activity underlie functional recovery after brain damage, monitoring of these changes will help to improve rehabilitation effectiveness. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has the potential to measure brain activity in freely moving subjects. We recently established a macaque model of internal capsule infarcts and an fNIRS system for use in the monkey brain. Here, we used these systems to study motor recovery in two macaques, for which focal infarcts of different sizes were induced in the posterior limb of the internal capsule. Immediately after the injection, flaccid paralysis was observed in the hand contralateral to the injected hemisphere. Thereafter, dexterous hand movements gradually recovered over months. After movement recovery, task-evoked hemodynamic responses increased in the ventral premotor cortex (PMv). The response in the PMv of the infarcted (i.e., ipsilesional) hemisphere increased in the monkey that had received less damage. In contrast, the PMv of the non-infarcted (contralesional) hemisphere was recruited in the monkey with more damage. A pharmacological inactivation experiment with muscimol suggested the involvement of these areas in dexterous hand movements during recovery. These results indicate that fNIRS can be used to evaluate brain activity changes crucial for functional recovery after brain damage.

The relationship of the Functional Reach Test (FRT) value with the Center of Pressure Excursion (COPE) and physical function remains unclear, and would be influenced by different population characteristics and movement patterns used in the FRT. Therefore, we explored the relationship between the FRT value and the COPE and physical function in healthy young and older individuals classified according to movement patterns. In 21 healthy young participants (42 sides) and 20 older participants (40 sides), three-dimensional motion analysis was performed during the FRT and physical function assessments. The participants were assigned to two clusters after performing a motion analysis during the FRT. Kinematic and kinetic parameters during the FRT and physical function assessment results were compared between the clusters for both groups. Correlation analysis was performed to investigate the relationships of the FRT value with COPE and physical function parameters in each cluster, in young and older individuals separately. The results showed that the hip strategies could be divided into two groups according to the degree of use (Small Hip Strategy, SHS Group; Large Hip Strategy, LHS Group). In the older SHS group, the FRT values were significantly correlated with the COPE (r = 0.75), toe grip strength (r = 0.62), and the five-times sit-to-stand test time (r = -0.52). In the older LHS group and in both groups of young individuals, there were no significant correlations of the FRT value with any parameters. The FRT value reflects the COPE and physical function only in older individuals using the SHS. This could explain previous discrepant results. As there is no simple relationship between the FRT value and physical function, it is important to include movement strategy assessment when using the FRT in clinical evaluations.

Background/Objective: The number of revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA) procedures performed worldwide is increasing. The rotating hinge knee type (RHK) is used for revision TKA. There has been no report on motion analysis of patients with RHK prosthesis. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the kinetics and kinematics during gait in patients who underwent revision TKA with an RHK prosthesis.Methods: This study had a cross-sectional design. The patients who underwent revision TKA with an RHK prosthesis (R-RHK; 14 patients, 24 knees), those who underwent unilateral primary TKA with a cruciate-retaining (CR) type prosthesis (uniCR; five patients, 5 knees), and those who underwent bilateral primary TKA with a CR type prosthesis (bilCR; 10 patients, 20 knees) were included. Their comfortable gait was analyzed. Spatiotemporal parameters and knee joint angle and moment were calculated. The knee joint angle and tibia translation were compared among the three groups using analysis of variance and a post-hoc Tukey test. The knee adduction moment was compared between groups by analysis of covariance controlling for gait speed.Results: Gait speed of the R-RHK group was significantly less than that of the other groups. The knee joint angle, knee adduction moment, and tibia translation were not different between the R-RHK, uniCR, and bilCR groups during gait and at the beginning of the stance phase.Conclusions: The gait of patients undergoing revision surgery using an RHK prosthesis because of aseptic loosening may have the same biomechanics as that of patients undergoing primary TKA using a different type of prosthesis.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) contains α-tomatine, a steroidal glycoalkaloid that contributes to the plant defense against pathogens and herbivores through its bitter taste and toxicity. It accumulates at high levels in all the plant tissues, especially in leaves and immature green fruits, whereas it decreases during fruit ripening through metabolic conversion to the nontoxic esculeoside A, which accumulates in the mature red fruit. This study aimed to identify the gene encoding a C-27 hydroxylase that is a key enzyme in the metabolic conversion of α-tomatine to esculeoside A. The E8 gene, encoding a 2-oxoglutalate-dependent dioxygenase, is well known as an inducible gene in response to ethylene during fruit ripening. The recombinant E8 was found to catalyze the C-27 hydroxylation of lycoperoside C to produce prosapogenin A and is designated as Sl27DOX. The ripe fruit of E8/Sl27DOX-silenced transgenic tomato plants accumulated lycoperoside C and exhibited decreased esculeoside A levels compared with the wild-type (WT) plants. Furthermore, E8/Sl27DOX deletion in tomato accessions resulted in higher lycoperoside C levels in ripe fruits than in WT plants. Thus, E8/Sl27DOX functions as a C-27 hydroxylase of lycoperoside C in the metabolic detoxification of α-tomatine during tomato fruit ripening, and the efficient detoxification by E8/27DOX may provide an advantage in the domestication of cultivated tomatoes.

We developed an fNIRS system for monitoring macaque cerebral motor activity during voluntary movements without head fixation. fNIRS data at 27 channels in 7.5 mm spatial interval were calibrated by simulating light propagation through the macaque cranial tissues. The subject was instructed to repeatedly (75 times) retrieve a food pellet with alternating left or right hands from a food well for each session. We detected significant increases in oxygenated hemoglobin (Hb) and decrease in deoxygenated Hb in the primary motor area (M1) contralateral to the hand used. In more rostral and ventral regions in both hemispheres, the hemodynamic similarly changed regardless of used hand. Direct feeding to the mouth eliminated activity in the hand M1 whereas that at bilateral ventral regions (mouth M1 area) remained. Statistical analyses for the hemodynamics between left/right-hand use revealed the location of each hand M1 in either hemisphere. In these regions, the maximum amplitude and time of the maximum amplitude in the hemodynamic response evoked by food retrieval were highly correlated with the time associated with food retrieval. We could assign each channel to an appropriate functional motor area, providing proof of principle for future studies involving brain damage models in freely moving macaque monkeys.

Tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum) contain steroidal glycoalkaloid α-tomatine, which functions as a chemical barrier to pathogens and predators. α-Tomatine accumulates in all tissues and at particularly high levels in leaves and immature green fruits. The compound is toxic and causes a bitter taste, but its presence decreases through metabolic conversion to nontoxic esculeoside A during fruit ripening. This study identifies the gene encoding a 23-hydroxylase of α-tomatine, which is a key to this process. Some 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases were selected as candidates for the metabolic enzyme, and Solyc02g062460, designated Sl23DOX, was found to encode α-tomatine 23-hydroxylase. Biochemical analysis of the recombinant Sl23DOX protein demonstrated that it catalyzes the 23-hydroxylation of α-tomatine and the product spontaneously isomerizes to neorickiioside B, which is an intermediate in α-tomatine metabolism that appears during ripening. Leaves of transgenic tomato plants overexpressing Sl23DOX accumulated not only neorickiioside B but also another intermediate, lycoperoside C (23-O-acetylated neorickiioside B). Furthermore, the ripe fruits of Sl23DOX-silenced transgenic tomato plants contained lower levels of esculeoside A but substantially accumulated α-tomatine. Thus, Sl23DOX functions as α-tomatine 23-hydroxylase during the metabolic processing of toxic α-tomatine in tomato fruit ripening and is a key enzyme in the domestication of cultivated tomatoes.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum), a worldwide major food crop, produces the toxic, bitter tasting solanidane glycoalkaloids α-solanine and α-chaconine. Controlling levels of glycoalkaloids is an important focus on potato breeding. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) contains a bitter spirosolane glycoalkaloid, α-tomatine. These glycoalkaloids are biosynthesized from cholesterol via a partly common pathway, although the mechanisms giving rise to the structural differences between solanidane and spirosolane remained elusive. Here we identify a 2-oxoglutarate dependent dioxygenase, designated as DPS (Dioxygenase for Potato Solanidane synthesis), that is a key enzyme for solanidane glycoalkaloid biosynthesis in potato. DPS catalyzes the ring-rearrangement from spirosolane to solanidane via C-16 hydroxylation. Evolutionary divergence of spirosolane-metabolizing dioxygenases contributes to the emergence of toxic solanidane glycoalkaloids in potato and the chemical diversity in Solanaceae., One goal of potato breeding is to reduce the accumulation of toxic solanidane glycoalkaloids. Here the authors show that potato DPS, a 2-oxoglutarate dependent dioxygenase, catalyzes ring rearrangement of a biosynthetic precursor to differentiate solanidanes from spirosolanes that are found in other solanaceous plants.

Disaster has a negative impact on health conditions, especially on those of temporary housing residents. Health status has a close relationship with physical activity and performance. However, few reports have assessed physical performance among residents living in temporary housing. In this study, we compared physical capabilities between the elderly who evacuated to temporary housing and those who stayed in their own homes after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Subjects were recruited from those over 65 years of age who participated in the medical check-ups for temporary housing residents (TH group) or check-ups for residents of downtown areas (control group) in Soma City, Fukushima, in 2012. The subjects underwent grip strength, one-leg standing (OLS), and timed up and go tests (TUG). In total, 1890 participants were recruited. The TH group showed significantly stronger grip strength than that of the control group. On the other hand, the TH group showed weaker standing stability, according to decreased OLS and increased TUG scores. We revealed that standing stability was impaired among elderly temporary housing residents 1.5 years after the disaster. Disaster responders should take into account the health risks associated with living in temporary housing., Highlights • Physical performance were assessed a year after the Great East Japan Earthquake. • Standing stability among residents living in temporary housing was deteriorated. • Physical inactivity was cited as a reason for the decreased standing stability. • Health risks associated with living in temporary housing should be noted.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is suitable for measuring brain functions during neurorehabilitation because of its portability and less motion restriction. However, it is not known whether neural reconstruction can be observed through changes in cerebral hemodynamics. In this study, we modified an fNIRS system for measuring the motor function of awake monkeys to study cerebral hemodynamics during neurorehabilitation. Computer simulation was performed to determine the optimal fNIRS source–detector interval for monkey motor cortex. Accurate digital phantoms were constructed based on anatomical magnetic resonance images. Light propagation based on the diffusion equation was numerically calculated using the finite element method. The source–detector pair was placed on the scalp above the primary motor cortex. Four different interval values (10, 15, 20, 25 mm) were examined. The results showed that the detected intensity decreased and the partial optical path length in gray matter increased with an increase in the source-detector interval. We found that 15 mm is the optimal interval for the fNIRS measurement of monkey motor cortex. The preliminary measurement was performed on a healthy female macaque monkey using fNIRS equipment and custom-made optodes and optode holder. The optodes were attached above bilateral primary motor cortices. Under the awaking condition, 10 to 20 trials of alternated single-sided hand movements for several seconds with intervals of 10 to 30 s were performed. Increases and decreases in oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin concentration were observed in a localized area in the hemisphere contralateral to the moved forelimb.

Correlation between the dopant concentration of p-type Si and the work function obtained from the onset of the secondary electron (SE) spectrum was investigated. To measure the slight difference of the onset of the SE spectrum precisely, effects of the distortion of the electrostatic field due to the bias voltage applied to the sample were corrected. The present results have revealed that the measurement of the work function by the SE method is applicable to sputter depth profiling of the dopant concentration in semiconductor devices, using the Auger electron spectroscopy system.

A series of experiments was carried out in which boron minerals were precipitated from pH- and chemical composition-controlled solutions at 25°C and boron isotope fractionation accompanying the mineral deposition was measured. Borax, sassolite and sborgite were synthesized from aqueous boric acid-sodium hydroxide solutions. Borax was obtained from solutions with higher pH and sassolite from solutions with lower pH, irrespective of the mole ratio of B and Na in the solution. The fractionation factor, S, defined as S = (11B/10B)mineral/(11B/10B)solution increases with increasing the pH of the solution for both borax and sassolite. A cross-over point at which S = 1 was found at about pH = 9.5 for borax, while S was always larger than unity for sassolite. The present results of boron isotope fractionation are consistent with theoretical prediction of equilibrium isotope effects, although the experimental equilibrium constant of the boron isotope exchange reaction between B(OH)3 and B(OH)4– at 25°C is larger than that theoretically predicted (1.03–1.05 compared to 1.0194).