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Various disorders can cause acute onset ataxia including those that have toxic/metabolic, traumatic, neoplastic, vascular, demyelinating/dysmyelinating, infectious, postinfectious and genetic features. We present a case of postseptic acute ataxia. A 72-year-old woman was diagnosed with septic shock secondary to acute obstructive suppurative cholangitis. A blood sample for bacterial culture was positive for

Multilocus microsatellite typing was performed on 124 strains of Microsporum canis, which is the most prevalent causative fungus of zoonotic dermatophytosis, isolated in Japan between 1974 and 1981. The strains had been enclosed in glass ampoules by freeze dried process. Genotypes were detected by capillary electrophoresis targeted on six microsatellite regions, and 19 genotypes were found among these 124 strains. The most frequent genotype, which had been reported as genotype L in a previous study, comprised 56 of the 124 strains (45.2%), although genotype L was reported to comprise only six of 165 strains (3.6%) isolated between 2010 and 2017. A decrease in the prevalence of genotype L may have led to the retreat of M. canis infection in 1996 to 2006. On the other hand, genotype A, the second most predominant genotype in the aforementioned studies of strains isolated between 2010 and 2017, comprised just four of 124 strains (3.2%) in the present study. Thus, these studies reveal that prevalences of some major genotypes have changed over the last 40 years. Genotype consistency of strains was proven in all of 12 familial cases, each of which was infected with a single genotype. We emphasize the importance of fungal culture collection for further studies with new techniques in the future.

Multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT) was performed on 93 strains of Microsporum canis (M. canis) isolated between 2012 and 2017 from 75 cats, 8 dogs, and 10 pet owners. These strains were derived from 2 major reservoirs: commercial breeding facilities and pet shops (PS), and stray cats and pet cats that went outdoors and came in contact with stray cats (Outdoor). Six microsatellite markers were used for genotyping. These 93 strains included 22 genotypes; 11 had been previously detected in Japan while the other 11 were new. Strains belonging to the previously reported genotypes, P and A, were distributed widely throughout Japan. Genotype P was the most frequent, accounting for 37 (39.8%) of the 93 strains. Most were derived from Outdoor sources. Genotype A was the second most frequent (11 of 93 strains, 11.8%). Most of the genotype A strains were derived from the PS reservoir. All new genotypes were detected in isolates from cats. Many of these were derived from the Outdoor reservoir. Consistency of infection was observed in 18 of the 19 familial cases. These findings indicate that genotypes differ in strains derived from PS and Outdoor reservoirs. MLMT genotyping is useful for tracking the routes of spread and transmission of M. canis in Japan.

S9.4 Free oral presentations (late breaking), September 23, 2022, 4:45 PM - 6:15 PM Objectives From a series of epidemiological surveys by the Japanese Society for Medical Mycology, it is estimated that the number of Microsporum canis (M. canis) infections in Japan has increased in recent years. The purpose of this study was to observe this trend by multilocus microsatellite (MLMT) analysis, a sensitive molecular marker. Methods DNA was extracted from 103 strains of M. canis isolated between 2017 and 2022 from Japanese patients and pet animals. Using the DNA, PCR targeting six individual microsatellites was performed. The size of each of these amplicons was measured by capillary electrophoresis, and their genotypes were determined from the combinations of their sizes. Results A total of 27 genotypes were detected among the 103 strains. Among the 27, 15 had been reported in studies of strains isolated before 2017, whereas 12 were newly determined in the present study. The genotype most frequently detected in the present study was genotype A, being present in 28 of the 103 strains. By geographical region, genotype A was found in strains distributed over a wide area of Japan. Genotype A strains have been isolated from cats purchased at pet shops and/or owners of these pet animals. The highest incidence of genotype in a study of strains isolated in 2010-2014 was also genotype A. Therefore, a large number of M. canis infections originating from pet shops and animal breeders are likely prevalent in Japan today. Furthermore, a relatively large number of strains were identified as genotypes rare or absent in 2010-2014. Conclusions The increase in the number of M. canis infections in recent years may be the increase in infections of different genotypes, in addition to the base of constant infections by genotype A, by the present MLMT analysis.

The Correspondence of Tiglath-pileser III and Sargon II from Calah/Nimrud. By Mikko Luukko. State Archives of Assyria, vol. 19. Helsinki: Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, 2012. Pp. lxxiv + 287, 3 plts., illus. $89.50 (paper).

Various disorders can cause acute onset ataxia including those that have toxic/metabolic, traumatic, neoplastic, vascular, demyelinating/dysmyelinating, infectious, postinfectious and genetic features. We present a case of postseptic acute ataxia. A 72-year-old woman was diagnosed with septic shock secondary to acute obstructive suppurative cholangitis. A blood sample for bacterial culture was positive for Klebsiella pneumoniae. Thus, we initiated antibiotics and intravenous immunoglobulin therapies to control the infection. We later added extracorporeal endotoxin removal with a polymyxin B immobilised fibre cartridge for endotoxin shock. The patient’s condition improved soon after endotoxin removal. Mildly slurred and explosive speech with limb and truncal ataxia, which improved gradually, developed shortly afterwards. Serum samples obtained on day 15 after admission were positive for anti-GD1b IgG antibody. The clinical course of monophasic illness with good recovery, neurological findings and the appearance of anti-GD1b antibody suggest that this case is a variant of Miller-Fisher syndrome.

In a 2012-2014 epidemiological study of feline and canine dermatophytoses in Japan, we investigated the prevalence of fungi among 296 cats and 170 dogs treated at a veterinary clinic and 51 cats and dogs at an animal shelter at Fukui City in Japan. Microsporum canis was isolated from only one cat out of the 517 animals. Also, from 2012 to 2017, we analyzed isolates from 76 cats and 15 dogs with dermatophytoses at 14 veterinary clinics across 10 prefectures in Honshu and Shikoku. M. canis was the cause for 85 of the cases and Microsporum gypseum for the other six. M. canis infection routes in cats are thought to include stray cats as well as breeding facilities and pet shops, whereas for dogs, only breeding facilities and pet shops. Tinea was found in 18.7% (14/75) of the owners of these animals. We showed that microsatellite genotyping is useful for molecular epidemiological investigations such as determination of infection routes of M. canis.

Une des rares decouvertes epigraphiques de la saison 2009 des fouilles japonaises sur le Tell Taban est une tablette fragmentaire scellee, comportant un contrat d’adoption (Tab T09-47). Le texte, redige dans le style caracteristique des documents de « Hana » et scelle par Ahuni, « roi du pays de Hana », peut etre date des 15e-14e siecles. Il s’agit du second texte de type « Hana » decouvert a Tell Taban, apres la donation royale du 18e siecle (Tab T06-4). Ces textes montrent que la ville de Ṭabatum (Tell Taban) suivait la tradition scribale de « Hana » qui domina dans le Moyen Euphrate et le Bas Habur durant une longue periode. La contribution presente l’edition du contrat d’adoption, et discute plusieurs points : la lignee royale du royaume de « Hana », la distribution geographico-chronologique de la tradition scribale de « Hana », et les particularites des deux contrats de type « Hana » de Tell Taban ainsi que leurs implications historiques.

Agriculture and animal husbandry were first carried out about 8000 BC in Syria-Palestine and northern Mesopotamia, where dry farming was possible. These new life skills were introduced to southern Mesopotamia about 5000 BC, when agriculture was made possible by the use of irrigation technology. After that, however, southern Mesopotamian culture assumed the leading role in Mesopotamian civilization. Toward the end of the fourth millennium BC, the city – that is, the concentration of population in association with large buildings and a fortification system – came into existence in southern Mesopotamia. The world’s oldest writing system was invented in the city of Uruk in about 3200 BC as a new means of recording and communication. This first writing in human history is attested by clay tablets inscribed with proto-cuneiform (linear-pictographic) signs discovered from the temple complex at Uruk. The documents were various administrative records related to the city, where people of different occupations and classes lived under a hierarchy headed by a ruler and temple authority and many kinds of goods and products were apparently assembled, sorted and distributed. Slightly later, from the very end of the fourth millennium BC onward, word lists, including occupations and the names of cities, were also made alongside the administrative texts. Writing then spread rapidly to the cities of southern Mesopotamia surrounding Uruk, such as Adab, Umma, Jamdat-Nasr near Kish, and then further to a broader area in Mesopotamia and Syria.

Potassic-ferropargasite, ideally KCa2(Fe42+Al)Si6Al2O22(OH)2, is a new member of the amphibole group occurring in a schistose calcareous hornfels from Kabutoichiba, Kameyama, Mie Prefecture, central Japan. The amphibole occurs as black subhedral to anhedral crystals, up to about 700 μm long, associated with calcite, biotite, K-feldspar, plagioclase, scapolite, chlorite and titanite. Potassic-ferropargasite is optically biaxial negative with α = 1.680(2), β = 1.690 (calc.), γ = 1.698(2) and 2V = 80-90°. The mineral is monoclinic, space group C2/m, with refined unit-cell parameters a = 9.937(5), b = 18.108(5), c = 5.335(4) A, β = 105.30(3)°, V = 926.0(9) A3, Z = 2. The three strongest lines in the X-ray powder-diffraction pattern [d in A (I) hkl] are 2.72 (100) 151, 8.48 (81) 110 and 2.61 (59) 061. Electron-microprobe gave SiO2 38.08, TiO2 1.92, Al2O3 15.12, Cr2O3 0.44, FeO 19.96, MnO 0.22, MgO 6.22, CaO 11.73, Na2O 1.57, K2O 2.74, F 0.13, Cl not detected, O = F + Cl -0.05, total 98.08 wt%, corresponding to (K0.54Na0.42)Σ0.96(Ca1.95Na0.05)Σ2.00(Fe2+2.59Mg1.44Al0.67Ti0.22Cr0.05Mn0.03)Σ5.00(Si5.91Al2.09)Σ8.00O22(OH1.94F0.06)Σ2.00 on the basis of O = 23, assuming OH + F + Cl = 2. The crystal structure of the clinoamphibole type was refined to an R of 6.5%.

A pyrosol process was successfully applied for the preparation of a flexible, conductive, and transparent inorganic film, a tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) film lined with a thin mica layer. This flexible heat-resistant ITO-mica film exhibited high conductivity and transparency, comparable to ITO deposited on glass substrate. The minimum radius of bending for the film, without any recognizable change in the conductivity and appearance, was 8 mm. The ITO deposited on mica showed a large (222) diffraction peak with a smaller (400) peak, in contrast to ITO deposited with (400) orientation on an ordinary glass substrate. Using the ITO-mica film, a prototype model of a flexible organic light emitting diode was fabricated.

The inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III (744-727 BC) have attracted scholarly interest since the very dawn of Assyriology, with the first discoveries at Nimrud by Layard in the mid-19th century. The search for new evidence for this Assyrian monarch, who played a crucial role in stories told in the Bible, was of prime importance in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Since then, it has become fully apparent that his reign marked the beginning of the imperial phase of Assyria, an...

Article, THIN SOLID FILMS. 484(1-2): 272-277 (2005)

Amphibole whiskers showing topological forms and frost column of quartz were found in association with hedenbergite crystals in a druse of skarn at Kakino mine, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Both selectively grow from thin layers formed on the surfaces of Fe-rich portion of early formed hedenbergite crystals. Most whiskers occur in bundles of straight, helical, coil, curl, ribbon and rope forms. Single whiskers constituting these bundles are sub-micron size in thickness and millimeter to centimeter size in length, with aspect ratio attaining more than 1000, and are twisted. Micro-area XRD analyses indicate that the whiskers are crystalline, and not in amorphous state, in spite of their topological forms. Quartz layers showing fibrous texture, closely resembling frost column in form and texture, also occur in association with hedenbergite crystals and amphibole whiskers. Both amphibole whiskers and quartz frost columns nucleated and grew in layers formed on Fe-rich portions of hedenbergite, which was selectively reacted with S, H 2 O and SiO 2 containing vapor phase. Based on these observations, the growth mechanism and the genesis of such unusual morphology are discussed. Essentially similar mechanism as vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) mechanism is suggested for amphibole whiskers. The same mechanism as for the formation of ice frost column is applicable to the formation of quartz frost column.

Magnesiosadanagaite, ideally NaCa 2 [Mg 3 (A1, Fe 3+ ) 2 ]Si 5 A1 3 O 22 (OH) 2 , is a new member of the amphibole group occurring as rims of zoned amphibole in rock samples from the contact aureole in Kasuga-mura, central Japan. The amphibole is associated with phlogopite, titanite, calcite, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite, and composed of an [4] A1-poorer core and [4] A1-richer rim. The core and rim are classified into pargasite [ [4] A1 = 1.84–2.19 atoms per formula unit (apfu); for O = 23] and pargasite-magnesiosadanagaite ( [4] A1 = 2.45–2.84 apfu), respectively. Both have relatively high [A] Na (0.67–0.96 apfu) and low K content ( [A] Na (0.70–0.92 apfu) and low K (0.09–0.28 apfu) values of magnesiosadanagaite refute the view that high K substitution at the A site is an essential feature of Si-poor calcic amphiboles. The crystal structure of magnesiosadanagaite was refined for two compositionally different samples. Magnesiosadanagaite has the lowest O(5)-O(6)-O(5) angles (160.4° and 161.8°) ever reported in C 2 m amphiboles, indicating maximal kinking of the double-chain of tetrahedra.

This paper examines stylistic changes and variants in the Assyrian annalistic texts written in the ninth century B. C. and discusses their historical-ideological background.Toward the end of the second millennium B. C., Assyrian scribes started to compose royal inscriptions in various annalistic styles. In the beginning of the ninth century B. C., each campaign record included in the text was dated by a limmu, i. e. a year eponym, by which every year was named in Assyria from the Old Assyrian period onward. Annals in the limmu-dating style reached their most mature form with the Annals of Ashurnasirpal II.The first four annalistic texts of his son, Shalmaneser III, were composed in a similar form, using the limmus. After that, however, the royal historiographer produced annals in a new style, with one campaign recounted each year with the heading: ina x paleya “in my xth regnal year.” This style, probably invented under the influence of the Babylonian dating system, emphasizes the king's unremitting yearly activities.Composing annals in this style, however, encountered difficulties, when revised versions were compiled towards the end of Shalmaneser's reign. First, the deeds of the king's commander had to be inserted into the texts in order to fill the record in years in which the commander lead the army in place of the king, who could not do it in person. Thus, the royal annals deviated from the essential form of solely recounting the res gestae of the king. Secondly, the chronological ambiguity in the concept palu, which originally means “turn, ” not “a year, ” caused some defective chronological presentations in later years of the reign. These difficulties were overcome by the invention of still another type of annals in the reign of Shamshi-Adad V, in which each campaign account was headed by ina x girriya “in my xth campaign.”

The effects of a novel pyrimidine herbicide, NS-245852 [2-chloro-6-fluorophenyl-4-(trifluoromethyl)thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2-yl-ketone], on mitosis in oat (Avena sativa L. cv. Zenshin) root tips were investigated by using light and immunofluorescence microscopy. The root growth was strongly inhibited at 10−7 mol L−1 of NS-245852, and swollen root tips were induced at 5 × 10−8 mol L−1. As observed by the use of light microscopy, the herbicide produced disrupted mitosis and large polynucleate cells in the meristematic root tissue. These symptoms were similar to those of mitotic disrupter herbicides. The immunofluorescence microscopy studies of the root tip cells treated for 30 min revealed that spindle fibers and the preprophase band were reduced, although kinetochore fibers and the phragmoplast were not affected. Kinetochore fibers remained as small fluorescence spots, and the phragmoplast disappeared after a 3 h treatment. No microtubule arrays were observed by a longer treatment (longer than 3 h). Among the microtubule arrays, spindle fibers and the preprophase band were found to be the most sensitive to the herbicide, whereas kinetochore fibers were the most resistant. The phragmoplast was intermediate. Thus, the primary action of NS-245852 is the inhibition of polymerization of tubulin into microtubules.

Using parvalbumin (PV)-immunocytochemistry, we identified the human primary auditory field (PAF) for the first time. The first gyrus of the right Heschl was identified, and a serial perpendicular cut to the gyrus was made. PV-immunoreactive neuropils delineated four zones, as have been described in monkeys. Unlike with conventional staining, zone 1, characterized by intense immunostaining, corresponded to the koniocortex (PAF), while zone 2, characterized by moderate immunostaining around zone 1, to the parakoniocortex. PV-immunocytochemistry was a useful way to identify PAF in formaline-fixed archival human brain tissue.

The hyperbranched polymer 2 was produced via triphenylphosphine initiated polymerization of the acrylate monomer 1 containing two hydroxy groups. The reaction resulting in 2 is based on a Michael-type addition followed by a proton-transfer process. The molecular weights evaluated by VPO measurements were vanging between 1 170–2 700 g/mol. The results of the methanolysis experiments of the polymers were used to determine the degrees of branching, that ranged between 0.45 and 0.60. In this polymerization, the hydroxy groups of the monomer and of the polymer are latent propagating species, which are converted into the corresponding anions, which are the actual propagating species active during the proton-transfer reactions. The proton-transfer occur frequently during this polymerization in order to afford the formation of hyperbranched polymers.

The setting-up of royal monuments in the course of royal expeditions is a phenomenon familiar in the history of ancient Mesopotamia. Among the royal records of various Mesopotamian rulers, the inscriptions of Shalmaneser III, king of Assyria (859-824 B. C.), are especially informative on this subject. Over fifty references of this kind in his inscriptions represent twenty historical cases of the erection of one or more monuments. In this paper I shall examine these references and discuss some aspects of the phenomenon.The monument is referred to as the “image (salmu)” of the king in all cases but one, where it is described as a “stela (asumettu).” The term salmu itself can denote three types of object: (1) a three-dimensional royal statue, (2) a free-standing stela bearing a relief of the royal figure, or (3) a relief engraved on a rock face (i. e. a rock relief). Nevertheless, on the basis of archaeological and iconographic evidence, it may be supposed that the monuments, especially those set up in the open, were usually stelae and rock reliefs rather than statues in the round. Some evidence indicates that the text accompanying the royal image was usually a short commemorative inscription, not a long text of the king's standard annals as found on various objects unearthed in Assyrian capitals.The monuments were placed at the most distant points in the course of the campaign, and were designed to perpetuate the king's arrival at the most remote places. The places chosen can be classified into two categories: (1) at conspicuous geographical features with no associated settlements (mountains, sea coast, river source, etc.); (2) in cities, especially in their sacred places (i. e. temples, etc.). Monuments, especially royal images, erected in the second type of place must have represented the Assyrian king as a worshipper in the local sanctuary. He was thus associated by his image with every act of worship performed there, both as the earthly representative of the gods and as a participant in every favour they might grant. Simultaneously, the image must have reminded the local elite of their relationship with the Assyrian overlord when they came to the place in order to take an oath before the gods or for other purposes.

A retrospective longitudinal study of autopsy cases was performed in order to investigate the time course of ventricular dilatation and brain atrophy in normal individuals and patients with Alzheimer-type dementia (ATD) subjects over 70 years of age. The brains of eight non-demented individuals with no neurological or psychiatric illness (normal subjects, aged between 73 and 91 years), and the brains of seven ATD subjects (aged 68–96 years) were studied. The clinical records, including computed tomographic (CT) films, and autopsy findings were examined to eliminate subjects with conditions other than ATD. The rate of ventricular dilatation and brain atrophy was determined by volumetric measurement using serial CT films. Alzheimer-type dementia was diagnosed on the basis of clinical findings, the presence of laminar cortical degeneration of the medial temporal cortex, and the density of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Ventricular dilatation was not detected in the normal subjects but was detected in the ATD patients during the follow-up period. Brain atrophy was detected in both groups of subjects. However, the mean rate of brain atrophy of the ATD subjects was four times greater than that in the normal subjects. In addition, brain atrophy was accompanied by ventricular dilatation in all of the ATD patients, but was not evident in six of the eight normal subjects. Thus, the rate of ventricular dilatation was correlated with that of brain atrophy in the ATD patients, but not in the normal subjects. These results show that after 70 years of age: (i) the ventricular dilatation in normal subjects probably does not progress; (ii) brain atrophy in most normal subjects may continue; and (iii) rapidly progressive brain atrophy with ventricular dilatation is probably a common characteristic of ATD patients.

A study was performed to determine whether the thickness of the cerebral cortex remains unchanged during agerelated brain atrophy in the normal elderly (physiological brain atrophy of the elderly). Thirty autopsied brains from normal subjects (normal brains; patient age 65–96 years) and two from patients with Alzheimer-type dementia (ATD brains; patient age 90 and 101 years) were analyzed. Volumes of the fresh brain and intracranial cavity were measured at autopsy to estimate the degree of brain atrophy using the ratio of fresh brain volume to intracranial cavity volume (BV/ICV ratio). Each brain was then fixed, and sliced coronally at 1.0 cm intervals. Each cut surface was photographed, and input to a personal computer. Then, the cross-sectional areas of the cortex and the white matter, and the perimeter of the cortex were measured to calculate the volumes of the cortex and the white matter. For normal brains, the cortical thickness was constant (0.27 ± 0.01 cm), regardless of age and the BV/ICV ratio. In addition, the volume ratio of the cortex to the white matter remained unchanged, regardless of the brain volume or BV/ICV ratio. These results show that the cortical thickness remains constant regardless of the degree of brain atrophy or cortical atrophy. In the two ATD brains, the cortical thickness was 0.23 and 0.21 cm, being less than that of any of the normal brains. Thus, the mean cortical thickness remains unchanged in physiological brain atrophy of the elderly, and a decrease in cortical thickness can be a pathological phenomenon.

Les traversees de l'Euphrate effectuees par Shalmaneser III (IXe S.av. J.-C.), dans le but d'assujetir les etats voisins, ont ete transcrites dans les annales royales. L'A etudie la comptabilite de ces voyages notamment les methodes employees par l'historiographe royal. En appendice, il propose une etude epigraphique du monolithe de Kurkh sur lequel est grave la comptabilite des traversees realisees au cours de la sixieme annee du regne du souverain assyrien.

We investigated seven brains from patients 99-105 years of age with a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer-type dementia (ATD). The pathological findings were as follows. 1) These cases could be divided into two groups: cases with localized cortical atrophy in the medial part of the temporal lobe, and a case with diffuse atrophy in the cerebral cortex. Atrophied cortex in both groups showed laminar degeneration consisting of neuronal loss, neuropil loosening and astrocytosis resulting in fibrillary gliosis, which was particularly marked in the 2nd and 3rd layers of the cerebral cortex. In contrast, the structure of the six cortical layers was preserved when there was no laminar degeneration. Laminar degeneration correlated with cortical atrophy. 2) Cases with localized atrophy were further divided into two groups: group 1 (4 cases) showed small numbers of senile plaques (SPs) and large numbers of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs' in CA1 of the hippocamupus, subiculum, and parahippohcampul gyrus, while group 2 (2 cases) showed widespread and numerous SPs and NFTs in the cerebral cortex. The distribution of SPs and NFTs in group 2 was similar to that of the case (group 3) with diffuse cortical atrophy. It was considered that group 2 was limbic type ATD and that group 3 was neocortical type ATD, because both groups met our pathological diagnostic criteria ATD. In contrast, group 1 could not be regarded as ATD because the numbers of SPs and NFTs were below those found in ATD, even though this group showed laminar degeneration the same as that of groups 2 and 3. It therefore is likely that group 1 is a unique type of degenerative dementia, pathogenetically different from ATD.