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Most of the attention currently focused on endocrine-active chemicals is directed to their effects on the development of offspring exposed to them in utero or during the neonatal period. Pregnant Crj:CD(SD)IGS rats were given ethinyl estradiol (EE) orally in doses of 0.5-50 μg/kg/day from gestational day 7 to postnatal day 18, and their offspring were examined for its effects. Our previous study according to a similar protocol demonstrated the occurrence of cleft phallus in the female offspring exposed to 50 μg/kg of EE in utero and during the lactation period. The present study was designed to assess (1) the reproducibility of the induction of cleft phallus, (2) the fertility of female rats with cleft phallus, and (3) whether any delayed effects, possibly delayed anovulation, were induced. At 50 μg/kg cleft phallus was observed in almost all of the female offspring, and slight retardation of body weight gain was detected in both sexes. At 15-17 weeks of age the animals with cleft phallus could copulate and had fertility comparable to the control group. At 6 months of age, on the other hand, 6/8 of the female offspring at 50 μg/kg exhibited abnormal cyclicity, including persistent estrus, and histological examination revealed follicular cysts and absence of corpora lutea in the ovaries of the rats with persistent estrus. These findings are consistent with delayed anovulation syndrome. The results suggest that observation of cyclicity at 6 months old is able to detect possible delayed ovarian dysfunction induced by perinatal exposure to chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Small mesenteric hiatal hernias (SMHHs) are defined as a small group of internal hernias (IHs) that frequently diagnosed in children. However, SMHHs are relatively rare in adults. Bowel loop herniation via an abnormal mesenteric defect can lead to strangulated intestinal obstruction. Congenital SMHHs are commonly observed in pediatric patients, with some cases involving neonatal death., Case Presentation: A 24-year-old healthy male patient visited our hospital with a 2-day history of a sudden onset lower abdominal pain. He was initially diagnosed with enteritis. However, his symptoms worsened, and he was brought to our hospital. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan showed formation of a closed loop in the small intestine within the pelvis and signs of ischemia. As the patient was diagnosed with small bowel obstruction (SBO) caused by IH, emergency laparoscopic surgery was performed to loosen the obstruction. The patient was found to have ascites and small-bowel necrosis. A part of the small intestine that measured 30 cm was strangulated via a large-diameter defect (17 × 11 cm) in the ileal mesentery. Via a small abdominal incision, the necrotic bowel was resected, and the mesenteric defect was repaired., Conclusion: SMHHs are rare in adults, and they should be considered as potential causes of strangulated intestinal obstruction in adults without a history of laparotomy or trauma., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: To evaluate a vendor-agnostic multiparametric mapping scheme based on 3D quantification using an interleaved Look-Locker acquisition sequence with a T2 preparation pulse (3D-QALAS) for whole-brain T1, T2, and proton density (PD) mapping., Methods: This prospective, multi-institutional study was conducted between September 2021 and February 2022 using five different 3T systems from four prominent MRI vendors. The accuracy of this technique was evaluated using a standardized MRI system phantom. Intra-scanner repeatability and inter-vendor reproducibility of T1, T2, and PD values were evaluated in 10 healthy volunteers (6 men; mean age ± SD, 28.0 ± 5.6 y) who underwent scan-rescan sessions on each scanner (total scans = 100). To evaluate the feasibility of 3D-QALAS, nine patients with multiple sclerosis (nine women; mean age ± SD, 48.2 ± 11.5 y) underwent imaging examination on two 3T MRI systems from different manufacturers., Results: Quantitative maps obtained with 3D-QALAS showed high linearity (R 2  = 0.998 and 0.998 for T1 and T2, respectively) with respect to reference measurements. The mean intra-scanner coefficients of variation for each scanner and structure ranged from 0.4% to 2.6%. The mean structure-wise test-retest repeatabilities were 1.6%, 1.1%, and 0.7% for T1, T2, and PD, respectively. Overall, high inter-vendor reproducibility was observed for all parameter maps and all structure measurements, including white matter lesions in patients with multiple sclerosis., Conclusion: The vendor-agnostic multiparametric mapping technique 3D-QALAS provided reproducible measurements of T1, T2, and PD for human tissues within a typical physiological range using 3T scanners from four different MRI manufacturers., (© 2024 The Authors. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.)

The magnetic ground state of single crystalline RuO_{2} was investigated by the muon spin rotation and relaxation (μSR) experiment. The spin precession signal due to the spontaneous internal magnetic field B_{loc}, which is expected in the magnetically ordered phase, was not observed in the temperature range 5-400 K. Muon sites were evaluated by first-principles calculations using dilute hydrogen simulating muon as pseudohydrogen, and B_{loc} was simulated for the antiferromagnetic structures with a Ru magnetic moment |m_{Ru}|≈0.05μ_{B} suggested from diffraction experiments. As a result, the possibility was ruled out that muons are localized at sites where B_{loc} accidentally cancels. Conversely, assuming that the slow relaxation observed in μSR spectra was part of the precession signal, the upper limit for the magnitude of |m_{Ru}| was estimated to be 4.8(2)×10^{-4}μ_{B}, which is significantly less than 0.05μ_{B}. These results indicate that the antiferromagnetic order, as reported, is unlikely to exist in the bulk crystal.

Incoherent digital holography (IDH) with a sequential phase-shifting method enables high-definition 3D imaging under incoherent lights. However, sequential recording of multiple holograms renders IDH impractical for 3D videography. In this study, we propose grating-based in-line geometric-phase-shifting IDH. Our method divides orthogonal circularly polarized lights into four copies with a fabricated phase grating and subsequently creates self-interference holograms with geometric phases introduced by a segmented linear polarizer. This enables single-shot recording of holograms without the need for a specially designed image sensor, such as a polarization-sensitive sensor. Moreover, the achievable spatial resolution is higher than that of off-axis methods. As a proof-of-principle experiment, we demonstrated snapshot and video recording of 3D reflective objects using our IDH method. The results confirmed the feasibility of the proposed method.

Incoherent digital holography (IDH) enables the recording of holograms with incoherent light. However, there is unnatural bokeh with ringing on reconstructed 2D images, owing to the diffraction calculation based on the coherent nature of the light. Thus, we propose a transformation method that converts it into incoherent bokeh. This proposed method can generate 2D images without ringing from recorded holograms through a virtual incoherent imaging system, while focusing on the non-linearity problem of reconstruction distances in IDH. Flexible depth-of-field control is also made possible by the judicious selection of parameters in this method. A proof-of-principle demonstration verifies its feasibility.

We propose a simultaneous dual-page reproduction for holographic data storage (HDS) with high-efficiency and high-speed data reproduction by reusing a transmitted reference beam that passes through a recording medium after data reconstruction. The transmitted reference beam enters the recording medium at a different incident angle to reproduce different data pages; thus, this technology can double data-transfer rates without increasing the laser's output power or preparing another laser source. In the experiment, neighboring angle-multiplexed two data pages were simultaneously reconstructed and a data transfer rate of 1.0 Gbps was obtained.

Incoherent digital holography (IDH) enables passive 3D imaging through the self-interference of incoherent light. IDH imaging properties are dictated by the numerical aperture and optical layout in a complex manner [Opt. Express27, 33634 (2019)OPEXFF1094-408710.1364/OE.27.033634]. We develop an IDH simulation model to provide insight into its basic operation and imaging properties. The simulation is based on the scalar diffraction theory. Incoherent irradiance and self-interference holograms are numerically represented by the intensity-based summation of each propagation through finite aperture optics from independent point sources. By comparing numerical and experimental results, the applicability, accuracy, and limitation of the simulation are discussed. The developed simulation would be useful in optimizing the IDH setup.

Incoherent digital holography (IDH) requires no spatial coherence; however, it requires high temporal coherence for a light source to capture holograms with high spatial resolution. Temporal coherence is often enhanced with a bandpass filter, reducing the light utilization efficiency. Thus, there is a trade-off between spatial resolution and light utilization efficiency. In this paper, we derive a relationship between spatial resolution and temporal coherence by including a conceptual aperture, determined by temporal coherence, in our previous theory of spatial resolution for arbitrary depth planes [Opt. Express27, 33634 (2019)OPEXFF1094-408710.1364/OE.27.033634]. Experimental evaluations verified the effectiveness of our theory, which is useful for the optimization of IDH setups and avoiding the trade-off.

Occupational exposure to nickel oxide (NiO) is an important cause of respiratory tract cancer. Toxicity is known to be associated with the dissociated component, i.e. nickel (II) ions. To address the relationship between physicochemical properties, including solubility in artificial lysosomal fluid, of NiO and time-course changes in the pulmonary response, we conducted an intratracheal instillation study in male Fischer rats using four different well-characterized NiO products, US3352 (NiO A), NovaWireNi01 (NiO B), I small particle (NiO C), and 637130 (NiO D). The NiOs were suspended in purified water and instilled once intratracheally into male F344 rats (12 weeks old) at 0 (vehicle control), 0.67, 2, and 6 mg/kg body weight. The animals were euthanized on days 3, 28, or 91 after instillation, and blood analysis, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) testing, and histopathological examination were performed. The most soluble product, NiO B, caused the most severe systemic toxicity, leading to a high mortality rate, but the response was transient and surviving animals recovered. The second-most-soluble material, NiO D, and the third, NiO A, caused evident pulmonary inflammation, and the responses persisted for at least 91 days with collagen proliferation. In contrast, NiO C induced barely detectable inflammation in the BALF examination, and no marked changes were noted on histopathology. These results indicate that the early phase toxic potential of NiO products, but not the persistence of pulmonary inflammation, is associated with their solubility., (©2021 The Japanese Society of Toxicologic Pathology.)

Lung metastasis of gastric cancer often presents as multiple pulmonary metastases or cancerous lymphadenopathy, which is rarely indicated for surgery and has a poor prognosis. We report a case of solitary metastases that were surgically resected. The patient underwent distal gastrectomy for stomach cancer and then received chemotherapy for abdominal lymph node metastasis. However, he developed pulmonary metastases in the right S6 and S8, and thus underwent right S6 resection and partial resection 29 and 41 months after the gastrectomy, respectively. The pathological diagnosis was gastric cancer metastases. After undergoing surgery for resection of the metastases, he developed new metastases in abdominal lymph nodes and died 5 years after the 1st surgery.

Incoherent digital holography (IDH) enables passive 3D imaging under spatially incoherent light; however, the reconstructed images are seriously affected by detector noise. Herein, we derive theoretical sampling requirements for IDH to reduce this noise via simple postprocessing based on spatial averaging. The derived theory provides a significant insight that the sampling requirements vary depending on the recording geometry. By judiciously choosing the number of pixels used for spatial averaging based on the proposed theory, noise can be reduced without losing spatial resolution. We then experimentally verify the derived theory and show that the associated adaptive spatial averaging technique is a practical and powerful way of improving 3D image quality.

We developed a new head supporting device to provide accurate correction of rotational setup during image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), evaluating its correction performance and the efficacy of dose distribution in stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) using a helical tomotherapy (HT) system. The accuracy of rotational motion was measured using an electronic inclinometer; we compared device angles and measurement values from 0.0° to 3.0°. The correction accuracy was investigated based on the distance between rotational centers in the device and on megavoltage computed tomography (MVCT); the correction values were compared using distances in the range of 0.0-9.0 cm using a head phantom with a rotational error of 1.5°. For an SRT with a simultaneous integrated boost plan and a rotational error of 3.0° in yaw angle using a head phantom, and for a single-isocenter SRT for multiple brain metastases in the data of three patients, dosimetric efficacy of the HT unit was evaluated for calculated dose distributions with MVCT after rotational correction. This device can correct pitch and yaw angles within 0.3° and can be corrected to within 0.5° for each rotational angle according to the result of MVCT correction regardless of the rotational center position. In the head phantom study, the device had a beneficial impact on rotational correction; D99% for the target improved by approximately 10% with rotational correction. Using patient data with the device, the mean difference based on the treatment planning data was 0.3% for D99% and -0.1% for coverage index to the target. Our rotational setup correction device has high efficacy, and can be used for IGRT., (© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.)

Although three-dimensional (3D) imaging and extended depth-of-field (DOF) imaging are completely opposite techniques, both provide much more information about 3D scenes and objects than does traditional two-dimensional imaging. Therefore, these imaging techniques strongly influence a wide variety of applications, such as broadcasting, entertainment, metrology, security and biology. In the present work, we derive a generalised theory involving incoherent digital holography to describe both 3D imaging and quasi-infinite-DOF (QIDOF) imaging, which allows us to comprehensively discuss the functions of each imaging technique. On the basis of this theory, we propose and develop a bimodal incoherent digital holography system that allows both 3D imaging and QIDOF imaging. The proposed system allows imaging objects using spatially incoherent light and reconstructing 3D images or QIDOF images solely by changing the phase pattern of a spatial light modulator and without requiring mechanical adjustments or any other modifications to the setup. As a proof-of-principle experiment, we evaluate the DOF and record holograms of a reflective object with the proposed system. The experimental results show that the generalised theory is effective; our demonstration platform provides the function of 3D and QIDOF imaging.

We have conducted animal toxicity tests of chemicals for a chemical safety program implemented by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. Here we conducted a combined repeated-dose and reproductive/developmental toxicity screening test of benzene, 1,1'-oxybis-, tetrapropylene derivs. (BOTD). BOTD was administered to 9-week-old Crl:CD(SD) male and female rats by gavage at 0, 40, 200, or 1000 mg/kg/day. Males were treated for 42 days including mating period. Females were treated for 42-53 days through the premating, mating, pregnancy, and until Day 4 of lactation periods. Increases in prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time values were observed only in males at 200 and 1000 mg/kg/day. Hypertrophy of centrilobular hepatocytes was observed with increased liver weight in both sexes at 200 and 1000 mg/kg/day, but there was no histologic evidence of hepatotoxicity. Diffuse hypertrophy of follicular cells in thyroid glands was observed in females at 200 mg/kg/day and in both sexes at 1000 mg/kg/day, with an increased blood cholesterol level in females at 1000 mg/kg/day. The conception index was decreased for females at 1000 mg/kg/day; and no abnormalities were detected in the reproductive indices of implantation, delivery, or pups' condition, although a slight increase in the pups' body weight was noted at birth. Our data indicate a no-observed-adverse-effect level of 40 mg/kg/day for repeated-dose toxicity on the basis of the prolongation of blood coagulating time, and of 200 mg/kg/day for reproductive/developmental toxicity on the basis of the decreased conception index.

Single-shot phase-shifting incoherent digital holography with multiplexed checkerboard phase gratings is proposed for acquiring holograms of moving objects. The gratings presented here play the following three roles: dividing the beams, modulating the curvature of spherical beams, and introducing different phase shifts. With the gratings of our proposed method, four individual holograms of a spatially incoherent light are formed on an image sensor. Therefore, it is possible to simultaneously capture four holograms and implement a phase-shifting technique. A proof-of-principle experiment was conducted to show the feasibility of the proposed method.

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) participate in diverse physiological functions and are promising targets for drug discovery. However, there are still over 140 orphan GPCRs whose functions remain to be elucidated. Gpr62 is one of the orphan GPCRs that is expressed in the rat and human brain. In this study, we found that Gpr62 is also expressed in male germ cells in mice, and its expression increases along with sperm differentiation. GPR62 lacks the BBXXB and DRY motifs, which are conserved across many GPCRs, and it was able to induce cAMP signaling in the absence of a ligand. These structural and functional features are conserved among mammals, and the mutant analysis of GPR62 has revealed that lacking of these motifs is involved in the constitutive activity. We also found that GPR62 can homooligomerize, but it is not sufficient for its constitutive activity. We further investigated its physiological function by using Gpr62 knockout ( Gpr62 -/- ) mice. Gpr62 -/- mice were born normally and did not show any abnormality in growth and behavior. In addition, both male and female Gp62 -/- mice were fertile, and the differentiation and motility of spermatozoa were normal. We also found that Gpr61 , the gene most similar to Gpr62 in the GPCR family shows a constitutive activity and an expression pattern similar to those of Gpr62 Our results suggest that GPR62 constitutively activates the cAMP pathway in male germ cells but is dispensable for male fertility, which is probably due to its functional redundancy with GPR61., (© 2017 Society for Reproduction and Fertility.)