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Objective: To determine the frequency‐specific benefits of ossicular chain preservation compared to performing disarticulations and reconstructions in transmastoid facial nerve decompression surgery in patients with an intact ossicular chain. Methods: A retrospective chart review (January 2007 and June 2018) of patients undergoing transmastoid facial nerve decompression on the intact middle ear for severe facial palsy at a tertiary referral center. Surgery was performed with ossicular chain disarticulation on an as‐needed basis using either ossicular chain preservation (without ossicular disarticulation), incudostapedial separation, or incus disarticulation technique. Hearing outcomes were assessed. Results: The 108 patients were included in this study. Among these, 89 patients underwent ossicular chain preservation, 5 underwent incudostapedial separation and 14 underwent incus repositioning. The proportion of patients with a change in the 4‐frequency air conduction pure‐tone average of less than 10 dB was 91%, 60%, and 50%, respectively, for the three surgical techniques; these were significantly different (Fisher's exact test, p <.001). Frequency‐specific analysis showed that air conduction was significantly better following the ossicular chain preservation technique compared with the incus repositioning technique at stimulation frequencies lower than 250 Hz and higher than 2000 Hz, and compared with the incudostapedial separation technique at 4000 Hz. Analysis of biometric measures determined on CT images suggested that the feasibility of the ossicular chain preservation technique correlates with incus body thickness on coronal CT images. Conclusions: Ossicular chain preservation is an effective approach for hearing preservation in transmastoid facial nerve decompression or similar surgical procedures. To determine the frequency‐specific benefits of ossicular chain preservation compared to performing disarticulations and reconstructions in transmastoid facial nerve decompression surgery in patients with intact ossicular chain. Frequency‐specific analysis showed that air conduction was significantly better following the ossicular chain preservation technique compared with the incus repositioning technique at stimulation frequencies lower than 250 Hz and higher than 2000 Hz, and compared with the incudostapedial separation technique at 4000 Hz. Ossicular chain preservation is an effective approach for hearing preservation in transmastoid facial nerve decompression or similar surgical procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hypothalamus receives ingested nutrient information via ascending gut-related projections and plays a significant role in the regulation of food intake. Human neuroimaging studies have observed changes in the activity or connectivity of the hypothalamus in response to nutrient ingestion. However, previous neuroimaging studies have not yet assessed differences in temporal changes of hypothalamic responses to various nutrients in humans. Thus a repeated measures functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study using 30-min scans was designed to examine differences in hypothalamic responses to various nutrients. In this study, 18 healthy adults (mean age, 22.4 years; standard deviation, 4.8; age range, 19–39 years; 11 males and seven females) underwent fMRI sessions. On the day of each session, one of the four solutions (200 ml of monosodium glutamate, glucose, safflower oil emulsion, or saline) was administered to participants while fMRI scanning. Infused amino acid and glucose, but not lipid emulsion, increased lateral hypothalamic responses as compared to a saline infusion ([x, y, z] = [4, −4, −10], z = 2.96). In addition, only hypothalamic responses to saline, but not those to the infusion of other nutrients, elicited a subjective sensation of hunger. These findings suggest that lateral hypothalamic responses to ingested nutrients may mediate homeostatic sensations in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method employing capillary electrophoresis (CE) was developed to determine the rate constant of the very slow spontaneous dissociation of a complex species. The method uses a CE reactor (CER) to electrophoretically separate components from a complex zone and, thus, spontaneously dissociate a complex. The dissociation is accelerated by ligand substitution (LS) involving a competing ligand added to the electrophoretic buffer. The LSCER method is validated using the dissociation of a Ti(IV)--catechin complex and EDTA as a competing ligand. There is good agreement between the spontaneous dissocintlon rate constant ([k.sub.d] = (1.64 [+ or -] 0.63) x [10.sup.4] [s.sup.-1]) and the rate constant obtained by a conventional batchwise LS reaction ([k.sub.d] = (1.43 [+ or -] 0.04) x [10.sup.4] [s.sup.-1]). Furthermore, the usefulness of the method is demonstrated using a Ti(IV)--tiron complex, for which [k.sub.d] = (0.51 [+ or -] 0.43) x [10.sup.-4][S.sup.-1], corresponding to a half-life ([t.sub.1/2]) of 3.8 h. Notably, a single run of LS-CER for the Ti(IV) complex is completed within 40 min, implying that LS-CER requires a considerably shorter measurement time (roughly equal to [t.sub.l/2]) than conventional CER. LS-CER can be widely applied to determine the spontaneous dissociation rates of inorganic diagnostic and therapeutic reagents as well as of biomolecular complexes.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.10.004 Byline: Mariko Takahashi, Hiroyuki Arita, Mariko Hiraiwa-Hasegawa, Toshikazu Hasegawa Abstract: The elaborate train of male Indian peafowl, Pavo cristatus, is thought to have evolved in response to female mate choice and may be an indicator of good genes. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the male train in mate choice using male- and female-centred observations in a feral population of Indian peafowl in Japan over 7 years. We found no evidence that peahens expressed any preference for peacocks with more elaborate trains (i.e. trains having more ocelli, a more symmetrical arrangement or a greater length), similar to other studies of galliforms showing that females disregard male plumage. Combined with previous results, our findings indicate that the peacock's train (1) is not the universal target of female choice, (2) shows small variance among males across populations and (3) based on current physiological knowledge, does not appear to reliably reflect the male condition. We also found that some behavioural characteristics of peacocks during displays were largely affected by female behaviours and were spuriously correlated with male mating success. Although the male train and its direct display towards females seem necessary for successful reproduction, we conclude that peahens in this population are likely to exercise active choice based on cues other than the peacock's train. Author Affiliation: (a) Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Japan (a ) Main Building Exhibition Office, the National Science Museum, Tokyo, Japan (a ) School of Advanced Sciences, the Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Kanagawa, Japan Article History: Received 7 September 2006; Revised 13 October 2006; Accepted 2 October 2007 Article Note: (miscellaneous) MS. number: 9102

Activating receptor activator of NF-[kappa]B (RANK) and TNF receptor (TNFR) promote osteoclast differentiation. A critical ligand contact site on the TNFR is partly conserved in RANK. Surface plasmon resonance studies [...]