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Olfactory behavior is highly plastic, and the olfactory tubercle (OT), a component of the olfactory cortex and ventral striatum, includes anteromedial (amOT) and lateral (lOT) domains with roles in attractive and aversive olfactory behavioral learning, respectively. However, the underlying properties of synaptic plasticity in these domains are incompletely understood. Synaptic plasticity is regulated by multiple signals including synaptic inputs and neuromodulators. Interestingly, the amOT domain exhibits high expression of various receptors for neuromodulators. We investigated synaptic plasticity in mouse OT slices by combining electrical stimulation and treatment with the appetite-promoting neuropeptide orexin, the receptors of which are highly expressed in the amOT. In both the amOT and lOT, one round of 2-Hz burst stimulation elicited short-term potentiation of the field excitatory postsynaptic potential, whereas three rounds of stimulation induced long-term potentiation (LTP) that persisted for 150 min. In the amOT, orexin-A induced LTP was blocked by the orexin receptor type 1 antagonist SB334867. Orexin-A also facilitated LTP induction in the amOT by one round of 2-Hz burst stimulation. By contrast, these effects were not observed in the lOT. These results highlighted the similarity and difference in synaptic plasticity between the OT domains and suggested that orexin facilitates synaptic plasticity in the amOT during olfactory learning processes such as food odor learning.

Overactive bladder is a condition that affects both men and women, and significantly affects patients' quality of life. Anticholinergics, β3-adrenoceptor agonists, and botulinum toxin are currently being used for treatment. However, several patients do not respond to these medications or discontinue them because of adverse events.Angiotensin II (Ang II) is a neuropeptide produced in both brain and peripheral tissues, and Ang II type 1 (AT1) receptors, which are important regions for the micturition reflex, are widely expressed in the cerebral cortex, paraventricular nucleus, solitary tract nucleus, and periaqueductal gray. Our data showed that cumulative central Ang II administration, even at low doses, shortened the intercontraction interval without affecting the blood pressure or blood catecholamine levels. Additionally, Ang II can enhance the micturition reflex by suppressing the GABAergic nervous system and stimulating the downstream pathway of the AT1 receptor. The peripherally administered AT1 receptor blocker telmisartan inhibited central Ang II-induced facilitation of the micturition reflex. Targeting the central AT1 receptor may be a potential treatment approach for patients with overactive bladder. This review introduces the brain AT1 receptor as a therapeutic target in overactive bladder.

A lower extremity arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is sometimes associated with venous disease following venous hypertension, especially when the saphenous vein is the main return route. This can cause venous dilation, leading to valve insufficiency. A complete cure can be difficult in cases with multiple vascular branches. We report three surgical cases of lower extremity AVF with saphenous vein insufficiency. All patients had saphenous vein insufficiency with long duration leg symptoms and underwent full-length occlusion of saphenous vein using cyanoacrylate closure. Substantial improvements in leg symptoms and appearance were observed immediately after surgery in all three patients. Cyanoacrylate closure could be a treatment option for lower extremity AVF.

I exist in the universe in a unique manner. I seem to know this statement to be true. However, even if I did not exist, the human who happens to be me could be living and writing the same statement. Then, do I really know that the statement is true? Do I really have epistemic contact with my existence? The aim of paper is to clearly raise this question and to offer a positive answer. By drawing on the disjunctive theory of perception, I propose the account that my existence can be involved in experience. To consider how my existence can be involved in experience and can be known from within experience, I refer to Wittgenstein, Kuki Shūzō, and Nishida Kitarō, and present the panentheistic view that my actual existence can be a limit of experience, both transcendent of and immanent in experience. This view is made persuasive by understanding the transcendence and immanence of my existence as adverbial. My conclusion is that I do know with certainty that I exist in the universe in a unique manner, and that this knowledge lies beyond Cartesian certainty.

There has been no previous prospective study evaluating 3-month dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after cobalt-chromium everolimus-eluting stent (CoCr-EES) implantation in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The STOPDAPT trial is a prospective multi-center single-arm study evaluating 3-month DAPT duration in all-comer population after CoCr-EES implantation. Among 1525 study patients enrolled from 58 Japanese centers, the present study compared the 1-year clinical outcomes between ACS patients (N = 487) and stable coronary artery disease (CAD) patients (N = 1038). In the ACS group, 228 patients (47%) had unstable angina and 259 patients (53%) had myocardial infarction. The primary endpoint was a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, definite stent thrombosis (ST) and TIMI major/minor bleeding. Thienopyridine was discontinued within 4-month in 455 patients (94.0%) in the ACS group and 977 patients (94.3%) in the stable CAD group. Cumulative 1-year incidence of and the adjusted risk for the primary endpoint were not significantly different between the ACS and stable CAD groups (2.3% vs. 3.0%, P = 0.42, and HR 0.94, 95%CI 0.44-1.87, P = 0.87). In the 3-month landmark analysis, cumulative incidence of the primary endpoint was also not significantly different between the ACS and stable CAD groups (1.3% vs. 2.4%, P = 0.16). There was no definite/probable ST through 1-year in both groups. In the propensity matched analysis, the cumulative 1-year incidence of the primary endpoint were similar between the ACS and stable CAD groups (2.3% versus 2.1%, P = 0.82). In conclusion, stopping DAPT at 3 months after CoCr-EES implantation in patients with ACS including 47% of unstable angina was as safe as that in patients with stable CAD.

Stroke is a major cause of death worldwide, leading to serious disability. Post-ischemic injury, especially in the cerebral ischemia-prone hippocampus, is a serious problem, as it contributes to vascular dementia. Many studies have shown that in the hippocampus, ischemia/reperfusion induces neuronal death through oxidative stress and neuronal zinc (Zn2+) dyshomeostasis. Glutathione (GSH) plays an important role in protecting neurons against oxidative stress as a major intracellular antioxidant. In addition, the thiol group of GSH can function as a principal Zn2+ chelator for the maintenance of Zn2+ homeostasis in neurons. These lines of evidence suggest that neuronal GSH levels could be a key factor in post-stroke neuronal survival. In neurons, excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1) is involved in the influx of cysteine, and intracellular cysteine is the rate-limiting substrate for the synthesis of GSH. Recently, several studies have indicated that cysteine uptake through EAAC1 suppresses ischemia-induced neuronal death via the promotion of hippocampal GSH synthesis in ischemic animal models. In this article, we aimed to review and describe the role of GSH in hippocampal neuroprotection after ischemia/reperfusion, focusing on EAAC1.

Naftopidil, an α1-adrenoceptor antagonist, has been shown to inhibit nocturnal polyuria in patients with lower urinary tract symptom. However, it remains unclear how naftopidil decreases nocturnal urine production. Here, we investigated the effects of naftopidil on arginine-vasopressin (AVP) plasma level and urine production and osmolality in rats centrally administered with noradrenaline (NA). NA (3 or 30 μg/kg) was administered into the left ventricle (i.c.v.) of male Wistar rats 3 h after naftopidil pretreatment (10 or 30 mg/kg, i.p.). Blood samples were collected from the inferior vena cava 1 h after NA administration or 4 h after peritoneal administration of naftopidil; plasma levels of AVP were assessed by ELISA. Voiding behaviors of naftopidil (30 mg/kg, i.p.)-administered male Wistar rats were observed during separate light- and dark cycles. Administration of NA decreased plasma AVP levels and elevated urine volume, which were suppressed by systemic pretreatment with naftopidil (30 mg/kg, i.p.). Urine osmolality decreased 1 h after NA administration. However, naftopidil by itself had no effect on plasma AVP levels or urodynamic parameters during light- and dark cycles. Our findings suggest that systemic administration of naftopidil could prevent central noradrenergic nervous system-mediated decline in AVP secretion and increase in urine production in rats.

We investigated the protective effects of a selective α1A-adrenoceptor antagonist, silodosin (Silod) on urinary bladder function in cyclophosphamide (CYP)-induced cystitis rats, with and without desensitization of the capsaicin (CAP)-sensitive afferent nerve pathway. Male Wistar rats (310–400 g) were pretreated with Silod (0, 100, or 300 μg/kg/day, p.o.) for 1 week before cystometry, and were administered either CYP (150 mg/kg, i.p.) or saline 2 days before the experiment. In another experiment, the rats were treated with CAP (125 mg/kg, s.c.) 4 days before the cystometry. The rat bladders were harvested, weighed, and evaluated histologically. The cystometric evaluation showed significant reductions in the intercontraction interval (ICI), single voided volume (SVV), and bladder compliance in CYP-treated rats compared to those in the vehicle-treated rats. High-dose Silod or CAP treatment significantly increased the ICI and SVV in the CYP rats. However, high-dose Silod treatment did not increase the ICI and SVV in CAP-treated CYP rats. Treatment with Silod did not improve the bladder weight, edema, and leukocyte infiltration resulting from the CYP-induced bladder inflammation. These data suggest that blockade of α1-adrenoceptors by Silod inhibited the CAP-sensitive afferent pathway in rats with cystitis.

In the current Internet system, there are many problems using anonymity of the network communication such as personal information leaks and crimes using the Internet system. This is why TCP/IP protocol used in Internet system does not have the user identification information on the communication data, and it is difficult to supervise the user performing the above acts immediately. As a study for solving the above problem, there is the study of Policy Based Network Management (PBNM). This is the scheme for managing a whole Local Area Network (LAN) through communication control for every user. In this PBNM, two types of schemes exist. The first is the scheme for managing the whole LAN by locating the communication control mechanisms on the path between network servers and clients. The second is the scheme of managing the whole LAN by locating the communication control mechanisms on clients. As the second scheme, we have studied theoretically about the Destination Addressing Control System (DACS) Scheme. By applying this DACS Scheme to Internet system management, we will realize the policy-based Internet system management. In this paper, as the progression phase for the last goal, we perform the load experiment of the cloud type virtual PBNM named the vDACS Scheme, which can be used by plural organizations, for applications to the small and medium size scale organization. The number of clients used in an experiment is 300.

In the current Internet system, there are many problems using anonymity of the network communication such as personal information leaks and crimes using the Internet system. This is why TCP/IP protocol used in Internet system does not have the user identification information on the communication data, and it is difficult to supervise the user performing the above acts immediately. As a study for solving the above problem, there is the study of Policy Based Network Management (PBNM). This is the scheme for managing a whole Local Area Network (LAN) through communication control for every user. In this PBNM, two types of schemes exist. The first is the scheme for managing the whole LAN by locating the communication control mechanisms on the path between network servers and clients. The second is the scheme of managing the whole LAN by locating the communication control mechanisms on clients. As the second scheme, we have studied theoretically about the Destination Addressing Control System (DACS) Scheme. By applying this DACS Scheme to Internet system management, we will realize the policy-based Internet system management. In this paper, as the progression phase of the third phase for the last goal, we perform the functional evaluation of the cloud type virtual PBNM, which can be used by plural organizations.

A decreased prostatic blood flow could be one of the risk factors for benign prostatic hyperplasia/benign prostatic enlargement. The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) shows a chronic prostatic ischemia and hyperplastic morphological abnormalities in the ventral prostate. The effect of silodosin, a selective alpha1A-adrenoceptor antagonist, was investigated in the SHR prostate as a prostatic hyperplasia model focusing on prostatic blood flow.Twelve-week-old male SHRs were administered perorally with silodosin (100 μg/kg/day) or vehicle once daily for 6 weeks. Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were used as normotensive controls and were treated with the vehicle. The effect of silodosin on blood pressure and prostatic blood flow were estimated and then the prostates were removed and weighed. The tissue levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1/cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant 1 (CXCL1/CINC1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were measured. The histological evaluation was also performed by hematoxylin and eosin staining.There was a significant increase in blood pressure, prostate weight, prostate body weight ratio (PBR), tissue levels of MDA, IL-6, CXCL1/CINC1, TNF-α, TGF-β1, bFGF and α-SMA in the SHR compared to the WKY rat. The ventral prostate in the SHR showed the morphological abnormalities compared to the WKY rat. Prostatic blood flow was decreased in the SHR. However, treatment with silodosin significantly restored the decreased prostatic blood flow in the SHR. Moreover, silodosin normalized tissue levels of MDA, IL-6, CXCL1/CINC1, TNF-α, TGF-β1, bFGF and α-SMA, and it ameliorated ventral prostatic hyperplasia in the SHR excluding blood pressure. Silodosin decreased PBR but not prostate weight in the SHR.Silodosin can inhibit the progression of prostatic hyperplasia through a recovery of prostatic blood flow.

In the current Internet system, there are many problems using anonymity of the network communication such as personal information leak and crimes using the Internet system. This is why TCP/IP protocol used in Internet system does not have the user identification information on the communication data, and it is difficult to supervise the user performing the above acts immediately. As a study for solving the above problem, there is the study of Policy Based Network Management (PBNM). This is the scheme for managing a whole Local Area Network (LAN) through communication control every user. In this PBNM, two types of schemes exist. The first is the scheme for managing the whole LAN by locating the communication control mechanisms on the course between network servers and clients. The second is the scheme of managing the whole LAN by locating the communication control mechanisms on clients. As the second scheme, we have been studied theoretically about the Destination Addressing Control System (DACS) Scheme. By applying this DACS Scheme to Internet system management, we will realize the policy-based Internet system management. As the first step, the DASC System is extended to move on the Wide Area Network (WAN) in this paper. We call the extended DACS system the Wide Area DACS system (wDACS system).

The production of angiotensin II (Ang II) in the brain plays important roles as neurotransmitter and neuropeptide. Central Ang II is involved in regulating various physiological processes, such as blood pressure and water homeostasis, via Ang II type 1 (AT1) receptors. We have demonstrated that Ang II induces frequent urination via AT1 receptors in the brain even at doses that does not seem to affect the blood pressure in animal experiment. Intracerebroventricular administration of Ang II was also found to reduce the bladder capacity without affecting the maximum voiding pressure, post voiding residual urine volume or voiding efficiency. Additionally, the activation of AT1 receptor downstream signal pathway (phospholipase C/protein kinase C/NADPH oxidase/superoxide anion) and suppression of GABAergic nervous system in the brain are involved in the mechanism underlying the central Ang II-inducted frequent urination. AT1 receptor blockers (ARBs) have been widely used to treat hypertension. We demonstrated that peripherally administered ARBs telmisartan, which can penetrate blood-brain barrier, exerted an inhibitory effect on central Ang II-inducted frequent urination. We present the possible drug therapy targeting AT1 receptors in the brain against frequent urination on the results obtained from our recent research work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]