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Intraoperative identification of small pulmonary nodules has been an important technical issue. We aimed to develop a new localization method which is much safer and simple procedure compared with conventional methods.This was a retrospective study including patients with resected peripheral pulmonary nodules between November 2017 and April 2021 at Teikyo University School of Medicine, and Saitama Cardiovascular and Respiratory Center. All surgical procedure was wedge resection, and the tumor size was equal to or less than 20 mm which were detected by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT; Philips Allura Xper FD 20, Philips). Some metal clips were put on several places of visceral pleura, where the target lesion was sandwiched by marking clips (sandwich marking technique). CBCT detected both the target lesion and metal clips, and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) was performed. Radiological and pathological findings were analyzed, and the correlation coefficient of tumor size was examined among pre-, intra-, and post-operative tumor sizes.The average age of 90 patients was 65.2 years, and 47 were male (52.2%). All procedure was wedge resection including twelve bi-wedge resections, and one hundred nine peripheral pulmonary lesions were obtained by sandwich marking technique. The detection rate was 100%, and there was no marking-related complication.All small peripheral pulmonary lesions were successfully detected and resected by using CBCT with no marking-related complication. Sandwich marking technique was demonstrated to provide safe, reliable, and simple localization procedure for small peripheral pulmonary lesions.

The Kushum is a relatively new breed of horses in Kazakhstan that was established in the middle of the 20th century through a cross between mares of Kazakhstan local horses and stallions of Thoroughbred, Trotter, and Russian Don breeds to supply military horses. To reveal the genetic characteristics of this breed, we investigated haplotypes of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the Y chromosome, as well as genotypes of five functional genes associated with coat color, body composition, and locomotion traits. We detected 10 mtDNA haplotypes that fell into 8 of the 17 major haplogroups of horse mtDNA, indicating a unique haplotype composition with high genetic diversity. We also found two Y-chromosomal haplotypes in Kushum horses, which likely originated from Trotter and/or Don breeds. The findings regarding the mtDNA and Y-chromosomal haplotypes are concordant with the documented maternal and paternal origins of the Kushum horses. The allele frequencies of ASIP, MC1R, and MATP associated with coat color were consistent with the coat color variations of Kushum horses. The allele frequencies of MSTN associated with endurance performance and those of DMRT3 associated with gait suggested that the observed allele frequencies of these genes were the result of selective breeding for these traits. As a result of this study, we were able to obtain useful information for a better understanding of the origin and breeding history of the Kushum horse breed using molecular markers.

A single-photon source (SPS) based on a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) is a promising candidate for uncooled on-chip quantum information optoelectronics because a single photon can be genera...

Background The Dako PD-L1 immunohistochemistry (IHC) 22C3 pharmDx and the Dako 28-8 IHC pharmDx assays were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, as a companion diagnostic test for pembrolizumab (Keytruda, Merk, Kenilworth, NJ, USA) and a complementary diagnostic test for nivolumab (Opdivo, Bristol Meyer Squibb, New York, NY, USA) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), respectively. Increased PD-L1 expression levels can be associated with greater therapeutic efficacy of pembrolizumab relative to other anti-PD-1 agents. However, in treatment decision making, little is known about which tissue (primary or metastatic lesion) should be stained by 22C3 antibody. We investigated the relationship between PD-L1 expression in primary tumors and paired metastatic lymph nodes using the 22C3 assay, and evaluated the concordance between the 22C3 and 28-8 assays. Methods PD-L1 expression was evaluated in cells from primary tumors and paired metastatic lymph nodes using the 22C3 and 28-8 IHC assays. Total 35 patients with primary tumor and paired metastatic lymph node were enrolled into this study, and all samples were surgically resected, formalin-fixed, and paraffin-embedded NSCLC tissues. Tumor cells exhibiting complete or partial membrane staining, were considered as PD-L1 positive. On the basis of tumor proportion score (TPS), all samples were classified as no expression (TPS

We report a rare case wherein a mediastinal left basal pulmonary artery was detected during surgery. Intraoperative findings revealed mediastinal left lingular and basal segments of the pulmonary artery (A4+5 + A8−10) just dorsal to the superior pulmonary vein. The mediastinal left basal pulmonary artery is classified by its branching type, (1) complete type—wherein the entire that all basal pulmonary artery flow lies between the superior pulmonary vein and the left upper bronchus, as in like this case, (2) incomplete type—wherein that a part of the left basal pulmonary artery segment is on the flow mediastinal side. It is important to understand this rare aberration for undergoing safe surgery.

With the advent of molecular targeted therapeutic agents and immunity checkpoint inhibitors, lung cancer drug therapy has advanced. We cannot expect to improve the performance of surgical treatment without drug therapy. The problem of improving the performance of surgical treatment for lung cancer is:① the role of surgery in multidisciplinary treatment for c-stageⅢ N2 lung cancer, ② post-operative adjuvant therapy, ③ multidisciplinary treatment of post-operative recurrence, ④ salvage surgery, and ⑤ sublobar resection in high risk cases. We will describe each of these with reference to our own experiences and literature considerations.

Marker-assisted selection (MAS) is expected to accelerate the genetic improvement of Japanese Black cattle. However, verification of the effects of the genes for MAS in different subpopulations is required prior to the application of MAS. In this study, we investigated the allelic frequencies and genotypic effects for carcass traits of six genes, which can be used in MAS, in eight local subpopulations. These genes are SCD, FASN and SREBP1, which are associated with the fatty acid composition of meat, and NCAPG, MC1R and F11, which are associated with carcass weight, coat color and blood coagulation abnormality, respectively. The frequencies of desirable alleles of SCD and FASN were relatively high and that of NCAPG was relatively low, and NCAPG was significantly associated with several carcass traits, including carcass weight. The proportions of genotypic variance explained by NCAPG to phenotypic variance were 4.83 for carcass weight. We thus confirmed that NCAPG is a useful marker for selection of carcass traits in these subpopulations. In addition, we found that the desirable alleles of six genes showed no negative effects on carcass traits. Therefore, selection using these genes to improve target traits should not have negative impacts on carcass traits.

The recent development of human genome studies has demonstrated the possibility of alteration of several genes as oncogenic driver mutations of lung squamous cell carcinoma (SQCC). FGFR1, PIK3CA and SOX2 genes have been recognized as candidate driver genes of SQCC. The aim of the present study was to evaluate FGFR1, PIK3CA and SOX2 protein expression in SQCC and determine whether the expression of these can be used as prognostic biomarkers. We evaluated the relationships between FGFR1, PIK3CA and SOX2 expression by immunohistochemical analysis and overall survival in lung SQCC patients with stage I-III that originated from China, United States and Japan. FGFR1-positive, PIK3CA-negative and SOX2-positive staining each showed trends toward better survival, although the differences were not statistically significant in a Chinese cohort of 57 patients. Patients with PIK3CA-negative and SOX2-positive staining (PIK3CA(-)/SOX2(+)) showed better prognosis compared with those with PIK3CA-positive or SOX2-negative staining in the Chinese cohort (p=0.04). The robustness of PIK3CA(-)/SOX2(+) classification as having prognostic significance was validated in an independent set of 66 Japanese cohort patients (p=0.007). Japanese SQCC patients with stage I were evaluated separately and PIK3CA(-)/SOX2(+) cases had significantly better survival than the group with PIK3CA-positive or SOX2-negative status (p=0.03). In univariate and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models of Asian stage I patients, the PIK3CA(-)/SOX2(+) classification was statistically significantly associated with survival and was an independent prognostic factor. Classification by PIK3CA and SOX2 protein expression is useful for predicting the prognosis of Asian patients with lung SQCC with stage I.

Postnatal mortality (PM) of calves is an economically important trait, because a high mortality rate of calves decreases farm income and significantly increases production costs. In spite of the economic importance of PM, genetic studies on PM have been scarce for Japanese Black cattle. The objectives of this study were to estimate the direct and maternal heritability for PM using a Bayesian threshold model with Gibbs sampling in Japanese Black cattle. The original data consisted of 43 723 records of animals born from January 2005 to June 2006. Four binary traits of mortality were considered: D1-14, D15-60, D61-180 and D1-180 with numbers indicating the period of risk in days after birth. Direct heritabilities for PM ranged from 0.12 to 0.31 and maternal heritabilities for PM were lower than the direct heritabilities and ranged from 0.02 to 0.16. Direct genetic correlations between D1-14 and D15-60, between D15-60 and D61-180, and between D1-14 and D61-180 were 0.501, 0.689 and 0.062, respectively. Direct genetic correlations of birth weight with D1-14, D15-60, D61-180 and D1-180 were 0.089, 0.482, 0.434 and 0.394, respectively. These results indicated that different genes were responsible for early and late PM and early PM (D1-14) can be genetically reduced without influencing birth weight.

Marbling in beef, measured by Beef Marbling Standard (BMS) number, is an economically important trait for beef cattle breeding and markets in Japan. We previously detected three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with BMS number of Japanese Black in Oita prefecture: c.*188G>A in AKIRIN2, g.1471620G>T in EDG1 and g.3109537C>T in RPL27A. Here, we carried out single and multiple marker association analyses for the three SNPs in a different commercial Japanese Black population of 892 genotyped animals. The single marker analyses with the model including a single SNP showed significant associations of all SNPs with BMS number. The multiple marker analysis with the model including the main effects of the three SNPs and their interactions detected only significant main effects of g.1471620G>T and g.3109537C>T and a significant interaction between c.*188G>A and g.1471620G>T. These findings suggest the presence of inter-allelic interactions among genes affecting the development of beef marbling. For effective marker-assisted selection for BMS number, interactions among these markers need to be considered.

Japanese Black cattle are at risk for genetic homogeneity due to intensive use of a few sires. Therefore, assessment of the actual genetic diversity of this breed is important for future breeding plans. In the present study, we investigated the genetic diversity within and among eight subpopulations of Japanese Black cattle using 52 microsatellite markers. The parameters for genetic diversity of Japanese Black cattle were comparable to those of other cattle breeds, suggesting that the relatively high genetic diversity of the breed. However, upon comparison among the eight subpopulations, the Hyogo subpopulation showed markedly low genetic diversity. The results of the pairwise FST values, phylogenetic network and structure analysis indicated that the Hyogo population has remarkably high level of genetic differentiation from other populations, while Yamagata, Niigata, Hiroshima and Kagawa populations have low levels of genetic differentiation. Furthermore, multidimensional scaling plots indicated that individuals in some subpopulations were separated from individuals in the other subpopulations. We conclude that while the overall genetic diversity of Japanese Black cattle is still maintained at a relatively high level, that of a particular subpopulation is significantly reduced, and therefore the effective population size of the breed needs to be controlled by correct mating strategies.

Intramuscular myxomas are benign soft-tissue tumors that often develop in the thigh. A 66-year-old woman was referred with an abnormal shadow on chest roentgenogram. The tumor was well defined and smooth and originated from the second intercostal space. Positron emission tomography showed no accumulation of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose in the tumor. The patient attended the outpatient department for follow-up care. Because the mass grew slightly after 52 months, the patient underwent complete removal by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. On histopathological examination, the tumor was diagnosed as an intramuscular myxoma in the chest wall. The patient has had no recurrence 3 years after surgery. A case of intramuscular myxoma in the chest wall, completely resected by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, is reported. A well-defined, smooth, homogeneous mass in the chest wall may therefore be intramuscular myxoma.

Klotho is known as an anti-aging gene. We previously reported that the expression of Klotho is a postoperative prognostic factor for patients with lung large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma and lung small cell carcinoma. Recently, Klotho was shown to suppress the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In the present study, we examined the association between the expression of Klotho and the regulation of EMT in lung squamous cell carcinoma. We immunohistochemically examined the expression of Klotho in patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma who had undergone surgical resection or photodynamic therapy. The immunohistochemical analysis showed that Klotho expression was observed not only in normal bronchial epithelial cells, but also in centrally located early lung cancers, which were all carcinomas in situ and were treated using PDT. However, in lung cancer patients with invasive and or advanced squamous cell carcinoma who had undergone a complete surgical resection, Klotho expression was observed in only 4 patients (13%). To elucidate the associations between the expression of Klotho and the expressions of EMT-related proteins, such as E-cadherin, N-cadherin, vimentin, and Snail, we transiently transfected GFP-Klotho plasmid DNA into the human squamous lung cancer cell line SQ5 and examined the expressions of these proteins of GFP-positive cells after sorting using flow cytometry. In SQ5 cells overexpressing GFP-Klotho, the expression of N-cadherin, which is a mesenchymal marker, was completely inhibited, compared with that in SQ5 cells transfected with the GFP vector. The overexpression of Klotho did not affect the regulation of either other mesenchymal markers (such as vimentin and Snail) or the regulation of an epithelial marker (E-cadherin). We concluded that the expression of Klotho was related to the degree of cancer invasiveness and that Klotho inhibits the expression of N-cadherin and regulates the EMT in lung cancer.

Mediastinal teratoma generally arises in the anterior mediastinum. Posterior mediastinal teratomas have been rarely reported to date, especially in adults. We report a case of posterior mediastinal teratoma in a 57-year-old woman. The pre-operative diagnostic work-up revealed a posterior mediastinal tumor with calcification and fluid components. The tumor, adhering to the descending aorta, was radically removed through video-assisted thoracic surgery. Histological examination was concluded for a mature teratoma with cystic change. The imaging features of posterior mediastinal teratomas are identical to those in the anterior mediastinum, except for their location. To be different from anterior mediastinal teratomas, benign teratomas in the posterior mediastinum are often involved with a major surrounding structure, including aorta, chest wall, and esophagus. When a posterior mediastinal tumor has the typical features of a mature teratoma in the pre-operative findings, the adhesion to the surrounding structure should be considered.

In this report, a 27-year-old woman with a solitary pulmonary nodule is described. Because computed tomography-guided biopsy could not confirm the diagnosis, surgical treatment was performed by video-assisted thoracic surgery. Histological findings showed cytotrophoblasts and syncytiotrophoblasts, suggesting choriocarcinoma. However, there were no abnormal findings on gynecological examination, including ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron-emission tomography. Choriocarcinoma is a malignant neoplasm and can arise after a pregnancy, as a component of germ cell tumors, or in association with a poorly differentiated somatic carcinoma. Our patient, a young female with an antecedent gestation, has no recurrence after surgery. There were tumor emboli in pulmonary arteries and no component of primary lung carcinoma on histological examination. These findings indicate that the lesion was a metastasis of gestational choriocarcinoma. A rare case of a patient with metastatic gestational choriocarcinoma of a solitary pulmonary nodule without any uterine abnormality is presented.

Introduction: Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with a family history of lung cancer (FHLC) have not been well established. Methods: Clinical records of patients with NSCLC treated at our institute from 1982 to 2010 were reviewed with special reference to family history of lung cancer and clinicopathological factors including patient's outcome. Univariate analyses of the factors between the groups of FHLC and non-FHLC were performed using unpaired two-tailed t tests or the chi-square test. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the hazard ratio of death. Results: Of the 1013 NSCLC patients, 124 (12.2%) had a FHLC of whom 119 (96%) were the first-degree relatives. The frequency of early stages of lung cancer was high in both groups of FHLC and non-FHLC patients. Patients with FHLC had a significantly higher frequency of early pathological stages and a prepomderance of adenocarcinoma, and a hazard ratio of death of 0.870 (95% confidence interval: 0.599-1.263, p value: 0.465) compared with the non-FHLC patients. Conclusions: NSCLC patients with FHLC could be characterized by early pathological stages and preponderance of adenocarcinoma, however they were not at a decreased hazard ratio of death. These findings emphasize the importance of early detection of lung cancer and employment of less invasive therapeutic interventions.

Introduction: Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with a family history of lung cancer (FHLC) have not been well established.Methods: Clinical records of patients with NSCLC treated at our institute from 1982 to 2010 were reviewed with special reference to family history of lung cancer and clinicopathological factors including patient's outcome. Univariate analyses of the factors between the groups of FHLC and non-FHLC were performed using unpaired two-tailed t tests or the chi-square test. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the hazard ratio of death.Results: Of the 1013 NSCLC patients, 124 (12.2%) had a FHLC of whom 119 (96%) were the first-degree relatives. The frequency of early stages of lung cancer was high in both groups of FHLC and non-FHLC patients. Patients with FHLC had a significantly higher frequency of early pathological stages and a prepomderance of adenocarcinoma, and a hazard ratio of death of 0.870 (95% confidence interval: 0.599-1.263, p value: 0.465) compared with the non-FHLC patients.Conclusions: NSCLC patients with FHLC could be characterized by early pathological stages and preponderance of adenocarcinoma, however they were not at a decreased hazard ratio of death. These findings emphasize the importance of early detection of lung cancer and employment of less invasive therapeutic interventions.

SUMMARYThe objective of the present study was to determine the optimal culling strategy in relation to biological and economic efficiency (BE and EE, respectively) and annualized net revenue (AN) in the Japanese Black cow–calf production system with special reference to the beef quality of culled cows. The herd model focused on two ways of mating: one-mating trial system (ONE) and continuous-mating trial system (CON). ONE assumed that heifers that fail to conceive are culled and cows that fail to conceive are culled at weaning of their calves, while CON assumed that mating continues until all females theoretically conceive. Least square means of carcass data of Japanese Black cows collected from a cooperative farm in Japan were used to estimate the carcass price of a cow by parity and Beef Marbling Standard (BMS) number. The simulation, assuming the current production situation in Japan, indicated that sales of culled cows accounted for 0·10–0·20 of total sales and was an important element in total production. Comparisons between ONE and CON showed that production efficiency in the current situation is higher in CON. The BE, EE and AN were higher in CON than in ONE. The two economic indicators were less sensitive to changes in annual discount rate but highly sensitive to changes in female calf price and BMS number of cows, indicating the importance of considering fluctuations in calf price and potential quality of culled cows’ carcasses when estimating the economically optimal parity of culling. The three indicators derived different optimal solutions even in the same mating trial systems, stressing the importance of choice of production indicators when determining the culling strategy and evaluating animal production.

This study was conducted to evaluate the importance of maternal effect on body measurement traits at an early stage of growth, and to estimate the genetic relationships between direct and maternal effects and among body measurement traits at 0 month (0-mo) and 4 months (4-mo) of age in a population of Japanese Black calves. Body measurements and body weight of 889 Japanese Black calves were estimated with the use of an animal model by the Residual Maximum Likelihood procedure. Direct heritabilities were low to moderate, ranging between 0.17 ± 0.09 and 0.48 ± 0.13 at 0-mo, and slightly lower, ranging between 0.15 ± 0.07 and 0.33 ± 0.13 at 4-mo. Estimated maternal heritabilities were low to moderate, ranging between 0.08 ± 0.07 and 0.33 ± 0.07 at 0-mo and 0.13 ± 0.06 to 0.33 ± 0.06 at 4-mo. The direct genetic correlations between 0-mo and 4-mo were moderate to highly positive, ranging from 0.53 ± 0.23 to 0.96 ± 0.09. The estimated direct genetic correlation of chest width with other width traits was low and positive at both ages, whereas with hip width it was high and positive (0.80 ± 0.09) at 0-mo, suggesting that simultaneous improvement of body width of the front and back parts is possible. Maternal genetic effects were relatively independent of direct genetic effects for body measurement traits and can be considered in genetic evaluation.

肺切除術後の肺血栓塞栓症（Pulmonary thromboembolism；PTE）は呼吸器外科術後合併症において，致死的な経過をたどることの多い極めて重篤な合併症である．今回我々は，10年前に左肺扁平上皮癌に対し左上葉切除術，縦隔リンパ節郭清術の既往のある，69歳の男性に対し，残肺全摘術，リンパ節郭清術を施行した．術後第10病日に突然PTEを発症したが，全身管理の末救命し得たので，文献的考察を踏まえ報告する．

Data from 3 prefectures and a nationwide farming corporation were used to assess the usefulness of the "link provider data" in providing indirect genetic links for the national genetic evaluation for carcass weight across weakly connected subpopulations of the Japanese Black cattle. The data from the farming corporation provided genetic links to those of all prefectures and was therefore used as the link provider data. Two national genetic evaluation strategies under an animal model were compared, based on the generalized coefficient of determination (CD) of contrasts between mean EBV of sires or maternal grandsires (MGS) from different prefectures: strategy PA-1 was a pooled analysis of the data sets of the 3 prefectures, and strategy PA-2 was a pooled analysis of the data sets of the 3 prefectures and the farming corporation. The CD of the contrasts were greater for PA-2 than for PA-1. Under PA-2, the CD of the contrasts between mean EBV of sires or MGS ranged from 0.67 to 0.78 or from 0.61 to 0.70, respectively. Pooling the data from the 3 prefectures and the farming corporation increased the degree of connectedness through the link provider data rather than the amount of information by adding more data, thus improving the accuracy of prediction. The differences between mean EBV of sires or MGS from different prefectures were smaller for PA-1 than for PA-2. This finding suggests that genetic differences in carcass weight among prefectures are present, but that they would be confused with the environmental differences under PA-1 because of the lack of genetic connectedness among the prefectures. On the other hand, the genetic differences among the prefectures would be predicted precisely under PA-2 because the genetic connectedness among the prefectures was improved by using the link provider data. The results demonstrate that the link provider data could be used to unify within-prefecture evaluation to form a Japanese national genetic evaluation across weakly connected subpopulations.

Heterogeneity of variance among subclasses of an effect is a potential source of bias in genetic evaluation. Degrees of the heterogeneity of variance among farm-market-year-sex (FMYS) subclasses for carcass weight, beef marbling standard number, rib-eye area, rib thickness and subcutaneous fat thickness were investigated in Japanese Black cattle. Consequences of adjusting for the heterogeneity on the predicted breeding values (PBVs) or on the genetic indexes derived from the PBVs of the five carcass traits were assessed. A total of 57 461 records were collected between 1997 and 2002 from steers and heifers fattened at farms across Japan. These records were grouped into 1591 FMYS subclasses. Bartlett's test showed that the degree of the heterogeneity of variance among the FMYS subclasses was sizeable in all traits (P

The objectives of this study were to estimate genetic parameters for gestation length (GL), including estimation of maternal effects, and to investigate the genetic relationships of GL with birth weight and carcass traits in a Japanese Black cattle population. The original data comprised 34 775 records of animals born from October 1999 to August 2003. Two different models were used to analyze the data for GL. The first model (M1) included direct genetic effect of the calf and maternal genetic effect as random effects. The second model (M2) treated GL as a trait of the dam and included direct genetic effects only. M1 was used in bi-variate analysis. The direct and maternal heritabilities for GL estimated from M1 were 0.53 and 0.14, respectively. This result shows that GL is moderately inherited and can be controlled genetically. The direct × maternal genetic correlation for GL was −0.73. Direct genetic correlations of GL with carcass traits were close to zero. However, genetic correlation of maternal GL with carcass weight was moderate (0.25).

Heterogeneity of variance among subclasses of an effect is a potential source of bias in genetic evaluation. The objectives of this study were to quantify the heterogeneity of variance in carcass weight in Japanese Black cattle, to develop an adjustment method to account for the heterogeneity, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the method. A total of 96,950 records were collected from steers and heifers slaughtered from 1997 to 2005. These records were grouped into 2,767 farm-market-year-sex subclasses. Fourteen log-linear models for the variances were set up to estimate the heterogeneous phenotypic variances within subclasses. Schwarz's Bayesian information criterion was used for model selection. The preadjustment of records to a baseline variance was based on maximum likelihood estimates obtained from the selected model. As a result of adjustment, the SD, the CV, and the Gini coefficient for the phenotypic variance decreased by 68.6, 69.8, and 70.1%, respectively. When the top 5% of sires and top 1% of dams were selected, Spearman's rank correlation coefficients between the adjusted and unadjusted data were 0.95 for the selected sires and 0.78 for the selected dams. The effectiveness of the adjustment was evaluated in terms of the ability to predict breeding values, using the results of the successive genetic evaluations. Mean squared error between the parent averages and actual predicted values of the genetic merit for the sires whose progeny had a carcass record only from 2003 to 2005 was significantly reduced by the adjustment (P < 0.05). The results suggest that the genetic evaluation becomes more accurate by adjusting the data using the procedure developed in this study.

Days open (DO), which is the interval from calving to conception, is an important trait related to reproductive performance in cattle. To identify quantitative trait loci for DO in Japanese Black cattle, we conducted a genome-wide association study with 33,303 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using 459 animals with extreme DO values selected from a larger group of 15,488 animals. We identified a SNP on bovine chromosome 2 (BTA2) that was associated with DO. After imputation using phased haplotype data inferred from 586 812 SNPs of 1041 Japanese Black cattle, six SNPs associated with DO were located in an 8.5-kb region of high linkage disequilibrium on BTA2. These SNPs were located on the telomeric side at a distance of 177 kb from the parathyroid hormone 2 receptor (PTH2R) gene. The association was replicated in a sample of 1778 animals. In the replicated population, the frequency of the reduced-DO allele (Q) was 0.63, and it accounted for 1.72% of the total genetic variance. The effect of a Q-to-q allele substitution on DO was a decrease of 3.74 days. The results suggest that the Q allele could serve as a marker in Japanese Black cattle to select animals with superior DO performance.

The objectives of this study were 1) to investigate the effect of changes in carcass market prices due to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) occurrences on estimates of genetic parameters and economic weights for carcass traits; and 2) to compare direct and indirect approaches for prediction of genetic merit of Japanese Black cattle for profitability of their progeny. The direct approach utilized estimated breeding values of carcass prices, whereas in the indirect approach, selection indices were constructed as products of economic weights and breeding values of component traits. Data were composed of 80,191 carcass records divided into 5 periods based on changes in carcass prices as a result of occurrences of BSE in Japan and the United States. The periods ranged from a period before occurrence of BSE in Japan to a period of beef import restrictions and a rise in prices. Carcass traits analyzed included HCW, LM area, rib thickness, subcutaneous fat thickness, and marbling score (MS). Price traits included carcass unit price and carcass sale price. Estimates of heritability for price traits were moderate (0.32 to 0.46) and slightly sensitive to changes in carcass market prices. Genetic correlations of HCW and LM area with price traits increased and that between MS and carcass sale price decreased with period, whereas estimates of genetic correlation between MS and carcass unit price were high in all periods (0.96 to 0.98). Economic weights for carcass traits varied with periods because carcass prices were highly sensitive to economic importance of traits. Nevertheless, correlations between within-period breeding values for price traits estimated using direct and indirect approaches were high (0.92 to 0.99). This result indicates that selection realized by direct and indirect approaches will provide very similar results. A comparison among within-approach breeding values estimated in different periods showed that the largest differences in breeding values of sires for price traits were between the periods after occurrences of BSE in Japan and in the United States. Economic effects of BSE occurrences influenced the importance of carcass traits and economic merits of price traits through a change of carcass prices from period to period, irrespective of the approach taken in determining the genetic merit of breeding animals for profitability of their progeny.

本研究の目的は，アンケート調査を行い，肉牛飼養者の属性や意識の差異が農家ごとの枝肉価格と枝肉形質の最良線形不偏推定値（BLUE）に与える影響を調べることであった．アンケート調査は，安愚楽牧場と契約している農家を対象に行い，分析には肥育農家91戸のデータを用いた．最良線形不偏推定値（BLUE）の推定には，安愚楽牧場で2004年1月から2005年3月までに出荷された20,346頭の枝肉成績を用いた．農家ごとの枝肉価格と枝肉形質に関するBLUE値を目的変数とし，農家の属性や意識を取り入れ最小2乗分散分析を行った．分析の結果，経済性と生きがいをともに重視している農家の方が良質の枝肉を生産していることが明らかとなった．さらに，枝肉単価と飼養規模の間には2次曲線の関係があり，規模が大きくなるにつれ，枝肉単価は逓減し，932頭を境に増加していくことが明らかとなった．

The importance of genotype x environment (region or management system) interactions for carcass traits in Japanese Black cattle was investigated using both univariate and multivariate animal models. The univariate approach was used mainly to test the significance of interaction effects. The multivariate approach was used to estimate genetic correlations, which indicated the magnitude of genotype x environment (GE) interactions. The more a genetic correlation deviates from 1, the larger the interaction. From the univariate approach, the addition of genotype x environment (region or management system) interaction (co)variance components resulted in an improved fit of the model for all traits in both cases (P < 0.001). However, estimates of genetic correlation between regions obtained from the multivariate approach for hot carcass weight, LM area, rib thickness, s.c. fat thickness, and marbling score were 0.97, 0.95, 0.93, 0.97, and 0.93, respectively. The corresponding estimates between management systems were 0.84, 0.92, 0.84, 0.90, and 0.97, respectively. These results indicate that GE interaction effects on carcass traits of Japanese Black cattle may be biologically unimportant. Therefore, breeding values obtained using the multivariate method would rank sires similarly in all environments. Consequently, carcass traits measured in these two different regions or management systems can be treated as the same traits.

Double inferior vena cava is a congenital venous anomaly that is found at about 1% to 3% of routine autopsies and has been described in numerous reports over the years. According to Adachi (1940), it has an incidence of 1.4±0.34%. More recently, diagnostic imaging has revealed that double inferior vena cava tends to be found in patients with hydronephrosis and various other conditions. During routine anatomical practice at Nippon Medical School in 2000, a case of double inferior vena cava was observed in a Japanese woman who had died of subarachnoid hemorrhage at 66 years of age. Bilateral inferior venae cavae, left renal vein, and transiliac vein were found through dissection. These findings are supplemented by a discussion of the literature with respect to embryological studies, morphological classifications, and disease correlations.

Age at first calving (AFC) is an important trait for achieving earlier reproductive performance in cattle. To identify quantitative trait loci for AFC in Japanese Black cattle, we conducted a genome-wide association study using 866 animals with extreme AFC values selected from a larger group of 52, 009 animals. We identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on bovine chromosome 2 that were associated with AFC. These SNPs were located within 112.8-kbp intronic region of delta/notch-like EGF repeat containing (DNER) and proved to be in a state of high linkage disequilibrium. The association was replicated in an independent sample of 2963 animals. In the replicated population, the frequency of the reduced AFC allele (Q) was 0.463, and the allele accounts for 8% of the total genetic variance. The effect of allele substitution on AFC was a decrease of 11.54 days. The results suggest that the Q allele could serve as a useful marker in Japanese Black cattle to select animals with superior AFC performance.

Laryngeal Hemiplegia (LH) leads to a reduction in performance and because of it many promising racehorses have been forced to end their racing career. Therefore it is important for breeding good racehorses to estimate theheritability of LH. In this study, the computer program was developed based on the Bayesian analysis with Gibbs sampling for estimating the heritability of categorical traits assuming liability. A total of 706 records with LH-grade in Thoroughbreds aged 2 to 5 years were assigned for the genetic analysis. LH-grades consisted of five severity classes from 0 to 4. Racehorse breeders are often interested in whether the genetic effect controlling a complex disorder is present in the population. To answer this question, the binary trait analysis would be also useful. The heritability of LH-grade in the Thoroughbred horse was then also estimated as a binary or as a categorical trait. The mode values ofthe posterior distributions of heritability were 0.23 and 0.20 for the binary and the categorical trait, respectively. The fact that in the Thoroughbred population studied LH is at least partially controlled by genetic factors leads to the suggestion that when applying adequate breeding measures the prevalence of LH will be able to be reduced.