Mental Health, Loneliness, and Social Support Among Undergraduate Students: A Multinational Study in Asia.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of poor mental health and its association with loneliness and social support among 3531 undergraduate students in nine Asian countries. Mental health was assessed using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire, which was developed by the World Health Organization. Across the entire sample, we detected that nearly half of the students reported poor mental health according to the Self-Reporting Questionnaire and nearly one out of seven students felt lonely. While feeling lonely increased the odds of experiencing poor mental health (odds ratio [OR]), moderate (OR: 0.35) and strong social support (OR: 0.18) decreases the odds of experiencing poor mental health. The high prevalence of poor mental health calls for further in-depth investigations and implementation of mental health support interventions.

Revealing the cells fated to form the cell mass in embryos of temnopleurid sea urchins.

Larvae of temnopleurid sea urchins form a cell mass (CM) instead of an amniotic cavity on the left side at the early developmental stage for formation of the adult rudiment. However, the cell lineage and the mechanisms that form the CM are still unknown. We analyzed the potential to form a CM in partial embryos resulting from microsurgeries, using two temnopleurid species, Mespilia globulus (L.) and Temnopleurus toreumaticus (Leske). CM formation was completed 28-34 h after fertilization at 24°C, corresponding to the period from the late prism to the two-armed pluteus larval stages in both species. In the case of specimens dissected horizontally during the mesenchyme blastula to prism stages, the CM was formed in partial embryos containing enough of the an2 region, a part of the precursor cells that differentiate the ectoderm. The proportion of specimens with a CM was higher in T. toreumaticus than in M. globulus. Additionally, all larvae derived from half embryos obtained from dissection along the animal-vegetal axis at the mesenchyme blastula stage formed the CM. Transplantation of a stained animal or vegetal hemisphere at the 16-cell stage into a nonstained vegetal or animal embryo indicated that the CM derives from the animal half. Exogastrulae vegetalized by lithium chloride treatment did not form the CM. These results indicate that the CM formation is dependent not only on the an2 region but also on signals from the vegetal region after the mesenchyme blastula stage.

Regeneration of the cell mass in larvae of temnopleurid sea urchins.

Mechanisms of cell mass (CM) formation were analyzed by microsurgery in two temnopleurid sea urchins, Mespilia globulus and Temnopleurus toreumaticus. The CM in temnopleurids is formed at the early larval stage from the left ectodermal invagination, and with the hydrocoel derived from the mesoderm, forms an adult rudiment. After serial removal of the CM, it was strongly regenerated until its attachment to the hydrocoel, with the same timing as in control larvae. Embryos that had the tip of the archenteron or the coelomic pouches removed formed a CM in the normal manner. Removal of the CM plus the left somatocoel or the hydrocoel allowed CM regeneration with and without adult rudiment formation. A transplanted CM enlarged autonomously but did not contribute to adult rudiment formation, and larvae formed a new CM. Our observations suggest that the hydrocoel recognizes its distance from the CM to induce the growth of the CM and controls the normal timing of adult rudiment formation.

Effects of Nodal inhibition on development of temnopleurid sea urchins.

Adult rudiment formation in some temnopleurids begins with the formation of a cell mass that is pinched off the left ectoderm in early larval development. The cell mass forms the adult rudiment with the left coelomic pouch of the mesodermal region. However, details of the mechanisms to establish position of the cell mass are still unknown. We analyzed the inhibiting effect of Nodal, a factor for morphogenesis of the oral region and right side, for location of the cell mass, in four temnopleurids. Pulse inhibition, at least 5 min inhibition, during coelomic pouch formation allowed a cell mass to form on both sides, whereas treatments after that period did not. These results indicate that Nodal signaling controls the oral-aboral axis before gastrulation and then affects the position of the cell mass and adult rudiment up to coelomic pouch formation. They also indicate that the position of the adult rudiment under Nodal signaling pathways is conserved in temnopleurids, as adult rudiment formation is dependent on the cell mass.

Specification of Larval Axes of Partial Embryos in the Temnopleurid Temnopleurus toreumaticus and the Strongylocentroid Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus.

Many sea urchins, including the strongylocentroid Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus, produce an amniotic cavity on the left for adult rudiment formation at the late larval stage. In contrast, temnopleurids form a cell mass at the early larval stage instead of an amniotic cavity. Although the mechanisms establishing left-right polarity of the amniotic cavity involve cell-cell interactions and signaling pathways, corresponding pathways for the cell mass are unknown. We analyzed the effects of blastomere isolation on the specification of larval axes in the temnopleurid Temnopleurus toreumaticus and compared them to those in H. pulcherrimus. Blastomere isolation at the two- or four-cell stages in T. toreumaticus disturbed the location of the cell mass and adult rudiment in approximately 10-20% of specimens. In contrast, isolation at the two-cell stage in H. pulcherrimus caused the left-right polarity to become random. When blastomeres isolated at the two-cell stage were cultured as pairs, approximately 20% of pairs had atypical polarity in both species. Following isolation at the four-cell stage, 71.4% of quartets produced larvae with atypical polarity in T. toreumaticus. Thus, cell-cell interaction between two daughter blastomeres after the second cleavage may be involved in the mechanism determining left-right polarity. Dye injection into a blastomere and subsequent observations indicated that the location of the boundary of the first cleavage showed similar patterns in both species. These observations suggest that species-specific mechanisms establish the larval axes and blastomeres at the two- and four-cell stages redistribute their cytoplasm, forming gradients that establish left-right polarity.

Pulmonary artery sarcoma resected via median sternotomy with thoracoscopic assistance.

Median sternotomy is frequently selected for the resection of pulmonary artery tumor, and pneumonectomy is performed for complete resection. However, it is difficult to see the inferior pulmonary vein and transect it safely via median sternotomy, so additional thoracotomy is often required and this is highly invasive. In the present case, we employed thoracoscopy (which we routinely use for VATS lobectomy) to transect the inferior pulmonary vein via median sternotomy without additional intercostal thoracotomy. This method has advantages for patients undergoing pneumonectomy via median sternotomy.

Morphological diversity of blastula formation and gastrulation in temnopleurid sea urchins.

Embryos of temnopleurid sea urchins exhibit species-specific morphologies. While Temnopleurus toreumaticus has a wrinkled blastula and then invaginates continuously at gastrulation, others have a smooth blastula and their invagination is stepwise. We studied blastula and gastrula formation in four temnopleurids using light and scanning electron microscopy to clarify the mechanisms producing these differences. Unlike T. toreumaticus, blastomeres of mid-blastulae in T. reevesii, T. hardwickii and Mespilia globulus formed pseudopods. Before primary mesenchyme cells ingressed, embryos developed an area of orbicular cells in the vegetal plate. The cells surrounding the orbicular cells extended pseudopods toward the orbicular cell area in three Temnopleurus species. In T. toreumaticus, the extracellular matrix was well-developed and developed a hole-like structure that was not formed in others. Gastrulation of T. reevesii, T. hardwickii and M. globulus was stepwise, suggesting that differences of gastrulation are caused by all or some of the following factors: change of cell shape, rearrangement, pushing up and towing of cells. We conclude that (1) many aspects of early morphogenesis differ even among very closely related sea urchins with indirect development and (2) many of these differences may be caused by the cell shape and structure of blastomeres or by differences in extracellular matrix composition.

Japanese Undergraduates' Attitudes Toward Students Survivors of Parental Suicide: A Comparison With Other Stigmatized Deaths.

This study investigated Japanese undergraduates' attitudes toward a fellow student whose parent has died by suicide. One hundred thirty-four participants responded to four versions of a brief fictional case describing a male undergraduate whose father had died. These presented fictional cases described the cause of the death as being suicide, cancer, AIDS, or murder. Results indicated that participants had more negative attitudes toward the suicide survivor student than the nonstigmatized death (cancer) survivor. Further, results indicated that participants viewed suicide survivors as more to blame for the death and had a more negative image of them than of the other stigmatized death (AIDS and murder) survivors.

[Clear Cell Tumor of the Lung Showing Gradual Growth for 6 years].

Clear cell tumor of the lung (CCTL) is a rare benign tumor that originates from the lung. We report a case of CCTL which had grown for 6 years. The patient was a 25-year-old woman and her chest roentgenogram detected a well-circumscribed coin-like shadow in the left lower lung field. Its size was 30 mm in diameter at consultation, and retrospectively we recognized a nodule of 13 mm in diameter in the same location on the health checkup roentgenogram 6 years before. The growth of the tumor suggested the possibility of malignancy, and the tumor was surgically resected by partial resection of the lung. Post operative course was uneventful. The tumor was clearly separated from pulmonary parenchyma, and was immunohistochemically diagnosed as CCTL.

Changes of seasonal morph development induced by surgical operations in pupae of the large map butterfly Araschnia burejana Bermer (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae).

The nymphalid butterfly Araschnia burejana and the papilionid butterfly Papilio xuthus exhibit seasonal diphenism comprising spring-morphs that develop from diapause pupae and summer-morphs that develop from non-diapause pupae. The development of seasonal morphs in A. burejana is regulated by the timing of secretion of ecdysteroids for adult development, whereas that in P. xuthus is regulated by the secretion of summer-morph-producing hormone, which is present in the brains and is under control of the photoperiod. We investigated whether a cerebral factor derived from brains plays a significant role in the regulation of seasonal morph development in A. burejana using surgical operations. Pairs of chilled diapause pupae that had been chilled for more than 3 months at 4°C were joined surgically to each other and then developed into spring-morph or spring-like-morph adults. Chilled diapause pupae that were joined with 1-day-old non-diapause pupae developed into summer-morph or summer-like-morph adults. When the brains of non-diapause pupae were removed surgically 6-8 hr after pupation with and without injection of 20-hydroxyecdysone, a large portion of them developed into spring-morph or spring-like-morph adults, respectively. Furthermore, 90% of non-diapause pupae developed into spring-morph or spring-like-morph adults when the neck was ligated within 5 min after pupation. These results indicated that a cerebral factor showing summer-morph-producing hormone activity, which is secreted from the brain in the early pupal stage, in addition to 20-hydroxyecdysone for adult development, play a significant role in the determination of summer-morph development in non-diapause pupae of A. burejana.

[Multiple lung metastases from cutaneous adenoid cystic carcinoma resected 21 years before].

A 79-year-old woman whose cutaneous tumor had been resected 21 years and 12 years (local recurrence)before pathologically confirmed as primary cutaneous adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), was referred to our hospital for the abnormal shadow on chest X-ray. Chest computed tomography (CT)revealed 3 nodules in the peripheral field of both lungs, which were diagnosed by echo-guided needle biopsy as metastasis from the cutaneous ACC, and were completely resected at 5 months intervals. Any recurrences have not been detected for 2 years after the lung resection. In primary cutaneous ACC, not only complete resection with adequate margin but long-term follow up is recommended.

A novel surgical approach to refractory hepatic hydrothorax.

Hepatic hydrothorax is defined as the presence of a pleural effusion in a patient with liver cirrhosis in the absence of cardiopulmonary disease, and it is a devastating complication impairing quality of life in the end stage of liver disease. The management of the effusion is challenging, and chest tube drainage can sometimes cause more serious complications by removing massive amounts of protein-rich fluid. Though the most plausible mechanism is the influx of ascites to the pleural cavity through a small diaphragmatic defect, the defect often cannot be found. Hepatic hydrothorax could be controlled by repairing an invisible defect of the diaphragm. With pneumoperitoneum after intraperitoneal administration of indocyanine green, the defect, clearly dyed green, appeared on the diaphragm. This novel combination technique could be useful for ensuring the surgical repair of an invisible diaphragmatic defect.

Local anaesthetic thoracoscopy for intractable pneumothorax in a high-risk patient.

The management of high-operative-risk patients with a pneumothorax is complicated. The case of a 79-year old man with an intractable secondary pneumothorax, who had taken oral steroids to control asthma, is presented. Since the patient could not tolerate general anaesthesia because of poor cardiac function, thoracoscopic surgery was performed under local anaesthesia. A successful lung fistula closure was achieved and the continuous air leakage disappeared immediately after the surgery.

Diapause pupal color diphenism induced by temperature and humidity conditions in Byasa alcinous (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae).

We investigated whether diapause pupae of Byasa alcinous exhibit pupal color diphenism (or polyphenism) similar to the diapause pupal color polyphenism shown by Papilio xuthus. All diapause pupae of B. alcinous observed in the field during winter showed pupal coloration of a dark-brown type. When larvae were reared and allowed to reach pupation under short-day conditions at 18°C under a 60±5% relative humidity, diapause pupae exhibited pupal color types of brown (33%), light-brown (25%), yellowish-brown (21%), diapause light-yellow (14%) and diapause yellow (7%). When mature larvae reared at 18°C were transferred and allowed to reach pupation at 10°C and 25°C under a 60±5% relative humidity after a gut purge, the developmental ratio of brown and light-brown, yellowish-brown, and diapause light-yellow and diapause yellow types was 91.2, 8.8 and 0.0% at 10°C, and 12.2, 48.8 and 39.0% at 25°C, respectively. On the other hand, when mature larvae reared at 18°C were transferred and allowed to reach pupation at 10°C, 18°C and 25°C under an over 90% relative humidity after a gut purge, the developmental ratio of brown and light-brown, yellowish-brown, and diapause light-yellow and diapause yellow types was 79.8, 16.9 and 3.3% at 10°C, 14.5, 26.9 and 58.6% at 18°C, and 8.3, 21.2 and 70.5% at 25°C, respectively. These results indicate that diapause pupae of brown types are induced by lower temperature and humidity conditions, whereas yellow types are induced by higher temperature and humidity conditions. The findings of this study show that diapause pupae of B. alcinous exhibit pupal color diphenism comprising brown and diapause yellow types, and suggest that temperature and humidity experienced after a gut purge are the main factors that affect the diapause pupal coloration of B. alcinous as environmental cues.

Intravesical mitomycin-C-induced interstitial pneumonia.

An 84-year-old man with no evidence of pre-existing interstitial pneumonia developed fatal interstitial pneumonia and respiratory failure that could only be explained as an adverse effect of intravesical mitomycin C chemotherapy. He had undergone transurethral resection of bladder cancer 3 times, followed by intravesical mitomycin C chemotherapy 1 month later. He had received intravesical mitomycin C chemotherapy every week for 2 months, and he had complained of dyspnea on exertion 5 days before the last intravesical mitomycin C chemotherapy session. Interstitial infiltration was detected in both the upper and lower lobes of the left lung on the day of the last instillation of mitomycin C. Despite discontinuation of mitomycin C and administration of methylprednisolone, his condition deteriorated and he died. Diagnostic evaluation of other causes of pneumonia, including infection and collagen-vascular diseases, was negative. The autopsy demonstrated diffuse alveolar damage in the lung; there were no remarkable findings in other organs. To our knowledge, this is the first pathologically confirmed case of fatal interstitial pneumonia due to intravesical mitomycin C chemotherapy.

Novel morphological traits in the early developmental stages of Temnopleurus toreumaticus.

We have re-observed in detail the development of the sea urchin species Temnopleurus toreumaticus, which is considered to be a typical indirect-developing species with a feeding larval stage. In this re-observation, we discovered two new morphological traits in the early embryonic stages of T. toreumaticus. The first trait is that, immediately after fertilization, the egg enters a stage in which wrinkles form on its surface as a result of actin polymerization. The second new trait is that the blastulae form wrinkles; in sea urchins, this has previously been known only in direct-developing species that have a nonfeeding larval stage and form wrinkles during the blastula stage, before hatching. These phenomena indicate that after fertilization, the egg of T. toreumaticus undergoes a surface transformation that is unprecedented in echinoderms, and that an indirect-developing sea urchin can form a wrinkled blastula.

Hormonal control of pupal coloration in the painted lady butterfly Vanessa cardui.

Pupae of the painted lady butterfly Vanessa cardui exhibit pupal color polyphenism consisting of white, dark and intermediate types. We investigated environmental factors affecting pupal coloration and the physiological mechanisms underlying the control of pupal color polyphenism in this species. Over 80% of larvae reared at 16 degrees C developed into pupae of dark types, whereas over 82% of larvae at 32 degrees C developed into pupae of white types irrespective of long/short-day photoperiod conditions. When mature larvae reared at 32 degrees C were ligatured between thoracic and abdominal parts at three different pharate pupal stages, all of the head-thoracic parts developed into white pupae regardless of pupal stage, but all abdominal parts ligatured at the early pharate pupal stage only developed into dark pupae. These results indicate that temperature during larval stages is an important element affecting pupal coloration as an environmental cue in V. cardui, and that a factor(s) inducing white pupae is released from head-thoracic parts under conditions of high temperature. Additionally, when ligatured abdomens destined to develop into dark pupae were treated with crude extracts prepared from the central nervous system, all of the ligatured abdomens developed into white pupae at a level dependent on dose and pupal stage. These results suggest that the factor inducing white pupae is a key molecule controlling pupal color polyphenism in V. cardui.

Histochemical demonstration of aluminum and iron deposition in pulmonary bony tissues in three cases of diffuse pulmonary ossification.

Diffuse pulmonary ossification is a rare condition. We examined three cases of it in Japan, and attempted histochemically to stain for deposition of aluminum and iron in bony tissues. The patients were all female, and in their mid-twenties, mid- eighties, and later teen years. One of the patients had been exposed to heavy metals in her work involving heavy-metal analyses for 18 months. Aluminum staining and Berlin blue staining for iron were performed with dewaxed, undecalcified sections of pulmonary tissues from these three cases. Interestingly, all pulmonary bony tissues from the three cases examined exhibited linear regions of both aluminum and iron deposition in the calcifying fronts or the cement lines of bones. The patient exposed to heavy metals exhibited the most severe aluminum and iron deposition, and also exhibited positive reaction for both aluminum and iron in elastic fibers of blood vessels. Foreign body granulomas with multinucleated giant cells exhibiting elastophagia were also found in this case. This phenomenon, "endogenous pneumoconiosis", appeared to have been the cause of pulmonary hemorrhage in this case, resulting in focal heavy hemosiderosis. It is of great interest that identical patterns of aluminum and iron deposition in hemodialysis patients were found in these three cases, This is the first report on histochemical demonstration of aluminum and iron deposition in diffuse pulmonary ossification, and detailed analysis of additional cases is needed.

Role of the yellow spot around the urogenital opening of female mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) as a cue for copulation.

Males of the viviparous teleost fish Gambusia affinis copulate with females by using a specialized anal fin, or gonopodium. When female G. affinis were placed in a shallow transparent tank which was then floated on the surface of a larger aquarium housing male G. affinis , the males frequently attempted to copulate with females housed in the smaller quarantine tank. This copulatory behavior in male G. affinis was only observed to be elicited by visual stimuli; female G. affinis have a yellow spot and black anal spots around their urogenital opening. To investigate the function of the yellow spot of the female, we examined male copulatory behavior directed towards artificial female models having a yellow, black, gray, or white spot in the genital region. Of the differently colored females tested, males spent a significantly longer time in the vicinity of the artificial model with a yellow spot. In addition, males attempted to copulate with the yellow-spotted female model more frequently than with the models of different colors. These findings revealed that the yellow spot around the female urogenital opening of G. affinis attracts males and functions as a cue for copulation.