Anther formation and dehiscence are complex pivotal processes in reproductive development. The secondary wall thickening in endothecial cells of the anther is a known prerequisite for successful anther dehiscence. However, many gaps remain in our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms underlying anther dehiscence in planta, including a possible role for jasmonic acid (JA) and H(2)O(2) in se...

The characteristics of sites of intramural cancer spread were examined by comparing the intraductal ultrasonography (IDUS) and wall thickening findings at sites of intramural cancer spread and non-spread, in patients with malignant bile duct stenosis who had undergone percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD).The subjects were ten patients with extrahepatic bile duct cancer, two with pa...

AIMS Post-systolic wall thickening (PSWT) occurs after aortic valve closure. This waste of thickening does not participate in ejection. PSWT increases with myocardial ischaemia and stunning but the effects of anti-anginal drugs on PSWT during myocardial dysfunction remain unknown. The effects of two heart rate reducing agents, i.e. the beta-blocker atenolol and the selective I(f) current inhibi...

Laser photocoagulation has been used successfully for the treatment of clinically significant macular oedema to reduce the risk of loss of vision in diabetic patients. A quantitative method for measuring retinal thickness was applied to 20 patients with diabetic macular oedema before and 4 months after focal laser treatment to assess the reduction in retinal thickening and its relation to visua...

BACKGROUND Although dobutamine echocardiography is being increasingly used to determine the presence of viable myocardium in patients who have undergone successful reperfusion therapy, the physiological basis for such a use has not been clearly defined. Because postischemic myocardium has contractile reserve, we hypothesized that the absolute degree of wall thickening induced by dobutamine duri...

175 Received July 21, 2010; revision accepted for publication October 4, 2010. doi: 10.1620/tjem.222.175 Correspondence: Nobuyuki Ohte, M.D., Department of Cardio-Renal Medicine and Hypertension, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8601, Japan. e-mail: [email protected] Myocardial Fiber Shortening in the Circumferential Direction ...

A routine detailed ultrasound examination performed at 20 weeks' gestation demonstrated the presence of nuchal thickening as an apparently isolated finding. The concentration of maternal alpha-fetoprotein was normal and the risk of Down's syndrome was 1 in 6800. Amniocentesis was performed and chromosome analysis showed the karyotype 46,XY, del(11)(q23) found in Jacobsen syndrome. Fetal autopsy...

Because sieve elements are generally regarded as the specialized conducting cells in the phloem tissue, their structure in relation to function has been the subject of many studies and discussions. ' Both the protoplast and the walls of sieve elements have distinctive characteristics, some of which are difficult to relate to the rapid flow of materials-at the rate of up to 100 cm. per hour-reco...