In an attempt to contribute to the morphological understanding of the locus ceruleus (LC) in the male Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus, weighing about 60 g), light microscopic investigations were performed using 3 kinds of staining methods under normal conditions. This study elucidated the cytoarchitectonics and cell numbers of LC using the Klüver-Barrera and amine-demonstrating wet fluorescent methods. Existence of intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies was examined using the modified Holmes method. LC in the hamster showed a rostro-caudal extent of 646 ± 54 μm (n = 14) in the dorsolateral tegmental area of the pons. At the rostral part of the LC, a small number of nerve cells located directly beneath the lateral edge of the fourth ventricle (IV), the middle part (principal part) showed a triangle-shaped cell accumulation with apex directed toward the IV and the caudal part formed a small accumulation of cells at the outer ventral portion of the IV. Cell number in the unilateral LC amounted to 1316 ± 103 (n = 14) using the Klüver-Barrera and modified Holmes method, and the LC cytoarchitectonically divided into dorsal and ventral parts according to cell shape. The former cells measured 17.6 ± 2.2 μm in short diameter by 25.4 ± 3.2 μm (n = 240) in long diameter on average while the latter cells measured 16.5 ± 2.0 μm by 26.7 ± 4.0 μm (n = 240). Small inclusion bodies below 1 μm were observed throughout almost all of the cytoplasm in LC with the modified Holmes method.

In our previous studies, we determined the course of the axillary nerve in cadavers and projected these finings on the skin covering the deltoid muscle. Since the posterior humeral circumflex artery runs anatomically along the nerve, in the present study, we examined whether this information could be useful to facilitate detection of the axillary nerve living bodies by detecting the blood flow of the artery using a handhold ultrasound blood flowmeter and ultrasound diagnostic equipment. As a result, the sound of blood flow and the image of the artery were demonstrated adjacent to the course of the axillary nerve, although it was difficult to directly visualize the axillary nerve by this method. This indicates that the method of determining the course of the axillary nerve in a cadaver can be adapted to the living body as well. To ascertain the course of the axillary nerve, it is useful to identify the course of the posterior humeral circumflex artery using an ultrasound blood flowmeter and ultrasound diagnostic equipment.

To prevent injuring nerves by venous puncture in the cubital fossa, it is necessary to clarify the positional relationship between the cutaneous nerve and superficial venous distributions, and identify the appropriate cutaneous vein and how to puncture it. In this study, we investigated the positional relationship between the cutaneous nerve and superficialvenous distributions in the cubital fossa in 24 cadaveric right arms. In the proximal region from a line connecting the medial and lateral epicondyles (designated as the cubital fossa line), the medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve descended along the superficial layer of the basilic vein, and crossed the ulnar median cubital vein in some arms. The lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve descended along the deep layer of the cephalic vein. In the distal region from the cubital fossa line, the medial and lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerves branched and were distributed along the medial and lateral sides of the basilic and cephalic veins. Fewer cutaneous nerves crossed the superficial layer of the radial median cubital vein, but the brachial artery was distributed in the aponeurosis deep layer along this vein. Based on these findings, on venous puncture in the cubital fossa, a distal superficialvein from the cubital fossa line should be vertically punctured, avoiding penetrating the vein.

Rabies is a zoonotic disease and the latent period is very long. Once the symptoms of rabies appear, there is no treatment and the disease is almost always fatal and continues to death. The expensive cell culture rabies vaccines can be available to prevent the disease in industrialized country. Production of novel low-cost vaccine has been required globally. We tried to use glycoprotein G (G protein) of Rabies expressed in fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, as vaccine for rabies.

Plasmids for transformation of S. pombe, pAUR224G and pAUR224GS, cording G protein region or part of G protein (GS) region, were harvested. Expression of target protein G in S. pombe was successful with the strain C933-1A, but protein GS was not confirmed. G protein expressing in C933-1A-G ③ was used for immunization for mice. Although there was no significant difference, the preproduction of vaccine has potential for ascending the effect to prevent Rabies.