Stages of a Transtheoretical Model as Predictors of the Decline in Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: The transtheoretical model (TTM) is composed of the multiple stages according to patient’s consciousness and is believed to lead people to realize the importance of healthier behaviors. We examined the association of TTM stages with the decline of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Methods: We used the annual health checkup data and health insurance claims data of the Japan Health Insurance Association in Kyoto Prefecture between April 2012 and March 2016. TTM stages of change obtained from questionnaires at the first health checkup and categorized into six groups. The primary outcome was defined as a more than 30% decline in eGFR from the first health checkup. We fitted multivariable Cox proportional-hazards model for time-to-event analyses adjusting for age, sex, eGFR, body mass index, blood pressure, blood sugar, dyslipidemia, uric acid, urinary protein, and existence of kidney diseases at first health checkup. Results: We analyzed 239, 755 employees and the mean follow-up was 2.9 (standard deviation, 1.2) years. As compared with the stage 1 group, the risk of eGFR decline was significantly low in the stage 3 group (hazard ratio [HR] 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.65–0.91); stage 4 group (HR 0.80; 95% CI, 0.65–0.98); and stage 5 group (HR 0.79; 95% CI, 0.66–0.95). Conclusion: Compared with the precontemplation stage (stage 1), the preparation, action and maintenance stages (stages 3, 4, and 5), were associated with a lower risk of eGFR decline

Resurrection of a Bull by Cloning from Organs Frozen without Cryoprotectant in a −80°C Freezer for a Decade

Frozen animal tissues without cryoprotectant have been thought to be inappropriate for use as a nuclear donor for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). We report the cloning of a bull using cells retrieved from testicles that had been taken from a dead animal and frozen without cryoprotectant in a −80°C freezer for 10 years. We obtained live cells from defrosted pieces of the spermatic cords of frozen testicles. The cells proliferated actively in culture and were apparently normal. We transferred 16 SCNT embryos from these cells into 16 synchronized recipient animals. We obtained five pregnancies and four cloned calves developed to term. Our results indicate that complete genome sets are maintained in mammalian organs even after long-term frozen-storage without cryoprotectant, and that live clones can be produced from the recovered cells

Application of biotechnology for reproductive manipulation

For the efficient increase in the number of farm animals and for the improvement of amounts and quality of animal products such as wool, meat and milk, biotechnological new techniques of animal production have been developed and practically applied specifically concerning on the following subjects : (1). Artificial insemination (AI) is not a new technique, but the technique itself has been dramatically improved year by year and an epoch-making technique, deep freezing of semen was devised during the year, 1948-1950 by Dr. Paige and co-workers". The successful deep freezing of semen was made it possible to use widely the excellent male animals especially in cattle. ( 2 ) . The technique of embryo transfer (ET) has been applied effectively for wide use of genetically excellent cows. About 410 thousands of embryos (210, 000 fresh and 200, 000 frozen embryos) were transferred annually in cattle throughout the world. ( 3 ). Producing identical animals is important for the following reasons ; a). Identical animals are valuable as experimental animals because of their genetic identity, b) . the number of genetically excellent animals can be rapidly increased. More recently production of identical animals by nuclear transplantation, cloning has been in progress for the practical application in cattle breeding. ( 4 ) . Sex control of offspring has been carried out by two different methods, one is the separation of X- and Y- bearing spermatozoa and the other is the sexing of embryos before transfer. ( 5 ) . Main purpose of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in mammals was to investigate the gamete interaction in the process of fertilization. In case of cattle IVF, the technique was applied to the practical cattle production about 10 years after the first successful report of IVF. ( 6 ). Originally the purpose of IVF by assisted micromanipulation of gametes was to investigate the interaction of gametes at the site of sperm penetration from the physiological view point. This technique has been clinically applied for the therapy of male factor infertility. ( 7 ) . Transgenesis in domestic animals briefly referred here is one of the important subjects at present and in future.継続後誌:近畿大学先端技術総合研究所紀要 = Memoirs of Institute of Advanced Technology, Kinki Universit

ウサギ・インター-α-トリプシンインヒピター重鎖1前駆体をコードするcDNAのクローン化と塩基配列の決定

Complementary DNA encoding a precursor of heavy chain 1 (HC1) of the inter-α-trypsin inhibitor was amplified from rabbit liver total RNA by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA end (RACE), cloned and sequenced. The cDNA spanned a stretch of 2,899 nucleotides with open reading frame coding for 906 amino acid residues. The amino acid sequence of HC1 precursor was 82, 79, 79, and 79％ identical with those of the HC1 precursors from man, mouse, pig and hamster, respectively.　（和文） ウサギの肝臓から、インター-α-トリプシンインヒピター重鎖1前駆体(HC1)をコードするcDNAを、RT-PCR (reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction) 法およびRACE (rapid amplification of cDNA end)法を用いて単離し、その塩基配列を決定した。単離したcDNAは906残基のアミノ酸翻訳領域を含む2，899塩基対であった。このアミノ酸配列をヒト、マウス、ブ夕、およびハムスターのHC1と比較したところ、82，79，79，79％であった。継続後誌:近畿大学先端技術総合研究所紀要 = Memoirs of Institute of Advanced Technology, Kinki Universit