Factors affecting the decision making to enter nursing course

The shortage of nurses is one of the very important social problems in Japan. This study by questionaire survey was done to reveal the factors affecting the decision making of senior highschool students to enter nursing course. Two handred thirty-four 3-year college students studying in nursing course their 168 parents and 109 highschool teachers responded, and those data were statistically analysed. The results were as follows; 1. Students' choice to the nursing course were done basically by themselves, but were influenced by their parents and highschool teachers. 2. They, highschool students, parents and teachers have little knowledge about nursing job and nursing education on that time. 3. The incease in number of bachelor course to nursing in Japan may have impact on students, their parents and teachers, and it may link with the increase of students aiming to be nurses

Factors Affecting Home Care of Elders Report 1. Support Expected by the Elderly and Family

For the rapid increase of the elders in population in Japan after the 2nd world war, the arrangement of medical care for aged persons, both therapeutic and preventive, has become the serious social problem. To estimate the possibility of care at home and needs of elders and their family for public and volunteer services, questionnaire survey was carried out at Konko town in Okayama prefecture, Japan, in August 1990. More than half of the 105 elders older than 65 years and living alone (group A, 9 males and 96 females) replied to want to be cared for at home and 178 families with elders (group B) wanted to care for them at home. As for services they would wish to be offered when they would become bedridden at home, while group A wished to be visited and cared for by 'physician', 'home helper' and 'neighbor' in order of high rate group B 'physician', 'public health nurse' and 'nurse'. As for facility or assistance services, the former wanted 'purchasing, sweeping and washing', food delivery' and 'calling on' and the latter 'care consultation', 'assist of body bath' and 'economic aid'. Other supports or cares were also hopefully expected by both groups. The results shows that well-arrangement and promotion of a variety of constitional and personal support for home cares for elders in the community must be urged

"Matkalla jo jutellaan, mitähän mielenkiintoista taas saa kuulla" : Äänikirjalukupiiri Vaasan kaupunginkirjastossa

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää kvalitatiivisten menetelmien avulla lukupiiriläisten kokemuksellisuutta. Opinnäytetyössäni painotettiin äänikirjojen lukemisen kokemuksellisuutta. Vertailututkimuksessa käytettiin perinteisempää, painettuja teoksia lukevaa kirjallisuuspiiriä. Tutkimusongelmaan pyrittiin hakemaan vastauksia seuraavien kysymysten kautta: miksi halutaan kuulua lukupiirin, mitä luetaan, millaisista aiheista keskustellaan, kuinka lukupiirissä lukeminen eroaa yksinlukemisesta, mikä merkitys lukupiirin kuulumisella ja siihen liittyvällä kanssakäymisellä on, ja miten äänikirjalukeminen koetaan. Lisäksi selvitettiin, kuinka äänikirjalukupiirissä lukeminen eroaa niin sanotussa perinteisessä lukupiirissä lukemisesta. Kvalitatiivisina tutkimusmetodeina käytettiin havainnointia ja haastatteluja. Äänikirjalukupiirissä havainnointitapaamisia oli kaksi ja vertailulukupiirissä yksi kerta. Molemmista lukupiireistä haastattelin kuutta piiriläistä, eli yhteensä 12 jäsentä. Lukupiiriin kuulumisen perusteluja käsiteltiin seuraavien ulottuvuuksien kautta: lukemisen merkitys, kokemus lukijana, keskustelut lukukokemuksista ja muiden aiheiden merkitys, lukupiirin jäsenten välinen sosiaalinen kanssakäyminen sekä lukija yhteisöllisen lukupiirin jäsenenä. Tutkimustulosten mukaan lukupiireihin hakeuduttiin laajemman kirjallisuudentuntemuksen saamiseksi, yhteisen keskustelun ja lukukokemusten jakamisen vuoksi. Äänikirjalukupiiriin kuulumisessa korostettiin laajemman mahdollisuuden saamista kirjallisuuden harrastamiseen, aineiston tärkeää ja helppoa saamista kerhon kautta. Celian rinkiin pääsy kerhon kautta oli osa koettua merkitystä. Lukupiirien sosiaalisissa kontakteissa pyrittiin ” helppouteen perustuvaan ystävyyteen”, jossa ryhmään hakeudutaan viihtymään ja nauttimaan yhdessäolosta. Lukupiirien sosiaaliset suhteet koettiin työelämän suhteiden korvaajina. Koettiin oppimisen iloa, itsetuntemuksen lisääntymistä, antamisen ja auttamisen iloa. Muutostoiveet liitettiin keskustelun parantamiseen, tietoisuuden lisääntymiseen ja omaan oppimiseen.The aim of the study was to examine, through qualitative methods, experience among the literature circle. The thesis study emphasized experience during the reading of audio books. In addition, differences between an audio book circle and a traditional literature circle were studied. The research questions were the following: why the members want to participate in literature circles; what books are read; what kinds of issues are discussed; how reading in a literature circle differs from reading alone; what participating in a literature circle means to the participants, and what the participants thought about the listening of audio books. In addition, it was examined how the reading of audio books differs from reading in a traditional literature circle. I used qualitative methods, observation and interviews. I interviewed six members of an audio books circle and six members of the literature circle. Arguments for membership in a reading circle were analysed thought the following dimensions: the significance of reading, experience as a reader, discussions about reading experiences others methods meaning of the reading, experience as reader, discussions from read experiences and the significance of others topics, interaction between the members of the literature circles, and the reader as a member in a communal reading circle. According to the results, the interviewees joined the literature circles in order to improve their knowledge of literature, to have common discussions, and to share reading experiences. The members of the audio book circle emphasized the opportunity to take an interest in literature and easy access to materials through the club. Becoming a customer of Celia through the circle was part of its perceived significance. In the social contacts in the reading circles, “friendship based on easiness” was sought. The social relationships within the group were perceived as a substitute to relationships in working life

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target

Oxidative stress induces MUC5AC expression through mitochondrial damage‐dependent STING signaling in human bronchial epithelial cells

Abstract Oxidative stress increases the production of the predominant mucin MUC5AC in airway epithelial cells and is implicated in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Oxidative stress impairs mitochondria, releasing mitochondrial DNA into the cytoplasm and inducing inflammation through the intracytoplasmic DNA sensor STING (stimulator of interferon genes). However, the role of innate immunity in mucin production remains unknown. We aimed to elucidate the role of innate immunity in mucin production in airway epithelial cells under oxidative stress. Human airway epithelial cell line (NCI‐H292) and normal human bronchial epithelial cells were used to confirm MUC5AC expression levels by real‐time PCR when stimulated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). MUC5AC transcriptional activity was increased and mitochondrial DNA was released into the cytosol by H2O2. Mitochondrial antioxidants were used to confirm the effects of mitochondrial oxidative stress where antioxidants inhibited the increase in MUC5AC transcriptional activity. Cyclic GMP‐AMP synthase (cGAS) or STING knockout (KO) cells were generated to investigate their involvement. H2O2‐induced MUC5AC expression was suppressed in STING KO cells, but not in cGAS KO cells. The epidermal growth factor receptor was comparably expressed in STING KO and wild‐type cells. Thus, mitochondria and STING play important roles in mucin production in response to oxidative stress in airway epithelial cells