The Y4-RNA fragment, a potential diagnostic marker, exists in saliva

The 94-nt full-length Y4-RNA is thought to have roles in the initiation of DNA replication and RNA quality control. Although its 31/32-nt fragment also exists abundantly in plasma, little is known about its physiological role. Since the 31/32-nt Y4-RNA fragment in sera is reported to be more abundant in patients with coronary artery disease than healthy persons, the fragment may have a potential for a diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarker for some diseases regardless of its functionality. As a step toward further investigation of its potential utility, we examined if the 31/32-nt Y4-RNA fragment also exists in saliva that can be obtained noninvasively, and showed that, in addition to the 31/32-nt fragment, 14- and 11-nt Y4-RNA fragments are present in all saliva RNA samples from four healthy persons. We established a PCR method to accurately quantitate the amount of the 31/32-nt Y4-RNA fragment, and estimated its amount in saliva of healthy persons to be 0.06 ± 0.04 fmol per nanogram of saliva RNA. We also tried to develop an easier quantitation method using a DNA molecular beacon. Keywords: Y4-RNA fragment, Saliva RNA, Diagnostic/prognostic marker, Next-generation sequencing, RT-PCR, Molecular beaco

Prevalence and risk factors of post-coronavirus disease 2019 condition among children and adolescents in Japan: A matched case-control study in the general population

ABSTRACT: Objectives: To examine prevalence and risk factors for post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) in a paediatric population. Methods: The study included patients aged 5-17 years with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection between 1 March 2021 and 30 April 2022 and matched non-infected controls from Yao City, Japan. We compared parent-reported symptoms persisting ≥2 months (present at 3 months post-infection for patients) between the groups. COVID-19 vaccination data was obtained from the Vaccination Registry. Results: Among 8167 invited individuals, 3141 (1800 cases, mean age: 10.4 years, 46.1% females; 1341 controls, mean age 10.5 years, 47.1% females) participated. Patients had elapsed average 273 (185-605) days from infection, and 1708 (94.9%) experienced mild acute symptoms. Patients had higher odds of having persistent symptoms than did controls (6.3% vs 2.2%, adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 3.15, 95% confidence interval: 2.08-4.77), with 53.6% of them reporting current disruption due to the symptoms. Older age, low household income, pre-existing allergy, and autonomic nervous system disease were associated with increased risks of developing PCC; two prior vaccination doses reduced these risks (aOR: 0.52, 0.29-0.93). Conclusion: SARS-CoV-2 infection, including omicron infections heighten persistent symptom risk in the paediatric population, necessitating preventive strategies, notably vaccination

チュウガク チガク ニ オケル チシツ コウゾウガクテキ ナイヨウ ノ キョウザイ カイハツ ト ジュギョウ ジッセン : ダンソウ シュウキョク ケイセイ モデル カラ ノ アプローチ オ レイ ト シテ

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of “lateral fault model” and “apparent fold model” in aiding lower secondary school children to acquire the concept of fault and fold in their science study. We proposed new “lateral fault model” and “apparent fold model” considering the characteristics of the models proposed thus far. These models were developed to help the children easily visualize the concept of fault and fold, understand it intuitively when manipulating the teaching materials. 　Lower secondary school students, after learning the character of fault and fold topography, identified the location of faults and folds using geological maps. Sampling fault topography encourages them to be aware of natural disasters and their prevention.本研究では、熊本県の露頭で観察される地層教材を活用し、学習に有効なモデル教材の作成と、それを用いた授業実践を行った