Development of Peace Image Scale

The approaches to quest educational value of the peace education have been carried out recently. In the present study, we pointed out that there is lack of a standard scale to define and measure the word of " peace", and conduct the three investigations for the university students to develop the peace image scale. Study 1 examined factor structures which constitute a peace image and its reliability based on results of the meaning analysis by the association tests of word of the peace. The peace image consisted of "positive image", "anti-war symbol", "negative symbol", and "the teaching materials". Study 2 refined peace image scale's items and examined its reliability and validity of peace image scale. Study 3 examined validity of peace image scale from the side of the human mental condition. From the results of the present study, the peace image scale; consists of four factor structure 32 items furnished with reliability and validity was completed. As mentioned above, the use possibility of the peace image scale and an educational suggestion were considered, and future problems were examined

Human PTRF mutations cause secondary deficiency of caveolins resulting in muscular dystrophy with generalized lipodystrophy

Caveolae are invaginations of the plasma membrane involved in many cellular processes, including clathrin-independent endocytosis, cholesterol transport, and signal transduction. They are characterized by the presence of caveolin proteins. Mutations that cause deficiency in caveolin-3, which is expressed exclusively in skeletal and cardiac muscle, have been linked to muscular dystrophy. Polymerase I and transcript release factor (PTRF; also known as cavin) is a caveolar-associated protein suggested to play an essential role in the formation of caveolae and the stabilization of caveolins. Here, we identified PTRF mutations in 5 nonconsanguineous patients who presented with both generalized lipodystrophy and muscular dystrophy. Muscle hypertrophy, muscle mounding, mild metabolic complications, and elevated serum creatine kinase levels were observed in these patients. Skeletal muscle biopsies revealed chronic dystrophic changes, deficiency and mislocalization of all 3 caveolin family members, and reduction of caveolae structure. We generated expression constructs recapitulating the human mutations; upon overexpression in myoblasts, these mutations resulted in PTRF mislocalization and disrupted physical interaction with caveolins. Our data confirm that PTRF is essential for formation of caveolae and proper localization of caveolins in human cells and suggest that clinical features observed in the patients with PTRF mutations are associated with a secondary deficiency of caveolins