[Note] On current trends of a hometown tax in Yubari City

ふるさと納税制度に関しては、返礼品競争の過熱が大きな関心を寄せられている。本稿では、返礼品提供に過度に依存することなく、多くの寄附を集めてきた夕張市を取り上げて、その取り組みを夕張市でのヒヤリング調査にもとづき紹介した。本稿では、第1に返礼品の還元率、寄附総額に占める経費比率も他の地方団体に比べて低く、節度ある制度の利用をおこなっていること、第2に寄附者が直接支援する団体を選択できるという意味で寄附者の意思をより尊重する仕組みを構築していること、第3に情報公開の度合いについても先進的な地方団体であることがわかった。最後に、本稿で紹介した事例を参考にふるさと納税制度のあり方について考えると、税制の見直しに加えて返礼品規制の強化も検討すべき段階にきていると言える。返礼品規制の強化の方向性としては、返礼品の還元率が5割を超えるような地方団体や、寄附金の活用状況を公開していない地方団体については、地方税の特例控除を認めないといった措置を検討すべきだろう

Wash or wipe? A comparative study of skin physiological changes between water washing and wiping after skin cleaning

Background/purpose: Presently, skin-cleaning agents that claim to be removed by water or wiping alone are commercially available and have been used for the purpose of bed baths. However, there is a lack of knowledge on how water washing and wiping differently affect skin physiological functions or ceramide content. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of water washing and wiping on skin physiological functions and ceramide content. Methods: Three kinds of the cleaning agents with different removal techniques (ie, water washing and wiping) were used in this study. Skin physiological functions (ie, transepidermal water loss, skin hydration, and skin pH) and skin ceramide content were measured before and after seven consecutive days of the application of each cleaning agent. Results: No significant differences in skin physiological functions or ceramide content were observed between water washing and wiping. Conclusion: Cleaning agents that claim to be removed by water washing or wiping do not affect skin physiological functions or ceramide content by either removal method. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Embargo Period 12 month

Silencing of p53 and CDKN1A establishes sustainable immortalized megakaryocyte progenitor cells from human iPSCs

iPS細胞を用いた人工血小板の作製の効率化に成功 血小板のテイラーメイド医療に向けた一歩. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-12-03.Platelet transfusions are critical for severe thrombocytopenia but depend on blood donors. The shortage of donors and the potential of universal HLA-null platelet products have stimulated research on the ex vivo differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) to platelets. We recently established expandable immortalized megakaryocyte cell lines (imMKCLs) from hPSCs by transducing MYC, BMI1, and BCL-XL (MBX). imMKCLs can act as cryopreservable master cells to supply platelet concentrates. However, the proliferation rates of the imMKCLs vary with the starting hPSC clone. In this study, we reveal from the gene expression profiles of several MKCL clones that the proliferation arrest is correlated with the expression levels of specific cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors. Silencing CDKN1A and p53 with the overexpression of MBX was effective at stably inducing imMKCLs that generate functional platelets irrespective of the hPSC clone. Collectively, this improvement in generating imMKCLs should contribute to platelet industrialization and platelet biology

Influence of Intestinal Barrier on Alleviating an Increase in Blood Pressure by Sodium Alginate Intake in 2-Kidney, 1-Clip Renovascular Hypertensive Rats

Sodium alginate (SALG) is a substance derived from brown seaweed that has been shown to reduce blood pressure (BP). However, its effects on renovascular hypertension caused by 2-kidney, 1-clip (2K1C) are not yet clear. Previous research suggests that hypertensive rats have increased intestinal permeability, and that SALG improves the gut barrier in inflammatory bowel disease mouse models. Therefore, the goal of this study was to determine whether the antihypertensive effects of SALG involve the intestinal barrier in 2K1C rats. Rats were fed either a 1.0% SALG diet or a control diet for six weeks after being subjected to 2K1C surgery or a sham operation. The systolic BP was measured weekly, and the mean arterial BP was measured at the end of the study. Intestinal samples were taken for analysis, and plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels were measured. The results showed that BP in 2K1C rats was significantly higher than in SHAM rats when fed CTL, but not when fed SALG. The gut barrier in 2K1C rats was improved by SALG intake. Plasma LPS levels also differed depending on the animal model and diet. In conclusion, dietary SALG may alleviate 2K1C renovascular hypertension by altering the gut barrier

Mitochondrial DNA 5178 C/A polymorphism influences the effects of habitual smoking on the risk of dyslipidemia in middle-aged Japanese men

Abstract Background Several genetic polymorphisms have been reported to modify the effects of smoking on serum lipid levels. The objective of this study was to investigate whether longevity-associated mitochondrial DNA 5178 (Mt5178) C/A polymorphism modifies the effects of habitual smoking on the risk of dyslipidemia in middle-aged Japanese subjects. Methods A total of 394 male subjects (age, 53.9 ± 7.9 years; mean ± SD) were selected from among individuals visiting the hospital for regular medical check-ups. After Mt5178 C/A genotyping, a cross-sectional study assessing the joint effect of Mt5178 C/A polymorphism and cigarette smoking on the risk of hypo-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterolemia, hyper-low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterolemia or hypertriglyceridemia was conducted. Results For subjects with Mt5178C, the risk of hypo-HDL cholesterolemia increased with the number of cigarettes smoked daily (P for trend = 0.001). On the other hand, the association between Mt5178A genotype and the risk of hypo-HDL cholesterolemia did not appear to depend on the number of cigarettes smoked daily. For those with Mt5178A, the risk of hyper-LDL cholesterolemia or hypertriglyceridemia increased with cigarettes smoked daily (P for trend = 0.017 and P for trend = 0.002, respectively). However, the association between Mt5178C genotype and the risk of hyper-LDL cholesterolemia or hypertriglyceridemia did not depend on the number of cigarettes smoked daily. Conclusions The present results suggest that Mt5178 C/A polymorphism modulates the effects of habitual smoking on the risk of dyslipidemia in middle-aged Japanese men.</p