ORAL HEALTH AND SELF-EFFICACY

Background : Bidirectional relationships exist between diabetes and periodontal disease. Fostering timely oral health assessments of patients with diabetes, the modified diabetes oral health assessment tool (M-DiOHATⓒ) for nurses was studied. The DiOHATⓒ has four factors, namely oral health conditions, oral hygiene behaviors, perception and knowledge, and health record sharing. It was modified as the M-DiOHATⓒ scale. To change people's health behaviors, “efficacy beliefs" and “outcome expectancies" are important. However, no studies have been reported that addressed efficacy beliefs and outcome expectancies of oral health conditions and behaviors of patients with diabetes. Objective : To clarify the oral health conditions and behaviors of patients with diabetes using the M-DiOHATⓒ, and to describe their associations with the Self-Efficacy Scale for Self-Care (SESS)/the Outcome Expectancy Scale for Self-Care (OESS). Methods : Twenty-eight patients with diabetes participated in the study. Their personal characteristics were determined from the items of self-efficacy for brushing of the teeth (SE-B), self-efficacy for dental consultations (SE-DC), OESS that are comprised of three factors, namely, the social outcome expectancy (OE-Social), oral outcome expectancy (OE-Oral), and self-evaluative outcome expectancy (OE-Self), and the M-DiOHATⓒ. Results : Forty-three percent of patients had retained their expected number of present teeth, and 68% of them had dental problems. The scores of health record sharing were low, and patients who were under 65 years old had fewer “expected number of present teeth," and lower SE-B/oral health conditions scores than those patients aged over 65 years. The scores of oral hygiene behaviors were significantly correlated with the SE-B scores, SE-DC, OE-Oral, and OE-Self. However, the oral health conditions showed no correlation with SE-B, SE-DC, OESS. Conclusion : The findings suggest that nursing interventions to promote SE-B, SE-DC, and OESS could be effective in enhancing patients' oral hygiene behaviors. However, severity of patients' periodontal disease require different types of dental self-efficacy procedures

Global Distribution and Interannual Variation in the Winter Halocline

The distribution and interannual variation in the winter halocline in the upper layers of the World Ocean were investigated via analyses of hydrographic data from the World Ocean Database 2013 using a simple definition of the halocline. A halocline was generally observed in the tropics, equatorward portions of subtropical regions, subarctic North Pacific, and Southern Ocean. A strong halocline tended to occur in areas where the sea surface salinity (SSS) was low. The interannual variation in halocline strength was correlated with variation in SSS. The correlation coefficients were usually negative: the halocline was strong when the SSS was low. However, in the Gulf of Alaska in the northeastern North Pacific, the correlation coefficient was positive. There, halocline strength was influenced by interannual variation in Ekman pumping

Redox Potentials and HPLC Behavior of Cobalt and Iron Complexes with Pyridylazo Compounds

The redox potentials of cobalt and iron complexes with ten pyridylazo compounds, E0ML2 (ML2+/0; M: CoIII/II, FeIII/II; L-: pyridylazo compounds), have been determined in order to explore the difference in their reversed-phase HPLC behavior. The redox potentials of Co complexes were in the range of -0.62 - 0.03 V, while those of Fe complexes were -0.06 - 0.59 V relative to 0.20 V for ferricinium/ferrocene. The redox potentials of both the Co and Fe complexes were linearly correlated to the basicities of the ligands. The correlation was quantitatively explained by a difference in dependence of the stabilities of MIII and MII complexes on the ligand basicities. The complex of [CoIIIL2]+ or [FeIIL2] with any compound injected in the reversed-phase HPLC system was detected without any change in the composition. When [CoIIL2] was injected, only those complexes having the highest potentials of E0CoL2 ≅ 0.0 V were detected as [CoIIL2], while other complexes having lower potentials gave a peak of [CoIIIL2]+. When [FeIIIL2]+ was injected, only complexes having the lowest potentials of E0FeL2 ≅ 0.0 V were detected as [FeIIIL2]+, while others having higher potentials gave a peak of [FeIIL2]

Interaction between Epidermal Growth Factor and Gastrin on DNA Synthesis of the Gastrointestinal Mucosa in Rats

Interaction between epidermal growth factor (EGF) and gastrin on DNA synthesis of the rat gastrointestinal tract was examined. Fasted male rats were divided into four groups and injected with 10 μg/kg human EGF, 300 μg/kg pentagastrin, human EGF plus pentagastrin and saline (control), respectively. The animals were sacrificed 8 or 16 hr thereafter and the incorporation of [3H]thymidine into the gastrointestinal mucosa was measured. Human EGF increased DNA synthesis of the fundus, antrum and cecum, while pentagastrin stimulated that of the fundus, duodenum, ileum and proximal colon. Synchronous administration of these peptides also stimulated DNA synthesis of the fundus, antrum and cecum. However, in the ileum and proximal colon, DNA synthesis stimulated by pentagastrin was suppressed by the administration of both agents synchronously. These data suggest that these growth factors regulate the growth of gastrointestinal tract with complex interactions.This work was supported by Grant-in Aid for Cancer Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan (59010074, 60010075)

Bcl-2-like protein 13 is a mammalian Atg32 homologue that mediates mitophagy and mitochondrial fragmentation

Damaged mitochondria are removed by mitophagy. Although Atg32 is essential for mitophagy in yeast, no Atg32 homologue has been identified in mammalian cells. Here, we show that Bcl-2-like protein 13 (Bcl2-L-13) induces mitochondrial fragmentation and mitophagy in mammalian cells. First, we hypothesized that unidentified mammalian mitophagy receptors would share molecular features of Atg32. By screening the public protein database for Atg32 homologues, we identify Bcl2-L-13. Bcl2-L-13 binds to LC3 through the WXXI motif and induces mitochondrial fragmentation and mitophagy in HEK293 cells. In Bcl2-L-13, the BH domains are important for the fragmentation, while the WXXI motif facilitates mitophagy. Bcl2-L-13 induces mitochondrial fragmentation in the absence of Drp1, while it induces mitophagy in Parkin-deficient cells. Knockdown of Bcl2-L-13 attenuates mitochondrial damage-induced fragmentation and mitophagy. Bcl2-L-13 induces mitophagy in Atg32-deficient yeast cells. Induction and/or phosphorylation of Bcl2-L-13 may regulate its activity. Our findings offer insights into mitochondrial quality control in mammalian cells