ANALYSIS OF THE TRIPLE PIROUETTE OF PROFESSIONAL CLASSICAL BALLET DANCERS

Classical ballet pirouette is difficult technique to master even for professional dancers. Little research has been conducted on the pirouette. The purposes of this study were to analyse the pirouette movement of professional classical ballet dancers, and to search critical viewpoints for instruction focusing on their averaged motion (Ae et al.,2007) and motion variation of body segments. The participants were 11 professional female classical ballet dancers performed the triple pirouette. The motion capture system with 12 cameras (Qualisys, Sweden, 250 Hz) was used to collect three-dimensional coordinate data. The coefficient of variation (CV) and standard deviation of the body segments were used to represent the variability of body segment movement. There were smaller motion variations in the shank, thigh, head, and torso of the top dancers, which indicated that the similar motion patterns appeared in the triple pirouette in these segments. On the other hand, the larger variation of the left foot in the preparation and turning phase indicated that ankle adjustment may be employed to maintain balance. The upper extremity with large variation may also function as an angular momentum generator and balance adjustor and may be an indicator of difference in teaching methods

Oral care tablet containing kiwifruit powder affects tongue coating microbiome

Objectives: Tongue coating, a kind of biofilm formed on the tongue dorsum, is the cause of various clinical conditions, such as oral halitosis and periodontal diseases, because Fusobacterium nucleatum acts as a bridge between other oral bacteria and periodontopathogenic bacteria in biofilm formation. Our previous clinical study revealed that taking oral care tablets containing kiwifruit powder significantly reduced not only tongue‐coating index and volatile sulfur compounds but also total bacteria and F. nucleatum in tongue coating. In this study, we analyzed the microbiome of tongue coating samples obtained before and after oral care tablets intake to clarify whether this tablet is a useful tool for daily tongue care. Methods: Thirty‐two healthy young adults were enrolled, and a crossover clinical trial was conducted. We instructed subjects to remove tongue coating by tongue brush for intervention I, to keep the oral care tablet containing kiwifruit powder on the tongue dorsum and to let it dissolve naturally for intervention II. Microbial DNA was isolated from the collected tongue coating samples in each subject, then 16S rRNA next‐generation sequencing, operational taxonomic unit clustering, and statistical analysis were performed. Results: The microbiome analysis revealed that the oral care tablet in intervention II prompted a significant change in the tongue microbiota composition, a significant reduction in the relative abundance of Prevotella and Porphyromonas, and an increase in Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio when compared to that in intervention I. Conclusion: These results suggested that the oral care tablet might contribute to the improvement of the oral condition due to its good influence on the tongue coating microbiome

レジン添加型グラスアイオノマーセメントの通電後の剪断強度減少に対するイオン液体含有の有無と水中浸漬の影響

The enhancement in the bonding strength of advanced dental cements has enabled long-lasting dental restorations. However, the high bonding strength can cause difficulty in removing these restorations. Therefore, “smart” dental cements with simultaneous strong bonding and easy on-demand debonding ability are required. A resin-modified glass-ionomer-cement (RMGIC) with an ionic liquid (IL) has demonstrated significant reduction in the bonding strength with current application (CA). This research investigates the effects of immersion in distilled water on the electric conductivity and bonding strength of RMGIC with and without an IL and CA. The RMGIC without the IL exhibited significant electric conductivity after immersion, and a significant decrease in bonding strength with CA. In comparison, the electric conductivity after immersion and the decrease in bonding strength with CA were greater for RMGIC with the IL. Thus, the feasibility of smart dental cements capable of electrically debonding-on-demand is indicated

レジン添加型グラスアイオノマーセメントの電気伝導度と通電によるせん断試験強度低下に塩化ナトリウム溶液浸漬が与える影響

Advancements in dental cements have considerably improved their bond strengths. However, high bond strength often makes the removal of restorations difficult. Thus, smart dental cements that show controllable bond strength are required. A conventional resin-modified glass-ionomer-cement demonstrated a significant reduction in the bond strength after current application. However, for this system, the ions in the cement are released into the oral cavity, resulting in a reduction of the electrical conductivity and in losses of the expected on-demand debonding property. Herein, the effects of immersion in 0.9 and 15% NaCl solutions on the electrical conductivity and debonding properties were investigated. The cement immersed in 0.9% NaCl solution from 1 to 28 days maintained similar bond strength reductions after current application, whereas that in 15% NaCl solution initially showed no bond strength reduction after 1 day but exhibited an increase in the bond strength reduction after immersion for 28 days

Management of Apert Syndrome

Aim and objective: To present an Apert syndrome patient with midfacial growth deficiency treated with Le Fort III distraction osteogenesis and subsequent two-jaw surgery. Background: Apert syndrome is expressed as a severe and irregular craniosynostosis, midfacial hypoplasia, and symmetric syndactyly in the fingers and toes. For craniosynostosis syndromes, treatment planning is complex due to the disharmony between facial profile and occlusion. Case description: A 4-year-and-5-month-old boy, diagnosed with Apert syndrome, showed a concave profile accompanied with midfacial hypoplasia, moderate exorbitism, a reversed occlusion of −10.0 mm, an anterior open bite of −5.0 mm, and skeletal class III jaw-base relationship. The patient, aged 15 years and 4 months, underwent a Le Fort III osteotomy, and subsequent osteodistraction was performed via a rigid external distraction (RED) device. His midfacial bone was advanced by approximately 7.0 mm. One year after the distraction, preoperative treatment with 0.018-in preadjusted edgewise appliances was initiated. Two-jaw surgery with a Le Fort I osteotomy and bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy was performed after 42 months of preoperative orthodontic treatment. At the age of 20 years and 9 months, his facial profile dramatically changed to a straight profile, and an acceptable occlusion with an adequate interincisal relationship was obtained. A functional occlusion with an excellent facial profile was maintained throughout the 2-year retention period, although the upper dental arch width was slightly decreased, resulting in the recurrence of the left posterior crossbite. Conclusion: Our report indicates the necessity of long-term follow-up in patients with craniosynostosis because of syndrome-specific growth and methodologically induced relapse. Clinical significance: The two-stage operation combining early distraction osteogenesis and postgrowth orthognathic surgery proves to be an effective therapy for correcting midfacial hypoplasia and skeletal mandibular protrusion caused by Apert syndrome

NF-κB-induced NOX1 activation promotes gastric tumorigenesis through the expansion of SOX2-positive epithelial cells

金沢大学ナノ生命科学研究所We previously showed that NADPH oxidase organizer 1 (Noxo1), a component of NADPH oxidase 1 (NOX1), is a TNF-α-induced tumor-promoting factor in gastric tumorigenesis. However, the mechanism of NOX1-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling for the gastric tumorigenesis has not been understood. Here, we showed that expression of NOX1 complex components, including Noxo1, but not other NOX family members was significantly upregulated in both mouse models for gastritis and gastric tumors, which was associated with increased ROS levels. We also found that NF-κB directly regulated NOXO1 expression in TNF-α-stimulated gastric cancer cells, suggesting that inflammation induces NOX1 complex activation through TNF-α/NF-κB pathway. Notably, in situ hybridization indicated that Noxo1 mRNA was detected in proliferating cells of gastritis and gastric tumors, and pharmacological inhibition of NOX activity significantly suppressed the proliferation of MKN45 gastric cancer cells and gastric hyperplasia of K19-C2mE mice. These results suggest that NOX1/ROS signaling has an important role in increased proliferation of stomach epithelial cells in the inflamed mucosa. Moreover, we found that expression of SOX2, a marker of gastric epithelial stem cells, was increased by NOX1/ROS signaling. Furthermore, disruption of Noxo1 in K19-C2mE mice significantly suppressed gastritis-associated metaplastic hyperplasia, a potent preneoplastic lesion, which was associated with decreased number of SOX2-positive cells. These results indicate that inflammation-induced Noxo1 expression is responsible for development of metaplastic hyperplasia in the stomach through an increase in SOX2-expressing undifferentiated epithelial cells. Therefore, inhibition of the NOX1/ROS signaling pathway is a possible strategy for prevention and therapy for gastric cancer development. © 2019, The Author(s).Embargo Period 6 month

Support for UNRWA's survival

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) provides life-saving humanitarian aid for 5·4 million Palestine refugees now entering their eighth decade of statelessness and conflict. About a third of Palestine refugees still live in 58 recognised camps. UNRWA operates 702 schools and 144 health centres, some of which are affected by the ongoing humanitarian disasters in Syria and the Gaza Strip. It has dramatically reduced the prevalence of infectious diseases, mortality, and illiteracy. Its social services include rebuilding infrastructure and homes that have been destroyed by conflict and providing cash assistance and micro-finance loans for Palestinians whose rights are curtailed and who are denied the right of return to their homeland

OryzaExpress: An Integrated Database of Gene Expression Networks and Omics Annotations in Rice

Similarity of gene expression profiles provides important clues for understanding the biological functions of genes, biological processes and metabolic pathways related to genes. A gene expression network (GEN) is an ideal choice to grasp such expression profile similarities among genes simultaneously. For GEN construction, the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) has been widely used as an index to evaluate the similarities of expression profiles for gene pairs. However, calculation of PCCs for all gene pairs requires large amounts of both time and computer resources. Based on correspondence analysis, we developed a new method for GEN construction, which takes minimal time even for large-scale expression data with general computational circumstances. Moreover, our method requires no prior parameters to remove sample redundancies in the data set. Using the new method, we constructed rice GENs from large-scale microarray data stored in a public database. We then collected and integrated various principal rice omics annotations in public and distinct databases. The integrated information contains annotations of genome, transcriptome and metabolic pathways. We thus developed the integrated database OryzaExpress for browsing GENs with an interactive and graphical viewer and principal omics annotations (http://riceball.lab.nig.ac.jp/oryzaexpress/). With integration of Arabidopsis GEN data from ATTED-II, OryzaExpress also allows us to compare GENs between rice and Arabidopsis. Thus, OryzaExpress is a comprehensive rice database that exploits powerful omics approaches from all perspectives in plant science and leads to systems biology