The traditional house of Tuareg, adapted the harsh dry environment in the Sahara

サハラ砂漠に住むラクダ遊牧民トゥアレグの伝統的な住居について調査を行った。トゥアレグの家屋は，強烈な日差しと砂嵐を遮断し，居住の快適さを求めつつも，いつでもテントを解体して移動が出来るような簡便さも同時に備えたものである。　また，テントの柱や皮のサイズは非常に細かく厳密に寸法が決められている。その住居の女性の肘の長さを基準に3通りの寸法の単位がある。これらの寸法単位は，布やロープ（井戸水をくみ上げるためのもの）の寸法の単位でもあり，彼らの日常生活のすみずみまで行き渡った「モデュロール」の一例であるといえる

Water in the Desert: Rituals and Vital Power among the Central Karahari Hunter-gatherers

The |Gui and ||Gana, Karahari hunter-gatherers, practice certain rites every time one passes critical phases in their life, or when something unfortunate happens. Because the rites are a kind of curing, they use traditional medicine in the rites. The medicines are composed of plants and substances from human bodies. Comparison with the rites performed by the Kgilagadi, neighboring agropastoral people, reveals that, the |Gui/||Gana consider bodily substances to be mor important than medical plants. The |Gui/||Gana think that all bodily substances stem from one identical power and people exchange the power through these rites

Deep variational quantum eigensolver for excited states and its application to quantum chemistry calculation of periodic materials

A programmable quantum device that has a large number of qubits without fault-tolerance has emerged recently. Variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) is one of the most promising ways to utilize the computational power of such devices to solve problems in condensed matter physics and quantum chemistry. As the size of the current quantum devices is still not large for rivaling classical computers at solving practical problems, Fujii et al. proposed a method called “Deep VQE”, which can provide the ground state of a given quantum system with the smaller number of qubits by combining the VQE and the technique of coarse graining [K. Fujii, K. Mitarai, W. Mizukami, and Y. O. Nakagawa, arXiv:2007.10917]. In this paper, we extend the original proposal of Deep VQE to obtain the excited states and apply it to quantum chemistry calculation of a periodic material, which is one of the most impactful applications of the VQE. We first propose a modified scheme to construct quantum states for coarse graining in Deep VQE to obtain the excited states. We also present a method to avoid a problem of meaningless eigenvalues in the original Deep VQE without restricting variational quantum states. Finally, we classically simulate our modified Deep VQE for quantum chemistry calculation of a periodic hydrogen chain as a typical periodic material. Our method reproduces the ground-state energy and the first-excited-state energy with the errors up to O(1)% despite the decrease in the number of qubits required for the calculation by two or four compared with the naive VQE. Our result will serve as a beacon for tackling quantum chemistry problems with classically-intractable sizes by smaller quantum devices in the near future

Cancer Cell-Derived Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor Is Dispensable for the Progression of 4T1 Murine Breast Cancer

We previously reported that 4T1 murine breast cancer cells produce GM-CSF that up-regulates macrophage expression of several cancer promoting genes, including Mcp-1/Ccl2, Ccl17 and Rankl, suggesting a critical role of cancer cell-derived GM-CSF in cancer progression. Here, we attempted to define whether 4T1 cell-derived GM-CSF contributes to the expression of these genes by 4T1tumors, and their subsequent progression. Intraperitoneal injection of anti-GM-CSF neutralizing antibody did not decrease the expression of Mcp-1, Ccl17 or Rankl mRNA by 4T1 tumors. To further examine the role of cancer cell-derived GM-CSF, we generated GM-CSF-deficient 4T1 cells by using the Crisper-Cas9 system. As previously demonstrated, 4T1 cells are a mixture of cells and cloning of cells by itself significantly reduced tumor growth and lung metastasis. By contrast, GM-CSF-deficiency did not affect tumor growth, lung metastasis or the expression of these chemokine and cytokine genes in tumor tissues. By in-situ hybridization, the expression of Mcp-1 mRNA was detected in both F4/80-expressing and non-expressing cells in tumors of GM-CSF-deficient cells. These results indicate that cancer cell-derived GM-CSF is dispensable for the tuning of the 4T1 tumor microenvironment and the production of MCP-1, CCL17 or RANKL in the 4T1 tumor microenvironment is likely regulated by redundant mechanisms

Re-biopsy status among non-small cell lung cancer patients in Japan: A retrospective study

AbstractObjectiveDisease progression because of acquired resistance is common in advanced or metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutation positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), despite initial response to EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). In Japan, transbronchial tissue biopsy is the most common sampling method used for re-biopsy to identify patients eligible for treatment. We aimed to investigate the success rate of re-biopsy and re-biopsy status of patients with advanced or metastatic NSCLC completing first-line EGFR-TKI therapy.Patients and methodsThis was a retrospective, multi-center, Japanese study. The target patients in the study were EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC patients. The primary endpoint was the success rate (number of cases in which tumor cells were detected/total number of re-biopsies performed×100). Secondary endpoints included differences between the status of the first biopsy and that of the re-biopsy in the same patient population, and the details of cases in which re-biopsy could not be carried out. Re-biopsy-associated complications were also assessed.ResultsOverall, 395 patients were evaluated (median age 63 years), with adenocarcinoma being the most common tumor type. Re-biopsy was successful in 314 patients (79.5%). Compared with the sampling method at first biopsy, at re-biopsy, the surgical resection rate increased from 1.8% to 7.8%, and percutaneous tissue biopsy increased from 7.6% to 29.1%, suggesting the difficulty of performing re-biopsy. Approximately half of the patients had T790M mutations, which involved a Del19 mutation in 55.6% of patients and an L858R mutation in 43.0%. Twenty-three patients (5.8%) had re-biopsy- associated complications, most commonly pneumothorax.ConclusionsSuccess rate for re-biopsy in this study was approximately 80%. Our study sheds light on the re-biopsy status after disease progression in patients with advanced or metastatic NSCLC. This information is important to improve the selection of patients who may benefit from third-generation TKIs

Acute encephalic vascular accident: rehabilitation

Este estudo revisou artigos nas bases de dados do MEDLINE (Pub-Med) e demais fontes de pesquisa, sem limite de tempo. Para tanto, adotou-se a estratégia de busca baseada em perguntas estruturadas na forma (P.I.C.O.) das iniciais: "Paciente"; "Intervençao"; "Controle" e "Outcome". Como descritores utilizaram-se: (cerebrovascular disorders OR Stroke) AND acute AND (movement OR physical therapy modalities OR exercise movement techniques); (cerebrovascular disorders OR stroke) AND (Postural Balance OR Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena) AND Rehabilitation AND trunk; (cerebrovascular disorders OR Stroke)AND (virtual reality OR user-computer interface OR video games); cerebrovascular disorders AND (home care services, hospital-based); cerebrovascular disorders AND (contractures OR splint OR orthotic devices); cerebrovascular disorders AND acute AND (rehabilitation OR physical therapy disorders or task performance); cerebrovascular disorders AND (physical therapy modalities OR rehabilitation OR exercise therapy) AND (Home Care Services OR self care); (cerebrovascular disorders OR stroke) AND (electric stimulation OR electric stimulation therapy) AND (muscle tonus OR muscle hypotonia OR muscle hypertonia); cerebrovascular disorders AND (restraint physical OR constraint induced movement therapy OR constraint); (cerebrovascular disordersOR stroke) AND (body weight support OR supported treadmill training OR partial weight bearing); (cerebrovascular disorders OR stroke) AND transcranial magnetic stimulation; (cerebrovascular disorders OR stroke) AND bandages. Com esses descritores efetivaram-se cruzamentos de acordo com o tema proposto em cada tópico das perguntas (P.I.C.O.). Analisado esse material, foram selecionados os artigos relativos às perguntas e, por meio do estudo dos mesmos, estabeleceram-se as evidências que fundamentaram às diretrizes do presente documento.This study revised articles from the MEDLINE (PubMed) databases and other research sources, with no time limit. To do so, the search strategy adopted was based on (P.I.C.O.) structured questions (from the initials "Patient"; "Intervention"; "Control" and "Outcome". As keywords were used: (cerebrovascular disorders OR Stroke) AND acute AND (movement OR physical therapy modalities OR exercise movement techniques); (cerebrovascular disorders OR stroke) AND (Postural Balance OR Musculoskel et al. Physiological Phenomena) AND Rehabilitation AND trunk; (cerebrovascular disorders OR Stroke) AND (virtual reality OR user-computer interface OR video games); cerebrovascular disorders AND (home care services, hospital-based); cerebrovascular disorders AND (contractures OR splint OR orthotic devices); cerebrovascular disorders AND acute AND (rehabilitation OR physical therapy disorders or task performance); cerebrovascular disorders AND (physical therapy modalities OR rehabilitation OR exercise therapy) AND (Home Care Services OR self care); (cerebrovascular disorders OR stroke) AND (electric stimulation OR electric stimulation therapy) AND (muscle tonus OR muscle hypotonia OR muscle hypertonia); cerebrovascular disorders AND (restraint physical OR constraint induced movement therapy OR constraint); (cerebrovascular disorders OR stroke) AND (body weight support OR supported treadmill training OR partial weight bearing); (cerebrovascular disorders OR stroke) AND transcranial magnetic stimulation; (cerebrovascular disorders OR stroke) AND bandages. With the above keywords crossings were performed according to the proposed theme in each topic of the (P.I.C.O.) questions. After analyzing this material, articles regarding the questions were selected and, by studying those, the evidences that fundamented the directives of this document were established

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target

Gathering Activity among the Central Kalahari San

The Central Kalahari San have been significantly changing their traditional subsistence and way of life under the influence of the sedentarization program of the Botswana government. However, they still continue gathering activities. Firewood and Building materials are needed more than before. The purpose of this study is to analytically describe the features of present San gathering activities. San gathering activities have changed remarkably in quantity but not in quality. The frequency, time length and harvest amount have lessened but their favorite plant species, methods and group formation in gathering have not changed. Gathering is more frequently done in groups than individually for greater efficiency. The size of a group depends on the seasonal and spatial change in plant distribution, and the distance to the collecting site. The author emphasizes the significance of social interaction such as cooperation and information exchange in group gathering