Sustainability of Populations of Wild Rice Species in Natural in situ Conservation Sites of South and West Sulawesi

Exploration and identification of wild rice species (Oryza spp.) was carried out in South and West Sulawesi area of the Sulawesi Island in Indonesia. We collected several accessions of wild rice in these surveys and identified species of accessions through DNA analysis. Two accessions of wild rice were collected in Palopo (IS-03) and Malangke (IS-20) of South Sulawesi and one accession was collected in Mamuju of West Sulawesi (IS-23). Total DNA was isolated from leaves of each accession using a modified CTAB method. Then, DNA fragment containing intron 19 sequence of PolA1 gene was amplified by PCR using a pairs of primers, 19ex5P and 20ex3P. DNA sequence of the amplified PCR product was determined by direct sequencing method. The result showed that these three wild rice accessions collected in South and West Sulawesi were identified as Oryza officinalis. Sequence analysis also showed that there were two types of the intron 19 sequences in O. officinalis. Two accessions from Palopo and Mamuju had the intron 19 sequence (298 bp) that was identical to that of O. officinalis accession (W0614) from Prome in Burma. In contrast, the accession from Malangke had the sequence (283 bp) that was shared with W0002 accession from Bangkok in Thailand. The habitats of O. officinalis were swamp or a temporary flooded plain, for example at the edge of the ditch and the rivers that are flooded in the rainy season. Sustainability of populations of this wild rice species in natural in situ conservation sites is now dangerously threatened by suburbia town expansions during the last five years

Curcumin β-D-Glucuronide Modulates an Autoimmune Model of Multiple Sclerosis with Altered Gut Microbiota in the Ileum and Feces

ウコンに含まれる成分が腸内フローラを介して脳・脊髄の炎症を抑制 --プロドラッグ型「クルクミン」の多発性硬化症治療への応用に期待--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-12-03.We developed a prodrug type of curcumin, curcumin monoglucuronide (CMG), whose intravenous/intraperitoneal injection achieves a high serum concentration of free-form curcumin. Although curcumin has been reported to alter the gut microbiota and immune responses, it is unclear whether the altered microbiota could be associated with inflammation in immune-mediated diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). We aimed to determine whether CMG administration could affect the gut microbiota at three anatomical sites (feces, ileal contents, and the ileal mucosa), leading to suppression of inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS) in an autoimmune model for MS, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). We injected EAE mice with CMG, harvested the brains and spinal cords for histological analyses, and conducted microbiome analyses using 16S rRNA sequencing. CMG administration modulated EAE clinically and histologically, and altered overall microbiota compositions in feces and ileal contents, but not the ileal mucosa. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the microbiome showed that principal component (PC) 1 values in ileal contents, but not in feces, correlated with the clinical and histological EAE scores. On the other hand, when we analyzed the individual bacteria of the microbiota, the EAE scores correlated with significant increases in the relative abundance of two bacterial species at each anatomical site: Ruminococcus bromii and Blautia (Ruminococcus) gnavus in feces, Turicibacter sp. and Alistipes finegoldii in ileal contents, and Burkholderia spp. and Azoarcus spp. in the ileal mucosa. Therefore, CMG administration could alter the gut microbiota at the three different sites differentially in not only the overall gut microbiome compositions but also the abundance of individual bacteria, each of which was associated with modulation of neuroinflammation

Does blended problem-based learning make Asian medical students active learners?:A prospective comparative study

Background: Asian educators have struggled to implement problem-based learning (PBL) because students rarely discuss their work actively and are not sufficiently engaged in self-directed learning. Supplementing PBL with additional e-learning, i.e. 'blended' PBL (bPBL), could stimulate students' learning process. Methods: We investigated the effects of bPBL on tutorial group functioning (discussion, self-efficacy, self-directed learning, active participation, and tutor's perceived authority) and students' level of acceptance of the e-learning elements. We compared PBL and bPBL in a medical university in Japan. In the bPBL condition, the tutor's instructions were replaced with online materials and short quizzes. After the course, a 13-item questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale was distributed regarding the tutorial group functioning of the tutorial group (influence of discussion, self-efficacy, self-directed learning, active participation, and tutors' authority). The mean scores of subscales were compared with analysis of covariance. Knowledge levels were measured using a pre-test post-test design. A multiple regression analysis was performed to explore the association between e-learning acceptance and the subscales related to PBL. Results: Ninety-six students participated in the study (PBL: n = 24, bPBL: n = 72). Self-efficacy and motivation for learning triggered by group discussions was significantly higher for students in bPBL (p = 0.032 and 0.007, respectively). Knowledge gain in test scores was also significantly better in the bPBL condition (p = 0.026), and self-directed learning related positively to the acceptance of blended learning (p = 0.044). Conclusions: bPBL seemed more effective in promoting active learning and improving knowledge, without affecting tutors' authority. Implementing e-learning into PBL is suggested to be an effective strategy in the Asian context