Issue of Multicultural People in Globalizing Japan: (Cultural) Identity, Mental Health and “Ibasho”

The number of multicultural people has increased over many years with the globalization of the world economy. Japan is no exception. Ibasho is a Japanese unique concept and means one’s place where one feels secure, comfortable, and accepted. There are very few studies on ibasho among people with multicultural backgrounds. Suzuki (2018) refers to relationships among identity/cultural identity formation, mental health (including subjective well-being) and ibasho. In this paper, we examined the relationship among mental health, identity and ibasho with a focus on ibasho in the case of two groups of people with multicultural backgrounds: International students (N = 105) living in Japan, from 30 countries (Study 1) and Japanese-Indonesian young people (N = 10) living in Indonesia (Study 2). In Study 1, a questionnaire survey and interviews were conducted, and in Study 2, multiple interviews were carried out. In both studies, the analysis was mainly qualitative in nature. The results showed that there was the relationship among ibasho, mental health, and (cultural) identity, and creating ibasho was very useful to support for cultural identity formation of multicultural people as well as to maintain their mental health

Factors That Facilitate Discussion and Documentation of End-of-Life Care among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

We aimed to clarify the regional cultural characteristics in areas with different death rates at home, and to identify factors that influence the discussion and documentation of end-of-life care (EOLC) among community-dwelling older adults. This study was a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire survey, and participants were Japanese older adults. A chi-square test and multiple regression analysis were conducted. Among the 227 respondents, 143 were analyzed. There were no statistical differences by area. Participants who had intentions to discuss EOLC tended to discuss EOLC with their families and family doctors and tended to create documents to show their wills on EOLC (p < 0.05). The following factors that influence the intentions to discuss EOLC were extracted: experience in providing EOLC; information on EOLC; having religious and spiritual beliefs, and not avoiding the subject of death as part of beliefs related to life and death. These results indicate that beliefs and intentions regarding EOLC may be similar across Japan. Moreover, our findings suggest that to increase the interest of older adults on EOLC, it is important to provide opportunities for older adults to share and discuss information about EOLC with healthcare professionals and others who have experience providing EOLC

Dynamic Trend of Myocardial Edema in Takotsubo Syndrome: A Serial Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Study

BACKGROUND The wall motion abnormalities of the left ventricle (LV) in takotsubo syndrome (TTS) are known to be transient and completely recover within a few weeks. However, there is little information about the relationship between functional recovery and tissue characteristics. The aim of this study was to investigate the recovery process of TTS using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). METHODS Consecutive patients with TTS were prospectively enrolled. We performed serial CMR in the acute phase (<72 h after admission), the subacute phase (7-10 days after admission) and the chronic phase (3 months later). To assess the degree of myocardial edema quantitatively, we evaluated the signal intensity of myocardium on T2-weighted images and calculated the signal intensity ratio compared with the skeletal muscle. RESULTS Fifteen patients with TTS were enrolled. CMR demonstrated reduced LV ejection fraction in the acute phase, and it recovered almost completely by the subacute phase. On the other hand, severe myocardial edema was still observed in the subacute phase, associated with increased LV mass. The highest signal intensity ratio in the subacute phase was correlated with the maximum voltage of negative T wave on electrocardiogram (r = 0.57, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS In patients with TTS, myocardial edema associated with increased LV mass still remained in the subacute phase despite functional recovery of the LV. Electrocardiogram may be useful to assess the degree of myocardial edema in the subacute phase. Our study suggests that myocardial ischemia might have a central role in developing TTS

Selective depletion of mouse kidney proximal straight tubule cells causes acute kidney injury

The proximal straight tubule (S3 segment) of the kidney is highly susceptible to ischemia and toxic insults but has a remarkable capacity to repair its structure and function. In response to such injuries, complex processes take place to regenerate the epithelial cells of the S3 segment; however, the precise molecular mechanisms of this regeneration are still being investigated. By applying the “toxin receptor mediated cell knockout” method under the control of the S3 segment-specific promoter/enhancer, Gsl5, which drives core 2 β-1,6-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase gene expression, we established a transgenic mouse line expressing the human diphtheria toxin (DT) receptor only in the S3 segment. The administration of DT to these transgenic mice caused the selective ablation of S3 segment cells in a dose-dependent manner, and transgenic mice exhibited polyuria containing serum albumin and subsequently developed oliguria. An increase in the concentration of blood urea nitrogen was also observed, and the peak BUN levels occurred 3–7 days after DT administration. Histological analysis revealed that the most severe injury occurred in the S3 segments of the proximal tubule, in which tubular cells were exfoliated into the tubular lumen. In addition, aquaporin 7, which is localized exclusively to the S3 segment, was diminished. These results indicate that this transgenic mouse can suffer acute kidney injury (AKI) caused by S3 segment-specific damage after DT administration. This transgenic line offers an excellent model to uncover the mechanisms of AKI and its rapid recovery

Beam and SKS spectrometers at the K1.8 beam line

High-resolution spectrometers for both incident beams and scattered particles have been constructed at the K1.8 beam line of the Hadron Experimental Facility at J-PARC. A point-to-point optics is realized between the entrance and exit of QQDQQ magnets for the beam spectrometer. Fine-pitch wire chamber trackers and hodoscope counters are installed in the beam spectrometer to accept a high rate beam up to 107 Hz. The superconducting kaon spectrometer for scattered particles was transferred from KEK with modifications to the cryogenic system and detectors. A missing-mass resolution of 1.9 ± 0.1 MeV/c2 (FWHM) was achieved for the ∑ peaks of (π±, K+) reactions on a proton target in the first physics run of E19 in 2010

Altered SPECT 123I iomazenil Binding in the Cingulate Cortex of Children with Anorexia Nervosa

Several lines of evidence suggest that anxiety plays a key role in the development and maintenance of anorexia nervosa (AN) in children. The purpose of this study was to examine cortical GABA(A)-benzodiazepine receptor binding before and after treatment in children beginning intensive AN treatment. Brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) measurements using 123I iomazenil, which binds to GABA(A)-benzodiazepine receptors, was performed in 26 participants with AN who were enrolled in a multimodal treatment program. Sixteen of the 26 participants underwent a repeat SPECT scan immediately before discharge at conclusion of the intensive treatment program. Eating behavior and mood disturbances were assessed using Eating Attitudes Test with 26 items (EAT-26) and the short form of the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Clinical outcome scores were evaluated after a 1-year period. We examined association between relative iomazenil binding activity in cortical regions of interest (ROIs) and psychometric profiles, and determined which psychometric profiles show interaction effects with brain regions. Further, we determined if binding activity could predict clinical outcome and treatment changes. Higher EAT-26 scores were significantly associated with lower iomazenil binding activity in the anterior posterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Higher POMS subscale scores were significantly associated with lower iomazenil binding activity in the left frontal, parietal cortex, and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Depression-Dejection, and Confusion POMS subscale scores, and total POMS score, showed interaction effects with brain regions in iomazenil binding activity. Decreased binding in the ACC and left parietal cortex was associated with poor clinical outcomes. Relative binding increases throughout the PCC and occipital gyrus were observed after weight gain in children with AN. These findings suggest that cortical GABAergic receptor binding is altered in children with AN. This may be a state-related change, which could be used to monitor and guide the treatment of eating disorders