Motion and Speed of the Frail Elderly During Evacuation Process

健常者よりも運動能力が劣る要介護者が迅速に避難できるように準備することは，要介護者の命を救うだけでなく，介護スタッフの命を守ることにも繋がる。しかし，現状では要介護者の避難行動速度すら十分に調査されておらず，要介護者の避難を検討する上での情報が不足している。そこで，本研究では要介護者の避難訓練の様子を撮影し，歩行速度をはじめとする避難行動速度を詳細に調査した。その結果，すべての行動が健常者よりも遅いが，階段の上りと車からの降車が特に時間を要することがわかった。さらに，得られた行動速度を入力にして，エージェントモデルで避難訓練をシミュレートしたところ，シミュレーションの方が1割程度早く避難が完了する結果となった。しかしながら，この避難完了時間の違いは，介護スタッフの行動の中の「シミュレーションに考慮されていない行動」に掛かる時間を考慮することでほぼ解消した。While agent simulation has been used to investigate evacuation scenarios, evacuation speed of frail elderly has not been fully studied yet. Therefore, in order to obtain the evacuation speed of the frail elderly we recorded videos of evacuation drills held in a group home with care. We analyzed evacuation steps in detail through the videos and acquired the evacuation speed of the frail elderly. We also simulated the evacuation drills with an agent model using the observed data. In the simulation result, the evacuation completion time was about 10% faster than the measured time of the evacuation drills. The difference in evacuation completion time can be explained considering the time taken for “unplanned behavior” of caregivers such as stopping to think about the next action

梅の種の炭化による有効活用法の検討

Seeds of Japanese apricot (Prunus mume) were discarded as industrial wastes. In order to utilize these seeds effectively, removal ability of dyes in waters by carbonized seeds (Cs) was evaluated as water purification. As a reference, an activated charcoal (Ac) was used under the same experimental condition. In the case of Cs, adsorption equilibrium time for Coomassie Brilliant Blue (CBB, acidic dye) and methylene blue (MB, basic dye) were within 3 hrs and 1 hr, respectively. On the other hand, Ac showed over 48 hrs for adsorption equilibrium of CBB and within 1hr for MB. Results suggested both Cs and Ac charged negatively. Quantity of dye-adsorption by Cs became smaller than that by Ac. SEM images of Cs showed presence of many small holes (diameter: 2-5μm) compared with that of Ac. This difference in microstructure might be related with a difference of quantity of dye-adsorption between Cs and Ac

Effect of Clomipramine on Obsessive Compulsive Neurosis with Resistance to Psychotherapy

The authors describe a 26-year-old male who suffered from obsessive compulsive neurosis with resistance to psychotherapy. Clomipramine led to a reduction of this resistance. His personality is the cases with ambivalent personality many points of like similarity to the case with active dependent personality, such cases have responded successfully to clomipramine. Therefore, we believe this is way clomipramine was effective in this case

Novel and recurrent COMP gene variants in five Japanese patients with pseudoachondroplasia: skeletal changes from the neonatal to infantile periods

Pseudoachondroplasia (PSACH) is an autosomal dominant skeletal dysplasia caused by pathogenic variants of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP). Clinical symptoms of PSACH are characterized by growth disturbances after the first year of life. These disturbances lead to severe short stature with short limbs, brachydactyly, scoliosis, joint laxity, joint pain since childhood, and a normal face. Epimetaphyseal dysplasia, shortened long bones, and short metacarpals and phalanges are common findings on radiological examination. Additionally, anterior tonguing of the vertebral bodies in the lateral view is an important finding in childhood because it is specific to PSACH and normalizes with age. Here, we report five Japanese patients with PSACH, with one recurrent (p.Cys351Tyr) and four novel heterozygous pathogenic COMP variants (p.Asp437Tyr, p.Asp446Gly, p.Asp507Tyr, and p.Asp518Val). These five pathogenic variants were located in the calcium-binding type 3 (T3) repeats. In four of the novel variants, the affected amino acid was aspartic acid, which is abundant in each of the eight T3 repeats. We describe the radiological findings of these five patients. We also retrospectively analyzed the sequential changes in the vertebral body and epimetaphysis of the long bones from the neonatal to infantile periods in a patient with PSACH and congenital heart disease

Association between Hardness (Difficulty of Chewing) of the Habitual Diet and Premenstrual Symptoms in Young Japanese Women

Recent evidence suggests that voluntary rhythmic movements such as chewing may increase blood serotonin and subsequently brain serotonin, which in turn acts to alleviate premenstrual symptoms. In this observational cross-sectional study, we tested the hypothesis that hardness (difficulty of chewing) of the habitual diet (i.e. dietary hardness) is associated with decreased premenstrual symptoms. Subjects were 640 female Japanese dietetic students aged 18–22 years. Dietary hardness was assessed as an estimate of masticatory muscle activity for the habitual diet (i.e. the difficulty of chewing the food). The consumption of a total of 107 foods was estimated by means of a self-administered, comprehensive diet history questionnaire, and masticatory muscle activity during the ingestion of these foods was estimated according to published equations. Menstrual cycle symptoms were assessed using the retrospective version of the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire, from which total score and subscale scores (i.e. pain, concentration, behavioral change, autonomic reactions, water retention, and negative affect) in the premenstrual phase were calculated and expressed as percentages relative to those in the intermenstrual phase. Dietary hardness was not associated with total score in the premenstrual phase (P for trend = 0.48). Further, no association was seen for any subscale score in the premenstrual phase (P for trend = 0.18–0.91). In conclusion, this preliminary study failed to substantiate a hypothesized inverse relationship between hardness of the habitual diet and premenstrual symptoms. Considering the plausibility of the putative mechanism, however, further investigation using more relevant measures of chewing and premenstrual symptoms is warranted

Abnormal spermatogenesis and male infertility in testicular zinc finger protein Zfp318-knockout mice

Zfp318, a mouse gene with a Cys2/His2 zinc finger motif, is mainly expressed in germ cells in the testis. It encodes two alternative transcripts, which regulate androgen receptor-mediated transcriptional activation or repression by overexpression of them. However, the role of Zfp318 is still obscure in vivo, especially in spermatogenesis. To elucidate the role of Zfp318 during gamete production, we established a knockout mouse line. Zfp318-null male mice exhibited infertility, whereas Zfp318-null female mice displayed normal fertility. ZFP318 was expressed during multiple stages of spermatogenesis, from spermatocytes to round spermatids. The nuclei of secondary spermatocytes showed high levels of expression. Histological analysis and quantitative analysis of DNA content showed decreased numbers of both spermatids in the seminiferous tubules and mature spermatozoa in the epididymides of Zfp318-null mice. These results suggest that Zfp318 is expressed as a functional protein in testicular germ cells and plays an important role in meiosis during spermatogenesis

Impact of number of functional teeth on independence of Japanese older adults

Aim To examine the relationship between the number of present and functional teeth at baseline and future incidence of loss of independence. Methods Participants were community-dwelling older individuals who participated in a comprehensive geriatric health examination conducted in Kusatsu town, Japan, between 2009 and 2015. The primary endpoint was the incidence of loss of independence among participants, defined as the first certification of long-term care insurance in Japan. The numbers of present and functional teeth at baseline were determined via an oral examination. Demographics, clinical variables (e.g., history of chronic diseases and psychosocial factors), blood nutritional markers, physical functions, and perceived masticatory function were assessed. Results This study included 1121 individuals, and 205 individuals suffered from loss of independence during the follow-up period. Kaplan–Meier estimates of loss of independence for participants with smaller numbers of present and functional teeth were significantly greater than for those with larger numbers of teeth. Cox proportional hazard analyses indicated that a smaller number of present teeth was not a significant risk factor after adjusting for demographic characteristics. However, the number of functional teeth was a significant risk factor after the adjustment (hazard ratio: 1.975 [1.168–3.340]). Additionally, higher hazard ratios were observed in other adjusted models, but they were not statistically significant. Conclusions The number of functional teeth may be more closely related to the future incidence of loss of independence than the number of present teeth. This novel finding suggests that prosthodontic rehabilitation for tooth loss possibly prevents the future incidence of this life-event