Biofilm deficiency in polysaccharide intercellular adhesin-negative variants of staphylococcus epidermidis selected by subminimal inhibitory concentrations of gentamicin

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a cause of orthopedic device-related infection, and to treat such infection, biofilms should be controlled. Polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA) is associated with the biofilm-forming ability of staphylococcal strains. PIA in biofilm-positive staphylococcal strains can be detected by the Congo red agar (CRA) method. In this study, we used the CRA method to examine the effects of subminimal inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) of 11 antibacterial agents on PIA production by S. epidermidis. We found that the PIA-negative variants were selected only by sub- MICs of gentamicin (GM). This PIA-negative phenotype was maintained over several generations in the absence of GM. Such selection occurred in six of eight clinical isolates, as well as in the biofilm-positive control strain. No such selection occurred with aminoglycoside antibiotics except for GM. Most of the PIA-negative variants that were selected by GM showed a markedly lower biofilm-forming ability on stainless steel washers than their untreated parent strains. In conclusion, variants with lower biofilmforming ability may be selected by a sub-MIC of GM. Investigation of the reason why variants with reduced biofilm-forming ability can be selected in the presence of sub-MICs of GM may contribute to strategies against biofilm-related infections

Bone structural and metabolic response of caloric restriction in Wistar rats and a GH-IGF-1 axis-suppressed transgenic rat model.

The growth hormone?insulin-like growth factor-1 (GH?IGF-1) axis plays an important role in the effects of caloric restriction(CR) on lifespan extension and may elicit effects on bone metabolism in CR animals. We compared the effects of the GH?IGF-1 axis suppression and CR on bone metabolism. We used Wistar rats fed ad libitum (control group) or fed a 30% calorierestricted diet in CR group and heterozygous transgenic (F1) rats whose GH-IGF-1 axis is moderately suppressed. There was no significant difference in serum IGF-1 concentration between control and CR rats; however, IGF-1 was significantly lower inF1 rats than in other groups. The bone volume fraction (BV/TV) was significantly lower in CR than in the control. The mean SMI value in CR rats was marginally significant difference from that in control rats, Although there was no difference in serum IGF-1 concentrations between CR and control rats, bone volume was lower, and higher SMI was observed in the former. The serum IGF-1 levels in F1 rats were lower than those of controls, but the bone volume and SMI in F1 were not different. Therefore, the effects of bone metabolism in CR rats may be different from those in the GH-IGF-1 suppression rats

Study of learning environment development of the way to become the foundation of inclusive education system : From teaching practice in a special classroom by teachers in regular class

本校では特別支援学級と複式学級の教科による交流及び共同学習の導入や，学級交流や縦割り学習，運動会等の校内行事での交流などに取り組んできている。本研究は，これまでの成果を基に，通常の学級に在籍する児童の多様性や障害の理解を促す実践を交流及び共同学習や教科学習の中で行い，その効果を検証することを目的とした。特別支援学級の担任ではない教員が，特別支援学級の指導案を作成することを通して，日頃の交流だけではとらえられない特別支援児童の実態に気づき，支援の在り方について検討する。また実際に授業を行うことで特別支援領域に関する見方・考え方を活用し，それぞれの学級の児童支援に生かし，共有できるようにした。授業を行う教員の研究教科が算数科であることから算数科で授業を行うこととし，都合５時間の特別支援学級教員による算数科の授業を観察，児童の実態把握を行い，聞き取りも含め授業構想を行っていった。実際の授業から，子どもたちの中に価値に関する概念が育成されているかどうかの違いがあることに気付く。価値概念の育成や獲得方法を明らかにしていくことによって小学校の教科の指導をより充実させていくことができると考えた。Do the practice of promoting an understanding of the children of diversity and disorder enrolled in regular classes in the exchange and collaborative learning and subject learning, was aimed to verify the effect. Special support is not a homeroom class faculty, through to create a lesson plan of the special support class, noticed the actual situation of the special support children that cannot be captured only daily exchanges, as well as consider the way of support, the teaching plan actually take advantage of the special support area on the perspective, the concept by making the class alive, it was decided to continue making the child support of each class. It was thought to be able to go to enrich more the guidance of the subjects of elementary school by going to reveal the development and acquisition method of one person a child of the value of the concept

Helicobacter pylori Infection and Gastroduodenal Disease : a Comparison of Endoscopic Findings, Histology, and Urease Test Data

To determine the prevalence and significance of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, biopsies of the antral mucosa were obtained from 139 patients and 43 asymptomatic volunteers. The specimens were examined by hematoxylin-eosin staining and the urease test. The detection rate of H. pylori by histologic examination was 91.3% in patients with duodenal ulcer, 75.0% in those with combined duodenal and gastric ulcer, 63.6% in those with gastric ulcer, 22.9% in those with gastric carcinoma, 36.4% in those with gastric adenoma, 14.3% in those with gastric hyperplastic polyp, and 51.7% in those with gastritis, and the respective percentages detected by the urease test were 91.3%, 75.0%, 54.5%, 28.6%, 27.3%, 14.3%, and 44.8%. H. pylori was also detected in 10/43 (23.3%) asymptomatic healthy volunteers by histology and the urease test. The prevalence of H. pylori was significantly higher in the patients than in the asymptomatic healthy volunteers (p < 0.05). H. pylori was detected in 62.9% of patients with endoscopic erosive gastritis and in 97.9% of those with histologically proven chronic active gastritis. The urease test was positive in 77/82 patients who were histologically positive for the organism (sensitivity: 93.9%), and it was negative in 98/100 patients who were negative by histology (specificity: 98.0%). Thus, there was over 90% agreement between the urease test and histology. Our investigations showed that H. pylori was closely related to peptic ulcers and antral gastritis, and that the urease test provides a simple, rapid and accurate diagnosis of H. pylori infection

Study on the way of educational practical training of special needs education in at the special needs class in the affiliated school, Hiroshima Univerisity

本研究は，附属学校の特別支援学級における教育実習において，実習終了後に行う公立特別支援学校での教育実習のさらなる充実を図り，学部の教育と附属の実習，公立特別支援学校での実習の連続性整備のためにプログラムの見直しや改善を図ると共に，そのあり方について検討する。附属東雲小学校・中学校は大学の特別支援教育学講座と連携し，教育実習の内容の検討や改善に向けての提言を受ける他，具体的な大学における取り組みとも連動するようにした。さらに，特別支援教育実習協議会を通して特別支援学校との連携を図り，実習校と学生へのアンケート調査によって課題を明らかにした。また，全国の附属学校特別支援学級の連絡協議会を活用し，教育実習における実情や課題を情報交換することで、情報の共有化を図り新たな知見も得た。このような取り組みを進めていく中で，実習の事前指導にあたり，公立特別支援学校との連携が不足していたことが課題としてあげられた。この課題を解決していくために，教育実習に対しての附属学校としての取り組みを改善すると共に，より具体的かつ実用的な指導や評価を行い，内容を引き継ぐシステムの構築が必要であることが明らかとなった。The purpose of this research is to improve the teaching practice at the public special support school which is carried out after completion of the educational practice of the attached school special support class and to improve the educational practice of the undergraduate school and the special special support school We reviewed the contents of teaching practice and examined improvement. Attached Shinonome Elementary School and Junior High School have a special support education course lecture of the Graduate school of pedagogy and a public education practice meeting with the public special support school, and from the questionnaire survey to each school and the student, lack of cooperation with the public special support school It was made clear that it was. In order to solve the problem, it is necessary to instruct teacher interns more practical guidance and evaluation, and to inherit the contents to the public special support school

The Constrained Maximal Expression Level Owing to Haploidy Shapes Gene Content on the Mammalian X Chromosome.

X chromosomes are unusual in many regards, not least of which is their nonrandom gene content. The causes of this bias are commonly discussed in the context of sexual antagonism and the avoidance of activity in the male germline. Here, we examine the notion that, at least in some taxa, functionally biased gene content may more profoundly be shaped by limits imposed on gene expression owing to haploid expression of the X chromosome. Notably, if the X, as in primates, is transcribed at rates comparable to the ancestral rate (per promoter) prior to the X chromosome formation, then the X is not a tolerable environment for genes with very high maximal net levels of expression, owing to transcriptional traffic jams. We test this hypothesis using The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) and data from the Functional Annotation of the Mammalian Genome (FANTOM5) project. As predicted, the maximal expression of human X-linked genes is much lower than that of genes on autosomes: on average, maximal expression is three times lower on the X chromosome than on autosomes. Similarly, autosome-to-X retroposition events are associated with lower maximal expression of retrogenes on the X than seen for X-to-autosome retrogenes on autosomes. Also as expected, X-linked genes have a lesser degree of increase in gene expression than autosomal ones (compared to the human/Chimpanzee common ancestor) if highly expressed, but not if lowly expressed. The traffic jam model also explains the known lower breadth of expression for genes on the X (and the Z of birds), as genes with broad expression are, on average, those with high maximal expression. As then further predicted, highly expressed tissue-specific genes are also rare on the X and broadly expressed genes on the X tend to be lowly expressed, both indicating that the trend is shaped by the maximal expression level not the breadth of expression per se. Importantly, a limit to the maximal expression level explains biased tissue of expression profiles of X-linked genes. Tissues whose tissue-specific genes are very highly expressed (e.g., secretory tissues, tissues abundant in structural proteins) are also tissues in which gene expression is relatively rare on the X chromosome. These trends cannot be fully accounted for in terms of alternative models of biased expression. In conclusion, the notion that it is hard for genes on the Therian X to be highly expressed, owing to transcriptional traffic jams, provides a simple yet robustly supported rationale of many peculiar features of X's gene content, gene expression, and evolution

Associations between fatty infiltration of rotator cuff muscles and tear size or location of rotator cuff tendon

BackgroundFatty infiltration (FI) of rotator cuff muscles in patients with rotator cuff tears is an important imaging factor for determining surgical indications. However, the associations between FI grade and the size or location of adjacent rotator cuff tears are not well-known. This study aimed to primarily determine whether tear size and location, especially for the SSc tendon, are associated with FI of adjacent rotator cuff muscles. The secondary aim was to clarify which patient factors are associated with rotator cuff muscle FI in rotator cuff tear cases.MethodsThis study examined 373 shoulders of 348 patients (264 males and 109 females; mean age of 62.8 years) who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery. The FI grades of the supraspinatus (SSP), infraspinatus (ISP), and subscapularis (SSc) muscles were assessed using preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the Goutallier classification modified by Fuchs. According to the preoperative MRI and intraoperative findings, the tear size of the posterior–superior rotator cuff (SSP–ISP) was classified using a modified six-grade scale of the Cofield classification, and that of the SSc tear was classified using a six-grade scale according to the Lafosse classification. Age at surgery, sex, body mass index (BMI), presence of diabetes mellitus (DM) or hyperlipidemia (HL), trauma history, and duration of symptoms were investigated.ResultsThe FI grades of the SSP, ISP, and SSc were significantly associated with the size of the tears in those muscles (all P &lt; 0.01). Furthermore, the FI grades of the SSP and the ISP were significantly associated with SSc tear size (P &lt; 0.01), and the FI grade of the SSc was significantly associated with SSP–ISP tear size (P &lt; 0.01). Patient age at surgery was significantly associated with FI grade (P &lt; 0.01), with significant progression of the FI grade with advancing age. However, there were no significant associations between the FI grade and sex, BMI, presence of DM or HL, trauma history, and duration of symptoms.ConclusionsThe FI grade of each of the rotator cuff muscles is affected by not only the tear severity of the muscle concerned but also by the severity of any tear in the adjacent rotator cuff