松江市既成市街地における居住者の地域整備意識

松江市既成市街地内において店舗経営者および居住者を対象に調査を行い,商店街の現状および地域整備意識を明らかにするとともに,今後の動向を探った。結果はつぎのとおりである。1)調査地区内における居住者の定着歴では,親の代またはそれ以前からの世帯が自分の代からの世帯を上回っており,定着年数においても長期間に及ぶ一方,高齢化の進行は顕著である。また,建物の構造および建築年数から見た老朽化についても対応策を検討すべきと思われる。2)店舗側から見た店に対する不満は,「駐車場の不足」が最大であり,市街地内であるための問題が顕在化する結果となった。次いで,建築年数の長さに対応する形で店の老朽化に対する不満が大きい結果となった。3)商店街の利用に関しては,全体的な利用頻度は「時々利用」が「毎日利用」を上回っていたが,高齢者の特に多い灘町地区においては,主な買い物先は町内のなじみの店および付近の商店街であり,半数以上が徒歩で出かけることからも,今後とも商店街に対する需要度は高いと思われる。また,天神町の居住者側では,自家用車等の利用と郊外大型店舗へ出かける率が高くなっており,今後の商店街での取り組み如何で新たな集客の可能性があることが伺えた。4)居住者の住環境に対する評価は,「公害の状況」「災害安全性」などの都市的な問題を除いて全体的に高く,特に「住宅・居住地への愛着度」の高い傾向が見られた。また,日常生活および通勤・通学に対する利便性を高く評価している結果となった。5)地域に対する定住志向は高いものの,同居および店舗・住宅の状態保持についてはこだわらない世帯が多く,今後の地域内での店舗および住宅の世代継承は,一定の割合を除いてそれ以上は確保しがたいと思われる。6)地域整備意識では,商店街としての整備希望が全体の60%を占め,最大となっていたが,具体的な整備項目については店舗側では駐車場整備が挙げられるのに対して,居住者側では歩道の整備,バリアフリー化などの環境整備的な項目が多く挙がっていた。また,全体的に景観整備に対する意識の高さが目立った。7)地域活動に対する参加状況は比較的活発で,今後の地域整備および地域活性化の動きに対してさらに積極的に関わっていくことが望まれよう。終わりに,本調査に御協力いただきました松江市自潟本町・天神町・灘町の皆様に感謝申し上げます

Demonstration of intrahepatic accumulated microbubble on ultrasound represents the grade of hepatic fibrosis

OBJECTIVES: To examine the feasibility of perflubutane-based ultrasound for grading hepatic fibrosis. METHODS: This prospective study included 202 subjects; main study (controls:33, F0–1:35, F2:26, F3:23, cirrhosis:29) and subsequent study (controls:16, F0–1:7, F2:20, F3:7, cirrhosis:6). Diagnostic abilities for assessing fibrosis grade were compared between contrast findings and FIB4 (age × AST/[platelet count × ALT(0.5)]). RESULTS: High-power emission produced an intrahepatic band-like structure, and the three-layer appearance was less frequent and monolayer appearance was more frequent in cirrhosis than controls/chronic hepatitis (P < 0.0001). Intensity difference at 15-min phase showed most significant correlation with fibrosis grade (ρ = 0.79, P < 0.0001), and the best areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves are 0.88 for marked fibrosis, 0.95 for advanced fibrosis and 0.97 for cirrhosis, which were significantly higher than those of FIB4, 0.85 for marked fibrosis, 0.89 for advanced fibrosis and 0.90 for cirrhosis. Sensitivity, specificity and efficiency of the intensity difference were 88%, 72% and 81% for marked fibrosis, 85%, 91% and 89% for advanced fibrosis and 97%, 90% and 91% for cirrhosis, respectively. The subsequent study validated the main study results; significant correlation between the intensity difference and the fibrosis grade (ρ = 0.73–0.77, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Perflubutane-based ultrasound accurately predicts the grade of hepatic fibrosis. KEY POINTS: • The behaviour of intrahepatic microbubbles depends on the severity of hepatic fibrosis. • Layer enhancement pattern simply represents the degree of chronic liver disease. • Parenchymal intensity change due to high-power emission predicts the hepatic fibrosis grade

Review of First-Year Ridge Geometries and Properties in Sakhalin Region

Information on the morphology and properties of first-year ice ridges in the Sea of Okhotsk is required for design of offshore structures. Data have been compiled to provide a picture of Okhotsk sea ice ridges. The data include sail heights, keel depths, consolidated layer thickness, porosity and ridge width. The data from the Sea of Okhotsk are compared with data for ridges from the Beaufort Sea. Okhotsk ice ridges were found to have similar proportions to Beaufort ridges, i.e. ratio of keel depth to sail height is on average 5:1, average sail porosity 35%, and average keel porosity 20%. Sakhalin ridges are smaller than Beaufort ridges, however they are proportionately 25 % wider than Beaufort ridges.NRC publication: Ye

Evolution of BCL-2/IgH hybrid gene RNA expression during treatment of T(14;18)-bearing follicular lymphomas

Bcl-2, the gene over-expressed in follicular lymphomas (FL), is able to block chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. Consequently, we wondered whether bcl-2/IgH expression variations during treatment of FL could predict the outcome of patients with t(14;18)-bearing FL. For this purpose, we used a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay to analyse 180 serial peripheral blood samples (PBS) during 34 treatment phases in 25 patients with t(14;18)-bearing FL. In all patients but two, bcl-2/IgH gene expression was demonstrated in pre-treatment samples. During 16 out of the 34 treatment phases (47%), bcl-2/IgH expression became negative: all but one were responders to chemotherapy. This conversion was transient in six cases. In 18 treatment phases, bcl2/IgH expression remained detectable: eight were clinically considered as treatment failures, while eight others achieved PR and two achieved CR. We observed a significant correlation between treatment response and RNA PCR results (P = 0.002). Three-year overall survival of patients with stable bcl2/IgH-negative conversion was 100% compared to 54% for the remaining patients (P = 0.069); 3-year freedom from progression was respectively 87.5% and 13% (P = 0.005). These results indicate a correlation between bcl-2/IgH expression variations and both clinical response and outcome. Whether this might predict disease outcome early remains to be confirmed. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig

Hodgkin's lymphoma cell lines express a fusion protein encoded by intergenically spliced mRNA for the multilectin receptor DEC-205 (CD205) and a novel C-type lectin receptor DCL-1

Classic Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) tissue contains a small population of morphologically distinct malignant cells called Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells, associated with the development of HL. Using 3'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends ( RACE) we identified an alternative mRNA for the DEC-205 multilectin receptor in the HRS cell line L428. Sequence analysis revealed that the mRNA encodes a fusion protein between DEC-205 and a novel C-type lectin DCL-1. Although the 7.5-kb DEC-205 and 4.2-kb DCL-1 mRNA were expressed independently in myeloid and B lymphoid cell lines, the DEC-205/DCL-1 fusion mRNA (9.5 kb) predominated in the HRS cell lines ( L428, KM-H2, and HDLM-2). The DEC-205 and DCL-1 genes comprising 35 and 6 exons, respectively, are juxtaposed on chromosome band 2q24 and separated by only 5.4 kb. We determined the DCL-1 transcription initiation site within the intervening sequence by 5'-RACE, confirming that DCL-1 is an independent gene. Two DEC-205/DCL-1 fusion mRNA variants may result from cotranscription of DEC-205 and DCL-1, followed by splicing DEC-205 exon 35 or 34-35 along with DCL-1 exon 1. The resulting reading frames encode the DEC-205 ectodomain plus the DCL-1 ectodomain, the transmembrane, and the cytoplasmic domain. Using DCL-1 cytoplasmic domain-specific polyclonal and DEC-205 monoclonal antibodies for immunoprecipitation/Western blot analysis, we showed that the fusion mRNA is translated into a DEC-205/DCL-1 fusion protein, expressed in the HRS cell lines. These results imply an unusual transcriptional control mechanism in HRS cells, which cotranscribe an mRNA containing DEC-205 and DCL-1 prior to generating the intergenically spliced mRNA to produce a DEC-205/DCL-1 fusion protein