A Soundscape of Sea Waves and Collaborative Action Research: The Case of the Nami-kozo Folktale of the Enshu-nada Sea, Japan

　This study examined rumbling emitted by the Enshu-nada Sea, with a focus on region-specific listening culture. Sea rumbling propagates over long distances in this area, where locals used its direction to predict the weather. Moreover, the connection between people and the sea is symbolized through a regionally transmitted folktale. We clarified the physical and sociocultural characteristics of sea rumbling through collaborative action research, thus demonstrating the significance of this approach in preserving and/or recovering local knowledge

Bipolar localization of putative photoreceptor protein for phototaxis in thermophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus

Funding Information: This work was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid for scientific research from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, Japan (no. 11640653 to K.M.).We identified an open reading frame from a database of the entire genome of Synechococcus elongatus, the product of which was very similar to pixJ1, which was proposed as photoreceptor gene for phototaxis in Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 [Yoshihara et al. (2000) Plant Cell Physiol. 41: 1299]. The mRNA of S. elongatus pixJ (SepixJ) was expressed in vivo as a part of the product of an operon. SePixJ was detected exclusively in the membrane fraction after cell fractionation. Immunogold labeling of SePixJ in ultra-thin sections indicated that it existed only in both ends of the rod-shaped cell; probably bound with the cytoplasmic membrane.publishersversionPeer reviewe

J-shaped relationship between waist circumference and subsequent risk for Type 2 diabetes: An 8-year follow-up of relatively lean Japanese individuals

金沢大学医薬保健研究域医学系金沢医科大学健康増進予防医学（公衆衛生学）Aims This study investigated the relationship between waist circumference and the subsequent incidence of Type 2 diabetes and the association with insulin resistance and pancreatic B-cell function in relatively lean Japanese individuals. Methods The study participants were 3992 employees (2533 men and 1459 women, aged 35-55 years) of a metal-products factory in Japan. The incidence of diabetes was determined in annual medical examinations during an 8-year follow-up. We calculated age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) according to the sex-specific quintile of waist circumference at baseline. Differences in baseline insulin resistance [homeostatis model assessment (HOMA)-IR] and pancreatic B-cell function (HOMA-B) were compared between participants who developed diabetes and those who did not. Results During the follow-up, 218 participants developed diabetes. Age- and sex-adjusted HRs across the quintiles of waist circumference were 1.78, 1.00 (reference), 1.59, 3.11 and 3.30, respectively (P for trend, < 0.0001). The HR for the lowest quintile was significantly higher than that for the second quintile. Among participants with waist circumference of the lowest quintile, HOMA-B was lower in those who developed diabetes than in those who did not [33.1 (24.1-45.0) vs. 54.3 (37.9-74.6) median (interquartile range), P < 0.0001], but HOMA-IR did not differ between these groups. Conclusions There was a J-shaped relationship between waist circumference and subsequent risk for Type 2 diabetes in relatively lean Japanese individuals; lower pancreatic B-cell function may also increase the risk of diabetes in very lean Japanese people. © 2009 Diabetes UK

Dietary glycemic index and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in middle-aged Japanese men

This cohort study investigated the association between dietary glycemic index (GI), glycemic load (GL), and the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in middle-aged Japanese men, and the effect of insulin resistance and pancreatic B-cell function on the association. Participants were 1995 male employees of a metal products factory in Japan. Dietary GI and GL were assessed using a self-administered diet history questionnaire. The incidence of diabetes was detected in annual medical examinations over a 6-year period. The association between GI, GL, and the incidence of diabetes was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards models. During the study, 133 participants developed diabetes. Age- and body mass index-adjusted hazard ratios across the GI quintiles were 1.00 (reference), 1.62, 1.50, 1.68, and 1.80; and those of GL were 1.00 (reference), 1.07, 1.48, 0.95, and 0.98. The hazard ratio for the highest GI quintile was significantly greater than that for the lowest quintile. The influence of GI was more pronounced in the lowest insulin resistance subgroups. GI and pancreatic B-cell function were independently associated with the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus; participants with low B-cell function and the highest tertile of GI had the highest risk of diabetes. Dietary GI is associated with the incidence of diabetes in middle-aged Japanese men. GI and B-cell function were independently associated with incidence of diabetes. © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Hepatic ISG expression is associated with genetic variation in interleukin 28B and the outcome of IFN therapy for chronic hepatitis C

金沢大学医薬保健研究域医学系Background & Aims: Multiple viral and host factors are related to the treatment response to pegylated-interferon and ribavirin combination therapy; however, the clinical relevance and relationship of these factors have not yet been fully evaluated. Methods: We studied 168 patients with chronic hepatitis C who received pegylated-interferon and ribavirin combination therapy. Gene expression profiles in the livers of 91 patients were analyzed using an Affymetrix genechip (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA). The expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) was evaluated in all samples by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Genetic variation in interleukin 28B (IL28B; rs8099917) was determined in 91 patients. Results: Gene expression profiling of the liver differentiated patients into 2 groups: patients with up-regulated ISGs and patients with down-regulated ISGs. A high proportion of patients with no response to treatment was found in the up-regulated ISGs group (P = .002). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ISGs (<3.5) (odds ratio [OR], 16.2; P < .001), fibrosis stage (F1-F2) (OR, 4.18; P = .003), and ISDR mutation (<2) (OR, 5.09; P = .003) were strongly associated with the viral response. The IL28B polymorphism of 91 patients showed that 66% were major homozygotes (TT), 30% were heterozygotes (TG), and 4% were minor homozygotes (GG). Interestingly, hepatic ISGs were associated with the IL28B polymorphism (OR, 18.1; P < .001), and its expression was significantly higher in patients with the minor genotype (TG or GG) than in those with the major genotype (TT). Conclusions: The expression of hepatic ISGs is strongly associated with treatment response and genetic variation of IL28B. The differential role of host and viral factors as predicting factors may also be present. © 2010 AGA Institute

Genome-Wide Association Study Confirming Association of HLA-DP with Protection against Chronic Hepatitis B and Viral Clearance in Japanese and Korean

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection can lead to serious liver diseases, including liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, about 85–90% of infected individuals become inactive carriers with sustained biochemical remission and very low risk of LC or HCC. To identify host genetic factors contributing to HBV clearance, we conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and replication analysis using samples from HBV carriers and spontaneously HBV-resolved Japanese and Korean individuals. Association analysis in the Japanese and Korean data identified the HLA-DPA1 and HLA-DPB1 genes with Pmeta = 1.89×10−12 for rs3077 and Pmeta = 9.69×10−10 for rs9277542. We also found that the HLA-DPA1 and HLA-DPB1 genes were significantly associated with protective effects against chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in Japanese, Korean and other Asian populations, including Chinese and Thai individuals (Pmeta = 4.40×10−19 for rs3077 and Pmeta = 1.28×10−15 for rs9277542). These results suggest that the associations between the HLA-DP locus and the protective effects against persistent HBV infection and with clearance of HBV were replicated widely in East Asian populations; however, there are no reports of GWAS in Caucasian or African populations. Based on the GWAS in this study, there were no significant SNPs associated with HCC development. To clarify the pathogenesis of CHB and the mechanisms of HBV clearance, further studies are necessary, including functional analyses of the HLA-DP molecule