<Reports onthe Sixteenth Annual Meeting of the Tsukuba English Linguistic Society> A Semantic Approach to the Model Auxiliaries in English : A Case Study of Must

In this joint research we are concerned with a semantic analysis of the modal auxiliaries in English, focusing in paricular on a certain use of must, as exemplified in (1): (1) Smokers must have dirriculty in giving up smoking. ..

Abdominal obesity exhibits distinct effect on inflammatory and anti-inflammatory proteins in apparently healthy Japanese men

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Since visceral fat tissue is known to release various inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, abdominal obesity may play a key role in the inflammation associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, few studies have determined precise relationships of abdominal obesity with inflammatory markers in MetS. To clarify the importance of abdominal obesity in sub-clinical inflammation, we examined the changes of inflammatory markers in clustering of MetS components with or without abdominal obesity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Subjects consisted of 326 apparently healthy Japanese men (age: 30 to 59 years) who underwent health examination in the Osaka University Health Care Center. MetS components were assessed and serum levels of high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin (IL)-6 and adiponectin were examined in all subjects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Subjects with abdominal obesity (waist circumference ≥ 85 cm) showed higher serum hs-CRP and IL-6 levels and a lower adiponectin level than those without abdominal obesity. Serum levels of hs-CRP and IL-6 significantly increased in association with clustering of MetS components in the subjects with abdominal obesity, but not in those without abdominal obesity. On the other hand, serum adiponectin level exhibited a little change with clustering of MetS components in the subjects with abdominal obesity. Significant negative correlation between adiponectin and hs-CRP was observed in the subjects with abdominal obesity, however this correlation was not detected in obese subjects defined by body mass index ≥ 25.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Inflammatory status is not exaggerated by clustering of MetS components in the subjects without abdominal obesity. Abdominal obesity may exhibit distinct effect on inflammatory and anti-inflammatory proteins and modulate inflammatory network in MetS.</p

Interprofessional education and training for collaborative work by nurses and care-workers in a special nursing home with small-scale care units

本研究の目的は,ユニットケアに取り組む特別養護老人ホームにおいて,看護職と介護職の協働の状況を明らかにし,協働していく上で両職種が必要とする教育の方向性の示唆を得ることである｡看護職2名,介護職3名を対象に自由回答法による半構成的･個別面接を実施した｡その結果,協働の状況は, 1)両職種のユニットケアのとらえかたや取り組みは相違し,協働に向けた工夫を行っていたものの,協働関係は成立しにくい状況であった｡2)両職種は期待されている役割を担うために教育･研修を受け専門能力を高めたいと考えていた｡両職種が協働していく上で必要とする教育の方向性として,以下の示唆を得た｡1)利用者や介護職から期待される福祉施設における看護の役割と専門性を高めるために看護職が現実的な課題を解決する力の修得を目指す｡2)様々な教育背景と教育ニーズを持つ介護職が知識,技術,ケアの実践力を習得するためには,個人の学習状況とニーズに応じて学習科目を自己管理し自発的な力を高めていく｡3)両職種がお互いの専門性を認め,向上を図ることができるようにともに課題を解決し相互作用が継続できる共同研修プログラムによる研修を実施する｡The purpose of this study was to identify the interprofessional education and training necessary to achieve teamwork between nurses and care-workers in small-scale care units within special nursing homes. The study design employed an inductive qualitative method. Data were collected from two nurses and three care-workers through personal interviews. Qualitative inductive analysis was used to obtain results. The present situation regarding care in small-scale care units by the two occupational categories was clarified as followed: 1) Despite attempts to work as a team, there were persistent differences in understanding the role of each worker and approach between the two occupational categories, leaving gaps in care. and 2) the care providers in both categories were willing to receive education and training to improve their professional skills and knowledge in order to play their expected roles. For future education, the following training programs were considered to be necessary to achieve cooperation among the two groups in performing the work: 1) a program that helps nurses master practical problemsolving skills, as expertise in problem-solving is expected of nurses in special nursing homes, 2) a program that helps care-workers to enhance their abilities for self-directed study at their level and according to their needs, so that people with various educational backgrounds and needs can obtain knowledge, skills, and ability to practice care. and 3) a program in which both nurses and care-workers can develop mutual respect for the expertise required by each occupation and that will produce synergistic effects on overall care

The Acquisition of Finance Knowledge and Optimization of a Portfolio

本稿では，金融資産管理シミュレーション・ゲームを実施して得たデータを基に，家計の選択するポートフォリオの効率性について検証を行う。資産選択の効率性を論じる指標として，平均分散アプローチによって導出した効率的フロンティアからの距離を用いる。Probit分析から得られた結果と，Panel Probit 分析から得られた結果は概ね整合的である。Panel Probit 分析の結果から示唆されることは，ゲーム参加者のうち，新たに習得した知識をより理解している者，過去の投資資産数の多い者，今後，株式市場が好転すると予測している者のポートフォリオの効率性は上昇し，資産選択の直前の株価の上昇は，ポートフォリオの効率性を低下させることである。また，ゲーム参加者の過去のポートフォリオの運用成績は，ポートフォリオの効率性に影響を与えない。In this paper, we examine the efficiency of portfolios on the basis of the simulation data of the portfolio management simulation game. The distance from the efficient frontier derived from the mean−variance portfolio theory is employed as the index of efficiency to select the assets. The results of the Probit analysis are consistent with the results derived from the Binary Panel Probit model analysis. The latter results suggest that the portfolio selected by one who understands new knowledge, possesses several types of assets, and predicts an improvement in the stock market, is efficient. Furthermore, a rise in the price index of stocks prior to portfolio selection decreases the efficiency of a portfolio. The previous portfolio performance does not affect the efficiency of the portfolio

Crucial roles of Robo proteins in midline crossing of cerebellofugal axons and lack of their up-regulation after midline crossing

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Robo1, Robo2 and Rig-1 (Robo3), members of the Robo protein family, are candidate receptors for the chemorepellents Slit and are known to play a crucial role in commissural axon guidance in the spinal cord. However, their roles at other axial levels remain unknown. Here we examine expression of Robo proteins by cerebellofugal (CF) commissural axons in the rostral hindbrain and investigate their roles in CF axon pathfinding by analysing Robo knockout mice.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We analysed the expression of Robo proteins by CF axons originating from deep cerebellar neurons in rodent embryos, focusing on developmental stages of their midline crossing and post-crossing navigation. At the stage of CF axon midline crossing, mRNAs of Robo1 and Robo2 are expressed in the nuclear transitory zone of the cerebellum, where the primordium of the deep cerebellar nuclei are located, supporting the notion that CF axons express Robo1 and Robo2. Indeed, immunohistochemical analysis of CF axons labelled by electroporation to deep cerebellar nuclei neurons indicates that Robo1 protein, and possibly also Robo2 protein, is expressed by CF axons crossing the midline. However, weak or no expression of these proteins is found on the longitudinal portion of CF axons. In <it>Robo1</it>/<it>2 </it>double knockout mice, many CF axons reach the midline but fail to exit it. We find that CF axons express Rig-1 (Robo3) before they reach the midline but not after the longitudinal turn. Consistent with this <it>in vivo </it>observation, axons elicited from a cerebellar explant in co-culture with a floor plate explant express Rig-1. In <it>Rig-1 </it>deficient mouse embryos, CF axons appear to project ipsilaterally without reaching the midline.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results indicate that Robo1, Robo2 or both are required for midline exit of CF axons. In contrast, Rig-1 is required for their approach to the midline. However, post-crossing up-regulation of these proteins, which plays an important role in spinal commissural axon guidance, does not appear to be required for the longitudinal navigation of CF axons after midline crossing. Our results illustrate that although common mechanisms operate for midline crossing at different axial levels, significant variation exists in post-crossing navigation.</p

Protocol of a Prospective Observational Study on the Relationship Between Glucose Fluctuation and Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

IntroductionA recent study demonstrated that large glucose fluctuations were associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and acute myocardial infarction. However, it is unknown whether glucose fluctuations are related to the incidence of CVD or the progression of atherosclerosis in patients with T2DM with no apparent history of CVD. In this protocol, we will be investigating the relationships of glucose fluctuations evaluated by continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) to the incidence of composite cardiovascular events and the progression of atherosclerosis in patients with T2DM who had no apparent history of CVD.MethodsThis is a prospective, multicenter, 5-year follow-up observational study. Between April 2018 and October 2019, 1000 participants are expected to be recruited at 34 medical institutions. CGM using FreeStyle Libre Pro is useful for evaluating glucose fluctuations by continuously monitoring glucose levels in interstitial fluid for up to 14 days. The primary study outcome is the relationship between fluctuations in glucose levels evaluated by CGM and the incidence of composite cardiovascular events. Secondary outcomes include the relationships of fluctuations in glucose levels evaluated by CGM to changes in carotid intima media thickness evaluated by echography or grayscale median (an index of tissue characteristics of the carotid wall), brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity, development or progression of diabetic retinopathy or nephropathy, quality-of-life-related diabetes therapy, quality of sleep, development of dementia, and autonomic nerve function.Planned OutcomeThis protocol is designed to investigate the relationship between glucose fluctuations and the incidence of composite cardiovascular events. We completed the registration of 1000 participants in March 2019. Thus, results will be available in 2024. We expect that evaluating glucose fluctuations will aid the identification of patients with a high probability of developing CVD.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier, UMIN000032325

Combination Treatment of Perioperative Rehabilitation and Psychoeducation Undergoing Thoracic Surgery

Postoperative pulmonary complications are a risk associated with thoracic surgery. However, there have been few reports on cases at high risk of postoperative complications. Cancer patients often have negative automatic thoughts about illness, and these negative automatic thoughts are associated with reduced health behavior and physical activity. This case series demonstrates the successful combination treatment of perioperative rehabilitation and psychoeducation for negative automatic thoughts in two cancer patients who underwent thoracic surgery. One patient underwent pneumonectomy with laryngeal recurrent nerve paralysis; the other patient, who had a history of recurrent hepatic encephalopathy and dialysis, underwent S6 segmentectomy. Both patients had negative automatic thoughts about cancer-related stress and postoperative pain. The physical therapists conducted a perioperative rehabilitation program in which the patients were educated to replace their maladaptive thoughts with more adaptive thoughts. After rehabilitation, the patients had improved adaptive thoughts, increased physical activity, and favorable recovery without pulmonary complications. This indicates that the combination treatment of perioperative rehabilitation and psychoeducation was useful in two thoracic cancer surgery patients. The psychoeducational approach should be expanded to perioperative rehabilitation of patients with cancer

A caffeine-sensitive membrane electrode: Previous misleading report and present approach

Although a previous study [S.S.M. Hassan, M.A. Ahmed, M.M. Saoudi, Anal. Chem. 57 (1985) 1126] had shown that a caffeine-sensitive electrode made with picrylsulfonate and 1-octanol as a cation-exchanger and a solvent mediator, respectively, had a wide working pH range (5.5-9.5) and exhibited a Nernstian response, we could not find such response in this electrode. The present result was reasonable, because the pK, value of caffeinium ion was reported to be around 0.7 and the neutral form of caffeine was predominant in the pH range examined. Thus, we reinvestigated the response characteristics of a caffeine electrode, taking into consideration the pKa value, and constructed a new electrode with a combination of the lipophilic cation-exchanger, tetrakis[3,5-bis(2-methoxyhexafluoro-2-propyl)phenyl]borate (HFPB), and the solvent mediator with high degree of dielectric constant, 2-fluoro-2'-nitrodiphenyl ether (FNDPE). This electrode showed a pH-dependent response to caffeinium ion and gave a detection limit of 50 mu M with a slope of 55 mV per concentration decade at pH 2. The use of other solvent mediators was less effective than that of FNDPE. The electrode was applied for the determination of caffeine in some central stimulants

Disease-Association Analysis of an Inflammation-Related Feedback Loop

SummaryThe IL-6-triggered positive feedback loop for NFκB signaling (or the IL-6 amplifier/Inflammation amplifier) was originally discovered as a synergistic-activation signal that follows IL-17/IL-6 stimulation in nonimmune cells. Subsequent results from animal models have shown that the amplifier is activated by stimulation of NFκB and STAT3 and induces chemokines and inflammation via an NFκB loop. However, its role in human diseases is unclear. Here, we combined two genome-wide mouse screens with SNP-based disease association studies, revealing 1,700 genes related to the IL-6 amplifier, 202 of which showed 492 indications of association with ailments beyond autoimmune diseases. We followed up on ErbB1 from our list. Blocking ErbB1 signaling suppressed the IL-6 amplifier, whereas the expression of epiregulin, an ErbB1 ligand, was higher in patients with inflammatory diseases. These results indicate that the IL-6 amplifier is indeed associated with human diseases and disorders and that the identified genes may make for potential therapeutic targets