多剤耐性緑膿菌のblaIMP-1インテグロンに存在する新規アミノグリコシドアセチルトランスフェラーゼAAC(6’)-Iagの同定と解析

In a continuing study from Dec 2006 to Apr 2008, we characterized nine multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from four patients in a ward at the Hiroshima University Hospital, Japan. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of SpeI-digested genomic DNAs from the isolates suggested the clonal expansion of a single strain; however, only one strain, NK0009, was found to produce metallo-β-lactamase. PCR and subsequent sequencing analysis indicated NK0009 possessed a novel class 1 integron, designated as In124, that carries an array of four gene cassettes: a novel aminoglycoside (AG) resistance gene, aac(6')-Iag, blaIMP-1, a truncated form of blaIMP-1, and a truncated form of aac(6')-Iag. The aac(6')-Iag encoded a 167-amino-acid protein that shows 40% identity with AAC(6')-Iz. Recombinant AAC(6')-Iag protein showed aminoglycoside 6'-N-acetyltransferase activity using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and MS spectrometric analysis. Escherichia coli carrying aac(6')-Iag showed resistance to amikacin, arbekacin, dibekacin, isepamicin, kanamycin, sisomicin, and tobramycin; but not to gentamicin. A conjugation experiment and subsequent Southern hybridization with the gene probes for blaIMP-1 and aac(6')-Ig strongly suggested In124 is on a conjugal plasmid. Transconjugants acquired resistance to gentamicin and were resistant to virtually all AGs, suggesting that the In124 conjugal plasmid also possesses a gene conferring resistance to gentamicin.広島大学(Hiroshima University)博士(医学)Philosophy in Medical Sciencedoctora

Trends in quality of life of in-unit hemodialysis patients

本研究の目的は,外来透析者の主観的な評価によりQOLを測定し,そのQOLの傾向を明らかにすることである。対象者は,名古屋･大阪･岡山･広島の4施設における外来透析者で,研究に同意を得られた341名とし,研究方法は,自己記入式質問紙法を用いた｡測定用具は,Ferrans & PowersのQuality of Life Index (QLI)を翻訳して用い,データ分析はプロマックス法による因子分析を行なった｡QLI項目を因子分析した結果,｢社会･経済的な機能｣｢家族･他者からの支え｣｢心の安寧｣｢身体の健康｣｢医療と教育｣の5因子が抽出された｡そして,｢家族･他者からの支え｣および｢医療と教育｣はQLI得点が高く,｢社会･経済的な機能｣および｢身体の健康｣は低いことが明らかになった｡従って,QOLを高めるためには,社会的側面や身体面をより重視して看護していくことが重要であると考えられた｡The purpose of this study is to clarify the quality of life (QOL) of in-unit hemodialysis patients. The subjects were 341 in-unit hemodialysis patients who agreed to participate in this study from four hospitals in Nagoya, Osaka, Okayama, and Hirosima. The Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index (QLI) Hemodialysis version (an authorised translation into Japanese) was used for measuring perceived quality of life. By factor analysis, 'socio-economic functioning', 'support from family and others', 'well-being of mind', 'physical health' and 'medical treatment and education' were extracted as five factors of the QOL. The QOL score on the 'support from family and others' was the highest of all, whereas 'physical health' and 'socio-economic functioning' were lower than other three factors. These results showed importance of physical and social dimensions in caring hemodialysis patients in clinical practice

ナンキョク プレート ノ コウゾウ ト シンカ ニ カンスル コクサイ ワークショップ (SEAP2003) ホウコク

平成15年3月3日3月5日にボルダー(アメリカ)において開催された「南極プレートの構造と進化に関する国際ワークショップ」(Structure and Evolution of the Antarctic Plate 2003; SEAP2003)に参加した.南極大陸を中心とした南極プレート内部の構造と進化過程に関する地震学的研究を進めていく上で,国際協力を踏まえた今後10年間の重点的な研究テーマや観測手法について様々な討論を行った.アメリカを中心にヨーロッパやオセアニア,アジア等,計9カ国から計97名の参加があった.南極内陸部での科学的研究の柱として,可般型広帯域地震計によるアレイ観測(Antarctic Array)が挙げられた.Antarctic Arrayは,1)大陸全体規模での定常観測ネットワーク(Continental Network)の構築,2)地域的規模での「刈り取り的」アレイ観測(Regional Leapfrogging Arrays),3)目的を絞った3次元的アレイ観測(3-D Array)から構成される.現在,宗谷海岸を中心に行っている広帯域地震計アレイをはじめとして,今後も国際状況の経過を見守りつつ積極的に観測協力に取り組みたいと考える.A workshop on "Structure and Evolution of the Antarctic Plate 2003 (SEAP2003)" was held on March 03-05, 2003 at Boulder, Colorado, USA, with 97 participants. The purpose of this workshop was to develop a long-term science plan to improve understanding of the structure and evolution of the Antarctic Plate. In particular, the scientific justification and feasibility of the program to improve seismic instrumentation on and around the Antarctic continent was a centerpiece of the workshop. It is important to consider the context for the development of the Antarctic Array both with respect to international cooperation and for coordination with other scientific initiatives both within and marginal to Antarctica. Portable broadband seismic array deployments along the coastal area around Syowa Station by the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE) will contribute to the above international Antarctic Array

Evaluation of adult nursing practices using self-assessment form - analysis in 3rd and 5th weeks of practice -

この研究目的は,実習目標の達成度に対する学生の自己評価を明らかにすることである｡調査対象は短大の看護学科3年生74名である｡調査は自記式の調査票により成人看護実習の3週後と終了時の5週後に行った｡この自己評価は実習目標11項目について5件法で行った｡その結果,患者理解,患者指導,自己の内面の気づきなど目標は,3週後より5週間の実習によってより評価が高くなった｡最も自己評価が低いのは社会資源の活用の理解であった｡悪性の患者を受け持った学生の方は良性の患者の受け持ち学生より,人間としての態度や死生観などに関して5週後有意に高値であった｡今後の課題は,限られた実習期間内で,学生個々の経験をどのように共有させるかや患者の福祉について理解を深めることである｡The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adult nursing practices using a self-assessment form. Seventy-four third-grade nursing students assessed 11 items in the 3rd and 5th weeks of practice. The scores of all assessment items in the 5th week were significantly higher than these in the 3rd week. The lowest scoreing item at both 3rd and 5th weeks was understanding of the utility of social resources. The students assigned patients with malignant diseases reported higher scores on 3 assessment items. These findings suggest that students should share their experiences and learn about social resources during clinical practice

Second nationwide surveillance of bacterial pathogens in patients with acute uncomplicated cystitis conducted by Japanese Surveillance Committee from 2015 to 2016: antimicrobial susceptibility of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus saprophyticus

The Japanese Surveillance Committee conducted a second nationwide surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of uropathogens responsible for acute uncomplicated cystitis (AUC) in premenopausal patients aged 16–40 years old at 31 hospitals throughout Japan from March 2015 to February 2016. In this study, the susceptibility of causative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus saprophyticus) for various antimicrobial agents was investigated by isolation and culturing of organisms obtained from urine samples. In total, 324 strains were isolated from 361 patients, including E. coli (n = 220, 67.9%), S. saprophyticus (n = 36, 11.1%), and K. pneumoniae (n = 7, 2.2%). The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 20 antibacterial agents for these strains were determined according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) manual. At least 93% of the E. coli isolates showed susceptibility to fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins, whereas 100% of the S. saprophyticus isolates showed susceptibility to fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides. The proportions of fluoroquinolone-resistant and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli strains were 6.4% (13/220) and 4.1% (9/220), respectively. The antimicrobial susceptibility of K. pneumoniae was retained during the surveillance period, while no multidrug-resistant strains were identified. In summary, antimicrobial susceptibility results of our second nationwide surveillance did not differ significantly from those of the first surveillance. Especially the numbers of fluoroquinolone-resistant and ESBL-producing E. coli strains were not increased in premenopausal patients with AUC in Japan

The Loss of PGAM5 Suppresses the Mitochondrial Degeneration Caused by Inactivation of PINK1 in Drosophila

PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1), which is required for mitochondrial homeostasis, is a gene product responsible for early-onset Parkinson's disease (PD). Another early onset PD gene product, Parkin, has been suggested to function downstream of the PINK1 signalling pathway based on genetic studies in Drosophila. PINK1 is a serine/threonine kinase with a predicted mitochondrial target sequence and a probable transmembrane domain at the N-terminus, while Parkin is a RING-finger protein with ubiquitin-ligase (E3) activity. However, how PINK1 and Parkin regulate mitochondrial activity is largely unknown. To explore the molecular mechanism underlying the interaction between PINK1 and Parkin, we biochemically purified PINK1-binding proteins from human cultured cells and screened the genes encoding these binding proteins using Drosophila PINK1 (dPINK1) models to isolate a molecule(s) involved in the PINK1 pathology. Here we report that a PINK1-binding mitochondrial protein, PGAM5, modulates the PINK1 pathway. Loss of Drosophila PGAM5 (dPGAM5) can suppress the muscle degeneration, motor defects, and shorter lifespan that result from dPINK1 inactivation and that can be attributed to mitochondrial degeneration. However, dPGAM5 inactivation fails to modulate the phenotypes of parkin mutant flies. Conversely, ectopic expression of dPGAM5 exacerbated the dPINK1 and Drosophila parkin (dParkin) phenotypes. These results suggest that PGAM5 negatively regulates the PINK1 pathway related to maintenance of the mitochondria and, furthermore, that PGAM5 acts between PINK1 and Parkin, or functions independently of Parkin downstream of PINK1

Repriming DNA synthesis: an intrinsic restart pathway that maintains efficient genome replication

To bypass a diverse range of fork stalling impediments encountered during genome replication, cells possess a variety of DNA damage tolerance (DDT) mechanisms including translesion synthesis, template switching, and fork reversal. These pathways function to bypass obstacles and allow efficient DNA synthesis to be maintained. In addition, lagging strand obstacles can also be circumvented by downstream priming during Okazaki fragment generation, leaving gaps to be filled post-replication. Whether repriming occurs on the leading strand has been intensely debated over the past half-century. Early studies indicated that both DNA strands were synthesised discontinuously. Although later studies suggested that leading strand synthesis was continuous, leading to the preferred semi-discontinuous replication model. However, more recently it has been established that replicative primases can perform leading strand repriming in prokaryotes. An analogous fork restart mechanism has also been identified in most eukaryotes, which possess a specialist primase called PrimPol that conducts repriming downstream of stalling lesions and structures. PrimPol also plays a more general role in maintaining efficient fork progression. Here, we review and discuss the historical evidence and recent discoveries that substantiate repriming as an intrinsic replication restart pathway for maintaining efficient genome duplication across all domains of life

Aftershock activity of the great 1998 earthquake in the Antarctic plate

On March 25, 1998, a great earthquake (M_s 8.0) struck the Balleny Islands region. This intraplate earthquake is the largest ever recorded in the Antarctic plate where the seismicity is very low. The aftershock activity of the Antarctic earthquake is investigated using the Weekly PDE (Preliminary Determination of Epicenters) seismicity catalog. Sixty seven aftershocks have been located during a period of 273 days. The distribution of the aftershocks may suggest that the fault plane trends E-W. The statistical parameters of the aftershock activity are determined. The b-value of the Gutenberg-Richter magnitude-frequency relation is 1.05. The large b-value indicates that many small aftershocks have occurred. The p-value of the modified Omori formula for aftershock activity is also determined as 1.14. In comparison with other great earthquakes, the p-value is relatively small, which may indicate that the aftershock activity continued for a long time

Report on Workshop "Structure and Evolution of the Antarctic Plate 2003 (SEAP2003)"

A workshop on "Structure and Evolution of the Antarctic Plate 2003 (SEAP2003)" was held on March 03-05, 2003 at Boulder, Colorado, USA, with 97 participants. The purpose of this workshop was to develop a long-term science plan to improve understanding of the structure and evolution of the Antarctic Plate. In particular, the scientific justification and feasibility of the program to improve seismic instrumentation on and around the Antarctic continent was a centerpiece of the workshop. It is important to consider the context for the development of the Antarctic Array both with respect to international cooperation and for coordination with other scientific initiatives both within and marginal to Antarctica. Portable broadband seismic array deployments along the coastal area around Syowa Station by the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE) will contribute to the above international Antarctic Array