Oral health status of Kiribati pregnant women

Prenatal dental examinations were performed from June 2012 to May 2013 in the Republic of Kiribati as a Japan International Cooperation Agency support program. We analyzed the examination data and compared it with Japanese data retrospectively to clarify the oral health condition of pregnant women in the Republic of Kiribati. We recorded the DMF index, gingival status, and calculus attachment, analyzed data of 512 pregnant women. We also compared the city and the rural group data. The average number of present teeth, decayed teeth, missing teeth and filled teeth was 26.9, 2.5, 1.1, 0.2, respectively. Pregnant Kiribati women had significantly more decayed teeth and fewer filled teeth, more severe periodontal condition, more calculus deposition, and more severe gingival swelling than pregnant Japanese women. No significant difference was found in missing and filled teeth, but pregnant women in the city group had significantly more decayed teeth and tooth stumps than those in the rural group. Our findings indicate that pregnant women in Kiribati have more decayed teeth, more missing teeth, fewer filled teeth, and more severe periodontal problems than their counterparts in Japan. Additionally, the oral health status of pregnant women in Kiribati could be subject to regional variations

MgII Absorption Lines in z=2.974 Damped Lyman-alpha System toward Gravitationally Lensed QSO APM 08279+5255: Detection of Small-scale Structure in MgII Absorbing Clouds

1.02-1.16 micron spectra (R ~ 7,000) of the gravitationally lensed QSO APM 08279+5255 at z_em=3.911 were obtained during the commissioning run of IRCS, the 1-5 micron near-infrared camera and spectrograph for the Subaru 8.2 m Telescope. Strong MgII doublet at 2976,2800 angstrom and FeII (2600 angstrom), FeII (2587 angstrom) absorption lines at z_abs=2.974 were clearly detected in the rest-frame UV spectra, confirming the presence of a damped Lyman-alpha system at the redshift as suggested by Petitjean et al. Also MgI (2853 angstrom) absorption line is probably detected. An analysis of the absorption lines including velocity decomposition was performed. This is a first detailed study of MgII absorption system at high redshift (z > 2.5) where the MgII doublet shifts into the near-infrared in the observer's frame. The spectra of the lensed QSO pair A and B with 0.38 arcsec separation were resolved in some exposure frames under excellent seeing condition. We extracted the MgII doublet spectra of A and B separately. Although three velocity components (v ~ -28, +5, +45 km/s) are known to exist in this MgII system (Petitjean et al.), the v ~ +45 km/s absorption line was not detected toward source B, showing that the +45 km/s MgII cloud lies only in the line of sight to the source A. Our results suggests that the size of the MgII absorbing clouds is as small as 200 pc, which corresponds to the separation of A and B at the redshift of the absorber. This is the first direct detection of the small-scale structure of MgII clouds at high-redshift, confirming the estimated cloud sizes from photoionization model by Churchill and Charlton.Comment: ApJ in press (Vol.569, 20 April 2002 issue

History and Progress of Japanese Acupuncture

After Chiso brought acupuncture to Japan from Wu (China) in the sixth century, it has progressed in unique ways within the various historical milieus of the past 1500 years. Ishitsu-rei, the first medical law of Japan established in 701, explains the medical system of acupuncture in detail showing that acupuncture was being administered under the authorization of the national government. For the next 1200 years, acupuncture continued to be an important facet of public health in Japan. From the Azuchimomoyama through the Edo period, the knowledge exchange with China became active and people who studied in China developed new styles and techniques of acupuncture treatment and organized their own private schools or ryu-ha in Japan. In 1635, when the Edo government decided to close the country, Japan cut-off exchange with foreign countries for over 200 years. The national isolation caused some development that was unique to Japan. During that time, acupuncture filtered into people's everyday lives. Moxibustion, in particular, became popular as a treatment that ordinary people could practice by themselves. Also in this period of isolation, Western medicine was imported from Holland, the only country allowed to maintain trade with Japan. This novel modern medicine had a strong impact on Japanese medicine, which has its foundation of Chinese traditional medicine. At the same time, Japanese acupuncture was introduced into Europe via Holland. When Japan opened its borders in 1865 period, the new government was eager to accept Western culture to the extent of prohibiting the progress of Japanese acupuncture for a period of time. Even so, Japanese acupuncture has survived and flourished up to the present day due to the strong demand and the great efforts of the practitioners. Scientific studies are now in the process of establishing a firm evidence base for over a millennium of clinical use, respecting the classic ideas of the traditional treatment

Deep Near-Infrared Observations and Identifications of Chandra Sources in the Orion Molecular Cloud 2 and 3

We conducted deep NIR imaging observations of the Orion molecular cloud 2 and 3 using QUIRC on the 88-inch telescope of the University of Hawaii. Our purposes are 1) to generate a comprehensive NIR source catalog of these star forming clouds, and 2) to identify the NIR counterpart of the Chandra X-ray sources that have no counterpart in the 2MASS catalog. Our J-, H-, and K-band observations are about 2 mag deeper than those of 2MASS, and well match the current Chandra observation. We detected 1448 NIR sources, for which we derived the position, the J-, H-, and K-band magnitude, and the 2MASS counterpart. Using this catalog, we identified the NIR counterpart for about 42% of the 2MASS-unIDed Chandra sources. The nature of these Chandra sources are discussed using their NIR colors and spatial distributions, and a dozen protostar and brown dwarf candidates are identified.Comment: 39 pages, 9 postscript figures, accepted for publication in A

Clinical Experience Using a Real Time Autofluorescence Endoscopy System in the Gastrointestinal Tract

Autofluorescence spectra of neoplastic tissues have been reported to be significantly different from those of normal tissues when excited by blue or violet light. From this concept, a light-induced autofluorescence endoscopic imaging system for gastrointestinal mucosa (LIFE-GI; Xillix, Canada and Olympus, Japan) has been newly developed and the clinical evaluation of the prototype system has been conducted in hospitals in Canada, Netherlands and Japan

Electrical Control for Extending the Ramsey Spin Coherence Time of Ion-Implanted Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Diamond

The extension of spin coherence times is a crucial issue for quantum information and quantum sensing. In solid-state systems, suppressing noise through various techniques has been demonstrated. On the other hand, an electrical control for suppression is important toward individual controls of on-chip quantum-information devices. Here, we show electrical control for extension of the spin coherence times of 40-nm-deep ion-implanted single-nitrogen-vacancy center spins in diamond by suppressing magnetic noise. We apply 120 V dc across two contacts spaced by 10 μm. The spin coherence times, estimated from a free-induction decay and a Hahn-echo decay, are increased up to about 10 times (reaching 10 μs) and 1.4 times (reaching 150 μs), respectively. From the quantitative analysis, the dominant decoherence source, depending on the applied static electric field, is elucidated. Electrical control for extension can deliver a sensitivity enhancement to the dc sensing of temperature, pressure, and electric (but not magnetic) fields, opening up an alternative technique in solid-state quantum-information devices

Relationship between Oral Function and Food Preferences among Elderly Japanese

【目的】　わが国の高齢化率は上昇を続けており，高齢者の健康寿命への関心も高い．特に食事は楽しみの一つであり，QOL の向上につながる重要因子とされている．咀嚼や嚥下機能が低下すると摂取する食品が制限され，食品嗜好へ影響を与えることが懸念される．しかし，咀嚼機能や嚥下機能など口腔機能と，食品嗜好との関係に着目した研究はみられない．そこで，本研究は，高齢者の咀嚼および嚥下機能と食品嗜好との関連性を明らかにすることを目的とした． 【対象】　徳島大学病院歯科衛生室の65 歳以上の外来受診患者40 名（高齢者群）と，徳島大学歯学部口腔保健学科学生25 名（若年者群）を対象とした． 【方法】　対象者の口腔内状況を確認し，平井らの摂取可能食品質問票の食品35 品目を用いて，食品嗜好スコア（好き/ 嫌い），咀嚼スコア（噛める/ 噛めない），嚥下スコア（飲み込める/ 飲み込めない）に関するアンケートを行い，口腔機能として咀嚼機能はガム咀嚼，前述の咀嚼スコア，嚥下機能は30 秒間の唾液嚥下回数，最大舌圧，水飲みテスト，前述の嚥下スコアを測定し評価した．高齢者群と若年者群の各パラメータにおける2 群間比較を行い，各群における口腔機能と食品嗜好との相関関係を求めて比較した．さらに，食品嗜好スコアと年齢および口腔機能との間における交絡要因の影響を排除するために，ステップワイズ重回帰分散分析を行った． 【結果・考察】　高齢者群のみに30 秒間の唾液嚥下回数と食品嗜好スコアとの間に正の相関が認められた．さらに，多変量解析により，高齢者群のみに嚥下スコアと食品嗜好に，30 秒間の唾液嚥下回数と食品嗜好スコアに正の相関が認められた．高齢者の食品嗜好には，年齢ではなく嚥下機能が影響する可能性が考えられた． 【結論】　高齢者の口腔機能，特に嚥下機能と食品嗜好には関連性があることが示唆された．Objective: Aging affects the sense of taste, and consequently food preferences change in the elderly. However, preferences might be influenced not only by oral sensory function but also by chewing and swallowing function. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between oral function and food preferences among elderly Japanese. Materials and Methods: Forty patients (mean age, 74.2 years) of the dental hygiene clinic in Tokushima University Hospital were enrolled in the elderly group. Twenty-five university students (mean age, 21.4 years) were enrolled in the young group. Food preferences were assessed using a questionnaire on favorite foods among 35 items, based on mastication score (MS). Chewing function was assessed using a xylitol gum-chewing test (Lotte Co., Ltd.) and MS. Swallowing function was assessed using number of saliva swallows in 30 seconds, water swallow test, maximum voluntary tongue pressure (MVTP) and subjective swallowing evaluation (SSE). The Mann-Whitney U test, X2 test, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, and stepwise regression analysis were performed for statistical analyses using SPSS ver.21. This study was conducted with the approval of the Ethics Committee of Tokushima University Hospital (Approval number: 1378). Results and Discussion: The scores of the gum-chewing test, MS, number of saliva swallows in 30 seconds, MVTP and SSE of the elderly group were significantly lower than those of the young group. There was a significant correlation between RSST and food preference scores in the elderly group, but not in the young group. Moreover, there were significant correlations between SSE and food preference score, and also between the number of saliva swallows in 30 s and food preference scores in the elderly group with stepwise regression analysis in order to exclude confounding factors between age and oral function. It is considered that the changes of swallowing function with aging affect food preferences among elderly Japanese. Conclusion: Our results indicate that swallowing function influences food preferences among elderly Japanese

Mapping of panda plumage color locus on the microsatellite linkage map of the Japanese quail

BACKGROUND: Panda (s) is an autosomal recessive mutation, which displays overall white plumage color with spots of wild-type plumage in the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). In a previous study, the s locus was included in the same linkage group as serum albumin (Alb) and vitamin-D binding protein (GC) which are mapped on chicken (Gallus gallus) chromosome 4 (GGA4). In this study, we mapped the s locus on the microsatellite linkage map of the Japanese quail by linkage analysis. RESULTS: Segregation data on the s locus were obtained from three-generation families (n = 106). Two microsatellite markers derived from the Japanese quail chromosome 4 (CJA04) and three microsatellite markers derived from GGA4 were genotyped in the three-generation families. We mapped the s locus between GUJ0026 and ABR0544 on CJA04. By comparative mapping with chicken, this locus was mapped between 10.0 Mb and 14.5 Mb region on GGA4. In this region, the endothelin receptor B subtype 2 gene (EDNRB2), an avian-specific paralog of the mammalian endothelin receptor B gene (EDNRB), is located. Because EDNRB is responsible for aganglionic megacolon and spot coat color in mouse, rat and equine, EDNRB2 is suggested to be a candidate gene for the s locus. CONCLUSION: The s locus and the five microsatellite markers were mapped on CJA04 of the Japanese quail. EDNRB2 was suggested to be a candidate gene for the s locus