Interventional study for improvement of lung cancer screening rate

The aim of this study is to evaluate whether leaflet distribution affects lung screening rate, and what factor affects the motivation of consultation. Men and women aged 40 to 59 were targeted to improve screening rate of ages for cancer screening, especially in their prime. Each 1,000 subject, a total of 2,000 were selected and divided into 8 groups in consideration of age group by random sampling method. This group was further divided into two groups, an intervention group including subjects distributed a leaflet and a non-intervention (control) group. A survey was conducted by postal self-administered survey forms. Collection rate was 21.6% for the intervention and 17.6% for the control group. The numbers of respondents who answered that this leaflet was effective for motivation of consulting lung cancer screening and the leaflet was ineffective, were 120 (60.0%) and 80 (40.0%), respectively. This indicated that the leaflet was clearly effective (p 0.01). Actual cancer screening rate was 38.8% for the intervention group and 37.7% for the control group. It was shown that distribution by mail of even a single leaflet made by National Cancer Center was effective for motivation of consultation of lung cancer screening

サービス・ラーニングによる生徒の主体性と社会的有効性意識の向上 : 中学校の生徒会と住民による避難所生活の課題解決を通して

本実践研究の目的は，中学校において教師が生徒による変革を目的としたサービス・ラーニング(SL)を促すことが，生徒の主体性と「社会的有効性意識」に与える影響を明らかにすることである。中学校教員でもある大学院生が，6名の生徒会役員に対して，約1年間，防災をテーマにしたSLを内容とする特別活動の授業を実施した。授業の前後に，6名の生徒会役員に対して，主体性と社会的有効性意識を測る質問紙調査を実施した。結果，中学校において教師が生徒による変革を目的としたSLを促すことが，生徒の主体性と社会的有効性意識の向上に影響を与えることが明らかになった。The purpose of this practical research is to clarify the effect of teachersʼ promotion of service-learning (SL) for the purpose of change by students in junior high school on their independence and "awareness of social effectiveness". A graduate student who is also a junior high school teacher conducted special activity classes for about one year for six student organization officers, which included SL on the theme of disaster prevention. Before and after class, we conducted a questionnaire survey of six student organization officers to measure their independence and awareness of social effectiveness. As a result, it was clarified that the teacherʼs promotion of SL for the purpose of change by the student affects the improvement of the studentʼs independence and social effectiveness awareness in junior high school

A study on self-efficacy which students have just before graduation ; a comparison between students of nursing universities and those of junior colleges

看護学生の卒業直前の自己効力感を明らかにし，入職後の教育や指導などへの示唆を得る目的で，看護大学４年生と看護短期大学３年生に一般性自己効力感尺度による調査を行った．その結果，看護学生の自己効力感は一般学生よりも高く，大学生は短大生よりも高い傾向が認められ，入職時には自己効力感をより高める教育や指導の重要性が示唆された．We conducted a survey of fourth-year students at a university nursing program and third-year students at a nursing junior college, using a general self-efficacy scale. Our purpose was to investigate self-efficacy beliefs among nursing students immediately before graduation and find out what sort of education and guidance should be offered to nurses after they are employed. This survey revealed that nursing students has higher self-efficacy belief than other university students and that self-efficacy tended to be even higher among university nursing program students than among junior college nursing students. The result suggest that education and guidance are important for improving even more the self-efficacy of newly employed nurses

Flavones Prevent LPS-Induced Muscle Atrophy

Muscle atrophy is a complex process that occurs as a consequence of various stress events. Muscle atrophy-associated genes (atrogenes) such as atrogin-1/MAFbx and MuRF-1 are induced early in the atrophy process, and the increase in their expression precedes the loss of muscle weight. Although antioxidative nutrients suppress atrogene expression in skeletal muscle cells, the inhibitory effects of flavonoids on inflammation-induced atrogin-1/MAFbx expression have not been clarified. Here, we investigated the inhibitory effects of flavonoids on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced atrogin-1/MAFbx expression. We examined whether nine flavonoids belonging to six flavonoid categories inhibited atrogin-1/MAFbx expression in mouse C2C12 myotubes. Two major flavones, apigenin and luteolin, displayed potent inhibitory effects on atrogin-1/MAFbx expression. The pretreatment with apigenin and luteolin significantly prevented the decrease in C2C12 myotube diameter caused by LPS stimulation. Importantly, the pretreatment of LPS-stimulated myoblasts with these flavones significantly inhibited LPS-induced JNK phosphorylation in C2C12 myotubes, resulting in the significant suppression of atrogin-1/MAFbx promoter activity. These results suggest that apigenin and luteolin, prevent LPS-mediated atrogin-1/MAFbx expression through the inhibition of the JNK signaling pathway in C2C12 myotubes. Thus, these flavones, apigenin and luteolin, may be promising agents to prevent LPS-induced muscle atrophy

綿チップ押しつぶし課題の舌圧測定への応用と嚥下課題教示手段としての効果

研究報告Original articles　本研究では，“綿チップ押しつぶし” 課題の有用性について検討した．第１実験では，嚥下障害者を含む102 名を対象に“綿チップ押しつぶし” 課題後の綿球のつぶれ具合とJMS 舌圧測定器の最大舌圧の相関分析，回帰分析を行い，綿球のつぶれ具合で舌圧を推測できるかを調べた．第２実験では，健常若年者20 名を対象に，綿チップ押しつぶしを教示に用いた嚥下（MS），Effortful swallow（ES），普通嚥下の舌圧発現様相を比較し，嚥下課題の教示に用いることの有効性を調べた．その結果，第１実験では，舌圧=12.117 ＋ 67.961 ×綿球水分変化量の回帰式が得られ（R2 =0.568），第２実験では，MS はES とほぼ同等に舌圧持続時間と舌圧最大値が高値を示し，さらに，MS では綿チップの押しつぶし課題でターゲットとした部位の舌前方部（Ch1）の舌圧発現が他測定点より有意に早く，Ch1の舌圧持続時間はES より有意に延長した．以上のことから，“綿チップ押しつぶし” 課題は，嚥下訓練において多彩な訓練ツールとして用いることができることが示された．The present study investigated the usefulness of a “cotton swab squashing” task to patients with dysphagia. The first experiment involved 102 subjects, including dysphagia patients. To determine whether the post-task state of the cotton swab could be used to measure tongue pressure, the state of the cotton swab after the squashing task was evaluated, and a correlational analysis with maximum tongue pressure measured with a JMS tongue pressuremeasurement device as well as regression analysis were conducted. To investigate the efficacyof the squashing task for use in swallowing task instructions, a second experiment, involving 20 young healthy volunteers, compared tongue pressure during swallowing, using cotton swab squashing （CS）, effortful swallowing （ES）, and normal swallowing. The results of the firstexperiment indicated a regression equation of maximum tongue pressure: 12.117 ＋ 67.961 ×the amount of change in the cotton tip moisture content （R2 ＝ 0.568）. The second experiment indicated high values for tongue pressure duration and maximum tongue pressure, which were roughly identical for both CS and ES. Furthermore, tongue pressure expression in CS at the tongue anterior site（ Ch1）, which was targeted in the cotton swab squashing task, was significantly faster than at other measurement sites, and the tongue pressure duration, at Ch1 in CS, was significantly longer than in the ES. The above findings demonstrate that the cotton swab squashing task can be used in diverse ways for dysphagia training

Stimulation of the farnesoid X receptor promotes M2 macrophage polarization

FXR is a key molecule that modulates anti-inflammatory activity in the intestinal-liver axis. Although FXR has pleiotropic functions including regulation of liver inflammation and activation of macrophages, it remains unclear whether it is involved in macrophage polarization. In this paper we demonstrated that stimulation of macrophages derived from the bone marrow using an FXR agonist activated polarization toward M2 but not M1 macrophages. The treatment of mice with chitin skewed macrophage polarization towards M2 macrophages, while co-treatment with an FXR agonist further promoted the polarization toward M2 macrophages in vivo. This skewed polarization towards M2 macrophages by an FXR agonist was accompanied by increased expression of signaling molecules related to the retinoic acid receptor. Inhibition of the retinoic acid receptor suppressed FXR agonist-mediated M2 macrophage polarization, indicating that this polarization was, at least, partly dependent on the retinoic acid receptor pathway. These data demonstrate that FXR has a role in polarization toward M2 macrophages and suggest a possible therapeutic potential of FXR agonists in M2 macrophage-related conditions

Molecular Pathological Characteristics of Thyroid Follicular-Patterned Tumors Showing Nodule-in-Nodule Appearance with Poorly Differentiated Component

Thyroid follicular-patterned tumors (TFTs) showing nodule-in-nodule (NN) appearance with poorly differentiated component (PDc) but neither invasion nor metastasis are diagnosed as benign nodules. Although PDc exhibits histologically aggressive features relative to the outer nodule (Out-N), its pathological significance remains unclear. TP53 binding protein-1 (53BP1) is a DNA damage response (DDR) molecule that rapidly localizes at DNA double-strand breaks. Using dualcolor immunofluorescence with Ki-67, the profile of 53BP1 expression is shown to be significantly altered during diverse tumorigenesis. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the malignant potential of PDc at the molecular level. We analyzed the profile of 53BP1 expression and NRAS codon 61 and TERT-promoter (TERT-p) mutations in 16 cases of TFTs showing NN with PDc compared to 30 adenomatous goiters, 31 follicular adenomas, 15 minimally invasive follicular carcinomas (FCs), and 11 widely invasive FC cases. Our results revealed that the expression level of abnormal type 53BP1 and incidence of NRAS and TERT-p mutations in PDc were comparable to FCs, suggesting a malignant potential. Because co-expression of 53BP1 and Ki-67 can be an indicator of altered DDR, the development of PDc in NN may be associated with DDR impairments after harboring NRAS and TERT-p mutations

Dietary Studies of Growing Periods in Japan (Part 2) : Fat Soluble Components Intake within a Day in Elementary School Children

成人病予防の視点から,より効果的な栄養教育のあり方を検討する一端として,学童期後半の食生活指導に資するために,1日の脂溶性成分摂取量の各食事への配分の実態把握を試みた。新潟県内の小学校5年生50名(平均年齢11.0±0.2歳)を対象に,次の結果を得た。(1)日内配分比は,コレステロールのみ(37.7%)が朝食で,飽和脂肪酸(44.0%)と一価不飽和脂肪酸・n-6系脂肪酸(共に35.4%)が昼食で,多価不飽和脂肪酸特にイコサペンタエン酸(52.4%)とn-3系脂肪酸(46.2%)が夕食で,各々最高値を示した。(2)間食を除く3食のうち,朝食の配分比(23.2±6.8%)が最も低く,その変動係数(52.3±46.5%)は最も高かった。対照的に夕食の配分比(36.6±9.0)は最も高く,その変動係数(35.2±10.0%)は最も低かった。(3)成人病予防の視点から,夕食の優位性がP/S比(1.38±0.52),S:M:Pの比(1:1.5:1.2),n-6/n-3比(3.6±1.8)などの脂質栄養指標の面から,概観できた