A Study of Bird Inhabitation as Seen in Farmlands in Nishi Ward of Kobe City and the Eastern Part of Akashi City

The authors selected three farmland-containing areas in Nishi Ward of Kobe City and the eastern part of Akashi City for this ecological study to investigate the current situations of bird inhabitation in suburban areas and within the cities. Through this study, the following results were obtained in terms of bird inhabitation in the rural forest (Satoyama) area and in the farming area: 10 orders, 23 families and 35 species; and 9 orders, 20 families and 30 species, respectively. In the urban area, 4 orders, 10 families and 30 species of birds were observed, most of which were city birds. The species and the population number of birds observed in this study along with the diversity index obtained from the observation results revealed that the rural forest and farming areas, located in the vicinity of urban areas, conserve a certain degree of the natural environment required for bird inhabitation, even while experiencing strong effects of urbanization. Although the bird species observed in these areas were different, the diversity of the species and the population number of birds found showed similar values. Therefore, this study suggests that agricultural areas preserve a crucial environment for bird inhabitation, which is equivalent to that of hilly areas

A Comparative Study of Townscape Administration in the Central Business Districts of Osaka and Melbourne

This study aims to grasp the background of townscape policy administered in the Cites of Osaka and Melbourne with a view to creating a vision for the future outlook of these cities. Through detailed analysis and comparison of the Townscape Design Regulations and Guidance (TDRG) of Osaka and Melbourne, this study endeavors to highlight the ideal future direction of townscape administration in their Central Business Districts (CBDs). The research findings concluded that; it is necessary to conduct townscape administration throughout the TDRG's target area, as is the case in Melbourne, with special consideration of the overall outlook of the area, and it is essential to set up, not only building design regulations for each building and along-the-street regulations for creating harmonized street landscape, but also comprehensive townscape regulations based on the characteristics that blocks and districts possess to differentiate their townscape

Well-Differentiated Extraskeletal Osteosarcoma Arising from the Retroperitoneum That Recurred as Anaplastic Spindle Cell Sarcoma

Extraskeletal osteosarcoma is an uncommon high-grade malignant soft tissue sarcoma. Well-differentiated extraskeletal osteosarcoma is thought to have a better prognosis than classical extraskeletal osteosarcoma, but dedifferentiation after recurrence has also been reported. We present a case of a primary retroperitoneal extraskeletal osteosarcoma in a 62-year-old Japanese woman. Abdominal CT revealed a large mass with diffuse calcification in the right retroperitoneal space and tumor resection was performed. The histopathological diagnosis was well-differentiated retroperitoneal extraskeletal osteosarcoma. She was followed up by CT every 6 months without adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy for 31 months until anaplastic high-grade spindle cell sarcoma recurred in the retroperitoneum. Our case is the seventh reported description of well-differentiated extraskeletal sarcoma, and the first to arise in the retroperitoneum and recur as an entirely dedifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma

Inhibition of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor- 1 Attenuates Transforming Growth Factor- β-Dependent Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition and Differentiation of Fibroblasts to Myofibroblasts

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is central during the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis, in which the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) also has an established role. TGF-β is also known to be the strongest inducer of PAI-1. To investigate the link between PAI-1 and TGF-β in fibrotic processes, we evaluated the effect of SK-216, a PAI-1-specific inhibitor, in TGF-β-dependent epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and fibroblast to myofibroblast differentiation. In human alveolar epithelial A549 cells, treatment with TGF-β induced EMT, whereas co-treatment with SK-216 attenuated the occurrence of EMT. The inhibition of TGF-β-induced EMT by SK-216 was also confirmed in the experiment using murine epithelial LA-4 cells. Blocking EMT by SK-216 inhibited TGF-β-induced endogenous production of PAI-1 and TGF-β in A549 cells as well. These effects of SK-216 were not likely mediated by suppressing either Smad or ERK pathways. Using human lung fibroblast MRC-5 cells, we demonstrated that SK-216 inhibited TGF-β-dependent differentiation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts. We also observed this inhibition by SK-216 in human primary lung fibroblasts. Following these in vitro results, we tested oral administration of SK-216 into mice injected intratracheally with bleomycin.We found that SK-216 reduced the degree of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. Although the precise mechanisms underlying the link between TGF-β and PAI-1 regarding fibrotic process were not determined, PAI-1 seems to act as a potent downstream effector on the pro-fibrotic property of TGF-β. In addition, inhibition of PAI-1 activity by a PAI-1 inhibitor exerts an antifibrotic effect even in vivo. These data suggest that targeting PAI-1 as a downstream effector of TGF-β could be a promising therapeutic strategy for pulmonary fibrosis