環境音と意味知識の発達との関係：5歳児がインタラクションを通して学ぶもの

It is widely believed among researchers and the general public that a close relationship exists between listening to sounds and language acquisition. However, few studies have presented evidence of this relationship, and none have focused on the effects of collaboration with and among children, which might improve their language-learning abilities. This study tried to determine the extent to which nursery school children could expand their semantic knowledge in their first language by collaborating in a small group after listening to sounds. Twenty-four nursery school children participated in this study. They were divided into eight groups and were asked to listen carefully to two sets of previously prepared sounds, each consisting of four distinct types of sounds. Both sets were developed to tell one story. After listening to all the sound sets, the children were asked to discuss and recall the order and content of each set. They were allowed to speak freely in a peer group and occasionally received positive feedback from the researcher. The results show that all the groups actively discussed and then clearly recalled the order and content of the story by working together. This finding implies that preschool children will likely also expand their semantic knowledge in a second language if input is properly delivered.音と言語獲得との関係は深いと信じられているが、実際には、そのエビデンスを示すものはほとんどない。本研究では、5歳児らが、環境音に耳をすませ、注意を向け、小グループでの話し合いの中で、言語力を伸ばしていくことを確認した。5歳児らは、ピア（仲間）とのインタラクションの中で、聴いた音を再確認し、聴いた音に対して発話する力を高めていくことができた。この研究は、母語のみならず、第二言語における習得にも応用できるかもしれない

Clonal profiling of mixed lobular and ductal carcinoma revealed by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification and fluorescence in situ hybridization

A needle biopsy of a mass in the right breast of a 36-year-old woman revealed invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), and approximately 20% of cancer cells showed unequivocal membranous staining with the HercepTest. After systemic therapy with trastuzumab and paclitaxel followed by FEC (fluorouracil + epirubicin + cyclophosphamide), a right mastectomy was performed. By histological and immunohistochemical examinations, the resected tumor consisted mainly of E-cadherin-negative invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), and the rest was ERBB2-positive IDC; thus, the diagnosis was mixed ductal and lobular carcinoma. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses revealed that ILC and IDC shared high-level amplification of CCND1 in homogeneously staining regions (HSR) and that IDC had an additional HSR-type amplicon of ERBB2. These findings strongly indicate that IDC and ILC had a common precursor cell with CCND1 amplification. Review of the biopsy specimen with FISH showed IDC with gene amplifications of CCND1 and ERBB2 as a minor component, IDC without amplification of CCND1 or ERBB2 as a major component, and a minute portion of ILC with CCND1 amplification. We speculate that chemotherapy and trastuzumab caused a marked reduction in IDC; however, ILC with CCND1 amplification was resistant to chemotherapy and grew. © 2014 Japanese Society of Pathology and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd

Gene amplification of ESR1 in breast cancers-fact or fiction? A fluorescence in situ hybridization and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification study

Oestrogen receptor-alpha (ERα), encoded by the ESR1 gene located on 6q25, is a nuclear transcription factor. Since it was reported in 2007 that more than 20% of breast cancers show ESR1 gene amplification, there has been considerable controversy about its frequency and clinical significance. We set out to assess the frequency and levels of ESR1 amplification in breast cancers. In a total of 106 breast needle biopsy specimens examined by immunohistochemistry, 78 tumours contained more than 10% ERα-positive cancer cells. In fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis with an ESR1-specific probe, variously extended ESR1 signals were found in ERα-expressing cells. Some of these were indistinguishable from large clustered signals generally accepted to mean high-level gene amplification in homogeneously staining regions (HSRs), and could be considered to represent gene amplification. However, with RNase treatment, the \u27HSR-like\u27 signals changed to small compact signals, and are thus thought to represent concentrated RNA. FISH using two differently labelled probes corresponding to the non-overlapping 5\u27- and 3\u27-end portions of the ESR1 gene on touch smears showed a preserved spatial relationship of the 3\u27 to 5\u27 sequence of ESR1, therefore strongly suggesting that the RNA consisted of primary transcripts. Using touch smears obtained from 51 fresh tumours, precise enumeration of ESR1 signals with a correction by the number of centromere 6 on FISH after RNase A treatment revealed that three tumours (5.9%) had tumour cells with one to three additional copies of ESR1 as predominant subpopulations. This infrequent and low level of gene amplification of ESR1 was also detected as a \u27gain\u27 of the gene by analysis with multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). The consistent results from immunohistochemistry, FISH, and MLPA in the present study settle the long-standing debate concerning gene amplification of ESR1 in breast carcinoma. © 2012 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Lt

Significance of Ki-67 Expression and Risk Category (St. Gallen 2007) in Elderly Breast Cancer Patients, with Emphasis on the Need for Postoperative Adjuvant Therapy

Breast cancer is increasing in the elderly. Although elderly breast cancer patients frequently receive less invasive therapy, its appropriateness is debatable. Ki-67 expression is a controversial prognostic factor and predictor of the efficacy of postoperative adjuvant therapy. This study investigated the value of the Ki-67 labeling index (LI) in elderly breast cancer patients, especially with respect to adjuvant therapy. This retrospective study investigated 82 primary breast cancer patients aged 70 years who underwent surgery between 1995 and 2005. Their clinicopathological findings were reviewed and their Ki-67 LIs were determined. The patients\u27 mean age was 78 years, the mean observation period was 53.8 months, and 60 patients (73.2%) underwent adjuvant therapy. The St. Gallen (2007) risk category and the Ki-67 LI (mean, 15.3%) were both significantly correlated with relapse and prognosis. In the 31 cases with a low Ki-67 LI (< 10%), 1 patient who underwent adjuvant treatment relapsed, but there were no deaths. Among the intermediate- and high-risk patients, Ki-67 was low in 15; 1 patient who underwent adjuvant treatment relapsed, but there were no deaths. For elderly breast cancer patients aged 70 years categorized low risk by St. Gallen (2007) or with a low Ki-67 LI, the risk of relapse and death appears to be low regardless of adjuvant therapy. Though further investigation is needed to determine a method of measuring the Ki-67 LI and determining a cut-off value, our findings suggest that the Ki-67 LI helps with the selection of adjuvant therapy in elderly patients

Nanogel-Based PspA Intranasal Vaccine Prevents Invasive Disease and Nasal Colonization by Streptococcus pneumoniae

ABSTRACT To establish a safer and more effective vaccine against pneumococcal respiratory infections, current knowledge regarding the antigens common among pneumococcal strains and improvements to the system for delivering these antigens across the mucosal barrier must be integrated. We developed a pneumococcal vaccine that combines the advantages of pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) with a nontoxic intranasal vaccine delivery system based on a nanometer-sized hydrogel (nanogel) consisting of a cationic cholesteryl group-bearing pullulan (cCHP). The efficacy of the nanogel-based PspA nasal vaccine (cCHP-PspA) was tested in murine pneumococcal airway infection models. Intranasal vaccination with cCHP-PspA provided protective immunity against lethal challenge with Streptococcus pneumoniae Xen10, reduced colonization and invasion by bacteria in the upper and lower respiratory tracts, and induced systemic and nasal mucosal Th17 responses, high levels of PspA-specific serum immunoglobulin G (IgG), and nasal and bronchial IgA antibody responses. Moreover, there was no sign of PspA delivery by nanogel to either the olfactory bulbs or the central nervous system after intranasal administration. These results demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of the nanogel-based PspA nasal vaccine system as a universal mucosal vaccine against pneumococcal respiratory infection

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Double magnetic tunnel junctions with cross-magnetization configurations for electrical detection of domain-wall structures

A device consisting of double magnetic tunnel junctions with cross-magnetization configurations is proposed to enable simultaneous electrical detection of both the structure and motion of a domain-wall (DW). Operation of this device has been confirmed through micromagnetic simulation. Owing to the cross-magnetization configurations, two types of DW structure formed in a ferromagnetic wire were clearly identified: a transverse wall (TW) in which the magnetization at the center of the wall is directed transversely to the wire axis and a vortex wall (VW) in which the magnetization circulates in the plane around a small perpendicular vortex core. In addition to the structural difference between TW and VW, the velocity of the DW motion was detected through the time response of the tunneling magnetoresistance. © 2009 American Institute of Physics