Expression Profile of Intravitreous Cytokines, Chemokines and Growth Factors in Patients with Fuchs Heterochromic Iridocyclitis

Purpose: To report the postoperative courses of 2 patients with Fuchs heterochromic iridocyclitis (FHI) and the concentrations of various cytokines, chemokines and growth factors in vitreous fluid samples to obtain insights into pathobiochemical aspects. Subjects: The patients were a 27- and a 47-year-old woman. Phacoemulsification and aspiration, intraocular lens (IOL) implantation, and pars plana vitrectomy were performed to treat their cataracts and vitreous opacities. During their early postoperative periods, inflammatory cells precipitated on the IOL and intraocular pressure was increased in both patients. Methods: At the time of surgery, undiluted vitreous fluid specimens were collected. The concentrations of multiple cytokines, chemokines and growth factors were measured by a bead array immunodetection system. Results: The levels of interleukin-1ra, -5, -6, -8, -10 and -13, interferon-inducible 10-kDa protein, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, macrophage inflammatory protein 1β, and regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) were significantly elevated in vitreous fluid in both patients. Conclusion: Although the postoperative course was generally favorable in patients with FHI, steroid instillation was necessary for a few months postoperatively, as precipitates easily formed on the IOL surface and elevated intraocular pressure. The profiles of intravitreal concentrations of cytokines, chemokines and growth factors may characterize postoperative inflammatory reactions

Cross-cultural validity of a dietary questionnaire for studies of dental caries risk in Japanese

Background: Diet is a major modifiable contributing factor in the etiology of dental caries. The purpose of this paper is to examine the reliability and cross-cultural validity of the Japanese version of the Food Frequency Questionnaire to assess dietary intake in relation to dental caries risk in Japanese. Methods: The 38-item Food Frequency Questionnaire, in which Japanese food items were added to increase content validity, was translated into Japanese, and administered to two samples. The first sample comprised 355 pregnant women with mean age of 29.2 +/- 4.2 years for the internal consistency and criterion validity analyses. Factor analysis (principal components with Varimax rotation) was used to determine dimensionality. The dietary cariogenicity score was calculated from the Food Frequency Questionnaire and used for the analyses. Salivary mutans streptococci level was used as a semi-quantitative assessment of dental caries risk and measured by Dentocult SM. Dentocult SM scores were compared with the dietary cariogenicity score computed from the Food Frequency Questionnaire to examine criterion validity, and assessed by Spearman's correlation coefficient (r(s)) and Kruskal-Wallis test. Test-retest reliability of the Food Frequency Questionnaire was assessed with a second sample of 25 adults with mean age of 34.0 +/- 3.0 years by using the intraclass correlation coefficient analysis. Results: The Japanese language version of the Food Frequency Questionnaire showed high test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.70) and good criterion validity assessed by relationship with salivary mutans streptococci levels (r(s) = 0.22; p < 0.001). Factor analysis revealed four subscales that construct the questionnaire (solid sugars, solid and starchy sugars, liquid and semisolid sugars, sticky and slowly dissolving sugars). Internal consistency were low to acceptable (Cronbach's alpha = 0.67 for the total scale, 0.46-0.61 for each subscale). Mean dietary cariogenicity scores were 50.8 +/- 19.5 in the first sample, 47.4 +/- 14.1, and 40.6 +/- 11.3 for the first and second administrations in the second sample. The distribution of Dentocult SM score was 6.8% (score = 0), 34.4% (score = 1), 39.4% (score = 2), and 19.4% (score = 3). Participants with higher scores were more likely to have higher dietary cariogenicity scores (p < 0.001; Kruskal-Wallis test). Conclusions: These results provide the preliminary evidence for the reliability and validity of the Japanese language Food Frequency Questionnaire

Pembelajaran Berbasis Projek dengan Pendekatan Jelajah Alam Sekitar sebagai Model Perkuliahan Fisiologi Hewan

Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan tujuan untuk menguji efektivitas penerapan model pembelajaran berbasis projek (Project Based Learning/PBL) dengan pendekatan Jelajah Alam Sekitar (JAS) pada perkuliahan Fisiologi Hewan bagi mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Biologi. Penelitian ini merupakan quasi eksperimen dengan desain one shot case study. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Biologi dan sebagai sampel adalah mahasiswa semester 4 Prodi Pendidikan Biologi rombel 1,2,dan 3 tahun ajaran 2010 / 2011 yang mengambil mata kuliah Fisiologi Hewan. Pengambilan sampel dengan teknik purposive random sampling. Sebagai variabel bebas adalah penerapan model PBL dengan pendekatan JAS, sedangkan sebagai variabel terikat adalah efektivitas model pembelajaran yang diterapkan dilihat dari hasil belajar, aktivitas siswa dan keterlaksanaan kegiatan yang diprogramkan. Sumber data penelitian adalah mahasiswa. Data yang diambil adalah nilai ujian tulis, nilai laporan, nilai presentasi , aktivitas mahasiswa serta tanggapan keterlaksanaan PBL dengan pendekatan JAS. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa penerapan model PBL dengan pendekatan JAS telah dapat mencapai indikator-indikator yang ditetapkan yaitu mahasiswa yang memperoleh nilai minimal B mencapai 70%, tanpa nilai D dan E, mahasiswa dengan kriteria keaktifan pada kategori tinggi dan sangat tinggi mencapai minimal 80%, dan tingkat keterlaksanaan kegiatan dalam pembelajaran berbasis projek dengan pendekatan JAS mencapai 80%. Simpulan yang dapat diambil dari penelitian ini adalah model pembelajaran berbasis projek dengan pendekatan JAS pada perkuliahan Fisiologi Hewan efektif diterapkan

Pressure-Induced Antiferromagnetic Bulk Superconductor EuFe2_2As2_2

We present the magnetic and superconducting phase diagram of EuFe$_2$As$_2$ for $B \parallel c$ and $B \parallel ab$. The antiferromagnetic phase of the Eu$^{2+}$ moments is completely enclosed in the superconducting phase. The upper critical field vs. temperature curves exhibit strong concave curvatures, which can be explained by the Jaccarino-Peter compensation effect due to the antiferromagnetic exchange interaction between the Eu$^{2+}$ moments and conduction electrons.Comment: submitted to the proceedings of the M2S-IX Toky

Profile of Blood Glucose in Diabetic Patient Suffered from Diabetic Foot Osteomyelitis with Effective Low Carbohydrate Diet

The case was 52-year-old female with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) for 10-years. She complained of the decreased sensation of right lower foot, and revealed diabetic foot infection (DFI) and/or diabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFO) at right 1st proximal phalanx. Various data included body mass index (BMI) 33.3 kg/m2, HbA1c 11.4%, blood glucose 430 mg/dL, WBC 12100 /μL, C-reactive Protein (CRP) 13.5 mg/dL. On admission (day 1), she was started by 4 times of injection (Aspart and Glargin) with glucose profile 200-500 mg/dL. Surgical amputation of the right toe was performed between 1st metatarsal and proximal phalanx (day 17). Then, blood glucose profile decreased moderately. After discharge of the hospital, super-Low Carbohydrate Diet (LCD) was started without Aspart (day 37). Consequently, glucose profile was normalized with HbA1c 6.3% on (day 77). Consequently, LCD was evaluated to be effective for glucose variability in this case and some related discussion was described

The movement of midwifery education and a future challenge

我が国における助産学教育は看護学教育の4年制化に伴い,大きな影響を受けている｡即ち,短大専攻科の4年制大学への移行により選択枠は減少し,講義および実習時間の短縮化を余儀なくされた｡さらに,専門学校の閉廃校も進んで助産師の養成数は減少し,その教育の質にも大きな問題を包含するようになった｡一方,少子化が進展し,地域社会や家庭における子育て力の低下等に伴う育児不安や児童虐待が大きな社会問題となっている｡このような社会情況の中で,助産師の果たすべき役割は益々増大し,助産師に対する期待は高まる一方である｡そこで,助産学教育の動向と取り巻く環境を概観することにより,その問題点を検討した｡その結果,1) 4年制看護学教育の中で保健師･助産師･看護師の3つの国家試験受験資格を得ることは容易ではないこと｡ 2) 社会の要請に応えうる人材育成のための専門的教育課程への移行が急務であることが示唆された。Recently, nursing education entered the four year college system; midwifery education in Japan has come to have serious problems, not only in the decline in the number of midwives training but also in the quality of the education due to abolition of the professional training school and the junior college's advanced midwifery training course. Then, lectures and the clinical training period have been shortened in midwifery education in four year colleges because of the crowded curriculum. On the other hand, the birth rate has been declining, and the anxiety of child care and child abuse are serious social issues in that child care in the community and at home is declining in Japan. The role of midwives has increased all the more, and midwives are indispensable for mothers, babies and families in such social conditions. Also, the problem was examined by surveying the environment surrounding the direction of midwifery education. It is not easy to get three state qualifications of public health nurse, midwife and nurse in the nursing education program within four years. It was suggested that change in the educational system of midwifery was a pressing need to train educated and skilled midwives to meet a social need

Practice for the Development of 21st-Century Academic Achievement by Subject between Cooperation in Junior High School : Through the Global Educational Exchange by Means of English and Art

本研究は中学校の英語科・美術科の教科担任がグローバル教育の意識を持って，単元・題材を接続させ，連続性のある指導をすることにより，生徒に習得した知識・技能を地域社会へ向けた実践に活用させ，21世紀型学力へ通じる通教科的な実践力の育成の在り方を明らかにすることを目的とする。広島大学附属三原中学校の１，２年生を対象に授業実践を行い，外部評価者としてアメリカのアートリンク担当者やショートステイ家族に協力を依頼した。結果としては，生徒たちは美術作品を描いたり，鑑賞したりすることによって，気づいたよさや美しさを外国の方に伝える方法を考えて実践している様子が見られた。The aim of this study was to improve students’ communication skills. We worked with English teachers and art teachers to develop a curriculum through practice force leading to 21st century academic achievement. We targeted the teaching practice to grades seven and eight in Mihara Junior High School in Japan, and cooperated with both the Art Link in America and short-stay family as external evaluators. As a result, the students could express their impressions to people in foreign countries