Industry-University Cooperation Study for Practical Use of Regeonal Environment Simulator <Research Notes>

In the Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation (IDEC), Hiroshima University, the development of Asian Environmental Simulator (AES) for the purpose of highly precise meso-scale environment simulation has been conducted. This simulator consists of the three major parts of the atmosphere-land surface interaction simulation, the atmosphere-ocean interaction simulation, and the estuary-coast simulation. The Research Project Center for Enviornment Simulator, in IDEC has been launched as a collaboration research program of Hiroshima University and Blue Wave Institute of Technology Co. Ltd., to improve the simulator's applicability at the business/practical level by applying it to the regional environmental problems. This article shows an outline of the environmental simulator and its examples of application to storm surge and high wave simulation, cohesive sediment transport in an estuary

Analysis of adam12-mediated ephrin-a1 cleavage and its biological functions

Accumulating evidence indicates that an elevated ephrin-A1 expression is positively correlated with a worse prognosis in some cancers such as colon and liver cancer. The detailed mechanism of an elevated ephrin-A1 expression in a worse prognosis still remains to be fully elucidated. We previously reported that ADAM12-cleaved ephrin-A1 enhanced lung vascular permeability and thereby induced lung metastasis. However, it is still unclear whether or not cleaved forms of ephrin-A1 are derived from primary tumors and have biological activities. We identified the ADAM12-mediated cleavage site of ephrin-A1 by a Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry and checked levels of ephrin-A1 in the serum and the urine derived from the primary tumors by using a mouse model. We found elevated levels of tumor-derived ephrin-A1 in the serum and the urine in the tumor-bearing mice. Moreover, inhibition of ADAM-mediated cleavage of ephrin-A1 or antagonization of the EphA receptors resulted in a significant reduction of lung metastasis. The results suggest that tumor-derived ephrin-A1 is not only a potential biomarker to predict lung metastasis from the primary tumor highly expressing ephrin-A1 but also a therapeutic target of lung metastasis

〈資料〉学齢肢体不自由児の就学実態について : 一肢体不自由特別支援学校通学区域に着目して

本研究は、特定の地域における義務教育段階にある肢休不自由児の就学先ごとの彼らの障害の状態等の実態を明らかにした。肢休不自由特別支援学校とその通学区域にある小・中学校の通常学級、知的障害特別支援学級、知的障害特別支援学校を対象に質間紙調査を実施した。その結果、障害部位では、どの形態においても下肢障害の割合が最も高かった。移動の自立度が高い児童生徒が通常学級に多く在籍するのに対して、肢休不自由特別支援学校では、独歩や移動の自立度の割合が低かった。また、肢体不自由特別支援学校では、独歩の割合は中学部段階で増え、自立度も高くなる傾向があることから、小学校綽から肢体不自由特別支援学校の中学部へと就学先を変更している可能性が示唆された。本研究において得られた結果は地域における肢体不自由児の多様な学びの場における指導の連続性を考究する基礎的な資料となると考えられる。This study investigated the school attendance of children with physical disabilities and clarified the conditions of their disabilities. Therefore, the participants were students from a special needs school for children with physical disabilities (School B) and from other schools in the same district, including those of elementary and lower secondary schools, special classes for children with intellectual disabilities in elementary and lower secondary schools, and special needs schools for children with intellectual disabilities. With regard to the state of disability, the occurrence rate of lower limb disability was highest among students in all types of schools. With regard to the mobilities, the rate of self-gait was highest among students in regular classes and lowest among students in School B. Moreover, the rate of self-gait increased and the degree of independent mobilities tended to become higher among students in the lower secondary departments of School B. This finding suggests the possibility of changing school attendance from regular elementary schools to the lower secondary departments of special needs schools for children with physical disabilities. These results provide the fundamental data needed to discuss the continuous teaching of children with physical disabilities in diverse and community-based learning environments

Nasal high flow improves ventilation during propofol sedation: A randomized cross-over study in healthy volunteers

Objective: Hypoventilation and carbon dioxide (CO2) retention are common during sedation. The current study investigated the ventilation responses to nasal high flow (NHF) during sedation with propofol. Methods: NHF of 30 L/min and 60 L/min with room air was applied during wakefulness and sedation in 10 male volunteers. Ventilation was monitored by respiratory inductance plethysmography, transcutaneous partial pressure of CO2 (TcCO2), and SpO2. Results: During sedation, NHF of 30 L/min and 60 L/min reduced the TcCO2 by 2.9 ± 2.7 mmHg (p = 0.025) and by 3.6 ± 3.4 mmHg (p = 0.024) without affecting SpO2 and reduced the mean respiratory rate by 3 ± 3 breaths/min (p = 0.011) and by 4 ± 3 breaths/min (p = 0.003), respectively. Conclusion: During sedation with propofol, NHF without supplemental oxygen attenuated CO2 retention and reduced the respiratory rate. The findings show that NHF can improve ventilation during sedation, which may reduce the risk of complications related to hypoventilation

The effect of midazolam administration for the prevention of emergence agitation in pediatric patients with extreme fear and non-cooperation undergoing dental treatment under sevoflurane anesthesia, a double-blind, randomized study

Background: Sevoflurane is generally the preferred anesthetic agent for general anesthesia in pediatric patients, due to its rapid induction and recovery characteristics. However, it has been recognized that a major complication is emergence agitation when awakening from general anesthesia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence rate of emergence agitation in the operating room and postoperative recovery area following intraoperative administration of midazolam to pediatric patients under general anesthesia. Patients and methods: One hundred and twenty pediatric patients undergoing dental treatment under sevoflurane anesthesia were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into three groups (n=40 each in the 0.1 mg/kg midazolam, 0.05 mg/kg midazolam, and control with saline groups). Midazolam or saline was injected intravenously approximately 30 minutes before the end of the dental treatment. We used the Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale (RASS) to assess the level of sedation and drowsiness at emergence phase in the operating room. We also used the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium Scale (PAED) to assess the level of agitation and delirium at the full recovery phase from anesthesia in the recovery area. Results:At the emergence phase, the incidence of emergence agitation in the 0.1 mg/kg midazolam group was significantly lower than in the other groups (p=0.0010). At the recovery phase, there was no significant difference among the three groups. The odds ratio between PAED score and RASS score was 4.0 using logistic regression analysis. The odds ratio between PAED score and Disability was 2.5. Conclusion: Administration of a single dose of 0.1 mg/kg midazolam dose significantly decreases the incidence of severe emergence agitation at the emergence after sevoflurane anesthesia, but not at the recovery phase. Furthermore, the evaluation of sedative and agitation condition using RASS score at emergence from anesthesia is useful to predict occurrence of agitation in the recovery phase

A novel indole compound MA-35 attenuates renal fibrosis by inhibiting both TNF-α and TGF-β1 pathways

Renal fibrosis is closely related to chronic inflammation and is under the control of epigenetic regulations. Because the signaling of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) play key roles in progression of renal fibrosis, dual blockade of TGF-β1 and TNF-α is desired as its therapeutic approach. Here we screened small molecules showing anti-TNF-α activity in the compound library of indole derivatives. 11 out of 41 indole derivatives inhibited the TNF-α effect. Among them, Mitochonic Acid 35 (MA-35), 5-(3, 5-dimethoxybenzyloxy)-3-indoleacetic acid, showed the potent effect. The anti-TNF-α activity was mediated by inhibiting IκB kinase phosphorylation, which attenuated the LPS/GaIN-induced hepatic inflammation in the mice. Additionally, MA-35 concurrently showed an anti-TGF-β1 effect by inhibiting Smad3 phosphorylation, resulting in the downregulation of TGF-β1-induced fibrotic gene expression. In unilateral ureter obstructed mouse kidney, which is a renal fibrosis model, MA-35 attenuated renal inflammation and fibrosis with the downregulation of inflammatory cytokines and fibrotic gene expressions. Furthermore, MA-35 inhibited TGF-β1-induced H3K4me1 histone modification of the fibrotic gene promoter, leading to a decrease in the fibrotic gene expression. MA-35 affects multiple signaling pathways involved in the fibrosis and may recover epigenetic modification; therefore, it could possibly be a novel therapeutic drug for fibrosis

Support for UNRWA's survival

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) provides life-saving humanitarian aid for 5·4 million Palestine refugees now entering their eighth decade of statelessness and conflict. About a third of Palestine refugees still live in 58 recognised camps. UNRWA operates 702 schools and 144 health centres, some of which are affected by the ongoing humanitarian disasters in Syria and the Gaza Strip. It has dramatically reduced the prevalence of infectious diseases, mortality, and illiteracy. Its social services include rebuilding infrastructure and homes that have been destroyed by conflict and providing cash assistance and micro-finance loans for Palestinians whose rights are curtailed and who are denied the right of return to their homeland