Nutritional Intakes of Obese Elementary School Children Residing in the Shimokita Peninsula of Aomori, Japan

This research examined the lifestyles and eating habits of 42 elementary school fifth graders(20 boys and 22 girls) over a 3-day period; these children resided in theShimokita Peninsula, Aomori prefecture, which has the highest childhood obesityrate in Japan. The children’s nutritionalintakes were recorded via questionnaires and self-documented meal recorddiaries overa 3-day period (1 weekday and the weekend). The meal record diaries recorded which meals the children ate (including snacks) during the 3-day period. A regular feature of these children’s lifestyle was theviewing of at least 3 hours of television per day. Compared with the National Health and Nutrition Survey conductedby the Japanese government, the nutritionaland energy intake levels were the same but when we examined food group intakes,the vegetable intake was lower on weekends in comparison to the weekdays whenthe children were provided school lunches. In addition, salt intake exceededthe recommended standard in more than 80% of the study sample. We suggest thatthe pattern of reduced vegetable intake juxtaposed with high salt intake stemsfrom childhood and is repeated and passed down through generations; therefore, theguardians of these children require nutritional guidance and education

インターンシップ ケイケン ニ ヨル コンピテンシー ノ ヘンカ ドウキ ト ケンシュウ ノ カタ カラ ノ ケントウ

本研究ではインターンシップ経験により変化する学生のコンピテンシーについて検討することを目的とし， 個人特性としての達成・親和動機とインターンシップ先の研修の型 （日常業務型・課題設定型） を要因とした． コンピテンシーとしてはコミュニケーション力， 共感する力， 関わる力を取り上げた． 研修の型については， インターンシップに参加した学生の中で課題設定型のみの研修を受けた者はおらず， 本研究では課題設定と日常業務の 「混合型」 と 「日常業務型」 に分類した． 達成・親和動機とインターンシップ前後の時期を独立変数， 各コンピテンシーを従属変数とした 3 要因分散分析を行った結果， コミュニケーション力の 「課題達成場面の記号化」 については時期の主効果に加え， 二次の交互作用が有意であり， 達成低・親和高群が他の群に比べてインターンシップ前より後の得点が高かった． また， インターンシップに対する主観的満足度は， 日常業務型より混合型のほうが得点が高いことが明らかになった．This study examined changes in the competencies of the university students with internship experience. In this process, we took into consideration three factors: students\u27 motivation types (high vs. low achievement and affiliation) and internship type (daily business vs. a mixture of daily business and project-based learning). The following three competencies were examined: communication, empathy, and positive involvement. An analysis of variance showed that （1） scores on "encoding on the task achievement situation," which is one of the communication competences, increased among students in the low achievement-motive and high affiliation-motive group after internship experience, and （2） scores on all competencies, except "emotional control," which is another communication competency, increased after the internship experience. In addition, students undergoing the mixed-type internship had higher subjective satisfaction than did those undergoing the daily business type

Categorical discrimination of human body parts by magnetoencephalography

Humans recognize body parts in categories. Previous studies have shown that responses in the fusiform body area (FBA) and extrastriate body area (EBA) are evoked by the perception of the human body, when presented either as whole or as isolated parts. These responses occur approximately 190 ms after body images are visualized. The extent to which body-sensitive responses show specificity for different body part categories remains to be largely clarified. We used a decoding method to quantify neural responses associated with the perception of different categories of body parts. Nine subjects underwent measurements of their brain activities by magnetoencephalography (MEG) while viewing 14 images of feet, hands, mouths, and objects. We decoded categories of the presented images from the MEG signals using a support vector machine (SVM) and calculated their accuracy by 10-fold cross-validation. For each subject, a response that appeared to be a body-sensitive response was observed and the MEG signals corresponding to the three types of body categories were classified based on the signals in the occipitotemporal cortex. The accuracy in decoding body- part categories (with a peak at approximately 48%) was above chance (33.3%) and significantly higher than that for random categories. According to the time course and location, the responses are suggested to be body-sensitive and to include information regarding the body-part category. Finally, this non-invasive method can decode category information of a visual object with high temporal and spatial resolution and this result may have a significant impact in the field of brain-machine interface research

Spirulina Effectiveness Study on Child Malnutrition in Zambia

Ensuring adequate nutrition among vulnerable children has been a serious challenge in Zambia. Chronic child malnutrition is more predominant at 45 per cent while underweight and wasting are at 15 and 5 per cent respectively. This study tested the effectiveness of spirulina on malnourished children in Zambia. The study took place from June 2012 to February 2013. Sixty children were divided into spirulina treatment and control groups. The outcome of taking spirulina was analysed by collecting anthropometric data. The fixed-effect regression result showed that 10g of spirulina dairy intake leads to improvement by producing 0.29 higher points in the height-for-age z-score (HAZ); confidence interval (CI)[0.0404, 0.535]. On the contrary, the weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) and the mid-upper arm circumference z-score (MUACZ) did not show a significant difference, although treated children showed a larger improvement by 0.09 points and 0.38 points, respectively. This study implied the validity of spirulina in reducing chronic malnutrition

Nutritional Intakes of Obese Elementary School Children Residing in the Shimokita Peninsula of Aomori, Japan

This researchexamined the lifestyles and eating habits of 42 elementary school fifth graders(20 boys and 22 girls) over a 3-day period; these children resided in theShimokita Peninsula, Aomori prefecture, which has the highest childhood obesityrate in Japan. The childrens nutritionalintakes were recorded via questionnaires and self-documented meal recorddiaries overa 3-day period (1 weekday and the weekend). The meal record diaries recorded which meals the children ate (including snacks) during the 3-day period. A regular feature of these childrens lifestyle was theviewing of at least 3 hours of television per day. Compared with the National Health and Nutrition Survey conductedby the Japanese government, the nutritionaland energy intake levels were the same but when we examined food group intakes,the vegetable intake was lower on weekends in comparison to the weekdays whenthe children were provided school lunches. In addition, salt intake exceededthe recommended standard in more than 80% of the study sample. We suggest thatthe pattern of reduced vegetable intake juxtaposed with high salt intake stemsfrom childhood and is repeated and passed down through generations; therefore, theguardians of these children require nutritional guidance and education

アタラシイ ガクシ カテイカン ニ モトヅク コンピテンシー ノ ケントウ ニホン フクシ ダイガク スタンダード ト タッセイ ドウキ シンワ ドウキ トノ カンレン

This study examined the competencies expected of university graduates. It was conducted the following purposes: 1） measurement of four competencies （communication, knowledge, sympathy, and positive involvement） that constitute the "Nihon Fukushi Daigaku Standard" and 2） investigation of the relationship between the "Nihon Fukushi Daigaku Standard" and achievement/affiliation motives. Correlation analysis showed that the scores for the four competencies were mutually related. Moreover, although it was shown that competency score increases as the grade progresses, it was suggested that the extent of an individual\u27s motive has a strong influence on competency formation rather than grades

Characterization of ArfGAP1 and FinGER7/FinGER8 interaction by quantitative yeast two-hybrid analysis

原著 ; 平成19年11月1日受付，平成19年11月20日受

Fractalkine expression and the recruitment of CX3CR1+ cells in the prolonged mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis

Fractalkine expression and the recruitment of CX3CR1+ cells in the prolonged mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis.BackgroundWe established the reversible and the prolonged models of mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (GN) with anti-Thy 1 antibody 1-22-3. However, the essential factors leading to the prolonged glomerular alterations have not been identified.MethodsThe expressions of several chemokines and cytokines were compared in the reversible and the prolonged models. Expression of fractalkine and the number of the fractalkine receptor CX3CR1-positive cells in the glomeruli in the prolonged model were significantly higher than those in the reversible model. Then, the localization of fractalkine and the characteristics of CX3CR1+ cells were analyzed in glomeruli. To elucidate the significance of the fractalkine expression, we analyzed the expression in the model treated with angiotensin II receptor antagonist, candesartan.ResultsImmunostaining of fractalkine was detected on endothelial cells on the fifth day, and fractalkine staining also was detected in the mesangial area on day 14. Major parts of the CX3CR1+ cells in the glomeruli were macrophages, especially ED3+ cells. Candesartan treatment ameliorated the glomerular morphological findings at six weeks after disease induction. Although the treatment did not ameliorate the morphological finding at two weeks, decreased expression of fractalkine and CX3CR1+ were already detected at two weeks in rats treated with candesartan.ConclusionsFractalkine expression and the recruitment of CX3CR1+ cells in glomeruli might play an important role in the development of the prolonged disease. These expressions could be predictors of the prolonged disease of the mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis