Awareness-Building Seminar on Aging-Related Issues for the Public in Tokushima : Overview and Report

我が国は2022年現在，世界で最も高齢化が進行しており，中でも徳島県は全国有数の高齢化先進県として，それにまつわる諸問題が全国に先駆けて顕在化しつつある。本稿は，こうした状況を踏まえ，筆者らが「徳島県の高齢化問題を地域で考えよう！」と題するセミナーを徳島大学において実施した結果と，今後地域で高齢化問題に取り組むにあたっての展望を概括するものである。 本セミナーは，高齢化問題への関与の有無にかかわらず，制度・分野ごとの「縦割り」や「支え手」「受け手」という関係性や年代を超えて集まった多様な参加者が，高齢化問題の概略を知り，考えや思いを共有する第一歩となった。参加者からは，今後徳島県が取り組むべき事項として，①「介護者の立場」を考えた支援，②健康寿命を延ばし，認知症の「予防」にもなる地域活動，③高齢者・認知症の人の経済的自立につながる社会的取り組みの展開，④多世代交流や地域の助け合いを促進するしくみの構築，等が挙げられた。 本セミナーにおける課題として，参加者による具体的な活動を導き出す前に，様々に異なる経歴，年代の人々の意見を効果的に集約し，相互の知見を共有する中で，次のステップをどのように見出し，具現化していくかが求められていることが判明した。今後，活動を継続する中で，地域社会での高齢化問題解決に資する，幅広い世代や多様な経歴を持つ参加者への効果的な意識啓発のあり方を徐々に明らかにしていきたい

Processing Cultural Trauma: Intergenerational Effects of the Japanese American Incarceration

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112005/1/josi12115.pd

A three‐dimensional analysis of primary failure of eruption in humans and mice

ObjectivesPrimary failure of eruption (PFE) is a genetic disorder exhibiting the cessation of tooth eruption. Loss‐of‐function mutations in parathyroid hormone (PTH)/parathyroid hormone‐related peptide (PTHrP) receptor (PTH/PTHrP receptor, PPR) were reported as the underlying cause of this disorder in humans. We showed in a PFE mouse model that PTHrP‐PPR signaling is responsible for normal dental follicle cell differentiation and tooth eruption. However, the mechanism underlying the eruption defect in PFE remains undefined. In this descriptive study, we aim to chronologically observe tooth eruption and root formation of mouse PFE molars through 3D microCT analyses.Setting and Sample PopulationTwo individuals with PFE were recruited at Showa University. A mouse PFE model was generated by deleting PPR specifically in PTHrP‐expressing dental follicle and divided into three groups, PPRfl/fl;R26RtdTomato/+(Control), PTHrP‐creER;PPRfl/+;R26RtdTomato/+(cHet), and PTHrP‐creER;PRRfl/fl;R26RtdTomato/+(cKO).Materials and MethodsImages from human PFE subjects were acquired by CBCT. All groups of mouse samples were studied at postnatal days 14, 25, 91, and 182 after a tamoxifen pulse at P3, and superimposition of 3D microCT images among three groups was rendered.ResultsMouse and human PFE molars exhibited a similar presentation in the 3D CT analyses. The quantitative analysis in mice demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in the eruption height of cKO first and second molars compared to other groups after postnatal day 25. Additionally, cKO molars demonstrated significantly shortened roots with dilacerations associated with the reduced interradicular bone height.ConclusionsMouse PFE molars erupt at a much slower rate compared to normal molars, associated with shortened and dilacerated roots and defective interradicular bones.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154523/1/odi13249_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154523/2/odi13249.pd

Hemoglobin LjGlb1-1 is involved in nodulation and regulated the level of nitric oxide in the Lotus japonicus-Mesorhizobium loti symbiosis

Leghemoglobins transport and deliver O2 to the symbiosomes inside legume nodules and are essential for nitrogen fixation. However, the roles of other hemoglobins (Hbs) in the rhizobia–legume symbiosis are unclear. Several Lotus japonicus mutants affecting LjGlb1-1, a non-symbiotic class 1 Hb, have been used to study the function of this protein in symbiosis. Two TILLING alleles with single amino acid substitutions (A102V and E127K) and a LORE1 null allele with a retrotransposon insertion in the 5′-untranslated region (96642) were selected for phenotyping nodulation. Plants of all three mutant lines showed a decrease in long infection threads and nodules, and an increase in incipient infection threads. About 4h after inoculation, the roots of mutant plants exhibited a greater transient accumulation of nitric oxide (NO) than did the wild-type roots; nevertheless, in vitro NO dioxygenase activities of the wild-type, A102V, and E127K proteins were similar, suggesting that the mutated proteins are not fully functional in vivo. The expression of LjGlb1-1, but not of the other class 1 Hb of L. japonicus (LjGlb1-2), was affected during infection of wild-type roots, further supporting a specific role for LjGlb1-1. In conclusion, the LjGlb1-1 mutants reveal that this protein is required during rhizobial infection and regulates NO levels

Low-dose Warfarin Functions as an Immunomodulator to Prevent Cyclophosphamide-induced NOD Diabetes

Warfarin has been used as an anticoagulant for a long time. Recently, the pleiotropic effect of warfarin has been investigated. As low-dose warfarin has been reported to have anti-inflammatory effect through suppression of IL-6 secretion and inhibit the immune-associated signal between Tyro3 and its ligand, Gas6, the effect of low-dose warfarin on autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice was examined. To investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of warfarin, IL-6 secretion by splenocytes was examined in the presence of various concentrations of warfarin. Low concentration of warfarin inhibited IL-6 secretion. mRNA expression of Rse, one of the Tyro3 receptor family members, and Gas6 were analyzed in NOD mice. It was detected in islets, splenocytes and bone-marrow derived dendritic cells. 0.25 mg/l or 0.50 mg/l of warfarin was orally administered to NOD mice as a cyclophosphamide-induced diabetes model. Oral administration of warfarin at much lower doses than those clinically used as an anticoagulant significantly reduced the degree of insulitis and diabetes incidence in this model. We previously demonstrated that anti-FasL Ab-treatment led to complete prevention of autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice. As Fas/FasL signaling is reported to be essential for cyclophosphamide-induced diabetes model, we extracted RNA from lymphocytes of the inguinal lymph nodes of anti-FasL Ab-treated NOD mice and performed real-time PCR to determine expression of Rse gene. Interestingly, the expression of Rse gene related to the blockade of Fas/FasL signaling was reduced to less than half the level of untreated mice. In conclusion, low-dose warfarin is a potential immunomodulator which can prevent autoimmune diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease caused by autoreactive T cells promoting the specific destruction of insulin-producing β cells of the pancreatic islets (1,6). Nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse is an animal model of human autoimmune diabetes (19). In the NOD mouse, diabetes develops as the result of a chronic inflammation that starts with leukocytic infiltration of islets from 3-5 weeks of age and gradually exacerbates until hyperglycemia develops after 16 weeks of age in a high percentage of female mice. Warfarin has been widely used for a long time as an oral anticoagulant agent. In addition, Kater et al. reported the pleiotropic effect of low-dose warfarin related with inflammation, demonstrating that low-dose warfarin inhibited inflammatory signal transduction through suppression of TNF-α induced IL-6 secretion from murine macrophages (12)

Social robot for older adults with cognitive decline: a preliminary trial

The number of older adults living alone is rapidly increasing. Loneliness in older adults not only degrade their quality of life but also causes troubles such as heavy burden on the medical staff, especially when cognitive decline is present. Social robots could be used in several ways to reduce such problems. As a first step towards this goal, we introduced conversation robots into the homes of older adults with cognitive decline to evaluate the robot’s availability and acceptance during several months. The study involved two steps, one for evaluating the robustness of the proposed robotic system, and the second one to examine the long-term acceptance of social robots by older adults with cognitive decline living alone. Our data shows that after several weeks of human-robot interaction, the participants continued to use the robot and successfully integrated them into their lives. These results open the possibility of further research involving how sustained interaction can be achieved, as well as which factors contributed to the acceptance of the robot