Association between decrease in frequency of going out and oral function in older adults living in major urban areas

Aim To examine the association between a decrease in the frequency of going out and oral function in independent older adults living in the urban area of Tokyo. Methods The participants analyzed were 785 older adults from the "Takashimadaira Study" (344 men and 441 women, age 77.0 +/- 4.6 years). This study investigated the following items: decrease in frequency of going out; basic characteristics (sex, age); physical factors, such as oral function (difficulty chewing, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth); body pain; the Japan Science and Technology Agency Index of Competence; physical activities; psychological factors, such as the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 score; and social and environmental factors, such as the presence or absence of participation in organization activities. Results To investigate the factors associated with a decrease in frequency of going out, logistic regression analysis showed an association with age (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.03-1.13), difficulty chewing (OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.52-3.83), dry mouth (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.07-2.64), body pain (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.14-2.78), Japan Science and Technology Agency Index of Competence scores (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.84-0.99), physical activities (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.98-1.00), Geriatric Depression Scale-15 scores (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.05-1.21) and organization activities (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.22-3.07). Covariance structural analyses showed that both "difficulty chewing" and "dry mouth" significantly affected "decrease in frequency of going out." In addition, decrease in frequency of going out was significantly affected by " Geriatric Depression Scale-15 scores" through oral function. Conclusions The relationship between oral function and decrease in frequency of going out was clarified, after the multifaceted factors were adjusted. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; center dot center dot: center dot center dot-center dot center dot

Effects of Arabidopsis Ku80 deletion on the integration of the left border of T-DNA into plant chromosomal DNA via Agrobacterium tumefaciens

T-DNA integration into plant chromosomal DNA via Agrobacterium tumefaciens can be achieved by exploiting the double-strand break repair system of the host’s DNA. However, the detailed mechanism of T-DNA integration remains unclear. Here, a sequence analysis of the junction sequences of T-DNA and chromosomal DNA was performed to assess the mechanism of T-DNA integration. T-DNA was introduced into Arabidopsis wild-type and NHEJ-deficient ku80-mutant plants using the floral dip method; the junctions of the left border (LB) of T-DNA were subsequently analyzed by adapter PCR. The most frequent junction of the LB of T-DNA to chromosomal DNA (LB-to-ChrDNA) was of the filler DNA type in both lines. The lengths of direct or inverted repeat sequences within or around the filler DNA sequence were longer in the ku80 mutant. In addition, the frequency of T-DNA integration near the transcription start site was significantly higher in the ku80 mutant. Our observations suggest that the presence of the Ku80 protein affects the location of the integration of T-DNA and the pattern of the formation of repeat sequences within or around the filler DNA during LB integration into chromosomal DNA

Capsicum Allergy: Involvement of Cap a 7, a New Clinically Relevant Gibberellin-Regulated Protein Cross-Reactive With Cry j 7, the Gibberellin-Regulated Protein From Japanese Cedar Pollen

International audienceThe Capsicum genus belongs to the Solanaceae family. Bell or chili peppers are consumed worldwide, but allergy to Capsicum is rare. It is involved in the celery-birch-mugwort-spice syndrome and cross-reactivities were reported with latex. Several allergens have been described, but only 2 are referenced in the World Health Organization/International Union of Immunological Societies allergen data bank, a thaumatin-like protein and a profilin. A patient allergic to bell/chili pepper, peach, orange and Japanese cedar pollen was clinically and biologically analyzed including direct and competitive immunoblots and basophil activation tests (BATs) with allergenic source extracts and recombinant gibberellin-regulated proteins (GRPs). The patient was shown to be sensitized to Cap a 7, the GRP of Capsicum annuum newly described herein. Cross-reactivities were demonstrated between various GRPs from bell/chili pepper, peach, orange and Japanese cedar pollen either in native form in the different extracts or as recombinant allergens. A similar immunoglobulin E reactivity was found also in Capsicum chinense and against snakin-1, the GRP from potato. The patient showed a positive BAT with recombinant Cry j 7, Pru p 7 and Cap a 7, but not with recombinant snakin-1. Despite the ubiquitous nature of GRPs in plants and the immunochemical cross-reactivity observed between different GRPs, clinically relevant sensitization to this protein family seems restricted to some allergenic sources, often associated with Cupressaceae pollen allergy, and to some patients, therefore reflecting very specific and peculiar mechanisms of conditional sensitization

Training of nursing techniques using ultrasound imaging equipment

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特集 超音波画像診断装置を用いた看護技術演習の実際

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