Anti-IL-6 Receptor Antibody Causes Less Promotion of Tuberculosis Infection than Anti-TNF-α Antibody in Mice

Objective. Our aim was to investigate the effects of IL-6 blockade on the progression of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) and compare them with those of TNF-α blockade in mice. Methods. Mice were intravenously infected with TB and injected with antibodies. Survival was monitored and histological and immunological studies were carried out. Results. All anti-IL-6R Ab-treated mice and 8 of 10 control mice survived until sacrificed 224 days after TB challenge, whereas anti-TNF-α Ab-treated mice all died between 120 and 181 days. Anti-IL-6R Ab-treated mice exhibited no significant differences in TB CFU in organs, including the lungs, and no deterioration in histopathology compared to control mice at 4 weeks. In contrast, anti-TNF-α Ab-treated mice exhibited increased TB CFU and greater progression of histopathological findings in organs than control mice. Spleen cells from anti-TNF-α Ab-treated mice had decreased antigen-specific response in IFN-γ release and proliferation assays. The results in anti-IL-6R Ab-treated mice suggest that spleen cell responses were decreased to a lesser degree. Similar results were obtained in IL-6 knockout (KO) mice, compared with TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) KO and TNFR1/IL-6 double KO (DKO) mice. Conclusion. IL-6R blockade promotes the progression of TB infection in mice far less than TNF-α blockade

The effects of chemotherapy-induced alopecic experience on daily living

がん化学療法に伴う脱毛体験が患者の日常生活にもたらす影響について明らかにすることを目的に，１５名の患者に対して自由回答法による半構造化面接を実施した．同意を得て録音した面接内容の逐語録をデータとして，Krippendorff. Kの内容分析の手法を用いて分析を行った．分析の結果，がん化学療法に伴う脱毛体験が患者の日常生活にもたらす影響として，【脱毛した自分に違和感を感じながら人目を気にして生活する】【脱毛に備えて事前に準備する】【脱毛は仕方がないと捉え治療を受けることを優先させる】【予想以上の急速大量脱毛にがんであることの事実を突きつけられる】【時間をかけて脱毛の事実を受け入れ違う捉え方を見出す努力をする】【他者と距離を取りながら生活する】【立場，性差による脱毛の捉え方の違いを実感する】【脱毛した毛髪の処理を気にかけながら生活する】【脱毛のつらい経験から検診の啓蒙活動を行う】の９つが明らかとなった．脱毛に対して事前に十分な準備が行え，自分なりの対処法についてイメージできるよう具体的な情報提供を行うとともに，性差，治療効果や患者の治療への思いなどによって脱毛に対する捉え方はさまざまであることから，看護師はその人自身の脱毛の受け止め方や，脱毛が及ぼす生活への支障について把握し，必要な情報を提供することや患者の思いが表出しやすい環境を整えることが大切である．The present study aimed to clarify the effects of chemotherapy-induced alopecia on the daily lives of cancer patients. Semi-structured interviews comprising free-answer questions based on an interview guide were conducted on １５ cancer patients experiencing chemotherapy-induced alopecia. Analysis revealed the following ９ effects of chemotherapy-induced alopecia on patients’ daily lives : ‘self-consciousness accompanied by feeling strange about oneself due to hair loss’, ‘preparing for hair loss in advance’, ‘prioritizing treatment and perceiving hair loss as inevitable’, ‘come to terms with chemotherapy-induced alopecia gradually, make an effort to find out a different kind of ways for it’, ‘being hit by the reality of cancer due to greater than anticipated rapid loss of large quantities of hair’, ‘intentionally living daily life at a distance from others’, ‘recognizing the situation and the gender-based differences in perception of hair loss’, ‘worrying about disposing of the lost hair’, ‘becoming more informed about medical examinations due to the hard experience of hair loss’. The present findings indicated that chemotherapy-induced alopecia is perceived in various ways depending on gender, treatment effectiveness and patients’ feelings towards treatment. It is important for nurses to understand patients’ individual acceptance of alopecia and related difficulties in daily life while creating an environment that allows patients to express their feelings. Nurses should also provide specific information enabling patients to visualize personal coping techniques and sufficiently prepare for alopecia

A survey of the terminology used for and texture of modified diets for dysphagia in hospitals and elderly care facilities

病院や高齢者施設で提供されている食事を2014年5月～8月に新潟県と山形県の病院と高齢者施設679施設にアンケートを実施し、食事形態ごとの名称とかたさの実態を明らかにした。なお、食事名称は、6つの食事形態、(1)普通に調理した食事、(2)素材の形を残し調理した食事、(3)食べやすく小さくカットした食事、(4)なめらかな状態にした食事、(5)とろみ剤などで固めた食事、(6)その他の食事、の食事形態毎に食事の名称を把握し、かたさは、食事形態の(2)～(6)について4段階、①容易に噛める、②歯ぐきでつぶせる、③舌でつぶせる、④噛まなくてよい、で調査した。その結果、235施設から回答を得た（回収率34.8％）。(2)では、名称に「軟菜」を使用し、①のかたさに調整している施設が多く、これは日本摂食嚥下リハビリテーション学会嚥下調整食分類2013のコード4に合致した。(3)では、独自の名称を用いている施設が多く、かたさも①から④と様々であった。(4)では、(2)と同様に学会分類コード2に合致する名称、かたさの施設が多かった。(5)では、独自の名称を用いている施設が多く、かたさは②から④と様々であった。このことから、(3)と(5)では、他に比べてより対象者の嚥下機能に合わせた個別対応の必要性が高く、施設独自の名称をつけ、かたさを調整した食事提供の必要性が高いことが推察された。We conducted a survey of the terms used for and the texture of dysphagia diets used in hospitals and elderly care facilities. A survey of the terms and texture of dysphagia diets in a total of 679 hospitals and elderly care facilities in Niigata and Yamagata prefectures was conducted from May to August 2014. Hospitals and facilities were asked to provide information on names and texture corresponding to the following six forms of dysphagia diets: Form (1), prepared in a normal manner; Form (2), containing solids; Form (3), containing finely diced/cut food; Form (4), mashed or pureed food; Form (5), thickened using a thickening agent; and Form (6), other. A 4-point scale was used to describe food texture: ①, easily masticated; ②, can be mashed with the gums; �③, can be mashed with the tongue; and ④, mastication not required. A total of 235 hospitals and elderly care facilities responded (response rate, 34.8%). Form (2) diet was called “Nansai”(soft food), and the texture was described as easily masticated by most of respondents. This name and texture were consisted the cord 4 in the Society’s 2013. Form (3) diet had the greatest variation in naming and texture. The names for Form (5) diet had varied original names used of hospitals and elderly care facilities. Taken together, the results show that although Form (3) and (5) diets had greater variation in naming and texture than other form diets, suggesting that the preparation of these form of diets varies more widely among hospitals and elderly care facilities

在宅療養環境をアセスメントするための視聴覚教材の創作とその教育効果

在宅療養環境の理解を促すために本学の教員が作成した、視聴覚教材(DVD)の教育効果について検討を行った。作成した視聴覚教材は「在宅療養環境をアセスメントする視点」を取り入れ、初学者がそうした視点に沿って学べるように工夫している。その教育効果を「療養環境をアセスメントする視点(地域と自宅)」、「個人の価値観」、「人間関係の構築」という3つの観点から評価した。その結果、すべての項目で教育効果が認められたが、住んでいる地域の社会資源や、実際の生活状況をイメージする効果については、今後検討の必要性があると考えられた

二歳児クラスでの集団遊びの発生過程における保育者の介入 : 「追いかけ遊び」におけるパターン化されたふりの生成

本稿では、二歳児クラスのごっこ的「追いかけ遊び」の発生過程における保育者の介入について、魅力的な遊びパターンの創出と伝染という視点から分析した。ごっこ的「追いかけ遊び」の基本パターンは、「怖いものの名前を呼んで想像世界を立ち上げる」「追いかける-逃げる」であった。保育者はこの基本パターンを創出し、子どもたちはこれで繰り返し遊び、自分のものにし、新しいパターンに作りなおしていった。この過程で子どもたちは遊びをリードし、他児の行動をルールにもとづいて調整し始めた。In this article, the generation processes of group play "Pretending to Chase" in the Two-year-olds Class and the intervention provided by the caregiver in these processes were explored from the point of generation and contagion of interesting play patterns. The basic pattern of "Pretending to Chase" was structured with "calling the names of scary things: the creation of an imaginary world" and pretending to "run after-run away." At first, the caregiver generated a fantasy play pattern. Next, the children played repeatedly with this pattern, and appropriated and recreated it. In these processes, the children began to lead the play and to regulate others\u27 behaviors following the rule

ラベルワーク技法を用いた看護研究デザイン法

ラベルワーク技法を用いて看護研究をデザインする方法を考案し、精神科看護師を対象とした研修会において実施した。本方法の評価について、研修受講者47名を対象とし、無記名自記式の質問紙を用いて調査し、45名から回答を得た。その結果、「グループワークへの参加しやすさ」「取り組みやすさ」「思考の整理のしやすさ」」「思考の共有のしやすさ」などの項目において、一定の良い評価を得ることができた。今後は、限られた時間内での進め方の工夫、自己学習の問題等を課題とし、より平易な方法を検討していきたい

Nationwide surveillance of bacterial respiratory pathogens conducted by the surveillance committee of Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, and the Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology in 2010: General view of the pathogens\u27 antibacterial susceptibility

The nationwide surveillance on antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial respiratory pathogens from patients in Japan, was conducted by Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases and Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology in 2010.The isolates were collected from clinical specimens obtained from well-diagnosed adult patients with respiratory tract infections during the period from January and April 2010 by three societies. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted at the central reference laboratory according to the method recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institutes using maximum 45 antibacterial agents.Susceptibility testing was evaluable with 954 strains (206 Staphylococcus aureus, 189 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 4 Streptococcus pyogenes, 182 Haemophilus influenzae, 74 Moraxella catarrhalis, 139 Klebsiella pneumoniae and 160 Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Ratio of methicillin-resistant S.aureus was as high as 50.5%, and those of penicillin-intermediate and -resistant S.pneumoniae were 1.1% and 0.0%, respectively. Among H.influenzae, 17.6% of them were found to be β-lactamase-non-producing ampicillin (ABPC)-intermediately resistant, 33.5% to be β-lactamase-non-producing ABPC-resistant and 11.0% to be β-lactamase-producing ABPC-resistant strains. Extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing K.pneumoniae and multi-drug resistant P.aeruginosa with metallo β-lactamase were 2.9% and 0.6%, respectively.Continuous national surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility of respiratory pathogens is crucial in order to monitor changing patterns of susceptibility and to be able to update treatment recommendations on a regular basis

Genetic Variation and Population Structure of Hair Crab (Erimacrus isenbeckii) in Japan Inferred from Mitochondrial DNA Sequence Analysis

Genetic variation and population structure of hair crab (Erimacrus isenbeckii) were examined using nucleotide sequence analysis of 580bp in the 3' portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI) of 20 samples collected from 16 locales in Japan (the Hokkaido and Honshu Islands) and one in Korea. A total of 27 haplotypes was defined by 23 variable nucleotide sites in the examined COI region. Pairwise population FST estimates and neighbor-joining tree inferred distinct genetic differentiation between the representative samples from the Pacific Ocean off the Eastern Hokkaido Island and the Sea of Japan, while others intermediated these two groups. AMOVA also showed a weak but significant differentiation among these three groups. The present results suggest a moderate population structure of hair crab, probably influenced by high gene flow between regional populations due to sea current dependent larval dispersal of this species

Molecular phylogeny of a red-snow-crab species complex using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers.

Nucleotide sequence variation of mitochondrial DNA COI and nuclear rRNA gene regions was used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships for the red-snow-crab species complex, including the red snow crab, Chionoecetes japonicus, its nominal subspecies, C. japonicus pacificus, and the triangle tanner crab, C. angulatus. The topologies of the Bayesian and neighbor-joining (NJ) trees of the COI and of NJ trees of rRNA sequences placed C. japonicus and C. angulatus in a single clade. The net sequence divergence between these taxa was d(net) = 0.000 in COI, and strongly suggests that these taxa represent a single species. In contrast, haplotypes in C. j. pacificus clustered separately from the C. japonicus - C. angulatus clade. Net sequence divergence from C. japonicus - C. angulatus to C. j. pacificus was d(net) = 0.026 in COI, indicating that C. j. pacificus should be elevated to a separate species, C. pacificus. A 165 bp insert appeared in the rRNA gene of C. j. pacificus, but was absent in the remaining species of Chionoecetes. This autapomorphic condition in C. j. pacificus adds support for an independent evolution of this taxon. Evolutionary divergences between these taxa may reflect contrasting evolutionary process influenced by ocean bathymetry