産褥期（入院中）の褥婦の排便困難の実態調査

本研究では，正期産で経膣分娩をした褥婦の妊娠末期の排便状態と，産褥期（入院期間）における排便状態を評価し，産褥期における妊産婦の排便困難の実態を明らかにすることを目的とした．排便状態を把握する指標として，日本語版便秘評価尺度（Constipation Assessment Scale：以下CAS）と研究者が作成した質問紙を用い調査した．質問紙は自記式で留め置き法にて回収した．研究に同意が得られた対象者は１３８名（初産婦９７名，経産婦４１名）で，平均年齢は２８．５（SD＝４．９）歳であった． 分娩後の平均初回排便日は２．６（SD＝１．１）日で，産褥期の平均CAS得点は２．３～３．２（SD＝２．４～２．９）点であった．産褥１日目から５日目までの間でCAS得点５点以上の便秘の割合は，産褥３日目が２９．４％，また下剤を服用した時期も１９．１％と最も多かった．産褥期において，３日以上連続して下剤を服用した褥婦は９名いた． 本研究は，産褥期の排便困難の実態を，数値を用いて初めて明らかにした．産褥３日目に便秘の割合が多く，下剤の服用者も多かったことより，産褥早期から自然排便を促す援助の必要があると考える．The aim of this research is an actual condition survey on the difficulty in defecating for pregnant women during the puerperal period. The Japanese version of Constipation Assessment Scale（referred to as CAS）as an indicator and a questionnaire prepared by the researchers were used. The number of the subjects giving their consent for the survey was １３８ （９７ of them were pregnant for the first time and ４１ were parous）. The average days until the first defecation after delivery were ２．６ days （SD＝１．１）. The average CAS points during the puerperal period were between ２．３ （SD＝２．４） and ３．２ （SD＝２．９）. The ratio of developing constipation with ５ or more CAS points reached its highest percentage of ２９．４on the third day of the puerperal period. The ratio of laxative use reached its highest percentage of １９．１ on the third day as well. For the first time, this research has clarified actual conditions of the difficulty in defecating during a puerperal period with the use of numerical values. Natural defecation aid at an early stage of the puerperal period is considered necessary

Loss of linker histone H1 in cellular senescence

Cellular senescence is a tumor-suppressing mechanism that is accompanied by characteristic chromatin condensation called senescence-associated heterochromatic foci (SAHFs). We found that individual SAHFs originate from individual chromosomes. SAHFs do not show alterations of posttranslational modifications of core histones that mark condensed chromatin in mitotic chromosomes, apoptotic chromatin, or transcriptionally inactive heterochromatin. Remarkably, SAHF-positive senescent cells lose linker histone H1 and exhibit increased levels of chromatin-bound high mobility group A2 (HMGA2). The expression of N-terminally enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)–tagged histone H1 induces premature senescence phenotypes, including increased levels of phosphorylated p53, p21, and hypophosphorylated Rb, and a decrease in the chromatin-bound endogenous histone H1 level but not in p16 level accumulation or SAHF formation. However, the simultaneous ectopic expression of hemagglutinin-tagged HMGA2 and N-terminally EGFP-tagged histone H1 leads to significant SAHF formation (P < 0.001). It is known that histone H1 and HMG proteins compete for a common binding site, the linker DNA. These results suggest that SAHFs are a novel type of chromatin condensation involving alterations in linker DNA–binding proteins

The Construction Of A Business Model For Intellectually Disabled Workers

The Japanese welfare system has undergone rapid change. A law has been enacted that requires the handicapped to work in order to be independent from government assistance. However, it is difficult for the intellectually disabled (ID) to earn a living wage because of a lack of understanding with respect to their ability and communication skills. Our organization conducts business with ID individuals such as those with autism. The business model for the income of our organization and the ID individuals concerned was successfully constructed through an understanding and application of the characteristics of ID individuals. This paper shows the current environment affecting the ID and presents our strategic and successful business model that is designed to enable them to achieve a realistic livelihood

Feasibility of Molecularly Targeted Therapy for Tooth Regeneration

[Extract] The tooth is a complex organ that consists of enamel, dentin, cementum, and pulp. Missing teeth is frequently occurring problem in aging populations. To treat these defects, the current approach involves prostheses, autotransplantation, and dental implants. The exploration of new strategies for tooth replacement has become a hot topic. Using the foundations of experimental embryology, developmental and molecular biology, tooth regeneration is becoming realistic possibility. Several different methods have been proposed to achieve biological tooth replacement. These include scaffold-based tooth regeneration, cell pellet engineering, stimulation of the formation of a third dentition, and gene-manipulated tooth regeneration. The idea that a third dentition might be locally induced to replace missing teeth is an attractive concept (Young et al., 2005; Edward & Mason, 2006; Takahashi et al., 2008, 2013). This approach is generally presented in terms of adding molecules to induce de novo tooth initiation in the mouth. Tooth development is the result of reciprocal and reiterative signaling between oral ectoderm-derived dental epithelium and cranial neural crest cell-derived dental mesenchyme under genetic control (Thesleff, 2006). More than 200 genes are known to be expressed during tooth development (http://bite-it.helsinki.fi/). A number of mouse mutants are now starting to provide some insights into the mechanisms of supernumerary tooth formation. Multiple supernumerary teeth may have genetic components in their etiology and partially represent the third dentition in humans. Such candidate molecules might be those that are involved in embryonic tooth induction, in successional tooth formation, or in the control of the number of teeth. This means that it may be possible to induce de novo tooth formation by the in situ repression or activation of a single candidate molecule. In this review, we provide an overview of the collective knowledge of tooth regeneration, especially regarding the control of the number of teeth for molecularly targeted therapy by the stimulation of a third dentition