Issues for Earthquake Disaster Prevention Awareness and Earthquake Disaster Prevention Education of Students Who Want to Become Childcare Workers

　保育者志望学生を対象に，保育における地震防災に関する意識や子どもへの地震防災教育の実践に関する課題等について質問紙調査を行った。その結果，実習経験の有無に関わらず，保育職に就く前に地震防災について理解しておく必要性について強く認識している傾向があることが分かった。また，実習経験の有無で差異が生じる意識もあることが確認できた。地震防災教育を実践する上での教育内容や自身の課題については，実習経験のない学生は，一般論的な内容で具体性に欠け，幅広い視点で防災教育を捉えていることが分かった。一方，実習経験のある学生は，保育現場の状況や子どもの発達過程を考慮した保育者としての視点や願いの表れた課題を持っている傾向があることが示唆された

Detection of reverse transcriptase activity by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in human immunodeficiency virus type 1.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using biotin-labelled oligo-dT primer and digoxigenin (Dig)-dUTP was designed to measure the reverse transcriptase (RT) activity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The ELISA system involves the selective detection step of a newly synthesized cDNA by two specific bindings, biotin-streptavidin binding and alkaline phosphatase (AP)-conjugated anti-Dig-Dig binding, and the enzymatic amplification step to increase coloring generated by AP. This method was used to measure the activity of RT in the culture supernatants of peripheral leukocytes obtained from four anti-HIV-1-positive persons cocultivated with those from four anti-HIV-1-negative persons. RT activity was detected in all of four anti-HIV-1-positive culture supernatants but not in those cultivated with anti-HIV-1-negative supernatants alone. Thus, our improved ELISA for detection of HIV-1 appears to be sensitive enough and useful for routine laboratory work. This non-radioactive method will also be useful for detecting other retroviruses and for screening of RT inhibitors.</p

Threonine 138 is crucial for the Quaternary Structure and the Thermostability of Thermus thermophilus Inorganic Pyrophosphatase.

Inorganic pyrophosphatase (EC. 3.6.1.1) from Thermus thermophilus (Tth PPase) forms the thermostable hexamer，and it was suggested from X-ray studies that its intersubunit interactions stabilize the whole molecule. However，the contribution of Thr138 at the intertrimer interface to quatemary structure and thermostability was unknown functionally. Therefore，we prepared four Thr138-substituted variants (T138A，V ，N ，and H) by site-directed mutagenesis. Then，thermostabilities of the enzyme activity and the quatemary structure for T138V and A were decreased relative to those of the wild type Tth PPase，whereas T138H and N variants remained much hexamer contents and the enzyme activity than T138V and A. Therefore，we suggest that the polar group in Thr138 of Tth PPase is more crucial than the methyl group for thermostability and quatemary structure，and it may contribute to the formation of stable trimer-trimer interface

Visceral-to-subcutaneous fat ratio is a possible prognostic factor for type 1 endometrial cancer

[Background] Associations have been observed between obesity defined by the body mass index (BMI) and the incidence of endometrial cancer. However, the impact of obesity on the prognosis of endometrial cancer is not yet clear. Recently, visceral fat has been considered to have a greater impact on malignant disease in obese patients than subcutaneous fat. In this study, we investigated the association between prognostic factors of type 1 and type 2 endometrial cancer and obesity parameters. [Methods] The impacts of clinical factors on the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed retrospectively in 145 primary endometrial cancer patients. The factors included age, BMI, pathological findings, Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, status of lymph node metastasis, and the amounts of visceral and subcutaneous fat obtained from computed tomography (CT) data. [Results] Only the visceral-to-subcutaneous fat ratio (V/S ratio) (cutoff value 0.5) corresponded to a significant difference in OS and PFS in type 1 endometrial cancer (p = 0.0080, p = 0.0053) according to the results of log-rank tests of Kaplan–Meier curves. The COX regression univariate analysis revealed that only the V/S ratio was a significant prognostic factor for PFS, but not OS (p = 0.033 and p = 0.270, respectively). [Conclusion] A V/S ratio > 0.5 is a possible factor for poor prognosis in type 1 endometrial cancer. Further research is needed to investigate the preventive and therapeutic effects of reducing visceral fat on the prognosis of this type of cancer

コウネツセイ サイキン Thermus thermophilus ムキ ピロリンサン カスイ ブンカイ コウソ ノ error-prone PCR ヘンイ ドウニュウ ニヨル ネツ ギョウシュウ ヨクセイ

Thermus thermophilus Inorganic pyrophosphatase (E.C. 3.6.1.1., Tth PPase) exhibits high thermostability, but thermal aggregation was observed on heating above 85 °C. In addition, we reported that sole cysteine in C-terminal region plays a key role in the thermostability and thermal aggregation of Tth PPase [Kohaku, Y. et al. (2008) Natl.Sci.Res., 22, 75-84]. In this study, we approached the suppression of its thermal aggregation by error-prone PCR mutagenesis of whole molecule or C-terminal region. Firstly, we obtained thermostable four variants (Q119H/L162F, L162F, K173E and K159E/A170T) by error-prone PCR mutagenesis. Moreover, we examined thermostabilities of four variants in terms of the enzyme activity, tertiary and quaternary structure. Although conformation and quaternary structure of four variants were almost the same as those of wild type enzyme in native state, K173E and K159E/A170T variants showed higher thermostabilities than wild type in tertiary and quaternary structure. In particular, thermal aggregation of these two variants would be suppressed after heating at 85°C. Therefore, it was suggested that Lys159 and Lys173 in the molecular surface of C-terminal region may contribute to the formation of thermal aggregation of Tth PPase

Effects of Highly Absorbable Curcumin in Patients with Impaired Glucose Tolerance and Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus

Oxidative stress is enhanced by various mechanisms. Serum oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is a useful prognostic marker in diabetic patients with coronary artery disease. To examine the effects of Theracurmin®, a highly absorbable curcumin preparation, on glucose tolerance, adipocytokines, and oxidized LDL, we conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled parallel group randomized trial in patients with impaired glucose tolerance or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. We randomly divided the patients with impaired glucose tolerance or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and stable individuals into the placebo group and the Theracurmin® (180 mg daily for 6 months) group. Of the 33 patients analyzed, 18 (14 males and 4 females) were administered placebo and 15 (9 males and 6 females) were administered Theracurmin®. The patient characteristics did not differ between the two groups. The primary endpoint, HbA1c, did not differ significantly between the two groups. However, the level of α1-antitrypsin-low-density lipoprotein (AT-LDL), the oxidized LDL, significantly increased (p = 0.024) in the placebo group from the beginning of the trial up to 6 months, although there was no such change in the Theracurmin® group. The percentage change in BMI from the beginning of the trial up to 6 months tended to be higher in the Theracurmin® group than in the placebo group. Patients in the Theracurmin® group tended to have a larger percentage change in adiponectin and LDL-C than those in the placebo group. Patients in the Theracurmin® group showed a smaller percentage change in AT-LDL than those in the placebo group. This study suggests that the highly absorbable curcumin could potentially inhibit a rise in oxidized LDL in patients with impaired glucose tolerance or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. This trial is registered with UMIN000007361