Qualitative Research on Japanese Elementary School Teachers and Assistant Language Teachers\u27 Perceptions About Foreign Language Activities : Transition of English Learning from Elementary School to Junior High School

本研究は，小学校教員とALT（外国語指導助手）の外国語活動に対する意識についての質的研究であり，両者の小中連携に対する認識を探索的に調査し，仮説を生成した。13名の外国語活動指導経験がある小学校教員（元教員を1名含む）と14名のALTにアンケート調査を行い，分析方法としてM-GTA（木下,2003）を使用し，事例数や具体数を研究目的と相関的に決定するためにSCQRM（西條,2007,2008）をメタ理論として用い，概念モデル（仮説）を作成した。分析の結果，小学校教員とALTは，共通して，外国語活動における「指導改善」「指導者の能力向上」「授業外での英語使用環境」が児童の中学校での経験をより良くするための方法として認識しているという仮説が生成された。しかし「授業改善」における文字指導に関しては，若干の温度差が見られた。小学校教員とALTは，共通して，中学校外国語科における「外国語活動への理解」「生徒の経験を踏まえた指導改善」が生徒の外国語活動での経験を活かす方法として認識しているという仮説が生成された。これらの仮説は暫定的なものであり，より多様で妥当性のある仮説を生成するためには，さらなる研究が必要である

One-pot esterification and amidation of phenolic acids

We developed a new one-pot reaction of phenolic acids to afford the corresponding esters and amides through acyl-protected and activated phenolic acid intermediates. The simultaneous protection/activation of phenolic acids with alkylchloroformates proceeded readily in the presence of DMAP at room temperature; subsequent addition of alcohols or amines afforded the corresponding esters or amides. The use of iso-butyloxycarbonyl as the protecting and activating group in the one-pot reactions afforded phenolic esters or amides in 91% average yield. As a practical example of this convenient synthesis, caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) was readily synthesized from commercially available caffeic acid and phenethyl alcohol in 95% yield, and an isotopomer of CAPE, [3,10-13C2]CAPE, was synthesized in 91% yield from [3-13C]caffeic acid and 2-[1-13C]phenethyl alcohol. This method may be useful for the convenient esterification and amidation of diverse phenolic acids.ArticleTETRAHEDRON. 70(43):8097-8107 (2014)journal articl

Treatment effects on neurometabolite levels in schizophrenia: A meta-analysis dataset of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

This article describes a dataset for a meta-analysis that aimed to investigate the effects of treatment on the neurometabolite status in patients with schizophrenia (DOI of original article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2020.03.069 [1]). The data search was performed with MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO. The neurometabolites investigated include glutamate, glutamine, glutamate + glutamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, N-acetylaspartate, and myo-inositol, and the regions of interest (ROIs) include the frontal cortex, temporal cortex, parieto-occipital cortex, thalamus, basal ganglia, and hippocampus. The meta-analysis was conducted with a random-effects model, and the use of the standardized mean difference method between pre- and post-treatment of subjects for neurometabolites in each ROI of three patient groups or more. The dataset covers raw data of 39 patient groups (773 patients with schizophrenia at follow-up) with neurometabolite levels measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy both before and after treatment. Furthermore, it contains details of clinical characteristics and treatment types for each group. Therefore, the data would be useful for a reinvestigation of treatment effects on the neurometabolite status from diverse points of view, as well as for the development of future treatment strategies for psychiatric diseases

Near-Infrared Extinction in The Coalsack Globule 2

We have conducted J, H, and Ks imaging observations for the Coalsack Globule 2 with the SIRIUS infrared camera on the IRSF 1.4 m telescope at SAAO, and determined the color excess ratio, E(J-H)/E(H-Ks). The ratio is determined in the same photometric system as our previous study for the rho Oph and Cha clouds without any color transformation; this enables us to directly compare the near-infrared extinction laws among these regions. The current ratio E(J-H)/E(H-Ks) = 1.91 +- 0.01 for the extinction range 0.5 < E(J-H) <1.8 is significantly larger than the ratios for the rho Oph and Cha clouds (E(J-H)/E(H-Ks) = 1.60-1.69). This ratio corresponds to a large negative index alpha = 2.34 +- 0.01 when the wavelength dependence of extinction is approximated by a power law which might indicate little growth of dust grains, or larger abundance of dielectric non-absorbing components such as silicates, or both in this cloud. We also confirm that the color excess ratio for the Coalsack Globule 2 has a trend of increasing with decreasing optical depth, which is the same trend as the rho Oph and Cha clouds have.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, and 2 tables, Ap

ヒト肝細胞癌においてherpesvirus entry mediatorの発現がもたらす影響

BACKGROUND: Herpes virus entry mediator (HVEM), also known as tumour necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily 14, regulates a variety of physiological and pathological responses in both innate and acquired immunity. Although HVEM is also suggested to be a critical regulator in tumours, actual roles in human cancer are largely unknown. This study aimed to clarify clinical importance of HVEM in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied HVEM expression in 150 HCC patients to explore its clinical relevance, and we examined tumour infiltrating T cells and local immune status of them. RESULTS: HVEM was expressed in HCC cells, while no or only limited expression was observed in normal tissues in the liver. Tumour HVEM expression was significantly correlated with age, serum protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) level, vascular invasion and tumour node metastasis (TNM) stage. Furthermore, tumour HVEM expression significantly correlated with postoperative recurrence and survival. Importantly, multivariate analysis indicated that the HVEM status had an independent prognostic value. Furthermore, HVEM status was inversely correlated with tumour-infiltrating CD4(+), CD8(+) and CD45RO(+) lymphocytes. In addition, it was also associated with reduced expression of perforin, granzyme B and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Taken together, tumour-expressing HVEM plays a functionally important role in HCC. CONCLUSION: Tumour-expressing HVEM plays a critical role in human HCC, possibly through regulating immune evasion. Therefore, targeting HVEM may be a novel promising therapeutic strategy for HCC.博士（医学）・乙第1359号・平成27年5月28日Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd

PD-1とVEGFR2の同時阻害による相乗的抗腫瘍効果

Recent basic and clinical studies have shown that the programmed death ligand (PD-L)/PD-1 pathway has a significant role in tumour immunity, and its blockade has a therapeutic potential against several human cancers. We hypothesized that anti-angiogeneic treatment might augment the efficacy of PD-1 blockade. To this end, we evaluated combining the blockade of PD-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) in a murine cancer model using Colon-26 adenocarcinoma. Interestingly, simultaneous treatment with anti-PD-1 and anti-VEGFR2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) inhibited tumour growth synergistically in vivo without overt toxicity. Blocking VEGFR2 inhibited tumour neovascularization significantly, as demonstrated by the reduced number of microvessels, while PD-1 blockade had no impact on tumour angiogenesis. PD-1 blockade might promote T cell infiltration into tumours and significantly enhanced local immune activation, as shown by the up-regulation of several proinflammatory cytokine expressions. Importantly, VEGFR2 blockade did not interfere with T cell infiltration and immunological activation induced by PD-1 blockade. In conclusion, simultaneous blockade of PD-1 and VEGFR2 induced a synergistic in-vivo anti-tumour effect, possibly through different mechanisms that might not be mutually exclusive. This unique therapeutic strategy may hold significant promise for future clinical application.博士（医学）・甲第600号・平成25年5月29日発行元の猶予期間終了の後、本文を登録予定（2014.06

無症候性腎機能障害が膵頭十二指腸切除術後臨床経過に及ぼす影響

BACKGROUND: Although recent large-scale clinical studies have shown that preoperative renal insufficiency is associated with increased risk of postoperative complications after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD), it is unknown whether asymptomatic renal dysfunction has an impact on postoperative course after PD. METHODS: Two hundred and fifty-four patients who underwent PD between 2007 and 2013 were enrolled. Renal function was evaluated by the preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Patients were divided into two groups according to the cutoff value of 55 of eGFR. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients were classified as the low eGFR group, while 219 were classified as the normal group. There were differences between groups in age, comorbidity and pancreatic texture. The incidence of overall postoperative complication, grade B/C pancreatic fistula and severe complication in the low eGFR group was significantly higher than that in the normal group. Multivariate analysis identified low eGFR as an independent risk factor for severe postoperative complications and grade B/C pancreatic fistula after PD. However, there were no differences in mortality and survival between the low and normal eGFR groups. CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated for the first time that preoperative asymptomatic renal dysfunction may be a significant risk factor for severe morbidity and clinically relevant pancreatic fistula after PD.博士（医学）・乙第1394号・平成29年3月15日© 2015 Japanese Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery.This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jhbp.286, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jhbp.286. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving

ヒト膵癌におけるNectin-4発現の腫瘍増殖、血管新生に対する効果と臨床的意義

BACKGROUND: Nectin-4 belongs to the nectin family that has diverse physiological and pathological functions in humans. Recent studies have also suggested some roles for Nectin-4 in several human cancers. However, the precise roles and clinical relevance of Nectin-4 in tumors are largely unknown. METHODS: Nectin-4 expression was investigated in 123 patients with pancreatic cancer by immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, we investigated the association of Nectin-4 in pancreatic cancer with tumor proliferation, angiogenesis and immunity by using immunohistochemistry and siRNA interference method. RESULTS: Patients with high Nectin-4 expression had poorer postoperative prognosis than those with low expression. Importantly, multivariate analysis indicated that Nectin-4 expression had a significant independent prognostic value in pancreatic cancer (HR = 1.721, 1.085-2.730; P = 0.021). Tumor Nectin-4 expression was significantly correlated with Ki67 expression. In addition, siRNA-mediated gene silencing of Nectin-4 significantly inhibited the cell proliferation in human pancreatic cancer cells, Capan-2 and BxPC-3. Furthermore, Nectin-4 expression was also positively correlated with VEGF expression and intratumoral microvessel density. However, there were no significant correlations of tumor Nectin-4 expression with tumor-infiltrating T cells. CONCLUSION: Nectin-4 is a significant prognostic predictor, and may play a critical role in pancreatic cancer. Nectin-4 may be novel therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer.博士（医学）・乙第1400号・平成29年6月28日Copyright © Nishiwada et al.; licensee BioMed Central. 2015 : This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated