Providing appropriate information to consumers boosts the acceptability of genome-edited foods in Japan

ABSTRACTThe Japanese Health Ministry recently granted permission for the market distribution of genome-edited (GE) foods, yet there remains a lack of full understanding among consumers regarding this technology. In this study, we conducted a survey to assess the acceptability of GE foods among Japanese consumers and examined the impact of providing information about GE foods on their acceptability. We conducted a web-based survey among 3,408 consumers aged 20–69 years, focusing on three aspects: (1) the commercial availability of GE foods, (2) the consumption of GE foods by others, and (3) your own consumption of GE foods. The survey findings revealed that participants were most accepting of the consumption of GE foods by others, followed by their acceptance of GE foods being commercially available. Notably, participants’ acceptance of GE foods increased in all three aspects after they viewed an informative video. The video had a particularly strong impact on participants who fully or partially understood its content, compared to those who did not. Furthermore, regression analyses showed that participants’ understanding of two key areas, namely “Why are GE foods important” and “What procedures are in place to ensure the safety of GE foods,” played a crucial role in increasing acceptability. Overall, these results indicate that providing information about GE foods to Japanese consumers can effectively enhance their acceptance of such foods. The findings highlight the importance of understanding the benefits and safety measures associated with GE foods in influencing consumer attitudes

癌間質による前立腺癌幹細胞ニッチ形成機構の解明 : 癌間質標的療法へ向けた基礎的研究

application/pdf腫瘍微小環境において、癌間質を構成する主要な成分:癌関連線維芽細胞(CAF_s)は癌幹細胞ニッチの形成に重要な役割を担う。初期癌の増殖過程においてCAF_sがどのように作り出されるかを知るために、我々はin vitroにおいてヒト前立腺癌細胞と共培養した正常ヒト前立腺間質細胞P_rSCの生化学的特性を調べた。その結果、癌細胞との共培養でP_rSCが活性化されること、さらにP_rSCが獲得したCAF_s様の性質は不均一であることを見出した。これらのことから、腫瘍の中で発生するCAF_sが隣接する癌細胞の生化学的特性に強く依存していることが示唆された。In the tumor microenvironment, carcinoma-associated fibroblasts(CAF_s) are considered to play a critical role in the niche formation of cancer stem cells. To understand how CAF_s are generated during primary cancer progression, we investigated the biochemical characteristics of normal human prostate stromal cells(P_rSC) co-cultured with human prostate cancer(PC_a) cells in vitro. Our results have demonstrated that normal fibroblasts co-cultured with cancer cells become activated and exhibit biochemical characteristics of CAF_s in a heterogenous manner. Finally, we suggest that heterogenous induction of CAF_s-like differentiation might be strongly dependent on biochemical characteristics of adjacent cancer cells.平成21~23年度科学研究費補助金(基盤研究(C))研究成果報告書2159203

International prostate symptom score (IPSS) change and changing factor in intensity-modulated radiotherapy combined with androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer

The purposes of this study on prostate cancer are to demonstrate the time course of International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) after intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) combined with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and to examine the factor associated with the IPSS change. This study included 216 patients treated with IMRT between 2006 and 2010. Patients were evaluated in three groups according to baseline IPSS as defined by the American Urological Association classification, where IPSSs of 0 to 7, 8 to 19, and 20 to 35 represent mild (n = 124), moderate (n = 70), and severe (n = 22) symptom groups, respectively. The average IPSSs ± standard deviation at baseline vs. those at 24 months after IMRT were 3.5 ± 2.1 vs. 5.1 ± 3.6 in the mild group (P < 0.001), 12.6 ± 3.4 vs. 10.0 ± 6.0 in the moderate group (P = 0.0015), and 23.8 ± 2.9 vs. 14.4 ± 9.1 in the severe group (P < 0.001). Among factors of patient and treatment characteristics, age, IPSS classification, pretreatment GU medications, and positive biopsy rates were associated with the IPSS difference between baseline and 24 months (P = 0.023, < 0.001, 0.044, and 0.028, respectively). In conclusion, patients with moderate to severe urinary symptoms can exhibit improvement in urinary function after IMRT, whereas patients with mild symptoms may have slightly worsened functions. Age, baseline IPSS, GU medications, and tumor burden in the prostate can have an effect on the IPSS changes

Development and Validation of a New Robust Detection Method for Low-Content DNA Using ΔΔCq-Based Real-Time PCR with Optimized Standard Plasmids as a Control Sample

Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the gold standard for DNA detection in many fields, including food analysis. However, robust detection using a real-time PCR for low-content DNA samples remains challenging. In this study, we developed a robust real-time PCR method for low-content DNA using genetically modified (GM) maize at concentrations near the limit of detection (LOD) as a model. We evaluated the LOD of real-time PCR targeting two common GM maize sequences (P35S and TNOS) using GM maize event MON863 containing a copy of P35S and TNOS. The interlaboratory study revealed that the LOD differed among laboratories partly because DNA input amounts were variable depending on measurements of DNA concentrations. To minimize this variability for low-content DNA samples, we developed ΔΔCq-based real-time PCR. In this study, ΔCq and ΔΔCq are as follows: ΔCq = Cq (P35S or TNOS) – Cq (SSIIb; maize endogenous gene), ΔΔCq = ΔCq (analytical sample) – ΔCq (control sample at concentrations near the LOD). The presence of GM maize was determined based on ΔΔCq values. In addition, we used optimized standard plasmids containing SSIIb, P35S, and TNOS with ΔCq equal to the MON863 genomic DNA (gDNA) at concentrations near the LOD as a control sample. A validation study indicated that at least 0.2% MON863 gDNA could be robustly detected. Using several GM maize certified reference materials, we have demonstrated that this method was practical for detecting low-content GM crops and thus for validating GM food labeling. With appropriate standards, this method would be applicable in many fields, not just food