NIRS during cognitive tasks might predict drug response in OCD

Objective: We investigated oxyhemoglobin change in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) who showed different responses to pharmacotherapy during neuropsychological tasks with near-infrared spectroscopy. Subjects and methods: A total of 42 patients with OCD (mean age: 35.6±9.6 years, 14 men, 28 women) and healthy control subjects (mean age: 35.4±9.7 years, 13 men, 29 women) were selected. Patients with OCD were divided into three groups (responders to selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), responders to SSRIs with antipsychotics, and nonresponders to SSRIs and SSRIs with antipsychotics) based on pharmacological response. We investigated oxyhemoglobin change in the PFC of subjects during Stroop tasks and a verbal fluency test with near-infrared spectroscopy. Results: Responders to SSRIs showed smaller activation compared to control subjects during the Stroop incongruent task and verbal fluency test, but not during the Stroop congruent task. In contrast, responders to SSRIs with antipsychotics showed smaller activation compared to control subjects during all three tasks. Conclusion: Our results suggest that activation of the PFC during Stroop tasks might predict responses to pharmacotherapy of patients with OCD

臨地実習を修了した看護学生に対するシミュレーション教育の効果

報告Reports　本稿では、臨地実習を修了した看護学生に対するシミュレーション教育の効果について報告する。本学では8 セメスターに「統合演習」を開講している。この科目は3 フェーズのシミュレーション場面を設定し、状況に応じた情報収集、アセスメント、看護実践をグループで学習する。今回、「統合演習」を受講した4 年次生145 名を対象に、臨地実習修了後の看護技術到達度、各フェーズの学修目標到達度およびARCS 評価、授業前後のシミュレーション教育に関連する看護技術到達度（12 項目）を調査した。その結果、各フェーズで学修目標到達度は4 段階中3 以上、ARCS 評価は6 段階中4 以上と高くなっていた。シミュレーション教育に関連する看護技術到達度は12 項目中バイタルサイン測定を除く11 項目において授業前後で有意に上昇した。臨地実習後のシミュレーション教育は看護技術の習得に有用であることが示唆された

分割型実習で学生が看護過程を展開するための教育方略

その他Miscellaneous　看護学教育の基礎教育課程では、学生が看護を学問として初めて学修し、看護専門職者を目指すものとして知識、態度を育成することが求められる。看護過程を展開する技術は看護実践能力の基盤となる技術として位置づけられ、根拠のある看護実践の基本として修得すべき技術である。2017年度基礎看護学領域において、ディプロマポリシーを踏まえ科目概要を見直すこととなった。そこで、基礎看護学実習Ⅱでは、学生が対象を受け持ち、対象の療養生活を理解し、対象に必要な日常生活援助のための計画を立案することに目標を変更した。学生の学修目標達成のため、教育方略を検討し、実習施設との調整を経て教育方略を変更した経緯を報告する

Nursing Practicum Based on the Philosophy of Seirei Held at Seirei-related Welfare Facilities in the Spring Semester of the First Year at Seirei Christopher University

P(論文)聖隷看護基盤実習は、入学直後の1 年次生春セメスターに聖隷ゆかりの福祉施設などに赴き、看護を学ぶ上で基盤となる対人援助職としてのあり方を、建学の精神や聖隷の理念を礎に、学生自身の体験を振り返りながら学ぶ実習である。聖隷ゆかりの施設における臨地実習では、創設期からの歴史的な変遷や活動を知り、キリスト教精神を基盤とした建学の精神や聖隷の理念について考え、施設での出会いや語りから、対人援助職としてのあり方を、聖隷の理念と関連させて意味づけていく。 　本報告では、聖隷クリストファー大学看護基礎教育における2022 年度の聖隷看護基盤実習の創設について、①聖隷看護基盤実習の構築（看護学部学位授与方針、カリキュラムポリシー）、②単位、セメスター履修者数、③科目概要、④実習目標、⑤実習展開、⑥学内委員会・授業との連携、⑦実習記録の構成をふまえ報告する。紀要委員会企画Special Articlesdepartmental bulletin pape

Biochemical properties of Caenorhabditis elegans HMG-5, a regulator of mitochondrial DNA

Caenorhabditis elegans HMG-5, which is encoded by F45E4.9, contains two high mobility group (HMG) box domains and shows sequence similarity with mammalian mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM). In this study, using soaking RNA interference, we found that knockdown of HMG-5 reduced the amount of mtDNA in P0 hermaphrodites, suggesting it as functional orthologue of mammalian TFAM. We also examined the biochemical property of HMG-5 in mammalian cells and in vitro. We found that HMG-5 localized to the mitochondria in human cultured cells and was included in the NP-40-insoluble fraction in which mtDNA and TFAM were enriched. By immunoprecipitation analysis, HMG-5 was found to associate with human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the cells. In vitro binding experiment also showed that HMG-5 binds to C. elegans mtDNA and plasmid DNA, indicating its feature as a non-specific DNA-binding protein. Furthermore, it was found that HMG-5 can interact with itself. These results demonstrate that HMG5 shares similar biochemical properties with mammalian TFAM as a nucleoid factor. HMG-5 could be a good candidate for investigating mtDNA metabolism in multicellular organisms

Inhibition of Malaria Infection in Transgenic Anopheline Mosquitoes Lacking Salivary Gland Cells

<div><p>Malaria is an important global public health challenge, and is transmitted by anopheline mosquitoes during blood feeding. Mosquito vector control is one of the most effective methods to control malaria, and population replacement with genetically engineered mosquitoes to block its transmission is expected to become a new vector control strategy. The salivary glands are an effective target tissue for the expression of molecules that kill or inactivate malaria parasites. Moreover, salivary gland cells express a large number of molecules that facilitate blood feeding and parasite transmission to hosts. In the present study, we adapted a functional deficiency system in specific tissues by inducing cell death using the mouse Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) to the Asian malaria vector mosquito, <i>Anopheles stephensi</i>. We applied this technique to salivary gland cells, and produced a transgenic strain containing extremely low amounts of saliva. Although probing times for feeding on mice were longer in transgenic mosquitoes than in wild-type mosquitoes, transgenic mosquitoes still successfully ingested blood. Transgenic mosquitoes also exhibited a significant reduction in oocyst formation in the midgut in a rodent malaria model. These results indicate that mosquito saliva plays an important role in malaria infection in the midgut of anopheline mosquitoes. The dysfunction in the salivary glands enabled the inhibition of malaria transmission from hosts to mosquito midguts. Therefore, salivary components have potential in the development of new drugs or genetically engineered mosquitoes for malaria control.</p></div

Analysis of transgene expression in salivary glands of female AAPP-mBax lines.

<p>(A) Expression of the <i>T7-mBax</i> mRNA in the AAPP-mBax mosquito. The salivary glands (SG), midgut (Mg), and carcass (Ca) of 1-day-old adult females were used in analyses. The whole wild-type (WT) female sample (WB) used for analyses was extracted from 1-3-day-old adults. The <i>ribosomal protein S7</i> (<i>rpS7</i>) gene was used as a control for ubiquitous expression. (B) The expression profile of <i>T7-mBax</i> mRNA in AAPP-mBax line 1 female mosquitoes. One-day-old female pupae and female adults (within 4 h, 1 day, 2 days, 7 days, 9 days, 10 days after eclosion) were used in analyses. Nine-day- and 10-day-old adult females were fed blood 7 days after eclosion (BF). Whole female bodies were used in analyses. The <i>ribosomal protein S7</i> (<i>rpS7</i>) gene was used as a control for ubiquitous expression. (C) Detection of the T7-mBax protein in the salivary gland of AAPP-mBax mosquitoes (line 1) by immunoblotting with anti-T7 antibodies. An anti-alpha-tubulin antibody was used as the loading control. The age of mosquitoes (days post-eclosion) is indicated above. (D) Reductions in the amount of proteins in the salivary glands of female AAPP-mBax mosquitoes (line 1). Silver staining of salivary gland proteins separated by SDS-PAGE. Samples of salivary glands from wild-type (WT) and AAPP-mBax mosquitoes were loaded. The age of mosquitoes (days) is indicated above. (E) The gel loading of the same samples in (D) was analyzed by immunoblotting with the serum of a mouse repeatedly bitten by <i>An</i>. <i>stephensi</i> (anti-saliva).</p

Blockade of <i>P</i>. <i>berghei</i> transmission in transgenic mosquitoes.

<p>Blockade of <i>P</i>. <i>berghei</i> transmission in transgenic mosquitoes.</p

Oocyst numbers of <i>P</i>. <i>berghei</i> in wild-type and AAPP-mBax mosquitoes.

<p>Midguts were dissected 10–12 days after blood feeding and oocyst numbers were counted by microscopy. Homozygous and heterozygous transgenic mosquitoes were tested. (A) Results of line 1. Six independent experiments (Exp 1–6) were shown. (B) Results of line 3. Four independent experiments (Exp 1–4) were shown. The status of transgenic mosquitoes (homozygous or heterozygous) is represented below the numbers of the experiment. These experiments were performed using separate generations of mosquitoes. (*****: <i>P</i> < 0.000001, ***: <i>P</i> < 0.0001, **: <i>P</i> < 0.001, *: <i>P</i> < 0.01, calculated by the Mann-Whitney <i>U</i> test). The line shows the median.</p

The gene structure of the <i>piggyBac</i> transformation vector, pBac[pAAPP-mBax; 3xP3-EGFP], TG mosquito lines, and insertion sites.

<p>(A) The gene construct derived from the <i>piggyBac</i>-based vector contains <i>piggyBac</i> Left-arm (L) and Right-arm (R) with an inverted terminal repeat (ITR). The <i>T7-mBax</i> gene is expressed under the control of the <i>An</i>. <i>stephensi aapp</i> promoter (pAAPP) and <i>An</i>. <i>gambiae trypsin</i> terminator (Tryter). The transformation marker, <i>EGFP</i> is expressed under the control of the <i>3xP3</i> promoter. A double line represents the probe region for a Southern blot analysis. The restriction enzyme (<i>Msp</i> I) site is represented below the scheme. The red arrow represents the primer sites for a RT-PCR analysis in <a href="http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.ppat.1005872#ppat.1005872.g002" target="_blank">Fig 2</a>. (B) A Southern blot analysis of AAPP-mBax lines. Genomic DNA from AAPP-mBax mosquito lines (lines 1 and 3) was digested with <i>Msp</i> I, and hybridized with a fragment corresponding to the <i>piggyBac</i> R region. (C) Insertion sites of the transgene in AAPP-mBax lines 1 and 3. The blue bars show the local DNA region within each genomic scaffold. Black boxes represent the annotated protein-coding region in the VectorBase (<a href="https://www.vectorbase.org/" target="_blank">https://www.vectorbase.org/</a>). Double-headed arrows show the <i>piggyBac</i> construct. L: <i>piggyBac</i> Left-arm, R: <i>piggyBac</i> Right-arm.</p