Where did the super-small sized large bowel advanced cancer come from?

Our study suggested that the super-small sized (less than 15 mm in maximum diameter) large bowel advanced cancers, which were sometimes found, were derived from the superficial depressed-type or flat elevation-type of the colorectal early cancers, not polyp-type of those

<臨床>胃切除術後の単位体積当たりの骨密度の変化 : Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) 法による検討

We used dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to study changes in estimated volumetric bone mineral density (EstVBMD) of the lumbar spine after gastrectomy. The study group comprised 41 men and 32 women. When EstVBMD was compared according to sex among patients younger than 60 years of age, patients 60 to 69 years of age, and patients these three groups in men (0.185 g/cm_3, 0.187 g/cm_3, 0.187 g/cm_3, respectively). In contrast , EstVBMD was significantly lower in women 60 to 69 years of age (0.157 g/cm_3) and those 70 years of age or older (0.159 g/cm_3) than in women younger than 60 years (0.200 g/cm_3) (P<0.01). When the relation between EstVBMD and the number of months after gastrectomy was studied according to sex in patients younger than 70 years, EstVBMD negatively correlated with the interval after operation in men (r= -0.365, P<0.05), whereas ther e was no correlation between these variables in women. These results suggest that after gastrectomy bone mineral density decreases gradually in men younger than 70 years, but not in women. The lack of a consistent change in bone mineral density after gastrectomy in women is apparently caused by the marked effect on bone metabolism of decreased female hormone levels after menopause.胃切除後の腰椎の骨密度の変化を dual energy X-ray absorptiornetory （DXA） 法で測定し, 単位体積当たりの計測値（Estimated volumetric bone mineral density: EstVBMD）を求めることにより検討した. 男女別に60歳未満, 60歳代, 70歳以上の群で比較すると, 男性では 0.185 g/cm_3, 0.187 g/cm_3, 0.187 g/cm_3と大差がなかった. 一方, 女性では 0.200 g/cm_3, 0.157 g/cm_3, 0.159 g/cm_3 と60歳未満の症例と比較し60歳代, 70歳以上の症例では減少し有意差を認めた. 70歳未満の症例で男女別に術後月数と骨密度との関係をみると, 男性では経過期間とともに骨密度は減少し, 負の相関関係 （r= -0.365, P<0.05）が認められたが, 女性では両者は独立した関係であった. 70歳未満の男性では胃切術後に徐々に骨塩量が低下するが, 女性では閉経後の女性ホルモン減少が強く骨代謝に現れるため胃切術後の影響が個々で異なることが示唆された

Residents' Evaluation of the Functions of Irrigation Canals in Hikawa Town as a Waterside Environment

用水路にどのような水辺環境機能があるかを調べるために,住民に対してアンケート調査を行った.アンケートは回答者の属性と用水路の機能項目の2つに大きく分けて質問し,結果をそれらの問のクロス連関を中心として分析した.また全部で18個の機能項目に関して,因子分析を行い,今回の調査では,住民は水辺環境に対して,景観整備機能,自然-親水機能,および生活的な利水-管理機能の3つの主要な機能要因を意識していることがわかった.また,これらの要因はアンケート結果の解釈の段階で,各機能項目に実際的な影響を与えていることが確められた.次に得られた主要な結果と,それらに対する整備の方針を述べる. (1)物を洗ったり,水を汲んだりする事が用水路利用と強く結びついている.農業従事者の58%,「水路へ毎日のように行く」人々の53%が「物を洗う」ことに「非常に機能している」と高い評価を与えた.農業地域では用水路の水辺環境機能として,「物を洗う」ことを重視し,水質の浄化をはじめとして,洗い場の数や配置等の具体的な問題では住民の意見を取り入れた整備計画が求められる. (2)用水路改修直後の原鹿地区では,「美観」,「水質浄化」および「危険管理」等の項目で他の地区に比較して,高い評価が与えられたが,一方「物を洗う」ことでは,やや低い評価であった.また「自然の生物に親しむ」や「散水」などの自然-親水機能では住民の評価は他の地区に較べて低調であった.水路の改修,新設に当たって,岸辺の構造やデザインに配慮を行い,自然-親水機能や水路へのアクセスが失われないようにすることが大切である. (3)砂川用水路では上流地区と下流地区で意識の違いが見られた.特に,下流部では,水路までの距離が「0-5m未満」の近距離居住者の中の30%以上の人が,「水質浄化」が「機能していない」と低い評価を与えた.今後は農業用水にとっての水質基準とともに,水辺環境に対する水質基準などの検討も必要である. 最後に,本報告では住民が自然-親水機能に対して,一定の強さの潜在的な関心を抱いている事を確認したが,現状では生活的な利水機能に較べて,自然-親水機能に対する評価は低調であった.ただ周りの丘陵的な自然に恵まれた出西高瀬川地区では自然-親水機能が比較的よく保全されていると考えられた.今日,自然への無関心や環境の悪化のために,水路から水辺環境が失われていくことが多い.したがって自然-親水機能に対する保全的で,計画的な整備が今後の重要な課題としてあげられる

An Exemplifying Study on Converted Substitute Lots for Non-Agricultural Use in an Agricultural Land Consolidation Project

Modernizaion of rural regions and their agriculture is completed by a comprehensive rural project which includes both large scale farming land consolidation and improvement of rural settlement. The comprehensive project must include not only a settlement improvement project to match the settlement to her rich environmental nature, taking advantage of climatic, historical and cultural aspects, but also a project to develop comfortable modern institutions such as cultural education and welfare of the inhabit-ants. Furthermore, enhancement of economic and social activity is also needed, such as attracting technology factories for assuring the employment of the inhabitants, aiming to prevent the population from flowing out of the area. In accomplishing such a project successfully, larger converted substitute lots for non-agricultural use have been more keenly required than ever before. To convince the inhabitants of the necessity for establishment of converted lots and to obtain their cooperation, it is considered to be most important to investigate and develop a reasonable and understandable processing method. This study reports a successful example of converted substitute lots for non-agricultural use in the process of the agricultural land consolidation project which was conducted in Hikawa town, Shimane prefecture. The reasons for the success were analyzed in each case. In addition, some issues and countermoves are discussed for problems which are encountered in promoting converted substitute lots for non-agricultural use

Arachidonic Acid Drives Postnatal Neurogenesis and Elicits a Beneficial Effect on Prepulse Inhibition, a Biological Trait of Psychiatric Illnesses

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is a compelling endophenotype (biological markers) for mental disorders including schizophrenia. In a previous study, we identified Fabp7, a fatty acid binding protein 7 as one of the genes controlling PPI in mice and showed that this gene was associated with schizophrenia. We also demonstrated that disrupting Fabp7 dampened hippocampal neurogenesis. In this study, we examined a link between neurogenesis and PPI using different animal models and exploring the possibility of postnatal manipulation of neurogenesis affecting PPI, since gene-deficient mice show biological disturbances from prenatal stages. In parallel, we tested the potential for dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), arachidonic acid (ARA) and/or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), to promote neurogenesis and improve PPI. PUFAs are ligands for Fabp members and are abundantly expressed in neural stem/progenitor cells in the hippocampus. Our results are: (1) an independent model animal, Pax6 (+/−) rats, exhibited PPI deficits along with impaired postnatal neurogenesis; (2) methylazoxymethanol acetate (an anti-proliferative drug) elicited decreased neurogenesis even in postnatal period, and PPI defects in young adult rats (10 weeks) when the drug was given at the juvenile stage (4–5 weeks); (3) administering ARA for 4 weeks after birth promoted neurogenesis in wild type rats; (4) raising Pax6 (+/−) pups on an ARA-containing diet enhanced neurogenesis and partially improved PPI in adult animals. These results suggest the potential benefit of ARA in ameliorating PPI deficits relevant to psychiatric disorders and suggest that the effect may be correlated with augmented postnatal neurogenesis

Cdh23 and Prepulse Inhibition

We previously identified quantitative trait loci (QTL) for prepulse inhibition (PPI), an endophenotype of schizophrenia, on mouse chromosome 10 and reported Fabp7 as a candidate gene from an analysis of F2 mice from inbred strains with high (C57BL/6N; B6) and low (C3H/HeN; C3H) PPI levels. Here, we reanalyzed the previously reported QTLs with increased marker density. The highest logarithm of odds score (26.66) peaked at a synonymous coding and splice-site variant, c.753G>A (rs257098870), in the Cdh23 gene on chromosome 10; the c.753G (C3H) allele showed a PPI-lowering effect. Bayesian multiple QTL mapping also supported the same variant with a posterior probability of 1. Thus, we engineered the c.753G (C3H) allele into the B6 genetic background, which led to dampened PPI. We also revealed an e-QTL (expression QTL) effect imparted by the c.753G>A variant for the Cdh23 expression in the brain. In a human study, a homologous variant (c.753G>A; rs769896655) in CDH23 showed a nominally significant enrichment in individuals with schizophrenia. We also identified multiple potentially deleterious CDH23 variants in individuals with schizophrenia. Collectively, the present study reveals a PPI-regulating Cdh23 variant and a possible contribution of CDH23 to schizophrenia susceptibility

Fabp7 Maps to a Quantitative Trait Locus for a Schizophrenia Endophenotype

Deficits in prepulse inhibition (PPI) are a biological marker for schizophrenia. To unravel the mechanisms that control PPI, we performed quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis on 1,010 F2 mice derived by crossing C57BL/6 (B6) animals that show high PPI with C3H/He (C3) animals that show low PPI. We detected six major loci for PPI, six for the acoustic startle response, and four for latency to response peak, some of which were sex-dependent. A promising candidate on the Chromosome 10-QTL was Fabp7 (fatty acid binding protein 7, brain), a gene with functional links to the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor and expression in astrocytes. Fabp7-deficient mice showed decreased PPI and a shortened startle response latency, typical of the QTL's proposed effects. A quantitative complementation test supported Fabp7 as a potential PPI-QTL gene, particularly in male mice. Disruption of Fabp7 attenuated neurogenesis in vivo. Human FABP7 showed altered expression in schizophrenic brains and genetic association with schizophrenia, which were both evident in males when samples were divided by sex. These results suggest that FABP7 plays a novel and crucial role, linking the NMDA, neurodevelopmental, and glial theories of schizophrenia pathology and the PPI endophenotype, with larger or overt effects in males. We also discuss the results from the perspective of fetal programming