Shared reflection activities for fostering academic emotion and attitude skills in information studies

In this study, we sought to clarify how activities for learning the content of peers’ self-reflections and self-assessments affect the development of Japanese high-school students’ academic emotion and attitude skills during a unit of Information I , a required course that explores information technology To that end, we proposed a cycle of reflection sharing and evaluation and practiced it throughout the unit. Learners in the experimental group participated in reflection-sharing activities with peers and learners in the control group did not share their reflections with peers . Their responses to LMS delivered pre- and post-practice questionnaires were read by instructors from quantitative, qualitative, and affective perspectives A comparison of the results suggests that shared self-reflection activities can effectively increase learners’ awareness of connection s between their learning and their lives, their interests, and their own improvements and transformations

Shared reflection activities for fostering academic emotion and attitude skills in information studies

In this study, we sought to clarify how activities for learning the content of peers’ self-reflections and self-assessments affect the development of Japanese high-school students’ academic emotion and attitude skills during a unit of Information I, a required course that explores information technology. To that end, we proposed a cycle of reflection, sharing, and evaluation and practiced it throughout the unit. Learners in the experimental group participated in reflection-sharing activities with peers and learners in the control group did not share their reflections with peers. Their responses to LMS delivered pre- and post- practice questionnaires were read by instructors from quantitative, qualitative, and affective perspectives. A comparison of the results suggests that shared self-reflection activities can effectively increase learners’ awareness of connections between their learning an d their lives, their interests, and their own improvements and transformations

Urinary adiponectin as a biomarker for DKD

We previously developed two immune complex transfer enzyme immunoassays (ICT-EIA) to measure total adiponectin (T-AN) and high molecular weight adiponectin (H-AN) in urine and have verified their usefulness as biomarkers for diabetic kidney disease. In this study, we developed T-AN and H-AN assays using the sandwich EIA (Sand-EIA). The reactivities of Sand-EIAs were compared with ICT-EIAs by measuring size exclusion chromatography (SEC) fractions of urine and adiponectin standard. As a result, ICT-EIAs showed higher macromolecular specificity. We then analyzed the molecular profile of adiponectin in the urine of 5 patients with different eGFR stages by measuring SEC fractions of urine. The results showed that smaller adiponectin correlated relatively well with eGFR stage. Finally, because SEC is time-consuming, we investigated that the ratio of T-ANs by Sand-EIA and ICT-EIA could be a good indicator of the monomer adiponectin. The ratio was evaluated using 77 urine samples from patients with diabetes and showed a significant decrease at an earlier stage compared with other biomarkers. In conclusion, we demonstrated a new index to estimate monomer adiponectin in urine by using Sand-EIA and ICT-EIA, and urinary monomer adiponectin can be a good early indicator of deterioration of renal function in diabetic patients

Radiologic Findings of IgG4-Related Disease

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), characterized by an autoimmune phenomenon of prominent lymphocytes, IgG4-bearing plasma cell infiltration and storiform fibrosis, has been widely reported as a specific type of chronic pancreatitis. Typical image findings of this disease are reported as diffuse pancreatic swelling and a capsule-like rim on CT or MRI. However, AIP presents with a variable morphology, such as focal, segmental and multifocal swellings. Because imaging findings for AIP can look like those of pancreatic cancer, AIP has often been treated with unnecessary surgical resection. In addition, AIP is complicated by the involvement of various other organs besides the pancreas that show lymphoplasmacytic infiltration and fibrosis. These are frequently misdiagnosed as inherent lesions of corresponding organs. Furthermore, these extra-pancreatic lesions show systemic distribution and share common features of IgG4- bearing plasma cell infiltration as well as favorable responses to corticosteroid, indicating the presence of systemic condition, IgG4-related diseases. AIP is now recognized as an IgG4-related disease. Detailed evaluations of imaging findings of CT, MRI and Gallium-67 (Ga-67) scintigraphy for the involvement of these various organs are useful for a correct diagnosis of this systemic disease.ArticleCurrent Immunology Reviews. 7(2):186-203 (2011)journal articl

Competitive Binding Assay with an Umbelliferone-Based Fluorescent Rexinoid for Retinoid X Receptor Ligand Screening

Ligands for retinoid X receptors (RXRs), "rexinoids", are attracting interest as candidates for therapy of type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. However, current screening methods for rexinoids are slow and require special apparatus or facilities. Here, we created 7-hydroxy-2-oxo-6-(3,5,5,8,8-pentamethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl)-2H-chromene-3-carboxylic acid (10, CU-6PMN) as a new fluorescent RXR agonist and developed a screening system of rexinoids using 10. Compound 10 was designed based on the fact that umbelliferone emits strong fluorescence in a hydrophilic environment, but the fluorescence intensity decreases in hydrophobic environments such as the interior of proteins. The developed assay using 10 enabled screening of rexinoids to be performed easily within a few hours by monitoring changes of fluorescence intensity with widely available fluorescence microplate readers, without the need for processes such as filtration

Development of fully automated and ultrasensitive assays for urinary adiponectin and their application as novel biomarkers for diabetic kidney disease

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) are used to diagnose and classify the severity of chronic kidney disease. Total adiponectin (T-AN) and high molecular weight adiponectin (H-AN) assays were developed using the fully automated immunoassay system, HI-1000 and their significance over conventional biomarkers were investigated. The T-AN and H-AN assays had high reproducibility, good linearity, and sufficient sensitivity to detect trace amounts of adiponectin in the urine. Urine samples after gel filtration were analyzed for the presence of different molecular isoforms. Low molecular weight (LMW) forms and monomers were the major components (93%) of adiponectin in the urine from a diabetic patient with normoalbuminuria. Urine from a microalbuminuria patient contained both high molecular weight (HMW) (11%) and middle molecular weight (MMW) (28%) adiponectin, although the LMW level was still high (52%). The amount of HMW (32%) and MMW (42%) were more abundant than that of LMW (24%) in a diabetic patient with macroalbuminuria. T-AN (r = − 0.43) and H-AN (r = − 0.38) levels showed higher correlation with estimated GFR (eGFR) than UAER (r = − 0.23). Urinary levels of both T-AN and H-AN negatively correlated with renal function in diabetic patients and they may serve as new biomarkers for diabetic kidney disease