Dry Stone Wall Relics as a Part of Cultural Landscapes: A Case Study from the Foot of Mt. Hira Region in Japan

[EN] Shishigaki (wild boar defense walls), as a part of cultural landscapes in Japan, currently faces serious deterioration. The research aims to identify the characteristics of Shishigaki walls in eight villages located at the foot of Mt. Hira and propose conservation strategies. Interpretation of historical documents and cadastral maps, interviews, and measurement surveys were conducted. As a result, about 4,3 km of Shish-igaki relics are confirmed, of a total length up to12,7 km built in the 18th to 19th century. Shishigaki walls were built by local households collaboratively with different drystone masonry techniques. Based on the field surveys, it was found that although up to 91% of Shishigaki walls located within the village territories were demolished, only half of Shishigaki walls in the forest were deconstructed. Loss of functionality as protection fences with the change of land use is considered as the main reason for the demolition of Shish-igaki walls. It is suggested that Shishigaki relics in the forest could be integrated into existing hiking routes and promoted through collaborative map-making with local residents. The authors contest that heritage interpretation rooted in local historical studies and conservation with community involvement could be adopted in the promotion of cultural landscapes worldwide.This research was supported by the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature Eco-DRR Project (14200103).Ochiai, C.; Wang, J. (2022). Dry Stone Wall Relics as a Part of Cultural Landscapes: A Case Study from the Foot of Mt. Hira Region in Japan. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 417-424. https://doi.org/10.4995/HERITAGE2022.2022.1513741742

Comparison of the virulence of exopolysaccharide-producing Prevotella intermedia to exopolysaccharide non-producing periodontopathic organisms

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Evidence in the literature suggests that exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced by bacterial cells are essential for the expression of virulence in these organisms. Secreted EPSs form the framework in which microbial biofilms are built.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This study evaluates the role of EPS in <it>Prevotella intermedia </it>for the expression of virulence. This evaluation was accomplished by comparing EPS-producing <it>P. intermedia </it>strains 17 and OD1-16 with non-producing <it>P. intermedia </it>ATCC 25611 and <it>Porphyromonas gingivalis </it>strains ATCC 33277, 381 and W83 for their ability to induce abscess formation in mice and evade phagocytosis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>EPS-producing <it>P. intermedia </it>strains 17 and OD1-16 induced highly noticeable abscess lesions in mice at 10⁷colony-forming units (CFU). In comparison, <it>P. intermedia </it>ATCC 25611 and <it>P. gingivalis </it>ATCC 33277, 381 and W83, which all lacked the ability to produce viscous materials, required 100-fold more bacteria (10⁹CFU) in order to induce detectable abscess lesions in mice. Regarding antiphagocytic activity, <it>P. intermedia </it>strains 17 and OD1-16 were rarely internalized by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes, but other strains were readily engulfed and detected in the phagosomes of these phagocytes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results demonstrate that the production of EPS by <it>P. intermedia </it>strains 17 and OD1-16 could contribute to the pathogenicity of this organism by conferring their ability to evade the host's innate defence response.</p

The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide

Background: A plant-based diet protects against chronic oxidative stress-related diseases. Dietary plants contain variable chemical families and amounts of antioxidants. It has been hypothesized that plant antioxidants may contribute to the beneficial health effects of dietary plants. Our objective was to develop a comprehensive food database consisting of the total antioxidant content of typical foods as well as other dietary items such as traditional medicine plants, herbs and spices and dietary supplements. This database is intended for use in a wide range of nutritional research, from in vitro and cell and animal studies, to clinical trials and nutritional epidemiological studies. Methods: We procured samples from countries worldwide and assayed the samples for their total antioxidant content using a modified version of the FRAP assay. Results and sample information (such as country of origin, product and/or brand name) were registered for each individual food sample and constitute the Antioxidant Food Table. Results: The results demonstrate that there are several thousand-fold differences in antioxidant content of foods. Spices, herbs and supplements include the most antioxidant rich products in our study, some exceptionally high. Berries, fruits, nuts, chocolate, vegetables and products thereof constitute common foods and beverages with high antioxidant values. Conclusions: This database is to our best knowledge the most comprehensive Antioxidant Food Database published and it shows that plant-based foods introduce significantly more antioxidants into human diet than non-plant foods. Because of the large variations observed between otherwise comparable food samples the study emphasizes the importance of using a comprehensive database combined with a detailed system for food registration in clinical and epidemiological studies. The present antioxidant database is therefore an essential research tool to further elucidate the potential health effects of phytochemical antioxidants in diet

Development of Risk Prediction Equations for Incident Chronic Kidney Disease

IMPORTANCE ‐ Early identification of individuals at elevated risk of developing chronic kidney disease  could improve clinical care through enhanced surveillance and better management of underlying health  conditions.  OBJECTIVE – To develop assessment tools to identify individuals at increased risk of chronic kidney  disease, defined by reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).  DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS – Individual level data analysis of 34 multinational cohorts from  the CKD Prognosis Consortium including 5,222,711 individuals from 28 countries. Data were collected  from April, 1970 through January, 2017. A two‐stage analysis was performed, with each study first  analyzed individually and summarized overall using a weighted average. Since clinical variables were  often differentially available by diabetes status, models were developed separately within participants  with diabetes and without diabetes. Discrimination and calibration were also tested in 9 external  cohorts (N=2,253,540). EXPOSURE Demographic and clinical factors.  MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES – Incident eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2.  RESULTS – In 4,441,084 participants without diabetes (mean age, 54 years, 38% female), there were  660,856 incident cases of reduced eGFR during a mean follow‐up of 4.2 years. In 781,627 participants  with diabetes (mean age, 62 years, 13% female), there were 313,646 incident cases during a mean follow‐up of 3.9 years. Equations for the 5‐year risk of reduced eGFR included age, sex, ethnicity, eGFR, history of cardiovascular disease, ever smoker, hypertension, BMI, and albuminuria. For participants  with diabetes, the models also included diabetes medications, hemoglobin A1c, and the interaction  between the two. The risk equations had a median C statistic for the 5‐year predicted probability of  0.845 (25th – 75th percentile, 0.789‐0.890) in the cohorts without diabetes and 0.801 (25th – 75th percentile, 0.750‐0.819) in the cohorts with diabetes. Calibration analysis showed that 9 out of 13 (69%) study populations had a slope of observed to predicted risk between 0.80 and 1.25. Discrimination was  similar in 18 study populations in 9 external validation cohorts; calibration showed that 16 out of 18 (89%) had a slope of observed to predicted risk between 0.80 and 1.25. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE – Equations for predicting risk of incident chronic kidney disease developed in over 5 million people from 34 multinational cohorts demonstrated high discrimination and  variable calibration in diverse populations

Spatial composition and building techniques of farmhouses prone to windstorms:a case study in Arakawa Village, Shiga Prefecture, Japan

In Arakawa Village, the strong Hira downslope windstorm blowing from the Hira Mountains toward Lake Biwa, poses a great challenge for timber housing structures, which are prone to deformation. To understand the countermeasures applied in local farmhouses to mitigate the effect of wind attacks, features of historical housing and land lot layouts from the Meiji Era (1868–1912) were studied and interviews with local villagers and craftsmen were conducted. It was found that a significant majority of houses were built along the wind direction, with a closed front façade. Contrariwise, subsidiary structures, such as storage buildings and retirement houses, were placed perpendicularly to the wind direction, forming wind fences to protect the front yards, which served as agricultural workspaces. The features of spatial composition have been explained by local craftsmen as technical countermeasures; according to them, farmhouses were built on an incline of about 3–5 cm into the wind direction to mitigate deformation of timber structure. The study suggests that spatial composition of vernacular farmhouses and building techniques could offer effective strategies for sustainable rural planning and be employed to enhance the wind resistance of modern timber constructions, especially for regions prone to powerful prevailing winds worldwide

Modular synthesis of nimbolide and its analogues as PARP1 trapping inducers

PARP1 inhibitors (PARPi) has reshaped the clinical treatment of cancer patients with germline BRCA1/2 mutations presumably due to their ability to induce PARP1 trapping. Since PARPi resistance is frequently observed, there is still an unmet need to develop next generation PARP1-targeting agents for a more complete and sustained therapeutic effect. Historically, natural products have played pivotal roles in anticancer drug development by providing novel targets and mechanism of actions. In our recent discovery20, a ring seco-C limonoid natural product, nimbolide, was found to inhibit a Poly-ADPRibosylation (PARylation)-dependent ubiquitin E3 ligase RNF114, and in doing so, induce the “super trapping” of both PARylated PARP1 and PAR-dependent DNA repair factors. Modular access to nimbolide and its analogues represents an opportunity to develop novel agents as the second generation PARP1-targeting agents for the treatment of BRCA-deficient cancers. Here, we report a convergent synthesis of nimbolide through a pharmacophore-directed, late-stage coupling strategy. The broad generality of this route is demonstrated through the synthesis of a variety of analogues with their preliminary cellular cytotoxicity and PARP1 trapping activity reported

Nitric Oxide Donor Modulates a Multispecies Oral Bacterial Community—An In Vitro Study

The deterioration of human oral microbiota is known to not only cause oral diseases but also to affect systemic health. Various environmental factors are thought to influence the disruption and restoration of the oral ecosystem. In this study, we focused on the effect of nitric oxide (NO) produced by denitrification and NO synthase enzymes on dental plaque microbiota. Interdental plaques collected from 10 subjects were exposed to NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and then cultured in a specialized growth medium. Depending on the concentration of exposed SNP, a decrease in &alpha;-diversity and a continuous change in &beta;-diversity in the dental plaque community were shown by sequencing bacterial 16S rRNA genes. We also identified eight operational taxonomic units that were significantly altered by NO exposure. Among them, the exposure of NO donors to Fusobacterium nucleatum cells showed a decrease in survival rate consistent with the results of microbiota analysis. Meanwhile, in addition to NO tolerance, an increase in the tetrazolium salt-reducing activity of Campylobacter concisus cells was confirmed by exposure to SNP. This study provides an overview of how oral plaque microbiota shifts with exposure to NO and may contribute to the development of a method for adjusting the balance of the oral microbiome

Pollution-Derived Br2 Boosts Oxidation Power of the Coastal Atmosphere

The bromine atom (Br center dot) has been known to destroy ozone (O-3) and accelerate the deposition of toxic mercury (Hg). However, its abundance and sources outside the polar regions are not well-known. Here, we report significant levels of molecular bromine (Br-2)-a producer of Br-center dot -observed at a coastal site in Hong Kong, with an average noontime mixing ratio of 5 ppt. Given the short lifetime of Br-2 (similar to 1 min at noon), this finding reveals a large Br-2 daytime source. On the basis of laboratory and field evidence, we show that the observed daytime Br-2 is generated by the photodissociation of particulate nitrate (NO3-) and that the reactive uptake of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) on aerosols is an important nighttime source. Model-calculated Br-center dot concentrations are comparable with that of the OH radical -the primary oxidant in the troposphere, accounting for 24% of the oxidation of isoprene, a 13% increase in net O-3 production, and a nearly 10-fold increase in the production rate of toxic HgII. Our findings reveal that reactive bromines play a larger role in the atmospheric chemistry and air quality of polluted coastal and maritime areas than previously thought. Our results also suggest that tightening the control of emissions of two conventional pollutants (NOx and SO2)-thereby decreasing the levels of nitrate and aerosol acidity -would alleviate halogen radical production and its adverse impact on air quality.Peer reviewe