Muisti ja Arki : Ajankohtaista tietoa muistisairauksista, niiden ennaltaehkäisemisestä sekä arjesta muistisairauden kanssa

Suomen väestön ikärakenne muuttuu nopeasti lähivuosikymmeninä. Tilastokeskuksen ennusteiden mukaan yli 75-vuotiaiden määrä kaksinkertaistuisi vuoteen 2030 mennessä, joten muistisairauksien esiintyvyys tulee myös lisääntymään ikääntyvien määrän kasvaessa. Opinnäytetyömme idea sai alkunsa SenioriKaste-hankkeelta, joka toivoi ensitietopäivän järjestämistä Keski-Pohjanmaan alueella muistisairauksiin sairastuneille sekä heidän läheisilleen. Opinnäytetyömme tarkoituksena oli järjestää muistisairauksia käsittelevä tilaisuus muistisairauteen sairastuneille sekä heidän läheisilleen. Tilaisuus oli myös avoin kaikille asiasta kiinnostuneille. Opinnäytetyömme tavoitteena oli välittää muistisairauteen sairastuneille ja heidän läheisilleen ajankohtaista tietoa muistisairauksista sekä keinoista, joiden avulla kotona pärjääminen onnistuu mahdollisimman pitkään. Kartoitimme yhteistyökumppaneidemme kautta aiheen tärkeyttä ja tarvetta. Heidän asiakkailtaan saadun palautteen perusteella varmistuimme tilaisuuden järjestämisen tärkeydestä ja tiedon tarpeellisuudesta. Opinnäytetyömme toteutui toiminnallisena projektityönä yhteistyössä toimeksiantajan SenioriKaste-hankkeen kanssa Kokkolassa 4.6.2015. Tilaisuudessa luennoitiin muistisairauksien ennaltaehkäisemisestä, yleisimmistä muistisairauksista, muistisairauksien varhaisesta tunnistamisesta sekä niiden tuomista haasteista ja vaikutuksista ihmisen jokapäiväiseen elämään. Tilaisuuteen osallistui yhteensä 140 henkilöä. Osallistujilta kerättiin kirjallinen palaute. Palautekyselyistä tehtiin yhteenveto ja kehittämisehdotukset kirjattiin myös opinnäytetyöhön. Tilaisuus vastasi yleisesti osallistujien odotuksia kiitettävästi. Projekti toteutettiin parityöskentelynä, jossa onnistuimme kiitettävästi.The age structure of Finnish population is changing rapidly within the next few decades. Statistics prognosis is that the number of over 75 years old people will be doubled by 2030, so the occurrence of memory disorders will increase with aging people. The idea for this study got its start from Senior Initiation project that wished a public lecture to be organized in Central Ostrobothnia for patients with memory disorder and their families. The purpose of our study was to organize a memory disorder event for the aforementioned groups. The occasion was open for anyone who was interested in it. The aim of this study was to provide current information to memory disorder patients and their loved ones about memory disorders and ways to cope with it at home as long as possible. Through our co-operation partners we surveyed the importance and need of the topic. Based on the feedback from their clients we were convinced of the importance of the event and the need for information. Our thesis was completed as a functional project work together with our client Senior Initiation project in Kokkola 4th of June 2015. The prevention of memory disorders, most common memory disorders, their early recognition and the challenges and effects they bring to people’s everyday lives were discussed during this event. The total of 140 people took part in the event. A written feedback was collected from all participants. A summary was made from the feedback survey, and all development proposals were registered also in this thesis. The event corresponded in general to the participants’ expectations very well. The project was implemented as pair work, in which we succeeded commendably

Shallow and deep trap states of solvated electrons in methanol and their formation, electronic excitation, and relaxation dynamics

We present condensed-phase first-principles molecular dynamics simulations to elucidate the presence of different electron trapping sites in liquid methanol and their roles in the formation, electronic transitions, and relaxation of solvated electrons (emet−) in methanol. Excess electrons injected into liquid methanol are most likely trapped by methyl groups, but rapidly diffuse to more stable trapping sites with dangling OH bonds. After localization at the sites with one free OH bond (1OH trapping sites), reorientation of other methanol molecules increases the OH coordination number and the trap depth, and ultimately four OH bonds become coordinated with the excess electrons under thermal conditions. The simulation identified four distinct trapping states with different OH coordination numbers. The simulation results also revealed that electronic transitions of emet− are primarily due to charge transfer between electron trapping sites (cavities) formed by OH and methyl groups, and that these transitions differ from hydrogenic electronic transitions involving aqueous solvated electrons (eaq−). Such charge transfer also explains the alkyl-chain-length dependence of the photoabsorption peak wavelength and the excited-state lifetime of solvated electrons in primary alcohols

Time- and Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy of Hydrated Electrons Near a Liquid Water Surface

世界で初めて、溶液反応の超高速時間・角度分解光電子分光に成功 --溶液化学反応の機構解明に前進--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2014-04-22.We present time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of trapped electrons near liquid surfaces. Photoemission from the ground state of a hydrated electron at 260 nm is found to be isotropic, while anisotropic photoemission is observed for the excited states of 1, 4-diazabicyclo[2, 2, 2]octane and I− in aqueous solutions. Our results indicate that surface and subsurface species create hydrated electrons in the bulk side. No signature of a surface-bound electron has been observed

Phylogeny, hybridization, and life history evolution of Rhinogobius gobies in Japan, inferred from multiple nuclear gene sequences.

最も多様な淡水性ハゼ科魚類、ヨシノボリ類の進化史を解明 -回遊魚の淡水域への適応進化と大規模な種間交雑-. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2015-05-26.Rhinogobius fishes (Gobiidae) are distributed widely in East and Southeast Asia, and represent the most species-rich group of freshwater gobies with diversified life histories (i.e., amphidromous, fluvial, and lentic). To reveal their phylogenetic relationships and life history evolution patterns, we sequenced six nuclear and three mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) loci from 18 species, mainly from the mainland of Japan and the Ryukyu Archipelago. Our phylogenetic tree based on nuclear genes resolved three major clades, including several distinct subclades. The mtDNA and nuclear DNA phylogenies showed large discordance, which strongly suggested mitochondrial introgression through large-scale interspecific hybridization in these regions. On the basis of the molecular dating using geological data as calibration points, the hybridization occurred in the early to middle Pleistocene. Reconstruction of the ancestral states of life history traits based on nuclear DNA phylogeny suggests that the evolutionary change from amphidromous to freshwater life, accompanied by egg size change, occurred independently in at least three lineages. One of these lineages showed two life history alterations, i.e., from amphidromous (small egg) to fluvial (large egg) to lentic (small egg). Although more inclusive analysis using species outside Japan should be further conducted, the present results suggest the importance of the life history evolution associated with high adaptability to freshwater environments in the remarkable species diversification in this group. Such life history divergences may have contributed to the development of reproductive isolation

Donor mesenchymal stem cells trigger chronic graft-versus-host disease following minor antigen-mismatched bone marrow transplantation

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a complication after minor antigen mismatched bone marrow transplantation (BMT) characterized by an autoimmune-type reaction in various organs. Aberration in T cell regulation is involved, with donor mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) playing a possible role in immunomodulation. In a minor-antigen mismatched mouse BMT model, transplantation of mismatched, but not syngeneic MSCs triggered the onset of cGVHD, and was associated with fibrosis, increased IL-6 secretion, decreased Foxp3+ regulatory T cells and increased Th17 in the peripheral blood. Mismatched MSCs alone were sufficient to induce cGVHD, while removal of donor MSCs rescued mice from cGVHD. RAG2 knockout recipient mice did not suffer cGVHD, indicating that host T cells were involved. Residual host-derived T cells were significantly higher in cGVHD patients compared to non-cGVHD patients. In conclusion, donor MSCs react with residual host T cells to trigger the progression of cGVHD

Evaluation of toxicity of the mycotoxin citrinin using yeast ORF DNA microarray and Oligo DNA microarray

BACKGROUND: Mycotoxins are fungal secondary metabolites commonly present in feed and food, and are widely regarded as hazardous contaminants. Citrinin, one of the very well known mycotoxins that was first isolated from Penicillium citrinum, is produced by more than 10 kinds of fungi, and is possibly spread all over the world. However, the information on the action mechanism of the toxin is limited. Thus, we investigated the citrinin-induced genomic response for evaluating its toxicity. RESULTS: Citrinin inhibited growth of yeast cells at a concentration higher than 100 ppm. We monitored the citrinin-induced mRNA expression profiles in yeast using the ORF DNA microarray and Oligo DNA microarray, and the expression profiles were compared with those of the other stress-inducing agents. Results obtained from both microarray experiments clustered together, but were different from those of the mycotoxin patulin. The oxidative stress response genes – AADs, FLR1, OYE3, GRE2, and MET17 – were significantly induced. In the functional category, expression of genes involved in "metabolism", "cell rescue, defense and virulence", and "energy" were significantly activated. In the category of "metabolism", genes involved in the glutathione synthesis pathway were activated, and in the category of "cell rescue, defense and virulence", the ABC transporter genes were induced. To alleviate the induced stress, these cells might pump out the citrinin after modification with glutathione. While, the citrinin treatment did not induce the genes involved in the DNA repair. CONCLUSION: Results from both microarray studies suggest that citrinin treatment induced oxidative stress in yeast cells. The genotoxicity was less severe than the patulin, suggesting that citrinin is less toxic than patulin. The reproducibility of the expression profiles was much better with the Oligo DNA microarray. However, the Oligo DNA microarray did not completely overcome cross hybridization

Design and characterization of a magnetic bottle electron spectrometer for time-resolved extreme UV and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy of liquid microjets

We describe a magnetic bottle time-of-flight electron spectrometer designed for time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of a liquid microjet using extreme UV and X-ray radiation. The spectrometer can be easily reconfigured depending on experimental requirements and the energy range of interest. To improve the energy resolution at high electron kinetic energy, a retarding potential can be applied either via a stack of electrodes or retarding mesh grids, and a flight-tube extension can be attached to increase the flight time. A gated electron detector was developed to reject intense parasitic signal from light scattered off the surface of the cylindrically shaped liquid microjet. This detector features a two-stage multiplication with a microchannel plate plus a fast-response scintillator followed by an image-intensified photon detector. The performance of the spectrometer was tested at SPring-8 and SACLA, and time-resolved photoelectron spectra were measured for an ultrafast charge transfer to solvent reaction in an aqueous NaI solution with a 200 nm UV pump pulses from a table-top ultrafast laser and the 5.5 keV hard X-ray probe pulses from SACLA