The Phonology of the Miyako Dialects : Phonological Systems and Comparisons

French National Centre for Scientific ResearchKyoto UniversityFirst Published: August 1, 2012 (in Japanese

Dermoscopy of Pigmented Bowen's Disease Mimicking Early Superficial Spreading Melanoma

A 89-year-old Japanese woman presented at our clinic because of a several months’ history of an asymptomatic gradually enlarging pigmented skin lesion on the dorsum of the left foot. Physical examination revealed a single hyperpigmented oval macule of 5 mm with a rough surface. The color of the lesion was dark brown to light brown. Dermoscopic examination demonstrated atypical pigment network with small dotted vessels. Irregular streaks were also partially noted at the periphery. We suspected superficial spreading melanoma and performed an excision. The histologic features were consistent with a diagnosis of pigmented Bowen's disease. We could not completely account for dermoscopic aspects from the pathological findings of hematoxylin and eosin-stained specimens; therefore, specimens were stained with Fontana-Masson stain. It clearly demonstrated the distribution of melanin in the epidermis. We concluded that atypical network was due to an uneven melanin deposition in the variably thickened epidermal rete ridges

Evaluation of Asthenopia Caused by Game Consoles

A visual function test and a questionnaire survey on asthenopia were performed before and after the use of a game console and compared to clarify the influence of the use of a game console on the visual function and asthenopia of healthy young people. The subjects were 20 healthy young persons aged 20.0 ± 0.5 years (17 females and 3 males). The near point, the rate of high frequency component (HFC) of accommodative microfluctuation, and lacrimal secretion were measured and an original questionnaire survey on asthenopia was performed before and after carrying out a task using a game console. The task was continuous playing of an action race game,‘MARIOKART 8’ (Nintendo) using Wii U (Nintendo), for 2 hours at a visual distance of 170 cm. The near point was 11.86D before the task and it significantly extended to 10.98D after the task (p < 0.05). The rates of HFC of the dominant eye before and after the task were 13.3 and 8.6%, respectively. Those of the non-dominant eye were 8.4 and 8.2%, respectively. And the lacrimal secretions were 21.2 and 21.0 mm, respectively. All the tasks showed no significant changes after each task in any parameter. The score of the subjective questionnaire survey was 14.6 before the task and it significantly increased to 34.8 after the task (p < 0.05). The task of continuous 2-hour operation of the game console significantly extended the near point and caused subjective fatigue

Amphiregulin and Epiregulin mRNA expression in primary colorectal cancer and corresponding liver metastases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Amphiregulin (AREG) and Epiregulin (EREG), ligands of EGFR, are reported to be predictive biomarkers of colorectal cancer patients treated with Cetuximab, an anti-EGFR antibody. The purpose of this study is to determine the correlation of AREG and EREG expression between primary colorectal cancer and corresponding liver metastases.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One hundred twenty colorectal cancer patients with liver metastases (100 with synchronous metastases, 20 with metachronous) were evaluated. No patients had ever received anti-EGFR antibody agents. AREG and EREG mRNA expression from both the primary tumor and liver metastases were measured using real-time RT-PCR. KRAS codon 12, 13 mutation status was analyzed by direct sequencing.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Modest, but significant, correlations were observed between primary tumor and corresponding liver metastases in both AREG mRNA expression (Rs = 0.54, p < 0.0001) and EREG mRNA expression (Rs = 0.58, p < 0.0001). AREG and EREG mRNA expression was strongly correlated in both the primary tumor (Rs = 0.81, p < 0.0001) and the liver metastases (Rs = 0.87, p < 0.0001). No significant survival difference was observed between low and high AREG or EREG patients when all 120 patients were analyzed. However, when divided by KRAS status, KRAS wild-type patients with low EREG mRNA levels in the primary site showed significantly better overall survival rates than those with high levels (p = 0.018). In multivariate analysis, low EREG expression was significantly associated with better overall survival (p = 0.006).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>AREG and EREG expression showed a modest correlation between primary tumor and liver metastases. As EREG mRNA expression was associated with decreased survival, it is appeared to be a useful prognostic marker in KRAS wild-type patients who never received anti-EGFR therapy.</p

Lemon Polyphenols Suppress Diet-induced Obesity by Up-Regulation of mRNA Levels of the Enzymes Involved in β-Oxidation in Mouse White Adipose Tissue

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary lemon polyphenols on high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice, and on the regulation of the expression of the genes involved in lipid metabolism to elucidate the mechanisms. Mice were divided into three groups and fed either a low fat diet (LF) or a high fat diet (HF) or a high fat diet supplemented with 0.5% w/w lemon polyphenols (LP) extracted from lemon peel for 12 weeks. Body weight gain, fat pad accumulation, the development of hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance were significantly suppressed by lemon polyphenols. Supplementation with lemon polyphenols also significantly up-regulated the mRNA level of the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-α (PPARα) compared to the LF and HF groups in the liver. Furthermore, the mRNA level of acyl-CoA oxidase (ACO) was up-regulated in the LP group compared to the LF group, but not HF group in the liver, and was also significantly increased in the epididymal white adipose tissue. Thus, feeding with lemon polyphenols suppressed body weight gain and body fat accumulation by increasing peroxisomal β-oxidation through up-regulation of the mRNA level of ACO in the liver and white adipose tissue, which was likely mediated via up-regulation of the mRNA levels of PPARα

The Digital Museum Project for the documentation of Ikema Ryukyuan

The object of this presentation is to introduce a prototype of the Digital Museum Project in our attempt at the documentation of Ikema, one of the endangered dialects of Southern Ryukyuan, spoken on Miyakojima Island, Okinawa, Japan. The language is no longer acquired by younger people, and is spoken fluently only by people in their 60's or older. We have been studying one of the dialects of the language spoken in Nishihara since January 2006, and have made recordings of natural discourse and elicitation sessions totaling over 400 hours. The local people, especially the senior generations, are deeply concerned about the imminent disappearance of their language and culture, and have been making every effort to pass them on to younger generations. Their enthusiasm culminated in the creation of a vernacular musical titled Nishihara Muradate (The making of the Nishihara village), which depicts their migration to Nishihara from the Ikema Island, their ancestral island, some 130 years ago. It was performed in July 2007, at the 40th anniversary of the Meeting of the Ikema people, with more than a hundred people participating in the performance, was filmed and made into a DVD. Attempts at documenting the language are also being made by a nursery school principal, who has written fairy stories for children, scored traditional songs, and collected proverbs for raising children, all prepared bilingually in Ikema and the standard Japanese. In order to store the recordings we have made and to make the works created by local people accessible to the public, we are constructing a digital museum, a web-based four layered digital storage space. The first two layers are the exhibit space, open to the public and store the general introduction to the language and culture of Ikema, Nisihara Muradate, fairy tales for children, old songs, all subtitled in three languages: Ikema, the standard Japanese, and English. The exhibit space will serve as a forum for the local people in Nishihara, as well as for the people who have migrated to other parts of the world. The second two layers, the access to which is password protected, is for researchers specializing in Ryukyuans. The third layer stores transcribed recordings with translations, papers on Ikema and the related dialects. The fourth layer contains all the raw data, which are accessible only to our research group. We will make a demonstration of the prototype of the museum in this presentation

タンパク質酸化を指標とした茶飲料の抗酸化および酸化促進作用

The ready-to-drink tea beverages from the market were examined to assess their pro-oxidant activities by incubating with bovine serum albumin in the presence of 10 mM 2,2'-azobis (2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH), a water-soluble free radical initiator, or 0.1 mM CuC12 in sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) at 37°C for 90 mM. Protein carbonyl was measured as an index of protein oxidation. In the presence of AAPH, several green tea beverages reduced the formation of protein carbonyl possibly by scavenging free radicals, whereas oolong tea and black tea enhanced the protein carbonyl formation. In the presence of Cu^2+ ions, all tea beverages examined in this study largely increased protein carbonyl content. Additionally catechins oxidized by tyrosinase increased the protein carbonyl formation. These results indicate that oxidized catechins and their derivatives, which are rich in oolong tea and black tea, may be responsible for the protein carbonyl formatio

Research Report on Miyako Ryukyuan : General Study for Research and Conservation of Endangered Dialects in Japan

National Institute for Japanese Language and LinguisticsFrench National Centre for Scientific ResearchKyoto UniversityHiroshima UniversityUniversity of the RyukyusHokusei Gakuen UniversityHitotsubashi UniversityHitotsubashi UniversityHitotsubashi UniversityFirst Published: August 1, 2012 (in Japanese