The Dugesia ryukyuensis Database as a Molecular Resource for Studying Switching of the Reproductive System

The planarian Dugesia ryukyuensis reproduces both asexually and sexually, and can switch from one mode of reproduction to the other. We recently developed a method for experimentally switching reproduction of the planarian from the asexual to the sexual mode. We constructed a cDNA library from sexualized D. ryukyuensis and sequenced and analyzed 8,988 expressed sequence tags (ESTs). The ESTs were analyzed and grouped into 3,077 non-redundant sequences, leaving 1,929 singletons that formed the basis of unigene sets. Fifty-six percent of the cDNAs analyzed shared similarity (E-value<1E -20) with sequences deposited in NCBI. Highly redundant sequences encoded granulin and actin, which are expressed in the whole body, and other redundant sequences encoded a Vasa-like protein, which is known to be a component of germ-line cells and is expressed in the ovary, and Y-protein, which is expressed in the testis. The sexualized planarian expressed sequence tag database (http://planaria.bio.keio.ac.jp/planaria/) is an open-access, online resource providing access to sequence, classification, clustering, and annotation data. This database should constitute a powerful tool for analyzing sexualization in planarians

大学授業における予習としてのマインドマップの活用

The present study was aimed at exploring educational effects and issues of using Mind Map homework in a university class. A qualitative study related to educational effectsand issues was conducted on thirty-two university students through an open-endedquestionnaire. Content analysis was performed by the KJ method （Kawakita, 1970）.Consequently, eighteen responses as educational effects and twenty-four responses as issues were reported. Through the KJ method, five items were categorized aseducational effects, and four as issues. In specific terms, the following items werecategorized as educational effects: “Facilitating learning motivation” “Booster effect ofpreview” “Deep learning” “Deep learning from others” and “Facilitating generic skills”.The results of our study showed that the Mind Map homework facilitated the student\u27s learning motivation and deep learning. The results of this study were expected to beused as basic data to support using Mind Map homework in the university class

特別養護老人ホームにおける給食の給与栄養量と食品群別提供量

目的：特別養護老人ホームの入所者への給食の食品群別提供量を明らかにすることを目的とした。併せて，給食のエネルギー量・各種栄養素量（以下，給与栄養量と略記）についての検討もおこなった。方法：神戸市内の特別養護老人ホーム計3施設の管理栄養士から，1年間分の給食（朝食，昼食，間食，夕食）献立のうち，普通食の献立表を入手した。これらより1人1日当たりの給与栄養量及び食品群別提供量を算定した。そして，①給与栄養量と日本人の食事摂取基準2015年版に示された高齢者（70歳以上）の食事摂取基準の値とを比較した。②給与栄養量と平成27年国民健康・栄養調査報告による70歳以上の者の摂取栄養量とを比較した。③食品群別提供量と国民健康・栄養調査報告による70歳以上の者の食品群別摂取量とを比較した。結果：給与栄養量のうち，食物繊維，ビタミンA，ビタミンB1，ビタミンB2，食塩相当量，カルシウム，及びマグネシウムの各栄養素量は，食事摂取基準と差があった。給与栄養量と摂取栄養量とを比較したところ，意味のある差を認めたのは，エネルギーとナトリウムに加え，脂質，炭水化物，食物繊維，ビタミンD，食塩相当量，及び銅であった。食品群別提供量と食品群別摂取量とを比較したところ，果実類，砂糖・甘味料類，豆類，及び油脂類において意味のある差を認めた。結論：特別養護老人ホームで提供している給食の給与栄養量は日本人の食事摂取基準や国民健康・栄養調査報告での摂取栄養量と比較してどのような栄養素について差があったのか，また特別養護老人ホームでの食品群別提供量は国民健康・栄養調査報告での食品群別摂取量と比較してどのような食品群について差があったのかについて明らかにした。今回の給食の給与栄養量及び食品群別提供量の成績は，特別養護老人ホームの1年間に亘る給食提供の実態を明らかにする資料として重要である

LECT2 functions as a hepatokine that links obesity to skeletal muscle insulin resistance

Recent articles have reported an association between fatty liver disease and systemic insulin resistance in humans, but the causal relationship remains unclear. The liver may contribute to muscle insulin resistance by releasing secretory proteins called hepatokines. Here we demonstrate that leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2), an energy-sensing hepatokine, is a link between obesity and skeletal muscle insulin resistance. Circulating LECT2 positively correlated with the severity of both obesity and insulin resistance in humans. LECT2 expression was negatively regulated by starvation-sensing kinase adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase in H4IIEC hepatocytes. Genetic deletion of LECT2 in mice increased insulin sensitivity in the skeletal muscle. Treatment with recombinant LECT2 protein impaired insulin signaling via phosphorylation of Jun NH2-terminal kinase in C2C12 myocytes. These results demonstrate the involvement of LECT2 in glucose metabolism and suggest that LECT2 may be a therapeutic target for obesity-associated insulin resistance. © 2014 by the American Diabetes Association

The Helicobacter pylori Genome Project : insights into H. pylori population structure from analysis of a worldwide collection of complete genomes

Helicobacter pylori, a dominant member of the gastric microbiota, shares co-evolutionary history with humans. This has led to the development of genetically distinct H. pylori subpopulations associated with the geographic origin of the host and with differential gastric disease risk. Here, we provide insights into H. pylori population structure as a part of the Helicobacter pylori Genome Project (HpGP), a multi-disciplinary initiative aimed at elucidating H. pylori pathogenesis and identifying new therapeutic targets. We collected 1011 well-characterized clinical strains from 50 countries and generated high-quality genome sequences. We analysed core genome diversity and population structure of the HpGP dataset and 255 worldwide reference genomes to outline the ancestral contribution to Eurasian, African, and American populations. We found evidence of substantial contribution of population hpNorthAsia and subpopulation hspUral in Northern European H. pylori. The genomes of H. pylori isolated from northern and southern Indigenous Americans differed in that bacteria isolated in northern Indigenous communities were more similar to North Asian H. pylori while the southern had higher relatedness to hpEastAsia. Notably, we also found a highly clonal yet geographically dispersed North American subpopulation, which is negative for the cag pathogenicity island, and present in 7% of sequenced US genomes. We expect the HpGP dataset and the corresponding strains to become a major asset for H. pylori genomics

来迎図にみる音楽表現～伎楽菩薩と楽器に関する絵画的考察～

publisher奈良「阿弥陀二十五菩薩来迎図(阿弥陀聖衆来迎図)」(以下「来迎図」とする)とは、臨終を迎えつつある人間の魂を阿弥陀如来が聖衆とともに西方浄土から迎えに来る様を描いた図のことである。その聖衆のなかに楽器を奏し舞を舞う一群(以下伎楽菩薩とする) があり、それはあたかも天上の舞楽団のようである。本論はこの伎楽菩薩とその持物である楽器に着目し、来迎図における彼らの役割、ひいては来迎図という仏教絵画のなかでの音楽表現の意味について、絵画的な観点からの考察を試みたものである