Ectopic Calcification as Discernible Manifestation in Neonates with Pseudohypoparathyroidism Type 1a

The diagnosis of pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1a (PHP1a) is challenging, because both the osteodystrophy, such as brachydactyly and round face, and the symptomatic hypocalcemia usually develop beyond infancy. Although ectopic calcification may be an early sign of PHP1a, there are no systematic reviews regarding the time of its appearance. We here report on two PHP1a patients who presented with subcutaneous calcification in neonatal period

Loss of miR-542-3p enhances IGFBP-1 expression in decidualizing human endometrial stromal cells

Endometrial decidualization represents an essential step for the successful implantation of the embryo; however, the molecular mechanism behind this differentiation process remains unclear. This study aimed to identify novel microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in the regulation of decidual gene expression in human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs). An in vitro analysis of primary undifferentiated and decidualizing HESCs was conducted. HESCs were isolated from hysterectomy specimens from normally cycling premenopausal women with uterine fibroids, who were not on hormonal treatment at the time of surgery. Primary HESCs were expanded in culture and decidualized with 8-bromo-cyclic adenosine monophosphate and medroxyprogesterone acetate. Microarray analysis identified six miRNAs differentially expressed in response to decidualization of HESCs. All but one miRNA were downregulated upon decidualization, including miR-542-3p. We demonstrated that miR-542-3p overexpression inhibits the induction of major decidual marker genes, including IGFBP1, WNT4 and PRL. In addition, miR-542-3p overexpression inhibited the morphological transformation of HESCs in response to deciduogenic cues. A luciferase reporter assay confirmed that the 3′-untranslated region of IGFBP1 mRNA is targeted by miR-542-3p. The results suggest that miR-542-3p plays an important role in endometrial decidualization by regulating the expression of major decidual marker genes

病院外来部のウェイファインディング・デザインに関する研究

Among the hospital departments, outpatient department should be the one where many patients could wander from the right path. The purpose of this study is to find out the guidelines for the planning of the safe and comfortable way-finding environment for the outpatient department. First, 190 Japanese hospitals built after 1985 with 300 or more beds were classified by the space components of the outpatient department from the way-finding design point of view. Next, comparative analysis was made on the information signs for the patients at 5 hospitals. These 5 hospitals had different kinds of space components. It was found that the visual acknowledgment by the patients heavily depends on the amount of information gathered from the space components as well as from the information signs. Therefore, by the good utilization of such space elements as light court and well space, we could reduce the stray patients even with less number of information signs

Evidence of spawning among Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis, in the Kuroshio and Kuroshio–Oyashio transition area

Reproductive characteristics are one of the key factors for understanding population dynamics in fishes. This study describes the spawning habitat of Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) in the Kuroshio and the Kuroshio–Oyashio transition area. A total of 551 adult fish (fork length > 120 cm) were collected during 1994–2007 (except in 2001 and 2003) and 2016. Based on a histological analysis of the gonads, we concluded that actively spawning females were mainly present in late May to early July. Relative batch fecundity was significantly lower than that reported in the Sea of Japan but was similar to that observed in the Nansei area. Whereas most spawning adults in the Sea of Japan are 3–6 years old and those in the Nansei area are over 10 years old, the majority of the specimens in this study ranged from 160 to 180 cm in length, which corresponds to 6–8 years of age. Our results indicate that Pacific bluefin tuna spawn in the study area and provide important data for understanding the spatiotemporal differences in spawning strategy with growth in this species

A novel transgenic chimaeric mouse system for the rapid functional evaluation of genes encoding secreted proteins

A major challenge of the post-genomic era is the functional characterization of anonymous open reading frames (ORFs) identified by the Human Genome Project. In this context, there is a strong requirement for the development of technologies that enhance our ability to analyze gene functions at the level of the whole organism. Here, we describe a rapid and efficient procedure to generate transgenic chimaeric mice that continuously secrete a foreign protein into the systemic circulation. The transgene units were inserted into the genomic site adjacent to the endogenous immunoglobulin (Ig) κ locus by homologous recombination, using a modified mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell line that exhibits a high frequency of homologous recombination at the Igκ region. The resultant ES clones were injected into embryos derived from a B-cell-deficient host strain, thus producing chimaerism-independent, B-cell-specific transgene expression. This feature of the system eliminates the time-consuming breeding typically implemented in standard transgenic strategies and allows for evaluating the effect of ectopic transgene expression directly in the resulting chimaeric mice. To demonstrate the utility of this system we showed high-level protein expression in the sera and severe phenotypes in human EPO (hEPO) and murine thrombopoietin (mTPO) transgenic chimaeras

A Study of the Variability of Teacher' Interaction Patterns in Team Taught and Non-Team Taught English Language Classrooms

The English language classroom has been shown to have a distinctive interactive pattern which operates between teachers and learners: Initiation-Response-Feedback, or IRF. This ritualized teacher-controlled communication pattern seems to be particularly suited to the Japanese cultural context. However, can a teacher modify his/her interaction strategies in the classroom to fit such instructional patterns as team teaching? Or do the teacher's interaction strategies remain the same regardless of external changes? In the present study, two classroom discourses were observed and analyzed in terms of teacher-learner interactions to investigate whether there was the variability in teachers' interaction patterns. It is hoped that the result of this study will contribute toward raising English teachers' awareness of interaction modifications in classroom settings

The relations between the sense of acceptance from close ones and that of authenticity during puberty and adolescence

This study investigates the relations between the sense of acceptance from close ones and that of authenticity during puberty and adolescence. The Sense of acceptance（from family, friends, and teachers） Scale（SACS） and the Sense of Authenticity Scale（SOAS） were completed by 270 junior high school, 167 high school, and 315 university and special school students in Japan. The result of the correlation analysis indicated the following:; （1） In all schools, the score of SACS was positively correlated to that of SOAS.,（2）The developmental changes in the formation of the sense of authenticity require a sense of acceptance from close one during puberty and adolescence