Estimation of posture and prediction of the elderly getting out of bed using a body pressure sensor

We propose an IoT support system for estimating the posture of the care recipient on the bed from the body pressure of the care recipient measured by a sheet-type body pressure sensor, and detecting the posture related to leaving the bed in real time. In addition, we propose a method that predicts getting out of the bed before the care recipient takes a posture related to getting out of the bed by considering the state transition. Intervention experiment showed that using body pressure features as an explanatory variable and applying machine learning, 16 types of postures on the bed of care recipients with an F value of 0.7 or more could be identified. From the experiment without intervention, by applying the hidden Markov model, we calculated the transition probability to each hidden state when the care recipient getting out of the bed and the transition probability to each hidden state when the care recipient not getting out of the bed. As a result, there was a difference of about 0.1 in the transition probability of the state related to raising upper body

Predicting cognitive load in acquisition of programming abilities

In this paper, we propose a method to predict cognitive load and its factors affecting the learning efficiency in programming learning from the learning behavior of learners. Generally, since the concepts of programming are difficult for learners, some of them suffer inappropriate cognitive load to understand them. Although teachers must keep cognitive load of such learners appropriate, it is difficult for them to find learners who has inappropriate cognitive load from a large number of learners. To find learners with inappropriate cognitive load, we construct models with the random forest algorithm, using learning behavior collected from learners solving fill-in-the-blank tests. An experiment shows the models can detect cognitive load for IL and GL along with their factors. Teachers must address adjustment of cognitive load of learners. This result clarifies the learning factors affecting cognitive load of learners, which enables teachers to address the adjustment with small burdens

Factors Predicting Bone Mineral Density (BMD) Changes in Young Women over A One-year Study:Changes in Body Weight and Bone Metabolic Markers during the Menstrual Cycle and Their Effects on BMD

Currently, 26% of Japanese women in their twenties are under weight, and therefore at risk of developing various metabolic abnormalities due to an inadequate nutrient intake, which in turn affects the acquisition of a peak bone mineral density (BMD). In this study, we aimed to clarify the effects of menstrual cycle-related changes in body weight and bone metabolic marker levels on the BMD changes. The subjects were 42 women (19.6±0.8 years). The levels of osteocalcin (OC), BAP, s-NTx, u-DPD, and E2 in the menstrual and ovulatory phases were measured. The associations between dependent variables (BMD changes/year in the lumbar spine, femur, femoral neck) and explanatory variables (body weight changes/year, the levels of OC, BAP, s-NTx, u-DPD) were evaluated using multiple regression analysis. Analysis of the correlations between the changes in bone metabolic markers and changes in BMD showed a correlation between the OC level in the menstrual phase and changes in the BMD of the entire femur, suggesting that a high OC level protects against BMD reduction, probably by promoting osteoblast activity, and that bone formation activity suppresses the decrease in BMD. These results suggest that, to predict BMD changes from bone metabolic markers in young women, it is necessary to measure OC levels in the menstrual phase

Spontaneous intraperitoneal renal rupture with urinoma formation in the fetus

Spontaneous intraperitoneal renal rupture with urinoma formation in fetuses is an unusual condition that is caused by upper or lower urinary tract obstruction. We report the case of a neonatal male infant who presented with a spontaneous intraperitoneal right renal rupture accompanying ipsilateral ureterovesical junction obstruction (UVJO). Fetuses with UVJO accompanying contralateral multicystic dysplastic kidney should be observed carefully because of the risk of spontaneous renal rupture

Inhibitory effect of calcitonin on pure human pancreatic secretion.

The inhibitory effect of calcitonin on human pancreatic secretion was evaluated to examine whether the different results reported earlier between humans, cats and dogs can be ascribed to the different sensitivity of these species to calcitonin, as suggested by some investigators. Pancreatic juice was obtained by endoscopic cannulation of the pancreatic duct from 11 patients with relapsing pancreatitis during intravenous infusion of secretin (1 U/kg/h) plus caerulein (0.04 microgram/kg/h). After steady secretion was attained 20 min after the beginning of collection, five 2-min fractions were obtained before, and ten 2-min fractions were obtained after intravenous infusion of calcitonin (1 IU/kg/h). The pre- and post-calcitonin fractions from each patient were compared by Student's t-test. Calcitonin inhibited the secretory volume (26.8 to 65.6%) and bicarbonate secretion (21.4 to 62.0%) in 8 patients, and amylase (48.4 to 89.5%) and lipase secretion (47.4 to 90.5%) in all patients. The present studies reconfirmed that prominent inhibition of enzyme secretion occurs in humans. A new finding was that significant inhibition of the secretory volume and bicarbonate secretion occurs in humans. The inhibitory effects of calcitonin in humans did not appear to differ from those in cats and dogs, when evaluated similarly with the use of pure pancreatic juice

Relationships between activity of daily living, and oral cavity care and the number of oral cavity microorganisms in patients with cerebrovascular diseases

We examined the relationships among the activity of daily living (ADL), oral cavity care, and the number of oral cavity microorganisms in 40patients with cerebro-vascular diseases (CVD). The CVD patients were classified into 4groups, I, II, III and IV based on their ADL and the method used for oral cavity care. The ADL was highest in group I and lowest in group III. Only the patients of only group III could not eat by themselves and were receiving naso-esophageal feeding. Oral cavity care was performed by the patients themselves in groups I and IV, but was performed by caregivers in groups II and III. The group IV patients had no teeth, but could eat by themselves using full dentures. The numbers of microorganisms in the pharyngeal swabs from the 4groups were measured and expressed as colony-forming units (cfu). The numbers of both Staphylococci spp. and Candida spp. were significantly higher in group III than in the other groups. Moreover, Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated only from patients of group III (in about 66%). The oral cavity care by caregivers was almost the same in groups II and III, but the numbers of oral cavity microorganisms were significantly higher in group III than in group II. These results indicated that microorganisms grow more easily in the oral cavities of CVD patients with low ADL compared with CVD patients with higher ADL, and that eating is thought to be important for the prevention of an increase of microorganisms in the oral cavity

Discovery of anti-inflammatory physiological peptides that promote tissue repair by reinforcing epithelial barrier formation

上皮バリアを形成するペプチドJIPの発見 --JIPは上皮組織修復に貢献する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-11-18.Epithelial barriers that prevent dehydration and pathogen invasion are established by tight junctions (TJs), and their disruption leads to various inflammatory diseases and tissue destruction. However, a therapeutic strategy to overcome TJ disruption in diseases has not been established because of the lack of clinically applicable TJ-inducing molecules. Here, we found TJ-inducing peptides (JIPs) in mice and humans that corresponded to 35 to 42 residue peptides of the C terminus of alpha 1-antitrypsin (A1AT), an acute-phase anti-inflammatory protein. JIPs were inserted into the plasma membrane of epithelial cells, which promoted TJ formation by directly activating the heterotrimeric G protein G13. In a mouse intestinal epithelial injury model established by dextran sodium sulfate, mouse or human JIP administration restored TJ integrity and strongly prevented colitis. Our study has revealed TJ-inducing anti-inflammatory physiological peptides that play a critical role in tissue repair and proposes a previously unidentified therapeutic strategy for TJ-disrupted diseases

MR-angiographyで経過を観察しえた慢性関節リウマチに合併した巨細胞動脈炎の1例

We report a patient who developed giant cell (temporal) arteritis during treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The patient was a 57-year-old Japanese woman and had been well controlled with anti-rheumatic drugs, when she presented to our hospital with severe bitemporal headaches and marked fatigue. An exclusive diagnosis was rapidly made and she was diagnosed as having giant cell arteritis based on the classification criteria by American College of Reumatology. Additionally, magnetic resonance (MR) angiography was performed, from which stenotic change in the bilateral superficial temporal arteries was strongly suspected and then corticosteroid therapy was quickly started. The patient followed an uneventful course without developing any complications such as visual dysfunctions. Therapeutic effect was confirmed by MR-angiographic findings obtained 4 weeks after the initiation of therapy.慢性関節リウマチ治療経過中に巨細胞動脈炎(側頭動脈炎)を合併した1例を報告した｡症例は抗リウマチ剤投与で良好にコントロールされていた慢性関節リウマチの57歳の女性で,強い両側頭部痛と全身倦怠感を主訴に来院した｡アメリカリウマチ学会(ACR)の分類基準に基づき巨細胞動脈炎と診断し,MR-アンギオグラフィーで両側浅側頭動脈の狭窄性変化を強く疑い,発症 早期よりステロイド投与を開始した｡眼合併症等を来すことなく良好な経過をとり,治療開始4週間後のMR-アンギオグラフィー再検でその治療効果を確認し得た｡MR-アンギオグラフィーで巨細胞動脈炎病変部を観察しえた報告は極めて少なく,文献的考察を加え報告する

Age-Dependent Contributions of Neck Circumference to Indices of Obesity Among Female College Students Aged 18 to 20 Years

Measurement of neck circumference (NC) is an easy method to assess obesity. Our investigation to estimate risks for metabolic disease in Japanese postmenopausal women indicated that NC is significantly associated with whole-body obesity indices and visceral fat accumulation. To clarify the early stage of metabolic changes and confirm NC validity as a predictor of metabolic syndrome, NC’s association to the four obesity indices, namely, weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat, and waist circumference (WC), was examined in a college student group of 60 females aged 18.7±0.3 years. NC was mainly correlated with weight, followed by BMI, WC, and body fat. It was also significantly associated with weight and BMI, but not with body fat. The participants were divided into two subgroups: “sports-experienced” and “not-sports-experienced,” who had moderate and strong correlation coefficients with NC and WC, respectively. WC value was possibly predicted by NC values using linear functions for the group and its subgroups. The correlation between NC and WC, NC’s association to weight, and substitution of NC to WC were confirmed by the same analyses in another student group composed with 18 females aged 19.7±0.6 years. Our study showed that the distribution of body fat in college students is difficult to assess based on NC alone. Nevertheless, NC measurement is an easy, inexpensive, and reproducible method to assess obesity and a possible predictor to identify the risk for future metabolic diseases in Japanese college students with the four obesity indices, weight, BMI, body fat, and WC