Spatial Pattern of Residential Distribution and the Recent Trends on Housing and Population in Kobe City

神戸市は，北側の六甲山系と南側の瀬戸内海に挟まれ，市街地は東西方向に細長い形で発展を遂げてきた。京阪神大都市圏の中心市の一つでもあり，1980年代まで人口の大幅な増加が続いていた。しかし，1995年1月17日の阪神・淡路大震災による甚大な被害を受け人口は減少に転じた。2000年には震災以前の人口を上回ることとなったが，近年の主たる人口増加区は中央区や東灘区などの中心区であり，震災以前は人口増加率の高かった郊外地域の人口増加は停滞的となった。それに対して，中心区の中でもJR三ノ宮駅や元町以南の都心地区での人口増加が顕著なものとなっている。震災復興の意味合いが強かった2000年代前半までは，神戸市の中心部に多く新設された高層階建て持家共同住宅に居住する子どもを伴った世帯の増加が特徴的であったが，近年では，他の大都市と同様に子どもを伴わない若年層の世帯や単身世帯などの増加と，高層階建て借家共同住宅居住世帯率の増大という新たな現象がみられるようになってきている。Kobe is one of the central cities of Keihanshin (Osaka-Kyoto-Kobe) Metropolitan Area. The population of Kobe grew steadily before Kobe earthquake of 1995. After the earthquake disaster Kobe began to lose its population. The population decrease mainly occurred in Nagata and Hyogo wards(ku), which are the densely built-up industrial and residential areas. On the contrast the population of the city centre such as Chuo-ku recovered shortly after the disaster and the central area keeps the high population growth rate until now. By analyzing the contents of the population growth of the city centre, it became clear that the influx of families with children to the newly built high-rise owner-occupied condominiums played an important role until the first half of 2000s. But influx of families without children or single householders into private high-rise condominiums has become more important in recent years.伊東理教授退職記念号特集 : 都市空間の地理

Regional hypoplasia of somatosensory cortex in growth-retarded mice (grt/grt).

Growth-retarded mouse (grt/grt) is a spontaneous mutant that is known as an animal model for primary congenital hypothyroidism caused by resistance to TSH signaling. The regional pattern of cerebral cortical hypoplasia was characterized in grt/grt mice. Ex vivo computed tomography (CT)-based volumetry was examined in four regions of the cerebral cortex, i.e., prefrontal, frontal, parietal and occipito-temporal regions, which were demarcated by structural landmarks on coronal CT images. A region-specific reduced volume of the parietal cortical region covering most of the somatosensory cortex was noted in grt/grt mice rather than in both heterozygous (grt/+) and wild-type (+/+) mice. We concluded that the cortical hypoplasia in grt/grt was seen in identical cortical regions corresponding to human congenital hypothyroidism. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Feasibility of Rapid Diagnostic Technology for SARS-CoV-2 Virus Using a Trace Amount of Saliva

Containment of SARS-CoV-2 has become an urgent global issue. To overcome the problems of conventional quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) tests, we verified the usefulness of a mobile qPCR device that utilizes mouthwash to obtain a saliva sample with the aim of developing a rapid diagnostic method for SARS-CoV-2. First, we examined whether anyone could easily operate this device. Then, we examined whether RNA in the mouthwash could be detected in a short time. In addition, we investigated whether it was possible to diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infection using mouthwash obtained from COVID-19 patients undergoing hospitalization. The results revealed that all subjects were able to complete the operation properly without error. In addition, RNase P was detected in the mouthwash without pretreatment. The average detection time was 18 min, which is significantly shorter than conventional qPCR devices. Furthermore, this device detected SARS-CoV-2 in the mouthwash of a COVID-19 patient undergoing hospitalization. The above findings verified the efficacy of this diagnostic method, which had a low risk of infection, was technically simple, and provided stable results. Therefore, this method is useful for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2

Improving the Detection Sensitivity of a New Rapid Diagnostic Technology for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Using a Trace Amount of Saliva

The early diagnosis and isolation of infected individuals with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remain important. Although quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) testing is considered the most accurate test available for COVID-19 diagnosis, it has some limitations, such as the need for specialized laboratory technicians and a long turnaround time. Therefore, we have established and reported a rapid diagnostic method using a small amount of saliva as a sample using a lightweight mobile qPCR device. This study aimed to improve the existing method and increase the detection sensitivity and specificity. The detection specificity of CDC N1 and N2 was examined by improving qPCR reagents and polymerase chain reaction conditions for the previously reported method. Furthermore, the feasibility of detecting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral RNA was examined using both the previous method and the improved method in patients with COVID-19. The results showed that the improved method increased the specificity and sensitivity. This improved method is useful for the rapid diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2