Search

Abstract The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident caused the release of large amounts of radioactive material into the environment. Radiation from radionuclides cause DNA lesions, mainly via oxidation, which adversely affect wild organisms by damaging their germ cells. Here, we investigated the effects of radiation on the reproductive organs of Japanese field mice (Apodemus speciosus) by estimating the dose rate of radiation exposure, the accumulation of DNA lesions, and the expression of DNA repair enzymes. In highly contaminated areas, mouse testes received a radiation dose rate > 0.1 mGy/d. According to the International Commission on Radiological Protection, there is a very low probability of effects in the reference rat species at this exposure level. The results of the current study do not definitively conclude that the expression of 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase 1 and superoxide dismutase in mouse testes increase with dose rate and lifetime dose. However, 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine accumulation increases in a dose rate- and lifetime dose-dependent manner in mouse testes, but is not observed in the sperm of the cauda epididymis. These results suggest that, although DNA lesions occurred in male germ cells of Fukushima mice, most were successfully repaired by DNA repair enzymes at the observed gene expression level.

Citizen science plays an important role in monitoring for biodiversity conservation. More efficient online training is needed to help citizens improve their species-identification skills, but such training remains a challenging task. We previously developed an online birdsong-identification training tool called TORI-TORE. However, its adaptive algorithm, in which question items regarding the species with lower correct answer rates for each user were presented more frequently, was not as effective as the conventional baseline training, in which the frequency of question items was uniform among species. In the present study, we introduce new algorithms, namely, the frequency-adjustment algorithm, which prioritizes species that are expected to have a large training effect, and the interactive algorithm, which allows users to adjust the frequency of question items regarding species by themselves. We then evaluate the effectiveness of the algorithms in a randomized controlled trial, based on test scores and questionnaire responses. At the same time, we compare the new algorithms with the previous adaptive algorithm. The frequency-adjustment group showed the most improvement in scores, ahead of the interactive group, the frequency-adjustment + interactive group, and the baseline group. The frequency-adjustment algorithm also improved scores to a greater extent compared with the adaptive algorithm implemented in our previous experiment in 2021. However, participants in the frequency-adjustment group had difficulty perceiving changes in their own interest in learning birdsongs, and so a future version of TORI-TORE may need to allow for the selection of not only the frequency-adjustment algorithm but also the frequency-adjustment + interactive algorithm.

Abstract Marchiafava–Bignami disease (MBD) is a very rare disorder characterized by demyelination and necrosis of the corpus callosum. A 53‐year‐old male was transported to the emergency room with impaired consciousness. On his arrival, he was quite emaciated. CT examination revealed no hemorrhagic lesions whereas MR images showed hyperintense areas throughout the corpus callosum, leading to a diagnosis of MBD. His impaired consciousness improved with treatment, including parenteral thiamine administration. When examining patients with impaired consciousness because of malnutrition, MBD should be taken in consideration and the incorporation of head MR imaging into the examination protocol enables early diagnosis and treatment, and may improve the prognosis.

Abstract Background Although thiamine deficiency (TD) can lead to Wernicke encephalopathy, the characteristics associated with TD in the elderly have not yet been clarified. We sought to clarify the frequency of TD among an institutionalized elderly population with a controlled dietary intake and to identify possible factors related to TD. Method We undertook a cross‐sectional study of residents in three nursing homes for the elderly as of June 2020. Blood thiamine concentrations were measured using a high‐performance liquid chromatography method, with TD defined as a concentration of

Abstract Climate change may disrupt species–species interactions via phenological changes in one or both species. To predict and evaluate the influence of climate change on these interactions, long-term monitoring and sampling over large spatial areas are required; however, funding and labor constraints limit data collection. In this study, we predict and evaluate the plant–insect interactions with limited data sets. We examined plant–insect interaction using observational data for development of the crop plant rice (Oryza sativa) and an effective accumulated temperature (EAT) model of two mirid bugs (Stenotus rubrovittatus and Trigonotylus caelestialium). We combined 11 years of records monitoring rice phenology and the predicted phenology of mirid bugs using spatially–explicit EAT models based on both spatially and temporally high resolutions temperature data sets, then evaluated their accuracy using actual pest damage records. Our results showed that the predicted interactions between rice and mirid bugs explained rice damage to some degree. Our approach may apply predicting changes to plant–insect interactions under climate change. As such, combining plant monitoring records and theoretical predictions of insect phenology may be effective for predicting species–species interactions when available data are limited.

Citizen science is an important approach to monitoring for biodiversity conservation because it allows for data acquisition or analysis on a scale that is not possible for researchers alone. In citizen science projects, the use of online training is increasing to improve such skills. However, the effectiveness of quiz-style online training, assumed to be efficient to enhance participants’ skills, has not been evaluated adequately on species identification for citizen science biodiversity monitoring projects. Memory mechanisms in adaptive learning were hypothesized to guide the development of quiz-based online training tools for learning birdsong identification and for improving interest in birds and natural environments. To examine the hypothesis, we developed a quiz-style online training tool called TORI-TORE. We experimentally applied TORI-TORE in Fukushima, Japan, and examined its effectiveness for bird identification training using test scores and questionnaires to determine participants’ attitudes in a randomized control trial. We obtained the following key results: (1) TORI-TORE had positive effects on test scores and trainees’ attitudes toward birds. (2) Adaptive training, in which questions focused preferentially on unmastered bird species based on the answer history of individual trainees inspired by adaptive learning, unexpectedly led to lower scores and satisfaction in TORI-TORE. (3) Focusing on species that are relatively easy to remember, short lag times between training and testing, and long question intervals positively affected scores. While there is room for improvement, we expect TORI-TORE to contribute to online capacity building and to increase interest in natural environments.

Summary: Background: The benefits of artificial nutrition and hydration in patients with head and neck cancer and esophageal cancer in the late stage remain unknown. We performed a secondary analysis of a cohort study to investigate the effects of enteral tube feeding (ETF) and parenteral nutrition and hydration (PNH) on survival in this population. Methods: Patients with head and neck cancer and esophageal cancer admitted to palliative care units were included. Information on primary nutritional administration routes during the first week of admission and data on the averaged calorie sufficiency rate/total calorie intake, e.g., 75%≤/750 kcal/day≤ and

Although camera trapping has been effectively used for wildlife monitoring, its application to multihabitat insects (i.e., insects requiring terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems) is limited. Among such insects, perching dragonflies of the genus Sympetrum (darter dragonflies) are agroenvironmental indicators that substantially contribute to agricultural biodiversity. To examine whether custom-developed camera traps for perching dragonflies can be used to assess the relative population density of darter dragonflies, camera trapping, a line-transect survey of mature adult dragonflies, and a line-transect survey of exuviae were conducted for three years in rice paddy fields in Japan. The detection frequency of camera traps in autumn was significantly correlated with the density index of mature adults recorded during the transect surveys in the same season for both Sympetrum infuscatum and other darter species. In analyses of camera-detection frequency in autumn and exuviae in early summer, a significant correlation was observed between the camera-detection frequency of mature adults and the exuviae-density index in the following year for S. infuscatum; however, a similar correlation was not observed for other darter species. These results suggest that terrestrial camera trapping has the potential to be effective for monitoring the relative density of multihabitat users such as S. infuscatum, which shows frequent perching behavior and relatively short-distance dispersal.

Summary: Background & Aims: The prevalence of artificially administered nutrition and hydration (AANH) in different age groups among patients with advanced cancer remains unknown. The present study investigated the current utilization of AANH according to age groups in palliative care units. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study. We obtained information on primary nutritional administration routes during the first week of admission and data on the averaged calorie sufficiency rate or total calorie intake on the 7th day of admission. Patients were divided into five age groups (18–39, 40–59, 60–74, 75–89, and 90- years). Among patients receiving AANH, the proportions of higher-calorie AANH were compared between the five age groups. Results: A total of 1453 patients were included. The proportion of patients categorized as receiving nutrition and hydration via the parenteral route was the highest in the 18–39 and 40–59 groups (52.4 and 41.1%, respectively). Among patients receiving AANH (n = 534), the proportions of patients categorized into the

Abstract The mirid bugs Stenotus rubrovittatus and Trigonotylus caelestialium, which cause pecky rice, have become a threat to rice cultivation in Asia. Damage caused by these pests has rapidly become frequent since around 2000 in Japan. Their expansion pattern is not simple, and predicting their future spread remains challenging. Some insects with wide ranges have locally adapted variations in life‐history traits. We performed laboratory rearing experiments to assess the geographical scale of intraspecific variations in life‐history traits of S. rubrovittatus and T. caelestialium. The experiments were aimed at increasing the accuracy of occurrence estimates and the number of generations per year. These results were compared with previous research, and differences in development rates were observed between populations of different latitudes, but not of the same latitude. Finally, plotting the timing of adult emergence and the potential number of generations per year on maps with a 5‐km grid revealed that they differed greatly locally at the same latitude. These maps can be used for developing more efficient methods of managing mirid bugs in integrated pest management.

Abstract The patient was an 83‐year‐old male who, after being hospitalized for 70 days for suffocation due to aspiration, was provided with home medical care (HMC) as his physical condition did not allow him to climb stairs. Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) was suspected based on his disorientation and a continued loss of appetite. This diagnosis was supported by abnormal serum thiamine and the disappearance of delirium after thiamine administration. In addition, he became able to use stairs. Patients who receive HMC should undergo active screening and receive treatment with WE in mind.

Abstract A 63‐year‐old woman had started caring for her mother with dementia 6 months previously. A loss of appetite had appeared 2 months prior to her visit. Neurologically, she experienced mild unsteadiness, but she was fully conscious and had no ocular symptoms. MRI examination of her head did not reveal any notable findings. From these symptoms, the possibility of thiamine deficiency was considered, and her unsteadiness disappeared within a few days after an intravenous injection of thiamine. The burden of caring for a dementia patient may affect the nutritional status of the family caregiver.

Abstract Although there have been recent reports of nonalcoholic thiamine deficiency (TD), no association has been reported between the exacerbation of the psychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer's disease patient and TD. An 89‐year‐old woman with dementia visited our hospital because of acute deterioration in behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Her medical history revealed a decrease in oral food intake lasting more than 2 weeks, so that TD was suspected and abnormal behavior improved significantly after thiamine administration. Thiamine deficiency should be suspected in patients with dementia who demonstrate acute deterioration in BPSD possibly related to poor oral food intake.

Background: Limited information is available on the relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and pain in advanced cancer. Objectives: To investigate the relationship between serum levels of CRP and subtypes of pain. Design: A secondary cross-sectional analysis of a prospective cohort study. Setting/Subjects: Patients with advanced cancer admitted to 23 palliative care units in Japan. Measurements: Patients rated the severity of pain on the numerical rating scale (NRS) and physicians evaluated pain on the integrated palliative care outcome scale (IPOS). Physicians assessed neuropathic pain and breakthrough pain based on their presence or absence. Patients were divided into four groups according to CRP levels. Comparisons were performed using the Kruskal?Wallis test or chi-squared test. To evaluate the relationship between CRP and subtypes of pain, adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in logistic models were calculated. Results: We divided 1513 patients into four groups: low CRP (n?=?234), moderate CRP (n?=?513), high CRP (n?=?352), and very high CRP (n?=?414). Spearman's correlation coefficient between CRP and pain NRS and that between CRP and pain IPOS were 0.15 (p?0.001) and 0.16 (p?

Abstract Introduction We investigated whether disruption of the inferior longitudinal fasciculus and inferior fronto‐occipital fasciculus are associated with visual hallucinations in Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods Sixty consecutive right‐handed patients with PD with and without visual hallucinations were enrolled in this cross‐sectional study. Diffusion tensor imaging was acquired by 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging. We measured fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity of the bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculus and inferior fronto‐occipital fasciculus using diffusion tensor tractography analysis software. Results Seventeen patients with PD had visual hallucinations; these patients tended to have lower fractional anisotropy and higher mean diffusivity values in all fasciculi than did patients without visual hallucinations. A univariate logistic analysis showed that the presence of visual hallucinations was significantly associated with lower fractional anisotropy and higher mean diffusivity of the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and lower Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores. A multivariable logistic analysis adjusted by MMSE scores and disease duration showed a significant association between the presence of visual hallucinations and fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity values of the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus. Conclusions Our results suggest that disruption of left inferior longitudinal fasciculus integrity is associated with visual hallucinations in patients with PD, independent of cognitive impairment and disease duration.

Although dragonflies are excellent environmental indicators for monitoring terrestrial water ecosystems, automatic monitoring techniques using digital tools are limited. We designed a novel camera trapping system with an original dragonfly detector based on the hypothesis that perching dragonflies can be automatically detected using inexpensive and energy-saving photosensors built in a perch-like structure. A trial version of the camera trap was developed and evaluated in a case study targeting red dragonflies (Sympetrum spp.) in Japan. During an approximately 2-month period, the detector successfully detected Sympetrum dragonflies while using extremely low power consumption (less than 5 mW). Furthermore, a short-term field experiment using time-lapse cameras for validation at three locations indicated that the detection accuracy was sufficient for practical applications. The frequency of false positive detection ranged from 17 to 51 over an approximately 2-day period. The detection sensitivities were 0.67 and 1.0 at two locations, where a time-lapse camera confirmed that Sympetrum dragonflies perched on the trap more than once. However, the correspondence between the detection frequency by the camera trap and the abundance of Sympetrum dragonflies determined by field observations conducted in parallel was low when the dragonfly density was relatively high. Despite the potential for improvements in our camera trap and its application to the quantitative monitoring of dragonflies, the low cost and low power consumption of the detector make it a promising tool.

Spatial heterogeneity of landscapes is a key factor for the diversity of biota. There are a rich variety of agricultural landscapes around the globe that differ with respect to composition and spatial configuration of land-use types, reflecting different levels of human impacts. To test whether landscape structure influences biodiversity in similar ways in different geographical regions, our study explored the relationship between landscape characteristics and farmland bird diversity in Germany and Japan. The two countries represent regions with similar Palearctic avifauna, but with contrasting climatic, biogeographical, and socio-economic conditions. We used distribution data for 31 (Germany) and 29 (Japan) species of farmland birds and applied multiple regression analysis to examine the effect of landscape structure on species richness of total farmland birds and of several ecological groups. In both regions, farmland cover was the key variable determining species numbers. Species numbers also increased with increasing proportion of semi-natural habitats up to a maximum and then decreased if semi-natural habitat became more abundant. Optimum landscape structure for each ecological group differed according to their respective habitat needs, but the direction of shifts toward their preferred habitats was similar in both regions, suggesting common ecological mechanisms underlying the patterns of farmland bird diversity. Significant interactions of structural characteristics with the region variable indicated that associations between species richness and landscape structure varied regionally. In Germany, where landscapes are covered by a large extent of farmland, woodland edge density had a pronounced effect on species numbers. By contrast, associations with woodland edges were weak in Japan, where forest is the dominant form of land-use. The differences in landscape associations imply that different conservation strategies should be taken according to the landscape context. In farmland-dominated landscapes, edge habitats provided by forest patches are an important feature for maintaining farmland bird diversity, whereas maintaining open habitats is crucial in forest-dominated landscapes. The importance of maintaining grassland, paddy fields, and semi-natural habitats as part of agricultural landscapes was also underlined by the results of our study. Measures for conserving farmland bird diversity should focus on maintaining heterogeneity of agricultural landscapes. Keywords: Agricultural landscape, Grassland, Habitat heterogeneity, Landscape variable, Paddy field

Abstract Agriculture faces the great challenge of developing strategies to maintain production while simultaneously reducing environmental impacts. The trade‐off between crop production and water quality services is one of the most serious issues facing agriculture, and interest in achieving win–win outcomes through management of ecosystem services is growing. Although wetlands can reduce nitrogen loads, it is unclear whether maintaining and restoring wetlands can ameliorate the trade‐off between crop production and water quality and thereby increase the likelihood of win–win outcomes. We defined the orthogonal residuals from the regression line relating the trade‐offs between two conflicting services as the degree to which the trade‐off was mitigated (mitigation effectiveness score). The more positive the residual, the higher mitigation effectiveness score, and the greater the potential to mitigate the trade‐off. We measured nitrate concentrations, as an indicator of water quality, five times during summer and winter across 49 sub‐watersheds of the watershed of Lake Kasumigaura, which is highly nitrogen‐loaded by agriculture. We quantified the mitigation effectiveness score from the trade‐off relationships between cropland area and nitrate concentrations, and we also identified landscape and environmental factors that affected these scores. Some sub‐watersheds in our study had high cropland cover but low nitrate concentrations. Overall, we found that mitigation effectiveness scores were positively associated with wetland cover at all sampling times. Other factors, including covers of paddy rice fields, abandoned rice fields, and impervious surfaces, and dissolved organic carbon concentrations, had no significant effects on mitigation effectiveness scores, although these factors were considered to increase nitrogen removal. Our findings suggest that maintaining and restoring wetlands might mitigate the trade‐off between crop production and water quality and thereby enhance the likelihood of win–win outcomes in agricultural landscapes. Because wetland area has decreased, flooding or ponding abandoned rice fields may be an important alternative management option. The nitrate concentrations we observed met the water quality standard for drinking water, but the fact that they sometimes exceeded the nitrogen environmental target adopted within Lake Kasumigaura in terms of eutrophication suggests that simultaneous reduction of croplands and fertilizer inputs should still be encouraged.

We aimed to develop an adaptable prognosis prediction model that could be applied at any time point during the treatment course for patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy, by applying time-series real-world big data.Between April 2004 and September 2014, 4,997 patients with cancer who had received systemic chemotherapy were registered in a prospective cohort database at the Kyoto University Hospital. Of these, 2,693 patients with a death record were eligible for inclusion and divided into training (n = 1,341) and test (n = 1,352) cohorts. In total, 3,471,521 laboratory data at 115,738 time points, representing 40 laboratory items [e.g., white blood cell counts and albumin (Alb) levels] that were monitored for 1 year before the death event were applied for constructing prognosis prediction models. All possible prediction models comprising three different items from 40 laboratory items (40C3 = 9,880) were generated in the training cohort, and the model selection was performed in the test cohort. The fitness of the selected models was externally validated in the validation cohort from three independent settings.A prognosis prediction model utilizing Alb, lactate dehydrogenase, and neutrophils was selected based on a strong ability to predict death events within 1-6 months and a set of six prediction models corresponding to 1,2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 months was developed. The area under the curve (AUC) ranged from 0.852 for the 1 month model to 0.713 for the 6 month model. External validation supported the performance of these models.By applying time-series real-world big data, we successfully developed a set of six adaptable prognosis prediction models for patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy.

In the present study, a tandem-bicycle ergometer was developed, because it is believed that such an ergometer can be used to eliminate differences in signaling between single- and tandem-exercise in cardiorespiratory responses, and is able to quantify interdependence in one load. It is necessary to verify whether cardiorespiratory responses to submaximal exercise are the same between single and tandem-bicycle ergometers. Accordingly, we compared cardiorespiratory variables during exercise in three conditions: 1) with a general bicycle single saddle using a general bicycle ergometer, 2) with a tandem bicycle front saddle using a tandem ergometer, and 3) with a tandem bicycle rear saddle using a tandem ergometer. Eleven healthy males participated in this study. The subjects exercised for 15 min at three intensities (1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 kp) in each condition. The pedaling rate was constantly kept at 60 rpm. Heart rate (HR), oxygen uptake (VO2), and the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured during the last minute of each intensity. There were no significant differences in the variables HR, VO2, and RPE at each load among the three conditions. The ranges of coefficient of variation (CV) values were 3.0 - 4.8%: HR and 4.2 - 5.1%: VO2. It was reported that between-day CV for HR and VO2 during treadmill running was 1.0 - 10.7% and 1.9 - 11.6%. Given these CV values of present and previous studies, it can be seen that physiological response is stable during developed tandem-bicycle ergometer exercise. These results suggest that cardiorespiratory responses to exercise are at comparable levels between a normal bicycle ergometer and the newly developed tandem-bicycle ergometer.

During water exercise, it was established that heart rate, oxygen uptake and body temperature respond to the influence of water pressure, temperature, buoyancy, and viscosity. This review explains the principle and theory that physiological response could become a benefit of health promotion. The heart rate during water immersion is lower than on land. The blood pressure of young subjects in water is much lower than on land at thermo-neutral conditions, while for old subjects it is higher than on land. Blood pressure increases in water with age due to an age-associated reduction in vascular dispensability. Water pressure and vascular elasticity can affect systolic blood pressure. Capillary vessels expand after exercise in water. When the water level is increased, the volume of the venous return seems to increase; and when the water level decreases, the volume of the venous return decreases. The change in volume of venous return depends on exercise intensity. Physiological indexes apparently change with water temperature to even higher and lower levels than the thermo-neutral. Depending on the viscosity of the water, the oxygen consumption changes. Depending on the water level, the load weight changes. Depending on the exercise movement speed, the oxygen consumption changes. The physical characteristics of water could provide an index and a big benefit for health promotion. In addition, one can expect water exercise to have a beneficial preventive effect on lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

Following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants in 2011, a large evacuation zone was imposed in an area where residents had historically managed forests and farmlands. Thus, the human activities that had maintained biodiversity and ecosystem services in the zone were discontinued. Such change can affect insects, a biodiversity component that is relatively tolerant to radiation exposure. In this study, we investigated flying insects, including pollinators, important ecosystem providers inside and outside the zone, using Malaise traps. The results showed that the number of individuals of Xylocopa appendiculata, the largest Apidae species in the region, was significantly lower inside the evacuation zone than outside it, whereas those of other insects were not lower significantly. Although we suggest that flying insects and their ecosystem services (i.e., benefits from them such as pollination) 3 years after the disaster were not critically impacted, it is important to monitor the long-term effects of the evacuation in the future.

Current theories predict that Allee effects should be widespread in nature, but there is little consistency in empirical findings. We hypothesized that this gap can arise from ignoring spatial contexts (i.e. spatial scale and heterogeneity) that potentially mask an existing fitness–density relationship: a ‘cryptic’ Allee effect. To test this hypothesis, we analysed how spatial contexts interacted with conspecific density to influence the fertilization rate of the freshwater mussel Margaritifera laevis. This sessile organism has a simple fertilization process whereby females filter sperm from the water column; this system enabled us to readily assess the interaction between conspecific density and spatial heterogeneity (e.g. flow conditions) at multiple spatial levels. Our findings were twofold. First, positive density-dependence in fertilization was undetectable at a population scale (approx. less than 50.5 m2), probably reflecting the exponential decay of sperm density with distance from the sperm source. Second, the Allee effect was confirmed at a local level (0.25 m2), but only when certain flow conditions were met (slow current velocity and shallow water depth). These results suggest that spatial contexts can mask existing Allee effects.

We previously reported that cell-based therapies using isolated hepatocytes including hepatocyte transplantation and liver tissue engineering approaches provide therapeutic benefits to hemophilia. For clinical application of these approaches, it is important to establish an active hepatocyte proliferation system that enables providing a sufficient number of hepatocytes. We also reported that human hepatocytes, which were transplanted into the liver of urokinase-type plasminogen activator transgenic severe combined immunodeficiency (uPA/SCID) mice, were able to proliferate while retaining their ability to produce coagulation factor IX. The objective of this study was to explore the functionalities of other coagulation and anticoagulation factors of the propagated human hepatocytes in uPA/SCID mice. Human hepatocytes were transplanted into the liver of uPA/SCID mice, and the propagation status of human hepatocytes in the mice was monitored by the increase in serum human albumin levels and immunohistochemical evaluation on the liver sections. Using uPA/SCID livers with various stages of human hepatocyte propagation, we analyzed the gene expression levels of coagulation factors (prothrombin, factor VII, factor X, and factor VIII) and anticoagulation factors (protein C and protein S) by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using human-specific primers. As a result, the total amount of raw messenger RNA expression levels increased in all genes analyzed according to the progress of hepatocyte propagation and proliferation. Except for factor VIII, the gene expression levels of the highly repopulated uPA/SCID mouse livers with human hepatocyte showed higher levels than those of normal human livers, indicating that propagated human hepatocytes in the uPA/SCID system possess full functions to produce most of the coagulation-related factors. The current work demonstrated that human hepatocytes can be propagated in experimental animals while maintaining normal gene expression levels of coagulation-related factors. It could be speculated that the propagated cells serve as a cell source for the treatment of various types of coagulation factor deficiencies.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the new Japanese School Absentees Reporting System for Infectious Disease (SARSID) for pandemic influenza A/H1N1 2009 infection in comparison with the National epidemiological Surveillance of Infectious Disease (NESID).MethodsWe used data of 53,223 students (97.7%) in Takamatsu city Japan. Data regarding school absentees in SARSID was compared with that in NESID from Oct 13, 2009 to Jan 12, 2010.ResultsSimilar trends were observed both in SARSID and NESID. However, the epidemic trend for influenza in SARSID was thought to be more sensitive than that in NESID.ConclusionThe epidemic trend for influenza among school-aged children could be easily and rapidly assessed by SARSID compared to NESID. SARSID might be useful for detecting the epidemic trend of influenza.