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The purpose of this study was to clarify the care methods used by healthcare staff in service facilities to draw up wills for elderly individuals with dementia in daily life and the final stage in decision-making support.A questionnaire survey was conducted among healthcare staff in a geriatric health service facility in August 2020.There were 45 subjects (16 males [35.6%]; 29 females [64.4%]). The average age was 42.2 (±12.3) years old, and the mean number of years of experience in a geriatric health service facility was 17.4 (±10.7) years. Deathbed care was provided to ≥90% of the subjects. A factor analysis of items related to decision making in elderly individuals with dementia revealed the first factor to be "support and communication to draw wills", the second factor to be "support and communication for expression to realize decision making", and the third factor to be "understanding, communication, and family support for decision-making realization." The totals of each of these three factors and "having confidence in care focusing on the viewpoint of elderly individuals with dementia" were significantly different. The correction between the Personhood of Approaches to Dementia Questionnaire Japanese version and the three subscales of decision making in elderly individuals with dementia had a significant coefficient of correlation.More polite communication methods are necessary for the formation, expression, and realization of the intentions of elderly individuals with dementia to support their decision making.

This study aimed to develop and validate a scale to assess the daily-living decision-making support of care staff for older adults with dementia (OwDs) in Japan. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 138 care staff at two geriatric healthcare facilities from February to March 2021. The Daily Living Decision-Making Support Scale for Older Adults with Dementia (DL-DM) was developed using item analysis, factor analysis, and covariance structure analysis. The factor analysis yielded 12 items and three factors: (1) support for the formation and expression of intentions in daily life based on the life background and values of OwDs; (2) attitudes and devising ways to communicate regarding the formation and expression of intentions in OwDs daily lives; and (3) devising ways to support OwDs in realizing their intentions in daily life. The internal consistency reliability analysis yielded a Cronbach’s α of 0.87 for the total scale. The DL-DM correlated with the concurrent validity measures as expected. The DL-DM demonstrated validity and reliability as a potential scale to assess support for OwDs in daily life decision-making. The results also suggest an association between the DL-DM and person-centered care for OwDs.

Introduction Various types of skin lesions with pruritus have been reported in participants of Asian clinical trials on sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. The aim of this study was to determine whether the diuretic effect of a SGLT2 inhibitor could modify skin hydration status in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods A prospective, short-term, open-label, two-parallel-arm, pilot study was conducted. Eligible patients were assigned to either a SGLT2 inhibitor (50 mg ipragliflozin once daily) group or to a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (50 mg sitagliptin once daily) group (control). The biophysical characteristics of the skin were measured and blood chemistry tests were run in all participants 1 day prior to medication initiation (pre-treatment values) and 14 days thereafter (post-treatment values). Results Fourteen patients were enrolled in the study, of whom eight were in the ipragliflozin group and six in the sitagliptin group. Compared to the pre-treatment values, the glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels were slightly but significantly reduced in the ipragliflozin group (p = 0.02), but the changes in HbA1c from the pre-treatment to post-treatment time points did not significantly differ between the two treatment groups. Serum 3-hydroxy butyrate levels were significantly higher in the ipragliflozin group than in the sitagliptin group (p

Aim This study aimed to clarify the effects of a fall prevention intervention that focused on the characteristics of falls among elderly patients with dementia and was based on person-centered care in geriatric facilities on care staff. Methods This study was conducted between May 2016 and January 2017, and the subjects were classified into two groups: the intervention group, consisting of members who had participated in a three-month education training program, and the control group, consisting of members who provided the usual care. The study period was nine months divided as follows: training period (three months), fall prevention practice (three months), and follow-up period (three months). The quality of care was measured using the Nursing Quality Indicator for Preventing Falls (NQIPFD), and the assessment scale of health care professionals' recognition of the successful Interdisciplinary Team Approach in Health Care Facilities for the Elderly was also used. In total, the care staff members were evaluated four times: once to obtain baseline values before training, and again after the training period, after the fall prevention practice, and after the follow-up period. The results were analyzed using an analysis of variance (fixed factors = group and time, random factor = subjects, and covariance = years of experience working at the geriatric facility and type of job). Results There were 50 care staff subjects in the intervention group and 69 people in the control group. The results of the analysis of variance indicated that there was a significant difference in the NQIPFD between baseline 68.60 (±9.09) and follow-up 70.02 (±9.88) in the intervention group. With regard to the differences by intervention, the effect size of the dementia knowledge scale scores was 0.243 higher than the others, which was significant (p Conclusions The results showed that the participation of care staff in a fall intervention program to support elderly patients with dementia based on person-centered care significantly improved the NQIPFD and other measured factors. These findings suggest that the program fostered positive effects among the care staff.

Purpose The purpose of the present study was to clarify how quality of life (QOL) affects the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSDs) among elderly individuals with dementia within long-term care facilities (e.g., long-term healthcare facilities, sanatorium-type medical facilities, and special nursing homes for the elderly). Methods Elderly individuals with dementia were evaluated to determine their activities of daily living (ADL; Katz), Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE), Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), and Quality of life inventory for the elderly with dementia (QOLD) scores. Results The subjects were recruited from intermediate welfare facilities (n = 226, 43.7%), hospitals with supportive care (n=91, 17.6%), and intermediate care facilities (n = 200, 38.7%). The mean age of the subjects was 85.18±7.13 years. The NPI scores revealed that Agitation/Aggression was high among subjects who resided in healthcare health facilities and sanatorium-type medical facilities, while Apathy/Indifference was high in those who resided in special nursing homes. Additionally, a multiple regression analysis found that most of the NPI items, when set as independent variables, displayed a significant association with the same subscale of the QOLD. Conclusion When each item of the NPI was set as a dependent variable in a multiple regression analysis, the scores were significantly related to both subscales of the QOLD. It is suggested that QOL should be maintained or improved in an effort to reduce the incidence of the associated BPSDs in long-term care facilities.

Objective: To observe the effect of climate change on the mortality of the elderly and children, we examine age-specific heat-related(HM) and cold-related mortality(CM), and other weather-related m...

The purpose of this study was to clarify potential fall-related behaviors as fall risk factors that may predict the potential for falls among the elderly patients with dementia at a geriatric facility in Japan. This study was conducted from April 2008 to May 2009. A baseline study was conducted in April 2008 to evaluate Mini-Mental State Examination, Physical Self-Maintenance Scale, fall-related behaviors, and other factors. For statistical analysis, paired t test and logistic analysis were used to compare each item between fallers and nonfallers. A total of 135 participants were followed up for 1 year; 50 participants (37.04%) fell during that period. Results of multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the total score for fall-related behaviors was significantly related to falls. It was suggested that 11 fall-related behaviors may be effective indicators to predict falls among the elderly patients with dementia.

Purpose Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) is an observation and evaluation technique intended to improve the quality of care for elderly people with dementia, based on aims of person-centered care. The purpose of this study was to clarify that well-being and ill-being (WIB) levels affects the behavior category code (BCC) in long-term care insurance facilities. Methods In this study, we evaluated people with dementia who used care facilities between April 2005 and July 2007. The evaluation indices used were the 6-hour DCM, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the Gottfries-Brane-Steen Scale (GBS). Results The total number of subjects whose families submitted written informed consent to participate was 256 (50 men and 206 women). The mean MMSE score of the total subjects was 10.83 (±8.58), and that of individuals receiving home care was the highest 17.14 (±6.38). The next highest mean MMSE score was that of the group home residents: 16.56 (±6.83). The lowest mean MMSE score was of individuals in health services facilities for the elderly (serious dementia ward), at 2.16 (±3.88). Multiple regression analysis was performed after controlling for age, sex, type of dementia and GBS, and we used the WIB value as dependent variables. The BCC variables of L (Labor) in group homes, and E (Expression) and H (handicrafts) variables in welfare institutions and long-term care facilities for the elderly significantly promoted WIB value. Conclusions Among BCC indices such as L in group homes, and E and H in welfare institutions and long-term care facilities for the elderly, which reflect WIB values (and therefore, quality of life), it was found that those activities associated with work reflected quality of care. However, the BCC indices of B (Borderline) C (Cool), and U (Unresponsiveness) significantly inhibited WIB level; these behaviors are categorized as passive behaviors in the DCM. It is probable that these behaviors in elderly people with dementia reflect problems in long-term care insurance facilities. It is necessary to further examine these passive behaviors, because they can accurately reflect the quality of care for elderly people with dementia.

Casitas B-lineage lymphoma b (Cblb) is a negative regulator of T-cell activation and dysfunction of Cblb in rats and mice results in autoimmunity. In particular, a nonsense mutation in Cblb has been identified in a rat model of autoimmune type 1 diabetes. To clarify the possible involvement of CBLB mutation in type 1 diabetes in humans, we performed mutation screening of CBLB and characterized functional properties of the mutations in Japanese subjects. Six missense mutations (A155V, F328L, N466D, K837R, T882A, and R968L) were identified in one diabetic subject each, excepting N466D. Of these mutations, F328L showed impaired suppression of T-cell activation and was a loss-of-function mutation. These data suggest that the F328L mutation is involved in the development of autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes, and also provide insight into the structure-function relationship of CBLB protein.

Dementia Care Mapping is a behavior evaluation tool that can be used to measure and improve the quality of life of elderly patients with dementia. However, the reliability and validity of the Dementia Care Mapping-Japanese version (DCM-J) has not yet been established. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to clarify the reliability and validity of the Well-being and Ill-being (WIB) value of the DCM-J as a method for evaluating quality of life.The study was conducted from April 1, 2005 to June 30, 2006. The participants included 130 elderly patients (men 31, women 99, average age 82.65+/-7.69 years) who were given a diagnosis of dementia. We established inter-rater reliability during a parallel observation method and also used test-retest for reliability. The correlation between the WIB value of the DCM-J and the Japanese Quality of Life Inventory for Elderly with Dementia (QOL-D) was used to establish criterion-related validity.Forty-nine (37.7%) subjects were given a diagnosis of dementia of Alzheimer's type, 80 (61.5%) had vascular dementia and 1 (0.8%) had dementia with Lewy bodies. The results showed correlation between the WIB value and social withdrawal measured by the behavioral category code (BCC) on the DCM-J and the three subscales of QOL-D: "interacting with surroundings", "expressing self", and "experiencing minimum negative behaviors". There was good internal consistency among these items. The interclass correlation coefficient was 82.32 (+/-5.85) for the WIB value of the DCM-J. The correlation coefficient of the retest, administered one week later, was 0.836 (p=0.001). The WIB value was significantly correlated with three sub-scales of QOL-D, and the correlation coefficient was greater than 0.53.We demonstrated that the WIB value of the DCM-J has good inter-rater reliability and test re-test reliability and criterion-related validity. In this study, the WIB value was shown to have similar reliability to the WIB value of the original DCM. Furthermore, our results suggest that the DCM-J could be useful for evaluating quality of life among elderly Japanese patients with dementia.

Objective: To clarify music therapy-induced changes in behavioral evaluations, and saliva chromogranin A and immunoglobulin A concentrations in elderly patients with senile dementia. Methods: A music therapy group consisting of 8 elderly patients with dementia and a control group including eight similarly matched patients received a total of 25 1-h sessions of music therapy that were conducted twice weekly for 3 months. The Gottfries–Brane–Steen Scale, and the Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer’s Disease Rating Scale were used to evaluate behavioral changes. Saliva chromogranin A and immunoglobulin A were used to assess changes in stress and immunological status, respectively. Results: On the Gottfries–Brane–Steen Scale, the mean score for “different symptoms common in dementia” improved significantly after music therapy. The mean Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer’s Disease Rating Scale score for “paranoid and delusional ideation” also significantly improved (P

We examined age associated variation in salivary testosterone values among Japanese males as well as anthropometric measurements.Salivary samples were collected in pretreated sodium azide treated tubes. The first series: 15-79-year-old males (n = 99); two morning and two evening samples were collected at home for two days. The second series: 90-year-old males (n = 29); one morning sample was collected. Testosterone values were determined using an iodine125-based radioimmunoassay kit modified for saliva.Results show 1) a significant decrease in salivary testosterone values from 20s to 40s and older, 2) no significant decline after 40 through 90 years old, 3) no significant age-related differences in the degree of intraindividual diurnal fluctuation across age groups of 40-70s, and 4) higher BMI is associated with the lower salivary testosterone among 40-70s.These results suggest that neither a constant decrease of salivary testosterone values or markedly reduced intraindividual fluctations are universal aspects of aging. Older males may maintain relatively high testosterone levels compared to younger men and a relatively 'robust' neuroendocrinological system.

There are few longitudinal studies on the subjective quality of life for elderly persons living in their own homes. The purpose of this study was to clarify the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the Dementia Quality of Life Scale (JDQoL) used in a follow-up survey as part of a longitudinal study in Japan.A baseline study was conducted from November 2002 to January 2003, and a year later a follow-up study was conducted from October 2003 to January 2004. The subjects included 72 (19 men and 53 women) elderly persons with dementia living in their own homes. Sixty-six were diagnosed with vascular dementia (VD) and 6 had senile dementia of Alzheimer's type (SDAT). The follow-up study included 60 subjects (VD: 56 and SDAT: 4); _10 of the original subjects were hospitalized, one died, and one was unable to attend daycare because of deterioration. Evaluation was conducted using the JDQoL, MiniMental State Examination (MMSE), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS).For the MMSE, the average score of the subjects in the follow-up study was 20.87 (+/- 4.80), which was significantly higher than the score of subjects that were excluded from the follow-up study (17.82 +/- 5.65). At baseline, reliability coefficient was demonstrated by Cronbach's alpha value of 0.744 approximately 0.886. One year later, Cronbach's alpha was 0.723 approximately 0.872. Among the subjects in the follow-up study, MMSE scores decreased significantly compared with the baseline study. In the subscales of the JDQoL, Negative Feelings (reversal item) significantly improved and Feeling of Belonging significantly decreased after one year (p0.05). Each subscale of the JDQoL had significant correlation with the GDS at baseline and follow-up. Scores on the GDS at baseline had significant correlation with Self Esteem, Positive Feelings, Negative Feelings, and Feeling of Belonging of the JDQoL at follow-up (0.320 to 0.504; p0.05).We demonstrated that the reliability and validity of the JDQoL was comparable to the English version of DQoL. Subjective QOL did not decline for all sub-scales, Negative Feelings in the JDQoL significantly improved compared to baseline.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the efficacy of behavioral, stress and immunological evaluation methods in music therapy (MT) with elderly patients with senile dementia. The MT group consisted of 8 elderly patients with dementia and the control group included 8 similarly matched patients. A total of 25 sessions of music therapy were conducted for one hour, twice each week for three months. The Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), Gottfries-Brane-Steen Scale (GBS), and Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale (Behave-AD) were used to evaluate behavioral changes. Saliva Chromogranin A (Cg A) and Immunoglobulin A (Ig A) were used to assess changes in stress and immunological status, respectively. The results of the study were as follows: 1. In GBS, the mean score of "different symptoms common in dementia" improved significantly after MT. 2. The mean Behave-AD score of "paranoid and delusional ideation" was also significantly improved (p

Evidence suggests that the erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular (EPH) receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and their ephrin (EFN) ligands are involved in human carcinogenesis. Expression of two of them, EFNA1 ligand and its receptor, EPHA2, has been proposed to contribute to tumor-induced neovascularization. Colorectal cancers were examined for expressions of EPHA2 and its ligand EFNA1 by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, and double-immunostained for EPHA2 and CD34. Microvessels in the tumors were counted. Double-staining was also performed in 25 cases of adenoma with focal cancer for comparison. Trends of overexpression of both EPHA2 and EFNA1 was found in tumor tissue compared to the corresponding normal tissue in the same specimen [22/37 (59.5%) and 25/37 (67.5%), respectively; P = 0.100 for EPHA2 and P = 0.009 for EFNA1]. Overexpression of EPHA2 and EFNA1 was noted more frequently in the early stage than in the late stage [EPHA2, 15/21 (71.4%) vs. 7/16 (43.8%), P = 0.007; EFNA1, 15/21 (71.4%) vs. 10/16 (62.5%), P = 0.007]. Both EPHA2 and EFNA1 were more frequently overexpressed in smaller tumors (less than 5 cm) than in larger tumors [EPHA2, 15/21 (71.4%) vs. 7/16 (43.8%), P = 0.017; EFNA1, 16/21 (76.2%) vs. 8/16 (50%), P = 0.001]. Tumors less than 5 cm in diameter and in stages I and II were significantly more likely to overexpress EPHA2 and EFNA1 (P = 0.001 for EPHA2, P = 0.001 for EFNA1). Microvessel counts (MVCs) after immunostaining for CD34 were significantly correlated (r = 0.343, P = 0.037) with overexpression of EPHA2. EPHA2-expressing focal cancer also surrounded microvessels in adenomas with focal cancers. These findings suggest an involvement of EPHA2 in colon carcinogenesis, mainly in stages I and II, and probably through their effect on microvessel induction.

The identity of α-amylase inhibitors (TAI and UAI) from Toramame (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and Uzuramame (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) was examined by comparing peptide maps and sugar chain compositions of both inhibitors. The amino acid compositions of α and β subunits of UAI were very similar to those of TAI, respectively. The peptide maps in the Staphylococcus protease digestion of α-subunit and in the lysylendopeptidase digestion of β-subunit of UAI were identical with those of TAI, respectively. These results showed that both inhibitors had the same amino acid sequence. The comparison of sugar chain compositions of both inhibitors suggested that the major glycoforms of UAI and TAI were the same and even glycoform compositions of UAI and TAI were very similar.

The c-Cbl proto-oncogene product Cbl has emerged as a negative regulator of receptor and non-receptor tyrosine kinases, a function dependent on its recently identified ubiquitin ligase activity. Here, we report that EphA2, a member of Eph receptor tyrosine kinases is negatively regulated by Cbl. The negative regulation of EphA2 mediated by Cbl is dependent on the activity of EphA2, as the kinase inactive mutant of EphA2 cannot be regulated by Cbl. Moreover, a point mutation (G306E-Cbl) in TKB region of Cbl that has been reported to abolish Cbl binding to RTKs and non-receptor tyrosine kinases impaired the binding to active EphA2. The dominant negative mutant 70Z-Cbl, which has a 17-amino acids deletion in the N-boundary of the RING finger domain, defuncted negative regulatory function of Cbl to EphA2. These results demonstrate that the TKB domain and RING finger domain of Cbl are essential for this negative regulation.

An α-amylase inhibitor (DAI) from Daifuku bean is composed of two kinds of glycopolypeptide subunits, α and β. Sugar compositions of DAI and its subunits α and β were shown to consist of mannose, N-acetylglucosamine and xylose. These results indicated that DAI had asparagine-linked sugar chains. Asparagine-linked sugar chains of DAI and its subunits α and β were liberated by hydrazinolysis. After N-acetylation and pyridylamination, structures of pyridylaminated sugar chains were estimated by size-fractionation HPLC. Several kinds of pyridylaminated oligosaccharides were obtained from DAI and its subunits α and β. Structures of major sugar chains of subunit α were M6 and M9 of high mannose-type oligosaccharides. The structure of a major sugar chain of subunit β was presumed to be a xylomannose-type sugar chain, M3X.

Though its incidence and mortality have declined, gastric cancer is still the most common type of cancer in Japan. The cause of gastric cancer appears to be both genetic and environmental, with the...

We conducted a survey to clarify the evaluation methods of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) for the elderly with senile dementia in an adult day care center. AAT was implemented for a total of six biweekly sessions. The AAT group consisted of seven subjects and the control group numbered 20 subjects. In a comparison between Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) scores at baseline and those measured three months later, the average MMSE score before AAT (baseline) was 11.43 (± 9.00), and three months later it was 12.29(± 9.69). In the AAT group, the average score on Nishimura's Activities of Daily Living (N-ADL) at baseline was 28.43(± 14.00), and after ATT it was 29.57(± 14.47). In the AAT group, the average baseline score on behavioral pathology of Alzheimer's disease (Behave-AD) was 11.14(± 4.85), and three months after AAT it was 7.29(± 7.11) (p < 0.05). In the control group, the average baseline score was 5.45(± 3.27) and three months later it was 5.63(± 3.59). The evaluation of salivary CgA, as a mental stress index, showed a decreasing tendency in the AAT group. Our findings demonstrate the usefulness of using several methods for evaluation of the changes in patients given AAT.

キントキマメ,フクシロキントキマメより,水抽出,硫安塩析,DEAE-Sepharose FFイオン交換クロマトグラフィー,Sephacryl S-200HRゲルろ過にて電気泳動的に均一なα-アミラーゼインヒビター,KAIとFAIを精製した.KAIとFAIの諸性質は類似しており,等電点が4.6と4.5,糖含量が16.9%と14.7%,分子量は共に45000±5000であった.SDS電気泳動では,両者共分子量約14000～20000の範囲に4本のバンドが観察され,両AIは複数のサブユニットから構成されていることが示された.なお,両インヒビターにはシステインが存在しないことから,これらサブユニット間にはS-S結合以外の相互作用が働いていることが推定された.変性KAI, FAIを8M尿素存在下でゲルろ過HPLCを行い,それぞれ分子量の異なるIとIIのタンパク質画分を分離した.アミノ酸組成は,それぞれのAIのI及びIIどうしが類似していた.一方IとIIの比較ではアラニン,メチオニン,イソロイシン,アルギニン,バリン,リジンの含量が著しく違っていた.アミノ酸配列分析から,KAI, FAIは共にIがセリン,IIがアラニンをN末端とする2種類のサブユニットより構成されていることが示された.また,N末端より20残基までの配列は互いに一致していた.

Preeclampsia is known to be a multifactorial disease. Recently, the angiotensinogen gene has been shown to be a candidate gene that could be related to preeclampsia, and acquired factors such as lifestyle during pregnancy have also been considered to be risk factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the interrelations among the angiotensinogen gene and various acquired risk factors in preeclampsia. Fifty-eight primiparous patients with pre-eclampsia were compared with 164 normal primiparous controls. A variant of the angiotensinogen gene (M235T) was analyzed along with the acquired factors obtained from both medical records and a questionnaire consisting of 98 questions. Univariate analysis disclosed 11 factors that were significantly associated with preeclampsia (P.05). Multivariate analysis revealed four significant independent factors: "prepregnancy high body mass (body mass indexor = 24)," "T235 homozygotes of the angiotensinogen gene," "mentally stressful condition during pregnancy," and "salty dishes preferred during pregnancy." The odds ratios of the four factors were 6.2, 2.5, 3.0 and 2.6, respectively, in a multiple logistic model. Our results support the concept that T235 of the angiotensinogen gene is a potent, independent risk factor for preeclampsia, as well as other lifestyle-related risk factors.

We conducted animal-assisted therapy (AAT) for the elderly with senile dementia in a day care center. AAT was performed between July 27 and October 12, 1999 for a total of six biweekly sessions. The AAT group consisted of 7 subjects; 5 with senile dementia of Alzheimer's type (SDAT) and 2 with vascular dementia (VD). The control group was 20 elderly subjects (7 SDAT, 13 VD). The results were as follows: Comparing between MMS scores at the baseline and those three months later, the average score on MMS before AAT (baseline) was 11.43 (+/- 9.00), and that three months later was 12.29 (+/- 9.69). In the AAT group, the average baseline N-ADL score was 28.43 (+/- 14.00) and that after ATT was 29.57 (+/- 14.47). In the AAT group, the average baseline score on Behave-AD was 11.14 (+/- 4.85), and that three months after AAT was 7.29 (+/- 7.11) (p < 0.05). In the control group, the average baseline score was 5.45 (+/- 3.27) and that three month later was 5.63 (+/- 3.59). However, the results of eight subscales of communication behavior three months later were significantly low comparing to those at the baseline in the control group. The evaluation of CgA, which was a mental stress index, showed a decreasing tendency in the AAT group. Our findings suggested we should use several evaluation methods for evaluation of the changes of patients receiving AAT.

インゲン属のオテボウ(Phaseolus vulgaris L.),ムラサキハナマメ,シロハナマメ(何れもPhaseolus coccineus L.)の種子微粉末試料より,水抽出,硫安塩析,DEAE-Sepharoseイオン交換クロマトグラフィー,SephacrylS-200HRゲルろ過によりそれぞれ2種類のタンパク質性のα-アミラーゼインヒビター,OAI-1とOAI-2,MAI-1とMAI-2,SAI-1とSAI-2を精製した.電気泳動的に均一な標品であるOAI-1,OAI-2,MAI-2,SAI-2について諸性質を調べたところ等電点は,OAI-1が4.6,OAI-2が4.5,MAI-2とSAI-2が4.9であった.何れも分子量は,45000±5000で,13-15%の糖を含む糖タンパク質であった.SDS電気泳動では,分子量約14000-30000の間に,複数本のバンドが認められた.このことより,これらAIはサブユーットから構成されることが示された.アミノ酸組成は,OAI-1,OAI-2,MAI-2,SAI-2共に,アスパラギン酸,セリン,に富み,メチオニンとヒスチジン含量は低かった.また,システインが存在しないことから,これらサブユニット間にはS-S結合以外の相互作用が働いていることが推定された.ブタ膵臓α-アミラーゼに対する阻害能力は,OAI-2, MAI-2, SAI-2共にほぼ同じであったが,OAI-1はそれらよりも弱かった.70℃ (pH 6.9)における熱安定性は,OAI-2, MAI-2, SAI-2が2時間経過後も安定であったのに較べ,OAI-1, MAI-1, SAI-1は不安定であった.

Subunit structures were examined for proteinaceous α-amylase inhibitors, TAI, UAI, DAI, OAI-2, MAI-2, and SAI-2, from respective Phaseolus beans of Toramame, Uzuramame, Daifuku, Otebou, Murasakihanamame, and Shirohanamame. Firstly, TAI was denatured by heating at 50℃ for 30 min in 50 mM imidazol-HCl buffer(pH 7.2)containing 6M guanidine HCl. The denatured protein was chromatographed on DEAE-Sephacel in the presence of 8M urea, resulting in a separation of two protein components, α and β. Size-exclusion HPLC also separated the denatured inhibitor into two protein peaks, I and II. N-Terminal 20 amino acid sequences showed that the protein components, α and β, corresponded to II and I, respectively. The other inhibitors denatured by the above procedure were also analyzed for their subunit structures by HPLC, and found to be composed of two subunits, α and β like that TAI consisted of α and β. Comparison of N-terminal 20 amino acid sequences of subunits indicated the presence of a few amino acid substitutions among the inhibitors.

Regarding the statistical analysis of the quantitative data obtained in control and dosage groups in toxicity studies, we tried to simplify the decision tree method. In a new decision tree presented in this article, one-way analysis of variance and Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric analysis of variance are excluded from the traditional decision tree: (1) Bartlett's test is used as a test for the equality of k variances: (2) Then, if the k sampled populations have equal variances (p > 0.05 by the Bartlett's test), Dunnett's multiple comparison test is performed: otherwise, Steel's test is used. This new method, which increases the power in some conditions, may serve as an alternative to the traditional decision tree method.

Inappropriate body weight gain during pregnancy has critical effects on the outcome for both mother and fetus. Therefore, body weight gain is an important issue in the management of pregnancy in women with diabetes. A Trp64Arg substitution in the beta3-AR gene has been reported to be associated with body weight gain and obesity in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) subjects. The aim of this study was to elucidate the contribution of the beta3-AR gene to body weight gain during pregnancy in subjects with diabetes. We analyzed 199 diabetic patients (NIDDM/IDDM; 131/68) and patient data was obtained from the first delivery of each individual. The mean age at diagnosis of diabetes was 22.9 +/- 7.5 years (mean +/- S.D.) and the mean age at delivery was 29.8 +/- 4.5 years. A polymorphism of the beta3-AR gene was detected by PCR-RFLP using Bst OI, which recognizes a Trp64Arg substitution. The frequency of the Trp64Arg allele was 0.15 in NIDDM and 0.17 in IDDM. Among the NIDDM subjects, excess weight gain during pregnancy, as defined by maximum BMI during pregnancy minus basal BMI before pregnancy exceeding five, was observed in 12.2% of the wild-type patients, 19.2% of heterozygotes and 28.6% of homozygotes. Homozygous subjects with NIDDM tended to show excess weight gain during pregnancy, however, this trend did not reach significance. None of the IDDM homozygotes showed excess weight gain. From our study, this beta3-AR gene polymorphism cannot be excluded as a contributing factor to excess weight gain during pregnancy in NIDDM subjects.

α-Amylase inhibitors were purified from Tora bean and Uzura bean by water extraction, ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-Sepharose FF ion-exchange chromatography and Sephacryl S-200HR gel filtration and referred to as TAI and UAI, respectively. Isoelectric points of TAI and UAI were 4.6 and 4.54. The carbohydrate content was determined to be about 15% for both inhibitors by the phenol sulfuric acid method. TAI and UAI had the same molecular weight of about 45,000 and showed extremely similar amino acid compositions to each other. Subunit components of TAI and UAI were detected by SDS-PAGE and each inhibitor was found to be composed of at least four kinds of subunit with molecular weights between 14,000 and 20,000. TAI and UAI also showed almost the same heat stability and inhibitory activity against porcine pancreatic α-amylase. These results suggest that α-amylase inhibitors, TAI and UAI were the same protein.

A purification method for intact type V collagen from fish intramuscular connective tissue was developed. Collagens were extracted with 0.5 M acetic acid from fish intramuscular connective tissue. Intact type V collagen could not be isolated by conventional salt fractionation which has been used for isolation of pepsinized collagens. Isolation was achieved by ion-exchange chromatography in the presence of 5 M urea. This is the first report on isolation of intact type V collagen from muscle tissue.

We studied 132 families with a family history of breast cancer (familial aggregation cases, FA cases) to assess the breast cancer risk presented by such a family history. For comparison with these FA cases, we randomly selected 132 control families of sporadic cases (SP controls) by adjusting for the age of the proband at surgery. Information on family history was collected for all first-degree female relatives and maternal and paternal grandmothers. Japanese women with a first-degree relative affected by breast cancer were found to have an increased risk of the disease. The odds ratio (OR) for women with a family history of breast cancer was 1.99 (95% confidence interval [ CI ], 1.48-2.66). The OR for FA-case doughters of women with breast cancer was 1.54 (95% CI, 0.91-2.63). A higher risk was not observed if a woman's mother had breast cancer. If the proband had a sister with breast cancer, a slightly increased risk of other cancers of the proband was observed (OR, 1.85 [ 0.87-3.92]). These results suggest that a family history of breast cancer in Japanese women may affect their risk of developing cancer of the breast and other organs.

Sometimes a specific treatment is effective in one subgroup but not in another. An indicator allowing quantitative comparison of treatment effect in two subgroups would be useful in clinical medicine. We have developed such an indicator. It is obtained by calculations using Cox’s proportional hazard or logistic model with therapy, subgroup, and confounding explanatory variables. The parameter of the interaction between therapy and subgroup can be estimated and tested statistically. The exponential value of the interaction parameter is what we tentatively call the “hazard ratio ratio”, meaning the ratio between the treatment effects in two subgroups. The 95% confidence interval of the indicator can also be calculated. As a numerical example, the hazard ratio between the survival times of postoperative gastric cancer patients treated by adjuvant immunochemotherapy and patients without adjuvant immunochemotherapy in a subgroup with high serum glycosidically bound sialic acid (SA) level was lower than that in a low-SA subgroup using an estimate for hazard ratio ratio of less than 0.5 with statistical significance. We propose this indicator be used as a “responder/non-responder ratio” of therapy effect.

We have recalculated the summarised odds ratios, with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs), for the relationship between exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and lung cancer based on the odds r...

Summary A technique for long-term micropropagation of Passiflora edulis from subcultured multiple shoot primordia is described. Excised tissues from leaves cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS medium) supplemented with 3 % (w/v) sucrose, 1 μmol L -1 6-benzylaminopurine (BA) and 1 μmol L -1 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) formed multiple shoot primordia. These shoot primordia were transferred to a medium containing 10 μM BA and subcultured repeatedly at 3-week intervals. When subcultured shoot primordia were transferred to a medium containing lower concentrations (0.1 or 1.0 μmol L -1 ) of BA, shoots were formed. Subcultured shoot primordia have continued to regenerate plants for more than 3 years. Shoots developed and rooted on MS medium lacking growth regulators. Rooted plants were transferred to pots and grown in a greenhouse. According to the morphology of leaves of regenerated plants, rejuvenation was obtained by this method of in vitro culture.

Summary Sporophytic shoot primordia are initiated on gametophyte tissue of Equisetum arvense when cultured in a medium supplemented with cytokinin. The initiated shoots can develop on a cytokinin-free medium. Oryzalin, a dinitroaniline herbicide, inhibited the initiation and development of sporophytic shoots. But gametophytic growth with normal morphogenesis was not inhibited by oryzalin. These results suggest that some alteration induced by oryzalin is fatal to sporophytic, but not to gametophytic morphogenesis. Histological features in relation to the inhibition of sporophytic morphogenesis by oryzalin are discussed.