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Shelter GO : multiplayer location-based game to promote knowing shelters for emergency evacuation
Get PDFIn the event of a disaster, we evacuate to a shelter. However, if we do not know where to go for refuge, we consume time or end ourselves at an unknown shelter. Furthermore, we cannot decide on a suitable shelter if we do not know its capacities and features. To promote knowing shelters in advance is essential for successful emergency evacuation. A promoting approach is the use of a location-based game. Thus, a prototype of a multiplayer location-based game known as “Shelter GO” was developed to promote players to become acquainted with shelters by adopting a game element similar to Pokémon GO. The game feature allows players to not only earn points by visiting and observing shelters and collecting digital creatures at disaster-related spots but also exchange their collected digital creatures with encountered players. The digital creature exchange entails knowledge exchange. A preliminary comparative experiment demonstrated that Shelter GO can promote knowing shelters and that knowledge exchange may not be frequently done but promote knowing shelters.journal articl
Capillary Electrophoretic Characterization of Platinum and Silver Nanoparticles in Aqueous Solution Prepared by a Solution Plasma Process
Get PDFAqueous solutions of platinum nanoparticles (PtNP) and silver nanoparticles (AgNP) were prepared by a solution plasma process in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Both nanoparticle solutions did not show visible-range photo-absorption by surface plasmon resonance, and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was utilized for the characterization of the nanoparticles. An anionic broad peak was detected with the PtNP by the CZE analysis, whereas both an anionic and an electrically neutral peaks were detected with the AgNP. Serious shot signals attributed to the agglomerate of the nanoparticles were not detected with either the PtNP or the AgNP, and the nanoparticles were stably dispersed in an aqueous solution for at least a few tens of week. Dispersion stability of the nanoparticles was also evaluated in salt solutions, as well as with ethanol co-solvent.journal articl
Raman microspectroscopy for label-free diagnosis of amyloid light-chain amyloidosis in various organs
Get PDFSystemic amyloidosis is a group of diseases in which misfolded proteins aggregate as fibrous amyloid proteins with a β-sheet structure and deposit in organs, resulting in organ failure. Most types of amyloidosis have a poor prognosis, and prompt diagnosis is essential for treatment. Amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis is a type of systemic amyloidosis that occurs when abnormal immunoglobulin light chain proteins are deposited in various organs and tissues. The deposition of amyloid proteins in tissues has traditionally been confirmed using Congo red staining and polarised light microscopy, which show apple-green birefringence. In this study, we aimed to verify whether amyloid deposition in the heart, kidney, rectum, duodenum, and skin can be detected using Raman microspectroscopy. Serial sections were prepared from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue biopsy samples obtained from patients with systemic amyloidosis. One of the serial sections was stained with Congo red to confirm the deposition of amyloid proteins using polarised light microscopy, whereas the other was left unstained for Raman microspectroscopy. A characteristic peak at Raman shift of 1665-1680 cm-1, which may represent a β-sheet structure of amyloid proteins, was recorded in the area where the amyloid deposition had been confirmed by Congo red staining. Based on the peak at 1640–1680 cm-1, a colour map was obtained to detect amyloid protein-positive regions. Thus, amyloid protein detection using Raman microspectroscopy may be useful for rapid diagnosis of amyloidosis.journal articl
知っておきたいリハビリテーション栄養の基本
Get PDFMany hospitalized patients undergoing rehabilitation are often complicated by malnutrition and sarcopenia, which hinder their rehabilitation. Since nutritional management is essential to improve these conditions, the concept of “rehabilitation nutrition” has been proposed in recent clinical practice. The rehabilitation nutrition requires evaluation by a holistic assessment based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health （ICF）, evaluation of the presence of nutritional disorders, sarcopenia, and excess or deficiency in nutrient intake, diagnosis of their cause, and setting appropriate intervention goals, and defined as “nutrition care management in consideration of rehabilitation” and “rehabilitation in consideration of nutrition” to improve nutritional status, sarcopenia, nutrient intake, and frailty of the disabled and frail elderly to maximize function, activity, participation, and quality of life. To effectively implement rehabilitation nutrition, the rehabilitation nutrition care process consisting of five steps is useful, and it is recommended that this cycle be implemented through collaboration among multiple professions. The recently developed Japanese clinical practice guidelines for rehabilitation nutrition in cerebrovascular disease, hip fracture femur fracture, cancer, and acute illness. The number of elderly patients undergoing rehabilitation is expected to increase, which will inevitably increase the demand for rehabilitative nutrition. In order to establish rehabilitation nutrition in society, promotion of high-quality research as well as the dissemination of rehabilitation nutrition will be essential in the future.journal articl
Clarification of Psychiatric Nurses’ Intentions and Analysis Contents in Observing Schizophrenia Patient
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to clarify what psychiatric nurses intended to observe when observing schizophrenia patient and what they analyzed from their observations. Twenty-one experienced nurses were included in the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and content analysis was conducted. The results were as follows:Nurses’ intentions in observing patient were [Observation of psychiatric symptoms], [Observation of normality or abnormality], [Possibility of self-harm or harming others], [Side effects of antipsychotics], [Degree of communication disorder], [Degree of self-care], [Observation of nutritional status], [Effects of external stimuli on patient], and [Less importance of observing doctor]. Nurses’ analysis contents were [Analysis of psychiatric symptoms], [No risk of self-harm or harming others], [Effects of antipsychotics], [Presence of communication disorder], [Lack of trust in doctor], [Problems in daily life], [Consideration of future nursing intervention], [Assessment of normality or abnormality], [Unhealthy physical state], and [Unnecessary analysis]. The results of this study revealed the nurses’ observational process.journal articl
Anserine, a Histidine-Containing Dipeptide, Suppresses Pressure Overload-Induced Systolic Dysfunction by Inhibiting Histone Acetyltransferase Activity of p300 in Mice
Get PDFAnserine, an imidazole dipeptide, is present in the muscles of birds and fish and has various bioactivities, such as anti-inflammatory and anti-fatigue effects. However, the effect of anserine on the development of heart failure remains unknown. We cultured primary cardiomyocytes with 0.03 mM to 10 mM anserine and stimulated them with phenylephrine for 48 h. Anserine significantly suppressed the phenylephrine-induced increases in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, ANF and BNP mRNA levels, and histone H3K9 acetylation. An in vitro histone acetyltransferase (HAT) assay showed that anserine directly suppressed p300-HAT activity with an IC50 of 1.87 mM. Subsequently, 8-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were subjected to transverse aortic constriction (TAC) and were randomly assigned to receive daily oral treatment with anserine-containing material, Marine Active® (60 or 200 mg/kg anserine) or vehicle for 8 weeks. Echocardiography revealed that anserine 200 mg/kg significantly prevented the TAC-induced increase in left ventricular posterior wall thickness and the decrease in left ventricular fractional shortening. Moreover, anserine significantly suppressed the TAC-induced acetylation of histone H3K9. These results indicate that anserine suppresses TAC-induced systolic dysfunction, at least in part, by inhibiting p300-HAT activity. Anserine may be used as a pharmacological agent for human heart failure therapy.journal articl
Medical and Oral Care in the 21st Century by the Department of Oral Medicine : A novel Therapeutic Strategy for Dry Mouth on the Basis of Molecular Mechanisms Involved in the Onset of the Disease
Get PDFJapan became a super-aging society in 2007, and the aging rate is expected to increase further. This rapid aging of the population has impacted the structure of disease. In terms of oral health, this has resulted in an urgent need to shift from conventional “curative treatment”, which focuses on restoring dental morphology, to “curative and supportive treatment”, which focuses on restoring oral function in elderly and diseased patients. Diseases treated by the Department of Oral Medicine include oral mucosal diseases, salivary gland diseases (such as dry mouth), inflammatory diseases, neurological diseases, oral psychosomatic disorders, and taste disorders, among others. As many oral diseases are related to systemic diseases, the Department of Oral Medicine is a dental field adjacent to medical science. Therefore, the Department of Oral Medicine is responsible for perioperative oral function management and oral screening prior to the introduction of bone-modifying drugs in collaboration with medical doctors, and it also plays an important role in developing oral management plans according to the patient's disease and condition. The importance of the Department of Oral Medicine will continue to increase further. This review article focuses on dry mouth, a rising issue in the super-aging society, and describes research on developing novel treatments for Sjögren's syndrome (SS). C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) is overexpressed in the labial salivary glands (LSGs) of patients with primary SS (pSS). Studies using human salivary gland cells have demonstrated that CXCL10 is secreted via the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway through interferon-γ stimulation in ductal cells. The potential of JAK inhibitors as therapeutic agents for pSS was evaluated by analyzing the LSGs of patients with pSS and immortalized normal human salivary gland cell lines. The results suggested that JAK inhibitors may be effective for treating dry mouth in patients with pSS. Treating dry mouth may improve the quality of life and contribute to a long and healthy life.journal articl
