The Concept Palliative Care of Cancer from Nurses in Japan by Text Date Mining Analysis

Miwa Yamamoto,Masami Chojo 한국간호과학회 2015 한국간호과학회 학술대회 Vol.2015 No.10

Innate, adaptive, and cell-autonomous immunity against Toxoplasma gondii infection

Miwa Sasai,Masahiro Yamamoto 생화학분자생물학회 2019 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.51 No.-

Hosts have been fighting pathogens throughout the evolution of all infectious diseases. Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most common infectious agents in humans but causes only opportunistic infection in healthy individuals. Similar to antimicrobial immunity against other organisms, the immune response against T. gondii activates innate immunity and in turn induces acquired immune responses. After activation of acquired immunity, host immune cells robustly produce the proinflammatory cytokine interferon-γ (IFN-γ), which activates a set of IFN-γ-inducible proteins, including GTPases. IFN-inducible GTPases are essential for cell-autonomous immunity and are specialized for effective clearance and growth inhibition of T. gondii by accumulating in parasitophorous vacuole membranes. Recent studies suggest that the cell-autonomous immune response plays a protective role in host defense against not only T. gondii but also various intracellular bacteria. Moreover, the negative regulatory mechanisms of such strong immune responses are also important for host survival after infection. In this review, we will discuss in detail recent advances in the understanding of host defenses against T. gondii and the roles played by cell-autonomous immune responses.

How syntactic processing training affects oral production of elementary level Japanese EFL learners

( Miwa Morishita ),( Tomoko Yamamoto ) 경희대학교 언어연구소 2013 언어연구 Vol.30 No.3

For EFL learners, especially elementary level learners, the initial step in language production is to combine several words into sentences. This study reports the results of classroom research aiming to facilitate oral production of elementary level Japanese EFL learners through syntactic processing training. University freshmen in five English classes which use CALL facilities engaged in a 15-minute training at the beginning of each lesson over a total of ten lessons. The training consisted of two types of tasks rearranging shuffled word groups, based on a hypothesis that such training might lead to better automatized language production. In the first half of the training, the written task, the students looked at four to five shuffled word groups and decided the correct order. In the second half of the training, the spoken task, they listened to three shuffled word groups and orally rearranged them into correct sentences. In working out such tasks, the test takers should access vocabulary in their mental lexicon, remember the shuffled word groups they listened to, and rearrange them into correct sentences, which might impose them a high cognitive load and can lead to automatized language production. The data of 88 students who engaged in such training were compared with those of 29 students who did not at both the pre-test and the post-test stages. It was found that although both the experimental and the control groups significantly increased their scores in the written task, only the experimental group significantly increased their scores in the spoken task. The results show that training as a whole seems to have had a positive effect on the students` oral production.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Increases Exercise Capacity with a Reduction of Oxidative Stress

Taira Fukuda,Miwa Kurano,Kazuya Fukumura,Tomohiro Yasuda,Haruko Iida,Toshihiro Morita,Yumiko Yamamoto,Nami Takano,Issei Komuro,Toshiaki Nakajima 대한심장학회 2013 Korean Circulation Journal Vol.43 No.7

Background and Objectives: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediate various signaling pathways that underlie vascular inflammation in atherogenesis and cardiovascular diseases. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has a variety of multiple beneficial effects, including anti-inflam -matory effects. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of CR on ROS in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Subjects and Methods: The serum level of derivatives of reactive oxidative metabolites, an index of oxidative stress, was measured in 100 patients with cardiovascular diseases before, and, subsequently, 3 and 6 months after, CR. A biological antioxidant potential (BAP) test was applied to assess the antioxidant power of the serum. Results: The resting reactive oxidative metabolite levels decreased 3-6 months after CR {pre: 351±97 Carratelli unit (CARR U), 3 months:329±77 CARR U, 6 months: 325±63 CARR U, all p<0.01} with the increase of the percentage of the predicted values of V˙O 2 peak and the percentage of the predicted values of V˙O 2 at the anaerobic threshold (V˙O 2 AT ) and the decrease of the B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). The BAP test and antioxidative/oxidative stress ratio increased 6 months after CR. The % changes of the antioxidative/oxidative stress ratio was positively correlated with the % changes of V˙O 2 AT , and negatively correlated with the % changes of the BNP. Conclusion: These results suggest that intensive supervised CR significantly improved exercise capacity, which may be attributable to an adaptive response involving more efficient oxidative metabolites or the increased capacity of endogenous anti-oxidative systems in pa -tients with cardiovascular diseases.

The Influence of Slope Direction and Angle on the Covering Speed of Centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack.)

Kiyoshi Hirano,Miya Kitagawa,Miwa Nakano,Yoshito Yamamoto,Tomoko Nishida,Kentaro Ikeda,Hiroyuki Sasaki 한국초지조사료학회 2009 한국초지조사료학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2009 No.08

In order to easily and rapidly establish low-cost grazing grasslands using centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack.) (CG) on abandoned cultivated land, the influences of slope direction and angle on the covering speed of CG were investigated. We established 61 quadrats at varying slope directions and angles, and the planting of CG was performed in 2003. The covering speed of CG was investigated from 2003 to 2008, and the years of point of inflection (YPI) was calculated. The most rapid YPI was 1.0-1.5 years in the quadrats in the S5°W direction with 0 degree slopes, while the slowest YPI was 3.0-3.5 years in the quadrats in the northern direction with 10-20 degree slopes. Therefore, grassland renovation using low quantities of CG seeds, which are sold at a high price in Japan, is favorable on land in the southern direction and with a lower slope.

Role of Mouse and Human Autophagy Proteins in IFN-γ–Induced Cell-Autonomous Responses against <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>

Ohshima, Jun,Lee, Youngae,Sasai, Miwa,Saitoh, Tatsuya,Su Ma, Ji,Kamiyama, Naganori,Matsuura, Yoshiharu,Pann-Ghill, Suh,Hayashi, Mikako,Ebisu, Shigeyuki,Takeda, Kiyoshi,Akira, Shizuo,Yamamoto, Masahiro The American Association of Immunologists, Inc. 2014 JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY Vol.192 No.7

<P>IFN-γ mediates cellular innate immunity against an intracellular parasite, <I>Toxoplasma gondii</I>, by inducing immunity-related GTPases such as p47 IFN-γ–regulated GTPases (IRGs) and p65 guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs), which also participate in antibacterial responses via autophagy. An essential autophagy protein, Atg5, was previously shown to play a critical role in anti–<I>T. gondii</I> cell-autonomous immunity. However, the involvement of other autophagy proteins remains unknown. In this study, we show that essential autophagy proteins differentially participate in anti–<I>T. gondii</I> cellular immunity by recruiting IFN-γ–inducible GTPases. IFN-γ–induced suppression of <I>T. gondii</I> proliferation and recruitment of an IRG Irgb6 and GBPs are profoundly impaired in Atg7- or Atg16L1-deficient cells. In contrast, cells lacking other essential autophagy proteins, Atg9a and Atg14, are capable of mediating the anti–<I>T. gondii</I> response and recruiting Irgb6 and GBPs to the parasites. Although IFN-γ also stimulates anti–<I>T. gondii</I> cellular immunity in humans, whether this response requires GBPs and human autophagy proteins remains to be seen. To analyze the role of human ATG16L1 and GBPs in IFN-γ–mediated anti–<I>T. gondii</I> responses, human cells lacking ATG16L1 or GBPs were generated by the Cas9/CRISPR genome-editing technique. Although both ATG16L1 and GBPs are dispensable for IFN-γ–induced inhibition of <I>T. gondii</I> proliferation in the human cells, human ATG16L1 is also required for the recruitment of GBPs. Taken together, human ATG16L1 and mouse autophagy components Atg7 and Atg16L1, but not Atg9a and Atg14, participate in the IFN-γ–induced recruitment of the immunity-related GTPases to the intracellular pathogen.</P>

Factors Associated With Discharge Destination in Advanced Cancer Patients With Bone Metastasis in a Japanese Hospital

Katsuhiro Hayashi,Tetsutaro Yahata,Ryota Muramoto,Norio Yamamoto,Akihiko Takeuchi,Shinji Miwa,Takashi Higuchi,Kensaku Abe,Yuta Taniguchi,Hisaki Aiba,Yoshihiro Araki,Hiroyuki Tsuchiya 대한재활의학회 2018 Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine Vol.42 No.3

Objective To analyze patient characteristics of cancer rehabilitation and outcomes at our hospital.Methods This retrospective study analyzed 580 patients, who underwent cancer rehabilitation at our hospital and rehabilitation outcome after therapy were investigated. The relationship between the initial Barthel index and discharge outcomes was investigated, with a special focus on cancer patients with bone metastasis. The Barthel index and performance status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) before and after rehabilitation were analyzed, and threshold value of home discharge was calculated from a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). General criteria for home discharge from our hospital included independence in performing basic activities of daily living such as bathing, feeding, and toileting or availability of home support from a family member/caregiver.Results The outcomes after rehabilitation among all the patients were as follows: discharge home 59%, death 13%, and others 27%. Statistical differences were observed between the initial and final values of the Barthel index in patients with bone metastasis, who could be discharged home (p=0.012). ROC analysis of the initial Barthel index for predicting home discharge revealed a threshold value of 60, sensitivity of 0.76, and specificity of 0.72.Conclusion The patients with bone metastasis had a lower rate of home discharge and a higher rate of mortality than all the study patients who underwent cancer rehabilitation at our hospital. It is proposed that at the time of initiation of rehabilitation for patients with bone metastasis, an initial Barthel index lower than 60 might predict a worse outcome than home discharge.

Anti-apoptotic effect by Bcl-2 in UVB-irradiated keratinocytes.

Takahashi, Hidetoshi,Honma, Masaru,Ishida-Yamamoto, Akemi,Namikawa, Kazuhiko,Miwa, Akiko,Okado, Haruo,Kiyama, Hiroshi,Iizuka, Hajime Korean Society of Photoscience 2002 Journal of Photosciences Vol.9 No.2

Bcl-2 is a member of large bcl-2 family and protects cells from apoptosis. Using bcl-2-expressing adenovirus vector (Ad-bc1-2), we investigated the effect of bc1-2 on UVB-induced apoptosis. Adenovirus vector efficiently introduced bc1-2 gene in cultured normal mouse keratinocytes (NMK cells); almost all NMK cells (lx10$^{6}$ ) were transfected at Ixl0$^{8}$ PFU/ml. Bcl-2-transfected NMK cells were significantly resistant to UVB-induced apoptosis with the suppressive effect dependent on bcl-2-expression level. Following UVB irradiation caspase 8, 3, 9 activities were stimulated in NMK cells, while in bc1-2-transfected cells, only caspase 8, but not caspase 3 or 9 activities were stimulated. In order to investigate the effect of bc1-2 in vivo, topical application of Ad-bc1-2 on tape-stripped mouse skin was performed. Following the application, Bc1-2 was efficiently overexpressed in almost all viable keratinocytes. The expression was transient with the maximal expression of Bc1-2 at 1st day following the application of lxl0$^{9}$ PFU in 200ml. The introduced Bc1-2 remained at least for 6 days. UVB irradiation (1250 J/m$^2$) induced apoptosis within 12 h and the maximal effect was observed at 24 h in control mouse skin. Bc1-2-transfected mice skin were resistant to UVB-induced apoptosis. Topical application of empty adenovirus vector alone had no effect on Bc1-2 expression or UVB-induced apoptosis. These results indicate that adenovirus vector is an efficient gene delivery system into keratinocytes and that Bcl-2 is a potent inhibitor of UVB-induced apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo.