Due to transection of bilateral sciatic nerves, pressure ulcer-like dermal lesion occurred in the hairy skin covering of the heel skin in almost all rats. In the present study, chronological changes ...of the rat heel skin after the transection were morphologically and immunohistochemically examined. In the heel skin, redness and swelling began by 3days after the operation, and open wound formed by 17days. At the redness and swelling stage, edema extensively occurred in the dermis. At the thickening stage, the epidermis at the pressed site became transiently thicker, and at the whitening stage, rapidly thinner. At these stages, the epidermis in the skin surrounding the pressed site became gradually thicker. At the yellow scar stage, the skin was covered only by necrotic tissues and horny layer. These layers were scratched during walking and turning, and the yellow scar stage became the open wound stage. Inflammatory reaction began at the thickening stage, and at the yellow scar and open wound stages, necrosis, infiltration of inflammatory cells and dilation of small blood vessels were observed. These morphological features are quite similar to those in the human pressure ulcer. These findings suggest that these dermal injuries could compare the human pressure ulcer for medical treatment and depressurization in future study.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
The distribution and community structure of phytoplankton were investigated in the subarctic Pacific and the Bering Sea during summer 1999 using chemotaxonomic pigment markers analyzed by HPLC and ...the CHEMTAX program (Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 144 (1996) 265). In addition, in vivo chlorophyll fluorescence was also applied to the estimation of phytoplankton abundance in the study area. During our survey, chlorophyll
a concentrations were consistently low (<1
μg
l
−1) in the whole water column of the Western Subarctic Gyre (WSG) and the Alaskan Gyre (AG). In contrast, higher chlorophyll
a concentrations (>1
μg
l
−1) were sometimes observed in the Bering Sea and a coastal domain near the Aleutian Islands. In the WSG stations, prasinoxanthin-containing prasinophytes consistently predominated (ca. 20–40% in terms of chlorophyll biomass), although prasinophytes have received little attention in previous studies of the subarctic Pacific. Diatoms were a secondary component in terms of chlorophyll biomass in the WSG. Phytoflagellates, such as prymnesiophytes, pelagophytes, and green algae (prasinophytes and chlorophytes), contributed 45–90% to the chlorophyll biomass in the AG stations. Diatoms were predominant in the phytoplankton community of the Bering Sea, but the dominant phytoplankton group was variable in the coastal domain of the Aleutian Islands. When we compared the WSG with the AG in terms of the abundance and community structure of phytoplankton during the study period, the two gyres appeared to be in a similar biogeochemical province: sufficient macronutrients, low-chlorophyll biomass (<1
μg
l
−1), and the dominance of small phytoflagellates. These results imply the dominance of a microbial food web, which is responsible for the recycling of biogenic carbon or nutrients in the euphotic zone of the two gyres.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Abstract
Introduction
Older people who receive nursing-care-service have multiple fall-risk than well-functioning older people. To our knowledge, there is no appropriate fall-risk assessment for ...them. Most of the fall-risk assessments in previous researches were subjective. Thus, we aimed to develop a new fall-risk score included major fall-related factors such as objective motor-functions for older who receive nursing-care-service, and to verify the validity of the score.
Method
We recruited 264 older people who receive nursing-care-service. They were randomly allocated to the fall-risk score development group (Development group) and the score validity group (Validity group). All assessment items were major fall-risk related factors. As motor-function tests, Short-Physical-Performance-Battery (SPPB) including single-task-walking (STW), and dual-task-walking (DTW) were performed. Dual-task-cost (DTC) was computed. The DTC score was made with 0 = lower than 20%, 1 = more than 20%, 2 = incomplete DTW. As a cognitive-function test, Mini-Mental-State-Examinations was examined. Basic-health-related-information and past one-year fall-history were obtained via patient care records. Information of fear of falling was obtained via interview. In the Development group, the association between fall-history and the major fall-related factors were analyzed using multiple-logistic-regression analysis. Based on these results, we developed the 4-point fall-risk score consisted of DTC score and SPPB score (0=more than 10-point, 1=7 to 9 point, 2=less than 6-point). Finally, in the Validity group, the association between fall-history and the fall-risk score was investigated using logistic-regression analysis, and we computed area-under-the-curve (AUC).
Results
In the Development group, the fall-history was associated with SPPB (Odds ratio95%CI = 0.730.61-0.87), and DTC score (Odds ratio95%CI = 2.501.14-5.79). In the Validity group, our fall-risk score was significantly associated with fall-history AUC=73%, sensitivity=67%, specificity=71% .
Conclusion
In the fall-risk assessment for older people who receive nursing-care-service, our fall-risk score included SPPB and DTC are useful. The validity of our fall-risk score was confirmed.
Diatoms occupy a key position as a primary producer in the global aquatic ecosystem. We developed methods to isolate highly intact thylakoid membranes and the photosystem I (PS I) complex from a ...marine centric diatom,
Chaetoceros gracilis. The PS I reaction center (RC) was purified as a super complex with light-harvesting fucoxanthin-chlorophyll (Chl)-binding proteins (FCP). The super complex contained 224 Chl
a, 22 Chl
c, and 55 fucoxanthin molecules per RC. The apparent molecular mass of the purified FCP–PS I super complex (∼
1000 kDa) indicated that the super complex was composed of a monomer of the PS I RC complex and about 25 copies of FCP. The complex contained menaquinone-4 as the secondary electron acceptor A
1 instead of phylloquinone. Time-resolved fluorescence emission spectra at 77 K indicated that fast (16 ps) energy transfer from a Chl
a band at 685 nm on FCP to Chls on the PS I RC complex occurs. The ratio of fucoxanthin to Chl
a on the PS I-bound FCP was lower than that of weakly bound FCP, suggesting that PS I-bound FCP specifically functions as the mediator of energy transfer between weakly bound FCPs and the PS I RC.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The intercalation reaction of natural phospholipids into synthetic mica was examined by means of chemical analysis and X-ray diffraction analysis. The rate of the intercalation was fast from a ...chloroform solution of lipids, and bilayer formation in the solid phase was perfect. On the other hand, the rate of intercalation was rather slow in ethanol solution, and bilayer formation was not always successful. Such a solvent effect was accountable due to the solvation of the hydrophilic quaternary ammonium head either in the solution phase or in the solid phase.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
We studied picoplankton community structures in the subarctic Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea during summer 1999 using flow cytometric analysis. The picoplankton community in the studied area was ...comprised ofSynechococcusspp., eukaryotic ultraplankton and heterotrophic bacteria.Prochlorococcusspp. were not detected at any station. Abundances ofSynechococcusand eukaryotic ultraplankton were at approximately the same level of 10³ to 10⁴ cells ml–1within the upper euphotic layer in the subarctic gyres. An abundance ofSynechococcusspp. higher than 5 × 10⁴ cells ml–1was found at the surface to 40 m depth in the northern Gulf of Alaska, whereas lowSynechococcusspp. abundance (about 500 cells ml–1) was found in the upper euphotic layer in the Bering Sea. Abundances of heterotrophic bacteria were about 2 orders of magnitude higher than those ofSynechococcusspp. and eukaryotic ultraplankton, with higher abundance generally occurring in the area of high autotrophic biomass. AlthoughSynechococcusspp. and eukaryotic ultraplankton occurred at comparable abundance, the latter contributed significantly more to photosynthetic carbon biomass, except in the northern Gulf of Alaska, where the biomass ofSynechococcusspp. and eukaryotic ultraplankton were approximately equal. Cellular red fluorescence forSynechococcusspp. and eukaryotic ultraplankton increased by an average 4- and 2-fold, respectively, from the surface to the bottom of the euphotic layer, with the smallest increase occurring in the Bering Sea. Both the red fluorescence and forward light scatter (FSC, related mainly to cell size) per cell varied more than 2-fold spatially, with the highest value occurring in the Bering Sea. These variations were probably caused by differences in physiological conditions and species compositions. Overall, picophytoplankton was the dominant contributor to total autotrophic biomass in the subarctic North Pacific, but contributed only a small fraction to total autotrophic biomass in the Bering Sea. The Western Gyre (WG) and the Alaskan Gyre (AG) possess both similarities and differences in biogeochemical processes and microbial food-web dynamics. The slightly higher phytoplankton biomass, photosynthetic efficiencies and growth rates in WG than AG suggests less severe iron limitation in the WG.
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BFBNIB, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect and feasibility of a non face-to-face program “Internet Health up System; IHS” using the computer, Internet and mail to stimulate nutritional and ...physical activity changes in the community. The public health nurses sent the computer-tailored print materials to all participants by mail four times every two weeks. The tailoring software was placed on the server of the university laboratory which developed IHS. The public health nurses input necessary information for computer-tailored materials making and output print materials via the Internet. The mean age of 49 participants was 49.8±11.9 years (43% male; 71% employed) . IHS can be useful by public health to intervene with new groups, such as comparatively young people, males, and workers. The compliance rate, defined as the completion of the post-questionnaire and the medical examination, was 63.3% (n=31) . The attainment rates of the target behaviors ranged from 66%-75%. There were significant decreases in body weight, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol, and an increase in exercise time per week. The participants appreciated that this program was intelligible and useful. In addition, the public health nurses noted that this program was convenient and efficient. Therefore, IHS was effective and feasible for nutritional and physical activity changes in the community health setting.
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