•Dance/movement therapy can reveal the latent wisdom of elders with dementia.•A sense of oneness based on a relational sense of self characterizes group DMT in Japan.•A single case study focusing on ...the therapist's bodily experience was conducted.•Kinesthetic empathy and the felt sense can be used as frameworks for data analysis.•Traditional dance music that symbolizes people's daily lives can encourage spontaneous movement.
The cultural and aesthetic rationale for utilizing a traditional dance form in dance/movement therapy (DMT) dementia research has not been articulated. Moreover, the geo-transcendent and invariant aspects of psychological functioning often referred to as the wisdom of elders, have been little studied in dementia care. This single case study explored the benefits of a Japanese traditional bon dance that inherently symbolizes Japanese cultural ideals, focusing on a female participant with Alzheimer’s dementia. Attention was given to the manifestation of her wisdom. The data were extracted from 43 group sessions conducted over a period of two years and three months in a group home for older adults with dementia. These were analyzed using a combination of constructs: kinesthetic empathy, a hallmark of DMT, and the felt sense, a Focusing technique. Of cultural significance was the spontaneous creative expression that was observed paradoxically in the structure of choreographed dances. The expression of wisdom was witnessed in the participant’s caring gestures towards one’s body and the community, with humor. An embodied relational understanding of the participant’s condition enabled a high level of empathy between the therapist and client. Implications for using traditional dances in DMT with elders with dementia are discussed.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Children with severe multiple disabilities face numerous possibilities for enjoying music and participating in performance activities; however, the research practice for realizing these possibilities ...involves various difficulties. To understand the disabilities of children and their engagement with music, awareness of one’s perception of disability is necessary for each practitioner–researcher. The researchers of the current study reflected on their personal views about disability and life histories and described and analyzed them through collaborative autoethnography (CAE). The study was conducted through the practice of combining electronic music equipment and traditional instruments as a music education project for children with severe multiple disabilities. The results demonstrated that the perceptions of the researchers about disability and their life histories interacted with and transformed their research practice. Additionally, the study highlighted how endeavors in CAE encouraged dialogue among researchers and deepened mutual understanding. The suggestions for researchers of music education practice with children with disabilities include analysis of disability from the first-person perspective and sharing of views among co-researchers.
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NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
TMEM55B is first identified as phosphatidylinositol-4,5-P24-phosphatases (PtdIns-4,5-P24-phosphatases) that catalyse dephosphorylation of PtdIns-4,5-P2 to PtdIns-5-P. We demonstrate for the first ...time that TMEM55B is phosphorylated by Erk/MAPK and that this mechanism participates in regulation of lysosomal clustering. Exposure of RAW264.7 macrophages to various stimuli induces phosphorylation of TMEM55B on Ser76 and Ser169, sites corresponding to consensus sequences (PX(S/T)P) for phosphorylation by MAPK. Of these stimuli, Toll-like receptor ligands most strongly induce TMEM55B phosphorylation, and this is blocked by the MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126. However, phosphorylation does not impact intrinsic phosphatase activity of TMEM55B. TMEM55B has recently been implicated in starvation induced lysosomal translocation. Amino acid starvation induces perinuclear lamp1 clustering in RAW264.7 macrophages, which was attenuated by shRNA-mediated knock-down or CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knock-out of TMEM55B. Cells exposed to U0126 also exhibit attenuated lamp1 clustering. Overexpression of TMEM55B but not TMEM55A notably enhances lamp1 clustering, with TMEM55B mutants (lacking phosphorylation sites or mimicking the phosphorylated state) exhibiting lower and higher efficacies (respectively) than wild-type TMEM55B. Collectively, results suggest that phosphorylation of TMEM55B by Erk/MAPK impacts lysosomal dynamics.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Recent studies report that surfaces displaying micrometer- or nanometer-sized undulating structures exhibit antibacterial effects. In previous work, we described the use of an advanced ...nanofabrication technique to generate an artificial biomimetic Moth-eye film by coating a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film with nanoscale moth-eye protrusions made from a hydrophilic resin. This moth-eye film exhibited enhanced antibacterial effects in in vitro experiments. The aim of the present study was to verify the antibacterial efficacy of the Moth-eye film in practical environments.
The antibacterial effects of three types of film (Moth-eye film, Flat film, and PET film) were compared. Sample films were pasted onto hand washing basins at the testing locations. After several hours, bacteria were collected from the surface of the sample films with one of three kinds of culture media stamper (to permit identification of bacterial species). The stampers were incubated for 48 hours at 35°C, and the numbers of colonies were counted.
The number of common bacteria including E. coli and S. aureus obtained from the Moth-eye film was significantly lower than those from the PET film (p<0.05) and Flat film at 1 hour (p<0.05). This study found that the Moth-eye film showed a long-term (6h) antibacterial effect and the Moth-eye structure (PET coated with nanoscale cone-shaped pillars) demonstrated a physical antibacterial effect from earlier time points. Therefore, the Moth-eye film appears to have potential general-purpose applications in practical environments.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
TMEM55a (also known as PIP4P2) is an enzyme that dephosphorylates the phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) PtdIns(4,5)P
to form PtdIns(5)P
However, the
conversion of the polyphosphoinositide into PtdIns(5)P ...by the phosphatase has not yet been demonstrated, and the role of TMEM55a remains poorly understood. Here, we found that mouse macrophages (Raw264.7) deficient in TMEM55a showed an increased engulfment of large particles without affecting the phagocytosis of
Transfection of a bacterial phosphatase with similar substrate specificity to TMEM55a, namely IpgD, into Raw264.7 cells inhibited the engulfment of IgG-erythrocytes in a manner dependent on its phosphatase activity. In contrast, cells transfected with PIP4K2a, which catalyzes PtdIns(4,5)P
production from PtdIns(5)P, increased phagocytosis. Fluorescent TMEM55a transfected into Raw264.7 cells was found to mostly localize to the phagosome. The accumulation of PtdIns(4,5)P
, PtdIns(3,4,5)P
and F-actin on the phagocytic cup was increased in TMEM55a-deficient cells, as monitored by live-cell imaging. Phagosomal PtdIns(5)P was decreased in the knockdown cells, but the augmentation of phagocytosis in these cells was unaffected by the exogenous addition of PtdIns(5)P. Taken together, these results suggest that TMEM55a negatively regulates the phagocytosis of large particles by reducing phagosomal PtdIns(4,5)P
accumulation during cup formation.
The antibacterial effect of a nanostructured film, known as "moth-eye film," was investigated. The moth-eye film has artificially formed nano-pillars, consisting of hydrophilic resin with urethane ...acrylate and polyethylene glycol (PEG) derivatives, all over its surface that replicates a moth's eye. Experiments were performed to compare the moth-eye film with a flat-surfaced film produced from the same materials. The JIS Z2801 film-covering method revealed that the two films produced a decrease in Staphylococcus aureus and Esherichia coli titers of over 5 and 3 logs, respectively. There was no marked difference in the antibacterial effects of the two surfaces. However, the antibacterial effects were reduced by immersion of the films in water. These results indicated that a soluble component(s) of the resin possessed the antibacterial activity, and this component was identified as PEG derivatives by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). When a small volume of bacterial suspension was dropped on the films as an airborne droplet model, both films showed antibacterial effects, but that of the moth-eye film was more potent. It was considered that the moth-eye structure allowed the bacteria-loaded droplet to spread and allow greater contact between the bacteria and the film surface, resulting in strong adherence of the bacteria to the film and synergistically enhanced bactericidal activity with chemical components. The antibacterial effect of the moth-eye film has been thus confirmed under a bacterial droplet model, and it appears attractive due to its antibacterial ability, which is considered to result not only from its chemical make-up but also from physical adherence.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Intraocular lens (IOL) fixation is performed after intraoperative anterior or total vitrectomy. This study aimed to compare the intraoperative and postoperative complications of these two techniques.
...This retrospective study included 235 eyes that underwent intrascleral fixation surgery at our hospital between July 2014 and January 2021. The eyes were classified into the anterior vitrectomy group (A-vit group; 134 eyes) and the pars plana vitrectomy group (PPV group; 101 eyes). The age, preoperative and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity, observation period, preoperative and postoperative intraocular pressure, and the incidence of intraoperative and postoperative complications were assessed.
Intrascleral fixation was performed more frequently in the PPV group, and a significant difference was observed between the eyes with a history of vitrectomy and eyes with scleral buckles (p = 0.00041). In terms of the incidence of postoperative complications following intrascleral fixation, the incidence of low intraocular pressure postoperative was higher in the PPV group than that in the A-vit group, and a significant difference was observed between the two groups (p = 0.01).
The visual outcome and complications following intrascleral fixation did not differ according to the extent of vitreous excision.
Radiation hardness of silicon-on-insulator pixel devices Hara, Kazuhiko; Aoyagi, Wataru; Sekigawa, Daisuke ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
04/2019, Volume:
924
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) CMOS is an attractive technology because of pixel sensor applications for its inherent advantages such as superior isolation of each FET by the surrounding insulator. We ...have been developing SOI pixel devices since 2005 using the FD-SOI technology and noticed that the insulator layers impose significant sensitivity to the total ionization dose (TID) effect. Research activities in the last ten years to improve radiation hardness are reviewed, such as introduction of buried wells and double SOI wafers.
•Radiation hardness of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) devices improved significantly by adopting double SOI wafer.•Total ionization dose (TID) effect suppressed by applying negative voltages to the second SOI layer of double SOI.•Device irradiated to 100 kGy showed complete recovery examined with high-energy protons.•Latest device with modified concentration profile in lightly-doped drain showed radiation tolerance up to 1 MGy.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Anserine, 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 IC
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.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background: Polypharmacy was reported to be associated with major bleeding in various populations. However, there are no data on polypharmacy and its association with bleeding in patients undergoing ...percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Methods and Results: Among 12,291 patients in the CREDO-Kyoto PCI Registry Cohort-3, we evaluated the number of medications at discharge and compared major bleeding, defined as Bleeding Academic Research Consortium Type 3 or 5 bleeding, across tertiles (T1–3) of the number of medications. The median number of medications was 6, and 88.0% of patients were on ≥5 medications. The cumulative 5-year incidence of major bleeding increased incrementally with increasing number of medications (T1 ≤5 medications 12.5%, T2 6–7 16.5%, and T3 ≥8 20.4%; log-rank P<0.001). After adjusting for confounders, the risks for major bleeding of T2 (hazard ratio HR 1.21; 95% confidence interval CI 1.08–1.36; P=0.001) and T3 (HR 1.27; 95% CI 1.12–1.45; P<0.001) relative to T1 remained significant. The adjusted risks of T2 and T3 relative to T1 were not significant for a composite of myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke (HR 0.95 95% CI 0.83–1.09; P=0.47 and HR 1.06 95% CI 0.91–1.23; P=0.48, respectively).Conclusions: In a real-world population of patients undergoing PCI, approximately 90% were on ≥5 medications. Increasing number of medications was associated with a higher adjusted risk for major bleeding, but not ischemic events.