Asunto(s)

Terapia Cognitivo-Conductual , Aplicaciones Móviles , Anciano , Personal de Salud , Humanos

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: The incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) along with depression is high in the elderly. In the present study, a program that allows the elderly individuals to voluntarily manage and develop lifestyles that may reduce the risk factors for cognitive decline was applied to the participants to evaluate its effect on the mental health of these individuals. METHODS: The participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group and a control group. The program was conducted during 7 months in the intervention group, and it had seven times of group activities, performed once a month for about 1 h, and individual activities to reduce the risk factors for cognitive decline, performed every day. To evaluate the effects of the program on the mental health of the participants, the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale (PGC) were used. These two scales were applied twice to the intervention and control groups. RESULTS: The GDS score revealed no change in the score in the intervention group before and after the 7-month program implementation; however, in the control group, the score was significantly higher after program implementation than that before. The PGC score revealed no change in the intervention group before and after 7-month program implementation; however, in the control group, the score was significantly lower after program implementation than that before. Additionally, it revealed no change in the GDS score in the depression-prone control group before and after 7-month program implementation; however, in the depression-prone intervention group, the GDS score was significantly lower after program implementation than that before. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention program that allows the elderly individuals to voluntarily manage and develop lifestyles that may reduce the risk factors for cognitive decline is expected to maintain mental health in elderly individuals.

Asunto(s)

Enfermedad de Alzheimer , Disfunción Cognitiva , Estilo de Vida , Salud Mental , Anciano , Disfunción Cognitiva/prevención & control , Humanos , Factores de Riesgo

RESUMEN

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlations between nursing staff's mental health, number of years worked, night shifts performed, and pleasant activities at the workplace. One hundred forty-three subjects who had no missing data were analyzed. Questions consisted of basic attributes, subjective happiness scale (SHS), and pleasant activities conducted at the workplace. Denouements of SHS indicated a significant trend for the main effect, with more pleasant activities in the high SHS group than the low SHS group. The interaction was significant, with fewer pleasant activities in participants in the low SHS group who worked the night shift compared with those who worked the night shift regardless of work experience. The outcomes of this study suggest that it is essential to expand the repertoire of pleasant activities at the workplace to increase the subjective happiness of nursing staff for older individuals.

Asunto(s)

Felicidad , Personal de Enfermería , Humanos , Japón , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Lugar de Trabajo

RESUMEN

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between pressure on the occipital region and intrafraction motion using an individualized vacuum pillow and a thermoplastic mask for intracranial treatment. We calculated head displacement during treatment from 8811 image verifications in 59 patients and divided them into two groups according to the magnitude of the mean and standard deviation (SD) of the displacement in the 59 patients. Pressure was compared between the small (n = 29) and large (n = 30) displacement groups using Welch's t-test for the mean and SD of displacement. The mean head displacement in the small and large groups was (0.3, 0.3, 0.4) and (0.5, 0.6, 0.7) (unit: mm) for the vector length and 10 mm and 30 mm radius targets, respectively. The mean SD of head displacement in the small and large groups was (0.2, 0.2, 0.2) and (0.3, 0.3, 0.4) (unit: mm) for the vector length and 10 mm and 30 mm radius targets, respectively. Significant differences were observed in the SD of the displacement in the vector length and 10 mm radius target between the two groups. The SD of the displacement under a pressure of 15 kPa was smaller than that under a pressure of 11 kPa. The intrafraction motion under a high-pressure level on the occipital region was less than that under a low-pressure level. Management of pressure on the occipital region may result in less intrafraction motion in clinical practice.

Asunto(s)

Irradiación Craneana , Movimiento (Física) , Lóbulo Occipital/efectos de la radiación , Posicionamiento del Paciente , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Presión

RESUMEN

This study developed a dedicated real-time monitoring system to detect intra-fractional head motion in intracranial radiotherapy using pressure sensors. The dedicated real-time monitoring system consists of pressure sensors with a thickness of 0.6 mm and a radius of 9.1 mm, a thermoplastic mask, a vacuum pillow, and a baseplate. The four sensors were positioned at superior-inferior and right-left sides under the occipital area. The sampling rate of pressure sensors was set to 5 Hz. First, we confirmed that the relationship between the force and the displacement of the vacuum pillow follows Hook's law. Next, the spring constant for the vacuum pillow was determined from the relationship between the force given to the vacuum pillow and the displacement of the head, detected by Cyberknife target locating system (TLS) acquisitions in clinical application. Finally, the accuracy of our system was evaluated by using the 2 × 2 confusion matrix. The regression lines between the force, y, and the displacement, x, of the vacuum pillow were given by y = 3.8x, y = 4.4x, and y = 5.0x when the degree of inner pressure was -12 kPa,-20 kPa, and -27 kPa, respectively. The spring constant of the vacuum pillow was 1.6 N mm(-1) from the 6D positioning data of a total of 2999 TLS acquisitions in 19 patients. Head motions of 1 mm, 1.5 mm, and 2 mm were detected in real-time with the accuracies of 67%, 84%, and 89%, respectively. Our system can detect displacement of the head continuously during every interval of TLS with a resolution of 1-2 mm without any radiation exposure.

Asunto(s)

Técnicas Biosensibles , Irradiación Craneana/instrumentación , Neoplasias de Cabeza y Cuello/radioterapia , Inmovilización/instrumentación , Posicionamiento del Paciente/instrumentación , Presión , Sistemas de Computación , Humanos , Inmovilización/métodos

RESUMEN

PURPOSE: Intrafraction prostate displacement (IFPD) through the course of conventionally fractionated radiotherapy was observed by real-time tracking. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IFPD was observed by using a CyberKnife real-time tracking system over 39 serial fractions in two patients. Stereoscopic X-ray images tracking the implanted fiducial markers were obtained with mean intervals of 58 s. In preparation for treatment, urination was performed routinely 1 h before treatment and rectal gas was evacuated if necessary. Patients were immobilized by a thermoplastic body shell. RESULTS: The maximal absolute values of IFPD in all 78 fractions were 7.9, 2.1, and 11.5 mm in cranio-caudal (CC), left-right (LR), and antero-posterior (AP) direction, respectively. Only in 5 % of fractions (4/78 fractions), the maximal absolute values of IFPD were 5.0 mm or larger. In these fractions, large IFPD was temporary or persistent. IFPD of ≥3 mm was detected in only ~2-3 % of all obtained tracking images. CONCLUSIONS: Daily maximal IFPD changed day by day. Although maximal IFPD was more than 10 mm, IFPD of ≥3 mm was observed in a comparatively small proportion of treatment time. Through the course of conventionally fractionated radiotherapy, fractions with IFPD of ≥5 mm were infrequent.

Asunto(s)

Neoplasias de la Próstata/diagnóstico por imagen , Neoplasias de la Próstata/radioterapia , Anciano , Fraccionamiento de la Dosis de Radiación , Marcadores Fiduciales , Humanos , Inmovilización , Masculino , Estadificación de Neoplasias , Neoplasias de la Próstata/patología , Planificación de la Radioterapia Asistida por Computador , Procedimientos Quirúrgicos Robotizados , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos X , Resultado del Tratamiento

RESUMEN

DNA damage checkpoints delay mitotic cell-cycle progression in response to DNA stress, stalling the cell cycle to allow time for repair. CDKB is a plant-specific cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) that is required for the G2/M transition of the cell cycle. In Arabidopsis, DNA damage leads the degradation of CDKB2, and the subsequent G2 arrest gives cells time to repair damaged DNA. G2 arrest also triggers transition from the mitotic cycle to endoreduplication, leading to the presence of polyploid cells in many tissues. In contrast, in rice (Oryza sativa), polyploid cells are found only in the endosperm. It was unclear whether endoreduplication contributes to alleviating DNA damage in rice (Oryza sativa). Here, we show that DNA damage neither down-regulates Orysa;CDKB2;1 nor induces endoreduplication in rice. Furthermore, we found increased levels of Orysa;CDKB2;1 protein upon DNA damage. These results suggest that CDKB2 functions differently in Arabidopsis and rice in response to DNA damage. Arabidopsis may adopt endoreduplication as a survival strategy under genotoxic stress conditions, but rice may enhance DNA repair capacity upon genotoxic stress. In addition, polyploid cells due to endomitosis were present in CDKB2;1 knockdown rice, suggesting an important role for Orysa;CDKB2;1 during mitosis.

Asunto(s)

Quinasas Ciclina-Dependientes/metabolismo , Daño del ADN , Mitosis , Oryza/genética , Proteínas de Plantas/metabolismo , Agrobacterium/genética , Agrobacterium/metabolismo , Bleomicina/farmacología , Ensayo Cometa , Medios de Cultivo/metabolismo , Quinasas Ciclina-Dependientes/genética , Endospermo/genética , Endospermo/metabolismo , Técnicas de Silenciamiento del Gen , Oryza/efectos de los fármacos , Oryza/metabolismo , Oryza/efectos de la radiación , Hojas de la Planta/genética , Hojas de la Planta/metabolismo , Hojas de la Planta/ultraestructura , Proteínas de Plantas/genética , Plantas Modificadas Genéticamente/efectos de los fármacos , Plantas Modificadas Genéticamente/genética , Plantas Modificadas Genéticamente/metabolismo , Plantas Modificadas Genéticamente/efectos de la radiación , Plásmidos/genética , Plásmidos/metabolismo , Poliploidía , Interferencia de ARN , Recombinasa Rad51/genética , Recombinasa Rad51/metabolismo , Rayos X

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Undiagnosed diabetes mellitus (DM) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) have important health consequences. METHODS AND RESULTS: To examine the prevalence of undiagnosed glucose intolerance, oral glucose tolerance tests were administered to 1,142 consecutively enrolled middle-aged subjects (age range 40-55 years; 914 men, mean 50.7 years; 228 women, mean 49.4 years) who worked in a company and underwent a health check in 2006. No subject had a history of glucose intolerance. Fasting glucose levels increased with age in both men and women, with the levels being higher in men than women at every age. Glucose intolerance was more common in men compared with women (fasting glucose 100.1 +/-19.7 vs 92.9 +/-9.6, P<0.01; 1-h 170.7 +/-52.1 vs 139.7 +/-11.6, P<0.01; 2-h 136.0 +/-50.1 vs 119.8 +/-31.5 mg/dl, P<0.01). The prevalence of IGT and DM was also higher in men than in women (IGT: 24.1 vs 16.7, P<0.01; diabetes 10.7 vs 1.4%, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Fasting glucose levels increased with age in both men and women, with levels being higher in men than in women at every age. The prevalences of undiagnosed IGT and type 2 DM were also higher in men than in women.

Asunto(s)

Envejecimiento/sangre , Intolerancia a la Glucosa/sangre , Intolerancia a la Glucosa/epidemiología , Salud Laboral , Caracteres Sexuales , Adulto , Glucemia/metabolismo , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/sangre , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/epidemiología , Ayuno/sangre , Femenino , Prueba de Tolerancia a la Glucosa , Humanos , Japón/epidemiología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Prevalencia

RESUMEN

This is an account of a case of primary adenocarcinoma of the small intestine successfully treated with chemotherapy. A 46-year-old man was admitted with a complaint of severe abdominal distension. Abdominal computerized tomography revealed bowel obstruction, and this was found at surgery to be due to a tumor at the jejunum 100 cm distal from the Treitz ligament. Pathological diagnosis of the resected specimen was adenocarcinoma. Although adjuvant chemotherapy with doxifluridine 800 mg/day was given, a recurrent lesion at the abdominal wall was detected 19 months after surgery. Colonoscopy simultaneously revealed stenosis at the descending colon. The patient was subsequently treated with resection of the mass at the abdominal wall, and colostomy was made at the transverse colon to circumvent the stenosis due to peritoneal carcinomatosis. It was not long before another recurrence developed at the abdominal wall with a subsequent rise in tumor markers. mFOLFOX6 (oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2, levofolinate calcium 200 mg/m2, 5-FU 400/2,400 mg/m2) was given, and the patient responded. Primary small intestinal adenocarcinoma is a rare disease with a dismal prognosis. Due to rarity of the disease, clinical trials have not been performed, and little is known about the effect of chemotherapy. The current patient survived for 4 years and 5 months after the diagnosis, owing at least partially to the mFOLFOX6 which was found to be the only active regimen.

Asunto(s)

Adenocarcinoma/tratamiento farmacológico , Adenocarcinoma/patología , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapéutico , Neoplasias Intestinales/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias Intestinales/patología , Intestino Delgado/efectos de los fármacos , Adenocarcinoma/sangre , Adenocarcinoma/cirugía , Antígeno Carcinoembrionario/sangre , Fluorouracilo/uso terapéutico , Humanos , Neoplasias Intestinales/sangre , Neoplasias Intestinales/cirugía , Intestino Delgado/metabolismo , Intestino Delgado/cirugía , Leucovorina/uso terapéutico , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Compuestos Organoplatinos/uso terapéutico , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos X , Insuficiencia del Tratamiento

RESUMEN

Y chromosomes are different from other chromosomes because of a lack of recombination. Until now, complete sequence information of Y chromosomes has been available only for some primates, although considerable information is available for other organisms, e.g., several species of Drosophila. Here, we report the gene organization of the Y chromosome in the dioecious liverwort Marchantia polymorpha and provide a detailed view of a Y chromosome in a haploid organism. On the 10-Mb Y chromosome, 64 genes are identified, 14 of which are detected only in the male genome and are expressed in reproductive organs but not in vegetative thalli, suggesting their participation in male reproductive functions. Another 40 genes on the Y chromosome are expressed in thalli and male sexual organs. At least six of these genes have diverged X-linked counterparts that are in turn expressed in thalli and sexual organs in female plants, suggesting that these X- and Y-linked genes have essential cellular functions. These findings indicate that the Y and X chromosomes share the same ancestral autosome and support the prediction that in a haploid organism essential genes on sex chromosomes are more likely to persist than in a diploid organism.

Asunto(s)

Cromosomas de las Plantas/genética , Evolución Molecular , Genes de Plantas/genética , Hepatophyta/genética , Secuencia de Bases , Mapeo Cromosómico , Etiquetas de Secuencia Expresada , Haploidia , Hibridación Fluorescente in Situ , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa de Transcriptasa Inversa , Análisis de Secuencia de ADN

RESUMEN

Chromatin assembly factor 1 (CAF-1) is involved in nucleo some assembly following DNA replication and nucleotide excision repair. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the three CAF-1 subunits are encoded by FAS1, FAS2 and, most likely, MSI1, respectively. In this study, we asked whether genomic stability is altered in fas1 and fas2 mutants that are lacking CAF-1 activity. Depletion of either subunit increased the frequency of somatic homologous recombination (HR) in planta approximately 40-fold. The frequency of transferred DNA (T-DNA) integration was also elevated. A delay in loading histones onto newly replicated or repaired DNA might make these DNA stretches more accessible, both to repair enzymes and to foreign DNA. Furthermore, fas mutants exhibited increased levels of DNA double-strand breaks, a G2-phase retardation that accelerates endoreduplication, and elevated levels of mRNAs coding for proteins involved in HR-all factors that could also contribute to upregulation of HR frequency in fas mutants.

Asunto(s)

Arabidopsis/genética , Proteínas Cromosómicas no Histona/fisiología , ADN Bacteriano/genética , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/fisiología , Recombinación Genética/genética , Arabidopsis/química , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/genética , Ciclo Celular/genética , Factor 1 de Ensamblaje de la Cromatina , Proteínas Cromosómicas no Histona/genética , Ciclina B/genética , Roturas del ADN de Doble Cadena , Daño del ADN , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Eliminación de Gen , Genes de Plantas/genética , Genes Reporteros , Inestabilidad Genómica/genética , Glucuronidasa/análisis , Inmunohistoquímica , Mutación , Transcripción Genética

RESUMEN

Rad51 is a homolog of the bacterial RecA recombinase, and a key factor in homologous recombination in eukaryotes. Rad51 paralogs have been identified from yeast to vertebrates. Rad51 paralogs are thought to play an important role in the assembly or stabilization of Rad51 that promotes homologous pairing and strand exchange reactions. We previously characterized two RAD51 paralogous genes in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) named AtRAD51C and AtXRCC3, which are homologs of human RAD51C and XRCC3, respectively, and described the interaction of their products in a yeast two-hybrid system. Recent studies showed the involvement of AtXrcc3 in DNA repair and functional role in meiosis. To determine the role of RAD51C in meiotic and mitotic recombination in higher plants, we characterized a T-DNA insertion mutant of AtRAD51C. Although the atrad51C mutant grew normally during vegetative developmental stage, the mutant produced aborted siliques, and their anthers did not contain mature pollen grains. Crossing of the mutant with wild-type plants showed defective male and female gametogeneses as evidenced by lack of seed production. Furthermore, meiosis was severely disturbed in the mutant. The atrad51C mutant also showed increased sensitivity to gamma-irradiation and cisplatin, which are known to induce double-strand DNA breaks. The efficiency of homologous recombination in somatic cells in the mutant was markedly reduced relative to that in wild-type plants.

Asunto(s)

Proteínas de Arabidopsis/genética , Arabidopsis/genética , Genes de Plantas , Arabidopsis/efectos de los fármacos , Arabidopsis/crecimiento & desarrollo , Arabidopsis/efectos de la radiación , Secuencia de Bases , Cisplatino/toxicidad , Reactivos de Enlaces Cruzados/toxicidad , Daño del ADN , ADN Bacteriano/genética , ADN de Plantas/efectos de los fármacos , ADN de Plantas/genética , Rayos gamma , Meiosis/genética , Mitosis/genética , Mutación , Plantas Modificadas Genéticamente , Recombinación Genética

RESUMEN

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the relationship between intratumoral dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) expression and response to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) liver perfusion chemotherapy (LPC) in pancreatic cancer patients, we evaluated DPD expression immunohistochemically in resected pancreatic cancer tissues. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Pancreatic cancer is considered a disease with a poor prognosis even if aggressive resection is performed. One of the main causes of death is hepatic metastasis soon after surgery. As a treatment, we have assessed adjuvant LPC via the portal vein using 5-FU just after pancreatectomy for advanced pancreatic cancer since 1994. However, the results remain unsatisfying. METHODS: Sixty-eight resected specimens were obtained from patients with pancreatic cancer from 1988 to 2000. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues were immunostained with polyclonal anti-DPD antibody. The relation between intratumoral DPD expression and the prognoses of pancreatic cancer patients was investigated statistically. RESULTS: Of the 68 tumors studied, 27 carcinomas (39.7%) were DPD(+), and 41 (60.3%) were DPD(-). In the DPD(+) group, there was no significant difference between the LPC(+) and LPC(-) subgroups, whereas in the DPD(-) group the LPC(+) subgroup showed a significantly higher survival rate than the LPC(-) subgroup. Moreover, in the LPC(+) group, overall survival in the DPD(-) subgroup was significantly better than in the DPD(+) subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: An immunohistochemical evaluation of intratumoral DPD expression might be useful in predicting responsiveness to 5-FU-based chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer patients. In the DPD(-) group, liver perfusion chemotherapy using 5-FU via the portal vein is effective adjuvant therapy for pancreatic cancer once pancreatectomy has been performed.

Asunto(s)

Antimetabolitos Antineoplásicos/administración & dosificación , Quimioterapia del Cáncer por Perfusión Regional , Dihidrouracilo Deshidrogenasa (NADP)/análisis , Fluorouracilo/administración & dosificación , Neoplasias Pancreáticas/tratamiento farmacológico , Quimioterapia Adyuvante , Femenino , Humanos , Inmunohistoquímica , Circulación Hepática , Neoplasias Hepáticas/prevención & control , Neoplasias Hepáticas/secundario , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Pancreatectomía , Neoplasias Pancreáticas/enzimología , Neoplasias Pancreáticas/mortalidad , Neoplasias Pancreáticas/patología , Vena Porta , Pronóstico , Tasa de Supervivencia

RESUMEN

The genus Saccharum consists of two wild and four cultivated species. Novel interspersed sequences were isolated from cultivated sugar cane S. officinarum. These sequences were accumulated in all four cultivated species and their wild ancestral species S. robustum, but were not detected in the other wild species S. spontaneum and the relative Erianthus arundinaceus. The species-specific accumulation of interspersed sequences would correlate to the domestication of sugar canes.

Asunto(s)

Genética de Población , Secuencias Repetitivas Esparcidas , Saccharum/genética , Agricultura , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa , Análisis de Secuencia de ADN

RESUMEN

In the haploid dioecious liverwort, Marchantia polymorpha, the X chromosome, but not the Y, carries a cluster of ribosomal RNA genes (rDNAs). Here we show that sequences of 5S, 17S, 5.8S and 26S rDNAs are highly conserved (>99% identity) between the X chromosomal and autosomal rDNA repeat units, but the intergenic spacer sequences differ considerably. The most prominent difference is the presence of a 615-bp DNA fragment in the intergenic spacer, X615, which has accumulated predominantly in the rDNA cluster of the X chromosome. These observations suggest that the rDNA repeat unit on the X chromosome evolved independently of that on autosomes, incorporating sex chromosome-specific sequences.

Asunto(s)

Cromosomas/ultraestructura , ADN Ribosómico/genética , ADN Ribosómico/ultraestructura , Hepatophyta/genética , Cromosoma X , Southern Blotting , Secuencia Conservada , Biblioteca de Genes , Genoma , Hibridación Fluorescente in Situ , Modelos Genéticos , Hibridación de Ácido Nucleico , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa

RESUMEN

The vasorelaxant activities of chicoric acid (Compound 1) from Cichorium intybus and dicaffeoyl-meso-tartaric acid (Compound 2) from Equisetum arvense L. in isolated rat aorta strips were studied. Compound 1 is a diester composed of (S,S)-tartaric acid and caffeic acid, and 2 is composed of its meso type. Both 1 and 2 showed slow relaxation activity against norepinephrine (NE)-induced contraction of rat aorta with/without endothelium. These compounds did not affect contraction induced by a high concentration of potassium (60 mM K+), while they inhibited NE-induced vasocontraction in the presence of nicardipine. These results show that the inhibition by 1 and 2 of NE-induced vasocontraction is due to a decrease in calcium influx from the extracellular space caused by NE. In addition, dicaffeoyl tartaric acids showed vasorelaxant activity, regardless of their stereochemistry.

Asunto(s)

Ácidos Cafeicos/farmacología , Cichorium intybus/química , Equisetum/química , Relajación Muscular/efectos de los fármacos , Músculo Liso Vascular/efectos de los fármacos , Animales , Aorta/efectos de los fármacos , Técnicas In Vitro , Masculino , Ratas , Ratas Wistar , Relación Estructura-Actividad