Early detection of dementia in the community under a community-based integrated care system.

Early detection of dementia is recommended in the stages from mild cognitive impairment to early dementia, excluding the asymptomatic stage. The advantages of early detection for patients and their caregivers include early receipt of pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies, and early access to appropriate agencies and/or support networks. The disadvantages include psychological damage related to anxiety and depression, and risk of stigmatization and/or social exclusion.

Repeated cross-sectional study of the longitudinal changes in attitudes toward interprofessional health care teams amongst undergraduate students.

The interprofessional education (IPE) program at Gunma University, Maebashi, Japan, uses a lecture style for first-year students and a training style for third-year students. To investigate the comprehensive implications of IPE, the change pattern of attitudes toward health care teams was examined longitudinally in pre-qualified students. The modified Attitudes Toward Health Care Teams Scale (mATHCTS) was used.

The CD47-SIRPα signalling system: its physiological roles and therapeutic application.

Signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα), also known as SHPS-1/BIT/ CD172a, is an immunoglobulin superfamily protein that binds to the protein tyrosine phosphatases SHP-1 and SHP-2 through its cytoplasmic region. CD47, another immunoglobulin superfamily protein, is a ligand for SIRPα, with the two proteins constituting a cell-cell communication system (the CD47-SIRPα signalling system). SIRPα is particularly abundant in the myeloid-lineage hematopoietic cells such as macrophages or dendritic cells (DCs), whereas CD47 is expressed ubiquitously.

Comparison between home and hospital as the place of death for individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in the last stages of illness.

Introduction: Healthcare providers need to better understand the end-of-life situations of in-home amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients to support their desires about where to die and to allow peaceful death.

Purpose: To clarify the situations of individuals with ALS in the last stages of illness according to the place of death as reported by home care nurses.

Methods: Minimum structured interviews were conducted with 14 home care nurses, and data regarding 14 ALS patients who died were collected.

Fatty acid binding protein 4 and 5 play a crucial role in thermogenesis under the conditions of fasting and cold stress.

Hypothermia is rapidly induced during cold exposure when thermoregulatory mechanisms, including fatty acid (FA) utilization, are disturbed. FA binding protein 4 (FABP4) and FABP5, which are abundantly expressed in adipose tissues and macrophages, have been identified as key molecules in the pathogenesis of overnutrition-related diseases, such as insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. We have recently shown that FABP4/5 are prominently expressed in capillary endothelial cells in the heart and skeletal muscle and play a crucial role in FA utilization in these tissues.

Comprehensive behavioral analysis of cluster of differentiation 47 knockout mice.

Cluster of differentiation 47 (CD47) is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily which functions as a ligand for the extracellular region of signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα), a protein which is abundantly expressed in the brain. Previous studies, including ours, have demonstrated that both CD47 and SIRPα fulfill various functions in the central nervous system (CNS), such as the modulation of synaptic transmission and neuronal cell survival. We previously reported that CD47 is involved in the regulation of depression-like behavior of mice in the forced swim test through its modulation of tyrosine phosphorylation of SIRPα.

Shear stress-induced redistribution of vascular endothelial-protein-tyrosine phosphatase (VE-PTP) in endothelial cells and its role in cell elongation.

Vascular endothelial cells (ECs) are continuously exposed to shear stress (SS) generated by blood flow. Such stress plays a key role in regulation of various aspects of EC function including cell proliferation and motility as well as changes in cell morphology. Vascular endothelial-protein-tyrosine phosphatase (VE-PTP) is an R3-subtype PTP that possesses multiple fibronectin type III-like domains in its extracellular region and is expressed specifically in ECs.

The reliability and validity of the clinical competence evaluation scale in physical therapy.

[Purpose] To examine the internal consistency, criterion-related validity, factorial validity, and content validity of the Clinical Competence Evaluation Scale in Physical Therapy (CEPT). [Subjects] The subjects were 278 novice physical therapy trainees and 119 tutors from 21 medical facilities. [Methods] The trainees self-evaluated their clinical competences and the tutors evaluated trainee competences using the CEPT.

Evaluation of Anosognosia in Alzheimer's Disease Using the Symptoms of Early Dementia-11 Questionnaire (SED-11Q).

Aims: The objective is to propose a brief method to evaluate anosognosia in Alzheimer's disease (AD) using the Symptoms of Early Dementia-11 Questionnaire (SED-11Q), a short informant-based screening questionnaire for identifying dementia.

Methods: The participants were 107 elderly individuals: 13 with a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) of 0.5, 73 with mild AD of CDR 1, and 21 with moderate AD of CDR 2.

Effects of Directional Change on Postural Adjustments during the Sit-to-walk Task.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of directional change on postural adjustments during the sit-to-walk (STW) task. [Subjects] Fifteen healthy young men participated in this study. [Methods] Subjects were required to stand up from a chair and walk toward a target.

Acquired resistance of Listeria monocytogenes in and escaped from liver parenchymal cells to gentamicin is caused by being coated with their plasma membrane.

After systemic infection, a majority of Listeria monocytogenes invade liver parenchymal cells (LPC), replicate therein and spread to neighboring cells, suggesting that 3 different types of L. monocytogenes exist in the liver: L. monocytogenes being unable to invade LPC, residing in LPC, and escaped from infected LPC.

Changes experienced by and the future values of bereaved family members determined using narratives from bereavement life review therapy.

Objectives: The goals of this study were to investigate the changes experienced by bereaved family members in Japan and to determine what activities they would value in the future based on narratives from a bereavement life review, which is a type of psychotherapy used to treat depression and promote spiritual well-being.

Methods: The participants were 20 bereaved Japanese family members who underwent two sessions of bereavement life review over a period of two weeks.

Results: Using qualitative analysis, we identified four areas of changes ("learning from the deceased's death and self-growth," "healing process," "relating with others," "relating with society," and "performing new family roles") and five categories of valued activities ("continuing grief work," "living with a philosophy," "attaining life roles," "keeping good human relationships," and "enjoying life").

Deranged fatty acid composition causes pulmonary fibrosis in Elovl6-deficient mice.

Despite the established role of alveolar type II epithelial cells for the maintenance of pulmonary function, little is known about the deregulation of lipid composition in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. The elongation of long-chain fatty acids family member 6 (Elovl6) is a rate-limiting enzyme catalysing the elongation of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. Here we show that Elovl6 expression is significantly downregulated after an intratracheal instillation of bleomycin (BLM) and in human lung with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Autoimmune animal models in the analysis of the CD47-SIRPα signaling pathway.

Signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα), also known as SHPS-1/SIRPA, is an immunoglobulin superfamily protein that binds to the protein tyrosine phosphatases Shp1 and Shp2 through its cytoplasmic region and is predominantly expressed in dendritic cells and macrophages. CD47, a widely expressed transmembrane protein, is a ligand for SIRPα, with the two proteins constituting a cell-cell communication system. It was previously demonstrated that the CD47-SIRPα signaling pathway is important for prevention of clearance by splenic macrophages of red blood cells or platelets from the bloodstream.

Mental retardation-related protease, motopsin (prss12), binds to the BRICHOS domain of the integral membrane protein 2a.

Motopsin (prss12), a mosaic serine protease secreted by neuronal cells, is believed to be important for cognitive function, as the loss of its function causes severe nonsyndromic mental retardation. To understand the molecular role of motopsin, we identified the integral membrane protein 2a (Itm2a) as a motopsin-interacting protein using a yeast two-hybrid system. A pull-down assay showed that the BRICHOS domain of Itm2a was essential for this interaction.

A mental retardation gene, motopsin/prss12, modulates cell morphology by interaction with seizure-related gene 6.

A serine protease, motopsin (prss12), plays a significant role in cognitive function and the development of the brain, since the loss of motopsin function causes severe mental retardation in humans and enhances social behavior in mice. Motopsin is activity-dependently secreted from neuronal cells, is captured around the synaptic cleft, and cleaves a proteoglycan, agrin. The multi-domain structure of motopsin, consisting of a signal peptide, a proline-rich domain, a kringle domain, three scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domains, and a protease domain at the C-terminal, suggests the interaction with other molecules through these domains.

Identification of alkylbenzene sulfonate surfactants leaching from an acrylonitrile butadiene rubber as novel inhibitors of calcineurin activity.

Calcineurin (CN) is a Ca(2+)/calmodulin (CaM) dependent serine/threonine protein phosphatase and plays important role in several cellular functions in both higher and lower eukaryotes. Here we report inhibition of CN by linear alkylbenzene sulfonate. The clue to the finding was obtained while identifying the inhibitory material leaching from acrylonitrile butadiene rubber used for packing.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ in capillary endothelia promotes fatty acid uptake by heart during long-term fasting.

Background: Endothelium is a crucial blood-tissue interface controlling energy supply according to organ needs. We investigated whether peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) induces expression of fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) and fatty acid translocase (FAT)/CD36 in capillary endothelial cells (ECs) to promote FA transport into the heart.

Methods And Results: Expression of FABP4 and CD36 was induced by the PPARγ agonist pioglitazone in human cardiac microvessel ECs (HCMECs), but not in human umbilical vein ECs.

Attitudes toward interprofessional healthcare teams: a comparison between undergraduate students and alumni.

The goal of effective interprofessional education (IPE) is high-quality patient-care delivery and attaining a high level of patient satisfaction in clinical settings. We aimed to examine if alumni who have studied in an IPE program at a pre-licensure stage maintain a positive attitude toward collaborative practice (CP) in the postgraduate clinical experience. This paper presents a cross-sectional descriptive study which employed the modified attitudes toward health care teams scale (ATHCTS) to examine the relationship between exposure to clinical practice and the attitudes toward interprofessional healthcare teams.

Pressure mediated hypertrophy and mechanical stretch up-regulate expression of the long form of leptin receptor (ob-Rb) in rat cardiac myocytes.

Background: Hyperleptinemia is known to participate in cardiac hypertrophy and hypertension, but the relationship between pressure overload and leptin is poorly understood. We therefore examined the expression of leptin (ob) and the leptin receptor (ob-R) in the pressure-overloaded rat heart. We also examined gene expressions in culture cardiac myocytes to clarify which hypertension-related stimulus induces these genes.

Communicative competence in Alzheimer's disease: metaphor and sarcasm comprehension.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the deficits of metaphor and sarcasm comprehension in Alzheimer's disease (AD), as pragmatic interpretation such as metaphor and sarcasm comprehension is required in social communication. A total of 31 young normal controls, 104 aged normal controls (ANC), 42 patients with amnesic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and 30 patients with mild AD were evaluated by Metaphoric and Sarcastic Scenario Test, which consists of 5 metaphoric and 5 sarcastic questions with 5 answer choices. Scores were analyzed using the repeated measures analysis of variance (metaphor/sarcasm vs 4 participant groups).

Pitfall Intention Explanation Task with Clue Questions (Pitfall task): assessment of comprehending other people's behavioral intentions in Alzheimer's disease.

Background: In Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, deficits in contextual understanding and intentions/beliefs of other people (theory of mind; ToM) cause communication problems between patients and caregivers. To evaluate deficits of contextual understanding/ToM, we developed the Pitfall Intention Explanation Task with Clue Questions (Pitfall task).

Methods: We recruited 26 healthy older adults in clinical dementia rating (CDR) 0, and 62 outpatients: 12 with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) in CDR 0.

Yamaguchi Facial Expression-Making Task in Alzheimer's Disease: A Novel and Enjoyable Make-a-Face Game.

Background: To assess the ability to make emotional facial expressions, we newly developed the Yamaguchi facial expression-making task (Y-FEMT).

Method: We recruited 20 normal controls and 61 outpatients: 10 with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), 34 with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 17 with moderate AD. In the Y-FEMT, smile and anger expressions were made by arranging face parts.

[Improvement in peripheral blood T cell subset imbalance in a house with an elimination system for various allergens].

We analyzed the change of peripheral blood T cell subsets after moving into a house with a Healthy Air system (HAS) elimination system for various allergens, e.g. pollens, house dusts, etc.