Class-specific school closures for seasonal influenza: Optimizing timing and duration to prevent disease spread and minimize educational losses.

School closures are a safe and important strategy for preventing infectious diseases in schools. However, the effects of school closures have not been fully demonstrated, and prolonged school closures have a negative impact on students and communities. This study evaluated class-specific school closure strategies to prevent the spread of seasonal influenza and determine the optimal timing and duration.

Reduced Gene Expression of KCC2 Accelerates Axonal Regeneration and Reduces Motor Dysfunctions after Tibial Nerve Severance and Suturing.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid and glycine (GABA/Gly) are predominantly inhibitory neurotransmitters in the mature central nervous system; however, they mediate membrane potential depolarization during development. These differences in actions depend on intracellular Cl concentrations ([Cl]), which are primarily regulated by potassium chloride cotransporter 2 (KCC2). After nerve injury, KCC2 expression markedly decreases and GABA/Gly mediate depolarization.

[Development of a new method for assessing the availability of low-sodium foods in Japan].

Objectives　Food environment improvement involving salt reduction requires improving access to and labeling low-sodium foods. Assessing the implementation status of these measures is also necessary. However, to date, no established methods exist for assessing the availability of low-sodium foods in communities.

Developmental Formation of the GABAergic and Glycinergic Networks in the Mouse Spinal Cord.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine act as inhibitory neurotransmitters. Three types of inhibitory neurons and terminals, GABAergic, GABA/glycine coreleasing, and glycinergic, are orchestrated in the spinal cord neural circuits and play critical roles in regulating pain, locomotive movement, and respiratory rhythms. In this study, we first describe GABAergic and glycinergic transmission and inhibitory networks, consisting of three types of terminals in the mature mouse spinal cord.

Slow progression of sciatic nerve degeneration and regeneration after loose ligation through microglial activation and decreased KCC2 levels in the mouse spinal cord ventral horn.

Peripheral nerve injury affects motor functions. To reveal the mechanisms underlying motor dysfunction and recovery after nerve compression, which have not been precisely examined, we investigated the temporal relationship among changes in motor function, nerve histopathology, and marker molecule expression in the spinal cord after loose ligation of the mouse sciatic nerve. After ligation, sciatic motor function suddenly declined, and axons gradually degenerated.

Mitochondrial translation deficiency impairs NAD -mediated lysosomal acidification.

Mitochondrial translation dysfunction is associated with neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases. Cells eliminate defective mitochondria by the lysosomal machinery via autophagy. The relationship between mitochondrial translation and lysosomal function is unknown.

Associations between peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ) polymorphisms and serum lipids: Two cross-sectional studies of community-dwelling adults.

Dyslipidemia is a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Experimental studies have reported that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ) regulates adipocyte differentiation, lipid storage, and glucose metabolism. Therefore, we examined the associations between PPAR-γ polymorphisms (rs1801282, rs3856806, rs12497191, rs1151999, and rs1152003) and serum lipids in two cross-sectional studies.

Development and persistence of neuropathic pain through microglial activation and KCC2 decreasing after mouse tibial nerve injury.

Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mature brain, but is excitatory during development and after motor nerve injury. This difference in GABAergic action depends on the intracellular chloride ion concentration ([Cl]), primarily regulated by potassium chloride co-transporter 2 (KCC2). To reveal precise processes of the neuropathic pain through changes in GABAergic action, we prepared tibial nerve ligation and severance models using male mice, and examined temporal relationships amongst changes in (1) the mechanical withdrawal threshold in the sural nerve area, (2) localization of the molecules involved in GABAergic transmission and its upstream signaling in the dorsal horn, and (3) histology of the tibial nerve.

Allopregnanolone augments epileptiform activity of an in-vitro mouse hippocampal preparation in the first postnatal week.

In the immature brain the neurotransmitter γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) mediates a membrane depolarization and can contribute to both, inhibition and excitation. Therefore the consequences of a positive modulation of GABA(A) receptors by neurosteroids on epileptiform activity are hard to predict. In order to analyze whether neurosteroids attenuate or exaggerate epileptiform activity in the immature brain, we investigated the effect of the neurosteroid allopregnanolone on epileptiform activity in an in-toto hippocampus preparation of early postnatal mice (postnatal days 4-7) using field potential recordings.

Risk factors for falls in terms of attention during gait in community-dwelling older adults.

Aim: We examined factors related to conditions of life function and falls, including eye movements and gait variability, in community-dwelling older adults in Japan.

Methods: Participants were 82 older adults (21 men, 61 women, mean age 76.1 years).

Doxycycline induces apoptosis via ER stress selectively to cells with a cancer stem cell-like properties: importance of stem cell plasticity.

Tumor heterogeneity can be traced back to a small subset of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which can be derived from a single stem cell and show chemoresistance. Recent studies showed that CSCs are sensitive to mitochondrial targeting antibiotics such as doxycycline. However, little is known about how cancer cells undergo sphere formation and how antibiotics inhibit CSC proliferation.

Association of genetic polymorphisms with erythrocyte traits: Verification of SNPs reported in a previous GWAS in a Japanese population.

Erythrocyte count and volume are the commonly used hematological indices for anemia that change in various diseases. To date, however, only one study ever exists that addressed erythrocyte trait-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a Japanese population. Because that study was performed in patients with various diseases, we confirmed the reported associations in a general population.

Neural-specific deletion of mitochondrial p32/C1qbp leads to leukoencephalopathy due to undifferentiated oligodendrocyte and axon degeneration.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a critical step in the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative diseases. The p32/ C1qbp gene functions as an essential RNA and protein chaperone in mitochondrial translation, and is indispensable for embryonic development. However, little is known about the consequences of mitochondrial dysfunction of p32 deletion in the brain development.

Infantile hypophosphatasia combined with vitamin B6-responsive seizures and reticular formation lesions on magnetic resonance imaging: A case report.

Background: Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by rachitic bone manifestations and a low serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) level. It is caused by mutations in the tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP) gene, which encodes the tissue non-specific isozyme of ALP. HPP patients exhibit various presentations depending on their age at onset, such as infantile HPP combined with vitamin B6-responsive seizures.

Cardiomyocyte-specific loss of mitochondrial p32/C1qbp causes cardiomyopathy and activates stress responses.

Aims: Mitochondria are important organelles, dedicated to energy production. Mitochondrial p32/C1qbp, which functions as an RNA and protein chaperone, interacts with mitochondrial mRNA and is indispensable for mitochondrial function through its regulation of mitochondrial translation in cultured cell lines. However, the precise role of p32/C1qbp in vivo is poorly understood because of embryonic lethality in the systemic p32-deficient mouse.

Relationships among sense of coherence, oral health status, nutritional status and care need level of older adults according to path analysis.

Aim: Sense of coherence (SOC) is a measurement of ability of an individual to cope with psychological stress and remain in good health. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationships among SOC score, oral health status, nutritional status and care need level of older adults using path analysis.

Methods: We enrolled 53 older adults (17 men and 36 women) who were attending a day care service (mean age 80.

Serum depletion induced cancer stem cell-like phenotype due to nitric oxide synthesis in oncogenic HRas transformed cells.

Cancer cells rewire their metabolism and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to promote proliferation and maintenance. Cancer cells use multiple adaptive mechanisms in response to a hypo-nutrient environment. However, little is known about how cancer mitochondria are involved in the ability of these cells to adapt to a hypo-nutrient environment.

Associations between Dietary Patterns, ADRβ2 Gln27Glu and ADRβ3 Trp64Arg with Regard to Serum Triglyceride Levels: J-MICC Study.

Interactions between dietary patterns and 2 β-adrenergic receptor (ADRβ) gene polymorphisms (ADRβ2 Gln27Glu and ADRβ3 Trp64Arg) were examined with regard to the effects on serum triglyceride levels. The cross-sectional study comprised 1720 men and women (aged 35-69 years) enrolled in the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study. Genotyping was conducted using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction-based invader assay.

The Expression of Ubiquitous Mitochondrial Creatine Kinase Is Downregulated as Prostate Cancer Progression.

Background: Mitochondria play crucial roles in cell signaling events, interorganellar communication, aging, cell proliferation and apoptosis, and mitochondrial impairment has been shown to accelerate or modulate cancer progression. Ubiquitous mitochondrial creatine kinase (uMtCK) is predominantly localized in the intermembrane space of mitochondria and catalyzes the reversible exchange of high-energy phosphate between adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) and phosphocreatine. However, little is known about its expression and function in human prostate cancer progression.

[Commissioned child welfare volunteers' understanding of the social needs of the Visits to All Families with Infants Program].

Objectives: It is important that commissioned child welfare volunteers (CCWVs) fully understand the needs, objectives, and prospective results of working on the Visits to All Families with Infants Program. This study aimed to explore the factors that enhanced volunteers' recognition of the need for the program and to reveal issues that need to be addressed to improve support for CCWVs.

Methods: All 259 CCWV who were engaged in the Visits to All Families with Infants Program and who were living in Kitakyushu City, Japan, participated in the study between August and December, 2013.

Water spray-induced grooming is negatively correlated with depressive behavior in the forced swimming test in rats.

Rodents show grooming, a typical self-care behavior, under stress and non-stress conditions. Previous studies revealed that grooming under stress conditions such as the open-field test (OFT) or the elevated plus-maze test (EPM) is associated with anxiety, but the roles of grooming under non-stress conditions are not well understood. Here, we examined spray-induced grooming as a model of grooming under a non-stress condition to investigate the relationship between this grooming and depression-like behavior in the forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test, and we compared spray-induced grooming with OFT- and EPM-induced grooming.

A clinical phase I study of an EB66 cell-derived H5N1 pandemic vaccine adjuvanted with AS03.

Background: We conducted a phase I clinical trial of a cell culture-derived AS03-adjuvanted influenza vaccine containing HA antigen (A/Indonesia/05/2005(H5N1)/PR8-IBCDC-RG2) derived from EB66 cells (KD-295).

Methods: Healthy male adult volunteers (20-40 years old, N=60) enrolled in the study were divided into 3 groups, the MA group (3.8 μg of HA+AS03), HA group (7.

Immunogenicity and safety of an inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccine in healthy adults: a phase II, open-label, uncontrolled trial in Japan.

Two antigenically distinct B strain lineages of influenza virus have co-circulated since the mid-1980s; however, inactivated trivalent influenza vaccines contain only one B lineage. The mismatch between the circulating and vaccine lineages has been a worldwide issue. In this study, an inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV) candidate containing two B lineages was manufactured and its immunogenicity and safety evaluated in an open-label, uncontrolled trial.

Households with Insufficient Bednets in a Village with Sufficient Bednets: Evaluation of Household Bednet Coverage Using Bednet Distribution Index in Xepon District, Lao PDR.

In Lao PDR, the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) evaluates bednet coverage, often at the village level, using a coverage target of one net per 2.5 (or fewer) persons in a given population. However, in villages that meet the target, not all households necessarily meet the target or utilize all available bednets.