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A ratio of upper grades of elementary school children those who use SNS application has been increasing. The Japanese Ministry of Education has been promoting information morals education because the morals (which includes ethics, understanding and following the law, knowledge and skills of information security) is necessary. Meanwhile, most students do not receive hands-on classes on SNS when using PCs and tablets in schools. Hence, it is hard to say a concept "to be proactive, interactive, and learning deeply" from the guidelines has been achieved. We developed a prototype SNS education game to achieve the concept. This game is designed to fulfill six conditions for a game to be "proactive, interactive, and learning deeply" and takes into account the characteristics of pupils. Evaluation results of this game show that most participants wanted to learn more about how to become responsible digital citizens after playing the game.

Increasing numbers of older elementary school children are receiving smartphones from their parents and using social network service (SNS) applications. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan (MEXT) has been promoting information morals education by issuing educational guidelines, because such morals (which include ethics, understanding and following the law, and information security knowledge and skills) are essential when using SNSs. However, schools are struggling to find sufficient time for information morals education, meaning the guidelines' goal for children "to be proactive, interactive, and learning deeply" is not currently being achieved. In this paper, we describe our plans for an SNS education game, which we propose to set as homework during the summer holidays in order to reduce the burden on teachers and achieve the Ministry's aims in practice. This game is designed to fulfill six requirements and takes into account pupils' characteristics, as well as the features and issues with existing educational games.

Glucosyltransferase (GTF)-I from cariogenic Streptococcus sobrinus elongates the α-(1→3)-linked glucose polymer branches on the primer dextran bound to the C-terminal glucan-binding domain. We investigated the GTF-I-catalyzed glucan synthesis reaction in the absence of the primer dextran. The time course of saccharide production during dextran-independent glucan synthesis from sucrose was analyzed. Fructose and glucose were first produced by the sucrose hydrolysis. Leucrose was subsequently produced, followed by insoluble glucan [α-(1→3)-linked glucose polymers] after a lag phase. High levels of intermediate nigerooligosaccharide series accumulation were characteristically not observed during the lag phase. The results from the enzymatic activity of the acceptor reaction for the nigerooligosaccharide with a degree of polymerization of 2-6 and methyl α-D-glucopyranoside as a glucose analog indicate that the activity increased with an increase in the degree of polymerization. The production of insoluble glucan was numerically simulated using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method with the kinetic parameters estimated from the enzyme assay. The simulated time course provided a profile similar to that of experimental data. These results define the relationship between the kinetic properties of GTF-I and the time course of saccharide production. These results are discussed with respect to a mechanism that underlies efficient glucan synthesis.

Two apple genetic linkage maps were constructed using amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs), simple sequence repeats (SSRs), random amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), and expressed sequence tag (EST)-derived markers in combination with a pseudo-testcross mapping strategy in which the cultivars ‘Ralls Janet’ and ‘Delicious’ were used as the respective seed parents. Mitsubakaido (Malus sieboldii) was used as the pollen parent for each of the segregating F1 populations. Expressed sequence tag data were obtained from the random sequencing of cDNA libraries constructed from in vitro cultured shoots and maturing fruits of cv ‘Fuji’, which is the offspring of a cross between ‘Ralls Janet’ and ‘Delicious’. In addition, a number of published gene sequences were used to develop markers for mapping. The ‘Ralls Janet’ map consisted of 346 markers (178 AFLPs, 95 RAPDs, 54 SSRs, 18 ESTs, and the S locus) in 17 linkage groups, with a total length of 1082 cM, while that of ‘Delicious’ comprised 300 markers (120 AFLPs, 81 RAPDs, 64 SSRs, 32 ESTs, and the S, Rf, and MdACS-1 loci) on 17 linkage groups spanning 1031 cM. These maps are amenable to comparisons with previously published maps of ‘Fiesta’ and ‘Discovery’ (Liebhard et al., Mol Breed 10:217–241, 2002; Liebhard et al., Theor Appl Genet 106:1497–1508, 2003a) because several of the SSRs (one to three markers per linkage group) were used in all of the maps. Distorted marker segregation was observed in three and two regions of the ‘Ralls Janet’ and ‘Delicious’ maps, respectively. These regions were localized in different parts of the genome from those in previously reported apple linkage maps. This marker distortion may be dependent on the combinations of cultivars used for map construction.

Glucosyltransferase (GTF)-I from cariogenic Streptococcus sobrinus elongates the α-(1→3)-linked glucose polymer branches on the primer dextran bound to the C-terminal glucan-binding domain. We investigated the GTF-I-catalyzed glucan synthesis reaction in the absence of the primer dextran. The time course of saccharide production during dextran-independent glucan synthesis from sucrose was analyzed. Fructose and glucose were first produced by the sucrose hydrolysis. Leucrose was subsequently produced, followed by insoluble glucan [α-(1→3)-linked glucose polymers] after a lag phase. High levels of intermediate nigerooligosaccharide series accumulation were characteristically not observed during the lag phase. The results from the enzymatic activity of the acceptor reaction for the nigerooligosaccharide with a degree of polymerization of 2-6 and methyl α-D-glucopyranoside as a glucose analog indicate that the activity increased with an increase in the degree of polymerization. The production of insoluble glucan was numerically simulated using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method with the kinetic parameters estimated from the enzyme assay. The simulated time course provided a profile similar to that of experimental data. These results define the relationship between the kinetic properties of GTF-I and the time course of saccharide production. These results are discussed with respect to a mechanism that underlies efficient glucan synthesis.

To evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of the thiocarbamate antifungal agent liranaftate, the edema and the neutrophil accumulation detected by the activity of neutrophil marker enzyme, myeloperoxidase (MPO), were examined following application of liranaftate to mouse ears with inflammation induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Topical 20 microl administration of liranaftate in a dose-range between 1-4% suppressed the increase in ear thickness 6 hr after PMA application dose-dependently. Similarly, it decreased the weight increase of an ear section after 24 hr dose-dependently. More than 1% of liranaftate also suppressed augmentation of MPO activity of the ear section. This and histological observation indicate that liranaftate treatment suppressed neutrophil accumulation in PMA-applied ear lesion. From these results, we discussed that liranaftate might suppress inflammatory symptoms caused by trychophytosis in a clinical condition.

Farnesol is well known as a quorum-sensing molecule of Candida albicans. To assess the pathological function of farnesol, its effects on macrophage viability and functions including growth inhibitory activities against C. albicans were examined in vitro. Murine macrophages, when cultured in the presence of 56-112 microM of farnesol for 1-2 hr, decreased their activity inhibiting the mycelial growth of C. albicans and lost their viability. This suppression of macrophage function by farnesol was neutralized by the coexistence of the anti-oxidants probucol and trolox. Macrophages cultured in the presence of farnesol for 2 hr displayed morphological change of nuclei and DNA fragmentation, which suggested apoptosis of the cells. Intracellular production of ROS in the farnesol-treated macrophages was shown by fluorescence of DCFH-DA and increase of peroxidized materials. These effects of farnesol were blocked by probucol or trolox. These results indicate that farnesol lowered viability of the murine macrophages and suppressed their anti-Candida activity, perhaps through induction of ROS.

Urinary incontinence is a common problem as women age. The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence and risk factors of urinary incontinence and their impact on the quality of life of working Japanese women. In this cross-sectional study, 975 women completed the Urogenital Distress Inventory-6, the Short Form (SF)-36 Health Survey, and the King's Health Questionnaire. Their mean age was 47.6 years and the reported prevalence of stress, urge, and mixed urinary incontinence symptoms during the past month was 19.3%, 4.2%, and 7.8%, respectively. The prevalence rate of all the three types of incontinence increased with age and Body Mass Index. There was no significant difference in the questionnaire subscale scores of the SF-36 Health Survey and the King's Health Questionnaire between these types and those without urinary incontinence. However, in relation to the SF-36 scores, we found that urge urinary incontinence had more effect on women than stress urinary incontinence. There was a high prevalence of urinary incontinence in the participants. The results emphasize the need for women to be provided with education programs about incontinence and to perform preventive exercises.

Samples were collected from the root canals of 30 teeth of patients with apical periodontitis and assayed for endotoxin content. The detection rates of endotoxin and endotoxin content were higher in symptomatic teeth, teeth with radiolucent areas, and teeth with exudation than in those without them.

MCA病変による梗塞巣の広がりとその出現頻度を知る目的で, 223例のMCA閉塞あるいは狭窄例を対象として血管撮影所見を4群に分類し, また臨床的に診断された塞栓症と非塞栓症の閉塞機転の相違からCT所見を検討した.すなわち血管撮影所見よりM1, M2閉塞をそれぞれI, II 群, M1, M2狭窄をIII, IV群とすると, 各群は84例, 88例, 31例, 20例であった。またCTにて低吸収域を示したものは199例あり, その所見を梗塞巣の分布によってS+D, S, B, D, WB, D+WB, WM, H typeに分類すると, それぞれ60例, 45例, 18例, 10例, 15例, 47例, 1例, 3例であった.梗塞巣の分布ではS+D type, D+WB typeが多く, その過半数はI群にみられ, 塞栓症を加えるとM1閉塞によるものが各々85%, 77%となった.このうちI群のD+WB typeは非塞栓症でみられ, 一方I群以外の多くはM2の塞栓性閉塞であった.S typeの80%はM2病変 (II・IV群) であり, II~IV群にみられたB typeは, すべて非塞栓症であった.またD typeの60%はI群に, WB typeはI~III群にみられ, 塞栓症は概して少なかった.WM type, H typeは他の血管病変の合併が示された。以上より閉塞機転の相違により非塞栓性M1閉塞ではD+WB type, D type, WB typeが, M2閉塞ではStypeが多かった.しかしMCA髄質枝領域の梗塞であるB typeも少ないながらII~IV群にみられ, 特にM2狭窄で高頻度であった.

The cytotoxicity against two mesenchymal cell lines, L-929 and WI-38, and two epithelial cell lines, KB and HeLa S-3, of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) purified from strains of Bacteroides gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Veillonella parvula isolated from infected root canals was investigated. The inhibition of cell growth by these LPS's was considerable for mesenchymal cell lines, but mild for epithelial cell lines. The cytotoxic effect of F. nucleatum LPS was the greatest and that of B. gingivalis LPS was the least.