『メアリ・バートン』における労働者階級の表象

application/pdf女子大文学. 英語学英米文学篇. 2003, 4, p.75-88departmental bulletin pape

分析センターの第2期発足に思うこと<巻頭言>

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A study on personal attributes promoting social commitments after retirement ： who are socially active after retirement?

現在の地域コミュニティには様々な課題がある。しかし、これまでそうした課題に取り組んできた町内会の弱体化や地域の公共的問題への無関心が増大したこともあり、そのような課題に自ら進んで取り組む人材の不足が深刻化している。生活者の中には、地域の活動等に取り組む者とそうではない者が存在する。本研究では、定量調査・定性調査を通して社会活動に取り組む者の属性の一側面を明らかにした。今後、地域の活性化や社会活動に積極的に関与していく主体を社会全体で増やしていく必要性を考えた場合、定年退職後の男性はその供給源の一つとして期待できるというのが本研究の結論である。Current local communities in Japan have various problems. However, due to the weakening of the neighborhood association and the increasing indifference to the public problems in the area, there are serious shortage of local residents who are willing to tackle such problems. Among the local residents, we can see those who are positive to join community affairs and the others who are not. In this study, I clarified one aspect of the attributes of those who are socially active through both quantitative and qualitative surveys. The conclusion of this paper is that, considering the need to increase the local residents who actively commit community revitalization and solution of social issues throughout the society, men after retirement can be expected as one of the supply sources for socially active human resource.研究ノート(博士資格論文)(Note (Doctoral Qualification Theses))application/pdfdepartmental bulletin pape

Effects of vasodilators on beat-to-beat and every fifteen minutes blood pressure variability induced by noradrenaline infusion in rats

Increased blood pressure variability (BPV) was shown to be associated with cardiovascular morbidities and/or mortalities. There are various types of BPV depending on time intervals of BP measurements, ranging from beat-to-beat to visit-to-visit or year-to-year. We previously found that continuous infusion of noradrenaline (NA) for 14 days increased short-term BPV every 15 min in rats. The aims of this study were to examine (1) whether NA infusion increases very short-term beat-to-beat BPV, (2) the effects of azelnidipine and hydralazine on NA-induced BPV, and (3) whether baroreceptor reflex sensitivity (BRS) is affected by NA or NA plus those vasodilators. Nine-week-old Wistar rats infused subcutaneously with 30 μg/h NA were orally treated with or without 9.7 mg/day azelnidipine or 5.9 mg/day hydralazine over 14 days. BP levels were continuously monitored via abdominal aortic catheter with a telemetry system in an unrestrained condition. Standard deviations (SDs) were used to evaluate beat-to-beat BPV and BPV every 15 min which was obtained by averaging BP levels for 10-s segment at each time point. BRS was determined by a sequence analysis. Continuous NA infusion over 14 days increased average BP, beat-to-beat BPV, and BPV every 15 min, lowering BRS. Comparing the two vasodilators, hydralazine reduced BP elevation by NA; meanwhile, azelnidipine alleviated BPV augmentation, preserving BRS, despite a smaller BP reduction. Thus, NA infusion increased both very short- and short-term BPV concomitantly with impaired BRS, while azelnidipine had an inhibitory effect, possibly independent of BP-lowering, on those types of BPV and impairment of BRS.Citation: Jiang, D., Matsuzaki, M., Ida, T. et al. Effects of vasodilators on beat-to-beat and every fifteen minutes blood pressure variability induced by noradrenaline infusion in rats. Hypertens Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-024-01595-

Plasma levels of natriuretic peptides and development of chronic kidney disease

Background: Plasma levels of atrial and brain natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP) are increased in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) complicated with deteriorated kidney function, but the relationship between the plasma level of ANP or BNP and the future development of CKD is unclear. Methods: We measured the plasma ANP and BNP levels of 294 local residents without CKD in a Japanese community (56.5 ± 10.4 years, mean ± S.D.), who were followed up for the development of CKD over the next 7 years. Results: Sixty-three residents developed CKD during the follow-up period, and the baseline level of plasma ANP of these residents was significantly higher than in those without CKD development. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the residents with higher ANP than the median value developed CKD more frequently than those with lower ANP. The association between plasma ANP level and CKD development was found to be independent of baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate by a Cox proportional hazards model, while this association became insignificant when adjusted by age; plasma ANP was significantly correlated with age. Compared with ANP, the relationship between plasma BNP and CKD development was unclear in these analyses. Conclusions: Age-related elevation of plasma ANP levels preceded the development of CKD in the general population of Japan, raising a possibility for ANP being involved in the development of CKD.Citation: Ogawa N, Komura H, Kuwasako K, Kitamura K, Kato J. Plasma levels of natriuretic peptides and development of chronic kidney disease. BMC Nephrol. 2015 Oct 24;16:171. doi: 10.1186/s12882-015-0163-9. PMID: 26499263; PMCID: PMC4620018

Gender difference in relationship between body mass index and development of chronic kidney disease

Background An epidemiological approach to preventing the development or progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is necessary, while few effective preventive measures are currently available. We conducted a community-based, cohort study to identify the factors associated with the development of CKD in the general population. Methods We examined 1876 local residents of a Japanese community who had an annual health check-up and, of those, 1506 residents judged not to have CKD (473 men and 1033 women) were followed for the development of CKD over 10 years. Results The numbers of male and female residents who developed CKD during the follow-up period were 167 (35.3%) and 299 (28.9%), respectively. As compared to those without CKD development, the residents who developed CKD were older, and had a higher body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure, and creatinine in both genders. The rate of CKD development in obese female residents was higher than in non-obese women, but such a difference was not noted in male residents. In addition to age and serum creatinine, we identified BMI as an independently significant factor for the development of CKD in women, but not in men. Conclusions Increased BMI is a significant risk factor for the development of CKD in women, and there seems to be a gender difference in the association between increased BMI and the development of CKD in the general population. BackgroundCitation: Komura H, Nomura I, Kitamura K, Kuwasako K, Kato J. Gender difference in relationship between body mass index and development of chronic kidney disease. BMC Res Notes. 2013 Nov 13;6:463. doi: 10.1186/1756-0500-6-463. PMID: 24225117; PMCID: PMC3833638

Acyl modifications in bovine, porcine, and equine ghrelins

Ghrelin is a peptide hormone with various important physiological functions. The unique feature of ghrelin is its serine 3 acyl-modification, which is essential for ghrelin activity. The major form of ghrelin is modified with n-octanoic acid (C8:0) by ghrelin O-acyltransferase. Various acyl modifications have been reported in different species. However, the underlying mechanism by which ghrelin is modified with various fatty acids remains to be elucidated. Herein, we report the purification of bovine, porcine, and equine ghrelins. The major active form of bovine ghrelin was a 27-amino acid peptide with an n-octanoyl (C8:0) modification at Ser3. The major active form of porcine and equine ghrelin was a 28-amino acid peptide. However, porcine ghrelin was modified with n-octanol (C8:0), whereas equine ghrelin was modified with n-butanol (C4:0) at Ser3. This study indicates the existence of structural divergence in ghrelin and suggests that it is necessary to measure the minor and major forms of ghrelin to fully understand its physiology.Citation: Takanori Ida, Hatsumi Tominaga, Eri Iwamoto, Akito Kurogi, Ayaka Okura, Kengo Shimada, Johji Kato, Atsutoshi Kuwano, Hirotaka Ode, Sayaka Nagata, Kazuo Kitamura, Takashi Yazawa, Miho Sato-Hashimoto, Masahiro Yasuda, Mikiya Miyazato, Yuki Shiimura, Takahiro Sato, Masayasu Kojima, Acyl modifications in bovine, porcine, and equine ghrelins, Frontiers in Endocrinology, 15, 2024-05-17, https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2024.141148

Analysis of Mechanisms for Increased Blood Pressure Variability in Rats Continuously Infused with Angiotensin II

Objective. We reported that rats infused with angiotensin II (Ang II) are not only a model of hypertension but also of augmented 24 h blood pressure variability (BPV). In this study, we examined the mechanisms for Ang II-induced BPV, focusing on BP, heart rate (HR), baroreceptor reflex sensitivity (BRS), and medial area of the aortic arch. Methods. Nine-week-old male Wistar rats were infused with subcutaneous 5.2 μg/kg/h Ang II with or without oral administration with 30 mg/kg/day azelnidipine for 14 days. BP and HR were recorded every 15 min under an unrestrained condition by a radiotelemetry system, while BPV was evaluated by standard deviation of BP. BRS was quantified by a sequence analysis, and medial thickness of the aortic arch was measured by microscopic examination. Results. BPV increased at days 7 and 14 following continuous infusion of Ang II. Before the infusion, a positive correlation was found between BP and HR, but it became negative at day 7 and then weakened or disappeared at day 14. BRS was slightly impaired at day 7 and significantly lowered at day 14, a phenomenon accompanied by thickened medial area of the aortic arch in Ang II-infused rats. Those Ang II-induced alterations were all significantly attenuated by azelnidipine. Conclusions. The present findings suggest sequential changes in the mechanisms behind augmented BPV in rats continuously infused with Ang II over 14 days.Citation: Jiang Danfeng, Matsuzaki Minami, Kawagoe Yukiko, Kitamura Kazuo, Tsuruda Toshihiro, Kaikita Koichi, Asada Yujiro, Kato Johji. Analysis of Mechanisms for Increased Blood Pressure Variability in Rats Continuously Infused with Angiotensin II. Journal of the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System. 2023; 2023:4201342. doi: 10.1155/2023/4201342

Natriuretic peptides potentiate cardiac hypertrophic response to noradrenaline in rats

Excessive activation of the sympathetic nervous system is involved in cardiovascular damage including cardiac hypertrophy. Natriuretic peptides are assumed to exert protective actions for the heart, alleviating hypertrophy and/or fibrosis of the myocardium. In contrast to this assumption, we show in the present study that both atrial and C-type natriuretic peptides (ANP and CNP) potentiate cardiac hypertrophic response to noradrenaline (NA) in rats. Nine-week-old male Wistar rats were continuously infused with subcutaneous 30 micro-g/h NA without or with persistent intravenous administration of either 1.0 micro-g/h ANP or CNP for 14 days. Blood pressure (BP) was recorded under an unrestrained condition by a radiotelemetry system. Cardiac hypertrophic response to NA was evaluated by heart weight/body weight (HW/BW) ratio and microscopic measurement of myocyte size of the left ventricle. Mean BP levels at the light and dark cycles rose by about 20 mmHg following NA infusion for 14 days, with slight increases in HW/BW ratio and ventricular myocyte size. Infusions of ANP and CNP had no significant effects on mean BP in NA-infused rats, while two natriuretic peptides potentiated cardiac hypertrophic response to NA. Cardiac hypertrophy induced by co-administration of NA and ANP was attenuated by treatment with prazosin or atenolol. In summary, both ANP and CNP potentiated cardiac hypertrophic effect of continuously infused NA in rats, suggesting a possible pro-hypertrophic action of natriuretic peptides on the heart.Citation: Jiang D, Matsuzaki M, Ida T, Kitamura K, Tsuruda T, Kaikita K, Kato J. Natriuretic peptides potentiate cardiac hypertrophic response to noradrenaline in rats. Peptides. 2023 Aug;166:171035. doi: 10.1016/j.peptides.2023.171035. Epub 2023 May 31. PMID: 37263541

Studies of CP Violation in B→J/ψK* Decays

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