The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Nov 2020
Characterization of a novel human testis-specific gene: testis developmental related gene 1 (TDRG1).
Spermatogenesis is a highly coordinated physiological process that requires the correct expression and functions of thousands of developmentally regulated genes. The regulation of spermatogenesis is not well defined, since majority of the related genes have neither been identified nor fully characterized. Hence, it is meaningful to identify and characterize these genes to reveal the mechanism underlying spermatogenesis. ⋯ Importantly, TDRG1 mRNA is undetectable in the fetal testis, as judged by RT-PCR. In conclusion, TDRG1 is a developmentally regulated testicular-specific gene. We suggest that TDRG1, a newly identified testis-specific gene, may play important roles in human spermatogenesis.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Nov 2020
Comparative StudyPatient satisfaction questionnaire for medical students' performance in a hospital outpatient clinic: a cross-sectional study.
Medical education in Japan has undergone significant reforms. Patient perspective and outcome have been highly valued in curricular reforms. Therefore, we evaluated an undergraduate curriculum particularly on communication skills by comparing outpatient satisfaction before and after the reforms implemented at Saga Medical School. Cross-sectional study was conducted at the General Medicine Clinic of Saga University Hospital in 1999 and 2009. A total of 729 newcomer patients evaluated 159 students; namely, 287 patients evaluated sixth-year medical students (n = 82) in 1999, and in 2009, 442 patients evaluated fifth-year medical students (n = 77). Students interviewed newcomer patients prior to a faculty's clinical examination. After a student-patient encounter, the patient was asked to fill in six-item Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ) developed by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Mixed model two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with covariant of students' gender was conducted. Effect sizes were calculated to evaluate the amplitude of influence. The average score in 2009 was significantly higher than that in 1999 (3.63 ± 0.62 versus 3.36 ± 0.66; p < 0.001). Since the "encouraging and answering questions" and "clear explanations" were lower than those of the other items (3.24 ± 0.98 and 3.46 ± 0.85), these two items showed the most significant improvements (Phi coefficient = 0.31 and 0.24, p < 0.001). Thus, students' performance has improved since 1999, which may represent the success of curricular reforms at Saga Medical School. We propose that "encouraging and answering questions" and "clear explanations" should be emphasized in interview training.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Nov 2020
Association between short sleep duration and high incidence of metabolic syndrome in midlife women.
Chronic sleep deprivation is increasingly common in industrialized societies. Short sleep duration has been associated with a number of negative health outcomes. The objectives of this study were to investigate the association between self-reported sleep duration and the presence of metabolic syndrome (combination of central obesity, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose) in adults during midlife. ⋯ Subjects sleeping < 6 hours a day (HR: 1.798; 95% CI: 1.06-3.05) were significantly more likely to experience metabolic syndrome than participants sleeping 6 to 7.9 hours a day after controlling for potential covariates (age, body mass index, menopause, smoking, alcohol and physical activity). Shorter sleep duration was associated with the high incidence of metabolic syndrome among females only. In conclusion, shorter sleep duration may be a significant risk factor for the development of metabolic syndrome in women.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Nov 2020
Overexpression of gelsolin-like actin-capping protein is associated with progression of lung adenocarcinoma.
Gelsolin-like actin-capping protein (CapG), a ubiquitous actin-binding protein, has been shown to play a critical role in regulating the migration ability of cells. In this study, we investigated CapG expression in lung cancer cell lines under hypoxia and evaluated the effect of CapG on the migration ability of these cells. We also analyzed the expression of CapG in a total of 75 patients with lung adenocarcinoma by immunohistochemistry. ⋯ Likewise, CapG overexpression was observed with advanced tumor stages (III and IV, 16/31), compared with early tumor stages (I and II, 14/44), but the difference was not statistically significant. These results suggest that overexpression of CapG may be associated with progression of lung adenocarcinoma. In conclusion, CapG may be a promising target for therapy and a potential biomarker for predicting the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Nov 2020
Oxygen saturation levels during the first minutes of life in healthy term neonates.
The oxygen support during neonatal resuscitation is not completely defined by evidence-based science. We, therefore, aimed to determine the oxygen saturation (SpO(2)) levels within the first 15 minutes of life and to evaluate the effect of delivery routes, gender and measurement sites on the mean time to reach preductal and postductal SpO(2) levels of 90% among healthy term neonates. The sensors were placed at the right hand for preductally and the left hand for postductally SpO(2) measurements. ⋯ Thus, the time to reach SpO(2) levels ≥ 90% was prolonged in the postductal measurements and in the neonates born by caesarean section. Gender was found to have no effect on duration to reach 90% SpO(2) levels at both preductal and postductal measurements. The measurement site and the type of delivery must be taken into consideration when oxygen saturation was measured in term healthy newborn in delivery room immediately after birth.