Public attitudes towards people living with dementia: A cross-sectional study in urban Japan (innovative practice).

Stigma and social isolation are major challenges in building dementia friendly communities. Information is a key factor in improving knowledge and attitudes about dementia. This cross-sectional survey aimed to investigate public attitudes towards people with dementia in an urban community in Japan. Nearly 90% of the participants responded that they were able to have a good relationship with a person with dementia and help such a person if needed. However, around half of the participants would be ashamed of a family member with dementia. A multiple regression model showed that information from television and educational classes was associated with positive attitudes towards people with dementia among older adults. Information from educational classes and the Internet was likewise associated with positive attitudes among the volunteers. Increasing the availability and accessibility of information on dementia may contribute to improving public attitudes towards people with dementia.

Functional variants in the glutathione peroxidase-1 (GPx-1) gene are associated with increased intima-media thickness of carotid arteries and risk of macrovascular diseases in japanese type 2 diabetic patients.

Atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetic patients has been linked to increased oxidative stress. Glutathione peroxidase-1 (GPx-1) plays an important role in the antioxidant defense of the vascular wall. To assess the association between variants in the GPx-1 gene and atherosclerosis, we screened the gene in 184 Japanese type 2 diabetic patients and identified four polymorphisms (-602A/G, +2C/T, Ala(5)/Ala(6), and Pro198Leu). Among these polymorphisms, -602G, +2T, Ala(6), and 198Leu were in strong linkage disequilibrium with each other. The patients were divided into two groups on the basis of the codon 198 polymorphism, Pro/Pro (n = 151) and Pro/Leu (n = 33), to analyze clinical characteristics. The mean intima-media thickness (IMT) of common carotid arteries (P = 0.0028) and the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (P = 0.035) and peripheral vascular disease (P = 0.027) were significantly higher in the Pro/Leu group than in the Pro/Pro group. In vitro functional analyses indicated that the combination of polymorphisms (Ala(6)/198Leu) of the GPx-1 gene had a 40% decrease in enzyme activity, and the combination of polymorphisms (-602G/+2T) had a 25% decrease in transcriptional activity. These results suggest that functional variants in the GPx-1 gene are associated with increased IMT of carotid arteries and risk of cardiovascular and peripheral vascular diseases in type 2 diabetic patients.

The ribosome modulation factor (RMF) binding site on the 100S ribosome of Escherichia coli.

During the stationary growth phase, Escherichia coli 70S ribosomes are converted to 100S ribosomes, and translational activity is lost. This conversion is caused by the binding of the ribosome modulation factor (RMF) to 70S ribosomes. In order to elucidate the mechanisms by which 100S ribosomes form and translational inactivation occurs, the shape of the 100S ribosome and the RMF ribosomal binding site were investigated by electron microscopy and protein-protein cross-linking, respectively. We show that (i) the 100S ribosome is formed by the dimerization of two 70S ribosomes mediated by face-to-face contacts between their constituent 30S subunits, and (ii) RMF binds near the ribosomal proteins S13, L13, and L2. The positions of these proteins indicate that the RMF binding site is near the peptidyl transferase center or the P site (peptidyl-tRNA binding site). These observations are consistent with the translational inactivation of the ribosome by RMF binding. After the "Recycling" stage, ribosomes can readily proceed to the "Initiation" stage during exponential growth, but during stationary phase, the majority of 70S ribosomes are stored as 100S ribosomes and are translationally inactive. We suggest that this conversion of 70S to 100S ribosomes represents a newly identified stage of the ribosomal cycle in stationary phase cells, and we have termed it the "Hibernation" stage.