Okayama Igakkai Zasshi (Journal of Okayama Medical Association)

The relationship between the operational situation of dental treatment and accidents experienced was investigated through questionnaires sent to members of the Kagawa Dental Association. Responses were received from 261 dentists (53% response rate), of whom 113 (43%) had experienced accidents during dental examinations and/or treatment during the past one year. Dentists with a particularly high risk of having accidents were predominantly young males who possessed many medical chairs at their clinic and who daily examined many patients. Those dentists who worked together with two or more colleagues had a lower risk of accidents. These factors should be considered when trying to take preventive measures against accidents during medical examinations and treatment.

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Botulinum neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum type B is a complex of 12S and 16S toxins. 12S toxin consists of a neurotoxin and a nontoxic non-HA (NTNH). The 16S toxin consists of a neurotoxin, an NTNH, and a hemagglutinin (HA). Food-borne botulism is caused by these complex toxins, which are ingested orally and absorbed from the digestive tract across the epithelial barrier lining the gut.
Here we show that the type B 16S toxin, but not the 12S toxin or the neurotoxin, binds to the T84 human intestinal epithelial cell line. We also demonstrate that the HA moiety in the 16S toxin mediates the toxin binding to the cells. The carbohydrates containing a galactose moiety inhibited the binding of the 16S toxin to the T84 cells, and neuraminidase treatment of the cells increased the 16S toxin binding. The binding of the 16S toxin to the neuraminidase-treated cells was also inhibited by carbohydrates containing a galactose moiety. These results suggest that the type B 16S toxin binds to human intestinal epithelial cells via the galactose moiety in the carbohydrate chain on the cell surface.

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The purpose of this study is to analyze the background factors relating to opinions on organ donation through factorial and structural comparisons between Japanese and Americans. The data were obtained from responses to a questionnaire (371 Japanese and 41 Americans).
The main findings are as follows:
1. Most of the factors, ‘a will for organ donation depending on a recipient’, ‘view of remains’, ‘understanding of brain death’ and so on showed significant differences between Japanese and Americans.
2. Japanese had a better understanding of brain death. On the other hand, the ratio of Americans who were willing to donate an organ was higher than that of Japanese.
3. It was revealed that “the approval of organ donation for the third person, not only for one's family” had an impact for having donor card showing the approval for organ donation. Furthermore, as underlying factors generating differences on organ transplant opinions, differences were found among Japanese between “approval of organ transplant” and the attitude assuming that oneself or a member of one's family was the person concerned with organ transplantation. There were also differences between Japanese and Americans on ideas about a view for life and death such as soul existence or view of remains.
The argument for transplantation in Japan should consider these structural differences.

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We compared the status of stress with and without metabolic syndrome in Japanese. We used data for 774 men and 1,136 women who had received annual health checkups at Okayama Southern Institute of Health. Status of stress was evaluated using a stress check provided by the Department of Public Health, Nihon University. Metabolic syndrome is defined by new criteria in Japan. Physical stress was significantly higher in men with metabolic syndrome than in men without it. However, the ability of coping with stress in men with metabolic syndrome was significantly higher than that in men without it. Thus a linkage between metabolic syndrome and the status of stress was characteristic in Japanese men.

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