The validation of a Japanese version of the New Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (NFOG-Q).

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop a Japanese version of the New Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (NFOG-Q) and investigate its validity and reliability. METHODS: After translating the NFOG-Q according to a standardised protocol, 56 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) were administered it. Additionally, the MDS-UPDRS parts II and III, Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) stage, and number of falls over 1 month were evaluated. Spearman's correlation coefficients (rho) were used to determine construct validity, and Cronbach's alpha (α) was used to examine reliability. RESULTS: The interquartile range of the NFOG-Q scores was 10.0-25.3 (range 0-29). The NFOG-Q scores were strongly correlated with the MDS-UPDRS part II, items 2.12 (walking and balance), 2.13 (freezing), 3.11 (freezing of gait), and 3.12 (postural stability) and the postural instability and gait difficulty score (rho = 0.515-0.669), but only moderately related to the MDS-UPDRS item 3.10 (gait), number of falls, disease duration, H&Y stage, and time of the Timed Up-and-Go test (rho = 0.319-0.434). No significant correlations were observed between age and the time of the 10-m walk test. The internal consistency was excellent (α = 0.96). CONCLUSIONS: The Japanese version of the NFOG-Q is a valid and reliable tool for assessing the severity of freezing in patients with PD.

Kangaroo endogenous retrovirus (KERV) forms megasatellite DNA with a simple repetition pattern in which the provirus structure is retained.

The kangaroo endogenous retrovirus (KERV) was previously reported to have undergone a rapid copy number increase in the red-necked wallaby; however, the mode of amplification was left to be clarified. The present study revealed that the long terminal repeat (LTR) (0.6 kb) and internal region (2.0 kb) of a provirus are repeated alternately, forming megasatellite DNA which we named kervRep. This repetition pattern was the same as that observed for walbRep, megasatellite DNA originating from another endogenous retrovirus. Their formation process can be explained using a simple model: pairing slippage followed by homologous recombination. This model features that the initial step is triggered by the presence of two identical sequences within a short distance; the possession of LTRs by endogenous retroviruses fulfills this condition. The discovery of two cases suggests that formation of this type of satellite DNA is one of non-negligible effects of endogenous retroviruses on their host genomes.