Effect of oral administration of a single bolus of six different protein sources on digestive physiology of red seabream Pagrus major juveniles.

To reveal direct effects of various protein sources on digestive physiology of red seabream, Pagrus major (38.5 ± 0.4 g), six different protein sources of fishmeal (FM), soybean meal (SBM), corn gluten meal (CGM), soy protein concentrate (SPC), poultry by-product meal (PBM), and poultry-feather meal (PFM) were orally administered to fish (2 mg protein/g body weight) and sampled at 1.5 h and 3 h after administration. Gallbladder weight of fish administered FM, PBM, and PFM decreased after administration (p < 0.0001), while no difference was observed in the other ingredients compared to a non-protein sham control group, indicating that animal protein sources could more strongly stimulate bile secretion than plant protein sources in red seabream. Trypsin and chymotrypsin activity in the intestinal content markedly increased by the FM, SBM, and PFM administration (p < 0.0001). Lipase and amylase activity was also increased by FM and SBM but also by CGM for lipase and by PBM and PFM for amylase (p < 0.0001). These indicate that stimulation effect of the secretion of digestive enzymes is largely different among the protein sources. This might be due to the absorptive capacity of the protein source since intestinal absorption parameter genes (anpep, cpa, ggt1, and atp1a2) also increased by the FM, SBM, PBM or PFM (p < 0.05). In addition to the secretion levels of bile and digestive enzymes, gene expression levels of bile related genes (cyp7a1, cyp8b1, and shp) and digestion-regulating genes (casr and cck) were increased by the FM, SBM, PFM, and/or PBM administration, suggesting that animal proteins and SBM could be potent digestive stimulants compared to CGM and SPC. This study first revealed that single protein sources directly influence digestive enzyme secretion and bile secretion in fish. Information about the direct effect of each single source on digestive physiology could help to design feed formulation with less fishmeal.

Evaluation of the first Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program as a second career in Japan.

BACKGROUND: The first Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program with a two-year educational period in Japan was developed in a nursing university in Tokyo in 2017 (i.e., 2017-ABSN two-year program or designated as program 1) for individuals aiming to pursue nursing as a second career. It replaced program 2, the second-year bachelor's degree transfer program which is a three-year program implemented from 1997 to 2016. The original and currently on-going four-year undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is designated as program 3. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the 2017-ABSN two-year program from learners' perspective. METHODS: We used a case-control study design. As cases, the subjects were third-year bachelor's degree transfer students of program 1 at the nursing university in Tokyo. As controls, second-year bachelor's degree transfer students of program 2 and four-year undergraduate students of program 3 in the same university were given a questionnaire when they graduated. The survey items were grouped into five scales: (1) The education you are receiving, (2) Studying nursing, (3) Stress level, (4) The highest score on the national nursing examination practice test, and (5) The vocational commitment. The mean score of each item was calculated and comparisons were conducted using the Mann Whitney test. RESULTS: Responses from 77 students (program 1), 23 students (program 2), and 133 students (program 3) were analyzed. The program 1 students had a significantly lower mean score on (1) The education you are receiving item "There is time for preparation and review" (p = 0.01). The program 1 students had a significantly lower score on (2) The studying nursing item "I can get the job (role) I want" (p = 0.01). The program 1 students had a significantly higher score on (4) The best score in the national nursing examination practice test (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Shortening the academic period to two years in program 1 had no effect on the knowledge base of the students. However, the program 1 students had a significantly lower score in their identity as a nurse. It is often difficult to acquire a new nursing culture in a short period from a previous culture that has already been mastered. Educators need to fully understand the characteristics of learners and provide them with individualized and professional guidance to further improve their skills.

St. Luke's International University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill collaboration project to develop the first DNP program in Japan.

We report an international collaborative project to develop the first Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program in Japan. We described the development and implementation of the first DNP program at the St. Luke's International University in Tokyo and the collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the United States. Faculty perceptions in both parties gradually evolved from the traditional perspective of international collaboration to the transitional and the beginning of the holistic partnership perspectives. The collaboration resulted in an innovative DNP program that directly addressed the gap between nursing education programs and Japan's clinical needs. The collaborative project cultivated a holistic international partnership. Rather than reporting a manual for international collaboration, we present our reflections and outcomes as narratives that others could use to achieve a holistic global partnership.

Cultura, ensino e aprendizagem da empatia na educação médica: scoping review / Cultura, enseñanza y aprendizaje de la empatía en la educación médica: scoping review / Culture, teaching and learning of empathy in medical education: scoping review

Este estudo teve o objetivo de identificar, na literatura, como a empatia é influenciada pelos diferentes fatores culturais no contexto de ensino e aprendizagem em saúde. Realizado por meio de scoping review , conforme a proposta de Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI), a busca foi realizada nas bases de dados PubMed, Lilacs, Scopus e Web of Science e executada entre o período de dezembro de 2017 a janeiro de 2018. Observou-se, pelas pesquisas, que os estudantes ocidentais têm maior nível de empatia quando comparados aos estudantes orientais. Além disso, há diferença na empatia entre diferentes etnias, raças, sexo e religião. Sua avaliação dá-se por meio de diferentes instrumentos. Assim, entre os fatores que influenciam a empatia, identificou-se a cultura como sendo um deles. São necessários novos estudos a fim de compreender da melhor forma a empatia entre as diversas profissões da saúde.(AU)

El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar, en la literatura, cómo la empatía sufre influencia de los diferentes factores culturales en el contexto de enseñanza y aprendizaje en salud. Realizado por medio de scoping review , conforme la propuesta del Joanna Briggs Institute , la búsqueda se realizó en las bases de datos PubMed, LILACS, SCOPUS y Web of Science y se realizó en el período de diciembre de 2017 a enero de 2018. Por los estudios se observó que los estudiantes occidentales tienen mayor nivel de empatía cuando comparados a los orientales. Además, hay diferencia en la empatía entre diferentes etnias, razas, sexo y religion. Su evaluación se realiza por medio de diferentes instrumentos. Por lo tanto, entre los factores que influyen en la empatía, se identificó la cultura como uno de ellos. Son necesarios nuevos estudios para comprender de la mejor manera la empatía entre las diversas profesiones de la salud.(AU)

This article aims to identify, along the literature, how empathy is influenced by several cultural factors in the context of health professionals' teaching-learning process .Performed as a scoping review study, as proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute, the search was performed in PubMed, LILACS, SCOPUS and Web of Science databases, between December 2017 and January 2018. It was observed, through the researches, that Western students have a higher level of empathy compared to Eastern students, so there is also a difference in empathy between different ethinicity, race, sex and religion. It's evaluated through different instruments. So, among the factors that influence empathy, culture was identified as one of them. Further studies are needed to better understand the empathy among the various health professions.(AU)

Characterization of differentially expressed genes in liver in response to the rearing temperature of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and their heritable differences.

To characterize thermal-responsive genes in fish, firstly, juvenile rainbow trout were reared in four different temperature conditions (average temperatures were 10, 14, 18, and 22 °C, respectively) and differentially expressed genes were identified. Gene expression in the liver was analyzed by the differential display method, followed by validation using real-time PCR. Subsequently, to examine whether the identified genes show heritable differences, the gene expression levels were compared among juveniles of three genetically distinct lines of rainbow trout (a strain and two closed colonies) by rearing at two different temperature conditions (average 14 and 22 °C). By rearing at 22 °C, growth retardation was observed compared with fish reared at 14 and 18 °C, and six genes were identified as differentially expressed genes in response to the rearing temperature in the gene expression analyses. With the increase in rearing temperature, gene expressions of a complement C1q and two ribosomal proteins were significantly up-regulated. On the other hand, three metabolic genes (betaine homocysteine methyltransferase, triosephosphate isomerase, and glucose-6-phosphatase) were down-regulated, indicating a metabolic depression due to high temperature. In the subsequent analyses, in response to the rearing temperature (14 and 22 °C), there was a trend that the complement C1q and glucose-6-phosphatase genes showed different expression patterns among the three rainbow trout lines, suggesting heritable differences in these genes. Our study provides information on thermal-responsive genes in fish, and we anticipate it will facilitate further investigation in the thermal biology of fish.

Characterization and ontogenetic development of digestive enzymes in Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis larvae.

The major digestive enzymes in Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis larvae were characterized, and the physiological characteristics of the enzymes during early ontogeny were clarified using biochemical and molecular approaches. The maximum activity of trypsin (Try), chymotrypsin (Ct) and amylase (Amy) was observed at pH 6-11, 8-11 and 6-9, respectively. Maximum activity of Try, Ct and Amy occurred at 50 °C, that of lipase (Lip) was at 60 °C and that of pepsin (Pep) was at 40-50 °C. These pH and thermal profiles were similar to those for other fish species but differed from those previously reported for adult bluefin tuna. Enzyme activity for all enzymes assayed was found to decrease at high temperatures (Try, Ct, Amy and Pep: 50 °C; Lip: 40 °C), which is similar to findings for other fish species with one marked exception-increased Try activity was observed at 40 °C. Lip activity appeared to be dependent on bile salts under our assay conditions, resulting in a significant increase in activity in the presence of bile salts. Ontogenetic changes in pancreatic digestive enzymes showed similar gene expression patterns to those of other fish species, whereas marked temporal increases in enzyme activities were observed at 10-12 days post hatching (dph), coinciding with previously reported timing of the development of the pyloric caeca in bluefin tuna larvae. However, complete development of digestive function was indicated by the high pep gene expression from 19 dph, which contradicts the profile of Pep activity and previously reported development timing of the gastric gland. These findings contribute to the general knowledge of bluefin tuna larval digestive system development.

The effects of 2-bromopalmitate on the fatty acid composition in differentiating adipocytes of red sea bream (Pagrus major).

To determine whether external factors affect the adipogenic function of fish adipocytes, the effects of 2-bromopalmitate (a PPAR agonist) on the fatty acid composition in differentiating adipocytes of red sea bream were investigated in vitro. In the presence of 2-bromopalmitate, the red sea bream adipocytes were differentiated and the effects on the fatty acid composition and the adipogenic gene expression were analyzed. With the level of 2-bromopalmitate, the content of 16:1n-7, a delta-9 desaturation product, increased in association with the increase in a stearoyl CoA desaturase (SCD) gene expression level while the triglyceride accumulation was not affected. Subsequently, the effects on the bioconversion of the n-3 and n-6 fatty acids, which are main series of dietary essential fatty acids, were examined. In the presence of 300 microM of 18:3n-3 or 18:2n-6, red sea bream stromal-vascular cells accumulated the lipid in the cytoplasm within 3 days by the fatty acid uptake with the increase of corresponding fatty acid contents. Furthermore, in both the 18:3n-3 and 18:2n-6 stored cells, the products of delta-6 desaturation (18:4n-3 and 18:3n-6, respectively) and C(18-20) elongation (20:3n-3 and 20:2n-6, respectively) were detected. However, neither the delta-6 desatutration nor C(18-20) elongation of 18:3n-3 and 18:2n-6 were enhanced by 2-bromopalmitate treatment. In conclusion, the results indicate that the adipocyte function in fish, e.g. adipogenic gene expression and fatty acid composition, can be modified by external factors and a main effect of 2-bromopalmitate is the increase in the content of delta-9 desaturation product by stimulating the SCD gene expression.

Feeding restriction alters expression of some ATP related genes more sensitively than the RNA/DNA ratio in zebrafish, Danio rerio.

The growth rate of fish shows extensive plasticity in response to various environments. Metabolic responses of fish to excessive nutritional shortages such as starvation have been reported, but the effects of moderate nutrient shortage remain unclear. We examined expression levels of some genes related to ATP metabolism and to myogenesis, the RNA/DNA ratio, and the protein/DNA ratio of fish under different feeding conditions: a diet of 212-432% (frequent feeding, FR) or 32-82% (restricted feeding, RE) of initial body weight per week was supplied. The expression levels of nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDK)-Z2, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and myogenin genes of RE fish were higher than those of FR fish, although the RNA/DNA ratio and the protein/DNA ratio were unaffected by the feeding amount. Moreover, expression levels of NDK-Z2 and GAPDH were upregulated to a greater extent than those for myogenin and myostatin 1 under restricted feeding. Together, our results show that gene expression is more sensitive to nutrient conditions of fish than traditional indicators such as the RNA/DNA ratio. The ATP metabolic system is more sensitive to moderate nutrient shortages than the myogenic system.

Metabolism of a Glycosaminoglycan during Metamorphosis in the Japanese Conger eel, Conger myriaster.

Hyaluronan (HA) is a linear polysaccharide of high molecular weight that exists as a component of the extracellular matrix. The larvae (leptocephali) of the Japanese conger eel (Anguilliformes: Conger myriaster) have high levels of hyaluronan (HA) which is thought to help control body water content. We isolated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) from Japanese conger eel leptocephali and measured the changes in tissue HA content during metamorphosis. HA content decreased during metamorphosis. In contrast, neutral sugar content increased during metamorphosis. We hypothesize that the leptocephali utilize a metabolic pathway that converts HA to glucose during metamorphosis. Glucose may then be metabolized to glycogen and stored in the juvenile life-history stage.

Molecular characterization of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) and their gene expression in the differentiating adipocytes of red sea bream Pagrus major.

To investigate the molecular mechanism of fish adipocyte differentiation, the three subtypes of PPAR genes (alpha, beta and gamma) were characterized in a marine teleost red sea bream (Pagrus major). The primary structures of red sea bream PPARs exhibited high degrees of similarities to their mammalian counterparts, and their gene expression was detected in various tissues including adipose tissue, heart and hepatopancreas. During the differentiation of primary cultured red sea bream adipocytes, three PPARs showed distinct expression patterns: The alpha subtype showed a transient increase and the beta gene expression tended to increase during adipocyte differentiation whereas the gene expression level of PPARgamma did not change. These results suggest that they play distinct roles in adipocyte differentiation in red sea bream. In the differentiating red sea bream adipocytes, mammalian PPAR agonists, 15-deoxy-Delta(12,14)-prostaglandin J(2), ciglitazone and fenofibrate did not show clear effects on the adipogenic gene expression. However, 2-bromopalmitate increased the PPARgamma and related adipogenic gene expression levels, suggesting the gamma subtype plays a central role in red sea bream adipocyte differentiation and in addition, fatty acid metabolites can be used as modulators of adipocyte function. Thus our study highlighted the roles of PPARs in fish adipocyte differentiation and provided information on the molecular mechanisms of fish adipocyte development.

Molecular characterization of lipoprotein lipase, hepatic lipase and pancreatic lipase genes: effects of fasting and refeeding on their gene expression in red sea bream Pagrus major.

To investigate the nutritional regulation of lipid metabolism in fish, molecular characterization of lipases was conducted in red sea bream Pagrus major, and the effects of fasting and refeeding on their gene expression was examined. Together with data from a previous study, a total of four lipase genes were identified and characterized as lipoprotein lipase (LPL), hepatic lipase (HL) and pancreatic lipase (PL). These four lipase genes, termed LPL1, LPL2, HL and PL, share a high degree of similarity. LPL1 and LPL2 genes were expressed in various tissues including adipose tissue, gill, heart and hepatopancreas. HL gene was exclusively expressed in hepatopancreas. PL gene expression was detected in hepatopancreas and adipose tissue. Red sea bream LPL1 and LPL2 gene expression levels in hepatopancreas were increased during 48 h of fasting and decreased after refeeding, whereas no significant change in the expression levels of LPL1 and LPL2 was observed in adipose tissue, indicating that LPL1 and LPL2 gene expression is regulated in a tissue-specific manner in response to the nutritional state of fish. HL and PL gene expression was not affected by fasting and refeeding. The results of this study suggested that LPL, HL and PL gene expression is under different regulatory mechanisms in red sea bream with respect to the tissue-specificities and their nutritional regulation.

Effects of insulin, triiodothyronine and fat soluble vitamins on adipocyte differentiation and LPL gene expression in the stromal-vascular cells of red sea bream, Pagrus major.

Various kinds of hormones including insulin, triiodothyronine (T(3)) and fat-soluble vitamins have been proposed as mediators of adipocyte differentiation in mammals. To investigate the factors which are responsible for fish adipocyte differentiation, we developed a serum-free culture system of stromal-vascular cells of red sea bream adipose tissue and examined the effects of bovine insulin, T(3), and fat-soluble vitamins (all-trans retinoic acid, retinyl acetate and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3)) on the differentiation-linked expression of the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene. As assessed by the increase in LPL gene expression after 3 day cultivation, like in mammalian adipocytes, insulin enhanced the adipocyte differentiation in a concentration-dependent manner. During 2 week cultivation, bovine insulin promoted lipid accumulation in differentiating adipocytes concentration-dependently until the terminal differentiation. These results indicate that the differentiation of fish adipocytes is inducible by insulin alone. T(3) alone had no effect but enhanced the differentiation-linked LPL gene expression in the presence of insulin. Fat-soluble vitamins, unlike in mammalian adipocytes, did not show any significant effects. The method developed in this study should be of interest for the characterization of factors involved in fish adipocyte differentiation.

Abundant and constant expression of uncoupling protein 2 in the liver of red sea bream Pagrus major.

Four overlapping cDNA fragments encoding a partial sequence for uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) were amplified by PCR using degenerate primers from the liver of a marine teleost fish, red sea bream (Pagrus major). The partial sequence was 674 bp long, encoding 224 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence from the cDNA partial sequence contained the signature motifs for mitochondrial transporter protein and revealed positional identity higher than 72.8% with UCP2 from mammals. The fish UCP2 gene was highly expressed in the liver but almost undetectable in the visceral mesenteric adipose tissue. Using beta-actin as control, the UCP2 mRNA level was determined to be at least 20-fold higher in the liver than in the visceral mesenteric adipose tissues. Neither 48 h starvation nor high lipid diet had any significant effect on liver UCP2 gene expression, indicating that the abundant UCP2 gene expression was stable and might have some basic function in a fish liver that always contains high lipid content. The striking contrast of UCP2 gene expression in the two fish fat-depot organs is consistent with their large differences in oxidative capacity. We suggest that the fish liver may adapt to a constantly high fat deposit by maintaining high UCP2 expression to constrain reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and protect hepatocytes from apoptosis.

Effect of dietary fatty acids on lipoprotein lipase gene expression in the liver and visceral adipose tissue of fed and starved red sea bream Pagrus major.

Juvenile red sea bream Pagrus major were fed either a commercial diet (diet 1) or diets supplemented with 10% oleate (diet 2), 5% oleate+5% linoleate (diet 3) or 5% oleate+5% n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid mixture (diet 4) for 4 weeks. Following the conditioning period, the effects of dietary fatty acids on lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene expression in the liver and visceral adipose tissue of fed (5 h post-feeding) and starved (48 h post-feeding) fish were investigated by competitive polymerase chain reaction. Fish liver showed substantial LPL mRNA expression that is not found in adult rat liver. When compared with diet 1, diets 2-4 tended to increase the LPL mRNA level in the liver, but tended to decrease it in the visceral adipose tissue under the fed condition. The reciprocal regulation of the liver and visceral adipose LPL mRNA abundance by dietary fatty acids was comparable to that of rat brown and white adipose tissue, respectively. The change in the LPL mRNA level by fatty acids was not completely consistent with the degree of fatty acid unsaturation. Our results indicate that the regulatory effect of dietary fatty acids on LPL gene expression was tissue-specific and related to feeding conditions, but was not solely dependent on the degree of unsaturation of fatty acids.

Organization of the lipoprotein lipase gene of red sea bream Pagrus major.

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is a key enzyme of lipid deposition and metabolism. To investigate the mechanism of lipid deposition in fish, as a first step, we have characterized the LPL gene of a marine teleost red sea bream Pagrus major by cDNA and genomic structure analysis. The red sea bream LPL gene encodes 511 amino acids and spans approximately 6.3 kb of the genome. The coding region is organized into ten exons and nine introns. In comparison with the LPL of other animals, the deduced amino acid sequence shows a high degree of similarity with a conservation of functional domains, e.g. catalytic triad, N-glycosylation sites, lipid and heparin binding regions. The 1.1 kb of 5' flanking region contains two CCAAT, sequences homologous to Oct-I site and response elements for hormones including glucocorticoid, insulin and thyroid hormone. The results of the present study will facilitate further study of the function and regulation of the LPL in non-mammalian vertebrates.

The effects of feeding condition and dietary lipid level on lipoprotein lipase gene expression in liver and visceral adipose tissue of red sea bream Pagrus major.

The effects of feeding condition and dietary lipid level on lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene expression in the liver and visceral adipose tissue of red sea bream Pagrus major were investigated by competitive polymerase chain reaction. Not only visceral adipose tissue but also liver of red sea bream showed substantial LPL gene expression. In the liver, starvation (at 48 h post-feeding) drastically stimulated LPL gene expression in the fish-fed low lipid diet, but had no effect in the fish fed high lipid diet. Dietary lipid level did not significantly affect the liver LPL mRNA level under fed condition (at 5 h post-feeding). In the visceral adipose tissue, LPL mRNA number per tissue weight was significantly higher in the fed condition than in the starved condition, irrespective of the dietary lipid levels. Dietary lipid levels did not affect the visceral adipose tissue LPL mRNA levels under fed or starved conditions. Our results demonstrate that both feeding conditions and dietary lipid levels alter the liver LPL mRNA levels, while only the feeding conditions but not dietary lipid levels cause changes in the visceral adipose LPL mRNA level. It was concluded that the liver and visceral adipose LPL gene expression of red sea bream seems to be regulated in a tissue-specific fashion by the nutritional state.