Abstracts: OH-005

The Relationship Among Serious Leisure, Stress-Related Growth and Happiness for Older Korean Adults.

KANG, Hee Yeob (hiyebe@naver.com); LEE, Chul Won; LEE, Min Seok

KANG, Hee Yeob; LEE, Chul Won; LEE, Min Seok

Yonsei University, Sinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationships among serious leisure, stress-related growth, and happiness for older Korean adults. To achieve the goals of this study, a total of 264 surveys were collected from older Korean adults. The collected data were analyzed and interpreted using SPSS 20.0 and AMOS 20.0. For the analysis, frequency analysis, comfirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling were performed. All tests were performed at the .05 significance level. The results of this study were as follows. First, serious leisure for older Korean adults had a positive effect on stress-related growth. Second, serious leisure for older Korean adults had a positive effect on happiness. Third, stress-related growth for older Korean adults had a positive effect on happiness. Fourth, stress-related growth had a partial mediation effect between serious leisure and happiness. In conclusion, the findings of this study provide further evidence that serious leisure not only helps older Korean adults to form stress-related growth but also were significant predictors of happiness for older Korean adults. The results will help explain this positive association between serious leisure, stress-related growth and happiness.

Keywords: serious leisure, stress-related growth, happiness

Abstracts: OH-009

The Relationship among Serious Leisure, Leisure Satisfaction, and Quality of Life for Older Korean Adults

LEE, Min Seok (godblessharry@yonsei.ac.kr); LEE, Chul Won; KANG, Hee Yeob

LEE, Min Seok; LEE, Chul Won; KANG, Hee Yeob

Yonsei University, 103-1, Physical education Bd, Yonsei University, Yonsei-ro 50, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify a relationship that exists between serious leisure, as defined by Stebbins, leisure satisfaction, and quality of life for older Korean adults. To achieve this goal, a total of 235 questionnaires were collected from older Korean adults. The collected data were analyzed and interpreted using SPSS 21 and AMOS 20.0. For the analysis, frequency analysis, validity test, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and structural equation model analysis were performed. The results of this study are as follows. First, serious leisure had a significant relationship with leisure satisfaction. Second, leisure satisfaction was significantly related to quality of life. Third, serious leisure and quality of life were not significantly related. In conclusion, level of leisure satisfaction drawn from serious leisure is an important factor that helps older Korean adults to have higher quality of life.

Keywords: serious leisure, leisure satisfaction, quality of life

Abstracts: OS-302

More than Just Quality of Life: The Effect of Square Dance on the Prevention of Coronary Heart Diseases among Older Adults

LO, Sing Kai (skl@eduhk.hk); WANG, Aiwei; JI, Mingxia

LO, Sing Kai; WANG, Aiwei; JI, Mingxia

The Education University of Hong Kong, 10, Lo Ping Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong

Abstract

Square dance is commonly practiced in mainland China as a kind of social event to enhance the quality of community life and personal well-being. As it is also one form of physical activity, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of square dance for the prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD) among older adults. The intervention group consisted of 34 participants (mean age 56.9±5.3 years); they came to the specially designed 1-hour square dance sessions five times a week for 12 consecutive weeks. The “wait-list” control group included 26 participants (age 56.7±4.4 years) who were instructed not to carry out any physical activities during the study period. Data collected on all participants included weight, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), basal heart rate, blood pressure and standing balance ability (Berg Balance Scale) before, during, and immediately after the program. Using repeated measures analysis of variance, it was found that the pre- to post-intervention changes in these data were not the same between the two groups. To be specific, participants in the experimental group had significant improvements in weight, waist circumference, BMI and balance ability; whereas the control group did not achieve significant changes in any of the outcome measures over time. Since all the dependent variables are important indexes of CHD, the results of this study demonstrate the potential of square dance in the prevention of CHD among older adults.

Keywords: health promotion, aerobic exercise, elderly, quality of life

Abstracts: OE-106

Efforts to Improve the English Program at Showa University

KOBAYASHI, Aya (ayakoba408@pharm.showa-u.ac.jp)

KOBAYASHI, Aya

Showa University, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan

Abstract

The extracurricular “English program (English salon)” has been held for 8 years, in order to prepare pharmacy students who intend to study overseas at pharmacy schools or who hope to study English for TOEIC or English presentations. Although the results for pharmacy students who intend to study overseas has been clarified, the result for the students who hope to study English for TOEIC has not been clarified. Therefore the purpose of this study is to clarify the results of the latter. One of the contents of the English program is to communicate with foreign exchange students from May to July. Following that pharmacy students study or learn using the read out aloud method. And then from September to December, the English Program has a TOEIC study seminar and an English presentation seminar.
Questionnaires about the English program were answered by the pharmacy students at the end of the program in December 2014 and 2015. As a result of the questionnaires, students’ thought their shyness decreased due to the experience of speaking with foreign exchange students. In addition, they thought their motivation to study abroad increased. Students performed better in the TOEIC examination and they also felt great satisfaction in studying about presentation skill. It turned out that the English program is more popular with a small number of pharmacy students who study English for TOEIC and English presentations. However, the English program is a necessity for all pharmacy students who receive communication training as well as to participate in the TOEIC and English presentation seminars.

Keywords: the English program, pharmacy students, foreign exchange students, speaking

Abstracts: OE-102

Saving Water for the Next Generation: A School-based Environmental Program for Chinese Learners

SO, Wing Mui Winnie (wiso@eduhk.hk)

SO, Wing Mui Winnie

The Education University of Hong Kong, 10, Lo Ping Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong

Abstract

The world is facing challenges arising from the shortage of healthy, fresh and potable water due to the rapid increase in population, improvements in modern industry, and existing water consumption behavior. Therefore, the effective usage and management of the limited available water resources has become crucial for everyone. In China, the challenges of water scarcity and pollution are becoming intense. In order to respond to these environmental challenges, China’s Ministry of Education has mandated environmental education in every subject at all levels of public schools since 2003. However, there is a great “green gap” between environmental education policy and school practices. In order to fill this gap, a school-based water conservation (SBWC) program was developed in a primary school based on pupils’ existing understanding of water and its conservation which were elicited from their drawings and accounts. The SBWC adopted an action-based approach to solve the water problems that pupils often encounter in their daily life. The whole school participated in the SBWC program for seven consecutive weeks in one semester. A survey on the action competence of saving water was issued to the pupils before and after the program to evaluate its effectiveness. The results indicate that the SBWC program significantly improved the pupils’ water conservation knowledge, willingness, self-efficacy, and behaviour. The implications of developing a school-based environmental program in a primary school for a better quality of life are also discussed.

Keywords: water-conservation program, primary school, action competence, quality of life.

Abstracts: OS-306

Dying With Dignity: Euthanasia and Assisted Dying – an Update

JENKINS, Pamela (pdj@countycourt.vic.gov.au)

JENKINS, Pamela

County Court of Victoria, Australia, County Court Victoria 250 William Street Melbourne 3000

Abstract

It is a frightening prospect to lose control over your mental and physical faculties. This circumstance is most commonly associated with advancing age, but debilitating disease, pain and inevitable death, can occur at any age. Currently, specific legislation permitting a prescribed assisted dying regime only exists in The Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the States of Oregon, Washington State and California in USA. The practices and procedures in each of these jurisdictions vary and will be examined in more detail. In June this year [2016], a Parliamentary Committee in Victoria, Australia after conducting a comprehensive analysis, recommended that the choice to die must only be available to adults with decision-making capacity, and who are suffering from a serious, terminal condition and are nearing the end of their lives. Only Victorian residents would be eligible and it would not be available to people with dementia or mental health issues. The following issues will be examined: What is the process of death by palliative care? Is there an unacceptable risk of euthanasia being employed where the patient considers they are a burden for their family; or the family considers that the patient is too great a burden? Why do doctors need to be involved? Why is better palliative care not sufficient? Should the only or main criteria be the persistence of unbearable pain? Should a patient be at liberty to decide to end their life, where their mental or physical incapacity is unbearable to them? Does the patient need to be mentally competent? and Should a ‘living will’ be legalised?

Keywords: Voluntary euthanasia, assisted dying, significance of palliative care, planning for end of life, Dying with dignity, legislative regimes

Abstracts: OS-305

What Do We Want from the Dying?

DALE, Catherine (cdale.02b@g.chuo-u.ac.jp)

DALE, Catherine

Faculty of Policy Studies, Chuo University, 742-1 Higashi-Nakano Hachioji-shi Tokyo, Japan 192-0393

Abstract

Stories by those who are terminally ill tell us about dying, and in so doing they also say something about living. A sub-genre of the memoir, end-of-life narratives have become very popular recently. Appearing serialised in magazines such as The London Review of Books and The Guardian, three of the most well-known end-of-life texts from the last year are by Oliver Sacks, Jenny Diski and Clive James. These end-of-life memoirs give merciless accounts of coming to terms with pressing subjects including death and dying, ailing bodies, and medical intervention, but they also try to say something about living. In this paper I want to ask about this ‘something.’ Each of the examples discusses instances of wisdom, examples of courage, and a mostly positive outlook on the past. There are scant examples of negative memoirs of dying. I wonder if including an affirmation of life is a prerequisite for an end of life narrative. And / or I wonder is there a compulsion to write positively or are only positive writers published? In other words, what do we want from the dying?

Keywords: memoir, living well, dying, Clive James, Oliver Sacks, Jenny Diski

Abstracts: OE-107

Effective Medical Communication Across Language Barriers

NISHIMURA, Masumi (masumimedieigo@gmail.com)

NISHIMURA, Masumi

University of Hyogo, Graduate School of Human Science and Environment
Department of English, 1-1-12, Shinzaike-honcho, Himeji, Hyogo

Abstract

Language barriers between doctors and patients lead to misunderstandings and medical errors, as reported by the US Department of Health and Human Services and others. Effective interventions must be effectively communicated if they are to improve quality of life, and patients cannot give informed consent to treatments they do not understand. With the increase in foreign patients in Japan, this problem is expected to become more serious. This paper proposes a concrete and practical approach to this problem based on Baker’s translation theory. This theory provides useful tools for conveying information when there are no directly equivalent expressions in the two languages, a case that is very common between Japanese and English. Baker’s theory categorizes expressions and provides the translation techniques appropriate to each category in a well-organized and comprehensive way. By applying Baker’s theory, this paper proposes a communication model so that medical personnel can facilitate their communication with patients, improving the clarity of their statements. In order to measure the effectiveness of this communication model, students and doctors at medical schools and hospitals were tested on their communication ability before and after a lecture on the technique. Clear improvement in communication was found after the lectures. These preliminary studies are extremely promising, and suggest that the practical use of this model would be substantially helpful for treatment. Further work is required on developing an effective and long-term communicative English teaching method in terms of patient-centered medicine, and the results should be carefully monitored in clinical situations.

Keywords: medical communication, informed consent, Baker’s translation theory, communication model, patient-centered medicine

Abstracts: OE-104

A Problem Solving Teaching Approach to Enhance Children Learning: A Teacher’s Experience Applying ‘Questioning-Exploration-Experience’ (QEE) Learning in Hong Kong

TAM, Po Wan (kikipowan@gmail.com)

TAM, Po Wan

The Education University of Hong Kong, 10, Lo Ping Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong

Abstract

In today’s world, interest in the capacities of young children has grown, challenging our beliefs about how young children learn. It seems that there been a need for the public to examine how and what children learn from their lessons. This study investigates a teacher’s experience in teaching a group of 3-4 years-olds children by adopting the ‘Questioning-Exploration Experience’ (QEE) learning skill in an exploratory kindergarten, and examines the achievements and challenges that arose during the teaching periods. Reasoning and enquiry skills are the bases of young children's learning. According to Chang and Cheng, developers of the QEE learning model, QEE has three stages. In the questioning stage, teachers are facilitators who help children to talk about issues or questions. In the exploration stage, ‘children are engaged in presuming or formulating hypotheses and generating plausible solutions to the questions through the participation in hands-on activities, first-hand experiences, or focused discussions’. Finally, in the experience stage, ‘a group discussion session takes place after the daily explorative activity. Children come together to define or redefine their views based on sharing and reviewing the preceding explorative activity’. During the lessons, children have the right to discuss the things that they are interested in, preparing observation and experiments to discover new knowledge, and bringing their new findings into their daily experiences themselves. The above path of conceptual change helps children to develop their exploratory abilities, via a process which cannot be learnt from books. The QEE learning program helped children to develop problem solving and exploratory skills, however, there are limitations derived from the environmental setting, the materials available, the teacher’s personality, and the teaching plan.]

Keywords: early childhood, education, questioning-exploration-experience learning, exploratory, problem solving

Abstracts: OE-105

Narrative Study of Resilience and Response to Adversity

CHEUNG, Yun Han Stanley (stanley@kineticlife.hk)

CHEUNG, Yun Han Stanley

The Education University of Hong Kong, 10, Lo Ping Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong

Abstract

In recent years, many educators and entrepreneurs have suggested that students’ and workers’ ability to respond to adversity is very important, as it affects their problem-solving strategies and the ultimate degree of success they will achieve in their career or life. The meaning of resilience is discussed as the process of bouncing back and the ability to adapt well in response to adversity; being resilient doesn’t mean living without any stress or difficulty, but to grow and thrive under pressure. The purpose of this study is to describe the process of resilience and response to adversity. The use of the narrative inquiry method aims to understand the experiential process of response to adversity and the problem-solving strategies used (such as emotional control, self-motivation, and decision-making ), as well as turning the experience into a life story, which may be evaluated by its teller and its listeners.
The narrative study describes the researcher’s personal experience of responsding to the experience of being seriously burnt in an injury from a hill fire at the age of 12 years old, as well as the related adversities and obstacles encountered during and after the process of physical recovery. Sense-Making Theory and McCormack’s Lenses were used as constructive perspectives and for data analysis. Furthermore, this study will describe these events as the story of a life filled with fighting adversity, out of which narrative will come some lessons, most significantly that positive thinking is necessary to build up resilience and the ability to respond immediately to adversity. Also, some problem-solving strategies toward facing adversity are discussed, which are helpful in educating youth and young adults about how to handle adversity.

Keywords: adversity response, life story, narrative inquiry, resilience

Abstracts: OH-003

Differences in University Life between Japan and China

WU, Jianbo (13951647454@163.com)

WU, Jianbo

Department of Pharmacognosy, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Misasagi-Shichonocho 1, Yamashinaku, Kyoto 607-8412, Kyoto

Abstract

In march of this year, I came to Kyoto Pharmaceutical University for my doctorate study. Although it has been a very short time, only 4 months, I have already found that there are many differences between Japanese universities and Chinese universities, and this has been very interesting and enjoyable. My presentation will outline the differences between two universities in the two countries, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University and Nanjing Normal University from the following perspectives: 1) The history of these two universities (the date of establishment, geographical position, development history), 2) The academies and specialties of universities (the relative famous specialty), 3) The appearances of the campuses (I will show you the pictures of these two universities), 4) The supporting facilities of universities (the study room, library, gymnasium, restaurants, dormitory and other places), and 5) The lives of students (the normal life of the students, their study, their favorite sports, their part-time jobs and so on)

Keywords: academies, specialties, facilities, student life, Nanjing Normal University, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University

Abstracts: OE-108

Exploring How Grammar Instruction Contributes to Japanese University Students’ Performance: A Cognitive Approach to Dative Alternation in English

FUJIWARA, Yumi (u_fujiwara@yahoo.co.jp)

FUJIWARA, Yumi

Kyoto University of Education

Abstract

In Japan, grammar instruction has long been regarded as a traditional grammar translation method, of which memorizing numerous grammatical rules of correct usage is an essential feature, leading to Japanese English as a foreign language (EFL) learners developing negative impressions of grammar learning. Although grammar is the backbone of any language, this preconceived negative view of grammar can be strong enough to yield lack of motivation and then poor performance. In order to break this cycle, instructors should deal with grammar learning as a consciousness-raising activity. Previous research shows that applying Cognitive Linguistics Theory in L2 settings can help Japanese EFL learners enhance their understanding for dative alternation. Dative alternation involves two structures: double-object construction (DOC) and prepositional object construction (POC). In particular, Japanese EFL learners have trouble remembering which preposition (in this case, to or for) to use in POCs, because to-POC and for-POC are similar in form and therefore confusing especially for those with low English proficiency. Therefore, the present study was intended to shed light on and explore how to effectively teach dative alternation, especially the selection of appropriate prepositions in POCs from a cognitive perspective.

Keywords: grammar instruction, cognitive linguistics, dative alternation

Abstracts: OH-001

Review of A Case with Vascular Parkinsonism: A Pharmacist’s Eye-View on Treatment with Quality of Life

NOGUCHI, Ayako (a_1424_n@yahoo.co.jp); FOONG, Foo Wah

NOGUCHI, Ayako; FOONG, Foo Wah

Department of English for Pharmaceutical Science Communication, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, 5 Misasagi-Nakauchi-cho, Yamashina-ku, Kyoto 607-8414, Japan

Abstract

Vascular Parkinsonism (VP) represents the 2.5-5% of all parkinsonism cases in the general population. The etiology is still unclear, and the clinical diagnosis is often difficult. The present study followed up on the medical treatment of a case with VP after hospital admission: from the juncture when the patient was diagnosed with VP until his death. An 82-yr-old male patient who had a history of hypertension and heavy smoking was diagnosed with VP after admission to a hospital with multiple cerebral infarctions. He manifested poor quality-of-life (QoL) with major symptoms such as incontinence, symmetrical gait difficulties, dementia, daytime drowsiness, dysarthia, micrographia, salivation, insomnia and constipation. He was treated with multiple medications (12 from 21 months post-intervention) to maintain a life-sustaining and yet low-risk blood pressure (systolic/diastolic blood pressure range: 143/88-94/49 mmHg), which resulted in various adverse events and exacerbated QoL, making patient feeling ‘low’ and resigned. Patient suffered from drowsiness and hypotension before succumbing 40 months after the initial intervention. During the follow-up period (from 20 months after intervention), rehabilitation adopted improved his mood and self-motivation to carry out daily life activity (i.e. higher QoL), although previously observed adverse events remained unchanged. Certain drugs used for a similar targeted outcome were used, and it is unclear if dosing with multiple medications was useful. However, physical activity may be useful for establishing a higher QoL in VP, and should be started at the early treatment stage. Further study is warranted on the use of multiple drugs in the elderly with VP.

Keywords: Vascular Parkinsonism, multiple medications, quality-of-life, Physical activity

Abstracts: OH-004

Possible Involvement of K_Ca1.1 K⁺ channel in Vitamin D-Induced Breast Cancer Prevention

KHATUN, Anowara (anowarakhatun07@gmail.com); NIWA, Satomi; OHYA Susumu

KHATUN, Anowara; NIWA, Satomi; OHYA Susumu

Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, 5 Misasagi-Nakauchi-cho, Yamashina-ku, Kyoto 607-8414, Japan

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cancer occurring in women, and over 2 million women worldwide have been diagnosed with it. Recent studies have shown that vitamin D (VD) is responsible for reduced risk of breast cancer and improved disease prognosis. Therefore, VD analogues are being developed as potential therapeutic agents for breast cancer treatment. Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channel K_Ca1.1 plays an important role in cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis in human breast cancer by regulating the intracellular Ca²⁺ signaling pathway. In the present study, we examined the effects of treatment with VD receptor (VDR) agonists on K_Ca1.1 expression and activity in human breast cancer MDA-MB-453 cells expressing both VDR and K_Ca1.1 at higher levels compared with the other breast cancer cells lines. In MDA-MB-453 cells, both calcitriol and its analogue calcipotriol inhibited cell viability, whereas they significantly enhanced cell viability in VDR-negative YMB-1 cells. Treatment with VDR agonists for 72 hr markedly decreased K_Ca1.1 transcription in MDA-MB-453 cells, and also significantly inhibited a specific K_Ca1.1 blocker, paxilline, which induced depolarization responses. These results suggest that downregulation of K_Ca1.1 could contribute to the antiproliferative effects of VDR agonists in VDR-positive breast cancer cells.

Keywords: breast cancer; vitamin D; proliferation; K⁺ channel

Abstracts: OH-006

K_2P5.1 K⁺ Channel As a Novel Therapeutic Target for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

ENDO, Kyoko (kd16001@poppy.kyoto-phu.ac.jp); SHIMIZU, Ayaka; TAGISHI, Kazutaka; KITO, Hiroaki; OHYA, Susumu

ENDO, Kyoko; SHIMIZU, Ayaka; TAGISHI, Kazutaka; KITO, Hiroaki; OHYA, Susumu

Department of Pharmacology, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, 5 Misasagi-Nakauchi, Yamashina, Kyoto 607-8414, Japan

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), is a group of chronic intestinal disorders. In Japan, the number of patients with UC and CD are approximately 140,000 and 40,000, respectively, and the prevalence of both disorders is rapidly increasing. In both, there is a peak among patients in their early 30s, and more than half of the patients are male. Treatment for IBD includes drug therapies such as 5-aminosalicylate and corticosteroids, as well as nutritional and surgical approaches, however, no curative treatment for IBD is available. Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) chemically induces ulcerative and intestinal inflammation. DSS-induced colitis model is commonly used as an experimental model of IBD. A genome-wide expression profiling study showed that DSS-associated genes in mice correlated with data obtained from IBD patients. K_2P5.1 is one of the K⁺ channels activated by extra- and intracellular alkalization, and plays an important role in maintaining the resting membrane potential and the control of Ca²⁺ signaling. We recently demonstrated that K_2P5.1 expression and its activity were increased in splenic CD4⁺ cells of IBD model mice, and the knockout of K_2P5.1 in mice significantly suppressed the IBD disease symptoms. We further discovered that a pre-mRNA splicing inhibitor, pladienolide B, upregulated the expression of a dominant negative splicing isoform of K_2P5.1, K_2P5.1B, in human leukemic K562 cells and mice splenic CD4⁺ cells. Taken together, the K_2P5.1 K⁺ channel is a potential therapeutic target for IBD, and K_2P5.1 inhibition by the treatment with the pre-mRNA splicing inhibitors may be a novel therapeutic strategy for IBD.

Keywords: inflammatory bowel disease, model mice, K⁺ channel, pre-mRNA splicing inhibitor

Abstracts: OE-101

Tenku (“Rolling clause”) and Volta in the English Language Personal Essay
 

MATHEWS, Cy (cymathews1.12w@g.chuo-u.ac.jp)

MATHEWS, Cy

Faculty of Policy Studies, Chuo University, 742-1 Higashi-Nakano Hachioji-shi, 192-0393, Tokyo, Japan

Abstract

The personal essay is, potentially, the most flexible and creative genre for attaining knowledge of the self and of the world in which that self exists, thus improving the quality of both the reader’s and the author’s experience. This applies not only for professional writers and native-language readers/authors, but also for ESL writing students. The personal essay genre is, however, highly vulnerable to stylistic stagnation and superficiality of thought and emotion (for example, in the memoir or homily). In this presentation I will examine how contemporary nonfiction writers apply stylistic tactics to dynamically energize their texts. I focus upon two short nonfiction writings, Tim Robinson’s narrative and discursive essay “Orion the Hunter” (1998) and Annie Dillard’s meditative essay “This is the Life” (2002), demonstrating how both writers use techniques that can be best understood in terms of the Japanese concept of tenku (転句, literally “rolling clause”) and the European poetic technique of volta (literally “turn”). Tenku and volta, both of which involve (in differing ways) the fundamental shift of thought or narrative in a text, provide nuanced tools for analyzing how prose nonfiction writers such as Robinson and Dillard resist the stagnation of cliché and achieve a nuanced understanding of themselves and the world. Furthermore, such analysis provides the student reader/writer with valuable new techniques for their own exploration of the essay genre.

Keywords: essay, tenku, volta, ESL, Dillard, Robinson

Abstracts: OH-007

Research of Melanogenesis Inhibitors from Medicinal Plants

WANG, Weicheng (wangweicheng429@sina.com)¹; NAKASHIMA, Souichi^1,2; NAKAMURA, Seikou¹; MATSUDA, Hisashi¹

WANG, Weicheng; NAKASHIMA, Souichi; NAKAMURA, Seikou; MATSUDA, Hisashi

1. Department of Pharmacognosy, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Kyoto, Japan., 5 Misasagi-Nakauchi-cho, Yamashina-ku, Kyoto 607-8414, Japan

2. Kyoto laboratory, N.T.H Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan

    

Abstract

Hyperpigmentation including melasma, freckles, and senile lentigines, is caused by the abnormal production of melanin, a pigment in the human skin as a major defense mechanism against ultraviolet light. Melanin is produced in melanocytes mediation by several enzymes, among which tyrosinase is essential in catalyzing the oxidation of tyrosine into dopa and subsequently dopaquinone. Thus, it has been suggested that hindering melanogenesis either by the inhibition of the tyrosinase activity or suppression of the expression and synthesis of the enzyme itself could be the solution. Several melanogenesis inhibitors, such as gentisic, arbutin, L-ascorbic acid, hydroquinone and melanoston, were found to be effective in the therapy of skin pigmentary disorders. We have been searching for inhibitors of melanin production from medicinal foodstuffs and medicinal plants in order to develop components for cosmetic products and depigmenting agents. Cassia auriculata is a medicinal plant used in traditional Indian medicine, ayurveda therapy. The leaf, dried flower, flower bud, bark, seed and root of C. auriculata have been used for diabetes, constipation and chronic purulent conjunctivitis. Furthermore, Alpina galanga is a medicinal plant used in traditional Thailand medicine to anti-itching. In this study, the methanolic eluate from the seeds of C. auriculata and the 80% acetone extract from the rhizomes of Alpina galanga were found to show an inhibitory effect on melanogenesis in theophylline-stimulated murine B16 melanoma 4A5 cells. Therefore, we elucidated the effective constituents of the seeds of C. Auriculata and A. Galanga and the possible underlying mechanisms.

Keywords: melanin, inhibition, medicinal plants, skin, ultraviolet

Abstracts: OH-008

Anti-Obesity and Anti-Diabetic Constituents from Several Natural Medicines

MATSUDA, Hisashi (matsuda@mb.kyoto-phu.ac.jp); NAKAMURA, Seikou; YOSHIKAWA, Masayuki

MATSUDA, Hisashi; NAKAMURA, Seikou; YOSHIKAWA, Masayuki

Department of Pharmacognosy, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, 1 Shichono-cho, Misasagi, Yamashina-ku, Kyoto 607-8412, Japan

Abstract

Obesity is known to be a strong risk factor for type 2 diabetes associated with insulin resistance. Furthermore, conditions linked with excessive obesity have been suggested to cause other metabolic disorders, such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, arteriosclerosis and so on. Several oral hypoglycemic agents and an anti-obese drug, orlistat, have been shown to significantly decrease/delay the progression to diabetes. However, more effective and safer medicines are required. In a previous study by the authors, we reported that triterpene saponins from the young shoots of Aralia elata, sesquiterpenes and diterpenes from the leaves of Salvia officinalis (sage) and Cynara scolymus (artichoke), and salacinol and its related compounds from the roots and stems of Salacia sp. exhibited anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects in sugar-loaded rats and in olive oil-loaded mice. Recently, we have evaluated the anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects of various extracts and isolated compounds on weight of visceral fat in mice and adipogenesis of preadipocyte 3T3-L1. In this paper, we summarize the anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects of several natural compounds such as trans-tiliroside from the seeds of Rosa canina (rose hip), hydrangenol and hydrangeic acid from the processed leaves of Hydrangea macrophylla var. thunbergii (sweet hydrangea leaf), and chakasaponin II from flower buds of Camellia sinesnsis (tea flower).

Keywords: obesity, diabetes, trans-tiliroside, hydrangenol, hydrangeic acid, chakasapnin II

Abstracts: OH-002

Chin-Don Therapy Improves Quality of Life in Elderly Japanese
 

HATTA, Kanji (k-hatta@takara-univ.ac.jp)

HATTA, Kanji

Department of Psychiatric Nursing, School of Nursing, Takarazuka University, Osaka, Japan

Abstract

With increased longevity in population, problems of the Japanese elderly become more multifaceted and demanding. Therapies, other than chemical-based treatment, have favorably been demonstrated in various countries. In Japan, the traditional Chin-Don (CD) performance [a rhythmic musical flow of 3 ‘don’ + 7 ‘chin’ beats generated by beating a gong-like instrument (chin) and a drum with a stick (don)] has recently been demonstrated to improve mood (emotional and psychological) and quality-of-life (QoL) in a multiple-case study: i.e. CD therapy (CDT). In this study, certain neurotransmitter like adrenalin (AD), noradrenalin (NA), dopamine (DP), mood-related beta-endorphin (BE), and stress-related cortisol levels, as well as IDS-related natural killer (NK) cell activity were monitored after CDT exposure. Participants in the study (n=18; age range: 70 – 89 yr; male: 1, female: 17) were subjected to CDT with prior consent. Blood was sampled from subjects and controls before and after a 30-min CDT session. Mood evaluations of each individual were self-rated using a 5-rank scoring assessment of a pictorial face-scale. Significant mood improvements were established with the 30-min CDT. Moreover, blood levels of AD, NA, BE and cortisol were markedly elevated without affecting either DP or natural killer (NK) cells activity after CDT. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that CDT might have elevated mood (increased AD and NA levels) and induced euphoria (BE level enhancement) while reducing stress (cortisol level attenuation) without influencing IDS (unchanged NK cell activity) and mobility (unchanged DP level) after CDT.

Keywords: Chin-Don, mood, quality-of-life, beta-endorphin, cortisol, Chin-don therapy, favorable QoL outcome, Japanese elderly

Abstracts: OP-402

The Intentions of Owners of Gardens in Mansions in Kyoto

IMAE, Hidefumi (hideimae50@kyoto.zaq.jp)^1,2

IMAE, Hidefumi

1. Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, 1-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan 565-0871

2. 151-24 Mukaijima-Ninomaru Cho, Kyoto, Japan 〒612-8141

    

Abstract

Many people assume garden designers have clearly defined goals when developing their gardens in their mansions. This paper aims to show how this is not entirely true, and to reveal some of the implications of this fact. First we present two cases of the development of historical gardens, Murin-an and Ien Mansions in Kyoto City, and of their owner's intentions . Based on these cases, we see that the owner's intentions were influenced by changes in their social status and circumstances, and were not fixed. Necessary economic and social investment in gardens means that ownership of gardens inevitably changes hands. However, the network of social relations supporting the garden provides a form of continuity and renewal. This historical process endows each garden with unique cultural and social value that supports its continued existence and allows it to be a source of satisfaction and improved quality of life for the owner, future generations, and society at large.

Keywords: Japanese gardens, Kyoto City, intentions of owners of gardens in mansions, Murin-an Mansion, Ien-Mansion