Conditions to utilize video feedback using a tablet device in physical education classes

The use of ICT equipment in schools has not reached its full potential due to a number of limitations. Video feedback in physical education classes is one way that computer equipment is used and, according to Dr Saburo Nishimura, Heisei International University, this has proven to be effective and beneficial. However, there remains room for improvement and Nishimura and his team want to maximise its impact. The researchers are seeking to fulfil research gaps concerning the process of acquiring skill proficiency with the use of video feedback and how ICT equipment can be effectively used in physical education classes. As such, the team is working on a project that is seeking to elucidate the learning time that students require in order to grasp areas for improvement regarding physical movement by watching videos of their movements and also videos of the same movements being expertly performed. In addition, the researchers want to clarify the minimum number of trials (number of exercises) required to improve their skills. This work will involve the participation of high school students and Nishimura has already obtained consent for this from a number of high schools. It will also involve the use of tablets. The effect of video feedback will be analysed from two perspectives: eye movement analysis and motion analysis.

Enhancement of antitumor activity by epigenetic regulation of tumour-specific T cells

Adoptive immunotherapy can be used to treat intractable cancers but this involves taking T cells from a patient and growing them in a laboratory and, once outside the body, the T cells can fall into a state of exhaustion. This is a barrier that Professor Takeshi Yamada, Department of Medical Technology, Immunology, Ehime Prefectural University of Health Sciences, Japan, is seeking to overcome. His work involves establishing a better understanding of the mechanisms of T cell exhaustion, which are currently not well known. Yamada and his team are focusing on intracellular energy metabolism and epigenetic control in mouse models with a view to finding a way to inhibit T cell exhaustion. The researchers are developing protocols to improve T cell function for immunotherapy by controlling epigenetic changes involved in glutamine metabolism, which induces T cell exhaustion. As previous research has focused on activating and proliferating tumour-specific T cells, Yamada's approach, with a focus on epigenetic control, is novel. The team is interested in T cell differentiation and its links to T cell exhaustion and so they are exploring the mechanism of T cell differentiation via intracellular energy metabolism and epigenetic changes and how this can impact on exhaustion. The researchers previously clarified that the enhancement of glutamine metabolism that occurs during the activation of T cell cultures causes epigenetic changes that induce T cell exhaustion and are expanding on this finding in order to develop a method to suppress T cell exhaustion via epigenetic control.

Overview of research work of Prof. Chu on two medical devices

Surgical procedures are relatively common and procedures for broken bones often involve intramedullary nailing to repair the bone and keep it stable. However, there are challenges associated with the process and Professor Woeichyn Chu, who is a distinguished professor based within the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan, is developing a medical device to help surgeons overcome these challenges, benefiting patients and clinicians. The device is called iMET (intra-medullary endo-transilluminating) and came about after Woeichyn Chu spoke with his brother, Dr William Chu, General Orthopedic Department, Cheng Hsin General Hospital, Taiwan, about some of the challenges relating to intramedullary nailing which led the brothers to begin working together to develop a medical device to help target distal locking holes in intramedullary nailing procedures. The iMET device that the brothers are developing is designed to improve target aiming accuracy and reduce dose absorption concerns. In the process, it will save significant time, effort and money. As well as benefiting patients and clinicians, iMET also reduces X-ray fluoroscopy time, which has health benefits for all involved. Woeichyn Chu and his brother are also developing a device called iKypho, which applies negative pressure during bone cement injection in percutaneous vertebroplasty surgeries. iKypho reduces bone cment leakage risks when using low viscosity cement and reducing the costs associated with high viscosity bone cement.

Analysis of DIP2C as a novel regulator for epithelial-mesenchymal transition of rheumatoid arthritis synovium and a potential therapeutic target

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that can cause damage to the joints, cartilage and bone. There is no cure but early diagnosis can help mitigate damage. Sometimes RA is particularly difficult to treat, for example when the disease took a long time to be diagnosed. Associate Professor Masao Tanaka, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan, leads a team of researchers working to improve understanding of the causes of poor response to treatment in RA with a long morbidity. The goal is to restore patients' therapeutic responsiveness, thereby improving outcomes. A previous focus for Tanaka was on a protein called FSTL1. He is now exploring DIP2 as a binding molecule for FSTL1. Other important mechanisms Tanaka is exploring are DNA methylation and the mechanisms of carnitine, which has been found to decrease a variety of activation signalling by inhibiting ceramide production in T cells. He and the team are exploring the involvement of these mechanisms in DIP2. In his most recent investigations, Tanaka is exploring DIP2C as a novel regulator for epithelial-mesenchymal transition of RA synovium and a potential therapeutic target. He is focusing on molecules that are expressed in the cells in joints, making the work directly applicable to RA. The team is carrying out a cohort study called KURAMA (Kyoto University Rheumatoid Arthritis Management Alliance) that involves around 2,000 outpatients with RA. Ultimately, Tanaka hopes to identify a reproducible combination of patient conditions and therapeutic interventions that achieve better treatment results for RA patients.

Motor learning on postural control using auditory biofeedback training

Motor disorders are characterised by damage to the central nervous system, which subsequently affects muscles, motor skills and brain function. People with motor disorders can suffer injury as a result of falls and recovery from falls can be challenging. Augmented biofeedback modalities is an important tool used in physical therapy, providing individuals with biofeedback that helps guide them through the therapy. Biofeedback modalities have been designed for most of our senses, including auditory, visual and haptic and advances in technology have meant that biofeedback therapy can make use of wearable technology and future advances are expected to further assist. Therefore, it will be key to determine which biofeedback method works best for different training exercises and conditions in order to maximise the benefits of technological advances. Dr Naoya Hasegawa and Professor Tadayoshi Asaka are investigating which biofeedback method works best for different therapies. Their goal is to understand the characteristics of sensory modalities used for biofeedback training in order to help physical therapists determine appropriate approaches for different individuals. The researchers are currently investigating postural control with a view to defining the characteristics of postural control during walking and standing and developing new methods to enhance or improve it. This work involves the use of force plates, 3D motion analysis systems and electromyograms.

Research on the development of alternatives to animal testing for pharmaceutical products and international standardisation

Scientists are working to develop new and innovative alternatives to animal testing that don't rely on the use of animals. Takao Ashikaga, Hajime Kojima and Yoko Hirabayashi are part of JaCVAM which works to promote the use of alternatives to animal testing. The goal is to replace, reduce or refine (3Rs) the use of animal under International harmonization. Hirabayashi is also the representative of a research group that is funded by the AMED and the representative of a research group funded by the MHLW. A challenge the researchers are facing in their quest to ensure the welfare of experimental animals and also ensure the safety of various pharmaceutical and chemicals is the lack of biomarkers to more accurately predict toxicity for regulatory acceptance. This means that without animal testing more costly and complex non-animal methods are required and presents a barrier to the adoption of non-animal methods for international standerisation. As such, there is a need to develop an easy way to obtain a lot of information. Hirabayashi and the team are working on the development of AI that can be used to evaluate the safety of different compounds. The researchers are developing in vitro assays such as ordinary 2-dimensional culture, 3-dimensional culture including organoids or spheroids, reporter gene assay and organ-on-a chip; and in silico assays such as computer toxicology using QSAR and Read Across. The researchers hope that their innovative work will contribute to the 3Rs, benefiting animal welfare for regulatory use.

The development of the Kitasato thumb splint as a conservative therapy treatment for patients with thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) arthropathy

Orthoses are devices that are applied externally to help in the rehabilitation of specific bones or joints. Dr Shuichi Sasaki, Department of Rehabilitation, Kitasato University Hospital, Japan, and his team is working to develop a new orthosis for repatriating thumb arthropathies called the Kitasato thumb splint. It is designed to improve usability of the thumb joint, especially in cases of thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) arthropathy, by taking into consideration the thumb CMC joint structure. It exerts force at the base of the CMC joint to move the thumb into the correct joint alignment, improving symptoms for patients. With the Kitasato thumb splint, Sasaki and the team are also eager to provide patients with an alternative to surgery as they believe that the use of more conservative measures with orthoses can prove effective and also prevent costly surgery. The Kitasato thumb splint is made of a low-temperature thermoplastic knit material and can be assembled in as little as 10 minutes, quickly and conveniently providing patients with additional support during painful daily tasks. In his work, Sasaki and the team are looking at orthoses used to treat thumb CMC osteoarthritis and analysing the pressure on CMC joints using quantitative analysis. So far, the Kitasato thumb splint has been found to help in pain reduction and improvements in the activities of daily living in patients with mild cases (Eaton Classifications I to II) of thumb CMC joints and to also provide some improvement in severe cases (Eaton Classifications III-IV).

Cardiorespiratory Response and Power Output During Submaximal Exercise in Normobaric Versus Hypobaric Hypoxia: A Pilot Study Using a Specific Chamber that Controls Environmental Factors

2021.—Many previous studies have examined hypoxia-induced physiological responses using various conditions, e.g., artificially reduced atmospheric oxygen concentration [normobaric hypoxia (NH) condition] or low barometric pressure at a mountain [hypobaric hypoxia (HH) condition]. However, when comparing the results from these previous studies conducted in artificial NH and HH including real high altitude, we must consider the possibility that environmental factors, such as temperature, humidity, and fraction of inspired carbon dioxide, might affect the physiological responses. Therefore, we examined cardiorespiratory responses and exercise performances during low- to high-intensity exercise at a fixed heart rate (HR) in both NH and HH using a specific chamber where atmospheric oxygen concentration and barometric pressure as well as the abovementioned environmental factors were precisely controlled. Ten well-trained university students (eight males and two females) performed the exercise test consisting of two 20-minute submaximal pedaling at the intensity corresponding to 50% (low) and 70% (high) of their HR reserve, under three conditions [NH (fraction of inspired oxygen, 0.135; barometric pressure, 754 mmHg), HH (fraction of inspired oxygen, 0.209; barometric pressure, 504 mmHg), and normobaric normoxia (NN; fraction of inspired oxygen, 0.209; barometric pressure, 754 mmHg)]. Peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) to estimate arterial oxygen saturation and partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide (PETCO2) were monitored throughout the experiment. SpO2, PETCO2, and power output at fixed HRs (i.e., pedaling efficiency) in NH and HH were all significantly lower than those in NN. Moreover, high-intensity exercise in HH induced greater decreases in SpO2 and power output than did high-intensity exercise in NH (NH vs. HH; SpO2, 78.2% - 5.0% vs. 75.1% - 7.1%; power output, 120.7 - 24.9 W vs. 112.4 - 23.2 W, both p < 0.05). However, high-intensity exercise in HH induced greater increases in PETCO2 than did high-intensity exercise in NH (NH vs. HH; 54.2 - 5.9mmHg vs. 57.2 - 3.4 mmHg, p < 0.01). These results suggest that physiological responses and power output at a fixed HR during hypoxic exposure might depend on the method used to generate the hypoxic condition.

Tolerance of cancer cells against amino acids deprivation in tumour microenvironments

New approaches for treating cancers are required and advances in 'omics' technologies including genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics could provide valuable treatment options. Associate Professor Tsuyoshi Osawa, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), University of Tokyo, believes that integrative techniques are essential in combating cancer. Osawa's lab is utilising a pioneering approach called nutriomics that involves applying multiple omics technologies to cancer biology. These omics approaches can be used to generate detailed genetic and molecular profiles of whole tumours, allowing researchers to discover important information about the tumour cells. In addition, they provide an opportunity to explore the healthy cells surrounding the tumour, thereby establishing a picture of the interactions between the tumour and the microenvironment in which it exists, which is important information that could be exploited for treatments methods. Using the omics approach, the researchers have been able to identify and describe the functions of the metabolites contributing to the malignant progression of cancer cells. They found that hypoxia, nutrient starvation and acidic pH all induce tumour aggressiveness by epigenetic regulation. Osawa and the team now want to identify further cancer metabolites that lead to malignancy and, ultimately, develop therapeutics for metastasis and recurrent advanced cancer from the viewpoint of an integrative multiomics approach.

Next-generation rheumatoid arthritis specialized telemedicine enabled by IoT and AI

Ageing populations in developed countries place strain on healthcare systems and when ageing populations live far away from the specialists they require to treat their chronic diseases, the logistics can be challenging to say the least. This is a particularly acute issue in Japan, which is made up of small islands. The COVID-19 pandemic has served to emphasise the need for better systems for remote medical consultations. Dr Fumiaki Nonaka at Goto Chuou Hospital and Professor Atsushi Kawakami and Dr Shinya Kawashiri at Nagasaki University Hospital have collaborated with Microsoft to create the first remote consultation systems for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that uses mixed reality. Early detection is crucial to managing RA but it is often difficult to make an accurate diagnosis and treatment of the disease in remote islands. This issue became particularly pressing in the context of COVID-19. Working with Microsoft, the researchers sought to develop a method of viewing and rendering the joints in 3D. Microsoft adapted their Azure Kinect DK cameras into a rig covering three different angles of any joint and an array of seven microphones was also installed. Using a reality headset called HoloLens2, the images of the joint can be rendered a 3D hologram to the user, enabling doctors to freely observe the joint from any direction. Combining this with Microsoft's Teams, a face-t-face consultation is facilitated.