We conducted a survey among nurses who were working at the Fukushima Medical University Hospital at the time of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident to clarify the factors associated with their intention to leave their jobs during the radiation emergency. We asked 345 nurses (17 men and 328 women) about their intention to leave their jobs after the accident. We also asked about relevant factors including the participants’ demographic factors, living situation, working status, and knowledge of radiation health effects. We found that living with preschoolers (OR = 1.87, 95%CI: 1.02–3.44, p = 0.042), anxiety about life in Fukushima City after the accident (OR = 5.55, 95%CI: 1.18–26.13, p = 0.030), consideration of evacuation from Fukushima after the accident (OR = 2.42, 95%CI: 1.45–4.06, p = 0.001), consideration of the possible radiation health effects in children (OR = 1.90, 95%CI: 1.02–3.44, p = 0.042), and anxiety about relationships with colleagues in the hospital after the accident (OR = 3.23, p = 0.001) were independently associated with the nurses’ intention to leave their jobs after the accident. On the other hand, the percentage of nurses with knowledge on radiation health effects was relatively low among those who had the intention to leave the job and among those who did not have the intention to leave the job after the accident, with no significant differences between the two groups. Our results suggest the need for an education program for nurses regarding radiation health effects.
NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (Complex I) is located at the entrance of the mitochondrial electron transfer chain and transfers electrons from NADH to ubiquinone with 10 isoprene units (Q(10)) coupled with proton pumping. The composition of Complex I, the largest and most complex proton pump in the mitochondrial electron transfer system, especially the contents of Q(10) and phospholipids, has not been well established. An improved purification method including solubilization of mitochondrial membrane with deoxycholate followed by sucrose gradient centrifugation and anion-exchange column chromatography provided reproducibly a heme-free preparation containing 1 Q(10), 70 phosphorus atoms of phospholipids, 1 zinc ion, 1 FMN, 30 inorganic sulfur ions, and 30 iron atoms as the intrinsic constituents. The rotenone-sensitive enzymatic activity of the Complex I preparation was comparable to that of Complex I in the mitochondrial membrane. It has been proposed that Complex I has two Q(10) binding sites, one involved in the proton pump and the other functioning as a converter between one and two electron transfer pathways [Ohnishi, T., Johnson, J. J. E., Yano, T., LoBrutto, R., and Widger, R. W. (2005) FEBS Lett. 579, 500-506]. The existence of one molecule of Q(10) in the fully oxidized Complex I suggests that the affinity of Q(10) to one of the two Q(10) sites is greatly dependent on the oxidation state and/or the membrane potential and that the Q(10) in the present preparation functions as the converter of the electron transfer pathways which should be present in any oxidation state.
Sequential amide formation between poly(vinylamine-co-N-vinylformamide)s [poly(VAmco-NVF)s] with VAm contents of 20, 28, and 42 mol % plus polyAAc using a water-soluble carbodiimide was studied to prepare ultrathin hydrogels on a solid substrate. The analysis of assembly amounts at each assembly step using a quartz crystal microbalance revealed that at least 28 mol % of VAm was essential for stepwise reaction of both polymers on the substrate. The assembly amount was regulated not only by the VAm content but also by the concentration of the copolymer in the reaction solution. Reflection-absorption spectra of the assemblies showed typical peaks assigned to both polymers. The thickness of the assemblies, which was analyzed in the scratching mode using atomic force microscopy, increased in water to form ultrathin hydrogels. The increase in thickness was dependent on the VAm content, and the assembly prepared from poly(VAm-co-NVF) with a 42 mol % VAm content swelled with more water molecules compared to that with a 28 mol % VAm. Analysis using cyclic voltammetry revealed that Fe(CN) 6 3readily permeated the ultrathin hydrogels by the process of diffusion. The permeability was also dependent on the VAm content. Collectively, these results indicated that ion-permeable ultrathin hydrogels were successfully prepared on a solid substrate.
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