著者

editors Anna Krasnowolska Renata Rusek-Kowalska

出版者

Jagiellonian University Press

巻号頁・発行日

2015

著者

Itsuma NAGAO Koichi OHNO Takuro NAGAHARA Nozomu YOKOYAMA Taisuke NAKAGAWA Reina FUJIWARA Kie YAMAMOTO Yuko GOTO-KOSHINO Hirotaka TOMIYASU Hajime TSUJIMOTO

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.19-0254, (Released:2019-09-25)

被引用文献数

4

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In human medicine, computed tomography (CT) is the gold standard for visceral fat measurement. Research shows that the visceral fat area (VFA) of the umbilical slice is significantly correlated with the visceral fat volume (VFV). In veterinary medicine, however, few studies have evaluated visceral fat using CT. This study aimed to evaluate the visceral fat in dogs using CT images, and determine if the slice significantly correlated with VFV to simplify visceral fat measurements. This retrospective study includes data on 90 dogs that underwent whole-body CT scans for diagnostic purposes. VFV was calculated as the product of VFA and thickness in each CT slice; the correlation between VFV and VFA was analyzed at the level of each lumbar vertebra. Visceral fat percentage (VF%) was calculated as the ratio of the product of VFV and fat density to the body weight. Visceral fat area percentage (VFA%) was calculated as the ratio of VFA to the body area, and its correlation with the VF% and the body condition score (BCS) was analyzed. VFA was highly correlated with VFV at the level of each lumbar vertebra, with the highest correlation (r=0.964) at the L3 level. VFA% was significantly correlated with VF% (r=0.930) and weakly correlated with BCS (r=0.523). This study demonstrates that it is sufficient to use only the L3 slice for visceral fat evaluation and that the evaluation can be based on VFA% of the L3 level.

著者

Takanori Ikeda Tsuyoshi Shiga Wataru Shimizu Koichiro Kinugawa Atsuhiro Sakamoto Ryozo Nagai Takashi Daimon Kaori Oki Haruka Okamoto Takeshi Yamashita The J-Land II Study Investigators

出版者

The Japanese Circulation Society

雑誌

Circulation Journal (ISSN:13469843)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.83, no.7, pp.1456-1462, 2019-06-25 (Released:2019-06-25)

参考文献数

9

被引用文献数

18

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Background:We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of landiolol in Japanese patients with recurrent hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia or recurrent ventricular fibrillation (recurrent VT/VF).Methods and Results:This was an open-label, uncontrolled, multicenter study. Patients with hemodynamically unstable VT or VF 24 h prior to providing informed consent, and who were refractory to class III antiarrhythmic drugs, were enrolled. Landiolol was started at a dose of 1 μg/kg/min, after VT/VF was suppressed with electrical defibrillation. Landiolol was titrated up to 10 μg/kg/min in 1 h and adjusted between 1 and 40 μg/kg/min for the efficacy assessment (1–49 h). The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of patients free from recurrent VT/VF. Secondary efficacy endpoints included the number of recurrent VT/VF events and the survival rate 30 days after the start of landiolol treatment. Adverse events (AEs) were assessed for safety; 27 and 29 patients were analyzed for efficacy and safety, respectively. The proportion of patients free from recurrent VT/VF was 77.8% (95% CI 57.1–89.3). The mean (±standard deviation) number of recurrent VT/VF events was 9.3±7.9. The survival rate was 96.3%. The overall incidence of AEs and of serious AEs was 72.4% and 6.9%, respectively.Conclusions:Landiolol may be useful for Japanese patients with recurrent VT/VF who do not respond to class III antiarrhythmic drugs.

著者

Sung-Hak Cho Soo-Han Kim

出版者

The Society of Physical Therapy Science

雑誌

Journal of Physical Therapy Science (ISSN:09155287)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.28, no.6, pp.1806-1808, 2016 (Released:2016-06-24)

参考文献数

14

被引用文献数

2 9

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[Purpose] This research explored the positive effects of self-myofascial release on hamstring muscular flexibility and proprioception and investigated the effectiveness of the stretch combined with therapeutic ultrasound. [Subjects and Methods] This study included 30 healthy university students with no history of pain in the Achilles tendon or hamstring within the recent 6 months. Each participant completed two experiments. In the first experiment (MS), they completed self-myofascial stretching using a foam roller for 7 days. In the second experiment (MSU), the same participants performed the self-myofascial stretching after the 15-minute application of ultrasound. This study involved a pre- and post-test on hamstring muscle flexibility and hip joint proprioception. [Results] The use of self-myofascial stretching in the MS experiment had a significant effect on hamstring muscle flexibility and hip joint proprioception. However, the addition of ultrasound in the MSU experiment had no additive effect. [Conclusion] Self-myofascial stretching immediately increased hamstring muscle flexibility and improved hip joint proprioception, but the addition of pre-stretch ultra sound provided no further benefit.

著者

Misa MASUDA Yayoi OTSUKA-YAMASAKI Nobuyuki SHIRANAGA Aiko IGUCHI Naohiro UCHIDA Reeko SATO Masahiro YAMASAKI

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.19-0280, (Released:2019-09-12)

被引用文献数

8

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Babesia rossi infection has been reported to be associated with the high prevalence of pancreatitis in dogs. In this study, we retrospectively investigated whether pancreatitis occurs in B. gibsoni-infected dogs. The clinical manifestations, and hematological and serum biochemical examination results, including canine pancreatic-specific lipase (cPL), in 20 B. gibsoni-infected dogs were analyzed. The cPL concentration exceeded 400 μg/l in only 2 dogs, and they were suspected of having pancreatitis. Although the cPL concentration did not correlate with the degree of anemia or the level of parasitemia, it correlated with the band neutrophil count, platelet count, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level. Our study suggested that the prevalence of pancreatitis is lower among B. gibsoni-infected dogs than B. rossi-infected dogs.

著者

Ting-ting Liang Li-tao Tong Dong-hui Geng Li-li Wang Xian-rong Zhou Hua-yin Pu Wei Jia Qing-ping Wu Jun-rong Huang

出版者

Japan Oil Chemists' Society

雑誌

Journal of Oleo Science (ISSN:13458957)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.68, no.9, pp.909-922, 2019 (Released:2019-09-04)

参考文献数

58

被引用文献数

11

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The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of wheat gluten on gut microbiota from hamsters and also analyse whether alterations in microbiota could result in wheat gluten’s lipid-lowering properties. Four weeks male hamsters were divided into 3 groups (n=10). Two hypercholesterolemic groups were fed for 35 days with hypercholesterolemic diet, containing 20% (w/w) wheat gluten or casein. Wheat gluten significantly reduced serum total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations, and also decreased the liver total cholesterol (TC), free cholesterol (FC), cholesterol ester (CE), triglycerides (TG) concentrations. Wheat gluten group had a higher fecal lipids, total cholesterol (TC) and bile acids (BA) than that of casein group (p < 0.05). Moreover, wheat gluten significantly increased total short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) concentrations in feces. Sequencing of 16S rRNA gene revealed that intake of wheat gluten decreased the relative abundances of Firmicutes and Erysipelotrichaceae, but to increased the relative abundances of Bateroidetes, Bacteroidales_S24-7_group and Ruminococcaceae. The lipid lowering properties of wheat gluten was associated with the lower ratio of Firmicutes/Bateroidetes, the lower of the bacterial taxa Erysipelotrichaceae and the higher of the bacterial taxa Bacteroidales_S24-7_group and Ruminococcaceae. These results suggest that wheat gluten modulate cholesterol metabolism by altering intestinal microflora.

著者

N. Rimsky-Korsakof

出版者

日本樂譜出版社

巻号頁・発行日

1941

著者

重松 峻夫 金 勇一 金 丁竜 安 允玉 神代 正道 日山 與彦 AHN Yoon-Ok KIM Chung Yong MASAMICHI Kojiro KIM Yong Il

出版者

福岡大学

雑誌

国際学術研究

巻号頁・発行日

1988

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在日韓国人の肝がん死亡率は日本人に比べ男で約3倍、女で約2倍ほど高率である。在日韓国人における肝がん死亡率の高まりの原因を明らかにすることは肝がん発生要因の解明につながるものであり、日本人、在日韓国人及び韓国の韓国人の肝がんについて、疫学的ならびに病理学的見地より3集団間の比較研究を実施し次のような成果を得た。1.記述疫学的比較研究。1)韓国の肝がんり患率の推定。韓国の死亡診断書の約65%は医師以外の者が交付しており、死亡統計にもとづくがん死亡の解析は韓国では不可能である。韓国の肝がん発生状況を明らかにするため、政府職員・教員を対象とした医療保険制度の資料を活用した。この保険の加入者は全人口の10%におよび、性別年齢別人口も全国人口のそれと大差ない。肝がんの診断確認のために、全国各地の医療施設での検査デ-タの収集も実施した。1986年7月ー1987年6月の期間の35ー64歳に限った年齢訂正肝がんり患率(年10万人対)は男で74.8、女で15.6と推定された。1984年の日本の肝がん推定り患率に比べて男で1.6倍、女1.7倍高率であった。2)在日韓国人の肝がん死亡率とB型肝炎ウイルスに関する研究。文献調査の結果、在日韓国人の血清HBsーAg陽性率は男で約10%、女で約5%と推定され、韓国における陽性率と大差ないと考えられた。大阪府在日韓国人の肝がん死亡率をHBsーAg陽性肝がんと陰性の肝がんに分けて、日本人との比較を行ったところ、在日韓国人の肝がん死亡率はHBsーAg陽性及び陰性肝がんの両者で同様に高まっていると推論された。3)記述疫学研究のまとめ。在日韓国人の肝がんリスクの高まりは、一部本国における高いり患率を反映しているものと考えられる。しかし、在日韓国人男性では、本国よりさらに高い肝がんのリスクを有していると考えられる。さらにこの高まりは本集団におけるB型肝炎ウイルスの高い感染率では十分に説明されるものでない。福岡県の在日韓国人を対象として、飲酒、喫煙、輸血歴など肝がんの危険因子と考えられる生活習慣要因の状況を現在調査中である。2.肝がんの症例対照研究。日本人、在日韓国人及び韓国韓国人の3集団で、肝細胞がんの発生要因の関与度合いを比較検討するため病院内症例対照研究を実施した。B型肝炎ウイルス及び飲酒は、3つの研究で一致して、肝細胞がんの発生と関連していることが認められたが、関与の度合い(人口寄与危険)は3集団間で著しく違っていた。日本人及び在日韓国人の肝細胞がんの20%前後はB型肝炎ウイルス感染によるものと推定されたが、韓国の肝細胞がんでは約70%と推定された。一方、過度の飲酒は日本人、在日韓国人の肝細胞がんのそれぞれ約30%と40%を説明すると考えられたが、韓国の場合、10%程度であった。日本人の研究では喫煙との関連を示唆する結果が得られたが、量・反応関係は認められず今後の検討課題として残される。日本人、韓国内韓国人の研究では他の要因についても調査したが、両研究で輸血歴との強い関連を認め、また韓国人の研究で肝疫患の既往歴との関連が観察された。現在問題になっているC型肝炎ウイルスが3集団の肝細胞がんにどの程度関与しているかは非常に興味あるところであり、今後検討する予定である。3.肝がんの病理学的比較検討。日本人、在日韓国人及び在韓韓国人の肝細胞がんの病理組織標本にもとづく比較検討を行ったが、3集団間で肉眼的ならびに組織学的に特異な差を認めなかった。3者とも結節型肝がんが主体を占め、肝硬変合併率も50〜60%と大差なかった。また合併肝硬変も乙型が大多数であった。しかしHBs-Ag陽性率は日韓で大きな違いが認められた。日本人、在日韓国人では20%前後の陽性率であったが、韓国の症例では75%がHBs-Ag陽性例であった。

著者

Nahoko Uchi Mitsutaka Fukudome Narumi Nozaki Miyuzu Suzuki Ken-ichi Osuki Shuji Shigenobu Toshiki Uchiumi

出版者

Japanese Society of Microbial Ecology · The Japanese Society of Soil Microbiology

雑誌

Microbes and Environments (ISSN:13426311)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.34, no.2, pp.155-160, 2019 (Released:2019-06-27)

参考文献数

37

被引用文献数

18

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Aphids have a mutualistic relationship with the bacterial endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola. We previously reported seven cysteine-rich peptides in the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum and named them Bacteriocyte-specific Cysteine-Rich (BCR) peptides; these peptides are exclusively expressed in bacteriocytes, special aphid cells that harbor symbionts. Similar symbiotic organ-specific cysteine-rich peptides identified in the root nodules of leguminous plants are named Nodule-specific Cysteine-Rich (NCR) peptides. NCR peptides target rhizobia in the nodules and are essential for symbiotic nitrogen fixation. A BacA (membrane protein) mutant of Sinorhizobium is sensitive to NCR peptides and is unable to establish symbiosis. Based on the structural and expressional similarities between BCR peptides and NCR peptides, we hypothesized that aphid BCR peptides exhibit antimicrobial activity, similar to some NCR peptides. We herein synthesized BCR peptides and investigated their antimicrobial activities and effects on the bacterial membrane of Escherichia coli. The peptides BCR1, BCR3, BCR5, and BCR8 exhibited antimicrobial activities with increased membrane permeability. An sbmA mutant of E. coli, a homolog of bacA of S. meliloti, was more sensitive to BCR peptides than the wild type. Our results suggest that BCR peptides have properties that may be required to control the endosymbiont, similar to NCR peptides in legumes.

著者

Toshihiro Kawaguchi Teruko Arinaga-Hino Motoki Shimizu Ken Tanikawa Takahiko Tokushige Shingo Hirai Hiroaki Nagamatsu Hideo Tateishi Akio Takata Tatsuya Ide Takuji Torimura

出版者

The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine

雑誌

Internal Medicine (ISSN:09182918)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.58, no.17, pp.2501-2505, 2019-09-01 (Released:2019-09-01)

参考文献数

14

被引用文献数

3

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We herein report the first case of immune-mediated drug-induced liver injury that may have been caused by laninamivir. A 15-year-old girl was diagnosed with influenza and prescribed 40 mg laninamivir. Six weeks later, she was admitted to our hospital because of jaundice and fatigue. Laboratory examinations revealed elevated levels of hepatobiliary enzymes, and acute liver injury was suspected. Laboratory examinations and histological findings were characteristic of autoimmune hepatitis. Steroid treatment was ineffective, and azathioprine was added to the treatment. Twenty-two months after the onset, a second biopsy revealed the absence of inflammatory infiltrations, and the drugs were withdrawn. Liver function tests remained normal nine months after withdrawal.

著者

edited by Omar Alí-de-Unzaga

出版者

I.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies

巻号頁・発行日

2011

著者

TANAKA-VAN DAALEN Isabel

出版者

Toyo Bunko

雑誌

NAGAZUMI Yōko(ed.), Large and Broad The Dutch Impact on Early Modern Asia Essays in Honor of Leonard Blussé

巻号頁・発行日

pp.100-129, 2010

著者

Hiroaki SAMEJIMA Byoung-Jae PARK

出版者

Japanese Society for Tropical Agriculture

雑誌

Tropical Agriculture and Development (ISSN:18828450)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.63, no.1, pp.12-17, 2019 (Released:2019-08-20)

参考文献数

33

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Guava leaf extract has significant application in natural remedies and cosmetics. In this study, we have focused on the total polyphenol content and inhibition activity against skin dermis enzymes (collagenase, elastase, and hyaluronidase) and carbohydrate digestion enzymes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase). Dried powdered guava leaves were extracted in 70% methanol and lyophilized to produce a crude extract. Aliquots were further divided into Hexane fr., EtOAc fr., BuOH fr., and Water fr. Total polyphenol content was the highest in the BuOH fr. among the crude extract and the four fractions. The Hexane fr. did not reach the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) against all the enzymes studied. The crude extract, BuOH fr., and Water fr. showed low IC50 (high inhibition activity) against collagenase, elastase, and hyaluronidase, with the BuOH fr. having the highest inhibition activity. In addition, this had high inhibition activity against α-amylase and α-glucosidase. The ability to inhibit multiple enzymes, relating to skin aging or carbohydrate digestion, suggests significant potential for using guava leaf extract in natural remedies and cosmetics.

著者

Takahiro Komai Song-Ju Kim Takuji Kousaka Hiroaki Kurokawa

出版者

Research Institute of Signal Processing, Japan

雑誌

Journal of Signal Processing (ISSN:13426230)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.23, no.4, pp.177-180, 2019-07-20 (Released:2019-07-20)

参考文献数

5

被引用文献数

2

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In our previous studies, we showed that the estimation of the rock-scissors-paper (RSP, janken) game strategy is effective for the prediction of a player's hand sign sequences. The purpose of this study is to propose a method to estimate the RSP game strategy in the basis of human personality in an RSP game. To estimate a player's strategy in the RSP game, it is effective to compare the player's hand sign sequence and the hand sign sequences given by various typical RSP strategies on the basis of similarity. In this study, we propose the method of using a homology search to calculate the similarity between sequences. The results show that our proposed method is effective for strategy estimation.

著者

Caren Rodriguez-Medina Alvaro Caicedo Arana Olivier Sounigo Xavier Argout Gabriel Alvarado Alvarado Roxana Yockteng

出版者

日本育種学会

雑誌

Breeding Science (ISSN:13447610)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.19011, (Released:2019-08-01)

被引用文献数

30

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Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is considered a key crop in Colombian social programs aiming at alleviating rural poverty, promoting peace in post-conflict regions and, replacing crops used for illicit purposes. Colombia is thought to be part of the center of origin of cacao; several germplasm collecting expeditions have been implemented, dating back to the 1940s. Despite that history, the first breeding program based on creating, selecting, and releasing full-sib progenies made extensive use of accessions introduced from other countries as parents. A new breeding strategy was adopted in the 1990s, based on mass selection of promising trees (high-yield and disease-resistant) in farmers’ fields, resulting in the selection of clones released to farmers as planting material. In 2012, a new strategy, Recurrent Selection, was adopted by the Colombian Corporation for Agricultural Research, Agrosavia, based on the development of improved populations and allowing the selection of clones at the end of each cycle of recombination. The use of molecular markers is being integrated into this program in order to assist breeders in selecting material. This review provides details about the history and perspectives of the cacao breeding program in Colombia.

著者

Jose Ma. M ANGELES Yasuyuki GOTO Masashi KIRINOKI Lydia R LEONARDO Kharleezelle J MOENDEG Adrian P YBAÑEZ Pilarita T RIVERA Elena A VILLACORTE Noboru INOUE Yuichi CHIGUSA Shin-ichiro KAWAZU

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.19-0126, (Released:2019-08-06)

被引用文献数

6

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Humans and dogs live very close together and share various pathogens causing zoonotic parasitoses like schistosomiasis. A previous population genetics study done for schistosomes in the Philippines suggested that there is a high transmission level of Schistosoma japonicum among humans and dogs proving that the latter are important reservoirs for this zoonotic parasite. A more sensitive and specific test detecting schistosome infection in dogs will therefore strengthen the zoonotic surveillance, which might help in the possible elimination of this ancient disease. In this study, recombinant thioredoxin peroxidase-1 (SjTPx-1) and tandem repeat proteins (Sj1TR, Sj2TR, Sj4TR, Sj7TR) previously tested on human and water buffalo samples were used to assess its diagnostic applicability to dogs. Fifty-nine dog serum and stool samples were collected in the schistosomiasis-endemic municipalities of Calatrava, Negros Occidental and Catarman, Northern Samar in the Philippines and examined using the ELISA as compared to microscopy and fecal sample-based PCR. Samples positive for Babesia gibsoni and Dirofilaria immitis were also used to check for cross-reaction. Results showed that SjTPx-1 (80% sensitivity, 92.3% specificity) and Sj7TR (73.3% sensitivity, 92.3% specificity) have good potentials for diagnosing S. japonicum infection in dogs. These diagnostic antigens will therefore improve the surveillance in the transmission of the parasites from dogs to humans.

著者

László Bozó Wieland Heim Daronja Trense Pia Fetting Hans-Jürgen Eilts Jonas Wobker Tibor Csörgő

出版者

The Ornithological Society of Japan

雑誌

ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE (ISSN:13470558)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.18, no.2, pp.177-181, 2019 (Released:2019-07-29)

参考文献数

31

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The aim of our study was to describe the migration timing of two Siberian Locustella species at a breeding site in the Russian Far East. Our results show, that juvenile Lanceolated Warbler Locustella lanceolata leave the study site earlier than adults, while juvenile Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler L. certhiola start their migration later than adults, which might be caused by juveniles and adults moulting at different times. Both species undertake a fast migration without long-term stopovers at the study site.

著者

Ryota Sakai Kyoko Komai Mana Iizuka-koga Akihiko Yoshimura Minako Ito

出版者

The Keio Journal of Medicine

雑誌

The Keio Journal of Medicine (ISSN:00229717)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2019-0003-OA, (Released:2019-07-26)

参考文献数

143

被引用文献数

12

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Inflammation and immune responses after tissue injury play pivotal roles in the resolution of inflammation, tissue recovery, fibrosis, and remodeling. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are responsible for immune tolerance and are usually activated in secondary lymphatic tissues. Activated Tregs subsequently regulate effector T cell and dendritic cell activation. For clinical applications such as the suppression of both autoimmune diseases and the rejection of transplanted organs, methods to generate stabilized antigen-specific Tregs are required. For this purpose, transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of Foxp3 expression has been investigated. In addition to conventional Tregs, there are some Tregs that reside in tissues and are called tissue Tregs. Tissue Tregs exhibit tissue-specific functions that contribute to the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and repair. Such tissue Tregs could also be useful for Treg-based cell therapy. We recently discovered brain Tregs that accumulate in the brain during the chronic phase of ischemic brain injury. Brain Tregs resemble other tissue Tregs, but are unique in expressing neural cell-specific genes such as the serotonin receptor (Htr7); consequently, brain Tregs respond to serotonin. Here, we describe our experiences in the use of Tregs to suppress graft-versus-host disease and to promote neural recovery after stroke.

著者

遠藤 健斗 Wong Yue Him 野方 靖行 小黒-岡野 美枝子 岡野 桂樹

出版者

日本マリンエンジニアリング学会

雑誌

Marine engineering : journal of the Japan Institute of Marine Engineering = マリンエンジニアリング :日本マリンエンジニアリング学会誌 (ISSN:13461427)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.52, no.1, pp.19-24,図巻頭3-4, 2017-01

著者

森本 真一 Shin-ichi Morimoto

出版者

昭和女子大学近代文化研究所

雑誌

学苑 (ISSN:13480103)

巻号頁・発行日

no.798, pp.107-123, 2007-04

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Oscar Wilde observes in "The Decay of Lying" that life imitates art rather than art imitates life. Akutagawa Ryunosuke was interested in Wilde. He made the protagonist of an autobiographical work wish to catch an aerial spark even at the risk of his life. Wilde and Akutagawa tended to attach more importance to fictitious worlds than the reality. William Faulkner was influenced by Wilde. A character in his novel named Faulkner declares that he is a liar by profession. Joe Christmas in Faulkner's Light in August finishes his life feeling unsure of his relationship to white and black people as he thinks he may be part Negro. He is lynched after many years of violent disobedience. According to Akutagawa, Christ is likely to be bound by the Holy Spirit as an eternal seeker of transcendence. Joe seems to be a powerless Christ vainly striving to get over something. Akutagawa compared artists to climbers and confessed his yearning for the foot of the mountain he was ascending. He called Christ an ultra idiot who kept fighting for poetic justice. This is presumably Akutagawa's reflection on his own fantastic mentality. Wilde was also conscious of a connection between Christ and artists. It may be that artists' passion leads them to ordeals just as Christ's life led him to be crucified. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Wilde is a story of a man who kills himself by means of stabbing his portrait. Likewise Akutagawa was distressed by his shadow and feared that his death might come to his second self. After he committed suicide, a writer lamented that he made a short romance of his life. Sherwood Anderson, who found an excess of talent in Faulkner, warned that he might not write anything because he could write in too many ways. He advised Faulkner to have somewhere to start from and Faulkner wrote a magnificent series of novels with his birthplace as its model. Wilde spent two years in jail on the charge of his homosexual love. Wilde and Akutagawa were tremendously talented. Readers must grieve that Akutagawa did not try to live and write further. As for Wilde, they may ask if he could show his uniqueness only through his fiction. Wilde and Akutagawa, in a sense, never attained their proper starting points from which they could set to work and fully demonstrate their abilities.