Kobe Gakuin University

Continuity and discontinuity during the development from infancy to later stages are central themes in developmental psychology. These concepts are particularly important for understanding and supporting language development in children with atypical language development. This review aimed to clarify future research issues on the early language acquisition process up to 36 months of age from the viewpoint of developmental continuity and discontinuity in early language acquisition. Recent studies on early language development support the concepts of both continuity and discontinuity, particularly in the relationship between early gestural development and later language acquisition, as well as in predicting delayed speech in children. However, focusing on 24 months of age, when the development of syntax typically begins, several studies have reported relationships between developmental domains such as gross motor and language. It is necessary to examine continuity and discontinuity in the early language acquisition process from an interdisciplinary perspective. Furthermore, it is important to consider both the speeding up and slowing down aspects of developmental trajectories in early language acquisition. Research on the language acquisition of late bloomers is important from the viewpoint of continuity and discontinuity from the prelinguistic period, domain relevance, and speed in cognitive development.

Chronic ethanol consumption significantly increases the risk of colorectal cancer. The pathogenesis of ethanol-related colorectal cancer involves oxidative stress and inflammation induced by ethanol in the colon and rectum, as well as dysfunction of the gut barrier and greater intestinal permeability. Previously, we demonstrated that chronic oral ethanol administration in mice leads to dysbiosis of the fecal microbiota, similar to that which characterizes human inflammatory bowel disease. In addition, this ethanol-induced gut pathophysiology was alleviated by the oral administration of sesaminol, a lignan derived from sesame that is known for its potent antioxidant activity. In the present study, we investigated the effects of oral sesaminol administration on the fecal microbiota and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) profiles of mice that were chronically orally administered ethanol or not. Chronic ethanol administration reduced the abundances of fecal bacterial taxa that produce butyric acid, thereby reducing the fecal butyric acid content. The oral administration of sesaminol (2.5 mg/day) mitigated the ethanol-induced dysbiosis of the gut microbiota and increased the luminal SCFA content, and particularly that of butyric acid. The effects of oral sesaminol administration on ethanol-induced gut pathophysiology may be mediated, at least in part, by the anti-inflammatory and gut barrier-protective properties of butyric acid.

Epithelioid sarcoma (ES) is a very rare malignant tumor with few effective treatments other than surgical resection. In this study, the efficacy of BNCT for ES was examined using human ES-derived VA-ES-BJ cell-bearing nude mice. Only tumors in the BNCT group injected with p-borono-_L-phenylalanine-fructose complex and irradiated with neutrons were destroyed. This study suggests the potential of BNCT as a new option for the treatment of human ES.