Most mammalian non-nucleic acid methyltransferases share three sequence motifs. To gain insight into the S-adenosyl-methionine (AdoMet)-binding site of guanidinoacetate methyltransferase, we mutated several conserved residues that are found in or near motifs I and II. Conversion of either of two glycine residues of motif I (Gly67 and Gly69) to an alanine resulted in an inactive enzyme. These enzymes, although having UV absorption, fluorescence and far-UV CD spectra virtually identical with those of the wild-type enzyme, seem to be conformationally different from the wild-type enzyme as judged by near-UV CD spectra and the extent of urea denaturation, and are apparently not capable of binding AdoMet. Mutation of Tyr136 of motif II to a valine resulted in a decrease in Kcat/Km values for substrates. Changing this residue to a phenylalanine caused only a minor change in Kcat/Km for AdoMet. This suggests that the aromatic side chain stabilizes the binding of AdoMet. Mutagenic changes of Glu89, which is the residue corresponding to the conserved acidic residue on the C-terminal side of motif I, indicated its contribution to AdoMet binding. These results are consistent with the idea that both motifs I and II are crucial in forming the AdoMet binding site of guanidinoacetate methyltransferase.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to clarify how older people cope with the changes they faced in their living environment after relocating to a health-care facility for the elderly and to consider their coping characteristics. Methods: Employing a qualitative descriptive study design using multiple case studies, we continuously interviewed and observed eight older residents after they moved into a health-care facility. We selected the model of Moos & Schaefer (1986) as a framework for analysis because it is thought to lead to an understanding of the experience of older people relocating to a nursing home and to effective nursing intervention. Results: Although not shown in the constituent categories of the model, it became necessary to include the typical experiences of these Japanese residents of health-care facilities for the elderly in the study as constituent categories of the model. With the addition of these experiences as constituent categories, the model is thought to become more appropriate for understanding people that have relocated to health-care facilities for the elderly in Japan. There were the three categories of support influencing adaptive tasks, tasks for life integration, which are growth tasks for the elderly, and the resolution of unrecognized problems, which are adaptive tasks not recognized by the person in question. Conclusions:The conceptual model in this study is thought to be useful in considering the care of older residents when they enter a health-care facility.

To date, no elder care facilities in Japan have formally introduced the Eden Alternative philosophy of care. The purpose of this cross-sectional descriptive study was to identify the perceptions of care workers and nurses regarding the lives of the older adults in care facilities to consider the prospects for introducing the Eden Alternative to Japan. The participants included 139 care workers and 41 nurses who responded to a survey questionnaire based on Eden Alternative principles developed by the researchers for this study. More than half of the participants indicated that they sometimes thought the older adults experienced feelings of helplessness, loneliness, and boredom and hoped for changes in the manner of care to improve the lives of residents. Participants were also in favor of the residents having plants and visits from children, but opinions about having animals on site were split. The fact that the survey respondents noticed the problems indicated by the Eden Alternative suggests there is great potential for introducing the Eden Alternative to Japan.

Aim: To clarify the experience of elderly people admitted to a health-care facility for the elderly. Methods: An ethnographic approach and qualitative descriptive design was used to understand and describe the viewpoints of the elderly living in a health-care facility. A semistructured interview was conducted in the resident's room. One at a time, the transcript of each participant's interview was read repeatedly and the parts corresponding to the participant's experience were extracted and analysed qualitatively. Results: The participants were seven elderly residents of a health-care facility for the elderly who were over 65 years of age and able to converse. The current experience of the seven elderly participants were divided into seven categories based upon the qualitative descriptive analysis: family ties, emotional response to entering the facility, rehabilitation to support independence, principles for living and getting along with others, life after leaving the facility, relationships with facility staff, and memories. An over-arching theme was also identified, 'keeping a good heart' described as following the category descriptions. Conclusions: Keeping a good heart symbolized the resilience and positive acceptance of life in the healthcare facility for the elderly.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of published literature on behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) nursing in Japan and to highlight challenges that need to be resolved. Design/methodology/approach The criteria for retrieval of literature were as follows: a BPSD study conducted by a nurse in Japan, and it must have been published. Papers without conference proceedings and peer reviews and literature without English titles and abstracts were excluded. The PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) was referenced. Findings Based on the analysis of 20 studies meeting the criteria, nurses tended to manage BPSD when all three of the following were clearly defined: attempts to understand BPSD, the provision of nursing intervention to improve the quality of care and clarification of the perception of BPSD. There were eight studies that implemented surveys considered to be helpful for nurses to understand BPSD with the aim of clarifying the symptomatic factors, meaning of each behaviour, etc. In the eight studies, nurses directly coped with BPSD in various ways. Four studies reported on how nurses perceive the associated behaviours and symptoms of BPSD patients. Originality/value This study suggests that not only implementing interventions but also aiming at improving nurses’ understanding of BPSD and their level of knowledge are crucial to promote BPSD nursing in Japan.