Low handgrip strength as a marker of severity in the diagnostic criteria for cancer cachexia.

Background & Aims: The diagnostic criteria for cachexia, as proposed by the Asian Working Group for Cachexia (AWGC), include weight loss, a low body mass index, and additional factors such as a low handgrip strength (HGS), anorexia, or elevated CRP levels. This study aimed to evaluate the significance of low HGS as a diagnostic criterion in patients with advanced cancer.

Methods: This single-centre, retrospective cohort study was conducted between April 2019 and March 2023.

EphA-Mediated Regulation of Stomatin Expression in Prostate Cancer Cells.

Background And Aims: Tumor growth and progression are affected by interactions between tumor cells and stromal cells within the tumor microenvironment. We previously showed that the expression of an integral membrane protein, called stomatin, was increased in cancer cells following their association with stromal cells. Additionally, stomatin impaired the Akt signaling pathway to suppress tumor growth.

Effectiveness of Nutrition Support Team Intervention in Pediatric Patients with Cancer.

Malnutrition in children with cancer is associated with poor prognosis. This study aimed to determine whether nutritional support team (NST) interventions prevent adverse events and improve the nutritional status in pediatric patients admitted for cancer treatment. This was a historical cohort study of pediatric patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, neuroblastoma, or brain tumor who received chemotherapy or underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Oral hypofunction and social aspects in older adults visiting frailty outpatient clinic.

Background: Oral and social problems can exacerbate long-term care. Understanding the relationship between social aspects and oral hypofunction can help identify high-risk factors for long-term care.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the social aspects of oral hypofunction among medical outpatients.

Effects of sarcopenia on changes in prevalence of patients with depressive mood during hospitalization in geriatric rehabilitation.

Background: The effect of sarcopenia on depressive mood during geriatric rehabilitation remains unclear. This study investigated the potential influence of sarcopenia on depressive mood among geriatric patients in a rehabilitation setting.

Methods: This observational cohort study enrolled 204 patients aged ≥65 years (mean: 78.

Association Between Malnutrition and Food Texture Levels in Integrated Facilities for Medical and Long-Term Care.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the association between malnutrition using the global consensus criteria and food texture levels in residents of Integrated Facilities for Medical and Long-Term Care (IFMLCs), which are new long-term care insurance facilities in Japan.

Methods: This single-center study had a retrospective cross-sectional design. The study was conducted from November 1 to 30, 2021, and the study participants were residents admitted to an IFMLC during the study period.

Optimization of method for cross-section hydrogels preparation using high-pressure freezing.

High-pressure water freeze fracturing is a method for preparing water-containing samples such as hydrogels for scanning electron microscopy (SEM), in which a sample is placed in a divisible pressure vessel, filled with water, sealed, frozen with liquid nitrogen and then vacuum dried after the vessel is divided. The pressure (∼200 MPa) generated by the phase transition from water to ice is expected to inhibit ice crystal formation that causes large deformation of microstructure in the sample. To maximize the useable sample size, where SEM observation is not affected by ice crystal growth, preparation conditions including the size of pressure vessel were examined in this work.

Association between oral frailty and sarcopenia among frailty clinic outpatients: A cross-sectional study.

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of oral frailty and explore its relationship with oral function and sarcopenia among older outpatients.

Materials And Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we retrospectively included older patients who visited a frailty outpatient clinic. We assessed total oral frailty employing, among other measures, oral diadochokinesis (/ta/ sound) for tongue-lip movement and tongue pressure.

Predicting Mortality Risks Using Body Mass Index and Weight Loss at Admission in Patients with Heart Failure.

Background: The association of the combination of body mass index (BMI) and weight change at admission with prognoses in patients with heart failure (HF) is unclear. Therefore, we investigated whether BMI and weight changes at admission affect mortality in patients with HF.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study lasted 99 months, starting in April 2014, and included 4,862 patients with HF from a Japanese real-world database.

Hospitalization-associated disability prediction using Hospital Frailty Risk Score in older patients undergoing pancreatectomy.

Purpose: Frailty and hospitalization-associated disabilities (HAD) are geriatric conditions that should be managed in older patients undergoing pancreatectomy. The Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS) can evaluate frailty based on medical records and could predict postoperative activities of daily living (ADL) decline. This study aimed to investigate whether HFRS affects the postoperative incidence of HAD in older patients who underwent pancreatectomy.

Impact of Poor Oral Health Status on Swallowing Function Improvement in Older Dysphagic Patients.

Background This study aimed to explore the relationship between poor oral health status and improvement in swallowing function in older patients with dysphagia across various clinical settings, including acute and post-acute care environments. Methods This retrospective cohort study encompassed patients aged 65 years and older with dysphagia. Oral health status was assessed using the oral health assessment tool (OHAT) or the revised oral assessment guide (ROAG).

Establishment of a novel mouse model of renal artery coiling-based chronic hypoperfusion-related kidney injury.

Renal artery stenosis-induced chronic renal ischemia is an important cause of renal dysfunction, especially in older adults, and its incidence is currently increasing. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying chronic renal hypoperfusion-induced kidney damage, we developed a novel mouse model of renal artery coiling-based chronic hypoperfusion-related kidney injury. This model exhibits decreased renal blood flow and function, atrophy, and parenchymal injury in the coiled kidney, along with compensatory hypertrophy in the non-coiled kidney, without chronic hypertension.

Validity of the diagnostic criteria from the Asian Working Group for Cachexia in advanced cancer.

Background: Recently, the Asian Working Group for Cachexia (AWGC) published a consensus statement on diagnostic criteria for cachexia in Asians. We aimed to validate the criteria in adult patients in Japan with advanced cancer.

Methods: We conducted a single-institution retrospective cohort study between April 2021 and October 2022.

Association between Japanese Diet Adherence and Muscle Weakness in Japanese Adults Aged ≥50 Years: Findings from the JSTAR Cohort Study.

Japanese diet adherence has been inversely correlated with muscle weakness. In this study, we aimed to validate that association. Longitudinal data from 1699 individuals aged ≥50 years (mean age 62.

Associations between oral health status and short-term functional outcomes in hospitalized patients aged over 65 years with acute ischemic stroke: a retrospective observational study.

Objective: To assess the associations between oral health status and short-term functional outcomes in hospitalized patients aged over 65 years with acute ischemic stroke.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective observational analysis included older adult patients (age, ≥ 65 years) admitted for acute ischemic stroke. The oral health status at admission was evaluated using the Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT).

Novel cardiovascular protective effects of RhoA signaling and its therapeutic implications.

Ras homolog gene family member A (RhoA) belongs to the Rho GTPase superfamily, which was first studied in cancers as one of the essential regulators controlling cellular function. RhoA has long attracted attention as a key molecule involved in cell signaling and gene transcription, through which it affects cellular processes. A series of studies have demonstrated that RhoA plays crucial roles under both physiological states and pathological conditions in cardiovascular diseases.

Prevalence and Characteristics of the Course of Dysphagia in Hospitalized Older Adults.

Sarcopenic dysphagia (SD) is an emerging concern in geriatric medicine. This study aimed to identify the prevalence, progression, and distinct attributes of SD in patients in the Department of Geriatric Medicine. Older adult patients admitted between 2021 and 2022 were enrolled.