Publications by authors named "Awata S"
In animals where males engage in multiple matings, sperm depletion can substantially reduce the reproductive success of both sexes. However, little is known about how successive matings affect sperm depletion, fertilization rates and mating behaviour. Here, we investigated this phenomenon under laboratory conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study aimed to examine the characteristics of participation in the self-quantification program for family caregivers (CGs) who provide long-term care to community-dwelling older adults. The family CGs, allocated based on the percentage of the nation's older population who needed care and met the inclusion criteria, who provided caregiving at least once a week for those aged 65 + and who were certified as needing care under the Japanese long-term care insurance program, were collected through online monitors. We compared the characteristics of the program participants and nonparticipants using logistic regression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Community social capital is associated with various health outcomes; however, its impact on mortality is not fully understood, particularly in non-Western settings. This study examined the association between community-level social capital and all-cause mortality among community-dwelling older Japanese adults.
Methods: The baseline data were obtained from a 2015 questionnaire survey for all 132,005 residents aged ≥65 years without long-term care insurance certification in Adachi Ward (consisting of 262 small districts) of the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates why participation in "kayoi-no-ba," community dining places for older adults in Japan, is declining through a social marketing framework focusing on product, promotion, and place.
- A survey was conducted with 580 organizers, revealing that 26.6% of these community meals experienced a decline in participants, influenced by factors like event frequency, registration systems, and regional population demographics.
- Findings suggest that increasing monthly events and considering the local population characteristics could help maintain or boost attendance, while pricing does not seem to affect participation levels.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates public and clinical specialists' perceptions regarding preparedness for administering disease-modifying treatments (DMT) for Alzheimer’s disease, focusing on the newly approved drug lecanemab.
- Conducted through online and mail surveys, it gathered responses from over 2,000 participants, highlighting significant differences in views about treatment eligibility and efficacy between general public respondents and clinical specialists.
- While both groups were generally supportive of prioritizing patients for treatment, the public expressed more restrictive views on who qualifies for DMT and appeared more optimistic about its effectiveness compared to specialists.
Aim: The impact of cognitive dysfunction-associated activities of daily living (ADL) on mortality and rehospitalization for heart failure has not yet been evaluated.
Methods: We retrospectively evaluated DASC-21, the incidence of all-cause mortality, and rehospitalization for heart failure after discharge in 329 older patients with heart failure.
Results: The mean age was 85.
Article Synopsis
- This study explores how phase angle (PhA), derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis, relates to chronic inflammation markers in older adults, highlighting its potential as a reflection of cell membrane health and fluid balance.
- A total of 1664 participants were analyzed, revealing significant associations between abnormal levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 with both whole-body and leg PhAs in men, particularly in those without chronic inflammation-related diseases.
- The findings suggest that while PhA can indicate inflammation in older men, it may require additional context for effective inflammation identification in women.
Animals exhibiting mirror self-recognition (MSR) are considered self-aware; however, studies on their level of self-awareness remain inconclusive. Recent research has indicated the potential for cleaner fish (Labroides dimidiatus) to possess a sophisticated level of private self-awareness. However, as this study revealed only an aspect of private self-awareness, further investigation into other elements is essential to substantiate this hypothesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Living alone has been associated with cognitive impairment; however, findings have been inconsistent. Social isolation among older adults who live alone may contribute to cognitive impairment. This study was carried out to examine the association of social isolation and living alone with cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Serum markers capable of detecting mild levels of undernutrition, such as insufficient dietary protein intake (IDPI), have not been established among community-dwelling older adults. Although the serum albumin redox state, expressed as the ratio of reduced albumin (Alb) to total Alb (the reduced albumin ratio), has the potential to overcome this challenge, empirical epidemiological data are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the association between a serum reduced Alb ratio and dietary protein intake among community-dwelling older adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: We investigated whether the Dementia Assessment Sheet for Community-based Integrated Care System-21 Items (DASC-21), a questionnaire that assesses cognitive function, including activities of daily living (ADL), was predictive of in-hospital death and prolonged hospital stay in elderly patients hospitalized for heart failure.
Methods: We retrospectively assessed the DASC-21 score at the time of admission, in-hospital death, length of hospital stay, and change in the Barthel index in 399 patients hospitalized for heart failure between 2016 and 2019.
Results: The mean patient age was 85.
Objective: This study aimed to develop a simpler approach for diagnosing sarcopenia by using only bioelectrical impedance vector analysis parameters.
Methods: The study design was a cross-sectional study. The research was conducted based on the Itabashi Longitudinal Study on Aging, a community-based cohort study, with data collected from the 2022 and 2023 surveys in Itabashi Ward, Tokyo, Japan.
Smartwatches (SW) are wearable devices that support daily life and monitor an individual's health and activity status. This information is utilized to promote behavior modification, which could help prevent chronic diseases and manage the health of older adults. Despite being interested in SWs, older adults tend to decrease their SW usage as they age.
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- - The study aimed to assess fall risks among older adults in Japan by categorizing them based on their physical, mental, cognitive, and oral functions, as well as comorbidities.
- - Data from a survey of over 70,000 residents aged 65 and older revealed four distinct groups: good general condition, poor mental function, moderate physical function, and poor general condition.
- - The analysis indicated that those in the poor mental function, moderate physical function, and poor general condition groups had significantly higher odds of falling in the past year compared to those in the good general condition group, highlighting the importance of this classification for fall prevention strategies.
Aim: Although polypharmacy and frailty are concerns in older adults, there is limited understanding of their association, particularly regarding frailty severity and its phenotypes within this population. This study aimed to examine the association between polypharmacy and frailty severity or frailty phenotypes in community-dwelling older Japanese adults.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1021 older adults from the Itabashi Longitudinal Study on Aging.
Aim: Muscle mass and strength correlate with cognitive function; however, it remains unclear whether dynapenia (i.e., muscle weakness with preserved muscle mass) is relevant.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Evaluating muscle quality instead of its mass has gained attention in diagnosing sarcopenia. The aim of this study was to examine whether phase angle (PhA) as a bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)-derived muscle quality indicator is associated with overall lower extremity function better than appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI) in community-dwelling older adults.
Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the Itabashi Longitudinal Study on Aging, a community-based cohort study.
Aim: The Questionnaire for Medical Checkup of Old-Old (QMCOO) is a 15-item dichotomous questionnaire developed for the early detection and intervention of frailty in a nationwide health checkup program targeting the old-old (i.e. aged ≥75 years).
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