Poplar leaf abscission through induced chlorophyll breakdown by Mg-dechelatase.

Chlorophyll breakdown is observed during senescence. The first step in chlorophyll breakdown is the removal of central Mg by Mg-dechelatase. This reaction is the rate-limiting step in the chlorophyll breakdown pathway.

Dyslipidemia and 10-year diabetes incidence in Japanese people: Population-based Panasonic cohort study 9.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and LDL/HDL ratio have been associated with new-onset diabetes; however, their cut-off levels have not been determined. We clarified the association between dyslipidemia and the incidence of diabetes. People who underwent a health checkup under a program conducted by Panasonic Corporation from 2008 to 2018 were included.

Maximum home blood pressure and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes: KAMOGAWA-HBP study.

Objective: The maximum blood pressure was reported as a possible marker of organ damage. We previously showed that maximum home blood pressure was significantly associated with development of diabetic nephropathy. In the same cohort of patients with diabetes as in the previous study, this study aimed to evaluate the prognostic blood pressure values for the onset of first cardiovascular events.

Sulfurimonas aquatica sp. nov., a sulfur-oxidizing bacterium isolated from water of a brackish lake.

A novel chemolithoautotrophic bacterium, strain H1576, was isolated from water of a brackish lake. Strain H1576 grew aerobically on inorganic sulfur compounds. Hydrogen gas did not support autotrophic growth, and heterotrophic growth was not observed.

Nutritional status in female patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease and its association with disease severity.

Background: In women, slender body habitus has been reported to be one of the predisposing factors underlying the development and poor prognosis of non-tuberculous mycobacterial lung disease (NTM-LD). Given the lack of nutritional data contributing to treatment strategies, we aimed to clarify the nutritional status of female patients with NTM-LD and its association with disease severity.

Methods: In this single-center observational study, we enrolled 81 female outpatients with NTM-LD.

Household Income Is Related to Dietary Fiber Intake and Dietary Acid Load in People with Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Household income was related to habitual dietary intake in general Japanese people. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between household income and habitual dietary intake in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Household income was evaluated using a self-reported questionnaire and categorized into high and low household income.

A solitary giant neurofibroma of the left thigh: a case report.

A neurofibroma not associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 is termed solitary neurofibroma. A solitary giant neurofibroma of the thigh is an extremely rare tumor. A 44-year-old woman presented to us with a well-defined swelling on her left thigh for 10 years.

The Association of Salt Intake and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in People With Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which has a close relationship with type 2 diabetes (T2D), is related to salt intake in the general population. In contrast, the relationship between salt intake and the presence of NAFLD in patients with T2D has not been clarified.

Methods: Salt intake (g/day) was assessed using urinary sodium excretion, and a high salt intake was defined as an intake greater than the median amount of 9.

Perioperative management of thoracic surgery in patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Background: General surgery for patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is infrequent, however, general surgeons also occasionally experience it. Only a few reports have described the specific perioperative management appropriate for patients with LAM. Hence, in this case series, we aimed to investigate the surgical outcomes of LAM patients and their characteristics.

Auricular Cartilage Composite Graft for Glans Reconstruction After Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Penis.

Surgical procedures for squamous cell carcinoma of the penis generally involve primary closure, partial glansectomy, skin graft, and penile amputation. Partial penile resection can result in not only unsightly deformation of the penis but also functional disorders of the urinary line as well as psychological effects due to subjective perceptions of a loss of power and masculinity. With the use of an organ-preserving procedure for functional reconstruction without compromising oncological control, this report describes a new procedure for performing functional penile reconstruction with an auricular cartilage composite graft.

Effect of Exercise Instructions With Ambulatory Accelerometer in Japanese Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: a Randomized Control Trial.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of physical therapists' exercise instructions in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. Thirty-six participants were recruited from the outpatient clinic at Matsushita Memorial Hospital, Osaka, Japan from June 2020 to September 2020 and were randomly assigned to either the non-intervention or intervention group. The intervention group received exercise instructions from physical therapists for 30 min at baseline (week 0) and at week 4 by referring to ambulatory accelerometer records.

Inulin reduces visceral adipose tissue mass and improves glucose tolerance through altering gut metabolites.

Aim: Inulin, a soluble dietary fiber, is a source of energy for the host while the metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), produced in the gut through bacterial fermentation exerts the anti-obesity effect. In this study, we aimed to apply a metabolomics approach and clarify the role of this soluble dietary fiber on glucose and lipid metabolism under the calorie-matched condition.

Materials And Methods: Eight-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat/high-sucrose based diet containing maltodextrin or inulin for 12 weeks through calorie-matched pair feeding.

Impacts of long-term coronavirus disease 2019 school closures on Japanese school children.

Background: This study investigated the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic school closures on the mental health of school students with chronic diseases.

Methods: Questionnaires were distributed to students from 4th-9th grade diagnosed with chronic diseases at Osaka Medical College Hospital and their parents or caregivers. Questionnaires from 286 families were returned by mail after the schools reopened.

Kalman-Filter-Based Learning of Characteristic Profiles of Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The main analyzed aspect of lithium-ion battery (LIB) degradation so far has been capacity fading. On the other hand, interest in efficiency degradation has also increased in recent years. Battery aggregation, which is expected to absorb the surplus of variable renewable energies such as photovoltaic energy, is affected by efficiency degradation in terms of the decreases in the economic gain and renewable energy use.

Deformation of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Prostheses: Implications for Hypoattenuating Leaflet Thickening and Clinical Outcomes.

Background: Although transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) therapy continues to grow, there have been concerns about the occurrence of hypoattenuating leaflet thickening (HALT), which may affect prosthesis function or durability. This study aimed to examine prosthesis frame factors and correlate their extent to the frequency of HALT and clinical outcomes.

Methods: We prospectively examined 565 patients with cardiac computed tomography screening for HALT at 30 days after balloon-expandable SAPIEN3 and self-expanding EVOLUT TAVR.

Association of Left Ventricular Remodeling Assessment by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance With Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Aortic Regurgitation.

Importance: Chronic aortic regurgitation (AR) causes left ventricular (LV) volume overload, which results in progressive LV remodeling negatively affecting outcomes. Whether cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) volumetric quantification can provide incremental risk stratification over standard clinical and echocardiographic evaluation in patients with chronic moderate or severe AR is unknown.

Objective: To compare LV remodeling measurements by CMR and echocardiography between patients with and without heart failure symptoms and to verify the association of remodeling measurements of patients with chronic moderate or severe AR but no or minimal symptoms with clinical outcomes receiving medical management.

Relationship Between Episodic Nocturnal Hypercapnia and History of Exacerbations in Patients with Advanced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Purpose: An episodic increase in transcutaneous carbon dioxide pressure (PtcCO) is often recognized in patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by overnight PtcCO monitoring. This phenomenon, called episodic nocturnal hypercapnia (eNH), mainly corresponds to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep-related hypoventilation. However, it is unclear whether eNH is associated with the frequency of COPD exacerbation.

Impact of Eating Speed on Muscle Mass in Older Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Study of KAMOGAWA-DM Cohort.

Background And Aims: Maintenance of muscle mass is important for sarcopenia prevention. However, the effect of eating speed, especially fast, normal, or slow speed, on muscle mass changes remains unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this prospective study was to investigate the effect of eating speed on muscle mass changes in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

Home High-Flow Nasal Cannula Oxygen Therapy for Stable Hypercapnic COPD: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

The long-term effects of using a high-flow nasal cannula for chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease remain unclear. To assess whether long-term high-flow nasal cannula use reduces the number of exacerbations and improves other physiological parameters in patients with chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We enrolled 104 participants (aged ⩾40 yr) with daytime hypercapnia (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease stages 2-4) receiving long-term oxygen therapy (⩾16 h/d for ⩾1 mo) and randomly assigned them to high-flow nasal cannula/long-term oxygen therapy and long-term oxygen therapy groups.

Relationship between serum creatinine to cystatin C ratio and subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Introduction: Sarcopenia index (SI), calculated by (serum creatinine/cystatin C)×100, is reported to be associated with sarcopenia. Few studies reported the association between SI and subclinical atherosclerosis. We evaluated the association between SI and subclinical atherosclerosis, assessed by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV).

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 expression and immunotherapy efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer.

It is unclear whether tumor vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 expression affects the therapeutic efficacy of immune-checkpoint inhibitors and antiangiogenic agents. This retrospective, multicenter study included patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who were treated with immune-checkpoint inhibitors. We constructed tissue microarrays and performed immunohistochemistry with an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 antibody.

Dietary Fiber Intake Is Related to Skeletal Muscle Mass, Body Fat Mass, and Muscle-to-Fat Ratio Among People With Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between dietary fiber intake and skeletal muscle mass, body fat mass, and muscle-to-fat ratio (MFR) among men and women with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 260 men and 200 women with T2D. Percent skeletal muscle mass (%) or percent body fat mass (%) was calculated as (appendicular muscle mass [kg] or body fat mass [kg]/body weight [kg]) × 100.

Antimelanoma Differentiation-Associated Gene 5 Antibody-Positive Interstitial Lung Disease After Vaccination With COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines.

Objective: Melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) is a viral RNA sensor induced by SARS-CoV-2. Similarities have been reported between the clinical presentations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia and anti-MDA5 antibody-positive interstitial lung disease (anti-MDA5-ILD). However, it is unknown whether COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are associated with anti-MDA5-ILD.