Publications by authors named "Fukami A"

Objective Data on the role of sleep in the risk of insulin resistance (IR) are lacking. We therefore examined the association between sleep duration and IR in a general Japanese population. Methods Data of 1,344 individuals 34 to 89 years old from the Tanushimaru Study were analysed.

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Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is an adipocytokine elevated in obese subjects. We have previously reported that serum HGF levels were significantly associated with insulin resistance or components of the metabolic syndrome. However, it has been unknown how physical activity (PA) affects HGF levels after a long-term follow-up.

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  • Researchers are studying liver disease caused by mutations in the TJP2 gene, which leads to serious health issues like liver failure and cancer.
  • They created a model using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and CRISPR technology to mimic the disease symptoms found in affected patients.
  • The study found that the iPSC-derived hepatocytes showed disrupted cell structures and impaired bile acid transport, closely resembling the conditions of individuals with TJP2 deficiency, paving the way for future drug development and research.
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Severe hypertension in pregnancy is a hypertensive crisis that requires urgent and intensive care due to its high maternal and fetal mortality. However, there is still a conflict of opinion on the recommendations of antihypertensive therapy. This study aimed to identify the optimal blood pressure (BP) levels to prevent severe hypertension in pregnant women with nonsevere hypertension.

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Although we have found that increased serum levels of glyceraldehyde-derived advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are associated with numerous aging-related disorders, it remains unclear which structurally distinct AGEs could be a reliable biomarker of the healthy life-threatening disorders. Since pentosidine is produced by glyceraldehyde, we measured here urinary pentosidine levels with a newly developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, which requires no pretreatment with acid hydrolysis and heat, and examined their correlations with geriatric syndrome, such as musculoskeletal disease, frailty, and cognitive impairment, in a general population. Multiple regression analysis revealed that female, age, history of fracture after fall, and taking medication for diabetes were independent correlates of log urine pentosidine-to-creatinine ratio ( = 0.

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Clinical characteristics of nutrition status in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients with cancer remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the differences of clinical parameters, including nutrition status, between AMI patients with and without history of cancer. This retrospective cohort study, using the database of AMI between 2014 and 2019 in Kurume University Hospital, enrolled 411 patients; AMI patients without cancer ( = 358, 87.

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Background: Remnant-like particle cholesterol (RLP-C) is highly atherogenic, which is associated with atherosclerosis. However, RLP-C has not been routinely measured in the clinical practice. We estimated RLP-C levels using conventional lipid profiles and examined the association between estimated RLP-C and related factors including nutrient intake.

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Background: Elevated blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) disease. But the effects of sodium intake or excretion on CV mortality are uncertain. The present study aimed to investigate the association between 24 h urinary sodium excretion, as a marker of dietary salt intake, and CV or cancer mortality in a healthy Japanese population using 24 hurine collection.

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Background: There is little data on the association between the lower nutrition represented by serum albumin levels and related factors in a general population. The present study aimed to determine whether the albumin level positioned as some kind of biomarker with frailty measures, trace elements, and an inflammation marker.

Methods: In 2018, we performed an epidemiological survey in 1368 subjects who resided in Tanushimaru, Japan, in which we examined the blood chemistry including albumin, trace elements, hormone levels, and carotid ultrasonography.

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  • This study explores the relationship between elevated levels of homocysteine (Hcy) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and the risk of all-cause mortality in a general population.
  • Conducted over a 20-year period with 517 participants in Japan, it found a significant association between high Hcy levels and increased death rates, with elevated Hcy and ADMA showing a synergistic effect.
  • The findings are noteworthy as it's the first study to simultaneously measure Hcy and ADMA levels in this group, highlighting their combined impact on mortality risk.
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The bile salt export pump (BSEP) is responsible for the export of bile acid from hepatocytes. Impaired transcellular transport of bile acids in hepatocytes with mutations in BSEP causes cholestasis. Compensatory mechanisms to regulate the intracellular bile acid concentration in human hepatocytes with BSEP deficiency remain unclear.

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Aim: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) has been identified as an important regulator of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor processing. Evolocumab and alirocumab are PCSK9 inhibitors; however, little is known about the association between PCSK9 levels and lipid profiles in a general population. Because PCSK9 inhibitors have LDL-C lowering effects, we investigated whether there is a positive correlation between serum PCSK9 levels and LDL-C or lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)].

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Insulin-like growth factors are polypeptides, with arrays similar to insulin, and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is secreted via stimulation by growth hormone (GH) in the liver. The lack of both GH and IGF-1 leads to physiological age-related changes in the cardiovascular system; however, the role of IGF-1 and GH in hypertension has not been fully elucidated. Thus, we examined the association between plasma IGF-1 and GH levels and hypertension.

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  • The study investigates the prevalence of sarcopenia and its subtypes in cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients compared to community-dwelling (CD) adults, finding significantly higher rates of sarcopenia and related conditions among CVD patients.
  • CVD patients exhibited malnutrition and impaired motor function, particularly in females, and were generally younger than the CD adults with sarcopenia.
  • A new formula for diagnosing sarcopenia, which includes factors like sex, weight, and calf circumference, showed high sensitivity and specificity, offering a simpler method for assessing this condition in clinical settings.
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We investigated the relationship between time trends in nutrient intake and coronary risk factors/mortality rates in Tanushimaru, a Japanese cohort of the Seven Countries Study. All men between the ages of 40 and 64 were enrolled. Subjects numbered 628 in 1958, 539 in 1977, 602 in 1982, 752 in 1989, 402 in 1999, 329 in 2009, and 160 in 2018.

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Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) frequently coexists with coronary artery disease (CAD). The ankle-brachial index (ABI) is widely used for the screening for PAD. Low ABI is associated with short-term clinical outcomes in patients receiving coronary drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation.

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It is well known that subjects with metabolic syndrome show an elevated resting heart rate. We previously reported that elevated heart rate was significantly related to all-cause mortality, and that coffee consumption was inversely associated with metabolic syndrome. We hypothesized that higher coffee consumption may decrease all-cause mortality by reducing resting heart rate.

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  • A study conducted in Uku, Nagasaki, Japan, involving 445 residents, examined the relationship between serum TSP-2 levels and various health risk factors through blood tests and statistical analysis.
  • Findings showed that TSP-2 levels correlated significantly with factors like plasma glucose, insulin resistance, inflammation markers, and history of heart-related conditions, highlighting its potential role in predicting heart disease in the general population.
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Aims: It is well known that a decline in physical activity is associated with an increase of all-cause death including cardiovascular events and cancer. Few studies have examined the association between occupational sitting time and mortality. Therefore, we investigated this issue in a general population.

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Background: Few studies have examined the relationship between accurate monitoring of sodium or potassium consumption and mortality. We aimed to investigate the association between 24-hour urinary sodium or potassium excretion and ≈30-year mortality in a Japanese population using 24-hour urine collection.

Methods And Results: We enrolled a total of 1291 participants, aged 21 to 85 years, who underwent health checkups, including a blood test and 24-hour urine collection.

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Background And Aims: Cognitive impairment is an important element affecting our well-being, and as such, early diagnosis is critical today. We investigated whether serum cystatin C and microalbuminuria are associated with cognitive impairment.

Methods: A total of 1943 subjects (774 males, 1169 females, mean age 65.

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Background: Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) is a multifunctional cytokine. There is growing evidence that TGF-β1 is involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension and the development of target organ damage in hypertensives. Although several studies have shown that TGF-β1 induced vascular hypertrophy and remodelling in various vascular diseases, there are no longitudinal data on hypertension in the epidemiological studies.

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  • Accumulation of visceral fat can lead to metabolic syndrome and a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, highlighting the need for early recognition and intervention in the general population.
  • The study explores the use of the OMRON DUALSCAN, a bioelectrical impedance analysis device, as an alternative method to measure visceral fat area (VFA) quickly and without radiation exposure.
  • Results showed that VFA measurements correlated significantly with weight, BMI, and waist circumference, confirming the DUALSCAN's effectiveness for assessing visceral fat in a large population during health examinations.*
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Background: An understanding of the trends in regard to coronary risk factors and electrocardiogram (ECG) findings has an important role in public health. We investigated the trends in coronary risk factors and main ECG findings in 1977, 1989, 1999, and 2009 in the Japanese cohort of the Seven Countries Study, in Tanushimaru, a typical farming town on Kyushu Island.

Methods And Results: A total of 1397 subjects (231 in 1977, 332 in 1989, 389 in 1999, and 445 in 2009) were enrolled in this study, and all of them were males aged over 65 years.

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We investigated the relationship between augmentation index (AI) and smoking habits in community-dwelling Japanese.This cross-sectional study enrolled 1926 subjects (769 males and 1157 females) aged 40 to 95 years who underwent a health check-up in a Japanese cohort of the Seven Countries Study, in Tanushimaru, a typical farming town in Kyushu Island in 2009. The subjects' medical history, alcohol intake, smoking habit, and current medications for hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes were ascertained by questionnaire.

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