Publications by authors named "Junta Takahashi"

Article Synopsis
  • In 2019, Japan's Ministry of Health highlighted the need for "Kayoi-no-ba" initiatives, but did not offer specific guidance or evaluation methods for local governments to implement these initiatives effectively.
  • Researchers created a framework called "ACT-RECIPE," consisting of six evaluation phases: understanding needs, assessing current status, building teams, implementing initiatives, evaluating results, and making adjustments.
  • The final framework was tested in 50 municipalities in Tokyo to score the effectiveness of their "Kayoi-no-ba" initiatives and analyze their correlation with the number of such initiatives available per 1,000 older residents.
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This study examined the ability of a computer-based cognitive assessment tool (CompBased-CAT) to predict mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in community-dwelling older adults. A two-year longitudinal study was conducted using data from 2016 to 2018 from the Otassha study cohort of community-dwelling older adults. MCI was defined as a Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) score of <27.

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Exercise training (Ex) has anti-hypertensive and renal protective effects. In this study, we investigate the effects of Ex on mitochondrial fatty acid metabolism in the kidneys of Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl-S) rats fed a high-salt (HS) diet. Eight-week-old, male Dahl-S rats were divided into three groups: (1) normal-salt diet, sedentary (NS-Sed), (2) HS diet, sedentary (HS-Sed), and (3) HS-Ex.

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Introduction: A prior study showed an association between diversity in daily activities (type, frequency, evenness) and frailty in older adults. However, the causality of this relationship is unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the relationship between activity diversity and frailty through a 2-year longitudinal study conducted among community-dwelling older adults.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on "Kayoi-no-ba" (places to go) that encourage older adults to participate in voluntary groups aimed at delaying the need for long-term care by promoting engagement and activities.
  • Researchers evaluated 175 groups across Tokyo, assessing them based on participant diversity (age, gender, health) and community autonomy (management roles of residents).
  • The groups were categorized into four types: "Physical Exercises," "Multi-purpose," "Social Interaction Oriented," and "Non-Interaction," revealing that the Multi-purpose group had a wider age range and more residents involved in management.
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Background: Ground reaction force during sit-to-stand motion is related to lower extremity strength, and such measurements indicating weak muscle strength, may be linked to sarcopenia. We aimed to examine and describe the relationship between sarcopenia and ground reaction force during sit-to-stand motion to develop a diagnostic tool.

Research Question: Can ground reaction force during sit-to-stand motion help detect sarcopenia?

Methods: This study included 627 community-dwelling older adults who were divided into non-sarcopenia and sarcopenia groups to compare ground reaction force parameters.

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Aim: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic remains a major global public health issue, and it has led to restrictions in physical and social activities among community-dwelling people, including frail older adults. This study aimed to determine the impact of the pandemic on the subjective health status and characteristics of community-dwelling frail older adults by assessing their knowledge of infection, behaviors and negative psychological response.

Methods: During October 2019, 720 older adults participated in "The Otassha Study.

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Purpose: Deterioration of daily activities increases frailty risk. Most of the previous research has examined the association between frailty and specific activities; nevertheless, the diversity of daily activities is also important. Although the type, frequency, and evenness of daily activities have been proposed as indicators of activity diversity, the association between these indicators and frailty remains unclear.

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Objectives: Ground reaction force (GRF) during sit-to-stand motion is associated with lower extremity strength and balance function. The relationship between GRF and experience of falls has been reported; however, there are no reports on whether GRF can predict the incidence of future falls. We aimed to evaluate the ability of GRF to predict falls and compare GRF with existing predictors.

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Recent research has suggested that the breadth and evenness of activity and activity diversity contribute to health outcomes among older adults. However, few established assessment tools for activity diversity have been developed. This study developed an Activity Diversity Questionnaire (ADQ) for older adults through expert consultation and a preliminary survey among 18 community-dwelling older adults.

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Objective: Exercise training has antihypertensive and renoprotective effects in humans and rats. However, the effects of exercise training on renal disorders that occur with salt-sensitive hypertension remains unclear. The study aim was to investigate the effects and mechanisms of exercise training on renal function in a rat model of salt-sensitive hypertension.

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Aim: The Mini-Mental State Examination is a widely used cognitive assessment tool. However, it has several limitations, including the learning effect and interrater reliability. Therefore, we developed a Computer-Based Cognitive Assessment Tool (CompBased-CAT), which runs on a tablet or personal computer.

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Background: Xanthine oxidase (XO) is a source of reactive oxygen species production in the heart. However, pathophysiological role of XO has not been clarified in hypertensive heart disease. Thus, the present study examined the impacts of high salt (HS) intake and febuxostat (Fx), a XO inhibitor in Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl-S) rats.

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