The appearance of scalp high-frequency oscillations is associated with poor seizure control in pediatric epilepsy patients.

Objective: Epilepsy treatment with anti-seizure medications (ASMs) is based on careful assessment of the balance between the likelihood of further seizures and the risk of side effects of treatment. However, there is currently no established biomarker to ascertain seizure control status with ASMs. High-frequency oscillations (HFOs), transient bursts of EEG activity with frequencies beyond 80 Hz, are a new and promising noninvasive epilepsy biomarker.

Association of Scalp High-Frequency Oscillation Detection and Characteristics With Disease Activity in Pediatric Epilepsy.

Introduction: High-frequency oscillation (HFO) in scalp electroencephalography is a promising new noninvasive prognostic epilepsy biomarker, but further data are needed to ascertain the utility of this parameter. The present work investigated the association between epileptic activity and scalp HFO in pediatric patients with various types of epilepsy, using multivariable regression models to correct for possible confounding factors.

Methods: The authors analyzed 97 subjects who were divided into groups with active epilepsy (within 1 year of seizure), seizure-free epilepsy (>1 year without seizure), and nonepilepsy.

The Ratio of miR-122 to miR-20a (miR-122/miR-20a) Is a Useful Minimally Invasive Biomarker for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Detection.

The increasing prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a global health problem. NAFLD has few initial symptoms and may be difficult to detect early, so there is need for a minimally invasive early detection marker. We hypothesized that miR-122 and miR-20a levels combined, as the miR-122/miR-20a ratio might detect NAFLD more sensitively.

Association between the Extent of Peripheral Blood DNA Methylation of and Accumulation of Adiposity in community-dwelling Women: The Yakumo Study.

Introduction: DNA methylation in the CpG sites of intron 1 of is associated with body mass index (BMI). This cross-sectional study investigated correlations between DNA methylation of and BMI or adiposity parameters in the Japanese population.

Method: DNA methylation of was quantified via pyrosequencing.

Increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the serum of persons with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

The increasing prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global health problem. In recent years, the inhibitory effect of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on diabetes mellitus and fatty liver has been clarified. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between serum BDNF and NAFLD which caused by abnormal metabolism of glucose and lipids.

Evaluation of perinatal autonomic development in infants using the QT/RR variability ratio.

Objectives: Development of the autonomic nervous system may play a role in myocardial repolarization lability in infants, but its relationship to repolarization abnormalities remains unclear. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between gestational age and ventricular repolarization lability using the variability ratio (VR).

Methods: Infants who underwent electrocardiography at a 1-month check-up were included (n=209; 125 males).

Association of circulating miR-20a, miR-27a, and miR-126 with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in general population.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is closely associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type II diabetes mellitus. Recently, circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have been proposed as useful disease biomarkers. We examined whether circulating miRNAs, such as miR-20a, miR-27a, and miR-126, were useful biomarkers for NAFLD.

Oxidized human serum albumin as a possible correlation factor for atherosclerosis in a rural Japanese population: the results of the Yakumo Study.

Background: The effect of the redox state of human serum albumin (HSA) on the antioxidant properties of the entire body has been a focus of recent research. The usefulness of HSA redox state as a biomarker for reducing oxidative stress has been investigated in clinical settings; however, evidence for its significance as a health index in non-clinical settings is yet to be established. This study aimed to examine the associations between HSA redox state and the atherosclerotic indices of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque formation in a rural Japanese population.

Association of subcutaneous and visceral fat with circulating microRNAs in a middle-aged Japanese population.

Purpose It has been demonstrated that circulating microRNA profiles are affected by physiological conditions. Several studies have demonstrated that microRNAs play important roles in the regulation of adiposity. However, few have investigated the relationship between circulating microRNAs and obesity, which has become a major public health problem worldwide.

HLA-DQ gene polymorphisms are associated with hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatitis B surface antigen in chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Aim: Genome-wide association studies have revealed that single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQ is associated with the clearance of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. We examined the effects of SNPs on the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and markers of HBV in chronic HBV infection.

Methods: The SNPs of HLA-DQ (rs2856718 and rs7453920) were determined in 299 patients with chronic HBV infection.

The NAFLD Index: A Simple and Accurate Screening Tool for the Prediction of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Objective: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common debilitating condition in many industrialized countries that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to derive a simple and accurate screening tool for the prediction of NAFLD in the Japanese population.

Methods: A total of 945 participants, 279 men and 666 women living in Hokkaido, Japan, were enrolled among residents who attended a health check-up program from 2010 to 2014.

Changes of shear-wave velocity by interferon-based therapy in chronic hepatitis C.

Aim: To evaluate the changes of shear-wave velocity (Vs) by acoustic radiation force impulse after treatment in chronic hepatitis C.

Methods: Eighty-seven patients with chronic hepatitis C were consecutively treated with combinations of interferon (IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV). Vs value (m/s) was measured with acoustic radiation force impulse before treatment, at end of treatment (EOT), 1 year after EOT, and 2 years after EOT.

PNPLA3 I148M associations with liver carcinogenesis in Japanese chronic hepatitis C patients.

Aim: To investigate associations between patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (PNPLA3) genotypes and fibrosis and hepatocarcinogenesis in Japanese chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients.

Methods: Two hundred and thirty-one patients with CHC were examined for PNPLA3 genotypes, liver stiffness measurements (LSM), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from May 2010 to October 2012 at Fujita Health University Hospital. The rs738409 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) encoding for a functional PNPLA3 I148M protein variant was genotyped using a TaqMan predesigned SNP genotyping assay.

Association between serum levels of carotenoids and serum asymmetric dimethylarginine levels in Japanese subjects.

Background: Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an endogenous inhibitor of endothelium nitric oxide synthase (NOS). ADMA binds to a substrate-binding site of NOS and then inhibits nitric oxide production from vascular endothelial cells. Elevated ADMA levels are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Factors correlating with acoustic radiation force impulse elastography in chronic hepatitis C.

Aim: To investigate the factors other than fibrosis stage correlating with acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastograpy in chronic hepatitis C.

Methods: ARFI elastograpy was performed in 108 consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis C who underwent a liver biopsy. The proportion of fibrosis area in the biopsy specimens was measured by computer-assisted morphometric image analysis.

Association of serum carotenoid levels with urinary albumin excretion in a general Japanese population: the Yakumo study.

Background: Albuminuria is a risk factor for not only nephropathy progression but also cardiovascular disease. Oxidative stress may have a role in the positive association between albuminuria and cardiovascular disease.

Methods: This cross-sectional study investigated the associations of serum levels of carotenoids, which are dietary antioxidants, with albuminuria among 501 Japanese adults (198 men, mean age ± SD: 66.

Associations between circulating microRNAs (miR-21, miR-34a, miR-122 and miR-451) and non-alcoholic fatty liver.

Background: In many industrialized countries, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is recognized as an important disease that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Most people with NAFLD are asymptomatic, and the disease is discovered incidentally during clinical laboratory tests. Present screening methods for NAFLD use ultrasound, and CT scans that are time-consuming, and a simple screening method for NAFLD is needed.

Association of serum carotenoid levels with N-terminal pro-brain-type natriuretic peptide: a cross-sectional study in Japan.

Background: Several epidemiologic studies have reported an inverse association between serum levels of carotenoids and cardiovascular disease risk. However, no studies have reported an association between serum carotenoids and N-terminal pro-brain-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in the general population.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we investigated whether serum carotenoids were associated with serum NT-proBNP in 1056 Japanese subjects (390 men, 666 women) who attended a health examination.

The stiffness parameter β assessed by an ultrasonic phase-locked echo-tracking system is associated with plaque formation in the common carotid artery.

Purpose: Assessment of plaque formation in the common carotid artery (CCA) is important for stratification of the risk of subsequent stroke. The stiffness parameter β, which can be assessed using an ultrasonic phase-locked echo-tracking system, was developed to evaluate arterial stiffness. The purpose this study was to examine the relationship of the stiffness parameter β to intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque formation.

Reduction of liver stiffness by antiviral therapy in chronic hepatitis B.

Background: Liver stiffness (LS) has been reported to correlate with fibrosis stage (F). The correlation between LS and fibrosis stage and the reduction of LS by antiviral therapy were examined in patients with hepatitis B infection.

Methods: LS was measured by FibroScan in 212 patients infected with hepatitis B virus.

Liver stiffness in extrahepatic cholestasis correlates positively with bilirubin and negatively with alanine aminotransferase.

Aim:   Transient elastography is a non-invasive tool to measure liver stiffness (LS), which has been reported to correlate with stage of liver fibrosis. Extrahepatic cholestasis was reported to cause elevated LS, which is considered to be attributed to the increased hydrostatic pressure in the liver. In the present study, the correlation of LS with laboratory data was investigated in extrahepatic cholestasis.

A new index for non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis.

Aim: To construct and evaluate a new non-invasive fibrosis index for assessment of the stage of liver fibrosis.

Methods: A new fibrosis index (Fibro-Stiffness index) was developed in 165 of 285 patients with chronic hepatitis C, and was validated in the other 120 patients where liver biopsy was performed. Its usefulness was compared with liver stiffness (LS) measured by FibroScan, the aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index, the Forns index and the FibroIndex.

Reduction of liver stiffness by interferon treatment in the patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Aim: To assess the regression of liver fibrosis after interferon (IFN) treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C, liver stiffness (LS) was measured repeatedly and the factors associated with reduction of LS were assessed.

Methods: LS was measured by transient elastography before treatment, at end of treatment (EOT), and 1 year and 2 years after EOT in 145 patients with chronic hepatitis C treated by IFN with or without ribavirin.

Results: In the patients with sustained virological response (SVR) (n = 93) and relapsers (n = 28), LS significantly decreased at EOT (median, 5.

Liver stiffness measured by transient elastography correlates with fibrosis area in liver biopsy in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Aim: Liver stiffness (LS) measured by transient elastography (TE) has been reported to correlate with liver fibrosis, which is usually semiquantitatively assessed. In the present study, the fibrosis area was measured by image analysis software in liver biopsy specimens and its correlation with LS was assessed.

Methods: LS was measured by TE in all 165 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who underwent liver biopsy consecutively in Fujita Health University Hospital from July 2004 to September 2007.

Association of abdominal obesity with decreased serum levels of carotenoids in a healthy Japanese population.

Background & Aims: Few epidemiological studies have investigated the relationship between abdominal adiposity and serum levels of carotenoids. This study investigated the relationship between total and abdominal obesity and serum levels of carotenoids.

Methods: Study population consisted of healthy Japanese males (n=192) and females (n=398) who attended a health examination screening (age: 49-86 years).