Publications by authors named "Kon K"

Objectives: Although exercise-induced vascular adaptations have been extensively reported in racket sports athletes, the applicability of these findings to athletes in other overhead sports is unclear. This study aimed to investigate exercise-induced vascular adaptations in college male baseball players. Furthermore, since the training frequency of the upper arm may differ by baseball playing position, this study also focused on playing position-specific differences in brachial arterial adaptations.

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Lipid rafts are subdomains of the cell membrane that are rich in cholesterol and glycolipids, and they are involved in various cellular processes and pathophysiological mechanisms. However, the specific role of lipid rafts in hepatocyte dysfunction during the pathogenesis of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the impact of lipid rafts on insulin sensitivity and hepatocyte injury induced by saturated free fatty acids (sFFAs) using primary-cultured mouse hepatocytes.

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Objectives: Early specialization in a single sport from childhood is associated with an increased risk for acute and overuse injuries. Conversely, experience in multiple sports may be associated with improved neuromuscular control and performance. Currently, early sports specialization remains poorly researched in Japan.

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Introduction: Prompt diagnosis and management of septic arthritis are pivotal for early infection eradication, joint preservation, and prevention of quality-of-life impact consequences. Total hip arthroplasty has been introduced for the management of severe destructive septic arthritis with the aims to eradicate infection while preserving hip function. Few case studies have been done on two-stage exchange total hip arthroplasty for treatment of native hip septic arthritis using prosthesis with antibiotic-loaded acrylic cement articulating spacer with generally good outcomes.

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Background: Hip fractures are a common and debilitating condition posing not only a huge health care but also socioeconomic burden. Surgical management for a neck of femur fracture is typically with arthroplasty in the form of total hip arthroplasty or hip hemiarthroplasty. Serial radiographs are typically performed routinely as part of follow-up to look for complications, although their clinical utility in asymptomatic patients is yet to be validated.

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  • Scientists studied how sleep is regulated in male mice, especially after staying awake for a long time.
  • They found that a special protein called CaMKII helps control certain brain cells (called PV neurons) that are important for sleep.
  • When these PV neurons become more active, it leads to more rebound sleep, which happens after being awake for too long.
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Background: While treatment is a definitive therapeutic component in the management of inflammatory skin conditions, adjunctive skin care comprising of appropriate cleansing, moisturization, and photoprotection are just as important. Cleansing, treatment, moisturization, and photoprotection (CTMP) constitute the four major components of holistic skincare routine for dermatological conditions. However, inadequate patient understanding of the condition, limited resources for physicians, and insufficient time for patient education during busy dermatological consultations are the main obstacles to establishing a holistic skincare routine in the real world.

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  • Acne is a common skin condition that significantly affects the self-confidence and social interactions of patients, especially those of Asian descent, due to increased susceptibility to scarring and hyperpigmentation.
  • Many Asia-Pacific countries lack comprehensive guidelines for acne management, contributing to suboptimal care, and existing guidelines often do not get updated regularly.
  • The article emphasizes the need for better understanding and management of acne treatments, highlighting the efficacy of topical retinoids, particularly trifarotene, which has shown promise in reducing acne scars.
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This technique presents a new fabrication workflow for a three-dimensional (3D) printed custom tray, which duplicates the morphology of the treatment denture for maxillofacial prostheses using an intraoral scanner, computer-aided design (CAD) software, and a 3D printer. A 70-year-old man underwent reconstruction of segmental mandibulectomy for mandibular osteoblastoma, followed by implant placement and secondary surgery. During the surgical treatment, a treatment denture was fabricated to restore oral function and determine the morphology of the definitive denture.

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Sleep disorders are associated with increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Lemborexant, a dual orexin receptor antagonist (DORA), is clinically used to treat insomnia. However, the influence of lemborexant on sleep and glucose metabolism in type 2 diabetic state has remained unknown.

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Aim: Following the coronavirus disease outbreak, a state of public emergency was declared worldwide, which enforced lifestyle changes. This study therefore aimed to investigate the changes in lifestyle, body composition, hepatic steatosis, and fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) under lockdown.

Methods: During the lockdown period, 1344 patients with CLD answered a lifestyle questionnaire.

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The catalytic combustion of methane at a low temperature is becoming increasingly key to controlling unburned CH emissions from natural gas vehicles and power plants, although the low activity of benchmark platinum-group-metal catalysts hinders its broad application. Based on automated reaction route mapping, we explore main-group elements catalysts containing Si and Al for low-temperature CH combustion with ozone. Computational screening of the active site predicts that strong Brønsted acid sites are promising for methane combustion.

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Since diagnostic laboratories handle large COVID-19 samples, researchers have established laboratory-based assays and developed biosensor prototypes. Both share the same purpose; to ascertain the occurrence of air and surface contaminations by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, the biosensors further utilize internet-of-things (IoT) technology to monitor COVID-19 virus contamination, specifically in the diagnostic laboratory setting.

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The alpheid shrimp genus Metabetaeus Borradaile, 1899 was previously known from two species associated with anchialine pools and caves, M. minutus (Whitelegge, 1897) and M. lohena Banner & Banner, 1960, and one species inhabiting in coral reef, M.

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A chiral amidophosphate-N-iodosuccinimide cooperative catalysis has been developed for the site-, diastereo-, and enantioselective iodocyclization of 2-geranylarenols with molecular iodine to give the corresponding iodo-containing polycyclic compounds with good levels of selectivity. This is the first example of a catalytic enantioselective iodocarbocyclization. A reactive chiral iodonium species is generated from molecular iodine via the dual halogen-bonding interactions with a chiral Lewis base and Lewis acid.

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Given the industrial importance of (meth)acrylate esters, various groups have devoted considerable effort to investigating their chemoselective transesterification. In 2021, we developed magnesium(ii) and sodium(i) complexes derived from 2,6-di--butyl--cresol (BHT-H) as chemoselective catalysts for the transesterification of methyl acrylate (MA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA), respectively. Based on our results, we report the discovery of magnesium(ii) and sodium(i) salts derived from 6,6'-(propane-2,2'-diyl)bis(2,4-di--butylphenol) (PBTP-H), Mg(PBTP) and Na(PBTP), which are 41 and 81 times more effective catalysts than Mg(BHT) and Na(BHT) for the transesterification of MA and MMA, respectively.

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Objectives: This study aimed to examine the influences of tennis service exercise on cardiac output (CO) and bilateral brachial hemodynamics in young tennis players.

Design: Experimental study.

Methods: Ten young male tennis players (21 ± 2 years of age) participated.

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Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) occasionally occurs under obesity; however, factors modulating the natural history of fatty liver disease remain unknown. Since hypothalamic orexin that regulates physical activity and autonomic balance prevents obesity, we investigate its role in NASH development. Male orexin-deficient mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) show severe obesity and progression of NASH with fibrosis in the liver.

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  • Haglund's deformity, or posterosuperior calcaneal prominence, can cause painful retrocalcaneal bursitis, often requiring surgery if conservative treatments fail.
  • Surgical options include both open and endoscopic methods, focusing on removing the bursa, reducing the calcaneal prominence, and cleaning up the Achilles tendon.
  • A review of 20 relevant studies indicates that both surgical approaches effectively improve patient outcomes, with endoscopic surgery showing benefits like shorter surgery times and fewer complications, but more research is needed for optimization.
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  • Recent advancements in tissue clearing technologies allow researchers to examine the entire mouse brain in detail, creating a need for effective data analysis tools.
  • CUBIC-Cloud is introduced as a cloud-based system that automates the analysis, visualization, and integration of whole-brain datasets for users.
  • The platform has been applied in various studies, including analyzing cell type distribution, Alzheimer's disease plaque deposition, neuronal activity during inflammation, and mapping brain connectivity.
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Ebselen, a multifunctional organoselenium compound, has been recognized as a potential treatment for diabetes-related disorders. However, the underlying mechanisms whereby ebselen regulates metabolic pathways remain elusive. We discovered that ebselen inhibits lipid phosphatase SHIP2 (Src homology 2 domain-containing inositol-5-phosphatase 2), an emerging drug target to ameliorate insulin resistance in diabetes.

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Context: Strengthening of ankle plantar flexor muscles is one of the important components in the rehabilitation of many lower limb injuries and disorders. However, there are few simple methods to evaluate ankle plantar flexor strength in clinical situations without using equipment. The purpose of this study was to verify the intraexaminer and interexaminer reliability and the concurrent validity of a novel ankle isometric plantar flexion (PF) strength test (PF break test [PFBT]).

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Japan has many coastal carbon dioxide seeps as it is one of the most volcanically active parts of the world. These shallow seeps do not have the spectacular aggregations of specialist fauna seen in deep-sea vent systems but they do have gradients in seawater carbonate chemistry that are useful as natural analogues of the effects of ocean acidification on marine biodiversity, ecosystem function and fisheries. Here, we compare macroinvertebrate diversity and abundance on rocky habitats at ambient (mean ≤ 410 µatm) and high (mean 971-1484 µatm) levels of seawater CO in the warm-temperate region of Japan, avoiding areas with toxic sulphur or warm-water conditions.

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  • Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) are rising globally, especially among individuals with metabolic syndrome, highlighting the need for specific markers to assess alcohol consumption.
  • In a study of 120 patients with fatty liver disease, the ratio of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin to total transferrin (%CDT) was found to correlate significantly with alcohol consumption levels, with specific cutoff values established for identifying non-light and heavy drinkers.
  • %CDT emerged as a reliable marker for monitoring alcohol intake, independent of liver damage or metabolic syndrome factors, thus aiding in the diagnosis of NAFLD and ALD.
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