Questionnaire-based scoring system for screening moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in middle-aged Japanese workers.

Objectives: Currently available questionnaires have limited ability to measure physical activity (PA) using accelerometers as a gold standard. This study aimed to develop a PA questionnaire for middle-aged Japanese workers and propose a PA scoring system for predicting low moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA).

Methods: A total of 428 participants (median age 49 years; 75.

Density predictive model for an outbreak in adult female Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Japan.

We developed a predictive model for activities and outbreaks of female Aedes albopictus Skuse, using meteorological data. The number of Ae. albopictus collected from human bait-sweep net collection (h-BNC) surveillance, conducted by the local government between 2010 and 2019 in Japan, was adopted as a mosquito-activity indicator.

Elevated arsenic level in fasting serum via ingestion of fish meat increased the risk of hypertension in humans and mice.

Aims: There has been a shortage of human studies to elucidate the association between serum arsenic levels and the prevalence of hypertension. This study multidirectionally investigated associations among arsenic exposure, dietary ingestion, and the risk of hypertension by combined human epidemiological and mouse experimental studies.

Methods And Results: This study focused on the total arsenic level in fasting serum, a biomarker of arsenic exposure.

Associations of Genome-Wide Polygenic Risk Score and Risk Factors With Hypertension in a Japanese Population.

Background: Although many polygenic risk scores (PRS) for cardiovascular traits have been developed in European populations, it is an urgent task to construct a PRS and to evaluate its ability in non-European populations. We developed a genome-wide PRS for blood pressure in a Japanese population and examined the associations between this PRS and hypertension prevalence.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study in 11 252 Japanese individuals who participated in the J-MICC (Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort) study.

OAT10/SLC22A13 Acts as a Renal Urate Re-Absorber: Clinico-Genetic and Functional Analyses With Pharmacological Impacts.

Dysfunctional missense variant of (/), rs117371763 (c.1129C>T; p.R377C), is associated with a lower susceptibility to gout.

Temporal trend and cross-sectional characterization of urinary concentrations of glyphosate in Japanese children from 2006 to 2015.

Background: Over the past two decades, domestic shipments of glyphosate (Gly), in the form of an ionic salt, have been increasing steadily in Japan. This increase has raising concerns about the effects of chemical exposure on children. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified Gly as a "probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A)" in 2015.

Investigation of miRNA expression profiles using cohort samples reveals potential early detectability of colorectal cancers by serum miR-26a-5p before clinical diagnosis.

Previous studies have investigated the usefulness of microRNA (miRNA/miR) expression data for the early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, limited data are available regarding miRNAs that detect CRC before clinical diagnoses. Accordingly, the present study investigated the early detectability of CRC by miRNAs using the preserved serum samples of the cohort participants affected with CRC within 2 years of study enrollment.

Prognostic score based on physical frailty in patients with heart failure: a multicenter prospective cohort study (FLAGSHIP).

Background: In patients with heart failure (HF), physical frailty should be assessed to enable risk stratification. No conventional frailty criteria have so far been developed considering HF-specific outcomes. This study aimed to propose a frailty-based prognostic score using a nationwide cohort study of Japanese patients with HF.

Human Nonmercaptalbumin Is a New Biomarker of Motor Function.

The ratio of human nonmercaptalbumin (HNA) and reduced albumin (HMA) may be a new marker for oxidative stress. Locomotive syndrome (LS) is reduced mobility due to impairment of locomotive organs. We investigated whether the HNA/HMA ratio could be a new biomarker of LS.

Assessing the Relationship Between High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein and Kidney Function Employing Mendelian Randomization in the Japanese Community-based J-MICC Study.

Background: Inflammation is thought to be a risk factor for kidney disease. However, whether inflammatory status is either a cause or an outcome of chronic kidney disease remains controversial. We aimed to investigate the causal relationship between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using Mendelian randomization (MR) approaches.

Association of self-reported moderate vegetable juice intake with small decline in kidney function in a five-year prospective study.

Objectives: Although consumption of vegetable and 100% fruit juices are an acceptable alternative for vegetable and fruit intake, information about their actual effects on kidney function is sparse. The aim of this study was to determine the association between the consumption of vegetable and fruit juices and changes in kidney function in a Japanese population over a 5-y period.

Methods: In this prospective study, we analyzed 2755 Japanese (742 men and 2013 women) individuals who participated in both the baseline and follow-up surveys in the Daiko study (a study within the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort study).

Validity of "One-size-fits-all" Approaches for the National Health Screening and Education Program: A Large-scale Cohort Study of Corporate Insurance Beneficiaries.

Objective Metabolic syndrome represents a unified condition of atherosclerotic diseases caused by abdominal obesity. The aims of this study were to examine the applicability of the prevalent fixed cut-off values of the abdominal circumference (AC) and body mass index (BMI) to age and gender groups and to identify suitable lifestyle modification factors. Methods We defined an outcome as having ≥ 2 risk components that are necessary to diagnose metabolic syndrome and examined the cross-sectional association of the AC and BMI with the outcome.

Associations between Exposure to Tobacco Smoke and Behavioral Problems in Preschool Japanese Children.

Background: A few studies related to pediatric behavior have measured secondhand smoke exposure in children using valid objective biochemical markers. We aimed at investigating the associations between current and cumulative exposure to tobacco smoke, measured both subjectively and objectively, and behavioral problems in children.

Methods: Subjects were 437 Japanese children, aged 3-6 years in 2006.

Ten-year temporal trends (2006-2015) and seasonal-differences in urinary metabolite concentrations of novel, hygiene-used pyrethroids in Japanese children.

Background And Aim: Metofluthrin, profluthrin, tefluthrin, and transfluthrin are pyrethroid (PYR) insecticides increasingly used to control mosquitoes, flies, and moths in households and public places (hygiene-PYRs). Currently, there is limited data available concerning exposure to these novel hygiene-PYRs. The goal of this study was to monitor exposure to these hygiene-PYRs by analysing their urinary metabolites and to investigate the temporal and seasonal trends in the concentrations of these metabolites.

Combined effects of obesity and objectively-measured daily physical activity on the risk of hypertension in middle-aged Japanese men: A 4-year prospective cohort study.

Background: The combined effects of physical inactivity and obesity on hypertension have been recognized; however, previous studies evaluated physical activity using questionnaires. We aimed to examine the effects of physical activity, measured using an accelerometer, and obesity on hypertension onset.

Methods: At baseline, 426 middle-aged Japanese men who were not on antihypertensive medications were included.

Cluster of differentiation 36 gene polymorphism (rs1761667) is associated with dietary MUFA intake and hypertension in a Japanese population.

Cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) is a membrane receptor expressed on a wide variety of human cells. CD36 polymorphisms are reportedly associated with oral fat perception, dietary intake and metabolic disorders. The present study examined associations of two CD36 polymorphisms (rs1761667 and rs1527483) and dietary fat intake, and metabolic phenotypes in a Japanese population.

Spread of -Positive Methicillin-Resistant SCC Type II-ST764 Among Elderly Japanese in Nonacute Care Settings.

We investigated the prevalence and molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) among 356 residents of nine long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in Japan during 2015 and 2017. In total, 800 specimens were tested and 39 MRSA isolates were recovered from 31 (8.71%) residents.

Association between exposure to household smoking and dental caries in preschool children: a cross-sectional study.

Background: We aimed to examine the association of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke with dental caries among preschool children. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke was assessed in terms of urinary cotinine concentrations and pack-years of exposure to smoking by parents and other family members at home.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 405 preschool children aged 3-6 years from two preschools in Japan in 2006.

In utero exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate suppresses blood glucose and leptin levels in the offspring of wild-type mice.

Exposure of pregnant mice to di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) induces maternal lipid malnutrition and decreases the number of live fetuses/pups. In this study, we aimed to clarify the relationship between maternal lipid malnutrition and the nutritional status of the neonatal, lactational, and adult offspring, as well as the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) in these relationships. Sv/129 wild-type (mPPARA), Ppara-null, and PPARα-humanized (hPPARA) mice were fed diets containing 0, 0.

Human serum albumin redox state is associated with decreased renal function in a community-dwelling population.

The redox state of human serum albumin (HSA) has attracted interest as a possible biomarker for oxidative stress (OS) in humans. Although previous studies on this topic have taken only clinical settings into consideration, evidence of its efficacy in nonclinical settings remains to be established. The present study aimed to examine and validate the relationship between HSA redox state and renal function in a rural Japanese population.

Association of genetic risk score and chronic kidney disease in a Japanese population.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a public health problem worldwide including Japan. Recent genome-wide association studies have discovered CKD susceptibility variants. We developed a genetic risk score (GRS) based on CKD-associated variants and assessed a possibility that the GRS can improve the discrimination capability for the prevalence of CKD in a Japanese population.

A multicenter prospective cohort study to develop frailty-based prognostic criteria in heart failure patients (FLAGSHIP): rationale and design.

Background: Heart failure (HF) and frailty often co-exist, and frailty in HF results in a poor prognosis. However, in Asian populations, prognostic criteria are needed to examine the effect of frailty on HF. Therefore, we conducted a nationwide cohort study to develop frailty-based prognostic criteria in HF patients (FLAGSHIP).

A sensitive and efficient procedure for the high-throughput determination of nine urinary metabolites of pyrethroids by GC-MS/MS and its application in a sample of Japanese children.

Four pyrethroids (PYRs), metofluthrin, profluthrin, tefluthrin, and transfluthrin, which were newly developed and have relatively high vapor activity at ambient temperature, are now playing a key role in safely controlling insects in our daily lives. We developed a sensitive and high-throughput determination method for urinary metabolites derived from the newly developed PYR, e.g.

Lifestyle intervention using Internet of Things (IoT) for the elderly: A study protocol for a randomized control trial (the BEST-LIFE study).

Modification of lifestyle habits, including diet and physical activity, is essential for the prevention and control of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in elderly patients. However, individualized treatment is more critical for the elderly than for general patients. This study aimed to determine lifestyle interventions that resulted in lowering hemoglobin A (HbA) in Japanese pre- and early diabetic elderly subjects.

Induction and transcriptional regulation of the co-inhibitory gene module in T cells.

The expression of co-inhibitory receptors, such as CTLA-4 and PD-1, on effector T cells is a key mechanism for ensuring immune homeostasis. Dysregulated expression of co-inhibitory receptors on CD4 T cells promotes autoimmunity, whereas sustained overexpression on CD8 T cells promotes T cell dysfunction or exhaustion, leading to impaired ability to clear chronic viral infections and diseases such as cancer. Here, using RNA and protein expression profiling at single-cell resolution in mouse cells, we identify a module of co-inhibitory receptors that includes not only several known co-inhibitory receptors (PD-1, TIM-3, LAG-3 and TIGIT) but also many new surface receptors.