Less frequent skin ulcers among patients with Werner syndrome treated with pioglitazone: findings from the Japanese Werner Syndrome Registry.

Background And Aim: Werner syndrome (WS) is an autosomal recessive, adult-onset, progeroid syndrome caused by mutations. As refractory skin ulcers significantly affect the quality of life of patients with WS, this study identified ulcer risk factors and assessed prevention methods.

Methods: We analyzed the data of 51 patients with WS enrolled in the Japanese Werner Syndrome Registry between 2016 and 2022.

Mineral supplementation in patients with frailty and sarcopenia-a systematic review.

Aim: Addressing sarcopenia and frailty in aging populations is crucial for enhancing quality of life and reducing healthcare dependence. While the importance of energy, protein, and amino acid supplementation is known, the role of minerals needs further exploration. This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of these minerals in managing sarcopenia and frailty.

Dextran-based nanoparticles with 5-FU-conjugated polymethacrylate segments for drug delivery: Synthesis of amphiphilic graft copolymers by mechanochemical solid-state polymerization and characterization.

Dextran (Dx) is a biodegradable and biocompatible polysaccharide, thus promising as a drug delivery carrier for tumor therapy. Herein, we applied mechanical energy to a high molecular weight Dx to control its molecular weight and simultaneously generate mechanoradicals. The solid-state polymerization of methacrylate- or methacrylamide derivatives initiated with Dx mechanoradicals showed polymer conversion of >95%, yielding Dx-based graft copolymers with molecular weights of approximately 30,000 g mol.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 disturbs adipocyte differentiation via the negative regulation of the glucagon-like peptide-1/adiponectin-cathepsin K axis in mice under chronic stress conditions.

Exposure to chronic psychosocial stress is a risk factor for metabolic disorders. Because dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) and cysteinyl cathepsin K (CTSK) play important roles in human pathobiology, we investigated the role(s) of DPP4 in stress-related adipocyte differentiation, with a focus on the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)/adiponectin-CTSK axis in vivo and in vitro. Plasma and inguinal adipose tissue from non-stress wild-type (DPP4), DPP4-knockout (DPP4) and CTSK-knockout (CTSK) mice, and stressed DPP4, DPP4, CTSK, and DPP4 mice underwent stress exposure plus GLP-1 receptor agonist exenatide loading for 2 weeks and then were analyzed for stress-related biological and/or morphological alterations.

Investigating the perceptions of career development as the Japanese regional quota medical students and graduates in A prefecture.

Background: There are few reports about the perceptions of the regional quota called medical students and graduates.

Method: Eighty-four medical students and 41 graduates were enrolled in A prefecture. The questionnaire comprised 22 items scored on a 7-point Likert scale, focusing on perceptions of merit and demerit of .

Japan-Multimodal Intervention Trial for the Prevention of Dementia: A randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: We examined the efficacy of a multidomain intervention in preventing cognitive decline among Japanese older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: Participants aged 65-85 years with MCI were randomized into intervention (management of vascular risk factors, exercise, nutritional counseling, and cognitive training) and control groups. The primary outcome was changes in the cognitive composite score over a period of 18 months.

Impacts of "Diabetes Theater," a participative educational workshop for health care professionals, on participants: a patient empowerment perspective.

Introduction: Patient empowerment, as part of patient-centered care, is important in the treatment of diabetes. However, this concept is still not well-understood by healthcare professionals, because it differs substantially from traditional approaches. We developed the "Diabetes Theater" workshop to promote a better understanding of patient empowerment.

Drug-related sarcopenia as a secondary sarcopenia.

Sarcopenia has a significant impact on falls, physical function, activities of daily living, and quality of life in older adults, and its prevention and treatment are becoming increasingly important as the global population ages. In addition to primary age-related sarcopenia, activity-related sarcopenia, disease-related sarcopenia, and nutrition-related sarcopenia have been proposed as secondary sarcopenia. Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medication based on multiple diseases cause health problems in older patients.

The association between early rehabilitation and ambulatory ability at discharge in patients with hip fractures at acute-phase rehabilitation wards: a survey of the Japan Association of Rehabilitation Database.

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of early rehabilitation in patients with femoral neck fractures admitted to acute care settings in Japan using the data registered with the Japan Association of Rehabilitation Databases (JARD). We included data for 401 patients (out of 3088 patients) aged ≥ 65 years (85 males, 316 females) from nine hospitals who sustained a femoral neck fracture between July 2005 and September 2015. Using the number of days until surgery or the number of days until the start of rehabilitation or both as the explanatory variables, and the indoor mobility at discharge as the outcome variable, we calculated the adjusted rate ratio (ARR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) using Poisson regression analysis (age, sex, cognitive impairment, concurrent symptoms, and previous history of fracture adjusted as covariates).

[The current role of advance care planning for people with dementia - A narrative review].

Advance care planning (ACP) for people with dementia, as with other diseases, is a necessary process to realize medical treatment and care in the final stage of a person's life. On the other hand, dementia, a disease that is expected to make it difficult for people to make decisions on their own in the future, has a long course, and is characterized by uncertainty regarding the course of the disease, which may also be a limiting factor in the implementation of ACP for people with dementia. On the other hand, the uncertainties may also be a reason for implementing ACP.

Cathepsin S activity controls chronic stress-induced muscle atrophy and dysfunction in mice.

Exposure to chronic psychological stress (CPS) is an intractable risk factor for inflammatory and metabolic diseases. Lysosomal cysteinyl cathepsins play an important role in human pathobiology. Given that cathepsin S (CTSS) is upregulated in the stressed vascular and adipose tissues, we investigated whether CTSS participates in chronic stress-induced skeletal muscle mass loss and dysfunction, with a special focus on muscle protein metabolic imbalance and apoptosis.

Myonectin protects against skeletal muscle dysfunction in male mice through activation of AMPK/PGC1α pathway.

To maintain and restore skeletal muscle mass and function is essential for healthy aging. We have found that myonectin acts as a cardioprotective myokine. Here, we investigate the effect of myonectin on skeletal muscle atrophy in various male mouse models of muscle dysfunction.

Cathepsin S deficiency improves muscle mass loss and dysfunction via the modulation of protein metabolism in mice under pathological stress conditions.

Cathepsin S (CTSS) is a widely expressed cysteinyl protease that has garnered attention because of its enzymatic and non-enzymatic functions under inflammatory and metabolic pathological conditions. Here, we examined whether CTSS participates in stress-related skeletal muscle mass loss and dysfunction, focusing on protein metabolic imbalance. Eight-week-old male wildtype (CTSS ) and CTSS-knockout (CTSS ) mice were randomly assigned to non-stress and variable-stress groups for 2 weeks, and then processed for morphological and biochemical studies.

Effect of drugs on nutritional status and drug-nutrition interactions in older patients.

Older patients are prone to multimorbidity or related polypharmacy, which may cause various adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and a high incidence of drug-related health problems. Although not often noted, ADRs include nutrition-related adverse reactions. Aging, multiple illnesses, mental and psychological problems, declining physical function, and environmental factors can lead to decreased food intake and increased metabolic stress in older people, resulting in energy imbalances that cause malnutrition.

CTSS Modulates Stress-Related Carotid Artery Thrombosis in a Mouse FeCl Model.

Background: Exposure to chronic psychological stress is a risk factor for metabolic cardiovascular disease. Given the important role of lysosomal CTSS (cathepsin S) in human pathobiology, we examined the role of CTSS in stress-related thrombosis, focusing on inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis.

Methods: Six-week-old wild-type mice (CTSS) and CTSS-deficient mice (CTSS) randomly assigned to nonstress and 2-week immobilization stress groups underwent iron chloride3 (FeCl)-induced carotid thrombosis surgery for morphological and biochemical studies.

Total pain in advanced dementia: a quick literature review.

This quick literature review aimed to organize information on the detailed components of total pain in older people with advanced dementia in a holistic manner. The authors analyzed qualitative data from relevant clinical guidelines or textbooks, focusing on certain types of pain and distress in older people with advanced dementia, followed by an expert panel review by research team members. In the search, the authors defined a person with advanced dementia as having a functional assessment staging tool scale score greater than or equal to six.

Nutritional Management of Sarcopenia and Frailty-Shift from Metabolic Syndrome to Frailty.

Older adults have physical and metabolic characteristics, and there are many differences in nutritional outcomes from middle-aged adults. In addition, there are many factors that cause malnutrition peculiar to the older adults, which are not seen in middle-aged adults, and it is easy for them to lose weight and become malnourished. Therefore, nutritional management needs to take into account the age of each subject.

Young bone marrow transplantation prevents aging-related muscle atrophy in a senescence-accelerated mouse prone 10 model.

Background: Young bone marrow transplantation (YBMT) has been shown to stimulate vascular regeneration in pathological conditions, including ageing. Here, we investigated the benefits and mechanisms of the preventive effects of YBMT on loss of muscle mass and function in a senescence-associated mouse prone 10 (SAMP10) model, with a special focus on the role of growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF-11).

Methods: Nine-week-old male SAMP10 mice were randomly assigned to a non-YBMT group (n = 6) and a YBMT group (n = 7) that received the bone marrow of 8-week-old C57BL/6 mice.

Machine learning-based muscle mass estimation using gait parameters in community-dwelling older adults: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Loss of skeletal muscle mass is associated with numerous factors such as metabolic diseases, lack of independence, and mortality in older adults. Therefore, developing simple, safe, and reliable tools for assessing skeletal muscle mass is needed. Some studies recently reported that the risks of the incidence of geriatric conditions could be estimated by analyzing older adults' gait; however, no studies have assessed the association between gait parameters and skeletal muscle loss in older adults.