Association between serum vitamin D levels and skeletal muscle indices in an older Japanese population: The SONIC study.

Aim: Vitamin D (VD) affects skeletal muscles. The high prevalence of VD deficiency in Japan may lead to decreased skeletal muscle mass and strength, increasing the prevalence of sarcopenia. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between serum VD levels and skeletal muscle indices in a Japanese community-dwelling older population.

Knee Extensor Weakness Potently Predicts Postoperative Outcomes in Older Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients.

Objectives: Muscle weakness, assessed by grip strength, has been shown to predict postoperative mortality in older patients with cancer. Because lower extremity muscle strength well reflects physical performance, we examined whether lower knee extension muscle strength predicts postoperative mortality better than grip strength in older patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

Design: Prospective, observational study in a single institution.

The Muscle Thickness Assessment Using Ultrasonography is a Useful Alternative to Skeletal Muscle Mass by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis.

Purpose: Muscle mass, a key index for the diagnosis of sarcopenia, is currently assessed using the appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI) by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Muscle thickness (MT) assessed by ultrasonography (US) may be a better determinant and/or predictor of muscle condition than ASMI. Thus, we compared it to the ASMI determined by the BIA.

[The relationship between physical activity and sleep status among older adults requiring nursing care in the community].

Aim: We investigated the relationship between physical activity and sleep status among older adults requiring nursing care in the community.

Method: We included 45 participants ≥65 years old (33 females; mean age, 83.2±4.

Effects of noninvasive ventilation on the coordination between breathing and swallowing in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Purpose: As shown in our previous study, inspiration after swallowing (SW-I) increases during the bi-level positive airway pressure ventilation (BiPAP) in healthy subjects because swallowing-associated non-inspiratory flow (SNIF) triggers inspiratory support, while SW-I during continuous positive pressure ventilation (CPAP) is rare. In the present study, we evaluated the coordination between breathing and swallowing during spontaneous breathing, BiPAP, and CPAP in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Patients And Methods: This study is a prospective intervention study at the Hoshigaoka Medical Center (November 01, 2015-April 30, 2018).

Different Effects of Eicosapentaenoic and Docosahexaenoic Acids on Atherogenic High-Fat Diet-Induced Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Mice.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome, can progress to steatohepatitis (NASH) and advanced liver damage, such as that from liver cirrhosis and cancer. Recent studies have shown the benefits of consuming n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) for the treatment of NAFLD. In the present study, we investigated and compared the effects of the major n-3 PUFAs-eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6)-in preventing atherogenic high-fat (AHF) diet-induced NAFLD.

Hyperlipidemia and hepatitis in liver-specific CREB3L3 knockout mice generated using a one-step CRISPR/Cas9 system.

cAMP responsive element binding protein 3-like 3 (CREB3L3), a transcription factor expressed in the liver and small intestine, governs fasting-response energy homeostasis. Tissue-specific CREB3L3 knockout mice have not been generated till date. To our knowledge, this is the first study using the one-step CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate CREB3L3 floxed mice and subsequently obtain liver- and small intestine-specific Creb3l3 knockout (LKO and IKO, respectively) mice.

Coordination between respiration and swallowing during non-invasive positive pressure ventilation.

Background And Objective: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the risk of silent aspiration is increased in non-invasive positive pressure ventilation.

Methods: We analysed the coordination between respiration and swallowing, in 12 young volunteers and 10 elder volunteers, by simultaneously monitoring respiratory flow, laryngeal movement and swallowing sound in three different conditions: control, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP). A step-wise multiple regression analysis was performed with the occurrence rate of inspiration after swallows as the dependent variable and various correlated variables as the independent variables.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus associated with Graves' disease and Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome.

A 30-year-old woman was diagnosed as having Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) syndrome. Her past history was Graves' disease. She was administered 1 g of methylprednisolone for three days, which was followed by oral prednisolone.