The feasibility and effectiveness of remote cognitive training on cognitive function and work performance in workers.

Objectives: We aimed to determine whether remote cognitive training (CT) is feasible and has the potential to improve cognitive function and work performance in Japanese workers.

Methods: From June to September 2020, this intervention time series study enrolled workers aged 18-65 years from 10 companies located in a metropolitan area of Japan. Cognitive function tests and self-administered questionnaires were completed by the participants three times: at baseline, after 12 weeks of CT, and after a further 12 weeks following cessation.

All-trans retinoic acid induces lipophagy by reducing Rubicon in Hepa1c1c7 cells.

All-trans retinoic acid (atRA), a metabolite of vitamin A, reduces hepatic lipid accumulation in liver steatosis model animals. Lipophagy, a new lipolysis pathway, degrades a lipid droplet (LD) via autophagy in adipose tissue and the liver. We recently found that atRA induces lipophagy in adipocytes.

Activation of the IKK2/NF-κB pathway in VSMCs inhibits calcified vascular stiffness in CKD.

IKK2/NF-κB pathway-mediated inflammation in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) has been proposed to be an etiologic factor in medial calcification and stiffness. However, the role of the IKK2/NF-κB pathway in medial calcification remains to be elucidated. In this study, we found that chronic kidney disease (CKD) induces inflammatory pathways through the local activation of the IKK2/NF-κB pathway in VMSCs associated with calcified vascular stiffness.

All-trans retinoic acid induces lipophagy through the activation of the AMPK-Beclin1 signaling pathway and reduces Rubicon expression in adipocytes.

Lipophagy is defined as a lipolysis pathway that degrades lipid droplet (LD) via autophagy. All-trans retinoic acid (atRA), a metabolite of vitamin A, stimulates lipolysis through hormone-sensitive lipase and β-oxidation. However, the regulation of lipolysis by atRA-induced autophagy in adipocytes remains unclear.

Dietary phosphate disturbs of gut microbiome in mice.

Disorder of phosphate metabolism is a common pathological condition in chronic kidney disease patients. Excessive intake of dietary phosphate deteriorates chronic kidney disease and various complications including cardiovascular and infectious diseases. Recent reports have demonstrated that gut microbiome disturbance is associated with both the etiology and progression of chronic kidney disease.

Humoral and cellular factors inhibit phosphate-induced vascular calcification during the growth period.

Hyperphosphatemia is an independent and non-classical risk factor of cardiovascular disease and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Increased levels of extracellular inorganic phosphate (Pi) are known to directly induce vascular calcification, but the detailed underlying mechanism has not been clarified. Although serum Pi levels during the growth period are as high as those observed in hyperphosphatemia in adult CKD, vascular calcification does not usually occur during growth.

Workplace factors associated with willingness to undergo human immunodeficiency virus testing during workplace health checkups.

Background: To examine workplace factors associated with willingness to undergo human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing during workplace health checkups.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used an Internet-based self-administered questionnaire to obtain data from a pool of 24,287 Japanese workers. Binary and multiple logistic regression analyses evaluated the association between workplace factors and HIV testing.

Activation of the IKK2-NFκB pathway in VSMCs inhibits calcified vascular stiffness in CKD by reducing the secretion of calcifying extracellular vesicles.

IKK2-NFκB pathway mediated-inflammation in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) has been proposed to be an etiologic factor in medial calcification and stiffness. However, the role of the IKK2-NFκB pathway in medial calcification remains to be elucidated. In this study, we found that CKD induces inflammatory pathways through the local activation of the IKK2-NFκB pathway in VMSCs associated with calcified vascular stiffness.

Relationship between objective cognitive functioning and work performance among Japanese workers.

Objectives: We aimed to explore the relationship between objective cognitive functioning and work performance among Japanese workers.

Methods: From February to November 2019, this cross-sectional study enrolled workers aged 18-65 years from 10 companies located in a metropolitan area of Japan. We emailed invitations to participate to employees of companies that had agreed to cooperate with the study.

25-hydroxyvitamin D-1α-hydroxylase (CYP27B1) induces ectopic calcification.

Vascular calcification is an important pathogenesis related to cardiovascular disease and high mortality rate in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. It has been well-known that hyper-phosphatemia induces osteochondrogenic transition of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) resulting ectopic calcification in aortic media, cardiac valve, and kidney. However, the detailed mechanism of the ectopic calcification has been not clarified yet.

Sulforaphane induces lipophagy through the activation of AMPK-mTOR-ULK1 pathway signaling in adipocytes.

Lipophagy, a form of selective autophagy, degrades lipid droplet (LD) in adipose tissue and the liver. The chemotherapeutic isothiocyanate sulforaphane (SFN) contributes to lipolysis through the activation of hormone-sensitive lipase and the browning of white adipocytes. However, the details concerning the regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes by SFN-mediated autophagy remain unclear.

All-trans retinoic acid changes muscle fiber type via increasing GADD34 dependent on MAPK signal.

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) increases the sensitivity to unfolded protein response in differentiating leukemic blasts. The downstream transcriptional factor of PERK, a major arm of unfolded protein response, regulates muscle differentiation. However, the role of growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible protein 34 (GADD34), one of the downstream factors of PERK, and the effects of ATRA on GADD34 expression in muscle remain unclear.

Free Deoxycholic Acid Exacerbates Vascular Calcification in CKD through ER Stress-Mediated ATF4 Activation.

Background: Our metabolome approach found that levels of circulating, free deoxycholic acid (DCA) is associated with the severity of vascular calcification in patients with CKD. However, it is not known whether DCA directly causes vascular calcification in CKD.

Methods: Using various chemicals and animal and cell culture models, we investigated whether the modulation of DCA levels influences vascular calcification in CKD.

Identification of Dietary Phytochemicals Capable of Enhancing the Autophagy Flux in HeLa and Caco-2 Human Cell Lines.

Autophagy is a major degradation system for intracellular macromolecules. Its decline with age or obesity is related to the onset and development of various intractable diseases. Although dietary phytochemicals are expected to enhance autophagy for preventive medicine, few studies have addressed their effects on the autophagy flux, which is the focus of the current study.

Effects of toner-handling work on respiratory function, chest X-ray findings, and biomarkers of inflammation, allergy, and oxidative stress: a 10-year prospective Japanese cohort study.

Background: Exposure to toner, a substance used in photocopiers and printers, has been associated with siderosilicosis and other adverse effects. However, these findings are limited, and there is insufficient evidence on the long-term effects of toner exposure. Using longitudinal analysis, this study aimed to examine the effects of work involving toner exposure on the respiratory system over time.

Reduction of stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) contributes muscle atrophy through the excess endoplasmic reticulum stress in chronic kidney disease.

Skeletal muscle atrophy is associated with mortality and poor prognosis in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, underlying mechanism by which CKD causes muscle atrophy has not been completely understood. The quality of lipids (lipoquality), which is defined as the functional features of diverse lipid species, has recently been recognized as the pathology of various diseases.

Phosphatemic Index Is a Novel Evaluation Tool for Dietary Phosphorus Load: A Whole-Foods Approach.

Objective: Dietary phosphorus (P) restriction is crucial to treat hyperphosphatemia and reduce cardiovascular disease risk and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the wider population. Various methods for dietary P restriction exist, but the bioavailability of P in food should also be considered when making appropriate food choices to maintain patients' quality of life. Here, we propose the "Phosphatemic Index" (PI) as a novel tool for evaluating dietary P load based on P bioavailability; we also evaluated the effect of continuous intake of different PI foods in mixed meals on serum intact fibroblast growth factor 23 concentration.

GPAT4-Generated Saturated LPAs Induce Lipotoxicity through Inhibition of Autophagy by Abnormal Formation of Omegasomes.

Excessive levels of saturated fatty acids are toxic to vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). We previously reported that mice lacking VSMC-stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), a major enzyme catalyzing the detoxification of saturated fatty acids, develop severe vascular calcification from the massive accumulation of lipid metabolites containing saturated fatty acids. However, the mechanism by which SCD deficiency causes vascular calcification is not completely understood.

Isorhamnetin, a 3'-methoxylated flavonol, enhances the lysosomal proteolysis in J774.1 murine macrophages in a TFEB-independent manner.

Lysosome is the principal organelle for the ultimate degradation of cellular macromolecules, which are delivered through endocytosis, phagocytosis, and autophagy. The lysosomal functions have been found to be impaired by fatty foods and aging, and more importantly, the lysosomal dysfunction in macrophages has been reported as a risk of atherosclerosis development. In this study, we searched for dietary polyphenols which possess the activity for enhancing the lysosomal degradation in J774.