MOTS-c modulates skeletal muscle function by directly binding and activating CK2.

MOTS-c is a mitochondrial microprotein that improves metabolism. Here, we demonstrate CK2 is a direct and functional target of MOTS-c. MOTS-c directly binds to CK2 and activates it in cell-free systems.

Prediction and validation of total and regional skeletal muscle volume by using anthropometric measurements in prepubertal Japanese children.

It is difficult to easily estimate skeletal muscle (SM) volume in children. We aimed to develop regression-based prediction equations to estimate the total body and regional SM volume using calliper measurements of skinfold thickness and limb circumference and to investigate the validity of these equations. In total, 142 healthy, prepubertal, Japanese children, aged 6-12 years, were divided into two groups: the model development group (sixty boys, thirty-eight girls) and the validation group (twenty-six boys, eighteen girls).

Fat-Free Mass Index as a Surrogate Marker of Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Mass Index for Low Muscle Mass Screening in Sarcopenia.

Objectives: We aimed to examine the relationship between the fat-free mass index (FFMI; FFM/height) and appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI; ASM/height), measured using both bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and investigate the effects of age and obesity. We also evaluated the suitability of BIA-measured FFMI as a simple surrogate marker of the ASMI and calculated the optimal FFMI cutoff value for low muscle mass screening to diagnose sarcopenia.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Characteristics of total body and appendicular bone mineral content and density in Japanese collegiate Sumo wrestlers.

The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics of total body and appendicular bone mineral content (BMC, kg) and bone mineral density (BMD, g/cm) in Japanese collegiate Sumo wrestlers. A total of 54 male college Sumo wrestlers were recruited for the study and assigned to two groups according to their body weight (middleweight, 85-115 kg, n = 23 and heavyweight, > 115 kg, n = 31). The BMC, BMD, fat mass, and lean soft tissue mass (LSTM) values were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for the total body and appendicular regions.

Association between Gut Microbiota and Body Composition in Japanese General Population: A Focus on Gut Microbiota and Skeletal Muscle.

This study aimed to investigate the gut microbial genera associated with skeletal muscle mass, using a large-scale survey from the standpoint of preventing sarcopenia. A total of 848 participants were included in the analysis. The mean (SD) ages of men ( = 353) and women ( = 495) were 50.

Comparison between DXA and MRI for the Visceral Fat Assessment in Athletes.

The use of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) may be invalid for assessing athletes with larger bodies, larger lean body mass, and thicker trunks. This study compared the athletes' visceral adipose tissue (VAT) assessed using DXA and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Eighty-two Japanese male collegiate athletes from 18 sports participated in this study.

Development and validation of a simple anthropometric equation to predict appendicular skeletal muscle mass.

Background & Aims: A limited number of studies have developed simple anthropometric equations that can be implemented for predicting muscle mass in the local community. Several studies have suggested calf circumference as a simple and accurate surrogate maker for muscle mass. We aimed to develop and cross-validate a simple anthropometric equation, which incorporates calf circumference, to predict appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

Visceral fat and cardiorespiratory fitness with prevalence of pre-diabetes/diabetes mellitus among middle-aged and elderly Japanese people: WASEDA'S Health Study.

The relationships between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) measurements not confounded by adiposity and the prevalence of pre-diabetes mellitus (pre-DM) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are not well known. Thus, we aimed to investigate the associations of visceral fat (VF) and CRF with the prevalence of pre-DM/DM among Japanese adults. The study included 970 individuals (327 women and 643 men) who were 40-87 years old and had complete health examinations, abdominal fat area, and fitness data from WASEDA'S Health Study during 2015-2018.

Cut-offs for calf circumference as a screening tool for low muscle mass: WASEDA'S Health Study.

Aim: To re-evaluate the suitability of calf circumference as a surrogate marker of low muscle mass measured by both bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). We also examined the effects of obesity and age on low muscle mass screening using calf circumference.

Methods: In total, 1239 adults participated in this cross-sectional study.

[The Analgesic Effect of Aspirin on Inflammatory Pain in Rats Is Affected by Pain Intensity and Administration Timing].

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely known as painkillers. The analgesic action of NSAIDs is attributable to the inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis that occurs in response to blocking cyclooxygenase activity. The effective dose of NSAIDs can vary depending on pain intensity and administration timing; however, there are few studies on this.

Lean Soft Tissue Mass Measured Using Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry Is an Effective Index for Assessing Change in Leg Skeletal Muscle Mass Following Exercise Training.

It is difficult to precisely and easily estimate the changes in skeletal muscle mass (SMM) following exercise training. We aimed to assess whether the change in lean soft tissue mass measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) reflects the change in SMM measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) following exercise training in both the leg and trunk regions. Anthropometry, DXA, and MRI measurements of the trunk and leg regions were obtained in 10 male college sumo wrestlers before and after exercise training (mean duration between measurements: ~2 yr).

Genetic identification of factors for extracellular cellulose accumulation in the thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus vulcanus: proposal of a novel tripartite secretion system.

Cells of the thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus vulcanus strain RKN (NIES-2134) aggregate and produce extracellular cellulose under induced conditions of blue light and low temperature, and both aggregation and cellulose production require the cellulose synthase Tll0007 (XcsA) and photosensory diguanylate cyclases. However, overexpression of both the cellulose synthase and a constitutively active diguanylate cyclase was not sufficient to induce cellulose-mediated cell aggregation under normal growth conditions. Synteny analysis and gene knockout revealed that two putative genes, hlyD-like tlr0903 (xcsB) and endoglucanase-like tlr1902 (xcsC), are linked to tll0007, although they are located apart from tll0007 in the T.

Body mass-to-waist ratio strongly correlates with skeletal muscle volume in children.

Purpose: We hypothesized that body mass-to-waist ratio is strongly associated with the total-body skeletal muscle volume (SMV) in children. The purpose of the present study was to examine this hypothesis.

Methods: By using magnetic resonance imaging, total-body SMV (SMVMRI) was determined in 70 boys and 53 girls aged 6 to 12 years.

Predicting skeletal muscle mass from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in Japanese prepubertal children.

Background/objective: We aimed to develop regression-based prediction equations for estimating total and regional skeletal muscle mass (SMM) from measurements of lean soft tissue mass (LSTM) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and investigate the validity of these equations.

Subjects/methods: In total, 144 healthy Japanese prepubertal children aged 6-12 years were divided into 2 groups: the model development group (62 boys and 38 girls) and the validation group (26 boys and 18 girls). Contiguous MRI images with a 1-cm slice thickness were obtained from the first cervical vertebra to the ankle joints as reference data.

Validity of segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis for estimating fat-free mass in children including overweight individuals.

This study examined the validity of segmental bioelectrical impedance (BI) analysis for predicting the fat-free masses (FFMs) of whole-body and body segments in children including overweight individuals. The FFM and impedance (Z) values of arms, trunk, legs, and whole body were determined using a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and segmental BI analyses, respectively, in 149 boys and girls aged 6 to 12 years, who were divided into model-development (n = 74), cross-validation (n = 35), and overweight (n = 40) groups. Simple regression analysis was applied to (length)/Z (BI index) for each of the whole-body and 3 segments to develop the prediction equations of the measured FFM of the related body part.

Oral administration of Japanese sake yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae sake) promotes non-rapid eye movement sleep in mice via adenosine A receptors.

We have demonstrated previously that Japanese sake yeast improves sleep quality in humans. In the present study, we examined the molecular mechanisms of sake yeast to induce sleep by monitoring locomotor activity, electromyogram and electroencephalogram in mice. Oral administration of Japanese sake yeast (100, 200, and 300 mg kg ) decreased the locomotor activity by 18, 46 and 59% and increased the amount of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep by 1.

Japanese sake yeast supplementation improves the quality of sleep: a double-blind randomised controlled clinical trial.

Activation of adenosine A2a receptors in cerebral neurons induces sleep in various mammals. It was previously found that Japanese sake yeast enriched in adenosine analogues activates A2a receptors in vitro and induces sleep in mice. Here it is reported that sake yeast activated A2a receptors in a cultured human cell line and improved human sleep quality in a clinical trial.

Prediction and validation of total and regional skeletal muscle volume using B-mode ultrasonography in Japanese prepubertal children.

Very few effective field methods are available for accurate, non-invasive estimation of skeletal muscle volume (SMV) and mass in children. We aimed to develop regression-based prediction equations for SMV, using ultrasonography, in Japanese prepubertal children, and to assess the validity of these equations. In total, 145 healthy Japanese prepubertal children aged 6-12 years were randomly divided into two groups: the model development group (sixty boys, thirty-seven girls) and the validation group (twenty-nine boys, nineteen girls).

Wheat Stripe Rust Resistance Protein WKS1 Reduces the Ability of the Thylakoid-Associated Ascorbate Peroxidase to Detoxify Reactive Oxygen Species.

Stripe rust is a devastating fungal disease of wheat caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp tritici (Pst). The WHEAT KINASE START1 (WKS1) resistance gene has an unusual combination of serine/threonine kinase and START lipid binding domains and confers partial resistance to Pst.

Cortisol level measurements in fingernails as a retrospective index of hormone production.

The cortisol level in fingernails may reflect the hormone's cumulative production over a long period, but the notions have not been fully established. In this study, we investigated the association of cortisol in fingernails with cortisol accumulation over a long period (hair cortisol) and over a relatively short period (salivary cortisol). In study 1, hair and fingernail samples were collected from 58 middle-aged and elderly men.