Muscle Quality as a Potential Diagnostic Marker of Advanced Liver Fibrosis in Patients with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Background: Muscle-liver crosstalk plays an important role in the development and progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The measurement of muscle echo-intensity during ultrasonography is a real-time, non-invasive method of assessing muscle quality. In this retrospective study, we investigated the significance of poor muscle quality (namely, a greater mass of non-contractile tissue, including intramuscular fat) as a risk factor for advanced liver fibrosis and considered whether it may represent a useful tool for the diagnosis of advanced liver fibrosis.

Survey of Dietary Habits and Physical Activity in Japanese Patients with Non-Obese Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

The incidence of non-obese non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), characterized by the presence of a fatty liver in individuals with a normal body mass index, is on the rise globally. Effective management strategies, including lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise therapy, are urgently needed to address this growing public health concern. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between non-obese NAFLD, dietary habits, and physical activity levels.

Hepatic Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 exacerbates non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by re-absorbing specific biliary oxysterols.

Background: Dietary oxysterols are believed to be associated with the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the molecular basis of the association between dietary oxysterols and NAFLD is poorly understood. We hypothesized that hepatic Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1), a cholesterol re-absorber from bile to the liver, would regulate hepatic oxysterol levels and affects NAFLD progression.

Progressive reduction in skeletal muscle mass to visceral fat area ratio is associated with a worsening of the hepatic conditions of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Deceased muscle mass combined with increased visceral fat mass is reportedly linked to a higher risk of worsening the hepatic conditions of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was conducted in a retrospective manner to investigate whether longitudinal changes in skeletal muscle mass to visceral fat area ratio (SV ratio), an index of sarcopenic obesity, are influential on the hepatic conditions and pathophysiology of NAFLD during the clinical course. The association of SV ratio with hepatic conditions and pathophysiology was evaluated longitudinally for 2-5.

Whole-body vibration for patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a 6-month prospective study.

Physical exercise has demonstrated benefits for managing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, in daily life maintaining exercise without help may be difficult. A whole-body vibration device (WBV) has been recently introduced as an exercise modality that may be suitable for patients who have difficulty engaging in exercise.

"No-no" type bobble-head doll syndrome in an infant with an arachnoid cyst of the posterior fossa: a case report.

Background: Bobble-head doll syndrome is a rare and surgically treatable movement disorder characterized by up-and-down (yes-yes) head bobbing occurring at a rate of 2-3 Hz. Side-to-side (no-no) head bobbing is less frequently described. Bobble-head doll syndrome is usually associated with dilation of the third ventricle, but is rarely associated with posterior fossa disease.

A wave of nascent transcription on activated human genes.

Genome-wide studies reveal that transcription by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is dynamically regulated. To obtain a comprehensive view of a single transcription cycle, we switched on transcription of five long human genes (>100 kbp) with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) and monitored (using microarrays, RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization, and chromatin immunoprecipitation) the appearance of nascent RNA, changes in binding of Pol II and two insulators (the cohesin subunit RAD21 and the CCCTC-binding factor CTCF), and modifications of histone H3. Activation triggers a wave of transcription that sweeps along the genes at approximately 3.

Packet traffic analysis of scale-free networks for large-scale network-on-chip design.

Recent progress in integrated circuit technologies requires precise evaluation between dynamic characteristics and topological architecture design. In this paper, we have investigated the performance evaluation of network-on-chip (NoC) architectures constructed with diverse scale-free network topologies by dynamic packet traffic simulation and theoretical network analysis. Topological differences of scale-free networks are evaluated by the degree-degree correlations that indicate topological tendency between the degree of a node and that of the nearest neighbors.

Synthesis of N-4909 analogs. Part I. A stimulant of apolipoprotein E secretion in human hepatoma G2 cells.

Analogs of N-4909 (1), which had a stimulating activity for apolipoprotein E (apo E) secretion in Human hepatoma Hep G2 cells, were prepared and their activities examined. Cyclic analogs which had different kinds of amino acids or different number of amino acids from N-4909 (1) showed less effect on apo E secretion from Hep G2 cells. The length of acyl chain was found to be an important factor for the activity.

Deletion of Ala144-Lys145 in Thermus thermophilus inorganic pyrophosphatase suppresses thermal aggregation.

The regions contributing to the thermostability of inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPase, EC 3.6.1.

A chimeric inorganic pyrophosphatase derived from Escherichia coli and Thermus thermophilus has an increased thermostability.

Factors contributing to the thermostability of inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPase) were investigated by examining chimeric PPases from Escherichia coli and Thermus thermophilus (Tth). Two chimeric PPase genes, T1-135E (residues 1-135 from the N terminus are comprised of Tth PPase and residues 136-173 are derived from the C terminus of E. coli PPase) and T1-149E [residues 1-149 from the N terminus are from Tth PPase and the rest (150-175) are from E.

[Clinical effects of sodium ozagrel and urokinase in patients with acute cerebral infarction in the territory of the internal carotid artery].

In this study, the clinical effects were compared between a thromboxane synthetase inhibitor (sodium ozagrel) and a thrombolytic agent (urokinase) in patients with acute cerebral infarction. The subjects consisted of 598 patients admitted on the day of the onset of the cerebral infarction in the territory of the internal carotid artery who showed a low density area on CT images within 5 days. Of these patients, 300 were treated with sodium ozagrel and classified as Group Oz, while the remaining 298 were treated with urokinase and classified as Group Ur.

[Motor function outcome and changes in motor impairment level of the upper limbs and fingers in patients with acute carotid-system cerebral infarction].

Early diagnosis of motor function status and changes in motor impairment level of the upper limbs and fingers in patients with acute cerebral infarction is important in establishing a treatment plan. This study investigated a method of predicting motor function outcome and changes in motor impairment based on the characteristics of symptoms on admission and severity according to the CT classification. The subjects were 309 patients with carotid-system cerebral infarction admitted on the day of onset of symptoms and who exhibited a low density area in the territory of the middle cerebral artery on CT images within 5 day of the onset of symptoms.

[Progressive stroke during the acute state of cerebral infarction in the territory of the internal carotid artery].

Diagnosis of deterioration of neurological deficits in the early stage after hospital admission immediately after the onset of cerebral infarction is important in establishing a treatment plan. This study investigated the clinical characteristics of progressive stroke on admission. The subjects were 309 patients admitted on the day of the onset of symptoms and showed a low density area on CT images within 5 days.