Effects of Malted Rice Amazake Consumption on Nutritional Status and Gut Microbiome in Older Patients and Residents of an Integrated Facility for Medical and Long-Term Care.

Malnutrition is observed in approximately 20-50% of hospitals and long-term care facilities. We examined the effects of malted rice amazake beverage on the nutritional status and gut microbiome of older patients and residents in an integrated long-term care facility; 13 older patients and residents (84.6 ± 9.

The N-Terminal Fragment of Urine Titin Is Not a Product of Degradation by Calpain 3.

Introduction: A 20 kDa fragment at the N-terminus of titin is highly excreted in the urine of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), making urine titin a prominent biomarker for muscle breakdown. This N-terminal fragment is presumed to be a product of degradation by a protein-degrading enzyme, calpain 3; however, whether calpain 3 is required remains unclear. We aimed to determine whether urine titin elevation occurs in the absence of calpain 3.

Effects of high-intensity interval walking training on muscle strength, walking ability, and health-related quality of life in people with diabetes accompanied by lower extremity weakness: A randomized controlled trial.

Aims/introduction: This study examined the effects of high-intensity interval walking training (IWT) compared to moderate-intensity continuous walking training (CWT) on muscle strength, walking ability, and health-related quality of life (QOL) in people with diabetes accompanied by lower extremity weakness.

Materials And Methods: People with diabetes accompanied by low isometric knee extensor strength using a simple manual dynamometer (n = 50) were screened and randomly divided into 2 groups: CWT (n = 25) and IWT (n = 25). Both groups were instructed by a physical therapist to perform walking training with the goal of 120 min/week over a 5-month period.

Inter-tissue glycan heterogeneity: site-specific glycoform analysis of mouse tissue N-glycoproteomes using MS1-based glycopeptide detection method assisted by lectin microarray.

To understand the biological and pathological functions of protein glycosylation, the glycan heterogeneities for each glycosite in a single glycoprotein need to be elucidated depending on the type and status of cells. For this aim, a reliable strategy is needed to compare site-specific glycoforms of multiple glycoprotein samples in a comprehensive manner. To analyze this "inter-heterogeneity" of samples, we previously introduced an MS1-based glycopeptide detection method, "Glyco-RIDGE.

Clinical Phenotypes Associated with the Gut Microbiome in Older Japanese People with Care Needs in a Nursing Home.

Background: Frailty increases the risk of needing nursing care and significantly affects the life and functional prognosis of older individuals. Early detection and tailored interventions are crucial for maintaining and enhancing their life functions. Recognizing distinct clinical phenotypes is essential for devising appropriate interventions.

A Food Intake Estimation System Using an Artificial Intelligence-Based Model for Estimating Leftover Hospital Liquid Food in Clinical Environments: Development and Validation Study.

Background: Medical staff often conduct assessments, such as food intake and nutrient sufficiency ratios, to accurately evaluate patients' food consumption. However, visual estimations to measure food intake are difficult to perform with numerous patients. Hence, the clinical environment requires a simple and accurate method to measure dietary intake.

Urinary titin as an early biomarker of skeletal muscle proteolysis and atrophy in various catabolic conditions.

Skeletal muscle atrophy impairs quality of life and increases the risk of disease, but current methods for assessment of muscle mass have several limitations. We here investigated the urinary concentration of a fragment of the muscle protein titin as a potential biomarker for the early detection of skeletal muscle atrophy. Four mouse models with different atrophy pathways were studied: those of cardiotoxin-induced acute muscle injury, cast-induced muscle immobilization, lipopolysaccharide-induced sepsis, and streptozotocin-induced diabetes.

isoAsp-Quest: workflow development for isoAsp identification using database searches.

A recent study reported that isomerization of aspartyl residues (Asp) occurs in various tissues and proteins in vivo. For a comprehensive analysis of post-translational modifications, the mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomic approach is a straightforward method; however, the isomerization of Asp does not alter its molecular weight. Therefore, a unique method is required to analyse Asp isomers using MS.

Reply to Lee, S.Y. Comment on "Matsuo et al. Impact of Olfactory Change on Postoperative Body Weight Loss in Patients with Gastric Cancer after Gastrectomy. 2024, , 851".

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Inflammatory Cytokine-Induced Muscle Atrophy and Weakness Can Be Ameliorated by an Inhibition of TGF-β-Activated Kinase-1.

Chronic inflammation causes muscle wasting. Because most inflammatory cytokine signals are mediated via TGF-β-activated kinase-1 (TAK1) activation, inflammatory cytokine-induced muscle wasting may be ameliorated by the inhibition of TAK1 activity. The present study was undertaken to clarify whether TAK1 inhibition can ameliorate inflammation-induced muscle wasting.

Adaptive gene expression of alternative splicing variants of PGC-1α regulates whole-body energy metabolism.

The transcriptional coactivator PGC-1α has been implicated in the regulation of multiple metabolic processes. However, the previously reported metabolic phenotypes of mice deficient in PGC-1α have been inconsistent. PGC-1α exists as multiple isoforms, including variants transcribed from an alternative first exon.

Impact of Olfactory Change on Postoperative Body Weight Loss in Patients with Gastric Cancer after Gastrectomy.

Patients undergoing gastrectomy for gastric cancer may experience alterations in olfaction, yet the association between olfactory changes and postoperative weight loss remains uncertain. This study aimed to elucidate the relationship between olfactory changes and postoperative weight loss in patients with gastric cancer. Patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer between February 2022 and August 2022 were included in the study.

The Utility of Urinary Titin to Diagnose and Predict the Prognosis of Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Early detection and management are crucial for better prognosis in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Serum titin, a component of the sarcomere in cardiac and skeletal muscle, was associated with AMI. Thus, we hypothesized that urinary N-fragment titin may be a biomarker for its diagnosis and prognosis.

Temperature Dependency Model in Pressure Measurement for the Motion-Capturing Pressure-Sensitive Paint Method.

Pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) has received significant attention for capturing surface pressure in recent years. One major source of uncertainty in PSP measurements, temperature dependency, stems from the fundamental photophysical process that allows PSP to extract pressure information. The motion-capturing PSP method, which involves two luminophores, is introduced as a method to reduce the measurement uncertainty due to temperature dependency.

The association between sarcopenia and functional outcomes in patients undergoing convalescent rehabilitation.

Sarcopenia is widely believed to be linked to poorer outcomes in inpatient rehabilitation. This study aimed to assess the impact of sarcopenia on functional outcomes and dietary intake during hospitalization in adults undergoing convalescent rehabilitation. We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis at a single rehabilitation institution.

Preoperative Weight Loss Program for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients with High Body Mass Index in Hepatectomy.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the usefulness of a weight-loss program (WLP) in patients with a high body mass index (BMI) prior to liver resection (Hx) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: Among 445 patients with HCC who underwent initial Hx between 2000 and 2020, 19 with a high BMI (≥25.0) were enrolled in our WLP since 2014.

Partially Hydrolyzed Guar Gum Intake Supports the Gut Microbiota and Attenuates Inflammation during Influenza H1N1 Virus Infection in Mice.

Partially hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG) is a soluble dietary fiber that is effective for defecation control. It influences the gut microbiota, by which it is metabolized to yield short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and it was also recently shown to protect against influenza infection in humans. We here investigated the effects of PHGG in a mouse model of influenza H1N1 virus infection.

Changes in the fecal gut microbiome of home healthcare patients with disabilities through consumption of malted rice amazake.

The aim of the present study was to investigate changes in the gut microbiome both during and after consumption of malted rice amazake (MR-Amazake), a fermented food from Japan, in-home healthcare patients with disabilities, including patients with severe motor and intellectual disabilities. We monitored 12 patients who consumed MR-Amazake for 6 wk and investigated them before and after the intervention as well as 6 wk after the end of intake to compare their physical condition, diet, type of their medication, constipation assessment scale, and analysis of their comprehensive fecal microbiome using 16S rRNA sequencing. Their constipation symptoms were significantly alleviated, and principal coordinate analysis revealed that 30% of patients showed significant changes in the gut microbiome after MR-Amazake ingestion.

High-throughput printing of combinatorial materials from aerosols.

The development of new materials and their compositional and microstructural optimization are essential in regard to next-generation technologies such as clean energy and environmental sustainability. However, materials discovery and optimization have been a frustratingly slow process. The Edisonian trial-and-error process is time consuming and resource inefficient, particularly when contrasted with vast materials design spaces.

Umami taste sensitivity is associated with food intake and oral environment in subjects with diabetes.

Objective: Dysgeusia is a serious problem in patients with diabetes because it often leads to overeating, which is associated with disease progression. This study aimed to investigate the association between taste sensitivity, eating habits, and the oral environment.

Subjects And Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 75 subjects with diabetes, gustatory function was assessed using the whole-mouth method, and lingual taste receptor gene expression was measured by real-time PCR.