Serum stratifin measurement is useful for evaluating disease severity and outcomes in patients with acute exacerbation of interstitial lung disease: a retrospective study.

Background: Serum levels of stratifin (SFN), a member of the 14-3-3 protein family, increase in patients with drug-induced lung injury associated with diffuse alveolar damage. Therefore, we hypothesised that SFN levels would be higher in those experiencing acute exacerbation of interstitial lung disease (AE-ILD). A secondary analysis was also planned to determine whether SFN levels could discriminate survival in those with AE.

Association between dietary variety status and sarcopenia as defined by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 consensus in older outpatients at a hospital specializing in geriatric medicine: A cross‑sectional study with baseline data of prospective cohort study (JUSTICE‑TOKYO study).

To the best of our knowledge, little is known about the association between dietary variety status and sarcopenia in university-affiliated geriatric hospital in elderly. The present study aimed to investigate, in a multidisciplinary setting, the prevalence of sarcopenia and association between dietary variety status and sarcopenia in older outpatients at Juntendo Tokyo Koto Geriatric Medical Center (Tokyo, Japan). Between October 2020 and December 2021, a cross-sectional study of outpatients aged ≥65 years [458 male (44%) and 584 female (56%); mean age, 78.

Detailed Clinical Features of -Associated Hearing Loss Identified in a Large Japanese Hearing Loss Cohort.

The gene has been identified as one of the genes responsible for non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), and assigned as DFNA73 and DFNB84. To date, about 30 causative variants have been reported to cause SNHL. However, the detailed clinical features of -associated hearing loss (HL) remain unclear.

Clinical meaning of sarcopenia in patients undergoing endoscopic treatment.

With increasing global life expectancy, the significance of geriatric assessment parameters has increased. Sarcopenia is a crucial assessment parameter and is defined as the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. Sarcopenia is widely acknowledged as a risk factor for postoperative complications in diverse advanced malignancies and has a detrimental effect on the long-term prognosis.

Marked intestinal trans-differentiation by autoimmune gastritis along with ectopic pancreatic and pulmonary trans-differentiation.

Background: Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is a prevalent chronic inflammatory disease with oncogenic potential that causes destruction of parietal cells and severe mucosal atrophy. We aimed to explore the distinctive gene expression profiles, activated signaling pathways, and their underlying mechanisms.

Methods: A comprehensive gene expression analysis was conducted using biopsy specimens from AIG, Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis (HPG), and non-inflammatory normal stomachs.

Bidirectional associations of high-level cognitive domains with hand motor function and gait speed in high-functioning older adults: A 7-year study.

Background: Whether age-related decline in the musculoskeletal system may contribute to a decline in cognitive performance or vice versa is unclear. Understanding the direction of their associations and the extent to which upper and lower extremities similarly predict subtle changes in high-level cognitive performance will help elucidate their mechanisms, especially that of the hand dexterity.

Methods: We evaluated the bidirectional associations of motor performance and high-level cognitive domains in 165 highly cognitively and physically healthy older adults.

Prognostic impact of the cross-sectional area of the erector spinae muscle in patients with pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis.

Pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis (PPFE) progresses slowly but sometimes relatively quickly, leading to decreased activities of daily living (ADL) and muscle weakness. Skeletal muscle atrophy and muscle weakness in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients may be caused by cachexia and are associated with reduced ADLs and increased risk of death. However, the association between skeletal muscle mass and the prognosis of PPFE patients remains unknown.

A retrospective comparison between digital to conventional drainage systems for secondary spontaneous pneumothorax related to diffuse interstitial lung disease.

Introduction: Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (SSP) occurs as one of the complications associated with interstitial pneumonia (IP). Chest drainage is performed when there is a large volume of air in the pleural space. Notably, SSP with IP (SSP-IP) is frequently not curable by chest drainage only.

Sequential administration of PD‑1 inhibitor and cetuximab causes pneumonia.

Severe drug-induced lung injury (DLI) has been reported to be associated with sequential administration of osimertinib, a third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor, following a programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor. However, the relationship of sequential treatment with an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody and PD-1 inhibitor with the risk of DLI remains to be elucidated. The present study conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of a total of 179 patients with head and neck cancer who had received treatment with cetuximab and/or a PD-1 inhibitor (nivolumab or pembrolizumab) at Chiba University Hospital (Chiba, Japan) between September 2014 and December 2020.

Effects of the combination of atomoxetine and oxybutynin in Japanese patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: A randomized controlled crossover trial.

Background And Objective: The possibility of combination therapy with atomoxetine (ATO) and oxybutynin (OXY) has been suggested for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). However, the effectiveness of this treatment remains uninvestigated in Japanese OSA patients. Therefore, we performed a randomized, crossover, phase II, single-centre prospective trial to examine the effects of ATO-OXY therapy in Japanese OSA patients.

Normative Data of the Trail Making Test Among Urban Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Japan.

Introduction: Population aging is likely to increase the number of people with dementia living in urban areas. The Trail Making Test (TMT) is widely used as a cognitive task to measure attention and executive function among older adults. Normative data from a sample of community-dwelling older adults are required to evaluate the executive function of this population.

Magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging is useful in differentiating gastric cancer from matched adenoma in white light imaging.

This study assessed the effect of magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging (M-NBI) on the endoscopic differential diagnosis between intramucosal gastric carcinomas and adenomas with matched characteristics. Associations between magnified endoscopic findings and pathological high-grade cellular and architectural atypia were also investigated. In total, the records of 50 adenomas and 50 intramucosal well-differentiated adenocarcinomas matched by tumor size (≥ 20 mm or < 20 mm), shape (depression or non-depression), and color (red or non-red) were extracted.

Promoting cultural change towards dementia friendly communities: a multi-level intervention in Japan.

Background: Effective strategies to develop dementia-friendly communities (DFCs) are needed in aging societies. We aimed to propose a strategy to develop DFCs from a Japanese perspective and to evaluate an intervention program that adopted the strategy.

Methods: This study implemented a multi-level intervention that emphasized nurturing community social capital in a large apartment complex in the Tokyo metropolitan area in 2017.

[Comprehensive health assessment of community-dwelling older people using mail method and its association with future transition to need for long-term care and dementia].

Objectives　We selected assessment items that can be used to evaluate the physical, mental, and social functions of community-dwelling older people comprehensively and easily, and examined whether these items could predict a future transition to the requirement for nursing care and dementia.Methods　We conducted a self-administered mail survey of 4,439 community-dwelling older people, who were not certified as requiring nursing care in 2011. The items for the survey were shortlisted out of a total of 54 items that were selected by referring to existing scales, and the evaluation items were determined by pass rate and factor analysis.

Olfactory function and discrimination ability in the elderly: a pilot study.

We recently reported that subjects with a higher olfactory identification threshold for rose odor declined more in attentional ability in the elderly. This study focuses on discrimination ability and olfactory identification threshold in twelve elderly subjects living in a community (age: 80.9 ± 1.

The natural history of sporadic non-ampullary duodenal epithelial tumors: Can we wait and see?

Objectives: The natural history of sporadic non-ampullary duodenal epithelial tumors (SNADETs) is poorly documented. The aim of this study was to evaluate the history of SNADETs in patients where immediate resection could not be performed.

Methods: This is a single-center retrospective study of 86 consecutive cases of SNADETs who did not undergo immediate resection and were followed-up with upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for more than 6 months.

Cognitive function, daily function and physical and mental health in older adults: A comparison of venue and home-visit community surveys in Metropolitan Tokyo.

Purpose: We conducted surveys in older people at a venue and in home-visits, and compared cognitive and health status between the two groups to assess their cognitive and everyday functioning.

Methods: Among 7,614 persons aged 70 years and older living in an urban area, 5,430 responded to a mail survey for sociodemographic characteristics and self-rated questionnaires including the Geriatric Depression Scale-short form (GDS-15). Of these, 1,360 agreed to attend a venue survey, and 693 agreed to take a home-visit survey.

Risk factors for gastric cancer in Japan in the 2010s: a large, long-term observational study.

Background: The numbers of Helicobacter pylori (HP)-infected individuals and deaths due to gastric cancer are decreasing in Japan. We aimed to determine whether the serological test for chronic gastritis (the ABC method) is still useful for gastric cancer risk stratification in the 2010s and to analyze risk factors for developing gastric cancer in Japan.

Methods: In this prospective study, we monitored 20773 individuals for the incidence of gastric cancer from 2010 to 2019.

Catalytic promiscuity of rice 2-oxoglutarate/Fe(II)-dependent dioxygenases supports xenobiotic metabolism.

The rice (Oryza sativa) 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)/Fe(II)-dependent dioxygenase HIS1 mediates the catalytic inactivation of five distinct β-triketone herbicides (bTHs). By assessing the effects of plant growth regulators on HIS1 enzyme function, we found that HIS1 mediates the hydroxylation of trinexapac-ethyl (TE) in the presence of Fe2+ and 2OG. TE blocks gibberellin biosynthesis, and we observed that its addition to culture medium induced growth retardation of rice seedlings in a concentration-dependent manner.

Depressed mood and frailty among older people in Tokyo during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The study aim was to identify depressed mood and frailty and its related factors in older people during the coronavirus disease 19 pandemic.

Methods: Since 2010, we have conducted questionnaire surveys on all older residents, who are not certified in the long-term care insurance, living in one district of Tokyo municipality. These residents are divided into two groups by birth month, that is those born between April and September and those born between October and March, and each group completes the survey every 2 years (in April and May).

Possibility of deterioration of respiratory status when steroids precede antiviral drugs in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia: A retrospective study.

Introduction: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Although most patients with COVID-19 develop asymptomatic or mild disease, some patients develop severe disease. The effectiveness of various therapeutic agents, including antiviral drugs, steroids, and anti-inflammatories for COVID-19, have been being confirmed.

Effects of Modulated Emotion and Facial Masking Encounter on Personal Distance.

In this study, we examined the effects of participants' emotional states on personal space when an approaching person's face was either masked or unmasked. We used the participants' uncomfortable stop-distance as our method of measuring personal space. Inducing a positive emotion narrowed perceived personal space, whereas inducing a negative emotion widened personal space.

The relationship between olfaction and cognitive function in the elderly.

This study investigated the relationship between olfaction and cognitive function in 12 elderly people (age: 80.9 ± 1.6) living in the community.