Publications by authors named "Semba R"

Article Synopsis
  • * Data from 114 Japanese women revealed that low tumor grade, high progesterone receptor (PgR) expression, and low Ki67 labeling index (LI) were significantly associated with lower recurrence scores.
  • * The findings suggest that PgR expression and Ki67 LI are independent predictors of recurrence score, and MUC1 staining patterns could also be valuable in identifying patients who may not benefit from the test.
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  • The study aims to create a straightforward risk stratification model for postoperative prostate cancer patients using data from radical prostatectomy specimens.* -
  • A derivation cohort of 432 patients and two validation cohorts (506 and 720 patients) were analyzed, focusing on factors like extraprostatic extension and lymph node involvement to develop the model.* -
  • The resulting 3-level risk classification (low, intermediate, high) effectively predicted recurrence-free survival and proved more accurate than the existing CAPRA score in the validation cohorts.*
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Background: The age of onset of the phyllodes tumor is generally in the late 40 s, and diagnosis and treatment during pregnancy and lactation are rare. We herein present a case of a phyllodes tumor that rapidly increased in size during the pregnancy and lactation period.

Case Presentation: A 39-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with a mass in the right breast that increased in size during the pregnancy and lactation period.

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Meatless Monday is a global movement that encourages people to reduce meat in their diets for their own health and the health of the planet. We conducted a comprehensive review of primary and secondary sources and archival material documenting the origins, historical roots, and growth of Meatless Monday and simultaneous developments in public health. Sources for the paper included publications of the US Food Administration and articles and media identified using searches of ProQuest Historical Newspapers, Newspapers.

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  • The study aimed to determine whether pathological prognostic factors affect the prognosis of low-risk prostate cancer patients, who are generally considered to have a good outlook according to NCCN guidelines.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 419 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy, focusing on various clinical and pathological factors related to biochemical recurrence-free survival.
  • Results indicated that while pathological factors significantly impacted prognosis in the overall patient group, they did not influence survival outcomes for the 104 low-risk patients, suggesting that these patients may not need additional treatments despite pathological findings.
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  • Calcific aortic stenosis (AS) is a common heart valve issue in older adults, but its risk factors are not well understood, highlighting the need for more research to improve management and treatment.
  • In a long-term study involving over 5,000 participants aged about 73 years, various risk factors, including age, sex, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and certain biological markers, were linked to the development of moderate to severe AS.
  • The findings suggest that identifying these risk factors could provide insights into the biology of AS and help in developing preventive strategies and treatments for those most at risk.
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Purpose Of Review: Dairy milk products are dominant in the market; however, plant-based milks are gaining prominence among USA consumers. Many questions remain about how plant-based milk products compare to dairy milk from a nutrition, public health, and planetary health perspective. Here, we compare the retail sales, nutrient profiles, and known health and environmental impacts of the production and consumption of dairy and plant-based milks and identify knowledge gaps for future studies.

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Therapeutic strategies that promote read-through of a mutant gene have proved effective for certain non-neoplastic diseases. However, the efficacy of this approach is unproven regarding neoplastic diseases with germline nonsense mutations, including familial adenomatous polyposis. Here we examined the cancer-preventive efficacy of the macrolide antibiotic azithromycin, with a reported read-through effect, on intestinal tumorigenesis in C3B6F1 Apc mice harboring a nonsense Apc mutation resulting in a truncated Apc protein.

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Although growth/differentiation factor 11 (GDF11), growth/differentiation factor 8 (GDF8), and their circulating antagonists, which include GDF11 and GDF8 propeptides, follistatin (FST), WAP, Follistatin/Kazal, Immunoglobulin, Kunitz And Netrin Domain Containing (WFIKKN)1, and WFIKKN2, have been shown to influence skeletal muscle and aging in mice, the relationship of these circulating factors with human phenotypes is less clear. This study aimed to characterize the relationship between plasma GDF8, GDF11, FST, WFIKKN1, and WFIKKN2 concentrations with the decline of grip strength in 534 adults, ≥65 years, who participated in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging and had grip strength measured over time. Plasma GDF8 and GDF11 mature proteins, GDF8 and GDF11 propeptides, FST (isoform FST315 and cleaved form FST303), WFIKKN1, and WFIKKN2 concentrations were measured using selected reaction monitoring-tandem mass spectrometry at baseline.

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Adjuvant chemotherapy has played a major role in the treatment of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer for many years. To better determine which patient subsets need adjuvant chemotherapy, various gene expression analyses have been developed, but cost-effective tools to identify such patients remain elusive. In the present report, we retrospectively investigated immunohistochemical expression and subcellular localization of MUC1 in primary tumors and examined their relationship to tumor malignancy, chemotherapy effect and patient outcomes.

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Purpose: To analyze the urinary metabolomic profile of central serous chorioretinopathy cases.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 80 participants with central serous chorioretinopathy were compared with 80 age-matched and sex-matched controls. Urinary metabolites were measured using Metabolon's Discovery HD4 platform.

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The specific aim was to characterize retail purchases of red and processed meat and other major protein-rich foods in the U.S. and by state.

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Background: Cash transfer (CT) programs are an important type of social protection meant to reduce poverty. Whether CT programs increase the risk of overweight and obesity is unclear. The objective was to characterize the relationship between CT programs and the risk of overweight and obesity in children and adults.

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Bone fragility can progress with aging, but biomarkers to detect emerging osteopenia have not been fully elucidated. Growth/differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) has pleiotropic roles in a broad range of age-related conditions, but its association with osteopenia is unknown. We examined the relationship between plasma GDF-15 levels and rate of change in bone parameters over 9 years of follow-up in 596 adults in the InCHIANTI study (baseline age, 65-94 years; women, 52.

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Background: The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the association between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and all-cause mortality are unknown. We conducted a data-driven discovery investigation to identify plasma proteins that mediate the association between RDW and time to death in community-dwelling adults.

Methods: At baseline, 962 adults (women, 54·4%; age range, 21-98 years) participated in the InCHIANTI, "Aging in the Chianti Area" study, and proteomics data were generated from their plasma specimens.

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Article Synopsis
  • Advanced glycation end-products (AGE), particularly carboxy-methyl-lysine (CML), are linked to changes in collagen structure in bones, affecting fracture risk.
  • In older adults, those with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have higher CML levels, and this is associated with an increased risk of clinical fractures compared to non-diabetic individuals, regardless of bone density and other health factors.
  • However, CML levels did not correlate with prevalent vertebral fractures in either group, suggesting that while they affect fracture incidence in T2D, they may not influence existing vertebral fractures.
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Background: Dietary biomarkers may complement dietary intake assessment made by dietary questionnaires. We developed an a-posteriori dietary biomarkers score based on Mediterranean diet food groups and evaluated its association with mortality.

Methods: 642 participants (56% female), aged ≥65 years, with complete data on dietary biomarkers were followed during 20 years in the InCHIANTI cohort study (Tuscany, Italy).

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Legumes are an inexpensive, healthy source of protein, fiber, and micronutrients, have low greenhouse gas and water footprints, and enrich soil through nitrogen fixation. Although higher legume consumption is recommended under US dietary guidelines, legumes currently comprise only a minor part of the US diet. To characterize the types of legumes most commonly purchased by US consumers and patterns of legume purchases by state and region, seasonality of legume purchases, and to characterize adults that have a higher intake of legumes.

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Micronutrient deficiencies are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries worldwide. Climate change, characterized by increasing global surface temperatures and alterations in rainfall, has the capacity to affect the quality and accessibility of micronutrient-rich foods. The goals of this review are to summarize the potential effects of climate change and its consequences on agricultural yield and micronutrient quality, primarily zinc, iron, and vitamin A, of plant foods and upon the availability of animal foods, to discuss the implications for micronutrient deficiencies in the future, and to present possible mitigation and adaptive strategies.

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Background And Objectives: Hypertension is associated with significant morbidity and mortality despite effective antihypertensive therapies. Soluble klotho is a circulating protein that in preclinical studies is protective against the development of hypertension. There are limited studies of klotho and blood pressure in humans.

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Background: Although diets rich in carotenoids are associated with reduced risks of cardiovascular disease, age-related macular degeneration, disability, and other adverse aging outcomes, the underlying biological mechanisms are not fully elucidated.

Objectives: To characterize the plasma proteome fingerprint associated with circulating carotenoid and retinol concentrations in older adults.

Methods: In 728 adults ≥65 y participating in the Invecchiare in Chianti (InCHIANTI) Study, plasma α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene were measured using HPLC.

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Background: To guide the transformation of food systems to provide for healthy and sustainable diets, countries need to assess their current diet and food supply in comparison to nutrition, health, affordability, and environmental goals.

Objectives: We sought to compare Indonesia's food utilization to diets optimized for nutritional value and cost and to diets that are increasingly plant-based in order to meet further health and environmental goals, including the EAT-Lancet planetary health diet, to explore whether multiple goals could be achieved simultaneously.

Methods: We compared 13 dietary scenarios (2 current, 7 optimized, 3 increasingly plant-based, 1 EAT-Lancet) for nutrient content, cost, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe), and water footprints, using the FAO food balance sheet, Indonesia Household Income and Expenditure Survey household food expenditure, food composition, life cycle assessment, food losses, and trade data.

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Growth faltering under 5 years of age is unacceptably high worldwide, and even more children, while not stunted, fail to reach their growth potential. The time between conception and 2 years of age is critical for development. The period from 6 to 23 months, when complementary foods are introduced, coincides with a time when growth faltering and delayed neurocognitive developments are most common.

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Purpose: To characterize the proteome of the iris in primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG).

Experimental Design: In this cross-sectional study, iris samples were obtained from surgical iridectomy of 48 adults with PACG and five normal controls. Peptides from iris were analysed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry on an Orbitrap Q Exactive Plus mass spectrometer.

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