Association of oral fungal profiles with health status and bacterial composition in elderly adults receiving community support and home care service.

Unlabelled: Fungi compose a minority but a common component of normal oral microbiota and contribute to oral and systemic health by interacting with bacterial inhabitants. This study investigated the relationship of oral fungal profiles to health status and bacterial profiles of 159 elderly adults receiving community support and home care services. Fungal and bacterial densities and compositions were determined based on the fungal ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region and bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicon analyses, respectively.

Possible association between oral health status and appetite loss in community-dwelling older adults.

This study aimed to evaluate the association between the oral health status and appetite in community-dwelling older adults. We enrolled 100 people aged ≥65 years who had participated in long-term care prevention projects between December 2018 and January 2019. Appetite was assessed using the Council on Nutrition Appetite Questionnaire score.

Yogurt product intake and reduction of tooth loss risk in a Japanese community.

Aim: To evaluate the longitudinal association between yogurt product intake and oral health in a population-based study.

Materials And Methods: This study included 1967 Japanese residents aged 40-79 years who underwent dental examinations in 2012. Among them, 1469 participants were followed up in 2017 for the incidence of tooth loss, which was defined as two or more teeth lost over 5 years.

Baseline periodontal status and modifiable risk factors are associated with tooth loss over a 10-year period: Estimates of population attributable risk in a Japanese community.

Background: This study aimed to examine whether modifiable risk factors can predict tooth loss over 10 years and estimate population attributable risk (PAR) for a combination of modifiable factors.

Methods: This longitudinal study included 1466 participants who underwent dental examinations in 2007 and 2017 and were aged 40 to 79 years at baseline. Periodontal conditions were assessed using the 2018 periodontal classification.

10-year trend of tooth loss and associated factors in a Japanese population-based longitudinal study.

Objectives: We examined the trend in the number of missing teeth in a Japanese community over a 10-year period and the potential associated explanatory factors.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: A population-based study conducted in 2007, 2012 and 2017 in Japan (Hisayama Study).

Number of teeth, denture wearing and cognitive function in relation to nutritional status in residents of nursing homes.

Background: Although statistical associations between tooth loss and cognitive decline have been reported, there are few previous studies on denture wearing. Additionally, it remains unclear whether nutritional status mediates this association.

Objective: Our purpose was to test for the hypothesis that the association between the number of teeth and denture wearing with cognitive function is mediated by nutritional status in residents of nursing homes.

Association between periodontitis and fibrotic progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver among Japanese adults.

Aim: Non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) is known to develop into liver fibrosis, which increases the risk of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. The association between periodontal condition and fibrotic progression of NAFL is unclear. This study aimed to clarify this longitudinal association.

Longitudinal Associations of Toothbrushing With Obesity and Hyperglycemia.

Background: Toothbrushing is a health-related lifestyle habit and has been reported to contribute not only to oral health but also to some parameters of general health; however, little research has been conducted to understand the association of the frequency and timing of toothbrushing with the development of comprehensive metabolic abnormalities, with consideration of oral health condition. In this study, using longitudinal data, we examined this association in Japanese adults, adjusting for periodontal condition.

Methods: A 5-year longitudinal study was performed with 4,537 participants between 35 and 64 years old who underwent an annual dental examination in both 2003 and 2008.

Periodontal status and lung function decline in the community: the Hisayama study.

This study aimed to determine whether periodontal status is related to a decline in lung function in a general Japanese population. We followed a total of 1,650 community-dwelling individuals (≥40 years) without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, with at least one teeth, for 3 years. Periodontal status was assessed at baseline by clinical attachment loss (CAL) and probing pocket depth (PPD) at two sites for each tooth, and the mean values were calculated for each subject.

Decreased cognitive function is associated with dysphagia risk in nursing home older residents.

Objective: To examine the association between cognitive function and dysphagia risk among Japanese nursing home residents.

Background: Reduction in cognitive function can influence the intake of food during swallowing, and may be an aggravating factor in dysphagia.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 236 residents aged ≥60 years from eight nursing homes.

Factors affecting the appetites of persons with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.

Aim: Appetite loss has been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Among older people, decreased appetite can result in poor nutrition and subsequent loss of independent living. We examined the factors related to appetite loss in persons with AD and MCI to provide evidence for countermeasures to prevent appetite loss and progression of cognitive impairment.

Tooth loss and pneumonia mortality: A cohort study of Japanese dentists.

Although associations between oral health and pneumonia have been reported in previous studies, particularly in the institutionalized elderly, few prospective studies have investigated the association between oral condition and pneumonia among community-dwelling people and whether the findings among inpatients or patients in nursing homes are applicable to the general population is still unclear. The oral bacteria propagated in the periodontal regions may drop into the lung and increase the risk of pneumonia. We, therefore, investigated the association of tooth loss with mortality from pneumonia in a cohort study of Japanese dentists.

Relationship of toothbrushing to metabolic syndrome in middle-aged adults.

Aim: To examine the effect of toothbrushing on the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS), including assessment of periodontal status, in middle-aged adults.

Methods: This 5-year follow-up retrospective study was performed in 3,722 participants (2,897 males and 825 females) aged 35-64 years who underwent both medical check-ups and dental examinations. Metabolic components included obesity, elevated triglycerides, blood pressure, fasting glucose and reduced high-density lipoprotein.

Relationships of Variations in the Tongue Microbiota and Pneumonia Mortality in Nursing Home Residents.

Background: Aspiration of oral debris, containing dense oral bacteria, is a major cause of pneumonia in elderly adults. This study investigated the relationship between tongue microbiota composition and incidence of pneumonia-related deaths, in nursing home residents.

Methods: The subjects were assessed for health conditions, including their tongue microbiota, at baseline.

Metallothionein MT2A A-5G Polymorphism as a Risk Factor for Chronic Kidney Disease and Diabetes: Cross-Sectional and Cohort Studies.

Metallothioneins (MTs) are proteins that protect cells from toxic agents such as heavy metal ions or reactive oxygen species. MT2A A-5G is a single nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter region of the MT2A gene, and the minor G allele results in lower transcription efficiency. We aimed to elucidate associations between MT2A A-5G and risks of 2 diseases potentially related to lowered MT expression, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and diabetes mellitus (DM), in a community-dwelling population.

The effects of URAT1/SLC22A12 nonfunctional variants, R90H and W258X, on serum uric acid levels and gout/hyperuricemia progression.

Urate transporter 1 (URAT1/SLC22A12), a urate transporter gene, is a causative gene for renal hypouricemia type 1. Among several reported nonsynonymous URAT1 variants, R90H (rs121907896) and W258X (rs121907892) are frequent causative mutations for renal hypouricemia. However, no case-control study has evaluated the relationship between gout and these two variants.

No association between Helicobacter pylori infection and diabetes mellitus among a general Japanese population: a cross-sectional study.

Several case-control studies have reported that patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) had a higher prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection than those without DM, but these findings remain equivocal. Additionally, there are few studies examining associations between East Asian CagA-positive H. pylori and DM.

Association between brain-muscle-ARNT-like protein-2 (BMAL2) gene polymorphism and type 2 diabetes mellitus in obese Japanese individuals: A cross-sectional analysis of the Japan Multi-institutional Collaborative Cohort Study.

Aims: Brain-muscle-Arnt-like protein-1 (BMAL1) and BMAL2 genes are essential components of the circadian clock, and are considered to be involved in glucose homeostasis. We examined whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of BMAL1 and BMAL2 were associated with the prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in the general Japanese population.

Methods: We studied 2467 subjects (1232 men and 1235 women, 35-69 years old), including 105 men and 57 women with T2DM, from the participants of the Japan Multi-institutional Collaborative Cohort Study.

ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) R219K (G1051A, rs2230806) polymorphism and serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in a large Japanese population: cross-sectional data from the Daiko Study.

Among polymorphisms in ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) gene, the available evidence demonstrates that the ABCA1 R219K polymorphism (G1051A, rs2230806) K allele is associated with a higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL- C) level and may play a protective role against coronary artery disease (CAD) risk in Asians and Caucasians. The findings from many underpowered studies from Asian countries (n=71-597), however, still remain inconsistent. The objective of this study was to overcome the limitations of previous studies in Asia and provide solid epidemiologic evidence.

ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN BODY MASS INDEX AND SERUM URIC ACID LEVELS IN A JAPANESE POPULATION WERE SIGNIFICANTLY MODIFIED BY LRP2 rs2544390.

The genome-wide association study identified associations between the LRP2 polymorphism rs2544390 and serum uric acid (SUA) levels in a Japanese population. Our previous study on the LRP2 rs2544390 polymorphism identified an interaction between SUA and alcohol consumption. Here, we investigated an interaction with body mass index (BMI) using the same dataset.

Associations between polymorphisms of interleukin-6 and related cytokine genes and serum liver damage markers: a cross-sectional study in the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study.

Cytokines, including interleukin-6 (IL-6), play an important role in the liver. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between common polymorphisms in potential functional promoters of cytokine genes and liver damage markers among enrollees of a large Japanese cohort study. Subjects included 3257 Japanese individuals (1608 men and 1649 women, aged 35-69 years).

Common variant of ALPK1 is not associated with gout: a replication study.

Gout is one of the most kinds of common inflammatory arthritis as a consequence of hyperuricemia. Alpha-protein kinase 1 (ALPK1) gene locates in a gout-susceptibility locus on chromosome 4q21-31, and encodes ALPK1 protein which plays a pivotal role in the phosphorylation of myosin 1. In the previous genetic study of Taiwanese populations, 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs11726117, rs231247 and rs231253, in ALPK1 gene were reported to have a significant association with gout.

Polymorphisms of genes involved in lipid metabolism and risk of chronic kidney disease in Japanese - cross-sectional data from the J-MICC study.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is known to be one of the causes of cardiovascular disease and end-stage renal disease. Among the several treatable risk factors of CKD, that of dyslipidemia is relatively controversial. To clarify the association of polymorphisms in genes involved in lipid metabolism with the risk of CKD in the Japanese population, we used cross-sectional data from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study.

NPT1/SLC17A1 is a renal urate exporter in humans and its common gain-of-function variant decreases the risk of renal underexcretion gout.

Objective: Serum uric acid (SUA) levels in humans are mainly regulated by urate transporters. Recent genome-wide association studies suggested that common variants of the human sodium-dependent phosphate cotransporter type 1 gene (NPT1/SLC17A1) influence SUA. NPT1 has been reported to mediate urate transport, but its physiologic role in regulating SUA in humans remains unclear.