Effect of matcha green tea on cognitive functions and sleep quality in older adults with cognitive decline: A randomized controlled study over 12 months.

Objective: Lifestyle habits after middle age significantly impact the maintenance of cognitive function in older adults. Nutritional intake is closely related to lifestyle habits; therefore, nutrition is a pivotal factor in the prevention of dementia in the preclinical stages. Matcha green tea powder (matcha), which contains epigallocatechin gallate, theanine, and caffeine, has beneficial effects on cognitive function and mood.

Efficacy and Concurrent Validity of Computerized Brain Training Based on Everyday Living (BTEL) Based on Instrumental Activities of Living for Cognitively Healthy Old Individuals: A Preliminary Study.

Background: Interventions to prevent or attenuate cognitive decline and dementia in older adults are becoming increasingly important. Recently, cognitive training exercise can be via computer or mobile technology for independent or home use. Recent meta-analysis has reported that Computerized Cognitive Training (CCT) is effective at enhancing cognitive function in healthy older and Alzheimer's disease adults, although little is known about individual characteristics of each computerized program.

A case with burning mouth syndrome followed by dementia with Lewy bodies: a case report.

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is characterized by persistent oral burning sensations without corresponding organic findings. Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a common type of dementia and generally presents visual hallucination and parkinsonism as motor dysfunction besides cognitive decline. In this case report, we present a case in which DLB emerged during the treatment for BMS, with a relatively positive outcome for BMS.

Super-resolution imaging for the detection of low-energy ion tracks in fine-grained nuclear emulsions.

We propose a new wide-field imaging method that exploits the Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance phenomenon to produce super-resolution images with an optical microscope equipped with a custom design polarization analyzer module. In this paper we describe the method and apply it to the analysis of low-energy carbon ion tracks implanted in a nuclear emulsion film. The result is then compared with the measurements of the same tracks carried out at an electronic microscope.

Feasibility study of Internet video-based speech-language activity for outpatients with primary progressive aphasia.

Background: Primary progressive aphasia is a clinical dementia syndrome secondary to neurodegenerative disease characterized by language-related difficulties. Currently, there is no effective treatment for language impairment in primary progressive aphasia. In the present study, we investigated the feasibility of Internet video-based speech-language activities for this condition.

Utility of paced breathing tablet guidance apparatus with real-time feedback on autonomic function for individuals with mild cognitive impairment: a pilot study.

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) individuals also show significant parasympathetic deficits, while autonomic nervous system (ANS) flexibility can strengthen cognitive and brain function. Paced (or slow) breathing has significant effects on the ANS and is associated with relaxation and well-being. However, paced breathing requires considerable time and practice, a significant barrier to its widespread adoption.

Development of informant-reported or self-reported MCI-J questionnaire.

Unlabelled: Several studies have reported a high prevalence of missed and delayed mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild dementia diagnosis, which could lead to delayed treatment and increased patient and caregiver burden.

Objectives: This study aimed to develop a new questionnaire for nonprofessionals to help detect early signs of MCI and dementia. Respondents included patients, family caregivers, or health professionals.

Integrin α6A (ITGA6A)-type Splice Variant in Extracellular Vesicles Has a Potential as a Novel Marker of the Early Recurrence of Pancreatic Cancer.

Background/aim: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide, with a poor prognosis. Owing to the difficulty of early diagnosis, the aim of this study was to isolate biomarkers from extracellular vesicles (EVs) that can lead to early diagnosis.

Materials And Methods: EVs in the culture supernatant were isolated from a pancreatic cancer cell line (PK-1) and expanded by using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and protein identification from each spot was performed by using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry.

Dissection of the polygenic architecture of neuronal Aβ production using a large sample of individual iPSC lines derived from Alzheimer's disease patients.

Genome-wide association studies have demonstrated that polygenic risks shape Alzheimer's disease (AD). To elucidate the polygenic architecture of AD phenotypes at a cellular level, we established induced pluripotent stem cells from 102 patients with AD, differentiated them into cortical neurons and conducted a genome-wide analysis of the neuronal production of amyloid β (Aβ). Using such a cellular dissection of polygenicity (CDiP) approach, we identified 24 significant genome-wide loci associated with alterations in Aβ production, including some loci not previously associated with AD, and confirmed the influence of some of the corresponding genes on Aβ levels by the use of small interfering RNA.

Patients with mild cognitive impairment diagnosed at dementia clinic display decreased maximum occlusal force: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Previous research indicates that patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are more likely to have poor oral health and impairments in oral functions, which may be due to few remaining teeth and impaired tongue and lip motor function. However, the oral health of those patients following comprehensive cognitive assessment by a dementia specialist has not been sufficiently investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the oral function of patients with MCI and the association between oral health and lower cognitive function.

Structural brain network correlations with amyloid burden in elderly individuals at risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) has a long preclinical phase during which beta-amyloid accumulates in the brain without cognitive impairment. However, the pattern of brain network alterations in this early stage of the disease remains to be clarified. In this study we examined the relationships between regional brain network indices and beta-amyloid deposits.

A Novel Cognitive Function Scale Using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy for Evaluating Cognitive Dysfunction.

Background: Maintaining cognitive function is integral to a healthy social life in the aged. Although neuropsychological tests and brain imaging methods can assess cognitive dysfunction, these techniques are subjective, psychologically burdensome, and cannot be conducted easily.

Objective: We sought to develop an objective, low-burden novel cognitive function scale based on functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) of hemodynamic changes in the cerebral cortex during daily task performance.

Differentiating Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Alzheimer's Disease by Deep Learning to Structural MRI.

Background And Purpose: Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most prevalent cause of degenerative dementia next to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Though current DLB diagnostic criteria employ several indicative biomarkers, relative preservation of the medial temporal lobe as revealed by structural MRI suffers from low sensitivity and specificity, making them unreliable as sole supporting biomarkers. In this study, we investigated how a deep learning approach would be able to differentiate DLB from AD with structural MRI data.

Super-resolution high-speed optical microscopy for fully automated readout of metallic nanoparticles and nanostructures.

We have designed a fully automated optical microscope running at high-speed and achieving a very high spatial resolution. In order to overcome the resolution limit of optical microscopes, it exploits the localized surface plasmon resonance phenomenon. The customized setup using a polarization analyzer, based on liquid crystals, produces no vibrations and it is capable of probing isolated nanoparticles.

Effect of Chlorogenic Acids on Cognitive Function in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial.

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a global-scale issue, due in large part to the rapidly growing elderly population. The main polyphenol contained in coffee beans, chlorogenic acid (CGA), improves attention in healthy individuals. The utility of CGAs for treating MCI, however, has not been evaluated.

Structural brain network correlated with the resilience to traumatic events in the healthy participants: An MRI study on healthy people in a stricken area of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Objective: Mental health care is an important issue in areas stricken by a natural disaster. Some people develop stress-related mental disorders while others are resilient to the traumatic events. In this study, we evaluated the relationships between resilience and structural neural networks derived from the gray matter MRI scan of the brain by using a novel similarity-based approach.

Differentiation Between Dementia With Lewy Bodies And Alzheimer's Disease Using Voxel-Based Morphometry Of Structural MRI: A Multicenter Study.

Background: The differential diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is particularly important because DLB patients respond better to cholinesterase inhibitors but sometimes exhibit sensitivity to neuroleptics, which may cause worsening of clinical status. Antemortem voxel-based morphometry (VBM) using structural MRI has previously revealed that patients with DLB have normal hippocampal volume, but atrophy in the dorsal mesopontine area.

Objectives: The aim of this multicenter study was to determine whether VBM of the brain stem in addition to that of medial temporal lobe structures improves the differential diagnosis of AD and DLB.

Change in the NT-proBNP/Mature BNP Molar Ratio Precedes Worsening Renal Function in Patients With Acute Heart Failure: A Novel Predictor Candidate for Cardiorenal Syndrome.

Background Early detection for worsening renal function (WRF) is indispensable in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (HF). We tested the hypothesis that the difference in the circulating levels of each B-type or brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) molecular form is associated with the occurrence of WRF. Methods and Results Circulating levels of proBNP, the NT-proBNP (N-terminal proBNP), and total BNP (proBNP+mature BNP) were prospectively measured in patients with acute decompensated HF using specific and sensitive enzyme immunochemiluminescent assays.

Effects of Anserine/Carnosine Supplementation on Mild Cognitive Impairment with APOE4.

Background: Oral supplementation of anserine/carnosine helps preserve cognitive functions in healthy older adults. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transition between cognitive-normal and dementia. Therefore, it needs to investigate whether anserine/carnosine supplementation (ACS) has effects on subjects with MCI.

Defining mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-derived small extracellular vesicles for therapeutic applications.

Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) from mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) are transiting rapidly towards clinical applications. However, discrepancies and controversies about the biology, functions, and potency of MSC-sEVs have arisen due to several factors: the diversity of MSCs and their preparation; various methods of sEV production and separation; a lack of standardized quality assurance assays; and limited reproducibility of and functional assays. To address these issues, members of four societies (SOCRATES, ISEV, ISCT and ISBT) propose specific harmonization criteria for MSC-sEVs to facilitate data sharing and comparison, which should help to advance the field towards clinical applications.

Post-fracture Rehabilitation Effects on Brain Function in Older People.

Background: Deterioration of cognitive function is an underlying cause of older people's fractures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate electroencephalogram and cognitive function in patients hospitalized with fractures, both at admission (before intervention) and at the time of discharge (after intervention), to investigate the effects of rehabilitation on brain function.

Methods: A total of 24 patients hospitalized with fracture due to a fall were enrolled in this study.

Prevalence of childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and its role in daytime sleepiness.

Objectives: To investigate childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and its role in daytime sleepiness among school-age children.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted with 25,211 children aged 6-15 (mean, 10.39) years attending 148 elementary and 71 middle schools in 10 prefectures across Japan and their parents.

Artificial intelligence using neural network architecture for radiology (AINNAR): classification of MR imaging sequences.

Purpose: The confusion of MRI sequence names could be solved if MR images were automatically identified after image data acquisition. We revealed the ability of deep learning to classify head MRI sequences.

Materials And Methods: Seventy-eight patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) having apparently normal head MR images and 78 intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) patients with morphologically deformed head MR images were enrolled.