Urinary pentosidine as a potential biomarker of muscle and physical performance in young adult men.

Pentosidine is representative of the cross-linked structure of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and has been suggested as a biomarker to assess bone and muscle quality. As studies on pentosidine in young adult men remain limited, we aimed to clarify the associations of urinary pentosidine with musculoskeletal status and physical performance in young men. Participants in this study comprised 32 men (age range: 19-39 years).

Sex differences in genotype frequency and the risk of polycythemia associated with rs13419896 and rs2790859 among Tibetan highlanders living in Tsarang, Mustang, Nepal.

Background: Tibetan highlanders have adapted to hypoxic environments through genetic mechanisms that avoid hemoglobin concentration increases and prevent polycythemia. Recently, sex differences in hemoglobin dynamics with age have been reported among Tibetan highlanders living in Tsarang. Additionally, concerns have been raised that dietary changes associated with modernization may increase the risk of polycythemia and lifestyle-related diseases among Tibetan highlanders.

Association between physical performance and bone mass in community-dwelling postmenopausal Japanese women: The Unzen study.

Background: Low bone mass is an independent risk factor for osteoporotic fractures. We examined the association between physical performance and bone mass using quantitative ultrasound in community-dwelling postmenopausal Japanese women.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 524 community-dwelling postmenopausal Japanese women who were not being administered osteoporosis medications.

Endocrine, inflammatory and immune responses and individual differences in acute hypobaric hypoxia in lowlanders.

When lowlanders are exposed to environments inducing hypobaric hypoxia (HH) such as high mountains, hemodynamic changes occur to maintain oxygen levels in the body. However, changes to other physiological functions under such conditions have yet to be clarified. This study investigated changes in endocrine, inflammatory and immune parameters and individual differences during acute HH exposure using a climatic chamber (75 min of exposure to conditions mimicking 3500 m) in healthy lowlanders.

Vasoreactivity of the optic nerve head, nailfold, and facial skin in response to cold provocation in normal-tension glaucoma patients.

Background: The dysfunction of optic nerve head (ONH) hemodynamics has been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of normal-tension glaucoma (NTG). The aim of this study was to compare vasoreactivity in the ONH, nailfold, and facial skin in response to cold-water provocation in NTG patients and healthy controls.

Methods: We performed cold-water provocation in 14 eyes of 14 NTG patients and 15 eyes of 15 age-matched control subjects.

Association between sarcopenia and respiratory function in elderly orthopedic outpatients.

The relationship between sarcopenia and respiratory function has not been investigated in elderly Japanese orthopedic outpatients. This study aimed to assess the relationship between sarcopenia and respiratory function in elderly orthopedic outpatients in Japan. Elderly outpatients (n = 102; aged ≥65 years) with orthopedic diseases were enrolled in the study.

Association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and physical performance measures in middle-aged and old Japanese men and women: The Unzen study.

Purpose: Regarding epidemiological studies, the role of vitamin D in musculoskeletal functionality (muscle weakness and physical performance) among elderly people is still controversial. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the associations between 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and physical performance among community-dwelling middle-aged and old Japanese men and women.

Methods: The subjects were community-dwelling 297 men and 415 women aged 50 years and over.

Association between vitamin D and bone mineral density in Japanese adults: the Unzen study.

Unlabelled: We showed an association between serum concentrations of vitamin D and bone health among community-dwelling adults in Japan after adjustment for confounding factors, with 730 participants in a city, with concentrations of 25(OH) vitamin D, and with parameters of quantitative ultrasound.

Purpose: The primary objective of this study was to examine the correlation between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration and bone indicators as measured by quantitative ultrasound in middle-aged and older Japanese adults living in low-latitude seaside areas during summer and autumn.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study, the Unzen study, on community-dwelling Japanese adults who participated to periodic health examinations between 2011 and 2013 (during the months of May to November).

Association Between Birth Weight and Risk of Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension and Gestational Diabetes in Japanese Women: JPHC-NEXT Study.

Background: Although prevalence of low birth weight has increased in the last 3 decades in Japan, no studies in Japanese women have investigated whether birth weight is associated with the risk of pregnancy complications, such as pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Methods: We used data from the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study for the Next Generation (JPHC-NEXT), a population-based cohort study in Japan that launched in 2011. In the main analysis, we included 46,365 women who had been pregnant at least once, for whom information on birth weight and events during their pregnancy was obtained using a self-administered questionnaire.

Effect of Genetic Polymorphisms on Hemoglobin Concentration in Andean Highlanders.

The physiological characteristics of Andean natives living at high altitudes have been investigated extensively, with many studies reporting that Andean highlanders have a higher hemoglobin (Hb) concentration than other highlander populations. It has previously been reported that positive natural selection has acted independently on the egl-9 family hypoxia inducible factor 1 () gene in Tibetan and Andean highlanders and is related to Hb concentration in Tibetans. However, no study has yet revealed the genetic determinants of Hb concentration in Andeans even though several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in have previously been examined.

Association between self-reported walking speed and calcaneal stiffness index in postmenopausal Japanese women.

Background: Osteoporosis and related fractures, a worldwide public health issue of growing concern, is characterized by compromised bone strength and an increased risk of fracture. Here we show an association between self-reported walking speed and bone mass among community-dwelling postmenopausal Japanese women aged 50 years and older. DESIGN; CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY: Setting and Participants; The survey population included 1008 postmenopausal women 50-92 years of age residing in rural communities.

Individual variations and sex differences in hemodynamics with percutaneous arterial oxygen saturation (SpO) in young Andean highlanders in Bolivia.

Background: Many studies have reported specific adaptations to high altitude, but few studies have focused on physiological variations in high-altitude adaptation in Andean highlanders. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between SpO and related factors, including individual variations and sex differences, in Andean highlanders.

Methods: The participants were community-dwelling people in La Paz, Bolivia, aged 20 years and over (age range 20-34 years).

[Association between fear of falling and activities of daily living among community-dwelling Japanese older adults].

Objectives　This study aimed to explore the association of difficulties in activities of daily living (ADL) (activities related to bending, spine extension, standing endurance, and walking) with fear of falling among community-dwelling older adults.Methods　We recruited 642 older adults (men, n=267; women, n=375) aged 65 years and over. The mean age was 72.

Relationship between bone turnover markers and the heel stiffness index measured by quantitative ultrasound in post-menopausal Japanese women.

Osteoporosis in women is a serious health problem. The relationships between biochemical markers of bone turnover and bone mineral density (BMD) in women have been reported, but no study has examined relationships between tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRACP-5b) or bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and bone mass measured by quantitative ultrasound (QUS) in Japanese post-menopausal women. To investigate the serum TRACP-5b and BAP levels and to determine their associations with the heel stiffness index measured by QUS in post-menopausal women.

Association of EGLN1 genetic polymorphisms with SpO responses to acute hypobaric hypoxia in a Japanese cohort.

Background: Recent studies have explored various genetic and physiological factors related to high-altitude adaptation in highlander populations. However, the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), influencing such adaptation, on physiological responses to hypobaric hypoxia have not been examined in lowlanders with lowlander ancestry. Thus, we aimed to investigate the association between SNPs around the EGLN1 genomic region, possibly involved in high-altitude adaptation, and physiological changes to hypobaric hypoxia exposure in a cohort of Japanese lowlanders.