Molecular evolutionary analysis of novel NSP4 mono-reassortant G1P[8]-E2 rotavirus strains that caused a discontinuous epidemic in Japan in 2015 and 2018.

In the 2010s, several unusual rotavirus strains emerged, causing epidemics worldwide. This study reports a comprehensive molecular epidemiological study of rotaviruses in Japan based on full-genome analysis. From 2014 to 2019, a total of 489 rotavirus-positive stool specimens were identified, and the associated viral genomes were analyzed by next-generation sequencing.

Site-specific autonomic vasomotor responses and their interactions in rat gingiva.

Blood flow in the gingiva, comprising the interdental papilla as well as attached and marginal gingiva, is important for maintaining of gingival function and is modulated by risk factors such as stress that may lead to periodontal disease. Marked blood flow changes mediated by the autonomic (parasympathetic and sympathetic) nervous system may be essential for gingival hemodynamics. However, differences in autonomic vasomotor responses and their functional significance in different parts of the gingiva are unclear.

Blood levels of nicotinic acid negatively correlate with hearing ability in healthy older men.

Background: Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a common phenomenon observed during aging. On the other hand, the decrease in Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD +) levels is reported to be closely related to the age-related declines in physiological functions such as ARHL in animal studies. Moreover, preclinical studies confirmed NAD + replenishment effectively prevents the onset of age-related diseases.

Differences in the regulatory mechanism of blood flow in the orofacial area mediated by neural and humoral systems.

Marked blood flow (BF) changes mediated by the autonomic neural and humoral systems may be important for orofacial hemodynamics and functions. However, it remains questionable whether differences in the autonomic vasomotor responses mediated by neural and humoral systems exist in the orofacial area. This study examined whether there are differences in changes in the BF and vascular conductance (VC) between the masseter muscle and lower lip mediated by autonomic neural and humoral systems in urethane-anesthetized rats.

Safety evaluation of β-nicotinamide mononucleotide oral administration in healthy adult men and women.

A decrease in the intracellular level of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), an essential coenzyme for metabolic activity, causes various age-related diseases and metabolic abnormalities. Both in-vivo and in-vitro studies have shown that increasing certain NAD+ levels in cell or tissue by supplementing nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a precursor of NAD+, alleviates age-related diseases and metabolic disorders. In recent years, several clinical trials have been performed to elucidate NMN efficacy in humans.

Chronic nicotinamide mononucleotide supplementation elevates blood nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide levels and alters muscle function in healthy older men.

Preclinical studies have revealed that the elevation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + ) upon the administration of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), an NAD + precursor, can mitigate aging-related disorders; however, human data on this are limited. We investigated whether the chronic oral supplementation of NMN can elevate blood NAD + levels and alter physiological dysfunctions in healthy older participants. We administered 250 mg NMN per day to aged men for 6 or 12 weeks in a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group trial.

Correlation between antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance: A multicenter study using the Japan Surveillance for Infection Prevention and Healthcare Epidemiology (J-SIPHE) system in Hokkaido, Japan.

Background: The Japan Surveillance for Infection Prevention and Healthcare Epidemiology (J-SIPHE) system aggregates information related to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) measures in participating medical institutions nationwide and is intended to be used for promotion of AMR measures in participating facilities and their communities. This multicenter study aimed to determine the usefulness of the J-SIPHE system for evaluating the correlation between antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance in Hokkaido, Japan.

Methods: Data on antibiotic use and detection rate of major resistant Gram-negative bacteria at 19 hospitals in 2020 were collected from the J-SIPHE system, and data correlations were analyzed using JMP Pro.

Oral Administration of Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Is Safe and Efficiently Increases Blood Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Levels in Healthy Subjects.

Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NNM) is an orally bioavailable NAD precursor that has demonstrated beneficial effects against aging and aging-associated diseases in animal models. NMN is ultimately converted to NAD, a redox cofactor that mediates many metabolic enzymes. NAD also serves as the substrate for poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and sirtuins, and regulates various biological processes, such as metabolism, DNA repair, gene expression, and stress responses.

Effect of 12-Week Intake of Nicotinamide Mononucleotide on Sleep Quality, Fatigue, and Physical Performance in Older Japanese Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study.

Deteriorating sleep quality and physical or mental fatigue in older adults leads to decreased quality of life and increased mortality rates. This study investigated the effects of the time-dependent intake of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) on sleep quality, fatigue, and physical performance in older adults. This randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study evaluated 108 participants divided into four groups (NMN_AM; antemeridian, NMN_PM; post meridian, Placebo_AM, Placebo_PM).

Age-related decrease of cholinergic parasympathetic reflex vasodilation in the rat masseter muscle.

Skeletal muscle hemodynamics, including that in jaw muscles, is an important in their functions and is modulated by aging. Marked blood flow increases mediated by parasympathetic vasodilation may be important for blood flow in the masseter muscle (MBF); however, the relationship between parasympathetic vasodilation and aging is unclear. We examined the effect of aging on parasympathetic vasodilation evoked by trigeminal afferent inputs and their mechanisms by investigating the MBF during stimulation of the lingual nerve (LN) in young and old urethane-anesthetized and vago-sympathectomized rats.

Attenuated SIRT1 Activity Leads to PER2 Cytoplasmic Localization and Dampens the Amplitude of Promoter-Driven Circadian Oscillation.

The circadian clock possesses robust systems to maintain the rhythm approximately 24 h, from cellular to organismal levels, whereas aging is known to be one of the risk factors linked to the alternation of circadian physiology and behavior. The amount of many metabolites in the cells/body is altered with the aging process, and the most prominent metabolite among them is the oxidized form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), which is associated with posttranslational modifications of acetylation and poly-ADP-ribosylation status of circadian clock proteins and decreases with aging. However, how low NAD condition in cells, which mimics aged or pathophysiological conditions, affects the circadian clock is largely unknown.

A highly efficient method for extracting peptides from a single mouse hypothalamus.

Living organisms contain a variety of endogenous peptides that function as significant regulators of many biological processes. Endogenous peptides are typically analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). However, due to the low efficiency of peptide extraction and low abundance of peptides in a single animal, LC-MS-based peptidomics studies have not facilitated an understanding of the individual differences and tissue specificity of peptide abundance.

Molecular and clinical characterization of the equine-like G3 rotavirus that caused the first outbreak in Japan, 2016.

Since 2013, equine-like G3 rotavirus (eG3) strains have been detected throughout the world, including in Japan, and the strains were found to be dominant in some countries. In 2016, the first eG3 outbreak in Japan occurred in Tomakomai, Hokkaido prefecture, and the strains became dominant in other Hokkaido areas the following year. There were no significant differences in the clinical characteristics of eG3 and non-eG3 rotavirus infections.

Effect of the parasympathetic vasodilation on temperature regulation via trigeminal afferents in the orofacial area.

The skin temperature (T) of the orofacial area influences orofacial functions and is related to the blood flow (BF). Marked increases in BF mediated by parasympathetic vasodilation may be important for orofacial T regulation. Therefore, we examined the relationship between parasympathetic reflex vasodilation and orofacial T in anesthetized rats.

Relationship between impaired parasympathetic vasodilation and hyposalivation in parotid glands associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

We examined the relationship between hemodynamics in the three major salivary glands and salivary secretion in urethane-anesthetized and sympathectomized type 2 diabetic and nondiabetic rats via laser speckle imaging and by collecting the saliva. Lingual nerve stimulation elicited rapid increases in glandular blood flow and induced salivary secretion from the three glands in both diabetic and nondiabetic rats. In the parotid gland, the magnitude of blood flow increase and salivary secretion was significantly lower in the diabetic rats when compared with the nondiabetic rats; however, this was not observed in the other glands.

Mice lacking EFA6C/Psd2, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Arf6, exhibit lower Purkinje cell synaptic density but normal cerebellar motor functions.

ADP ribosylation factor 6 (Arf6) is a small GTPase that regulates various neuronal events including formation of the axon, dendrites and dendritic spines, and synaptic plasticity through actin cytoskeleton remodeling and endosomal trafficking. EFA6C, also known as Psd2, is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Arf6 that is preferentially expressed in the cerebellar cortex of adult mice, particularly in Purkinje cells. However, the roles of EFA6C in cerebellar development and functions remain unknown.

Craniofacial abnormality with skeletal dysplasia in mice lacking chondroitin sulfate N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase-1.

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) proteoglycan is a major component of the extracellular matrix and plays an important part in organogenesis. To elucidate the roles of CS for craniofacial development, we analyzed the craniofacial morphology in CS N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase-1 (T1) gene knockout (KO) mice. T1KO mice showed the impaired intramembranous ossification in the skull, and the final skull shape of adult mice included a shorter face, higher and broader calvaria.

Effect of Torula Yeast (Candida utilis)-Derived Glucosylceramide on Skin Dryness and Other Skin Conditions in Winter.

Glucosylceramide (GlcCer) is present in foods such as barley, corn, and wheat flour. GlcCer derived from different foods has differences in its physiological effects, depending on the sphingoid backbone and constituent fatty acids. In this study, we investigated the moisturizing and skin conditioning effects of GlcCer derived from torula yeast (Candida utilis) in healthy human subjects.

Correction to: Interactions between β-adrenergic vasodilation and cervical sympathetic nerves are mediated by α-adrenoceptors in the rat masseter muscle.

The article Interactions between β-adrenergic vasodilation and cervical sympathetic nerves are mediated by α2-adrenoceptors in the rat masseter muscle, written by Hisayoshi Ishii and Toshiya Sato, was originally published Online First without open access.

Differential behavioral phenotypes of dopamine D1 receptor knockdown mice at the embryonic, postnatal, and adult stages.

Dopamine is widely involved in behaviors related to motor activity, cognition, motivation, and reward. Dopamine signal is transduced through the dopamine receptor gene family. The dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) is highly expressed in the striatum, and is responsible for regulating the motor function.

Coexistence of Bilirubin ≥10 mg/dL and Prothrombin Time-International Normalized Ratio ≥1.6 on Day 7: A Strong Predictor of Early Graft Loss After Living Donor Liver Transplantation.

Background: Early allograft dysfunction (EAD) defined by serum total bilirubin (TB) of 10 mg/dL or greater or prothrombin time-international normalized ratio (PT-INR) of 1.6 or greater on postoperative day 7 (POD 7) or aminotransferase greater than 2000 IU/L within the first week, is associated with early graft loss after deceased-donor liver transplantation. We aimed to determine the prognostic impact of the EAD definition in living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT).