A Longitudinal Study of CogEvo's Prediction of Cognitive Decline in Older Adults.

The predictive abilities of computer-based screening devices for early cognitive decline (CD) in older adults have rarely been longitudinally examined. Therefore, this study examined the ability of CogEvo, a short-duration, computer-based cognitive screening device requiring little professional involvement, to predict CD among community-dwelling older adults. We determined whether 119 individuals aged ≥ 65 years living in Japanese rural communities who scored ≥ 24 on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at baseline developed CD by annually administering the MMSE to them.

The associations between dietary flavonoids intake and risk of depressive symptom in diabetic patients: Data from NHANES 2007-2008, 2009-2010, and 2017-2018.

Background: The increasing incidence of depressive symptoms in diabetic patients contributes to the global burden of disease, but few epidemiological studies have evaluated the relationship between dietary flavonoids intake and depressive symptoms in diabetic patients in American adults.

Objective: This study intended to evaluate the associations of dietary flavonoids intake and depressive symptoms in diabetic patients in American adults.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 1993 adults aged ≥20 years old who participated in the 2007-2008, 2009-2010, and 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES).

Quercetin prevented diabetic nephropathy by inhibiting renal tubular epithelial cell apoptosis via the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most common and serious complication of diabetes, posing a significant threat to human health. Currently, safe and effective preventive strategies for DN are lacking. The study aimed to explore the preventive effect and the underlying mechanism of quercetin against DN.

Functional testing is a complementary tool for the diagnosis of vaginitis.

Objective: Vaginal microbiota evaluation is a methodology widely used in China to diagnose various vaginal inflammatory diseases. Although vaginal microbiota evaluation has many advantages, it is time-consuming and requires highly skilled and experienced operators. Here, we investigated a six-index functional test that analyzed pH, hydrogen peroxide (HO), leukocyte esterase (LEU), sialidase (SNA), β-glucuronidase (GUS), and acetylglucossidase (NAG), and determined its diagnostic value by comparing it with morphological tests of vaginal microbiota.

Association between Gut Microbiota and Muscle Strength in Japanese General Population of the Iwaki Health Promotion Project.

The association between the gut microbiota and muscle strength has garnered attention in the context of mitigating muscle decline. However, many study subjects have been individuals with existing illnesses or the elderly only. This study aims to elucidate the association between the gut microbiota and muscle strength indicators using grip strength/BMI in a large-scale study of community residents.

Enhanced "Electronic Tongue" for Dental Bacterial Discrimination and Elimination Based on a DNA-Encoded Nanozyme Sensor Array.

Bacterial infections are the second leading cause of death around the world, especially those caused by delayed treatment and misdiagnosis. Therefore, rapid discrimination and effective elimination of multiple bacteria are of great importance for improving the survival rate in clinic. Herein, a novel colorimetric sensor array for bacterial discrimination and elimination is constructed using programmable DNA-encoded iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) as sensing elements.

Reconstruction and analysis of the transmission network of African swine fever in People's Republic of China, August 2018-September 2019.

Introduction of African swine fever (ASF) to China in mid-2018 and the subsequent transboundary spread across Asia devastated regional swine production, affecting live pig and pork product-related markets worldwide. To explore the spatiotemporal spread of ASF in China, we reconstructed possible ASF transmission networks using nearest neighbour, exponential function, equal probability, and spatiotemporal case-distribution algorithms. From these networks, we estimated the reproduction numbers, serial intervals, and transmission distances of the outbreak.

Extracellular vesicle-mediated ferroptosis, pyroptosis, and necroptosis: potential clinical applications in cancer therapy.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have gained increasing recognition as significant regulators of intercellular communication in various physiological and pathological processes. These vesicles play a pivotal role in cancer progression by facilitating the transfer of diverse cargoes, including lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Regulated cell death (RCD), the orderly and autonomous death of cells, is controlled by a variety of biomacromolecules and, in turn, influences various biological processes and cancer progression.

Applicable predictive factors extracted from peak flow trajectory for the prediction of asthma exacerbation.

Background: Real-time asthma exacerbation prediction and acute asthma attack detection are essential for patients with severe asthma. Peak expiratory flow (PEF) exhibits a potential for use in long-term asthma self-monitoring. However, the method for processing PEF calculations remains to be clarified.

Does the Protective Effect of Zinc on Telomere Length Depend on the Presence of Hypertension or Type 2 Diabetes? Results from the Iwaki Health Promotion Project, Japan.

Telomeres, repeated TTAGGG sequences at chromosomal ends, shorten with age and indicate cellular lifespan. Zinc can protect against telomere damage through its anti-oxidative effect. Meanwhile, telomere shortening was correlated with metabolic diseases of hypertension and type 2 diabetes.

Dietary flavonoid intake is associated with a lower risk of diabetic nephropathy in US adults: data from NHANES 2007-2008, 2009-2010, and 2017-2018.

Few epidemiological studies have investigated the relationship between flavonoids and diabetic nephropathy (DN). Therefore, we explored the association between dietary flavonoid intake and DN among 1949 US adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2008, 2009-2010, and 2017-2018. Weighted logistic regression models demonstrated that the total flavonoid intake in the second (OR: 0.

Relationship between dietary selenium intake and serum thyroid function measures in U.S. adults: Data from NHANES 2007-2012.

Although numerous studies have explored the relationship between selenium intake and thyroid diseases, few epidemiological studies have investigated the association between selenium intake and thyroid hormones. Therefore, we conducted this analysis to investigate the association between dietary selenium intake and thyroid hormones. Our sample included 5,575 adults (age ≥ 20) years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2012.

Higher HEI-2015 scores are associated with lower risk of gout and hyperuricemia: Results from the national health and nutrition examination survey 2007-2016.

Gout, the most prevalent inflammatory arthritis, is becoming increasingly prevalent in the United States and across the world, and it adversely impacts people's quality of life and their health. Few studies have focused on the relationship between daily dietary quality and gout, so the topic requires further exploration. Data were derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2016, and the inclusion criteria of the analytic sample were (1) adults, age ≥20 years, with complete information about HEI-2015, gout, and uric acid; (2) complete information of demographics, lifestyle (BMI, smoking, drinking), and disease history [hypertension, chronic kidney disease (CKD), diabetes].

Phenomenological and mechanistic models for predicting early transmission data of COVID-19.

Forecasting future epidemics helps inform policy decisions regarding interventions. During the early coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic period in January-February 2020, limited information was available, and it was too challenging to build detailed mechanistic models reflecting population behavior. This study compared the performance of phenomenological and mechanistic models for forecasting epidemics.

Haloarene-guided cascade arylation of cyclic vinylogous esters under palladium catalysis.

A method is presented for the synthesis of diaryl cyclic vinylogous esters. The sequence of C(sp)-H arylation events is programed under the differentiated reactivity of the aryl halides, and the optimized reaction system is effectively diverted from producing dihomo-arylated products. The site selectivity of the second arylation is notably modulated by the substitution pattern of the substrates.

Assessing the geographic range of classical swine fever vaccinations by spatiotemporal modelling in Japan.

A classical swine fever (CSF) epidemic has been ongoing in Japan since September 2018. The outbreak started in Gifu Prefecture and involved 21 prefectures by the end of October 2020, posing a serious threat to pork industries. The present study was conducted to capture the spatiotemporal dynamics of CSF in Japan and assess the geographic range of the CSF vaccination on pig farms.

A novel strategy for SARS-CoV-2 mass screening with quantitative antigen testing of saliva: a diagnostic accuracy study.

Background: Quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) of nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) samples for SARS-CoV-2 detection requires medical personnel and is time consuming, and thus is poorly suited to mass screening. In June, 2020, a chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA; Lumipulse G SARS-CoV-2 Ag kit, Fujirebio, Tokyo, Japan) was developed that can detect SARS-CoV-2 nucleoproteins in NPS or saliva samples within 35 min. In this study, we assessed the utility of CLEIA in mass SARS-CoV-2 screening.

A method for estimating the transmissibility of influenza using serial cross-sectional seroepidemiological data.

Background: Seroepidemiological surveillance data has been demonstrated to be useful for estimating the cumulative incidence of influenza, and measures the difference between pre- and post-epidemic seropositive fractions. Despite this, such studies relied on a chosen cut-off value for seropositivity. The aim of the present study is to develop a method to analyze distributions of serial cross-sectional seroepidemiological surveillance datasets using an epidemiological model so that the transmission potential can be estimated without imposing a cut-off value.

Quantifying the causal impact of funding bedside antigen testing on the incidence of respiratory syncytial virus infection in Japan: a difference-in-differences study.

Background: To estimate the causal impact of a change in the national health insurance policy to cover the cost of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) antigen testing on the incidence of RSV infection by age-groups, we analyzed the sentinel datasets of RSV infection in Japan from 2009-2017.

Methods: The causal effect of introducing RSV antigen testing on increasing the reported incidence of RSV infection was quantified using a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences (DID) design and influenza as a control group.

Results: Examining sentinel and virus surveillance datasets, only clinically mild cases have selectively increased from 2012/13.

Containment, Contact Tracing and Asymptomatic Transmission of Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): A Modelling Study.

When a novel infectious disease emerges, enhanced contact tracing and isolation are implemented to prevent a major epidemic, and indeed, they have been successful for the control of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), which have been greatly reduced without causing a global pandemic. Considering that asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infections are substantial for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the feasibility of preventing the major epidemic has been questioned. Using a two-type branching process model, the present study assesses the feasibility of containing COVID-19 by computing the probability of a major epidemic.