Relationship between oral hypofunction and medical expenditure in older adults in Japan.

This study aimed to analyze the impact of poor oral function on medical expenditures among older adults. We diagnosed oral hypofunction based on dental data obtained from oral health examinations and examined its association with several annual medical expenditures. Compared to individuals without oral hypofunction, those with oral hypofunction incurred higher total, outpatient medical, inpatient medical, dental, dispensing medical, and lifestyle-related medical expenditures.

Optical Imaging of Trigeminal Ganglion Excitation Evoked by Electrical Stimulation of the Trigeminal Nerve.

Background There are many reports of anatomical and physiological studies on trigeminal ganglion neurons, but few studies have analyzed temporal changes in the excitation of the trigeminal ganglion. This study aimed to establish an experimental system for spatial and temporal imaging analysis of the excitatory dynamics of trigeminal ganglion cells evoked by stimulation of a peripheral branch of the trigeminal nerve. Methods After excision of the trigeminal ganglion with the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) from Sprague Dawley rats (seven to nine weeks old), 400-µm-thick slices of the trigeminal ganglion with the IAN were prepared.

The Anti-Obesity Effect of Fish Oil in Diet-Induced Obese Mice Occurs via Both Decreased Food Intake and the Induction of Heat Production Genes in Brown but Not White Adipose Tissue.

Omega-3 (ω-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish oil have been shown to prevent diet-induced obesity in lean mice and to promote heat production in adipose tissue. However, the effects of fish oil on obese animals remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of fish oil in obese mice.

Relationship between the progression of diabetic polyneuropathy and impaired circadian blood pressure variability.

Aims/introduction: We evaluated the 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring data of patients to investigate the relationship between the progression of diabetic polyneuropathy and impaired circadian blood pressure variability.

Materials And Methods: This study included 154 patients with diabetes who were hospitalized for hyperglycemic control. Routine biochemical and hematological tests, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, screening for diabetic complications, nerve conduction studies, and Holter electrocardiography were carried out on all patients.

Dysregulation of PI4P in the trans Golgi regions activates the mammalian Golgi stress response.

The Golgi stress response is an important cytoprotective system that enhances Golgi function in response to cellular demand, while cells damaged by prolonged Golgi stress undergo cell death. OSW-1, a natural compound with anticancer activity, potently inhibits OSBP that transports cholesterol and phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PI4P) at contact sites between the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus. Previously, we reported that OSW-1 induces the Golgi stress response, resulting in Golgi stress-induced transcription and cell death.

Factors correlated to oral frailty and number of remaining teeth among 80-year-old population in Japan.

Background: Oral frailty is proposed as a new concept defined as an age-related gradual loss of oral functions accompanied by a decline in cognitive and physical functions in older adults. Additionally, the participants with ≥ 20 remaining teeth are associated with a lower risk of cognitive frailty in older adults. Herein, we aimed to examine the correlations between the high risk of oral frailty and oral conditions or health behavior in community-dwelling 80-year-old adults in Japan.

Clinical Practice and Safety of Endoscopic Balloon Dilation for Crohn's Disease-Related Strictures: A Nationwide Claim Database Analysis in Japan.

Although endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) is a common therapeutic approach for managing strictures associated with Crohn's disease (CD), the clinical application and complication rates of EBD remain unclear. We collected admission data for patients who underwent EBD using a nationwide database. We compared EBD outcomes between ileal and colonic strictures, CD and ulcerative colitis, and CD and anastomotic strictures arising from cancer-related surgery.

Reevaluating hybrid neurofibroma/schwannoma: Predominance of schwannoma features despite CD34 positivity and initial neurofibroma diagnosis.

Schwannomas consist of both high-cellularity regions (Antoni A area) and hypocellular regions (Antoni B area) in histopathological findings. Neurofibromas characteristically consist of CD34 positive spindle cells with thin, wavy, nuclei and wavy collagen bands. Previous reports have described segments of schwannomas with neurofibroma features as hybrid tumors, although hybrid tumors were diagnosed based on partial CD34 positivity in many previous reports.

Factors involved in gastroesophageal varix-related events in patients with hepatitis C virus-related compensated and decompensated cirrhosis after direct-acting antiviral therapy.

Aim: The incidence of and factors involved in gastroesophageal varix-related events in hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis patients, including decompensated cirrhosis, after direct-acting antiviral therapy are unclear.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter study using prospective data from 478 hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis patients treated with direct-acting antiviral therapy from February 2019 to December 2021 at 33 Japanese hospitals. Gastroesophageal varices were classified as F1 (small-caliber), F2 (moderately enlarged), or F3 (markedly enlarged) according to the Japanese criteria.

Nutritional Risk Factors in Albuminuria and Retinopathy in Patients Newly Diagnosed With Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-sectional Case Series Study.

Background/aim: Although nutritional risk factors for developing complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have been examined, the effect of protein intake on nephropathy is debated, and there is little research on retinopathy. This cross-sectional case-series study aimed to examine the risk factors, including nutritional status, for complications in patients newly diagnosed with T2DM.

Patients And Methods: Fifty-four patients were recruited, based on the results of examinations of blood glucose and/or glycated hemoglobin level for T2DM.

Construction of knockout mutants in Mycobacterium intracellulare ATCC13950 strain using a thermosensitive plasmid containing negative selection marker rpsL.

Background: Nontuberculous mycobacterial disease has emerged worldwide over the past 20 years. However, there are currently few reports on the established technique for constructing knockout mutants of nontuberculous mycobacteria. Therefore, gene recombination techniques for nontuberculous mycobacteria require further research.

Surgery on admission and following day reduces hip fracture complications: a Japanese DPC study.

Introduction: The efficacy of early surgery in preventing complications among Japanese elderly patients with hip fractures requires further investigation. This study aims to use a comprehensive Japanese hip fracture case database to determine whether surgery within the day of admission and the following day reduces the incidence of complications and mortality during hospitalization in elderly hip fracture patients.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the Japanese National Administrative DPC (Diagnosis Procedure Combination) database from April 2016 to March 2022.

Does total hip arthroplasty in elderly patients with femoral neck fractures reduce complications?: A Japanese DPC study.

Background: The global increase in femoral neck fractures due to aging and osteoporosis is a major clinical challenge. The debate on the optimal surgical intervention for femoral neck fractures remains unresolved. This large-scale study explores femoral neck fractures among the elderly, focusing on the comparative outcomes of Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) versus Bipolar Hemiarthroplasty (BHA) in Japanese patients.

A well-managed case of discontinuous anorectal injury caused by a personal watercraft treated by combining surgery and colonoscopy.

Background: Anorectal injury caused by personal watercraft (PWC)-related trauma is rare. However, PWC accidents have increased recently, and since patients tend to be younger, treatment strategies should consider anal function preservation in addition to saving lives.

Case Presentation: A 30-year-old female patient who fell into the water when a PWC suddenly accelerated and injured her perineum with a forceful water jet was transported to our hospital.

Recent advances in hepatitis E virus research and the Japanese clinical practice guidelines for hepatitis E virus infection.

Acute hepatitis E was considered rare until reports emerged affirming the existence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotypes 3 and 4 infections in Japan in the early 2000s. Extensive studies by Japanese researchers have highlighted the pivotal role of pigs and wild animals, such as wild boars and deer, as reservoirs for HEV, linking them to zoonotic infections in Japan. Currently, when hepatitis occurs subsequent to the consumption of undercooked or grilled pork, wild boar meat, or offal (including pig liver and intestines), HEV infection should be considered.

Melorheostosis With Uniform Rib Thickening.

A 16-year-old girl presented with left chest pain. Radiography and CT revealed localized abnormal calcification in the left sixth rib and sixth thoracic vertebra. Bone scintigraphy confirmed abnormal uptake of 99m Tc in the same area.

Effect of HLA Genotype on Anti-PD-1 Antibody Treatment for Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma in the SNiP-RCC Study.

Immune checkpoint blockade therapies are widely used for cancer treatment, including advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This study aimed to investigate the impact of zygosity in HLA genes and individual HLA genotypes on the efficacy of an anti-PD-1 Ab, nivolumab, in treating advanced RCC. Patient enrollment was conducted across 23 institutions in Japan from August 19, 2019, to September 30, 2020, with follow-up concluding on March 31, 2021.

Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Adversely Affects Brain Growth in Preterm Infants.

Introduction: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants, but its effect on brain growth in preterm infants after the neonatal period is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of severe BPD on brain growth of preterm infants from term to 18 months of corrected age (CA).

Methods: Sixty-three preterm infants (42 with severe BPD and 21 without severe BPD) who underwent magnetic resonance imaging at term equivalent age (TEA) and 18 months of CA were studied by using the Infant Brain Extraction and Analysis Toolbox (iBEAT).