Adolescents and parents' knowledge of chronic kidney disease: the potential of school-based education.

Background: Preventing the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), reducing the incidence of new dialysis patients, and increasing public awareness about CKD are pivotal in mitigating renal impairment. This study aimed to assess the relevance of kidney disease and CKD knowledge among junior high school students and their parents.

Methods: A questionnaire survey on kidney function and CKD was conducted among students aged 14-15 years and their parents (851 pairs).

Questionnaire survey on severe hypoglycemia in pediatric patients with diabetes-English version.

A questionnaire survey on severe hypoglycemia (SH) in pediatric patients with diabetes was distributed to pediatric diabetes specialists and members of the Committee of Pediatric Diabetes in the Japan Diabetes Society. Thirty-three hospitals answered the questionnaire survey, and 17 had treated the eligible patients under 15 years of age, including 506 with type 1 diabetes and 302 with type 2 diabetes. Of these patients, 25 experienced SH from January 2017 to December 2021.

An increasing trend of overweight and obesity in the Japanese incident end-stage kidney disease population.

Aim: The global prevalence of overweight/obesity has been rising, and this trend is apparent in US and European incident end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) populations. We aimed to examine temporal trends in the prevalence of overweight/obesity and underweight among adult incident ESKD patients in Japan by year of dialysis initiation between 2006 and 2019 in comparison with those observed in the Japanese adult population during the same period.

Methods: Using data from the Japanese Society of Dialysis Therapy Renal Data Registry and the National Health and Nutrition Survey, the sex-specific prevalence of overweight/obesity and that of underweight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m and <18.

Preterm Infant with Generalized Arterial Calcification of Infancy Who Survived Due to Early Diagnosis and Appropriate Treatment with Bisphosphonates: A Case Report.

Generalized arterial calcification of infancy (GACI) is a rare disease characterized by arterial calcification. GACI is caused by a mutation in the ENPP1 or ABCC6 genes. GACI causes severe hypertension and heart failure, and approximately 50% of patients die within the first 6 months.

Preliminary study on the effects of boysenberry juice intake on brown adipose tissue activity in healthy adults.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays an important role in energy metabolism because it uses fatty acids for thermogenesis during cold exposure. Preclinical studies found that boysenberry anthocyanins (BoyACs) activate BAT. Therefore, the aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate how BoyAC intake affects BAT in humans.

Rare nonsynonymous germline and mosaic de novo variants in Japanese patients with schizophrenia.

Aim: Whole-exome sequencing (WES) studies have revealed that germline de novo variants (gDNVs) contribute to the genetic etiology of schizophrenia. However, the contribution of mosaic DNVs (mDNVs) to the risk of schizophrenia remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we systematically investigated the gDNVs and mDMVs that contribute to the genetic etiology of schizophrenia in a Japanese population.

Predicting cognitive function changes from oral health status: a longitudinal cohort study.

Recent studies indicate a potential link between oral health and cognitive function; however, long-term associations remain unclear. This study aimed to identify oral health factors that predict changes in cognitive function among older adults over time. The study included 583 independent older adults (201 male, 382 female) with a mean age of 72.

Impact of social isolation on change in brain volume in community-dwelling older Japanese people: The NEIGE Study.

Background: Several studies have shown that social isolation is a risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia; however, its neurological mechanisms are not fully understood. Using longitudinal data, this study examined the effects of social isolation on hippocampal and total gray matter volumes in community-dwelling older Japanese individuals.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Neuron to Environmental Impact Across Generations (NEIGE) Study conducted in Tokamachi City (Niigata Prefecture, Japan), including 279 community-dwelling persons aged 65-84 years who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging in 2017 and 2021 (male: 47.

The onset and the development of cardiometabolic aging: an insight into the underlying mechanisms.

Metabolic compromise is crucial in aggravating age-associated chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage, increased LDL and triglycerides, and elevated blood pressure. Excessive adiposity, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance due to aging are associated with elevated levels of damaging free radicals, inducing a proinflammatory state and hampering immune cell activity, leading to a malfunctioning cardiometabolic condition. The age-associated oxidative load and redox imbalance are contributing factors for cardiometabolic morbidities via vascular remodelling and endothelial damage.

Renin-angiotensin blockade ameliorates the progression of glomerular injury in podocyte-specific Ctcf knockout mice.

Aim: Several studies have shown that the progression of proteinuria and renal tissue injury is associated with activation of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS). CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is a DNA-binding factor that plays an essential role in the regulation of gene expression. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the phenotypic effects of CTCF deficiency in podocytes.