Associations of Current Wheeze and Body Mass Index with Perennial and Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis in Young Adults.

Background: The coexistence of asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR) and its distinct association with obesity have been reported. However, few studies have differentiated the two types of AR, i.e.

Serum lipidomic analysis for the discovery of biomarkers for major depressive disorder in drug-free patients.

Lipidomic analysis can be used to efficiently identify hundreds of lipid molecular species in biological materials and has been recently established as an important tool for biomarker discovery in various neuropsychiatric disorders including major depressive disorder (MDD). In this study, quantitative targeted serum lipidomic profiling was performed on female subjects using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Global lipid profiling of pooled serum samples from 10 patients currently with MDD (cMDD), 10 patients with remitted MDD (rMDD), and 10 healthy controls revealed 37 differentially regulated lipids (DRLs).

Defining the pattern of initiation of monomorphic ventricular tachycardia using the beat-to-beat intervals recorded on implantable cardioverter defibrillators from the RAFT study: A computer-based algorithm.

Arrhythmia onset pattern may have important implications on morbidity, recurrent implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) shocks, and mortality, given the proposed correlation between initiation pattern and arrhythmia mechanism. Therefore, we developed and tested a computer-based algorithm to differentiate the pattern of initiation based on the beat-to-beat intervals of the ventricular tachycardia (VT) episodes in ICD recordings from the Resynchronization-Defibrillation for Ambulatory Heart Failure Trial (RAFT). Intervals on intracardiac electrograms from ICDs were analyzed backwards starting from the marker of VT detection, comparing each interval with the average tachycardia cycle length.

Women among First Authors in Japanese Cardiovascular Journal.

The representation of women in Japanese academic medicine is not evident. We aimed to assess trends related to the proportion of female first authors in Japanese cardiovascular journals.We reviewed original research articles in 6 journals published in English by Japanese societies between 2006 and 2015 related to cardiovascular fields.

The Current Conditions and Lifestyles of Obese University Students.

Background: The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in Japan remains high, and the onset becomes early. Studies on the current conditions and lifestyles of obese university students may support early interventions to achieve lifestyle modification.

Methods And Results: The results of periodic health examinations in 32,262 first-year university students revealed that 2,036 (6.

Associations between microalbuminuria and parameters of flow-mediated vasodilatation obtained by continuous measurement approaches.

The associations between microalbuminuria and various parameters of flow-mediated vasodilatation (FMD) are not completely understood. We retrospectively analyzed 265 consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiography and in whom we could measure FMD and the urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR). Using 15 continuous measurement approaches, we measured FMD as the magnitude of the percentage change in the brachial artery diameter from baseline to peak (bFMD), the maximum FMD rate calculated as the maximal slope of dilation (FMD-MDR), and the integrated FMD response calculated as the area under the dilation curve during the 60- and 120-s dilation periods (FMD-AUC60 and FMD-AUC120).

The joint impact of habitual exercise and glycemic control on the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in middle-aged and older males.

Background: This retrospective study evaluated the influence of the joint impact of habitual exercise and glycemic control on the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) during a 6-year follow-up period in middle-aged and older males.

Methods: The study population included 303 males without a history of cardiovascular disease, stroke, renal dysfunction, or dialysis treatment. Their lifestyle behaviors regarding exercise and physical activity were evaluated using a standardized self-administered questionnaire.

Semagacestat Is a Pseudo-Inhibitor of γ-Secretase.

γ-secretase inhibitors (GSI) are drugs developed to decrease amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) production by inhibiting intramembranous cleavage of β-amyloid protein precursor (βAPP). However, a large phase 3 trial of semagacestat, a potential non-transition state analog (non-TSA) GSI, in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) was terminated due to unexpected aggravation of cognitive deficits and side effects. Here, we show that some semagacestat effects are clearly different from a phenotype caused by a loss of function of presenilins, core proteins in the γ-secretase complex.

Significant correlation between openness personality in normal subjects and brain myelin mapping with T1/T2-weighted MR imaging.

Background: The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between the myelination and the psychological trait of openness to experience in young cognitively normal volunteers using regional T1-weighted (T1w)/T2w ratios on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It was hypothesized that axonal myelination would be related to openness, thus linking trait creativity and mental illness.

Methods: We recruited 37 healthy subjects and administered the NEO Five-Factor Inventory to assess personality factors.

Identification of deleterious rare variants in MTTP, PNPLA3, and TM6SF2 in Japanese males and association studies with NAFLD.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a disorder characterized by excessive fat deposits in hepatocytes without excessive alcohol intake. NAFLD is influenced by genetic factors, and the heritability has been estimated at 0.35 to 0.

Visualization of kidney fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy by long diffusion tensor imaging MRI with spin-echo sequence.

Renal fibrosis (RF) is an indicator for progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Although diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of CKD and end-stage renal disease in Western populations, the ability of MRI to evaluate RF in DN patients has not been determined. As a first step to identify possible MRI methods for RF evaluation, we examined the use of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) MRI to evaluate RF in a rat model of DN (SHR/NDmcr-cp(cp/cp): SHR/ND).

Hypertension and hyperglycemia and the combination thereof enhances the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in middle-aged and older males.

Aim: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) may be an etiologic cause of aging, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), and metabolic syndrome. However, the influence of these cardiovascular risk factors and their combination on the development of CKD remains controversial. This retrospective study evaluated the influence of cardiovascular risk factors and their combination on the incidence of CKD during a 6-year follow-up period in middle-aged and older males.

Evaluation of Tobacco Control Policies in San Francisco Homeless Housing Programs.

Background: The 2014 Surgeon General's Report noted that high smoking rates in vulnerable populations such as the homeless have been a persistent public health problem; smoking prevalence among individuals experiencing homelessness exceeds 70%. Historically, service providers for the homeless have not enacted comprehensive tobacco control policies.

Method: We conducted a qualitative study of homeless housing programs in San Francisco.

The association between changes in lifestyle behaviors and the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in middle-aged and older men.

Background: This study was designed to evaluate whether changes in lifestyle behaviors are correlated with the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: The subjects consisted of 316 men without a history of cardiovascular disease, stroke, or renal dysfunction or dialysis treatment. The following lifestyle behaviors were evaluated using a standardized self-administered questionnaire: habitual moderate exercise, daily physical activity, walking speed, eating speed, late-night dinner, bedtime snacking, skipping breakfast, and drinking and smoking habits.

Circles reshaping the RNA world: from waste to treasure.

A new type of RNAs was identified from genes traditionally thought to express messenger or linear ncRNA (noncoding RNA) only. They were subsequently named as circRNAs (circular RNAs) due to the covalently closed structure. Accumulating studies were performed to explore the expression profile of circRNAs in different cell types and diseases, the outcomes totally changed our view of ncRNAs, which was thought to be junk by-products in the process of gene transcription, and enriched our poor understanding of its underlying functions.

The association of alcohol and smoking with CKD in a Japanese nationwide cross-sectional survey.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by a reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and proteinuria. Modifiable lifestyle factors such as smoking and alcohol contribute to CKD. Recent cohort studies have shown that moderate alcohol consumption attenuates the decline of the GFR and smoking has been previously shown to be associated with CKD.

Effects of donepezil on sleep disturbances in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies: An open-label study with actigraphy.

We investigated whether donepezil, a cholinesterase inhibitor, can be used to treat sleep disturbances in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Sleep disturbances were evaluated with the sleep disturbances item of the Neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI) and an actigraph in 16 DLB patients and 24 normal elderly control (NC) subjects. The presence/absence of nine kinds of sleep symptoms, such as dream enactment, were also evaluated in the DLB patients.

Diffusion Tensor Imaging MRI With Spin-Echo Sequence and Long-Duration Measurement for Evaluation of Renal Fibrosis in a Rat Fibrosis Model.

Background: Renal fibrosis (RF) is a well-known marker for chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression, including chronic renal injury after renal transplantation. However, invasive biopsy is an available examination for evaluation of RF. Diffusion MRI was once recognized as a promising option for RF.

Interhemispheric functional disconnection because of abnormal corpus callosum integrity in bipolar disorder type II.

Background: A significantly lower fractional anisotropy (FA) value has been shown in anterior parts of the corpus callosum in patients with bipolar disorder.

Aims: We investigated the association between abnormal corpus callosum integrity and interhemispheric functional connectivity (IFC) in patients with bipolar disorder.

Methods: We examined the association between FA values in the corpus callosum (CC-FA) and the IFC between homotopic regions in the anterior cortical structures of bipolar disorder (=16) and major depressive disorder (=22) patients with depressed or euthymic states.

A Case Study of Deep Vein Thrombosis of the Right Internal Jugular Vein in a Healthy 21-Year-Old Male.

We are reporting a case of a healthy 21-year-old male, with no significant past medical history, who was found to have an incidental nonocclusive deep vein thrombosis in the right internal jugular vein detected on a head MRI previously ordered for work-up of headaches. A follow-up upper extremity venous Doppler ultrasound confirmed the presence of a partially occlusive deep vein thrombosis in the right jugular vein. The case presented is unique for the reason that the patient is young and has no prior risk factor, personal or familial, for venous thrombosis except for associated polycythemia on clinical presentation.

Microstructural Differences in the Corpus Callosum in Patients With Bipolar Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder.

Objective: It is difficult to distinguish between bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder (MDD) in patients lacking a clear history of mania. There is an urgent need for an objective biomarker for differential diagnosis. Using diffusion tensor imaging, this study investigated the differences in the brain white matter microstructure between patients with bipolar disorder and MDD.