Effects of acute aerobic exercise on arterial stiffness in transgender men

Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in transgender men (TM) results in side effects such as elevated triglycerides and increased arterial stiffness. Exercise may be useful to ameliorate such effects, but no studies have examined the effects of acute aerobic exercise in TM. This study aimed to investigate the effects of acute aerobic exercise on arterial stiffness in TM. Thirty-six participants were included, comprising 12 TM (duration of TRT: 57.4 ± 30.3 months), 12 males and 12 females. All participants performed acute aerobic exercise on a treadmill at 50% heart rate reserve for 30 min. Arterial stiffness as measured by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was measured before exercise (Pre), 30 min after exercise (Post30), and 60 min after exercise (Post60). Serum sex hormone levels, and serum lipid profile were determined only before exercise. Serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels before exercise were significantly higher in TM than in males or females (males: p < 0.01; females: p < 0.05). At all points, baPWV in TM was significantly higher than in females (p < 0.05) and significantly lower than in males (p < 0.05). However, when comparing changes in baPWV over time in each group, significant decreases in Post30 and Post60 were seen in males compared to Pre (both p < 0.05), but no significant change after aerobic exercise was seen in TM or females. These results suggest that acute aerobic exercise yield different effects in TM than in males, but is unlikely to reduce arterial stiffness in TM receiving TRT

A diagnostic marker for superficial urothelial bladder carcinoma : lack of nuclear ATBF1 (ZFHX3) by immunohistochemistry suggests malignant progression

Background: Pathological stage and grade have limited ability to predict the outcomes of superficial urothelial bladder carcinoma at initial transurethral resection (TUR). AT-motif binding factor 1 (ATBF1) is a tumor suppressive transcription factor that is normally localized to the nucleus but has been detected in the cytoplasm in several cancers. Here, we examined the diagnostic value of the intracellular localization of ATBF1 as a marker for the identification of high risk urothelial bladder carcinoma. Methods: Seven anti-ATBF1 antibodies were generated to cover the entire ATBF1 sequence. Four human influenza hemagglutinin-derived amino acid sequence-tagged expression vectors with truncated ATBF1 cDNA were constructed to map the functional domains of nuclear localization signals (NLSs) with the consensus sequence KR[X10-12]K. A total of 117 samples from initial TUR of human bladder carcinomas were analyzed. None of the patients had received chemotherapy or radiotherapy before pathological evaluation. Results: ATBF1 nuclear localization was regulated synergistically by three NLSs on ATBF1. The cytoplasmic fragments of ATBF1 lacked NLSs. Patients were divided into two groups according to positive nuclear staining of ATBF1, and significant differences in overall survival (P = 0.021) and intravesical recurrence-free survival (P = 0.013) were detected between ATBF1+ (n= 110) and ATBF1− (n=7) cases. Multivariate analysis revealed that ATBF1 staining was an independent prognostic factor for intravesical recurrence-free survival after adjusting for cellular grading and pathological staging (P = 0.008). Conclusions: Cleavage of ATBF1 leads to the cytoplasmic localization of ATBF1 fragments and downregulates nuclear ATBF1. Alterations in the subcellular localization of ATBF1 due to fragmentation of the protein are related to the malignant character of urothelial carcinoma. Pathological evaluation using anti-ATBF1 antibodies enabled the identification of highly malignant cases that had been overlooked at initial TUR. Nuclear localization of ATBF1 indicates better prognosis of urothelial carcinoma

Researching peers and disaster vulnerable communities: an insider perspective

Conducting research among peers and communities that a researcher also serves may be both daunting and rewarding. Researching peers may make the researcher feel uncomfortable raising certain questions that are sensitive or that could be construed to be testing their competencies. This paper is inclined more towards showing that it is advantageous to be an insider, whose position can facilitate collection of information that could not have been accessed, or revealed to an outsider. The paper reports on fieldwork conducted in a low-income country in Sub-Sahara Africa as part of a doctoral study with communities affected by disasters and those that work with such communities. The paper demonstrates the complexities of conducting such research and provides some insights that may be useful to insiders, outsiders or “in-betweeners” embarking on fieldwork in low-income countries and among vulnerable population struggling with manifold stresses and shocks

Bathymetry Mapping at Kuroshima Knoll with Synthenic Aperture of Interferometry Sonar

特集1 海中工学研究センタ

Exploration of NW Rota 1 Underwater Volcano by Autonomous Underwater Vehicle "r2D4"

特集1 海中工学研究センタ

Portal venous gas caused by barium swallow examination: An extremely rare clinical finding

Key Clinical Message We found an extremely rare case of PVG after a barium swallow examination. This may be related to vulnerable intestinal mucosa in the patient undergoing prednisolone treatment. Conservative therapy should be considered for patients with PVG without bowel ischemia or perforation. Caution should be exercised during barium examination undergoing prednisolone treatment

A mathematical model for dynamics of soluble form of DNAM-1 as a biomarker for graft-versus-host disease.

DNAM-1 (CD226) is an activating immunoreceptor expressed on T cells and NK cells and involved in the pathogenesis of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). We previously reported that a soluble form of DNAM-1 (sDNAM-1) is generated by shedding from activated T cells. Moreover, higher serum levels of sDNAM-1 in patients before allo-HSCT is a predictive biomarker for the development of aGVHD based on the retrospective univariate and multivariate analyses in allo-HSCT patients. However, it remains unclear how the serum levels of sDNAM-1 are regulated after allo-HSCT and whether they are associated with the development of aGVHD. Here, we constructed a mathematical model to assess the dynamics of sDNAM-1 after allo-HSCT by assuming that there are three types of sDNAM-1 (the first and the second were from alloreactive and non-alloreactive donor lymphocytes, respectively, and the third from recipient lymphocytes). Our mathematical model fitted well to the data set of sDNAM-1 in patients (n = 67) who had undergone allo-HSCT and suggest that the high proportion of the first type of sDNAM-1 to the total of the first and second types is associated with high risk of the development of severe aGVHD. Thus, sDNAM-1 after allo-HSCT can be a biomarker for the development of aGVHD