Discordance between hyposalivation and xerostomia

Individuals with an objective decrease in salivary flow (objective dry mouth) may not be aware of subjective dry mouth (xerostomia). However, no clear evidence exists to explain the discordance between subjective and objective dry mouth. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence of xerostomia and decreased salivary flow among community-dwelling elderly adults. In addition, this study assessed several potential demographic and health status determinants of the discrepancy between xerostomia and reduced salivary flow. The 215 participants in this study were community-dwelling older people aged 70 years and above who underwent dental health examinations between January-February 2019. Symptoms of xerostomia were collected in the form of a questionnaire. The unstimulated salivary flow rate (USFR) was measured by a dentist using visual inspection. The stimulated salivary flow rate (SSFR) was measured using the Saxon test. We identified 19.1% of participants as having mild-severe USFR decline with xerostomia and 19.1% as having mild-severe USFR decline without xerostomia. Additionally, 26.0% of participants had low SSFR and xerostomia, and 40.0% had low SSFR without xerostomia. Except for the age trend, no factors could be associated with the discordance between USFR measurement and xerostomia. Furthermore, no significant factors were associated with the discordance between the SSFR and xerostomia. However, females were significantly associated (OR = 2.608, 95% CI = 1.174–5.791) with low SSFR and xerostomia, as compared to males. Age was a factor that was also significantly associated (OR = 1.105, 95% CI = 1.010–1.209) with low SSFR and xerostomia. Our findings indicate that approximately 20% of the participants had low USFR without xerostomia, and 40% had low SSFR without xerostomia. This study showed that age, sex, and the number of medications may not be factors in the discrepancy between the subjective feeling of dry mouth and reduced salivary flow

Association of dietary fiber intake with subsequent fasting glucose levels and indicators of adiposity in school-age Japanese children

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the relationships of fiber intake with subsequent body mass index SD-score, waist-to-height ratio, and serum fasting glucose levels among school-age Japanese children. Design: A prospective study of school-age Japanese children. Participants were followed from 6–7 to 9–10 years of age (follow-up rate: 92.0%). Fiber intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Serum fasting glucose was measured by a hexokinase enzymatic method. Using a general linear model, the associations between dietary fiber intake at baseline and body mass index SD-score, waist-to-height ratio, and serum levels of fasting glucose at follow-up were evaluated after considering potential confounding factors. Setting: Public elementary schools in a city in Japan Participants: A total of 2,784 students. Results: The estimated means for fasting glucose at 9–10 years of age were 86.45, 85.68, 85.88, and 85.58 mg/dl in the lowest, second, third, and highest quartile of fiber intake at 6–7 years of age, respectively (p= 0.033, trend p= 0.018). Higher fiber intake at 6–7 years of age was associated with lower waist-to-height ratio at 9–10 years of age (trend p= 0.023). The change in fiber intake was inversely associated with concurrent change of body mass index SD-score (trend p= 0.044). Conclusion: These results suggest that dietary fiber intake may be potentially effective to limit excess weight gain and lower glucose levels during childhood

Effect of the interaction between physical activity and estimated macronutrient intake on HbA1c : population-based cross-sectional and longitudinal studies

Introduction Healthy diet and physical activity (PA) are essential for preventing type 2 diabetes, particularly, a combination of diet and PA. However, reports on interaction between PA and diet, especially from large epidemiological studies, are limited. We investigated the effect of interaction between PA and macronutrient intake on hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels in the general population. Research design and methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of 55 469 men and women without diabetes who participated in the baseline survey of the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study. A self-administered questionnaire ascertained PA and macronutrient intake (carbohydrate, fat, and protein). Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to adjust for confounding variables and examine the interactions. In addition, we conducted a longitudinal study during a 5-year period within a subcohort (n=6881) with accelerometer-assessed PA data. Results Overall, PA had a weak inverse association (β=−0.00033, p=0.049) and carbohydrate intake had a strong positive association (β=0.00393, p<0.001) with HbA1c. We observed a tendency of interactions between PA and carbohydrate or fat intake, but not protein intake, on HbA1c levels after adjusting for age, sex, study area, total energy intake, alcohol consumption, smoking, and medication for hypertension or hypercholesterolemia (Pinteraction=0.054, 0.006, and 0.156, respectively). The inverse associations between PA and HbA1c level were more evident in participants with high-carbohydrate (or low-fat) intake than in participants with low-carbohydrate (or high-fat) intake. Although further adjustment for body mass index slightly attenuated the above interactions (Pinteraction=0.098 for carbohydrate and 0.068 for fat), the associations between PA and HbA1c level in stratified analyses remained unchanged. Similar associations and interactions were reproduced in the longitudinal study. Conclusions The present results suggest that the effect of PA on HbA1c levels is modified by intake of macronutrient composition

Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies multiple novel loci associated with serum uric acid levels in Japanese individuals

Gout is a common arthritis caused by elevated serum uric acid (SUA) levels. Here we investigated loci influencing SUA in a genome-wide meta-analysis with 121,745 Japanese subjects. We identified 8948 variants at 36 genomic loci (P<5 × 10–8) including eight novel loci. Of these, missense variants of SESN2 and PNPLA3 were predicted to be damaging to the function of these proteins; another five loci—TMEM18, TM4SF4, MXD3-LMAN2, PSORS1C1-PSORS1C2, and HNF4A—are related to cell metabolism, proliferation, or oxidative stress; and the remaining locus, LINC01578, is unknown. We also identified 132 correlated genes whose expression levels are associated with SUA-increasing alleles. These genes are enriched for the UniProt transport term, suggesting the importance of transport-related genes in SUA regulation. Furthermore, trans-ethnic meta-analysis across our own meta-analysis and the Global Urate Genetics Consortium has revealed 15 more novel loci associated with SUA. Our findings provide insight into the pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention of hyperuricemia/gout

Subtype-specific gout susceptibility loci and enrichment of selection pressure on ABCG2 and ALDH2 identified by subtype genome-wide meta-analyses of clinically defined gout patients

Objectives Genome-wide meta-analyses of clinically defined gout were performed to identify subtype-specific susceptibility loci. Evaluation using selection pressure analysis with these loci was also conducted to investigate genetic risks characteristic of the Japanese population over the last 2000–3000 years. Methods Two genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of 3053 clinically defined gout cases and 4554 controls from Japanese males were performed using the Japonica Array and Illumina Array platforms. About 7.2 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms were meta-analysed after imputation. Patients were then divided into four clinical subtypes (the renal underexcretion type, renal overload type, combined type and normal type), and meta-analyses were conducted in the same manner. Selection pressure analyses using singleton density score were also performed on each subtype. Results In addition to the eight loci we reported previously, two novel loci, PIBF1 and ACSM2B, were identified at a genome-wide significance level (p<5.0×10–8) from a GWAS meta-analysis of all gout patients, and other two novel intergenic loci, CD2-PTGFRN and SLC28A3-NTRK2, from normal type gout patients. Subtype-dependent patterns of Manhattan plots were observed with subtype GWASs of gout patients, indicating that these subtype-specific loci suggest differences in pathophysiology along patients’ gout subtypes. Selection pressure analysis revealed significant enrichment of selection pressure on ABCG2 in addition to ALDH2 loci for all subtypes except for normal type gout. Conclusions Our findings on subtype GWAS meta-analyses and selection pressure analysis of gout will assist elucidation of the subtype-dependent molecular targets and evolutionary involvement among genotype, phenotype and subtype-specific tailor-made medicine/prevention of gout and hyperuricaemia

壮年期の住民の健康意識向上を目指した保健師学生と地域住民との取り組み

保健師学生と住民との協働活動により、壮年期の住民を対象に運動を取り入れた生活習慣病予防のキャンペーンや健康教室を実施した。本研究の目的は、壮年期の住民の健康意識向上を促すために必要とされる支援方法を明らかにすることである。活動の周知方法は、回覧板が最も効果的であり、知人からの紹介も多数見られた。また、教室参加者のうち45.5％が子ども連れであった。このことから、壮年期の特性を考慮し、子どもや職場、サークルなどをきっかけにした支援が有効な方法であることが明らかとなった。また、地域の核となる人と協働活動を行うことで、より壮年期の住民のニーズや視点に沿った活動を展開できることが明らかとなった

育児参加は父親にどのような影響を与えるか : 多胎児の父親と単胎児の父親との比較

近年、男女共同参画社会の実現、少子化問題、子どもの社会性の発達や父親自身の人格的成長、QOLやワーク・ライフ・バランスなどとの関連において、父親の育児参加が注目されている。多胎児の父親は単胎児の父親より積極的に育児参加するものが多いとの報告があるが、育児参加が父親に与える影響について多胎児と単胎児の父親を比較した調査はない。そこで、本研究では、多胎児と単胎児の父親の「子育て観・次世代育成観」「母性神話」「仕事観」「子ども観」を調査した。ツインマザースクラブの会員1016名に自己記入式アンケートを郵送、211名の父親から回答を得た(回収率20.8%)。また、比較群として、小中一貫校の児童・生徒および大学生の単胎児の父親300名にアンケート調査を実施し、101名から回答を得た(回収率33.7%)。結果、「子どもが3歳になるまで、母親は育児に専念するほうがよい」「子どもを出産した後は、母親は仕事をやめたほうがよい」といった、いわゆる「三歳児神話」や「母性神話」については、多胎児の父親は単胎児の父親と比較して反対側が有意に多かった。「子育ては自分の自由な時間を奪う」「仕事は自分の自由な時間を奪う」「子育て中は、勤務時間を自分で調整できる方がよい」は多胎児の父親で賛成側が有意に多く、「育児休暇をとると昇進にひびく」は、多胎児の父親で反対側が有意に多かった。ふたごの父親は、単胎児の父親と比較して積極的に育児参加している者が多く、育児の担い手として実質的に育児に関わる経験が母性神話に対する価値観や子育て観、仕事観に影響している可能性が示唆された