Does Masticatory Ability Contribute to Nutritional Status in Older Individuals?

Mastication plays a primary role in the process of eating. Hence, compromised masticatory ability may affect the nutrition and quality of life, which are particularly important concerns among older individuals. It remains unclear how is the masticatory ability assessed regarding the nutritional status. We examined the effect of various oral factors on three masticatory ability tests conducted among older individuals. A total of 100 older individuals were enrolled in this study. Body mass index (BMI) as an indicator of nutritional status; and age, sex, and the number of occlusal and molar occlusal supports as clinical attributes were recorded. Three masticatory ability tests (masticatory efficiency, masticatory score, and satisfaction with mastication) were conducted, and tongue pressure, cheek pressure, and occlusal force were assessed as oral functions. A significant but weak correlation was found between masticatory efficiency and the masticatory score, but not between masticatory efficiency and satisfaction score. Objective masticatory efficiency was strongly associated with objective oral factors, whereas subjective assessments of masticatory ability (masticatory score and satisfaction score) were not. Furthermore, BMI was significantly associated with subjective assessments of masticatory ability but not with objective masticatory efficiency. Both subjective and objective assessments of masticatory ability, along with considerations of nutritional formulations, are required for the maintenance and improvement of nutritional status in older individuals

SIMILARITIES AND DISSIMILARITIES OF MERIDIAN FUNCTIONS BETWEEN GENDERS

The Single Square Voltage Pulse (SSVP) method was applied on specific acupuncture points of about 2,500 male and female subjects who live in California. Data was gathered during a period of six years from 1994 to 2000 at the California Institute for Human Science (CIHS). The gathered data were examined to investigate possible gender differences regarding meridian function. From the current curve generated by the application of the SSVP method, only the BP (Before Polarization; the pre-polarization current in the dermis) was used in this study. Analysis of the data showed that male meridian function is more active and has more energy than female meridian function during cold and hot seasons, whereas female subjects have more energy and have more active meridian function during mild seasons. On the contrary the distribution of the most active meridians and the most inactive meridians shows the same pattern between males and females, which indicates that males and females are almost the same in their vital energy system

Excavation at Taishaku-Ōburo Cave Site (19th and 20th excavation)

Taishaku-Ōburo cave site is located in Nagano, Jinseki-kōgen-chō, Jinseki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture, on the upper side of the Taishaku-Kannondō cave site. The small sized cave is 11 m wide, 4 m deep, 3-3.5 m high. The surface of its terrace is approximately 40 m2. The cave was discovered in 1984 and for the last 21 years 20 excavation campaigns were carried out. According to the results obtained in these excavations, artefacts dating from the Nara period to the Muromachi period were found within the 1st or the 2nd layer, pottery and common orient clams (hamaguri, Meretrix lusoria) dating from the Late Jōmon period were found within the 3rd layer, artefacts dating from the Incipient Jomon period to the Initial Jōmon period were found within the upper part of the 5th layer. Some bones from animals extinct since the Pleistocene were found within the 5th and 6th layer. Remains of scorched soil etc. were found in the stratigraphy in the back of the cave in the 2nd and the 3rd layers. Especially, in the D-5 section in the Late Jōmon period many remains of fireplaces were found. One assumes that their vicinity was used as living space. Pottery and stone tools were abandoned in the west part of the cave. Bones of small animals like snakes, mices, moles etc. didn’t show traces of heating. Therefore, it is conceivable that large animals like deer, wild boar etc. were eaten

Protein Transduction Method for Cerebrovascular Disorders

Many studies have shown that a motif of 11 consecutive arginines (11R) is one of the most effective protein transduction domains (PTD) for introducing proteins into the cell membrane. By conjugating this &#34;11R&#34;, all sorts of proteins can effectively and harmlessly be transferred into any kind of cell. We therefore examined the transduction efficiency of 11R in cerebral arteries and obtained results showing that 11R fused enhanced green fluorescent protein (11R-EGFP) immediately and effectively penetrated all layers of the rat basilar artery (BA), especially the tunica media. This method provides a revolutionary approach to cerebral arteries and ours is the first study to demonstrate the successful transductionof a PTD fused protein into the cerebral arteries. In this review, we present an outline of our studies and other key studies related to cerebral vasospasm and 11R, problems to be overcome, and predictions regarding future use of the 11R protein transduction method for cerebral vasospasm (CV).</p

Preparation of Lipid Nanoemulsions Incorporating Curcumin for Cancer Therapy

The aim of this study was to develop a new formulation of a curcumin lipid nanoemulsion having the smallest particle size, the highest loading, and a good physical stability for cancer chemotherapy. Curcumin lipid nanoemulsions were prepared by a modified thin-film hydration method followed by sonication. Soybean oil, hydrogenated L-α-phosphatidylcholine from egg yolk, and cosurfactants were used to formulate the emulsions. The resultant nanoemulsions showed mean particle diameter of 47–55 nm, could incorporate 23–28 mg curcumin per 30 mL, and were stable in particle size for 60 days at 4°C. The cytotoxicity studies of curucumin solution and curcumin-loaded nanoemulsion using B16F10 and leukemic cell lines showed IC50 values ranging from 3.5 to 30.1 and 22.2 to 53.7 μM, respectively. These results demonstrated the successful incorporation of curcumin into lipid nanoemulsion particles with small particle size, high loading capacity, good physical stability, and preserved cytotoxicity

The Kuroshio Region off Southwest Japan ASUKA 1993-95 Inverted Echo Sounder Data Report

In order to study the time-varying volume and heat transports of the Kuroshio off southwest Japan, a large number of scientists from Japan and a small number from the U.S.A. formed a group called ASUKA. This group carried out a coordinated investigation which was concentrated in time on the years 1993-95, and in space on a 1,000 km segment of a TOPEX/POSEIDON suborbital track running south-southeast from western Shikoku. This report describes the techniques used to process data collected by ten inverted echo sounders (IES) on this 1,000 km line off Japan, as part of the ASUKA study. The University of Rhode Island (URI) was responsible for all the IES\u27s except IES5 and IES8 which were from the Hydrographic Department of the Japanese Maritime Safety Agency (MSA/HD). The URI IES\u27s were deployed from the Training Vessel Keiten-maru in October 1993 and recovered from the same vessel in November 1995. The MSA/HD IES\u27s were deployed from the Survey Vessel Shoyo in July 1993. IES8 was recovered by Shoyo in May 1994, but unfortunately IES5 was not recovered

コテイ ホウホウ カラ ミタ インプラント ジョウブ コウゾウ ノ リンショウテキ ブンケンテキ コウサツ

As the connection mechanism between the superstructure and implant, the cement-retained type and screw-retained type are mainly used. The choice of a screw-retained versus a cement-retained superstructure is a complex and comprehensive decision involving many points of consideration. On the other hand, various retained methods that is complementary with each retained type have been proposed. In this article, various retained types which have been reported in the literatures and developed by us, were systematically assorted from the standpoints of retreivability, and the advantages were pointed out showing case photographs. This systematical information would help the selection of retained type of the superstructure

複雑先天性心疾患患者における心房細動の病因 : より良い治療戦略のために

Background: The demographics of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) and atrial fibrillation (AF) differ significantly from the general population. The etiology and treatment strategy for AF in CHD patients have been investigated but are to date inconclusive. Methods: To determine the etiology of AF in CHD and to seek a better treatment strategy, we retrospectively evaluated the atrial overload in 42 complex CHD cases with normal atrial arrangements and AF (age 25; range, 9-66 years) and the impact of a reduction in the atrial overload on the atrial rhythm. Results: Cardiac defect diagnoses varied, with 17% of the patients having a persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC). In regard to the volume overload, the frequencies of an overload in the right atrium (RA), left atrium (LA), or both, were 50 %, 23%, and 10%, respectively (p = 0.015). Other sustained supraventricular tachycardias were observed in 29 patients (69%) before and after the onset of AF. Among these 29 patients, 26 had intra-atrial reentrant tachycardia. Fifteen patients (36%), 10 of whom had chronic AF, died during the follow-up including 3 with arrhythmias and 10 because of heart failure. Fourteen (33%) patients had no AF at the last follow-up due to medical interventions, 8 of which underwent solely an RA-sided catheter ablation and/or surgical RA overload reduction. Conclusions: AF in complex CHD with a normal atrial arrangement correlates with a higher RA-sided overload than an LA-sided and exhibits a high incidence of PLSVCs, high comorbidity of intra-atrial reentrant tachycardias, and high mortality rate. In a substantial number of patients, RA-sided interventions were effective in controlling AF. To effectively manage AF in complex CHD it is essential to understand each individual's hemodynamics and consider hemodynamic interventions.博士（医学）・甲第853号・令和4年9月28日© 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Japanese College of Cardiology

舌の厚みとその臨床的意義

Background: The tongue occupies most of the space in the oral cavity and it plays an important role in oral functions such as mastication, swallowing and articulation. The tongue continues to move from the time of intake to swallowing, particularly during masticating. A method for evaluating tongue thickness at rest by ultrasonography has been proposed; however, the association between tongue thickness and various oral functions remains unclear. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between tongue thickness and oral functions, and to clarify the clinical significance of tongue thickness measurements in oral function maintenance. Materials and Methods: Elderly outpatients were serially screened for enrollment and a total of 106 subjects (men, 54; women, 52; mean age, 75.2±6.5 years) were selected. Age, body mass index, and functional teeth number including implant and pontic of fixed partial denture number were recorded as the basic attributes. Tongue thickness, tongue pressure, tongue thrust pressure and tongue motor function were measured as tongue assessments. Cheek pressure, oral moisture and occlusal force were measured as other oral functions. Results: Subjects with thick tongue tended to have higher BMI, stronger muscle strengths and lower diadochokinesis. Diadochokinesis of/ka/, cheek pressure and functional teeth number were extracted as the independent factors affecting tongue thickness. Conclusion: Tongue thickness does not necessarily reflect oral functions in healthy elderly people except for a negative association between tongue thickness and oral diadochokinesis of /ka/. Multiple assessments of tongue would be required to evaluate oral function, and the assessment of tongue thickness might have a different clinical meaning