Combined treatment with dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitor sitagliptin and elemental diets reduced indomethacin-induced intestinal injury in rats via the increase of mucosal glucagon-like peptide-2 concentration.

The gut incretin glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and the intestinotropic hormone GLP-2 are released from enteroendocrine L cells in response to ingested nutrients. Treatment with an exogenous GLP-2 analogue increases intestinal villous mass and prevents intestinal injury. Since GLP-2 is rapidly degraded by dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4), DPP4 inhibition may be an effective treatment for intestinal ulcers. We measured mRNA expression and DPP enzymatic activity in intestinal segments. Mucosal DPP activity and GLP concentrations were measured after administration of the DPP4 inhibitor sitagliptin (STG). Small intestinal ulcers were induced by indomethacin (IM) injection. STG was given before IM treatment, or orally administered after IM treatment with or without an elemental diet (ED). DPP4 mRNA expression and enzymatic activity were high in the jejunum and ileum. STG dose-dependently suppressed ileal mucosal enzyme activity. Treatment with STG prior to IM reduced small intestinal ulcer scores. Combined treatment with STG and ED accelerated intestinal ulcer healing, accompanied by increased mucosal GLP-2 concentrations. The reduction of ulcers by ED and STG was reversed by co-administration of the GLP-2 receptor antagonist. DPP4 inhibition combined with luminal nutrients, which up-regulate mucosal concentrations of GLP-2, may be an effective therapy for the treatment of small intestinal ulcers

New Approach to Teaching Japanese Pronunciation in the Digital Era - Challenges and Practices

Pronunciation has been a black hole in the L2 Japanese classroom on account of a lack of class time, teacher\u2019s confidence, and consciousness of the need to teach pronunciation, among other reasons. The absence of pronunciation instruction is reported to result in fossilized pronunciation errors, communication problems, and learner frustration. With an intention of making a contribution to improve such circumstances, this paper aims at three goals. First, it discusses the importance, necessity, and e ectiveness of teaching prosodic aspects of Japanese pronunciation from an early stage in acquisition. Second, it shows that Japanese prosody is challenging because of its typological rareness, regardless of the L1 backgrounds of learners. Third and finally, it introduces a new approach to teaching L2 pronunciation with the goal of developing L2 comprehensibility by focusing on essential prosodic features, which is followed by discussions on key issues concerning how to implement the new approach both inside and outside the classroom in the digital era

Survey of the current status of cancer rehabilitation in Japan

Purpose: To elucidate the current status of cancer rehabilitation in institutions nationwide. Method: A questionnaire survey regarding the current status of cancer rehabilitation in 1693 health care institutions was conducted by mail. The survey first asked whether rehabilitation was being conducted for cancer patients, and in facilities in which it was being conducted, it then asked about the content of the rehabilitation, the stage of the cancer patients, etc. Facilities in which cancer rehabilitation was not being conducted were surveyed in regard to whether there was a need for cancer rehabilitation. Results: Valid replies were obtained from 1045 (62.0%) institutions, and 864 (82.7%) of them conducted rehabilitation for cancer patients. A high proportion of the content of the rehabilitation was found to be related to physical function. Activities of daily living guidance and training were also found to be conducted in a high proportion. Low proportions of the facilities conducted content that was specialized for cancer. Of the 181 facilities in which rehabilitation was not being conducted for cancer patients, 171 (94.5%) replied that they felt that rehabilitation was needed for cancer patients. Conclusions: Based on the results of this fact-finding survey it will be necessary to consider strategies for popularizing and developing rehabilitation programs for cancer patients in Japan

Relationship between Oral Health Status and Bone Mineral Density in Community-Dwelling Elderly Individuals: A Cross-Sectional Study

The relationship between oral health status and bone mineral density has been poorly elucidated. We conducted a cross-sectional study to examine the relationship between oral health status and bone mineral density with data from healthy community-dwelling elderly individuals in Ohnan-cho, Shimane Japan who were recruited in 2019 for the Shimane Center for Community-Based Health Research and Education (CoHRE) study. The study included 702 participants (306 men and 396 women). The median age, bone mineral density, and number of remaining teeth were 69.0 years, 86.2%, and 26.0, respectively. The two groups (Low teeth group and High teeth group) showed significant differences in age, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level, and masticatory function in men (p < 0.05). In women, age, number of untreated teeth, and masticatory function were significantly different (p < 0.05). The odds ratio of propensity score analysis for the association between the number of remaining teeth and bone mineral density was 27.7 (95% confidence interval: 1.86–414.9, p < 0.05). The number of remaining teeth could be associated with bone mineral density in the healthy elderly women, and no significant association was observed in men. Number of remaining teeth and bone mineral density may be interrelated, and oral care by dentists/dental hygienists may play an important role in maintaining bone mineral density in elderly women