Skin advanced glycation end product accumulation and muscle strength among adult men

Aging is associated with decreased skeletal muscle function. Increased levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in skeletal muscle tissue are observed with advancing age and in diabetes. Although serum AGE level is negatively associated with grip strength in elderly people, it is unknown whether this association is present in adult males. To determine the relationship between AGE accumulation in tissue and muscle strength and power among Japanese adult men. Skin autofluorescence (AF) (a noninvasive method for measuring tissue AGEs), grip strength (n = 232), and leg extension power (n = 138) were measured in Japanese adult men [median (interquartile range) age, 46.0 (37.0, 56.0) years]. After adjustment for potential confounders, the adjusted means [95% confidence interval (CI)] for grip strength across the tertiles of skin AF were 44.5 (43.2, 45.9) kg for the lowest tertile, 42.0 (40.6, 43.3) kg for the middle tertile, and 41.7 (40.3, 43.1) kg for the highest tertile (P for trend < 0.01). Moreover, the adjusted geometric means (95% CI) of leg extension power across the tertiles of skin AF were 17.8 (16.6, 19.1) W/kg for the lowest tertile, 17.5 (16.4, 18.7) W/kg for the middle tertile, and 16.0 (14.9, 17.1) W/kg for the highest tertile (P for trend = 0.04). Among Japanese adult men, participants with higher skin AF had lower muscle strength and power, indicating a relationship between AGE accumulation and muscle strength and power. A long-term prospective study is required to clarify the causality

Leg extension power is a pre-disaster modifiable risk factor for post-traumatic stress disorder among survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common psychological problem following natural disasters. Although pre-disaster risk factors are important for early detection and proactive support, the examination of such has been limited to sociodemographic factors, which were largely unaffected by the disasters. We examined the association between pre-disaster physical functioning and lifestyle and PTSD symptoms five months after the earthquake in the Great East Japan Earthquake survivors who were participating in a pre-existing cohort study. METHODS: We designed a retrospective cohort study of a cooperative association in Sendai from August 2010 to August 2011. In 2010, lifestyle, physical condition, and sociodemographic factors were examined by self-reported questionnaires completed by 522 employees of this organization. We also measured the leg extension power of all the participants. PTSD symptoms were evaluated by the Japanese version of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R-J) following the earthquake of 2011. RESULTS: In multivariate linear regression analysis, leg extension power (β = -0.128, P = 0.025), daily drinking (β  = 0.203, P = 0.006), and depressive symptoms (β  = 0.139, P = 0.008) were associated with total score of the IES-R-J among men. Moreover, for the IES-R-J subscale, leg extension power was also negatively associated with Intrusion (β = -0.114, P = 0.045) and Hyperarousal (β = -0.163, P = 0.004) after adjusting for all other significant variables. For women, hypertension (β  = 0.226, P = 0.032) and depressive symptoms (β  = 0.205, P = 0.046) were associated with the total score of the IES-R-J. CONCLUSIONS: Leg extension power is a potentially modifiable pre-disaster risk factor among men for attenuating the severity of PTSD symptoms associated with great disasters such as the Great East Japan Earthquake among men

Response to Initial Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor for Diabetic Macular Edema Is Significantly Correlated with Response to Third Consecutive Monthly Injection

Purpose: To determine whether the response to the initial anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injection to treat diabetic macular edema (DME) is significantly correlated with the response to the third consecutive monthly injection of the same anti-VEGF agent. Methods: Seventy eyes with DME that were treated with an anti-VEGF agent (16 eyes with 1.25-mg bevacizumab, 35 eyes with 0.5-mg ranibizumab, and 19 eyes with 2.0-mg aflibercept) were studied. They were treated with three consecutive monthly injections of one of the three anti-VEGF agents. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR units) and the central macular thickness (CMT) were measured at the baseline, 1 week after the initial injection, and 1 month after the third consecutive monthly injection. The changes of both values from the baseline 1 week after the initial injection (day 7) and 1 month after the third monthly injection were determined. The significance of the correlations between the BCVA and the CMT was determined. Results: The mean BCVA improved significantly for all three agents (0.38 ± 0.22 logMAR units at the baseline to 0.27 ± 0.25 logMAR units) after the three monthly injections (p p p = 0.73), moderate correlation was found for ranibizumab (r = 0.42, p p p p p < 0.05). Conclusions: The significant correlations between the results on day 7 to that one month after the third anti-VEGF treatment for DME indicates that the long-term effects of anti-VEGF therapy can be predicted by the short-term response. In addition, the results indicate that there may be differences in the effectiveness between the three anti-VEGF agents

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Is Positively Related to Metabolic Syndrome: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study

<div><p>Irritable bowel syndrome is a common gastrointestinal disorder that may affect dietary pattern, food digestion, and nutrient absorption. The nutrition-related factors are closely related to metabolic syndrome, implying that irritable bowel syndrome may be a potential risk factor for metabolic syndrome. However, few epidemiological studies are available which are related to this potential link. The purpose of this study is to determine whether irritable bowel syndrome is related to metabolic syndrome among middle-aged people. We designed a cross-sectional study of 1,096 subjects to evaluate the relationship between irritable bowel syndrome and metabolic syndrome and its components. Diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome was based on the Japanese version of the Rome III Questionnaire. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the criteria of the American Heart Association scientific statements of 2009. Dietary consumption was assessed via a validated food frequency questionnaire. Principal-components analysis was used to derive 3 major dietary patterns: “Japanese”, “sweets-fruits”, and “Izakaya (Japanese Pub) “from 39 food groups. The prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome and metabolic syndrome were 19.4% and 14.6%, respectively. No significant relationship was found between the dietary pattern factor score tertiles and irritable bowel syndrome. After adjustment for potential confounders (including dietary pattern), the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of having metabolic syndrome and elevated triglycerides for subjects with irritable bowel syndrome as compared with non-irritable bowel syndrome are 2.01(1.13–3.55) and 1.50(1.03–2.18), respectively. Irritable bowel syndrome is significantly related to metabolic syndrome and it components. This study is the first to show that irritable bowel syndrome was significantly related to a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome and elevated triglycerides among an adult population. The findings suggest that the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome may be a potentially beneficial factor for the prevention of metabolic syndrome. Further study is needed to clarify this association.</p></div

Age- and sex-adjusted characteristics of the subjects in relation to irritable bowel syndrome (n = 1,096)^†

†<p>BMI, body mass index; PA, physical activity; METs, metabolic equivalents; SDS, Self-rating Depression Scale; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; TG, triglyceride; FBG, fasting blood glucose; HDL, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; hsCRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein.</p>‡<p>Analysis of covariance or logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and sex where appropriate.</p>§<p>Adjusted least squares mean (95% confidence interval) (all such values).</p>¶<p>Adjusted geometric mean (95% confidence interval).</p><p>Age- and sex-adjusted characteristics of the subjects in relation to irritable bowel syndrome (n = 1,096)^{<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0112289#nt101" target="_blank">†</a>}</p

Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence interval for the relationship between MS and IBS (n = 1,096) ^†

†<p>MS, metabolic syndrome; IBS, irritable bowel syndrome; HDL, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure.</p>‡<p>Adjusted for age, sex and body mass index.</p>§<p>Additionally adjusted for smoking and drinking status, educational level, and physical activity.</p>¶<p>Additionally adjusted for dietary patterns, and total energy intake.</p><p>Additionally adjusted for depressive symptoms.</p>|<p>Additionally adjusted for mutual metabolic syndrome components.</p><p>Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence interval for the relationship between MS and IBS (n = 1,096) ^{<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0112289#nt105" target="_blank">†</a>}</p

Relationship of leg extension power with each subscale scores of IES-R-J among men and women^a.

a<p>Adjusted for physical activiy (<1 METs·hours/week, 1–22 METs·hours/week, or≥23 METs·hours/week), smoking status (never, former, or current), drinking status (never, 1–6 day(s)/week, or 7 days/week), sleep duration (6–8 hours/day or not), tooth brushing (≥3 times/day or <3 times/day), eating breakfast (<4 times/week or ≥4 times/week), diabetes (no or yes), hypertension (no or yes), dyslipidemia (no or yes), depressive symptoms (SDS≥45), age (log-transformed), education (≥ college or < college), occupation (deskwork or non-desk work), marital status (unmarried or married), family loss (no or yes), property damage (other, partially damaged, or completely damaged), and work volume (unchanged, increased, or decreased).</p>b<p>All continuous variables have been log-transformed.</p

Flow chart of the sample selection process.

<p>Flow chart of the sample selection process.</p