Psychometric properties of the japanese version of the single dental anxiety question: A cross-sectional online survey

Background:Assessment of dental anxiety using a validated questionnaire is important for its management and survey.Objective:The aim of this cross-sectional online survey was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the Single Dental Anxiety Question (SDAQ).Methods:The single question was translated into Japanese following the forward-backward method. Four hundred Japanese internet monitors (age 20–79 years) were included in the study. Sensitivity–specificity analysis and the Kappa coefficient were calculated against the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) using the 19 cutoff score for high dental anxiety. Criterion validity was evaluated using age, gender, dental attendance pattern, negative dental experiences, and subjective oral health.Results:Among these subjects, 11% were found to have high dental anxiety on the MDAS score and 9% rated themselves as very afraid of SDAQ. The Kappa coefficient between the MDAS cutoff score and the SDAQ classification was 0.58, the sensitivity was 0.56, and the specificity was 0.97. The SDAQ was associated with gender (P = 0.018), dental attendance pattern (P = 0.020), negative dental experiences (P Conclusion:The Japanese version of the SDAQ has good criterion and construct validity but lower sensitivity than the original version. It can be used to assess dental anxiety in large dental surveys or clinical settings where a multi-item questionnaire is not feasible.</p

Prevalence of medical factors related to aging among older car drivers: a multicenter, cross-sectional, descriptive study

Aim An increasing number of older adults in Japan are at an increased risk of road traffic crashes. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of potential underlying medical factors that increase the risk of road traffic crashes among older people. Methods This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in 11 medical institutions in Japan using self-administered questionnaires and physical examination from January to May 2021. The background and social data, data on the use of nursing care insurance, and clinical data suggestive of polypharmacy, sarcopenia, cognitive impairment, and frailty/oral frailty were obtained. The prevalence of these factors was compared between everyday and occasional drivers. Results Data of 127 patients were collected; their median (interquartile range) age was 73 (70-78) years. Of the total participants, 82 were men (64.6%) and 45 were women (35.4%). There were 77 everyday drivers and 50 occasional drivers. Of these, 121 (95.3%) had not applied for nursing care insurance, but the numbers of those who required help 1 and 2 were 1 (0.8%) and 3 (2.4%), respectively. Prevalence of medical factors was as follows: polypharmacy, 27.6%; sarcopenia, 8.7%; dementia, 16.4%; frailty, 15.0%; and oral frailty, 54.3%; it was not significantly different between every day and occasional drivers. Intention to return the car license was significantly higher among the occasional drivers (2.6% vs. 14.0%; odds ratio: 6.7, 95% confidence interval: 1.2-70.6, p = 0.024). Conclusion We uncovered the prevalence of medical factors that can be associated with road traffic crashes among Japanese older people aged >= 65 years in our community

Diabetes mellitus itself increases cardio- cerebrovascular risk and renal complications in primary aldosteronism

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism following peer review. The version of record Aya Saiki, Michio Otsuki, Daisuke Tamada, Tetsuhiro Kitamura, Iichiro Shimomura, Isao Kurihara, Takamasa Ichijo, Yoshiyu Takeda, Takuyuki Katabami, Mika Tsuiki, Norio Wada, Toshihiko Yanase, Yoshihiro Ogawa, Junji Kawashima, Masakatsu Sone, Nobuya Inagaki, Takanobu Yoshimoto, Ryuji Okamoto, Katsutoshi Takahashi, Hiroki Kobayashi, Kouichi Tamura, Kohei Kamemura, Koichi Yamamoto, Shoichiro Izawa, Miki Kakutani, Masanobu Yamada, Akiyo Tanabe, Mitsuhide Naruse, Diabetes Mellitus Itself Increases Cardio-Cerebrovascular Risk and Renal Complications in Primary Aldosteronism, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 105, Issue 7, July 2020, Pages e2531–e2537 is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgaa177

ニホン ドウブツエン スイゾクカン キョウカイ ノ カンリ スル ユーラシア カワウソ ノ イデンテキ タヨウセイ ト ハンショク ケイカク

ユーラシアカワウソ(Lutra lutra)はユーラシア大陸に広く分布する中型食肉目である。本種には11の亜種がおり,欧州亜種L. l. lutra,東南アジア亜種L. l. barang,中国亜種L. l. chinensis などが国内外の動物園や水族館で飼育されている。欧州の動物園や水族館にはA-line(L. l. lutra)とB-line(L. l. lutraとL. l. barangが交雑した可能性がある系統)という2つのlineが存在し,日本の動物園や水族館にも導入されている。本来は同じ亜種内で繁殖がおこなわれるが,日本では本種の個体数が少ないためA-lineとB-lineで繁殖がおこなわれている。実際にB-lineが東南アジア亜種の遺伝子を持っているか評価がおこなわれ,B-lineとA-lineの間に違いがあることが示された。ただし先行研究では,解析配列が307bpと短いことが問題として上げられる。本研究ではミトコンドリア(mt)DNA Cytochrome bの全長配列(1140bp)をA-line,B-line各1個体,中国亜種2個体から決定し,先行研究で決定されたB-lineの配列を含む4配列を加えて配列比較,系統解析をおこなった。その結果,A-line,B-lineそれぞれが特徴的な変異サイトを示し,系統解析では先行研究と同じようにB-lineは中国亜種とクレイドを形成し,A-lineは欧州亜種独自のクレイドを形成した。よって解析したB-lineのmtDNAは東南アジア亜種に由来する可能性がある。2015年現在,日本のB-line個体は全て本研究で解析したB-lineの子や孫である。亜種間交雑が示唆された国内のB-lineは,本種の繁殖・維持に活用できるが,A-lineや中国亜種の系統維持に活用することはできない。Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) is a mid-sized species belonging to the order Carnivora and is distributed across a wide area of the Eurasian continent. This species comprises 11subspecies. The European subspecies (L. l. lutra), the Southeast Asian subspecies (L. l. barang), and the Chinese subspecies (L. l. chinensis) are reared in European and Japanese zoos and aquariums. Among these, the European facilities rear two lines, which were named A-line (L. l. lutra) and B-line (this is likely a crossbreed of L. l. lutra and L. l. barang); the Japanese facilities introduced these two lines. The mitochondrial (mt) DNA partial cytochrome b (cytb) sequence (307bp) of the A- and B-lines detected previously have shown slight but characteristic differences between the two lines. However, the previous study had limitations, as only one sample of the B-line was considered and the sequence was found to be short. Although, typically, breeding involves mating of individuals within the same subspecies, the A- and B-lines were crossbred in the Japanese facilities, which is likely because only small numbers of the Eurasian otter were reared in these facilities, thereby making cross-breeding imperative to the conservation of Eurasian otter in this country. In this study, we determined the complete cytb sequence (1140bp) from one individual each of the A- and B-lines, and two individuals of the Chinese subspecies. These sequences were compared and subjected to phylogenetic analysis, along with four individuals of Eurasian otter (which includes one B-line individual). The B-line individual showed diagnostic nucleotides at two positions, whereas the A-line individual showed diagnostic nucleotides at four positions. In the phylogenetic tree, two B-line individuals formed a monophyletic group with the two individuals of Chinese subspecies, and an A-line individual formed another monophyletic group with the other European individual. These results suggest that mtDNA sequence of B-line was derived from some Asian subspecies, and it differed from the A-line sequence (European subspecies). Moreover, because these results suggest that hybridization between the European subspecies and some Asian subspecies occurred in the B-line, the breeding program involving B-line individuals is not appropriate to the conservation of subspecies-specific strains

OAZ-t/OAZ3 Is Essential for Rigid Connection of Sperm Tails to Heads in Mouse

Polyamines are known to play important roles in the proliferation and differentiation of many types of cells. Although considerable amounts of polyamines are synthesized and stored in the testes, their roles remain unknown. Ornithine decarboxylase antizymes (OAZs) control the intracellular concentration of polyamines in a feedback manner. OAZ1 and OAZ2 are expressed ubiquitously, whereas OAZ-t/OAZ3 is expressed specifically in germline cells during spermiogenesis. OAZ-t reportedly binds to ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and inactivates ODC activity. In a prior study, polyamines were capable of inducing a frameshift at the frameshift sequence of OAZ-t mRNA, resulting in the translation of OAZ-t. To investigate the physiological role of OAZ-t, we generated OAZ-t–disrupted mutant mice. Homozygous OAZ-t mutant males were infertile, although the polyamine concentrations of epididymides and testes were normal in these mice, and females were fertile. Sperm were successfully recovered from the epididymides of the mutant mice, but the heads and tails of the sperm cells were easily separated in culture medium during incubation. Results indicated that OAZ-t is essential for the formation of a rigid junction between the head and tail during spermatogenesis. The detached tails and heads were alive, and most of the headless tails showed straight forward movement. Although the tailless sperm failed to acrosome-react, the heads were capable of fertilizing eggs via intracytoplasmic sperm injection. OAZ-t likely plays a key role in haploid germ cell differentiation via the local concentration of polyamines

Prognostic prediction by hypermetabolism varies depending on the nutritional status in early amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

To examine whether hypermetabolism could predict the prognosis of early amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients with differing nutritional profiles. This single-center, retrospective study examined the prognosis of ALS patients with hypermetabolism in relation to their nutritional status at hospitalization. The metabolic state was estimated by the ratio of measured resting energy expenditure (mREE) to lean soft tissue mass (LSTM) (mREE/LSTM), wherein patients with ratios ≥ 38 were defined as hypermetabolic. Malnutrition was defined as %ideal body weight < 0.9. Forty-eight patients were enrolled in this study. The hypermetabolic group had shorter survival in the normal-weight group but more prolonged survival in the malnutrition group. Multiplication of nutritional and metabolic factors, such as [(body mass index (BMI) - 19.8) × (mREE/LSTM - 38)], designated as BMI-muscle metabolism index (BMM index), successfully predicted the prognosis in the group with a high BMM index (≥ 1), which showed shorter survival and a faster rate of weight loss and functional decline. Multivariate analysis using the Cox model showed high BMM index was an independent poor prognostic factor (hazard ratio: 4.05; p = 0.025). Prognostic prediction by hypermetabolism varies depending on the nutritional status in ALS, and the BMM index is a consistent prognostic factor

Factors Affecting Energy Metabolism and Prognosis in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Background/aims:Nutritional status is a factor affecting prognosis in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Here, we aimed to clarify the factors associated with hypermetabolism and the prognosticators of ALS.Methods:Forty-two inpatients (22 men, 20 women) diagnosed with ALS according to the revised El-Escorial criteria were investigated. The following data were retrospectively analyzed: anthropometric measurements, blood biochemistry, disease severity, basal energy expenditure (BEE), resting energy expenditure (REE) measured by indirect calorimetry, spirometry, and bioelectrical impedance analysis. Single and multiple regression analysis was performed to examine factors affecting REE and metabolic changes (defined as the ratio of REE to fat-free mass [FFM]). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to examine factors associated with the occurrence of cumulative events (death or tracheostomy).Results:Among the 42 inpatients, REE was significantly higher than BEE, indicating hypermetabolism in ALS. Multiple regression analysis revealed that REE/FFM is strongly associated with the skeletal muscle index (-3.746 to -1.532, p < 0.0001) and percent forced vital capacity (%FVC) (-0.172 to -0.021, p = 0.013). Moreover, both the skeletal muscle index and %FVC were significant prognosticators associated with the occurrence of cumulative events.Conclusions:Energy metabolism was elevated in ALS, and respiratory status and muscle mass were associated with the hypermetabolism and poor prognosis. Adequate nutritional support may improve outcomes in ALS by preventing deterioration of respiratory status and reduction in muscle mass

Johnson in Japan

The study and reception of Samuel Johnson’s work has long been embedded in Japanese literary culture. The essays in this collection reflect that history and influence, underscoring the richness of Johnson scholarship in Japan, while exploring broader conditions in Japanese academia today. In examining Johnson’s works such as the Rambler (1750-52), Rasselas (1759), Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets (1779-81), and Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland (1775), the contributors—all members of the half-century-old Johnson Society of Japan—also engage with the work of other important English writers, namely Shakespeare, Mary Shelley, Jane Austen, and Matthew Arnold, and later Japanese writers, including Natsume Soseki (1867-1916). If the state of Johnson studies in Japan is unfamiliar to Western academics, this volume offers a unique opportunity to appreciate Johnson’s centrality to Japanese education and intellectual life, and to reassess how he may be perceived in a different cultural context.https://digitalcommons.bucknell.edu/bucknell-press/1053/thumbnail.jp