Evaluation of Asthenopia Caused by Game Consoles

A visual function test and a questionnaire survey on asthenopia were performed before and after the use of a game console and compared to clarify the influence of the use of a game console on the visual function and asthenopia of healthy young people. The subjects were 20 healthy young persons aged 20.0 ± 0.5 years (17 females and 3 males). The near point, the rate of high frequency component (HFC) of accommodative microfluctuation, and lacrimal secretion were measured and an original questionnaire survey on asthenopia was performed before and after carrying out a task using a game console. The task was continuous playing of an action race game,‘MARIOKART 8’ (Nintendo) using Wii U (Nintendo), for 2 hours at a visual distance of 170 cm. The near point was 11.86D before the task and it significantly extended to 10.98D after the task (p < 0.05). The rates of HFC of the dominant eye before and after the task were 13.3 and 8.6%, respectively. Those of the non-dominant eye were 8.4 and 8.2%, respectively. And the lacrimal secretions were 21.2 and 21.0 mm, respectively. All the tasks showed no significant changes after each task in any parameter. The score of the subjective questionnaire survey was 14.6 before the task and it significantly increased to 34.8 after the task (p < 0.05). The task of continuous 2-hour operation of the game console significantly extended the near point and caused subjective fatigue

Bone marrow stroma cells are susceptible to prion infection.

Abnormal protease-resistant prion protein (PrP-res) is the only surrogate biochemical marker for prion diseases, and a sensitive technique to detect PrP-res in blood or tissues is urgently needed. Primary cultured bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) expressed PrP and were capable of supporting stable human prion infection. Using a mouse-adapted BSE strain, we demonstrated that PrP-res can be detected in expanded MSCs. We then analyzed the bone marrow cells collected at autopsy from two individuals with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), and, in both cases, cultured MSCs were positive for PrP-res. These data would suggest that ex vivo MSC expansion accompanied by PrP-res analysis could be a helpful tool in the definitive diagnosis of prion disease at an earlier stage in the disease process than is currently possible, and with considerably less distress to the patient

Advantage of a low glycemic index and low phosphate diet on diabetic nephropathy and aging-related diseases

Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in Japan and other Westernized countries. Over 50% of the ESRD patients die from cardiovascular events. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) in ESRD patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are implicated in the endothelial dysfunction caused by hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension, and in the vascular calcification of intimal and medial arterial blood vessels caused by hyperphosphatemia. Therefore, dietary control of hyperglycemia and hyperphosphatemia should play an important role in the management of ESRD patients with DM. Furthermore, recent findings suggest that high concentrations of serum phosphate, even if within the normal range, may be a risk factor for CVD and mortality. An in vivo study using klotho knockout mice and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) knockout mice has revealed that correction of hyperphosphatemia and hypervitaminosis D could ameliorate the premature aging-like phenotype. A low glycemic index and low phosphate diet may provide an advantage in the prevention of aging-related diseases in healthy individuals as well as in those with chronic kidney disease

Psychosocial factors at work and inflammatory markers: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction Chronic inflammation may be a mediator for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), metabolic diseases and psychotic and neurodegenerative disorders. Meta-analytic associations between work-related psychosocial factors and inflammatory markers have shown that work-related psychosocial factors could affect the flexibility and balance of the immune system. However, few systematic reviews or meta-analyses have investigated the association between work-related psychosocial factors and inflammatory markers. Based on prospective studies, the present investigation will conduct a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between work-related psychosocial factors and inflammatory markers.Methods and analysis The systematic review and meta-analysis will include published studies identified from electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Web of Science and Japan Medical Abstracts Society) according to recommendations of the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guideline. Inclusion criteria are studies that: examined associations between work-related psychosocial factors and increased inflammatory markers; used longitudinal or prospective cohort designs; were conducted among workers; provided sufficient data for calculating ORs or relative risk with 95% CIs; were published as original articles in English or Japanese; and were published up to the end of 2017. Study selection, data extraction, quality assessment and statistical syntheses will be conducted by 14 investigators. Any inconsistencies or disagreements will be resolved through discussion. The quality of studies will be evaluated using the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Non-randomized Studies.Ethics and dissemination The investigation study will be based on published studies, so ethics approval is not required. The results of this study will be submitted for publication in a scientific peer-reviewed journal. The findings may be useful for assessing risk factors for increased inflammatory markers in the workplace and determining future approaches for preventing CVD, metabolic diseases and psychotic and neurodegenerative disorders

Transmission of Bordetella holmesii during Pertussis Outbreak, Japan

We describe the epidemiology of a pertussis outbreak in Japan in 2010–2011 and Bordetella holmesii transmission. Six patients were infected; 4 patients were students and a teacher at the same junior high school. Epidemiologic links were found between 5 patients. B. holmesii may have been transmitted from person to person