Associations between Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Metabolic Risk Factors beyond Obesity

金沢大学附属病院代謝内科Objective. Individuals with multiple metabolic risk factors often experience concomitant sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). We aimed to determine the associations of SDB with individual components of metabolic syndrome independent of obesity. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 1137 employees aged 30–64 years. Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was assessed using a portable monitor for obstructive sleep apnea by admission. Of these, 451 participants took an oral glucose tolerance test to assess homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and Matsuda insulin sensitivity index (ISI). Results. The odds ratio (OR) of the highest category of the AHI (≥15 episodes per hour) compared to the lowest one (<5 episodes per hour) was significantly elevated for hypertension, for hypertriglyceridemia, and for low HDL-cholesterolemia when adjusted for age, sex, and alcohol and smoking status (). After further adjustment for body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference, the associations for hypertension still remained statistically significant () while those for hypertriglyceridemia and low HDL-cholesterolemia were no longer significant. The association between higher insulin resistance as assessed by HOMA-IR and Matsuda ISI and higher categories of the AHI was also lost after adjustment for BMI. Conclusion. Obesity was a strong confounding factor in the association between SDB and most metabolic risk factors including insulin resistance, except for hypertension. Further longitudinal study is needed to examine the temporal or causal relationships between SDB and metabolic risk factors. This trial is registered with UMIN-CTR UMIN000028067

Bedrock geology of DFDP-2B, central Alpine Fault, New Zealand

<p>During the second phase of the Alpine Fault, Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP) in the Whataroa River, South Westland, New Zealand, bedrock was encountered in the DFDP-2B borehole from 238.5–893.2 m Measured Depth (MD). Continuous sampling and meso- to microscale characterisation of whole rock cuttings established that, in sequence, the borehole sampled amphibolite facies, Torlesse Composite Terrane-derived schists, protomylonites and mylonites, terminating 200–400 m above an Alpine Fault Principal Slip Zone (PSZ) with a maximum dip of 62°. The most diagnostic structural features of increasing PSZ proximity were the occurrence of shear bands and reduction in mean quartz grain sizes. A change in composition to greater mica:quartz + feldspar, most markedly below c. 700 m MD, is inferred to result from either heterogeneous sampling or a change in lithology related to alteration. Major oxide variations suggest the fault-proximal Alpine Fault alteration zone, as previously defined in DFDP-1 core, was not sampled.</p

Petrophysical, Geochemical, and Hydrological Evidence for Extensive Fracture-Mediated Fluid and Heat Transport in the Alpine Fault's Hanging-Wall Damage Zone

International audienceFault rock assemblages reflect interaction between deformation, stress, temperature, fluid, and chemical regimes on distinct spatial and temporal scales at various positions in the crust. Here we interpret measurements made in the hanging‐wall of the Alpine Fault during the second stage of the Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP‐2). We present observational evidence for extensive fracturing and high hanging‐wall hydraulic conductivity (∼10−9 to 10−7 m/s, corresponding to permeability of ∼10−16 to 10−14 m2) extending several hundred meters from the fault's principal slip zone. Mud losses, gas chemistry anomalies, and petrophysical data indicate that a subset of fractures intersected by the borehole are capable of transmitting fluid volumes of several cubic meters on time scales of hours. DFDP‐2 observations and other data suggest that this hydrogeologically active portion of the fault zone in the hanging‐wall is several kilometers wide in the uppermost crust. This finding is consistent with numerical models of earthquake rupture and off‐fault damage. We conclude that the mechanically and hydrogeologically active part of the Alpine Fault is a more dynamic and extensive feature than commonly described in models based on exhumed faults. We propose that the hydrogeologically active damage zone of the Alpine Fault and other large active faults in areas of high topographic relief can be subdivided into an inner zone in which damage is controlled principally by earthquake rupture processes and an outer zone in which damage reflects coseismic shaking, strain accumulation and release on interseismic timescales, and inherited fracturing related to exhumation

Toward a carbon neutral urban transportation system in Japan

At COP26, in November 2021, more than 150 countries declared their commitment to carbon neutrality. A decarbonized society has become a common goal in many countries. The Japanese government has declared that it aims to achieve a decarbonized society by 2050. Urban transportation also requires significant reductions in CO2 emissions, but there is a risk that carbon neutrality cannot be achieved solely through decarbonizing technologies for transportation vehicles and energy sources; therefore, cooperation with cities and society is necessary. This paper discusses the possibility of achieving carbon neutrality in urban transportation in Japan by reviewing 1) the status of vehicle and fuel decarbonization technologies, 2) the possibility of reducing CO2 emissions through land use policies, and 3) the effects of information communication technologies on transportation behavior based on the literature

Solvation dynamics in a microemulsion in near-critical propane

Solvation dynamics of coumarin 343 (C343) is studied in AOT microemulsion in near-critical propane. It is observed that the solvation dynamics for a water pool of w0=15 at 10 MPa pressure is described by bimodal behavior having a short component of 215 ps (47%) and a long component of 14 ns (53%). These components are similar to those detected for other probes in microemulsions at 0.1 MPa pressure. This indicates that the water pool is unaffected by pressure. The slow dynamics is ascribed to the restricted mobility of the water molecules confined within the pool

Associations between Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Metabolic Risk Factors beyond Obesity

Objective. Individuals with multiple metabolic risk factors often experience concomitant sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). We aimed to determine the associations of SDB with individual components of metabolic syndrome independent of obesity. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 1137 employees aged 30–64 years. Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was assessed using a portable monitor for obstructive sleep apnea by admission. Of these, 451 participants took an oral glucose tolerance test to assess homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and Matsuda insulin sensitivity index (ISI). Results. The odds ratio (OR) of the highest category of the AHI (≥15 episodes per hour) compared to the lowest one (<5 episodes per hour) was significantly elevated for hypertension, for hypertriglyceridemia, and for low HDL-cholesterolemia when adjusted for age, sex, and alcohol and smoking status (p<0.05). After further adjustment for body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference, the associations for hypertension still remained statistically significant (p<0.05) while those for hypertriglyceridemia and low HDL-cholesterolemia were no longer significant. The association between higher insulin resistance as assessed by HOMA-IR and Matsuda ISI and higher categories of the AHI was also lost after adjustment for BMI. Conclusion. Obesity was a strong confounding factor in the association between SDB and most metabolic risk factors including insulin resistance, except for hypertension. Further longitudinal study is needed to examine the temporal or causal relationships between SDB and metabolic risk factors. This trial is registered with UMIN-CTR UMIN000028067