Whole‐body vibration for patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a 6‐month prospective study

Physical exercise has demonstrated benefits for managing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, in daily life maintaining exercise without help may be difficult. A whole‐body vibration device (WBV) has been recently introduced as an exercise modality that may be suitable for patients who have difficulty engaging in exercise. We tested WBV in patients with NAFLD and estimated its effectiveness. We studied the effects of a 6‐month WBV program on hepatic steatosis and its underlying pathophysiology in 25 patients with NAFLD. Seventeen patients with NAFLD were designated as a control group. After WBV exercise, body weight in the study group decreased by only 2.5% compared with the control group. However, we found significant increases in muscle area (+2.6%) and strength (+20.5%) and decreases in fat mass (−6.8%). The hepatic (−9.9%) and visceral (−6.2%) fat content also significantly decreased (P < 0.05). There was substantial lowering of hepatic stiffness (−15.7%), along with improvements in the levels of inflammatory markers; tumor necrosis factor alpha (−50.9%), adiponectin (+12.0%), ferritin (−33.2%), and high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (−43.0%) (P < 0.05). These results suggest that WBV is an exercise option for patients with NAFLD that is effective, efficient, and convenient

Fluorescence polarization-based assay using N-glycan-conjugated quantum dots for screening in hemagglutinin blockers for influenza A viruses

Attachment of influenza virus to susceptible cells is mediated by viral protein hemagglutinin (HA), which recognizes cell surface glycoconjugates that terminate in α-sialosides. To develop anti-influenza drugs based on inhibition of HA-mediated infection, novel fluorescent nanoparticles displaying multiple biantennary N-glycan chains with α-sialosides (A2-PC-QDs) that have high affinity for the HA were designed and constructed. The A2-PC-QDs enabled an easy and efficient fluorescence polarization (FP) assay for detection of interaction with the HA and competitive inhibition even by small molecule compounds against A2-PC-QDs-HA binding. The quantum dot (QD)-based FP assay established in the present study is a useful tool for high-throughput screening and to accelerate the development of novel and more effective blockers of the viral attachment of influenza virus

Relationships of Dietary Habits and Physical Activity Status with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Featuring Advanced Fibrosis

(1) Aim: Hepatic fibrosis is a prognostic factor for disease progression in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We aimed to determine the relationships between diet, physical activity, and the progression of liver fibrosis. (2) Methods: The 349 participants were categorized by their FibroScan-aspartate aminotransferase score, and they completed a questionnaire regarding their diet and physical activity. (3) Results: There were 233 patients in the negative-on-screening group, 78 in the gray zone group, and 38 in the positive-on-screening group. The frequencies of consumption of soybeans and soybean products and of light-colored vegetables were lower in the positive group; whereas the frequencies of consumption of snack food and fried sweets, jelly and pudding, fried food, and butter, lard, and beef tallow were higher. The odds ratios for the fibrosis progression in patients who consumed fried food ≥4 times/week was 2.21. The positive group also showed lower physical activity level (PAL) and exercise (Ex, metabolic equivalents for tasks (METs)/hour/week). The patients who undertook Ex at &gt;7.5 had an odds ratio of 0.21 for the fibrosis progression. (4) Conclusion: High consumption of fried food and low Ex are risk factors for the fibrosis progression in NAFLD