Perspectives of Music and Sports for Satisfactory Anti-Aging Daily Life

Aging societies have been observed in Japan and other developed countries worldwide. In the light of anti-aging medicine, authors have continued several approaches such as Integrative Medicine (IM), music therapy, art therapy, frailty, rehabilitation, sports medicine and masters’ athletics. For successful aging, three important factors are necessary, which are i) no illness or disability, to maintain physical/cognitive function, to continue social participation and contribution. Music has large power similar to language and communication and clinical effects physically, psychologically and socially. Various plays of the activities for elderly such as music and sports can bring processes towards achieving successful aging

QOL and value attitude in masters’ athletes

Objective: Masters’ athletes have been recognized as the model of anti-aging or “exceptionally successful ageing”. To explore the reasons for such recognition, we have investigated masters’ athletes from the viewpoints of lifestyle and sport psychology, and clarified several new findings. Methods: Subjects were 142 masters’ athletes (100 males, 40 females, and 2 unknowns, average age 64.3 years old), in which approximately 90% have no history of metabolic syndrome or arteriosclerotic diseases. Anti-aging common questionnaire for QOL (AAQOL) was conducted and activity of daily living (ADL) was evaluated. Results: Significant correlations were observed between AAQOL categories and 4 factors, which are self-esteem for health, daily satisfaction, worthwhile daily life, sleep quality. The factors influencing health self-esteem were constipation, abdominal fullness, insomnia, age, hypnagogic disorder, fatigue-related symptom, and forgetfulness. The factors influencing the satisfaction of daily life were persistent neurological symptoms, age and difficulty in making judgment. Conclusion: The present study would contribute to the development of theoretical anti-aging medicine and increasing masters’ athletes with low glycative stress, leading to a new era for the practice of anti-aging QOL/ADL in combination with anti-aging medicine and masters’ athletes

Lipid profile of masters athletes in ice-skating

Objective: Masters athletes in ice-skating are considered to serve as a model of anti-aging research. Previously, we investigated a study population of such athletes using the Anti-Aging QOL Common Questionnaire (AAQOL), and proposed a method of analysis by category. In this study, blood data from masters athletes in ice-skating were analyzed with a focus on lipid profiles. Methods: Lipid profiles, a parameter closely associated with glycation stress, were examined in 76 male masters athletes in ice-skating (aged 40-73 years with a mean age of 54.2 ± 9.5 years). Results: With regard to body mass index (BMI), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL), LDL/HDL, and atherogenic index (AI), the values were often within their respective normal ranges for 84.2%-98.6% of the subjects. A significant correlation was found in the combinations of parameters BMI and TG (r = 0.31), BMI and AI (r = 0.22), TG and HDL (r = 0.52), TG and AI (r = 0.57), and TG and HDL/LDL (r = 0.29). Conclusion: The results of the present study are believed to be highly significant as it was conducted using an exclusive limited population of subjects as a model of anti-aging medicines with nearly uniform lifestyles; the results of such a population have not been reported to date. This study provides meaningful basic data for future research. The results of the present study revealed characteristic findings, including low TG, hyper-HDL-emia, and BMI-lipid correlations, along with evidence for low levels of glycation stress, suggesting that the exercise habits of these subjects maintained over many years might have a favorable effect. It should be noted, however, that the present study involves a limitation from the analytical viewpoint of lipid profile only; it will be necessary to investigate correlations with lifestyles, cardiopulmonary function, exercise function, and other factors, as well as lipid profiles

スクワットの効果的トレーニング : 糖尿病に対するハイスクワットの試行

Background: Recent clinical problems in primary care medicine include metabolic syndrome (Met-S) as well as other problems, such as diabetes mellitus, locomotive syndrome (Loc-S) and flailty in middle-age to older people. Regarding exercise therapy for patients with Met-S and Loc-S, aerobic exercise and also resistance (anaerobic) exercise have been considered as necessary. Thus, simple and effective resistance exercise methods should be clarified. Subjects and Methods: The subjects were 61 patients (male 36, female 25) with diabetes mellitus (66.9 ± 13.5 years old, mean ± SD). Subjects were instructed to perform a continuous squat exercises 5 minutes in morning and evening every day for 6 months, using the small exercise equipment ‘HiSquat”. The movements included 1) walking or jogging, 2) inner thigh exercise, 3) outer thigh exercise, 4) straight thigh exercise. Parameters were height, body weight, body mass index (BMI), abdominal circumference, thigh circumference and blood HbA1c value. The treatment of the subjects were not changed during the 6 months. HbA1c value was compared between 0 and 6 months. Results: The fundamental data before the study were as follows: height 159.4 ± 8.4 cm, body weight 62.5 ± 13.8 kg, BMI 24.5 ± 4.7 kg/m2, abdominal circumference 86.8 ± 10.7 cm, thigh circumference 42.9 ± 6.4 cm, HbA1c 6.8 ± 0.9%. HbA1c value at 6 months was 6.4 ± 1.0%, with a statistically significant decrease of 0.4%. As for the correlation analyses, a positive significant correlation was observed between BMI and the thigh/height ratio, and a negative significant correlation was observed between age and thigh/waist ratio. Conclusion: In this study, the HbA1c value was significantly decreased, which suggests the exercise effect of HiSquat. Our study provides fundamental data for the value of waist/thigh circumference in the exercise therapy, and also the efficacy of HiSquat; consequently it suggests the efficacy of HiSquat use for Met-S, Loc-S and flailty, which are increasing concerns in anti-aging medicine of Japan

Cytology Reporting System for Lung Cancer from the Japan Lung Cancer Society and the Japanese Society of Clinical Cytology: An Extensive Study Containing More Benign Lesions

Introduction: The Japan Lung Cancer Society (JLCS) and the Japanese Society of Clinical Cytology (JSCC) have proposed a new four-tiered cytology reporting system for lung carcinoma (JLCS-JSCC system). Prior to the proposal, the Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology (PSC) had proposed a revised reporting system (PSC system), which comprises the “neoplastic, benign neoplasm, and low-grade carcinoma” category (N-B-LG category), in addition to the 4 categories of the JLCS-JSCC system. This study aimed to evaluate the interobserver agreement of the JLCS-JSCC system with an additional dataset with more benign lesions in comparison with the PSC system. Methods: We analyzed 167 cytological samples, which included 17 benign lesions, obtained from the respiratory system. Seven observers classified these cases into each category by reviewing one Papanicolaou-stained slide per case according to the JLCS-JSCC system and PSC system. Results: The interobserver agreement was moderate in the JLCS-JSCC (k = 0.499) and PSC (k = 0.485) systems. Of the 167 samples, 17 samples were benign lesions: 7 pulmonary hamartomas, 5 sclerosing pneumocytomas, 2 squamous papillomas, one solitary fibrous tumor, one meningioma, and one lymphocytic proliferation. There were diverse sample types as follows: 11 touch smears, 3 brushing smears, 2 aspirations, and one sputum sample. Fourteen samples (82.3%) were categorized into “negative” or “atypical” by more than half of the observers in the JLCS-JSCC system. Conversely, 3 samples were categorized as “suspicious” or “malignant” by more than half of the observers in the JLCS-JSCC system. On the other hand, 11 samples (64.7%) were categorized into the N-B-LG category by more than half of the observers in the PSC system. Conclusions: The concordance rate in the JLCS-JSCC system was slightly higher than that in the PSC system; however, the interobserver agreement was moderate in both the JLCS-JSCC and PSC systems. These results indicate that both the JLCS-JSCC and PSC systems are clinically useful. Therefore, both systems are expected to have clinical applications. It may be important to integrate the 2 systems and construct a universal system that can be used more widely in clinical practice

Importance of Second-look Endoscopy on an Empty Stomach for Finding Gastric Bezoars in Patients with Gastric Ulcers

　Most gastric bezoars can be treated with endoscopic fragmentation combined with or without cola dissolution, whereas laparotomy or laparoscopic surgery is generally inevitable for small intestinal bezoars because they cause small bowel obstruction. Therefore, early diagnosis and management of gastric bezoars are necessary to prevent bezoar-induced ileus. To investigate the incidence of overlooked gastric bezoars during the initial esophagogastroduodenoscopy, we retrospectively reviewed the cases of 27 patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal bezoars. The bezoars were diagnosed using esophagogastroduodenoscopy (n=25), abdominal ultrasonography (n=1), and barium follow-through examination (n=1). Bezoars were overlooked in 9/25 patients (36.0%) during the initial endoscopy examination because the bezoars were covered with debris in the stomach. Of the 9 patients, 8 had concomitant gastric ulcers, and the other patient had gastric lymphoma. Although a computed tomography (CT) scan was performed before the second-look endoscopy in 8 of the 9 patients, the bezoars were mistaken as food debris on CT findings and were overlooked in these patients. In conclusion, gastric bezoars may not be discovered during the initial esophagogastroduodenoscopy and CT scan. In cases with debris in the stomach, second-look endoscopy is essential to detect bezoars

Early and long?term outcomes of endoscopic submucosal dissection for early gastric cancer in a large patient series

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) enables the curative resection of early gastric cancer (EGC); however, little information is available on the long-term outcomes of ESD. This study was conducted to clarify the clinical outcomes of a large number of patients with EGC who underwent ESD. The early outcomes were assessed in 1,209 patients and the long-term outcomes were assessed in 300 patients at a follow-up >5 years after the ESD procedure. The overall survival rates were compared between indication and expanded-indication groups, and between the patients who did or did not undergo additional surgery in an out-of-indication group. Overall survival rates were also compared among different age groups. In total, 617 lesions were classed as the indication group, 507 as the expanded-indication group and 208 as the out-of-indication group. Curative resection rates were 96.6% and 91.5% in the indication and expanded-indication groups, respectively. In terms of the long-term outcomes, 20 of the 146 patients in the indication group, 15 of the 105 patients in the expanded-indication group and one of the 23 patients who underwent additional surgery in the out-of-indication group succumbed due to causes other than gastric cancer. Among the 26 patients who did not undergo additional surgery in the out-of-indication group, 10 mortalities occurred, including one due to gastric cancer. The five-year survival rates were not significantly different between the indication and expanded-indication groups. In the out-of-indication group, the five-year survival rate for the patients who did not undergo additional surgery (65.0%) was significantly lower than that for those who did undergo additional surgery (100%) (P80 years (67.1%) was significantly lower than that of the younger patients (<60 years, 91.6%; sixties, 93.0%; seventies, 84.5%) (P<0.0001). In conclusion, although expanded-indication of ESD for EGC is appropriate, comorbidities require consideration in elderly patients

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead