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The Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) introduced the concept of locomotive syndrome (LS), which indicates a decline in mobility function by musculoskeletal disorders with new 3-staged category. Additionally, sarcopenia indicates a decline in the quantity and/or quality of skeletal muscle. However, the relationship between low back pain (LBP) and LS or sarcopenia in older people has not been sufficiently understood. This study aimed to investigate the association between them through a cross-sectional locomotorium survey.A total of 302 participants were drawn from the aquatic exercise participants in a rural area of Japan. The body mass index, body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), spinal inclination angle (SIA), grip strength, timed up-and-go test (TUG), and maximum stride of the participants were measured. LBP and LBP-related quality of life (QOL) were evaluated using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), visual analogue scale (VAS) of LBP, and the Short-Form 8 (SF-8). Associations between the investigating parameters and sarcopenia or LS were analyzed.There were no significant differences in the findings except grip strength between the non-sarcopenia and sarcopenia groups. However, the LS group showed significantly larger SIA, higher ODI, higher VAS of LBP, lower physical component score (PCS) of the SF-8, longer time in TUG, and lower value in maximum stride than the non-LS group. In addition, the ODI and PCS of the SF-8 significantly deteriorated as the LS stage progressed, and the GLFS-25 score was significantly correlated with ODI (r = 0.706, p 0.001) and PCS (r = -0.643, p 0.001) scores.LBP, LBP-related QOL, and physical performance were found to be significantly associated with LS, not sarcopenia, with LBP-related QOL and physical function being closely correlated with 3-stage categories of LS. Thus, these results suggested that LBP is a key factor for LS prevalence.

The association between decreased muscle strength of rate of force development (RFD) immediately after static stretching (SS) and change in muscle stiffness or muscle slack has remained unclear.This study aimed to investigate the association between changes in muscle strength and RFD and muscle stiffness or muscle slack immediately after SS.Sixteen healthy male non-athlete volunteers participated in this study. The maximal voluntary contraction torque and shear elastic modulus of medial gastrocnemius muscle were measured before and after 300 s of SS intervention.The results showed that maximal voluntary contraction torque and RFD at 100, 150, and 200 ms decreased significantly after the 300-s SS (p 0.01). Additionally, shear elastic modulus at 0° (decrease in muscle stiffness) and slack angle decreased (increase in slack length) significantly after the 300-second SS (p 0.01). However, no significant association was observed between changes in muscle strength and changes in mechanical properties of the MG.These results suggested that the decrease in muscle strength and RFD could not be associated with changes in the passive mechanical properties of the medial gastrocnemius muscle.

Bone marrow adipocytes (BMAs) have recently been recognized as a niche component with a suppressive function. Obese individuals with abundant BMAs exhibit impaired hematopoietic regeneration after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We hypothesized that plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1), an adipokine that regulates the fibrinolytic system, contributes to impaired hematopoiesis in bone marrow (BM) microenvironment with abundant BMAs. We demonstrated that BMAs differentiated in vitro could secrete PAI-1 and were positive for PAI-1 in vivo. In addition, the abundance of BMAs was associated with high levels of PAI-1 expression. The BMA-rich microenvironment exhibited impaired hematopoietic regeneration after HSCT when compared with a BMA-less microenvironment. The impaired hematopoietic regeneration in BMA-rich microenvironment was significantly alleviated by PAI-1 knockout or PAI-1 inhibitor treatment. Obese mice with abundant BMAs, compared with normal-weight mice, exhibited higher bone marrow PAI-1 concentrations, increased fibrinolytic system suppression, and lower stem cell factor (SCF) concentrations after HSCT. PAI-1 inhibitor administration significantly activated the fibrinolytic system in obese mice, contributing to the higher SCF concentration. Moreover, PAI-1 inhibitor treatment significantly alleviated the impaired hematopoietic regeneration in obese mice both after 5-fluorouracil injection and HSCT. These results indicate that PAI-1 hinders hematopoietic regeneration in BMA-rich microenvironments. The blockade of PAI-1 activity could be a novel therapeutic means of facilitating hematopoietic reconstitution in BMA-rich patients.

Background Locomotive syndrome (LS) is a predictive factor of future motor dysfunction. Our aim was to evaluate the change in the total LS grade and, its the association with the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) hip score after total hip arthroplasty (THA) among patients with hip osteoarthritis. Methods This was a prospective case-control study of 72 patients who underwent primary THA. The functional outcomes were measured before, and at 6 and 12 months after THA. LS was evaluated using the following tests: stand-up test, 2-step test, and 25-question Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale (GLFS-25). In addition, factors affecting the improvement of LS grade were examined. Results Prior to THA, 7% and 93% of patients were classified as LS grades 1 and 2. At 6 months after THA, an improvement in the total LS grade was observed in 57% of patients, with this percentage further increasing to 65% at 1 year. Only the preoperative GLFS-25 was correlated with the preoperative JOA hip scores. The postoperative GLFS-25 and the two-step test were correlated with the postoperative JOA hip scores. The preoperative functional reach test (FRT) was significantly correlated with the total LS grade improvement. Conclusions THA can improve the total LS grade in 65% of patients at 1 year postoperatively. Improvement was largely achieved in the first 6 months after THA, with a change from LS grade 2 to grade 1. FRT could be used an indicator of the total LS grade improvement.

Introduction Elimination of measles and rubella has been achieved in several countries and some regions. After verified measles elimination, some countries have reported outbreaks among adults in occupational settings such as health care institution and school setting. Studies have reported that knowledge and attitude for measles and/or rubella are significantly associated with immunization uptake in adults, but few studies have been conducted in settings other than health care facilities and schools. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study among 134 office employees during a routine health checkup in June 17–20, 2014, to examine the association between willingness to receive immunization and knowledge and attitudes. Results Approximately 75% had a protective level of antibody for measles (PA≥1:256) and rubella (HI ≥ 32 IU/mL). After adjustment for sex, age and immune status, the attitudes that immunization prevents measles (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 7.8, 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 2.5–24.7) and prevents infection and transmission to others (aOR = 4.0, 95%CI: 1.4–11.4). Knowing that males are the vulnerable group for rubella infection (aOR = 5.8, 95%CI: 2.4–13.9), attitude that immunization prevents rubella infection (aOR = 7.9, 95%CI: 2.4–26.5), and prevents infection and transmit to others (aOR = 6.7, 95%CI: 2.2–20.1) were significantly associated with willingness to receive immunization after adjustment for sex, age, and immune status. Conclusions Studies have shown that physicians and other health care workers are important source of information for promotion of immunization. Thus, we recommend that physicians educate and promote immunization for measles and/or rubella to adults working in offices during routine health checks.

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a new and promising production methodology adept at producing complex geometries, which can be optimized for lower weight and enhanced capabilities. The material properties of these additive components are dictated by the microstructures developed during processing, with a high sensitivity to grain structure and associated anisotropy. With this new processing modality comes the added difficulty of understanding the thermodynamics and kinetic mechanisms that dictate the evolution of microstructure. This research addresses the unique thermal conditions present in AM and the pathways for grain refinement in nanofunctionalized aluminum alloys. The Al-Ta system, in which Al3Ta intermetallic compounds are demonstrated to have substantial grain refining capacity, are the focus of this study. The grain size is shown to be reduced relative to pure aluminum by 1000X when tantalum is added at 1 vol%. The effectiveness of the Al3Ta intermetallic is dictated by the crystallography and availability of the inoculant phase under AM conditions.

Introduction Shigellosis cases have decreased gradually in Japan in recent years, but indigenous shigellosis outbreaks sometimes occur in childcare facilities. From national surveillance data, we identified a shigellosis outbreak involving a kindergarten. Methods After detecting Shigella sonnei in Kitakyushu City, we conducted active case finding and epidemiological investigation in Kindergarten Z, including stool specimen collection and interviews. The stool specimens were cultured, and isolated strains were subjected to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA). Results Between September 1 and December 31, 2014, we identified 19 cases: 14 confirmed, 2 suspected, and 3 asymptomatic. Of the 19 cases, 16 were epidemiologically associated with Kindergarten Z (10 pupils, 5 family members, and 1 teacher). On October 19, a pupil with gastrointestinal illness participated in the kindergarten's sports festival, in which the pupils were split into “red” and “white” teams; the pupil in question belonged to the red team. Attack rates of the red and white teams were 8% (7/82) and 0% (0/108), respectively (relative risk, 10.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.3–82.1). PFGE patterns were identical or similar for the isolates in all 17 cases; 7 isolates were identical, and the others had one locus difference on MLVA. Conclusions We concluded that contact during the sports festival could have been responsible for spread of the shigellosis outbreak at the kindergarten, although the infection source was not determined. It is vital to inform guardians immediately after detection of shigellosis cases that symptomatic pupils should not participate in activities such as sports festivals.

On 12 February 2015, a local health department (LHD) in Shizuoka prefecture identified two reported rubella cases in its jurisdiction as employees of the same company. As other employees at the company resided both inside and outside of the health department’s jurisdiction, it began collaborating with two additional LHDs and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases to investigate and respond to the outbreak, which subsequently identified cases in two additional companies. We obtained epidemiological, clinical, and outbreak response information from the national epidemiological surveillance of infectious disease system’s database, the local health departments, and the associated companies. One specimen for genetic sequencing was collected from each of the three companies. The outbreak included a total of twenty-five cases, with seventeen confirmed and eight probable cases from three companies. Among them, 24 (96%) were male, 22 (88%) were employees of one company (Company X), and none had rubella vaccination history. The median age was 45 years (interquartile range: 40–51). Epidemiological information did not reveal the source of infection nor transmission route. All rubella viruses sequenced from the three specimens were classified into genotype 1E. The nucleotide sequences in the 739 bp-window region were completely identical in two specimens, with only one nucleotide difference in the third specimen. According to phylogenetic analysis, these strains were closely related to the Southeast and East Asian lineage. This rubella outbreak at three companies, ranging in size from small- to medium-size, in Japan occurred among unvaccinated employees aged at least 30 years, most of whom were male. Virologic analyses suggest all cases were infected with the same viral strain imported from Southeast Asia. Similar to these companies, most employees at small- and medium-size businesses in Japan are males with no vaccination history for rubella, which poses a serious risk for associated cases of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS).

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia, and its pathogenesis is associated with accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides. Aβ is produced from amyloid precursor protein (APP) that is sequentially cleaved by β- and γ-secretases. Therefore, APP processing has been a target in therapeutic strategies for managing AD; however, no effective treatment of AD patients is currently available. Here, to identify endogenous factors that modulate Aβ production, we performed a gene microarray–based transcriptome analysis of neuronal cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells, because Aβ production in these cells changes during neuronal differentiation. We found that expression of the glycophosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase D1 (GPLD1) gene is associated with these changes in Aβ production. GPLD1 overexpression in HEK293 cells increased the secretion of galectin 3–binding protein (GAL3BP), which suppressed Aβ production in an AD model, neuroglioma H4 cells. Mechanistically, GAL3BP suppressed Aβ production by directly interacting with APP and thereby inhibiting APP processing by β-secretase. Furthermore, we show that cells take up extracellularly added GAL3BP via endocytosis and that GAL3BP is localized in close proximity to APP in endosomes where amyloidogenic APP processing takes place. Taken together, our results indicate that GAL3BP may be a suitable target of AD-modifying drugs in future therapeutic strategies for managing AD.

Regularly ordered polymer nanoparticle (PNP) assemblies incorporating gold nanoparticle (Au NP) clusters into the PNP interstices were fabricated by a simultaneous deposition of PNPs and Au NPs on a glass substrate. Monodisperse PNPs with an average size of 66 nm were employed as a template in the co-assembly to create the sub-100 nm periodic Au nanostructures on the substrate. First, mono-layering of PNP array with incorporation of 14 nm Au NPs was performed by a drop-casting to examine the number ratio of Au NPs to PNPs for multi-layering. Absorption spectra of the mono-layered co-assemblies of PNPs and Au NPs were employed to characterize the clustered state of Au NPs in the interstices of mono-layered PNPs. The number ratio suitable for homogeneous incorporation of Au NPs clustered in the interstice was found to be ranged from 6 to 8 in the characterization. Then, multi-layered co-assemblies of PNPs and clustered Au NPs were fabricated by a vertical deposition method with the Au NP number ratio of 8 to PNPs. Lifting rate of the substrate on which the PNPs were deposited was varied in the vertical deposition method to tune the film thickness of NP co-assembly. A decrease in the lifting rate to 1 μm/s could thicken the film to 0.71 μm corresponding to 13 layers of PNPs, resulting in the fabrication of periodic structures of Au NP clusters with a high packing density. Signal-to-noise ratio in the Raman measurement using p-mercaptobenzoic acid as a target molecule was successfully enhanced by multi-layering of the co-assembly, indicating that Au NP clusters were homogeneously incorporated into the interstices of PNPs in the co-assemblies.