Search

Background: Bone marrow lesion (BML) is an important magnetic resonance finding (MRI) finding that predicts knee osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of proximal tibial morphology on BML, including the spreading root sign (SRS), in women without radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA). It was hypothesized that varus alignment and a greater posterior tibial slopes (PTS) are associated with BML. Materials and methods: A total of 359 female volunteers without knee OA who were participants in the Iwaki Health Promotion Project in 2017 or 2019 were enrolled. Participants were divided into the non-OA and early knee OA (EKOA) groups based on the Luyten's classification criteria. The presence of pathological cartilage lesions, BMLs, attritions, meniscal lesions and effusions was scored on T2-weighted fat-suppressed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) according to the Whole-Organ MRI Scoring system. The medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA) and medial and lateral PTS (MPTS and LPTS, respectively) were measured. Regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed to reveal the relationship between BMLs and proximal tibial morphological parameters. Results: Of the 359 participants, 54 (15%) were classified as having EKOA. The prevalence of cartilage lesions, BMLs, attritions, meniscal lesions and effusions was higher in the EKOA group than in the non-OA group. The two groups had no significant difference in the proximal tibial parameters. Regression analysis revealed that age and a smaller MPTA were associated with BML in both groups. Attrition (p = 0.029) and the MPTS (p = 0.025) were positively associated with BML in the EKOA group. Conclusion: The prevalence of BMLs was higher in women with EKOA and correlated with the varus and greater posterior slopes in those without radiographic knee OA. Level of evidence: Level III, retrospective case–control study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationships between the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and/or the platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neuroinflammatory diseases have been reported. Depression is also associated with neuroinflammation. Here, we determined the association between the NLR, PLR, and depressive symptoms. This cross-sectional study is a secondary analysis of the data of the Iwaki Health Promotion Project 2017. We analyzed the characteristics and laboratory data of 1,015 Japanese subjects (597 females, 408 males) including their NLR and PLR values. We assigned the subjects with a Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) score ≥ 16 to the depressive symptoms group. We performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine whether the NLR and/or PLR were associated with depressive symptoms (CES-D ≥ 16). Two hundred subjects (19.7%; 122 [20.4%] females, 78 [19.1%] males) were assigned to the depressive symptoms group. There were significant differences between the non-depressive symptoms and depressive symptoms groups in the NLR [median (25th to 75th percentile): 1.54 (1.24, 1.97) vs. 1.76 (1.32, 2.37), P = 0.005] and the PLR [median (25th to 75th percentile): 123.7 (102.0, 153.9) vs. 136.8 (107.0, 166.5), P = 0.047] in males, but not in females. The multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the NLR was significantly associated with depressive symptoms in males (adjusted odds ratio: per 1 increase, 1.570; 95% confidence interval: 1.120–2.220; P = 0.009). In conclusion, our findings indicate that higher NLR may be associated with depressive symptoms in males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effect of tibial plateau (TP) inclination and serum bone metabolic markers on bone marrow lesion (BML) in the general Japanese population with early knee osteoarthritis (EKOA). Methods: A total of 441 female volunteers who participated in the Iwaki Health Promotion Project in 2017 were enrolled. Participants without radiographic abnormalities were divided into normal and EKOA groups according to the Luyten's classification criteria for EKOA. The medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA), growth plate-TP angle, and growth plate-medial tibial plateau (MTP) angle were measured on standing anteroposterior radiographs of the knees. BML severity on T2-weighted fat-suppressed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was scored using the Whole-Organ MRI Score method. Serum levels of N-telopeptide of type I collagen, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRACP-5b), bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide, pentosidine, and homocysteine were assessed. Linear regression analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between proximal tibial inclination, BML, and serum bone metabolic markers. Results: The growth plate was observed in 309 (70%) participants, and 48 (16%) participants had EKOA. The mean MPTA, growth plate-TP angle, and growth plate-MTP angle were 86.1 ± 5.9°, 3.6 ± 1.1°, and 9.9 ± 2.6°, respectively. The MPTA was negatively correlated with the growth plate-TP and growth plate-MTP angles (p = 0.006, p < 0.001). Participants with EKOA who had BML exhibited greater growth plate-MTP angle than those who did not (p = 0.018). Regression analysis revealed that BML severity was positively associated with MPTA (p = 0.036) and a bone formation marker (p = 0.045). Conclusion: BML severity was positively associated with proximal tibial inclination and serum TRACP-5b level in participants with EKOA and normal knees, respectively. Assessment of proximal tibial inclination may provide insight into potential BML risk. Residual medial tibial inclination may potentially result in knee pain and symptoms in EKOA. Level of evidence: III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of age on the association between daily gait speed (DGS) and abdominal obesity defined by visceral fat area (VFA). A cross-sectional study was performed using data from an annual community-based health check-up. A total of 699 participants aged 20–88 years were enrolled in this analysis. DGS was assessed using tri-axial accelerometers worn for ≥ 7 days with at least 10 measuring hours each day. VFA was measured using a visceral fat meter. Since DGS differed significantly with age, the participants were divided into two groups: younger adults (YA), aged 20–49 years, and older adults (OA), aged 50–88 years. The association between DGS and VFA differed significantly with age (r = 0.099 for YA and r = − 0.080 for OA; test for difference between correlation coefficients, P = 0.023). In OA, the adjusted odds ratio of abdominal obesity (VFA ≥ 100 cm2) was 0.40 (95% confidence interval 0.18, 0.88, P = 0.022) for the highest DGS quartile (DGS ≥ 1.37 m/s) compared to that for the lowest quartile (DGS < 1.11 m/s), whereas no significant association was found in YA. These data could aid in raising awareness of the self-management of obesity via DGS monitoring, especially in OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differences between the non-depressive symptoms and depressive symptoms groups were examined by Fisher's exact test for categorical variables and Mann-Whitney test for continuous variables. Publisher Correction: Higher neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio is associated with depressive symptoms in Japanese general male population Correction to: I Scientific Reports i https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-13562-x, published online 03 June 2022 The original version of this Article contained errors in Table 1, where the column ' I P i -value' was incomplete for "Females". [Extracted from the article]

ATP-binding cassette transporter family A member 12 (ABCA12) is a keratinocyte transmembrane lipid transporter that plays a critical role in preserving the skin permeability barrier. Biallelic loss of function of the ABCA12 gene is causative of some forms of recessive congenital ichthyosis, an intractable disease marked by dry, thickened and scaly skin on the whole body. Genetic diagnosis is essential, although the results may occasionally be inconclusive, because some patients with low ABCA12 expression have one mutant allele and one apparently intact allele. Aside from aberrant splicing or deletion mutations, one possible explanation for such discrepancy is loss of promoter function. This study aims to elucidate the promoter region of ABCA12 and to locate the essential elements therein, thus providing the necessary information for genetic diagnostic screening of congenital ichthyosis. Close examination of the 2980-bp upstream regions of the ABCA12 gene revealed that a palindromic motif (tgagtca) at -2084 to -2078 is essential for the promoter function, and a short fragment of -2200/-1934 alone has potent promoter activity. Identification of the key promoter element of ABCA12 in this study may provide relevant information for genetic diagnosis of recessive congenital ichthyosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Although serum hyaluronan (HA) levels increase in patients with osteoarthritis (OA), the association between OA severity and elevation of serum HA levels is not clear. Our purpose was to investigate the relationship between serum HA levels and OA in various anatomical sites and to detect which joints are strongly correlated with elevated serum HA levels. Methods: Seven hundred and ten individuals from the general population who participated in the Iwaki Health Promotion Project in 2008 were involved. Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2 or higher in the knee, hip, lumbar spine, finger and wrist was defined as OA. Serum HA levels were determined on the same day. Spearman's correlation coefficients between serum HA levels and total number of joints affected by OA were calculated. Linear regression was analysed with serum HA levels as the independent variable; age, gender, presence of OA and intake of supplements were used as dependent variables. Results: Prevalence of knee OA was 30.7 %, hip 16.8 %, lumbar spine 65.1 %, wrist 9.0 % and finger 22.0 %. Serum HA levels had a positive correlation with the number of involved joints, and the correlation coefficient was 0.410 ( p < 0.001). Serum HA was significantly affected by age (β = 0.382), knee OA (β = 0.163) and finger OA (β = 0.164). Conclusion: Although this biomarker reflects a systemic condition, higher serum HA levels were associated with total number of OA joints. Knee and finger OA were key joints related to increased serum HA levels. These results are valuable in understanding characteristics of serum HA levels as a biomarker for osteoarthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since type 2 diabetes (DM) is a life-style related disease, life-style should be considered when association between genetic factors and DM are examined. However, most studies did not examine genetic associations in consideration with lifestyle. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor (GLP1R) mediates the insulinotropic action of GLP-1 in β-cells. We here examined the association while taking into consideration of interactions between the gene polymorphism and various nutrient factors. Participants from the population-based Iwaki study of Japanese subjects held in 2014–2017 with information on nutritional intake evaluated by self-administered dietary history questionnaire, and GLP1R genotype (rs3765467: A/G), were included (n = 1,560). Although not significant, insulin secretion indices assessed by homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function (HOMA-β) in subjects with the GG genotype tended to be lower than in those with the AA+AG genotypes in most groups stratified into tertiles based on daily nutrient consumptions (high, middle, and low). Stratification also showed that the GG genotype was a significant risk for decreased insulin secretion (HOMA-β ≤ 30) even after adjustment for multiple factors (age, body mass index, alcohol consumption), but only in the highest tertiles of energy, protein and carbohydrate consumption in men [odds ratios (95% confidence interval) 3.95 (1.03–15.1), 15.83 (1.58–158.9), and 4.23 (1.10–11.2), respectively]. A polymorphism of the GLP1R gene was associated with decreased insulin secretion in a nutrient consumption-dependent manner in Japanese men, indicating an interaction between GLP1R and nutritional factors in the pathophysiology of DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with a high risk of type 2 diabetes (DM), therefore, early diagnosis of NAFLD is important to prevent incident DM. FIB-4 index, a biomarker, often used to evaluate severity of NAFLD, may be useful to evaluate risk for incident DM in ordinary clinical setting. Here, we determined the association of FIB-4 index with changes in indices representing glucose metabolism with aging in a non-diabetic population. From among the participants of the population-based Iwaki study of Japanese people conducted during 2014–2017, 1,268 non-diabetic individuals with complete data sets (age: 51.4 ± 15.9 years; men/women: 485/773) were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. In addition, of the participants, 439 who attended consecutive appointments between 2014 and 2017 were enrolled in a longitudinal study that aimed to evaluate the changes in insulin secretion and resistance with aging (age: 53.1 ± 13.7 years; men/women: 178/261). The cross-sectional study showed significant correlations of FIB-4 index with homeostasis model of assessment (HOMA) indices, even after adjustment for multiple factors (HOMA-β: β = − 0.254, p < 0.001; HOMA-R: β = − 0.247, p < 0.001). The longitudinal study showed a significant association between FIB-4 index and the change in HOMA-β (p < 0.001) but not HOMA-R (p = 0.639) during the 3-year study period. Use of the optimal cut-off value of the FIB-4 index for the prediction of decreased insulin secretion (HOMA-β < 30), determined using receiver operating characteristic analysis (1.592), showed that individuals at risk had a hazard ratio of 2.22 (confidence interval 1.17−4.06) for decreased insulin secretion, after adjustment for confounders. FIB-4 index may represent a useful predictor of a subsequent decrease in insulin secretion, at least in a non-diabetic Japanese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in mitochondrial DNA, such as mitochondrial 1555 A>G (m.1555 A>G) and mitochondrial 1494 C>T (m.1494 C>T), are known to be causative mutations of nonsyndromic hearing loss following exposure to aminoglycoside antibiotics. The prevalence of the m.1555 A>G and m.1494 C>T mutations has not been reported for the general population in Japan. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of m.1555 A>G and m.1494 C>T mutations in a community-dwelling population in Japan in order to prevent aminoglycoside-induced hearing loss. We recruited participants older than 20 years of age to the Iwaki Health Promotion Project in 2014, 2015, and 2016, resulting in the recruitment of 1,683 participants. For each participant, we performed a hearing test and a genetic test for the m.1555 A>G and m.1494 C>T mutations using the TaqMan genotyping method. The m.1555 A>G mutation was detected in only 1 of the 1,683 participants (0.06%). This carrier of the m.1555 A>G mutation was a 69-year-old male with bilateral, symmetric, and high-frequency hearing loss. We provided genetic counseling and distributed a drug card advising him to avoid the administration of aminoglycoside antibiotics. In contrast, the m.1494 C>T mutation was not detected in this study population. Hearing loss: mitochondrial mutations and antibiotic use Researchers in Japan have measured the prevalence of two hearing loss mutations associated with antibiotic use in the general population. Two mutations in mitochondrial DNA are known to cause hearing loss upon exposure to aminoglycoside antibiotics such as gentamicin. One mutation is found in 3% of Japanese hearing-impaired outpatients, but the frequency in the general population is unknown. A team led by Akira Sasaki of Hirosaki University carried out genetic and hearing tests in 1,683 community-dwelling subjects. They found one person who had one of the mutations. Although this subject had no known history of aminoglycoside antibiotic injection, he exhibited hearing loss at high frequencies. He was provided with genetic counseling and a drug use warning card. The second mutation was not found in the study population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]