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Aim: Although sarcopenia is common in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), the neural substrates involved remain unclear. We investigated the relationship between sarcopenia, as well as its definition components, and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in older adults with progression of normal cognition to AD. Methods: 99mTc‐ethyl‐cysteinate‐dimer single‐photon emission computed tomography was carried out in 95 older adults with progression of normal cognition to AD (40 men and 55 women, mean ± SD age 80.9 ± 6.8 years). The associations of rCBF determined by 3‐D stereotactic region of interest template software, with sarcopenia and its definition components, slower gait speed, weaker grip strength, and decline in appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI) were analyzed. Results: Logistic regression analysis adjusted by age, sex, mini‐mental state examination score and education showed that sarcopenia as well as ASMI less than the cut‐off (men 7.0 kg/m2, women 5.7 kg/m2) were associated with significantly reduced rCBF in the key hub of the central autonomic network, including the insula, anterior cingulate cortex, subcallosal area, rectal gyrus, hypothalamus, amygdala and caudate head. Sarcopenia and ASMI decline were associated with hypoperfusion in the aforementioned cortical hubs of the central autonomic network in men, but with hypoperfusion of the hypothalamus in women. Linear regression analysis showed significant correlations of ASMI/cut‐off with rCBF in the bilateral medial frontal cortex, as well as rCBF in the aforementioned key hubs. Conclusions: Hypoperfusion in key hubs of central autonomic network is implicated in the emergence of sarcopenia, probably through ASMI decline in vulnerable older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; 23: 16–24. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To clarify the association of detailed angiographic findings with in-hospital outcome after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in Japan. Background: Data regarding the association of detailed angiographic findings with in-hospital outcome after STEMI are limited in the p-PCI era. Methods: Between January-2004 and December-2018, 1735 patients with STEMI (mean age, 68.5 years; female, 24.6%) who presented to the hospital in the 24-hours after symptom onset and underwent p-PCI were evaluated using the disease registries. The registry is an ongoing, retrospective, single-center hospital-based registry. Results: The 30-day mortality rate and in-hospital mortality rate were 7.7% and 9.2%, respectively. Independent predictors of in-hospital mortality were ejection fraction (EF) < 40% [adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR), 4.446, p < 0.001], culprit lesions in the left coronary artery (LCA) (aOR, 2.940, p < 0.001) compared with those in the right coronary artery, Killip class > II (aOR, 7.438; p < 0.001), chronic kidney disease (CKD) (aOR, 4.056; p < 0.001), final thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) grades 0/1/2 (aOR, 1.809; p = 0.03), absence of robust collaterals (aOR, 17.309; p = 0.01) and hypertension (aOR, 0.449; p = 0.01). Conclusions: Among the consecutive patients with STEMI, the in-hospital mortality rate after p-PCI significantly improved in the second half. Not only CKD, Killip class > II, and EF < 40%, but also the angiographic findings such as culprit lesions in the LCA, absence of very robust collaterals, and final TIMI grades <3 were associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Some 200 patients, including those with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia, stay year ‐ round in Yokohama – Houyuu Hospital. They undergo computed tomography (CT) neuroradiological examination at least once or twice a year. For this study, the accumulative data, including clinical and neuroradiological, were analyzed. Methods: Differential diagnoses of Alzheimer's disease were performed in accordance with the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria. The 56 patients (15 men, 41 women) included in this study underwent in ‐ hospital observation on average for 4.4 years (range: 1–10 years). The patients were classified into four groups according to the age of disease onset. The CT findings were summarized for each group and then compared among the groups to determine if there were any differences related to age of onset and, if so, to identify and analyze them. Results: (1) The duration of deceased cases' total clinical course (in years) compared among the four groups. In general, the degree of dementia was more severe among those with earlier disease onset. (2) In cases admitted within 2 years from onset (n   =14), the suspected initiating focus of cortical atrophy occurred in the frontal lobe (n   =   6), the temporal lobe (n   =   6), or the fronto ‐ temporal lobes (n   =   2). (3) Although CT findings generally showed that the more severe cases had earlier onset, serial CT examinations in each case showed widely different pathologies in degree, nature and manner of progression, regardless of group classification. (4) The earliest sites of brain atrophy, sites of its severest involvement within the brain, and neuroradiological development of the cerebral cortex pathology in combination with hemispheric white matter, lateral ventricles, and third ventricles varied among the four groups and between case within each group. Alzheimer's disease could not be subclassified simply by the age of clinical onset. Conclusion: Cases of so ‐ called Alzheimer's disease, as observed through continued clinical follow ‐ up and serial CT examinations, appear so diverse in symptomatology and radiological pathomorphology that it is difficult to consider them a single nosological entity. The pathology of Alzheimer's disease has to be reconsidered in accordance with the variety observed in the sequential development of neuroradiological findings. The pathology must be reconstructed in terms of topographical dimensions and chronological developments. The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease appears to be not so simple based on any conventional diagnostic operational standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1 Department of Pulmonology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan, 2 R... B Background and Aims b : A few studies focused on the elderly sarcoidosis, but these are from mainly western countries. Diagnosis of sarcoidosis was based on the guideline proposed by World Association of Sarcoidosis and other Granulomatous. We need to care about muscle involvement and comorbidities in elderly sarcoidosis subjects. [Extracted from the article]

Mutations in the progressive external ophthalmoplegia 1 ( PEO1), adenine nucleotide translocator 1 ( ANT1) and DNA polymerase gamma ( POLG) genes were reported in patients with progressive external ophthalmoplegia and parkinsonism. However, the genotype-phenotype correlation and pathophysiology of these syndromes are still unknown. In order to define the molecular basis of progressive external ophthalmoplegia and parkinsonism, we screened for mutations in PEO1, ANT1, POLG genes and the whole mitochondrial genome in two families . In results, we identified a compound heterozygous POLG substitutions, c.830A>T (p.H277L) and c.2827C>T (p.R943C) in one of the families. These two mutations in the coding region of POLG alter conserved amino acids in the exonuclease and polymerase domains, respectively, of the POLG protein. Neither of these substitutions was found in the 100 chromosomes of ethnically matched control subjects. In the other family, no mutations were detected in any of the three genes and the whole mitochondrial genome in the blood sample, although mitochondrial DNA deletions were observed in the muscle biopsy sample. Progressive external ophthalmoplegia and parkinsonism are genetically heterogenous disorders, and part of this syndrome may be caused by mutations in other, unknown genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Venue: Toshi Center Hotel (Tokyo) Date: 30 June–1 July 2006 President: Professor Hiroo Kasahara (Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Kashiwa Hospital) Thema: Achievements in psychogeriatrics and its challenges in the near future The 21st Annual Meeting of the Japanese Psychogeriatric Society was held in Tokyo. The program included two special lectures, three symposiums, four educational lectures, 87 oral presentations, and 44 poster presentations. In the special Lecture I entitled ‘Mild cognitive impairment: update 2006’, Professor Ronald C. Petersen presented the recent understanding of MCI not only for midstream of Alzheimer disease, but also for midstream of frontotemporal dementia or Lewy body disease. In the special Lecture II entitled ‘Adaptation depression and late life: an integrated view’, Professor Joel Sadavoy demonstrated the importance of depression in late life. Symposium I: ‘Review of 100 years of studies on Alzheimer disease and further challenges” was chaired by Professor Masaaki Matsushita and Professor Masatoshi Takeda; Symposium II: “Field study of MCI in our country” was chaired by Professor Akira Hommma and Professor Yoshio Morita; Symposium III: “Biological treatment and non-biological intervention for dementia” was chaired by Professor Haruo Kashima and Professor Ryo Fukatsu. All three symposiums were fruitful with exciting discussions by the active audience. The next annual meeting will be held 14–18 October 2007 in Osaka, under Professor Yoshio Morita (Department of Psychiatry, Hyogo Medical School) and will be co-organized with the 13th Congress of International Psychogeriatric Association chaired by Professor Masatoshi Takeda (Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine) and the 26th Meeting of Japanese Society for Dementia Research chaired by Professor Akira Honma (Department of Dementia Intervention, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Date: 24–26 May 2006 Okayama Convention Center President: Shigetoshi Kuroda Plenary Lectures (P) and Symposia (S) I: 1st day (24 May), II: 2nd day (25 May), III: 3rd day (26 May) O-A, O-B: Hall for Oral Session P-A, P-B, P-C: Hall for Poster Session [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the status of politics in Japan. Stability and chaos; Factionalism in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP); Fragility of coalition arrangements; Impact of economic crisis; Weakness of LDP opposition; Preparations for the general election before October 2000; Conclusion.

Neither the loss of the LDP's majority position, nor the subsequent emergence of a new coalition politics, should be seen as marking a really fundamental change in the Japanese party system. Conceptions of party system change are both elusive and ill-defined, and it is often the case that relatively small but sudden shifts are treated as being of lasting importance. In the Japanese case, however, there has been little in the external environment that would have led us to expect any major transformation in the party system, and it now looks increasingly likely that the LDP will continue to enjoy a dominant position. What changes have taken place have been largely the result of inter- and intra-party manoeuverings in which the failure to exclude the LDP from power in the longer term has allowed the party to recover much of its integrative capacity. In this sense, the frequently cited comparison with recent developments in the Italian case is not very convincing, and a more suitable West European analogue might well be found in Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pranlukast is a cysteinyl leukotriene receptor I antagonist (LTRAs) approved for treatment of asthma in Japan since 1995. Compared to other LTRAs, such as zafilukast and montelukast, only few cases with Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) have been reported in association with treatment with pranlukast. We describe a 17-year-old Japanese male patient who developed CSS with a 13 month history of mild asthma receiving pranlukast for 11 months without systemic and/or inhaled corticosteroid administration prior to development of CSS. From the aspect of temporal relationship between treatment with pranlukast and development of CSS, a direct induction of CSS by pranlukast is suggested in our case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

41st Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Neuropathology 1–3 June 2000 Yonago Convention Center (Big Ship), Japan President: Eisaku Ohama. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working memory is affected by items stored and the relations between them. However, separating these factors has been difficult, because increased items usually accompany increased associations/relations. Hence, some have argued, relational effects are reducible to item effects. We overcome this problem by manipulating index length: the fewest number of item positions at which there is a unique item, or tuple of items (if length >1), for every instance in the relational (memory) set. Longer indexes imply greater similarity (number of shared items) between instances and higher load on encoding processes. Subjects were given lists of study pairs and asked to make a recognition judgement. The number of unique items and index length in the three list conditions were: (1) AB, CD: four/one; (2) AB, CD, EF: six/one; and (3) AB, AD, CB: four/two, respectively. Japanese letters were used in Experiments 1 (kanji-ideograms) and 2 (hiragana-phonograms); numbers in Experiment 3; and shapes generated from Fourier descriptors in Experiment 4. Across all materials, right dominant temporoparietal and middle frontal gyral activity was found with increased index length, but not items during study. In Experiment 5, a longer delay was used to isolate retention effects in the absence of visual stimuli. Increased left hemispheric activity was observed in the precuneus, middle frontal gyrus, and superior temporal gyrus with increased index length for the delay period. These results show that relational load is not reducible to item load.