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Background and Aims To clarify the relationship between metabolic dysfunction‐associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods The participants were divided into four groups by the presence or absence of fatty liver disease (FLD) and metabolic dysfunction (MD). MAFLD was defined as having both FLD and MD, whereas CKD was defined as having an estimated glomerular filtration rate of

This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between chewing status and fatty liver among Japanese adults. Between April 2018 and March 2021, 450 individuals (352 males, 98 females; mean age 54.7 years) were recruited at the Asahi University Hospital Human Health Center. Chewing status was evaluated using a self-reported questionnaire. Liver/spleen (L/S) attenuation ratio < 0.9 on computed tomography was considered to indicate fatty liver, which was present in 69 participants (15%). Compared with participants without fatty liver, those with fatty liver had higher proportion of 25.0 (kg/m2) ≤ body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.001), higher serum hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (p < 0.001), higher systolic blood pressure (p < 0.001), higher diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.001), and lower serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) (p = 0.011). Significant differences were also found in chewing status (p < 0.001) and eating speed (p = 0.011). Presence of fatty liver was positively associated with BMI (25.0 ≤; odds ratio [OR], 5.048; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.550–9.992), serum HbA1c (OR, 1.937; 95% CI, 1.280–2.930), and chewing status (poor; OR, 8.912; 95% CI, 4.421–17.966) after adjusting for sex, age, BMI, serum HbA1c, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, serum HDL cholesterol, chewing status, and eating speed. Poor chewing status was positively associated with L/S attenuation ratio. These results indicate a positive relationship between poor chewing status and fatty liver diagnosed by L/S attenuation ratio in Japanese adults.

Previous studies have shown that a high baseline triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is a potential risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, for a low TyG index, findings have been inconsistent. Moreover, the association between the baseline TyG index and incident T2DM in individuals with normal glycemic levels remains unclear. Therefore, this longitudinal study further examined and characterized the association between the baseline TyG index and incident T2DM in Japanese adults with normal glycemic levels. .The participants (7857 men and 6440 women) were selected from the NAGALA (NAfld in the Gifu Area Longitudinal Analysis) study that was conducted from 2004 to 2015. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the associations between baseline TyG index and T2DM incidence, and a two-piecewise linear regression model was used to examine the threshold effect of the baseline TyG index on incident T2DM using a smoothing function.During a median follow-up period of 5.26 (women) and 5.88 (men) years, 47 women and 182 men developed T2DM. The risk of T2DM was strongly associated with the baseline TyG index in the fully adjusted model in men but not in women, and no dose-dependent positive relationship between incident T2DM and the TyG index was observed across the TyG tertiles. Interestingly, the two-piecewise linear regression analysis revealed a U-shaped association between the baseline TyG index and incident T2DM. Baseline TyG index lower than the threshold values (TyG index 7.27 in women and7.97 in men) were negatively associated with incident T2DM (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.01-0.93, P = 0.0435 for women and HR = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.08-0.57, P = 0.0021 for men). In contrast, baseline TyG index higher than the threshold values (TyG index 7.27 in women and7.97 in men) were positively associated with incident T2DM (HR = 2.76, 95% CI = 1.20-6.34, P = 0.0166 for women and HR = 2.42, 95% CI = 1.66-3.53, P 0.0001 for men).A U-shaped association was observed between the baseline TyG index and incident T2DM in a Japanese population.

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC), which is related with insulin resistance, is a one of the most common cancers. Triglyceride-glucose index (TyG index) was made for a marker of insulin resistance. We conducted the investigation of association between TyG index and incident CRC. Methods We examined the affect of TyG index on incident CRC in this historical cohort study of 27,944 (16,454 men and 11,490 women) participants. TyG index was calculated as ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting plasma glucose (mg/dL)/2]. The impact of TyG index on incident CRC was investigated using Cox proportional hazard models, adjusting for sex, age, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol consumption, exercise, systolic blood pressure and creatinine. The covariate-adjusted receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve calculated the area under the curve (AUC) and cut-off value of TyG index for the incidence of CRC. Results During the median 4.4-year follow-up, 116 participants were diagnosed as CRC. The cumulative incidence rate of CRC were 0.4%. In Cox proportional hazard model, the HRs of TyG index were 1.38 (95% Confidence interval (CI), 1.00–1.91, p = 0.049) after adjusting for covariates. In the covariate-adjusted ROC curve analysis, the cut-off value of TyG index for incident CRC was 8.272 (AUC 0.687 (95%CI, 0.637–737, sensitivity = 0.620, specificity = 0.668, p Conclusions TyG index can predict the onset of CRC. For early detection of CRC, we should encourage people with high TyG index to undergo screening for CRC.

Linked color imaging (LCI) is a novel endoscopy system, which enhances slight differences in mucosal color. However, whether LCI is more useful than other kinds of image-enhanced endoscopy (IEE) in recognizing early gastric cancer remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate LCI efficacy compared with the indigo carmine contrast method (IC), and blue laser imaging-bright (BLI-brt) in early differentiated-type gastric cancer recognition. We retrospectively analyzed early differentiated-type gastric cancer, which were examined by all four imaging techniques (white light imaging, IC, LCI, BLI-brt) at Asahi University Hospital from June 2014 to November 2018. Both subjective evaluation (using ranking score: RS) and objective evaluation (using color difference score: CDS) were adopted to quantify early differentiated-type gastric cancer recognition. During this period, 87 lesions were enrolled in this study. Both RS and CDS of LCI were significantly higher (p

We herein report a rare case of cutaneous and lymph node metastases that recurred 12 years after radical total gastrectomy for stage IIA gastric cancer. A 62-year-old man had undergone total gastrectomy for stage IIA gastric cancer 12 years earlier without postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. At 12 years after the surgery, he was admitted for left jugular swelling. Computed tomography revealed supraclavicular lymph node swelling and precordial subcutaneous edema. The lymph node specimens and cutaneous biopsies indicated late recurrence of the gastric cancer. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy was administered effectively, but after eight months, the patient died due to deterioration in his general condition.

Visceral adiposity index (VAI), calculated with body mass index, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride and waist circumference, has been proposed as a marker of visceral fat accumulation and dysfunction.The impact of VAI on incident nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in a historical cohort study of 8399 (3773 men and 4626 women) participants. NAFLD was defined as having fatty liver diagnosed by abdominal ultrasonography. We divided the participants into two groups according to sex and into quartiles according to VAI (Q1-4). We calculated VAI using the formulas. Men: VAI = [waist circumference (WC)/39.68 + (1.88 × body mass index [BMI])] × [triglycerides (TG)/1.03] × [1.31/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL)]; women: VAI = [WC/36.58 + (1.89 × BMI)] × (TG/0.81) × (1.52/HDL). We performed Cox proportional hazard models, adjusting for age, alanine aminotransferase, fasting plasma glucose, systolic blood pressure, alcohol consumption, smoking status and exercise.During the median 4.5-year follow-up for men and 4.9-year follow-up for women, 1078 participants (737 men and 341 women) developed NAFLD. The 4000 days cumulative incidence rate of NAFLD for men and women were 7.5% and 2.2% in Q1, 14.5% and 4.0% in Q2, 22.3% and 6.7% in Q3 and 33.8% and 16.7% in Q4. The hazard ratios of incident NAFLD in Q4 (VAI: men, 1.13; women, 0.83) were 3.69 (95% confidence interval 2.84-4.86, P 0.001) in men and 4.93 (3.28-7.73, P 0.001) in women, compared to Q1 (VAI: men, 0.44; women, 0.36).The visceral adiposity index can be a predictor of incident NAFLD.

Background Hepatic steatosis has a pivotal role in the development of chronic liver diseases, even in alcohol-related liver disease. Alcoholic fatty liver disease is an important phenotype among alcohol-related liver diseases. While metabolic syndrome is a dominant risk factor of incident nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the role of metabolic syndrome in alcoholic fatty liver disease has not been clarified yet. Methods A retrospective cohort study was performed at a health check-up center in Japan. Subjects consisted of male participants without fatty liver who consumed ethanol of 420 g/week or higher. Adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals at the baseline examinations for incident alcoholic fatty liver disease were estimated using Cox model. Results A total of 640 participants were included in this study. During 3.91 years (IQR 1.63–7.09) of follow-up, 168 new cases of alcoholic fatty liver disease developed (49.1 cases per 1000 persons per year). After adjustment for age, smoking status, alcohol consumption, the hazard ratio for a 1 kg/m2 increase in body mass index was 1.2 (1.12–1.28). The hazard ratio of subjects with high triglyceride and low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels were 1.56 (1.12–2.18) and 1.52 (1.03–2.25), respectively. Conclusions Obesity, high triglyceridemia, and low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterolemia are independent risk factors of alcoholic fatty liver disease in Japanese men who consumed alcohol habitually. In people with these risks, triglyceride lowering and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol raising by improving insulin resistance and weight maintenance in addition to abstinence from alcohol would be effective in preventing the development of alcoholic fatty liver disease.

This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between self-reported chewing status and glycemic control in 30,938 Japanese adults who participated in health checkups. Chewing status was evaluated using a self-reported questionnaire. We defined high hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels as a HbA1c level ≥6.5%, 692 (2.2%) respondents met this criterion. After adjusting for gender, age, smoking status, exercise habits, body mass index and eating speed, high HbA1c levels was found to be associated with male gender (odds ratio (OR), 1.568, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.310 to 1.878, p &lt, 0.001), older age (OR, 1.077, 95% CI, 1.068 to 1.087, 0.001), higher body mass index (OR, 1.246, 95% CI, 1.225 to 1.268, 0.001), current smoker status (OR, 1.566, 95% CI, 1.303 to 1.882, 0.001) and chewing difficulty (OR, 1.302, 95% CI, 1.065 to 1.591, 0.05). In conclusion, self-reported chewing difficulty was associated with high HbA1c levels in Japanese adults.

AIM Serum creatinine (Cre) is used as a surrogate marker of muscle mass. We investigated the impact of the Cre-to-bodyweight (BW) ratio (Cre/BW) on incident non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS Fatty liver disease was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasonography. In this historical cohort study of 13 728 participants (6397 men and 7331 women), we divided the participants into two groups by sex and into quartiles according to Cre (mg/dL)/BW (kg; Q1-4). We carried out Cox proportional hazard models, adjusting for age, alanine aminotransferase, fasting plasma glucose, systolic blood pressure, alcohol consumption, smoking status, and exercise. RESULTS During the 5.1-year follow up for men and 6.0-year follow up for women, 2497 participants (1696 men, 801 women) developed NAFLD. The 4000-days cumulative incidence rates of FLD for men and women were 29.6% and 16.6% in Q1, 28.2% and 10.6% in Q2, 25.5% and 8.8% in Q3, and 22.7% and 7.7% in Q4, respectively. The hazard ratios of incident NAFLD in Q1 (Cre/BW [×100]: men

Background. The triglyceride and glucose index (TyG), defined as the product of triglycerides (TG) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG), is reported as a surrogate index for insulin resistance. Although a cross-sectional study revealed the association between the TyG-index and the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), few studies have investigated the association between the TyG-index and incident NAFLD. Here we investigated whether the TyG-index can be used to predict incident NAFLD. Methods. This historical cohort study included 16,093 apparently healthy Japanese individuals. The TyG-index was calculated by the established formula: TyG = Ln [TG (mg/dl) × FPG (mg/dl)/2]. Fatty liver was diagnosed based on the subjects’ abdominal ultrasonography results. We divided the subjects into tertiles according to the levels of TyG-index. Hazard ratios (HRs) of the TyG-index for incident NAFLD were calculated by a Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results. During the observation period, 27.4% of the men and 11.0% of the women developed NAFLD. The highest TyG-index tertile (men, 8.48 ≤ TyG and women, 7.97 ≤ TyG) (adjusted HR 1.67, 95% CI 1.44–1.94, p<0.001 in the men and 2.06, 1.59–2.70, p<0.001 in the women) and the middle TyG-index tertile (men, 8.00 p<0.001 in the men and 1.52, 1.16–2.01, p<0.001 in the women) presented a significantly higher risk of incident NAFLD compared to the lowest TyG-index tertile (men, TyG Conclusions. Our findings demonstrate that the TyG-index is significantly associated with incident NAFLD.

Insulin resistance is one of the risks of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The triglyceride–glucose index (TyG index) has been suggested as a marker of moderate insulin resistance. We aimed to investigate the association between TyG index and incident CKD. In this historical cohort study of 11,712 participants (6026 men and 5686 women), we investigated the impact of TyG index on incident CKD. CKD was defined as estimated GFR less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and/or proteinuria detected by dipstick test in fasting morning urine. TyG index was calculated as ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting plasma glucose (mg/dL)/2]. Cox proportional hazard models were performed to investigate the impact of TyG index on incident CKD, adjusting for age, BMI categories, waist circumference, smoking status, exercise, logarithm of alcohol consumption, systolic blood pressure, serum albumin, hemoglobin A1c, hyperuricemia, low HDL-cholesterol concentration, high LDL-cholesterol concentration, CRP, creatinine, and gamma-glutamyltransferase. During the median 4.0-year follow-up duration for men and 3.7-year follow-up duration for women, 261 participants (120 men and 141 women) developed CKD. In Cox proportional hazard model, TyG index presented the significant risks for incident CKD in both men and women (men, hazard ratio 1.32, 95% confidence interval 1.02–1.70, p = 0.036, women, hazard ratio 1.50, 95% confidence interval 1.05–2.13, p = 0.024). This study revealed that TyG index can be a predictor of incident CKD.

Background In this study, to clarify the evolving background of people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), we compared the current prevalence of NAFLD with that of 2 decades ago. Methods We included two cohorts. The past cohort was from 1994 to 1997 and included 4279 men and 2502 women. The current cohort was from 2014 to 2017 and included 8918 men and 7361 women. NAFLD was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasonography. Results The prevalence of NAFLD increased in both genders throughout these 2 decades (18.5% in the past cohort and 27.1% in the current cohort for men; and 8.0% in the past cohort and 9.4% in the current cohort for women). The prevalence of hyperglycemia increased, whereas the prevalence of low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and hypertriglyceridemia significantly decreased. There was no significant difference in the mean body mass index. Multivariate analysis revealed that the prevalence of obesity and body mass index were significantly associated with the prevalence of NAFLD in both the past and current cohorts. Conclusions The incidence of NAFLD significantly increased throughout these 2 decades, and obesity is the most prevalent factor. Thus, body weight management is an essential treatment option for NAFLD.

Background Although the triglycerides-glucose (TyG) index was thought to be a practical predictor of incident diabetes, the association between them has not been well characterized. The study aimed to further examine the association between the TyG index and incident diabetes in Japanese adults. Methods The cases were extracted of the individual participating in the NAGALA (NAfld in the Gifu Area, Longitudinal Analysis) study at Murakami Memorial Hospital from 2004 to 2015, and 14297individuals apparently healthy at baseline were included in the study. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the associations between baseline TyG levels and incident of T2DM, and a two-piecewise linear regression model was use to examine the threshold effect of the baseline TyG on incident diabetes using a smoothing function. The threshold level (i.e., turning point) was determined using trial and error. A log likelihood ratio test was also conducted to compare the one-line linear regression model with a two-piecewise linear model. Results During a median follow-up period of 5.26 (women) and 5.88 (men) years, 47 women and 182 men developed Type 2 diabetes. The risk of diabetes was strongly associated with the baseline TyG index in the fully adjusted model in men but not in women, and no dose-dependent positive relationship between incident diabetes and TyG was observed across TyG tertiles. Intriguingly, two-piecewise linear regression analysis showed a U-shaped association between the TyG index and incident T2DM. The risk of incident diabetes decreased by around 90% in women with TyG P = 0.0435) and 80% in men with TyG P = 0.002) with each increment of the TyG index after adjusting for confounders. In contrast, the risk of incident T2DM significantly elevated with the increase in TyG index in men with TyG > 7.97 (HR: 2.42, P 7.29 (HR 2.76, P = 0.0166). Conclusions A U-shaped association was observed between the TyG index and incident T2DM among healthy individuals, with the TyG threshold of 7.97 in men and 7.27 in women. This information may be useful for reducing incident diabetes by maintaining the TyG index near these thresholds.

ObjectiveThe Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) is a marker of visceral fat accumulation and dysfunction. We aimed to investigate the association between VAI and incident colorectal cancer (CRC).DesignIn this historical cohort study of 27 921 (16 434 men and 11 487 women) participants, we divided the participants into tertiles according to VAI. We calculated VAI: men, VAI = (waist circumference (WC)/(39.68+1.88 × body mass index (BMI))) × (triglycerides (TG)/1.03) × (1.31/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL)); women, VAI = (WC/(36.58+1.89 × BMI)) × (TG/0.81) × (1.52/HDL). We performed Cox proportional hazard models, adjusting for sex, age, smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise, haemoglobin A1c and systolic blood pressure.ResultsDuring the median 4.4-year follow-up, 116 participants developed CRC. Compared with the lowest tertile, the HRs of incident CRC in the middle and the highest tertiles were 1.30 (95% CI 0.76 to 2.28, p=0.338) and 2.41 (1.50 to 4.02, pConclusionsVAI can be a predictor of incident CRC. For early detection, we should encourage people with high VAI to undergo screening for CRC.

Deep and subcortical white matter hyperintensity (DSWMH) lesions are a small-vessel disease of the brain. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationship between DSWMH lesions and periodontal status in Japanese adults who participated in a health check. We enrolled 444 consecutive participants (mean age, 54.5 years) who received both brain and oral health evaluation services at the Asahi University Hospital. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to detect DSWMH lesions. Periodontal status was assessed using the community periodontal index. Of the study participants, 215 (48.4%) had DSWMH lesions. Multivariate logistic regression showed that the presence of DSWMH lesions was significantly related to age &ge, 65 years (vs. &lt, 65 years, odds ratio [OR] = 2.984, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.696&ndash, 5.232), systolic blood pressure &ge, 140 mmHg (vs. &lt, 140 mmHg, OR = 2.579, 95% CI = 1.252&ndash, 5.314), the presence of &ge, 28 teeth (vs. &lt, 28 teeth, OR = 0.635, 95% CI = 0.420&ndash, 0.961), and probing pocket depth (PPD) &ge, 6 mm (vs. PPD &lt, 6 mm, OR = 1.948, 95% CI = 1.132&ndash, 3.354) after adjustment for confounding factors. Having PPD &ge, 6 mm may be a risk factor for DSWMH lesions in Japanese adults.

Linked color imaging (LCI) is a novel endoscopy system, which enhances slight differences in mucosal color. However, whether LCI is more useful than other kinds of image-enhanced endoscopy (IEE) in recognizing early gastric cancer remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate LCI efficacy compared with the indigo carmine contrast method (IC), and blue laser imaging-bright (BLI-brt) in early differentiated-type gastric cancer recognition.We retrospectively analyzed early differentiated-type gastric cancer, which were examined by all four imaging techniques (white light imaging, IC, LCI, BLI-brt) at Asahi University Hospital from June 2014 to November 2018. Both subjective evaluation (using ranking score: RS) and objective evaluation (using color difference score: CDS) were adopted to quantify early differentiated-type gastric cancer recognition.During this period, 87 lesions were enrolled in this study. Both RS and CDS of LCI were significantly higher (p 0.01) than those of IC and BLI-brt. Both RS and CDS of BLI-brt had no significant difference compared with those of IC. Subgroup analysis revealed that LCI was especially useful in post-Helicobacter pylori eradication patients and flat or depressed lesions compared with IC and BLI-brt.LCI appears to be more beneficial for the recognition of early differentiated-type gastric cancer in endoscopic screenings than IC and BLI-brt from the middle to distant view.

We investigated the association between creatinine to body weight (Cre/BW) ratio and incident diabetes. In this cohort study, 9659 men and 7417 women were follow up mean (SD) 5.6 (3.5) years and 5.4 (3.4) years, respectively. For men, tertile 1 (T1, n = 3176), Cre/BW &lt, 0.01275, tertile 2 (T2, n = 3258), 0.01275 &le, Cre/BW &lt, 0.0148, and tertile 3 (T3, n = 3225), Cre/BW &ge, and for women, T1 (n = 2,437), Cre/BMI &lt, 0.0118, T2 (n = 2,516), 0.0118 &le, Cre/BMI &lt, 0.014, and T3 (n = 2477), Cre/BMI &ge, 0.014. Among them, 362 men and 102 women developed diabetes. The hazard ratios (HRs) of incident diabetes in the T2 group was 0.56 (95% CI 0.44&ndash, 0.71, p &lt, 0.001) in men and 0.61 (0.38&ndash, 0.99, p = 0.045) in women and in the T3 group was 0.42 (0.32&ndash, 0.54, p &lt, 0.001) in men and 0.55 (0.34&ndash, 0.89, p = 0.014) in women after adjusting for covariates, compared with the T1 group. Moreover, &Delta, 0.001 incremental of Cre/BW is negatively associated with incident diabetes (adjusted HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.80&ndash, 0.88, p &lt, 0.001 for men and 0.88, 0.81&ndash, 0.96, p = 0.003 for women). In conclusion, Cre/BW ratio is inversely related to incident diabetes. Checking Cre/BW ratios may predict future diabetes risks.

Obesity is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Among obesity, visceral fat obesity, and ectopic fat obesity, it has been unclear which has the greatest effect on incident diabetes. In this historical cohort study of 8430 men and 7034 women, we investigated the effect of obesity phenotypes on incident diabetes. Obesity, visceral fat obesity, and ectopic fat obesity were defined as body mass index ≥25 kg/m2, waist circumference ≥90 cm in men or ≥80 cm in women, and having fatty liver diagnosed by abdominal ultrasonography, respectively. We divided the participants into eight groups according to the presence or absence of the three obesity phenotypes. During the median 5.8 years follow-up for men and 5.1 years follow-up for women, 286 men and 87 women developed diabetes. Compared to the non-obese group, the hazard ratios (HRs) of incident diabetes in the only-obesity, only-visceral fat obesity, only-ectopic fat obesity groups, and with all-three types of obesity group were 1.85 (95%CI 1.06–3.26, p = 0.05) in men and 1.79 (0.24–13.21, p = 0.60) in women, 3.41 (2.51–4.64, p

Summary Objective A meta-analysis indicated that metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) presents a risk of incident type 2 diabetes, but it has not yet been established whether MHO without fatty liver (w/o FL) also presents a risk of incident diabetes. Methods We searched the MEDLINE and Embase databases to identify relevant prospective cohort studies and we supplemented the search with original data from the NAGALA (NAfld in Gifu Area, Longitudinal Analysis) study, defining MHO as a body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m 2 plus the presence of non or one of the following factors: hypertension, impaired fasting glucose, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and hypertriglyceridemia. Using a random effects model, we calculated the pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of incident diabetes. Results Our meta-analysis included three studies from the databases plus the NAGALA study, with a total of 134,667 subjects, including 8675 MHO subjects w/o FL and 7218 MHO subjects with fatty liver (wFL). Compared to the metabolically healthy non-overweight subjects w/o FL, the RRs of incident diabetes in the MHO w/o FL and MHO wFL groups were 1.42 (95%CI 1.11–1.77) and 3.28 (95%CI 2.30–4.67). Conclusions Our meta-analysis results demonstrate that the MHO phenotype, with or without fatty liver, presents a risk of the development of type 2 diabetes. Individuals with MHO who do not have fatty liver should be monitored carefully — similarly to those with fatty liver — for the development of diabetes.

Background The risk of colon or breast cancer in metabolically healthy obese (MHO) were lower than that in metabolically abnormal obese (MAO). We hypothesized that the risk of incident gastric cancer in MHO is lower than that in MAO. Methods This historical cohort study included 19,685 Japanese individuals who received health-checkup programs from 2003 to 2016. Each subject was classified as metabolically healthy (MH) (no metabolic abnormalities) or metabolically abnormal (MA) (one or more metabolic abnormalities), according to four metabolic factors (hypertension, impaired fasting glucose, hypertriglyceridemia and low HDL-cholesterol). Obese (O) or non-obese (NO) was classified by a BMI cutoff of 25.0 kg/m2. Hazard ratios of metabolic phenotypes for incident gastric cancer were calculated by the Cox proportional hazard model with adjustments for age, sex, alcohol consumption, smoking and exercise. Results Over the median follow-up period of 5.5 (2.9–9.4) years, incident rate of gastric cancer was 0.65 per 1000 persons-years. Incident rate of MHNO, MHO, MANO and MAO were 0.33, 0.25, 0.80 and 1.21 per 1000 persons-years, respectively. Compared with MHNO, the adjusted hazard ratios for development of gastric cancer were 0.69 (95% CI 0.04–3.39, p = 0.723) in MHO, 1.16 (95% CI 0.63–2.12, p = 0.636) in MANO and 2.09 (95% CI 1.10–3.97, p = 0.024) in MAO. Conclusions This study shows that individuals with MAO, but not those with MHO, had an elevated risk for incident gastric cancer. Thus, we should focus more on the presence of metabolic abnormalities rather than obesity itself for incident gastric cancer.

Background and aim It is necessary to establish universal methods for endoscopic diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection, such as computer-aided diagnosis. In the present study, we propose a multistage diagnosis algorithm for HP infection. Methods The aims of this study are to: (i) to construct an interpretable automatic diagnostic system using a support vector machine for HP infection; and (ii) to compare the diagnosis capability of our artificial intelligence (AI) system with that of endoscopists. Presence of an HP infection determined through linked color imaging (LCI) was learned through machine learning. Trained classifiers automatically diagnosed HP-positive and -negative patients examined using LCI. We retrospectively analyzed the new images from 105 consecutive patients; 42 were HP positive, 46 were post-eradication, and 17 were uninfected. Five endoscopic images per case taken from different areas were read into the AI system, and used in the HP diagnosis. Results Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the diagnosis of HP infection using the AI system were 87.6%, 90.4%, 85.7%, 80.9%, and 93.1%, respectively. Accuracy of the AI system was higher than that of an inexperienced doctor, but there was no significant difference between the diagnosis of experienced physicians and the AI system. Conclusions The AI system can diagnose an HP infection with significant accuracy. There remains room for improvement, particularly for the diagnosis of post-eradication patients. By learning more images and considering a diagnosis algorithm for post-eradication patients, our new AI system will provide diagnostic support, particularly to inexperienced physicians.

This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between eating speed and fat accumulation in Japanese non-obese adults.In total, 381 non-obese participants aged 35-74 years underwent a health checkup including fat distribution. All participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging to quantify visceral fat area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area (SFA). Information on eating speed was obtained using a self-administrated questionnaire.The numbers of participants with self-reported behavior of eating slowly, medium, or quickly were 24 (6.3%), 180 (47.2%), and 177 (46.5%), respectively. The prevalence of VFA ≥100 cm2 was higher in the eating quickly group than in the eating slowly (p0.05) or medium groups (p0.05). On the other hand, no significant differences in SFA ≥100 cm2 were observed between groups. In addition, multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that eating quickly was positively correlated with VFA (standard β=0.068, p0.05), but not with SFA.Although eating quickly was positively correlated with bigger VFA in Japanese non-obese adults, no associations were found between eating speed and SFA.

Background & Aims: Previous cross-sectional studies revealed that short sleep duration has a close relationship with the presence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We aimed to investigate the association between sleep duration and incident NAFLD.Methods: In this historical cohort study of 12,306 participants (5,848 men and 6,458 women), we investigated the effect of sleep duration on incident NAFLD. NAFLD was defined as having fatty liver diagnosed by abdominal ultrasonography in the participants who consumed ethanol less than 30 g/day for men and 20 g/day for women. We divided the participants into four groups according to sleep duration: >7, >6-7, >5-6, and ≤5h. Cox proportional hazards models were performed to investigate the effect of sleep duration on incident NAFLD, adjusting for age, body mass index categories, alanine aminotransferase, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, smoking status, alcohol consumption, systolic blood pressure, exercise.Results: During the median 6.8-year follow-up for men and the 7.0-year follow-up duration for women, 2,280 participants (1,581 men and 699 women) developed NAFLD. In Cox proportional hazards models, sleep duration of ≤5 h in both men and women were revealed to be a significant risk for incident NAFLD, compared to men and women with a sleep duration of >7 h (men: hazard ratio 1.39, 95% confidence interval 1.13-1.72, p=0.002; women; 1.46, 1.05-2.04, p=0.023).Conclusion: This is the first study showing that short sleep duration was a risk factor for incident NAFLD.

This study investigated the relationship between eating behavior and poor glycemic control in 5,479 Japanese adults with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) p p p p p

An association between physical illness and sleep has been suggested. Disordered chewing might be a physical factor that is associated with sleep issues. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine whether chewing problems are associated with sleep in Japanese adults. Sleep and chewing issues were evaluated in 6,025 community residents using a self-reported questionnaire. The prevalence of poor sleep quality and sleeping for p<0.001), self-reported symptoms (OR, 4.59; p<0.001), chewing problems (OR, 1.65; p<0.001), and poor glycemic control (OR, 1.43; p=0.035). The prevalence of short sleep duration was also significantly associated with female sex (OR, 1.23; p=0.001), self-reported symptoms (OR, 1.60; p<0.001), chewing problems (OR, 1.30; p=0.001), and being overweight (OR, 1.41; p<0.001). In conclusion, chewing problems were associated with poor sleep quality and short sleep duration among Japanese adults.

A 74-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with epigastric pain, severe nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea that had started 3 days previously. She had eaten raw Ayu fish 4 days before admission. An abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan revealed the presence of gas in the portal vein and remarkable thickening of the gastric wall. In many cases, the gas in the portal vein indicates the existence of intestinal necrosis. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed a submucosal tumor-like elevation in the gastric corpus. She was diagnosed with sepsis and phlegmonous gastritis (PG) with hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) caused by Aeromonas hydrophila, which was detected in her stool. The patient was treated with antibiotics and discharged from the hospital 23 days after admission in a stable condition. When caused by PG, HPVG is not necessarily considered a poor prognostic factor and is expected to be treatable with medication. However, patients should be closely monitored for signs of a life-threatening pathology such as intestinal necrosis.

This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between periodontal condition and ultrasound-diagnosed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in a Japanese oral health check population. A total of 1226 consecutive participant were enrolled in the study. Abdominal ultrasonography was applied to diagnose NAFLD. Of the study participants, 339 (27.7%) had ultrasonography-diagnosed NAFLD. The participants with NAFLD had a significantly higher prevalence of probing pocket depth (PPD) ≥ 4 mm (86.7%) than those without NAFLD (72.9%) (p p

Summary Background Low urine pH has a close association with insulin resistance. This study was aimed to investigate the association between urine pH and incident non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is associated with insulin resistance. Subjects and methods In this historical cohort study of 11,012 participants (5503 men and 5509 women), we investigated the effect of urine pH on incident NAFLD. NAFLD was defined as having fatty liver diagnosed by abdominal ultrasonography and excluding the participants consumed ethanol over 60 g/day for men and 40 g/day for women. We divided the participants into three groups according to urine pH; the lowest group (urine pH ≤ 5.5), the middle group (urine pH = 6.0) and the highest group (urine pH ≥ 6.5). Cox proportional hazards models was performed to investigate the effect of urine pH on incident NAFLD, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, exercise, alcohol consumption, alanine aminotransferase, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, uric acid and fasting plasma glucose. Results Over the median 6.8-year follow-up duration, 2023 participants developed NAFLD, and the crude proportions were 20.3% (case/N = 1104/5447) in the lowest urine pH group, 16.3% (487/2989) in the middle urine pH group and 16.8% (432/2576) in the highest urine pH group. The lowest urine pH group showed a significantly higher risk for incident NAFLD than the highest urine pH group (adjusted hazard ratio 1.48, 95% confidence interval 1.31–1.66, P Conclusion Low urine pH is associated with incident NAFLD. Our findings indicate that urine pH can be an additional data when considering further diagnostic investigation for NAFLD in patients who have other risk factors.

Background and aims Recent studies identified that metabolically abnormal non-overweight phenotype is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. However, only little is known about risk factors for the progression from metabolically healthy non-overweight (MHNO) to metabolically abnormal phenotype. In this study, we investigated the impact of respiratory function on the progression from MHNO to metabolically abnormal phenotype. Methods and results In this retrospective cohort study, 8949 (3872 men and 5077 women) individuals with MHNO, who participated in a health-checkup program from 2004 to 2015, were enrolled. Four metabolic factors (high-normal blood pressure or hypertension, impaired fasting glucose or diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, and low HDL cholesterol concentration) were used to define metabolically healthy (less than two factors) or metabolically abnormal (two or more factors) phenotypes. Respiratory function was measured by spirometry. Over a median 4.0 years of follow-up, 927 participants progressed to metabolically abnormal phenotype. The percentage of FVC for predicted values (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.93–1.03, p = 0.418) was not associated with the progression to metabolically abnormal phenotype after adjusting for covariates, including age, sex, alcohol consumption, exercise, smoking status, and body mass index, whereas the percentage of FEV1 for predicted values (%FEV1) (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.84–0.91, p Conclusion Decrease in respiratory function in terms of %FEV1 and the FEV1/FVC ratio is associated with the progression to metabolically abnormal phenotype in individuals with MHNO.

Recent cross-sectional and randomized controlled studies of small sample sizes revealed that regular exercise is effective for improving nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. However, there has been no large-scale longitudinal study addressing the effect of regular exercise on remission of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Thus, we investigated the impact of exercise on the natural history of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. We analyzed 1,010 (860 men and 150 women) Japanese participants who received health checkups repeatedly over 10 years by a historical cohort study and were diagnosed with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease at baseline. Regular exercise was defined as participating in any kind of sports at least once a week. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease was diagnosed by ultrasonographic images. During 10 years of follow-up, remission of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease was observed in 46.0% (396/860) of men and 48.7% (73/150) of women. In men, the adjusted hazard ratio of regular exercise for remission of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease was 1.46 (95% confidence interval 1.10-1.95, p = 0.010). However, this was not significant in women. Exercise at least once a week is implicated in the remission of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in men.