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Miho Sodeno,1,2 Myo Nyein Aung,3– 5 Motoyuki Yuasa,1,3 Saiyud Moolphate,6 Virat Klinbuayaem,7 Aranya Srikhamsao,8 Thin Nyein Nyein Aung,9 Setsuko Sato,1 Takeshi Tanigawa1 1Department of Public Health, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; 2National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; 3Department of Global Health Research, Graduate School of Medicine Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan; 4Advanced Research Institute for Health Sciences, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan; 5Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Juntendo University, Tokyo, 113-8421, Japan; 6Department of Public Health, Faculty of Science and Technology, Chiang Mai Rajabhat University, Chiangmai, Thailand; 7Sanpatong Hospital, Chiang Mai, Thailand; 8Ban Hua Rin Subdistrict Health Promotion Hospital, Chiang Mai, 50120, Thailand; 9Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, ThailandCorrespondence: Myo Nyein Aung; Miho Sodeno, Juntendo University, Hongo 2-1-1, Bunkyo Ku, Tokyo, 113-8421, Japan, Email myo@juntendo.ac.jp; msodeno@it.ncgm.go.jpBackground: Health education and promotion is active in Thailand where diabetes is prevalent at 11.6% of the general adult population in 2021.Purpose: This study aimed to describe and compare the levels of physical activity between patients with newly diagnosed diabetes and non-diabetic controls in northern Thailand.Methods: This observational case–control study included participants aged between 25 and 74 years in Chiang Mai. We recruited 150 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at Sanpatong District Hospital and 150 control participants (non-T2DM) in the community. Interviews were conducted using the International Physical Activity Questionnaires–Short Form. Anthropometric measurements and social demographic information were collected from both patients and controls in 2019.Results: The mean age of the participants was 58.8 ± 8.4 years in the T2DM group and 56.5 ± 9.9 years in the non-T2DM group. Compared to controls, patients with T2DM had received significantly more physical activity education (P < 0.001, Fisher’s test). Most cases (93.3%) had received such education at a hospital or health center. The median total metabolic equivalents (METs) minutes per week (min/week) for participants in the T2DM group were higher than those in the non-T2DM group (2726 vs 1140 METs min/week) (P < 0.001, Mann–Whitney test). Comparing the case and control groups in the category of PA level, we found that the case group had a higher proportion of high-level physical activity (P < 0.001, chi-square test).Conclusion: Diabetes patients attending a community hospital exhibited high levels of physical activity. The majority of them received education related physical activity from a primary health care service.Keywords: diabetes mellitus, DM, health education, physical activity, international physical activity questionnaires, IPAQ, Thailand

Gastrointestinal ulcer healing is a complex process, involving cell migration, proliferation, angiogenesis and extracellular matrix deposition, all ultimately leading to reconstruction of tissue architecture within the ulcer scar. These processes are controlled by growth factors, cytokines and hormones. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), one of the multifunctional peptide growth factors, has been reported to positively regulate gastrointestinal ulcer healing. Although TGF-beta inhibits cell proliferation in a variety of cells, it induces cell migration, angiogenesis, and enhances extracellular matrix production necessary for gastrointestinal ulcer healing. TGF-beta exerts its action by binding to its transmembrane serine/threonine kinase receptors, which in turn triggers activation of various intracellular signaling pathways. Smads are intermediate effector proteins that play key roles in biological activities of TGF-beta by transmitting the signals from the cell surface directly into the nucleus and initiating transcription. New insight into the mechanisms underlying TGF-beta-Smad modulation of gastrointestinal ulcer healing will likely enhance our understanding of the mechanisms controlling the healing processes of gastrointestinal ulcers.

Katsuya Matsuda,1 Hisayoshi Nakajima,2 Khaleque N Khan,1 Terumi Tanigawa,1 Daisuke Hamaguchi,1 Michio Kitajima,1 Koichi Hiraki,1 Shingo Moriyama,3 Hideaki Masuzaki11Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 2Department of Health Sciences, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 3Shimabara Maternity Clinic, Nagasaki, JapanBackground: The purpose of this work was to investigate whether clinical cytology could be useful in the preoperative diagnosis of pelvic actinomycosis.Methods: This study involved the prospective collection of samples derived from the endometrium and the uterine cervix, and retrospective data analysis. Nine patients with clinically diagnosed pelvic actinomycosis were enrolled. The clinical and hematological characteristics of patients were recorded, and detection of actinomyces was performed by cytology, pathology, and bacteriological culture of samples and by imprint intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD) cytology.Results: The detection rate of actinomyces was 77.7% by combined cervical and endometrial cytology, 50.0% by pathology, and 11.1% by bacterial culture.Conclusion: The higher detection rate of actinomyces by cytology than by pathology or bacteriology suggests that careful cytological examination may be clinically useful in the preoperative diagnosis of pelvic actinomycosis.Keywords: actinomycosis, cytology, pathology, intrauterine contraceptive device, pelvic inflammatory disease