Association of short-chain fatty acid-producing gut microbiota and dietary habits with maternal depression in a subclinical population.

The prevalence of postpartum mental illness is steadily increasing, a tendency that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent studies show that maternal depression is no longer confined to the perinatal period, and this necessitates long-term assessment and support for maternal mental health. It is critical to identify the factors that are related to depression among mothers, and this requires the development of integrated mental and physical health care encompassing both psychological aspects and intestinal microbiota, physical conditions, and dietary habits.

The validity of a new resilience scale: the Japan Resilience Scale (J-RS) for mothers with a focus on cultural aspects.

Background: Resilience has been recognized as a potential outcome for preserving mental health and preventing postpartum depression. Social connection and emotional regulation have been identified as possible factors in resilience from social and cultural perspectives. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a scale that is adapted to the Japanese cultural milieu.

Intestinal microbiome and maternal mental health: preventing parental stress and enhancing resilience in mothers.

The number of mothers suffering from mental illness is increasing steadily, particularly under conditions of the coronavirus pandemic. The identification of factors that contribute to resilience in mothers is urgently needed to decrease the risks of poor physical and psychological health. We focused on the risk of parenting stress and psychological resilience in healthy mothers with no psychiatric and physical disorders and conducted two studies to examine the relationships between intestinal microbiota, physical condition, and psychological state.

Ketogenic effects of medium chain triglycerides containing formula and its correlation to breath acetone in healthy volunteers: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, single dose-response study.

The efficacy of low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets, such as ketogenic diets, for cancer patients is of research interest. We previously demonstrated the efficacy of the ketogenic diet in a case study in which medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) or MCT-containing formula (ketogenic formula) was used as a supplement to increase blood ketone bodies. However, little is known about the amounts needed to induce ketogenic effects and about the usefulness of monitoring of breath acetone.

Identification of factors associated with progression of left atrial enlargement in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Left atrial (LA) enlargement frequently occurs in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients, and this enlargement is associated with the development of heart failure, thromboembolism, or atrial functional mitral regurgitation (AFMR). AF patients can develop LA enlargement over time, but its progression depends on the individual. So far, the factors that cause progressive LA enlargement in AF patients have thus not been elucidated, so that the aim of this study was to identify the factors associated with the progression of LA enlargement in AF patients.

Long-Term Effects of a Ketogenic Diet for Cancer.

A ketogenic diet has been proposed as a potential supportive therapy for cancer patients, although its long-term influence on survival rates remain controversial. In our previous report, we presented promising results for 37 of 55 patients with advanced cancer enrolled between 2013 and 2018 who remained on a ketogenic diet for at least 3 months. We followed all 55 patients until March 2023 and analyzed the data up to March 2022.

A multidimensional physical scale is a useful screening test for mild depression associated with childcare in Japanese child-rearing women.

Introduction: Maternal depression is one of the important problems of postpartum women. For its early detection and appropriate treatment, it is necessary to identify women at high risk for depression quickly and easily.

Materials And Methods: A simple screening scale for depression from physical aspects, the multidimensional physical scale (MDPS), which is a 17-item, self-report, three-step scale (0, 1, 2) according to the theory of Kampo medicine, was developed.

The Japan Frailty Scale is a promising screening test for frailty and pre-frailty in Japanese elderly people.

Frailty is one of the most important problems in a super-aged society. It is necessary to identify frailty quickly and easily at the bedside. We developed a simple patient-reported frailty screening scale, the Japan Frailty Scale (JFS), based on the aging concept of Kampo medicine.

Clinical Importance of Body Composition in Improving Bone Mineral Density of Femoral Neck After Denosumab Therapy in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis or Collagen Diseases.

Background/aim: To investigate factors associated with increased bone mineral density (BMD) of the neck of femur in rheumatoid arthritis or collagen diseases receiving denosumab, focusing on body composition calculated by bioelectrical impedance analysis (n=90, 78 females).

Patients And Methods: We defined Δfemur as BMD (12 months minus baseline), using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry after denosumab therapy. Factors associated with Δfemur were retrospectively investigated.

Ketogenic Effects of Multiple Doses of a Medium Chain Triglycerides Enriched Ketogenic Formula in Healthy Men under the Ketogenic Diet: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Study.

Ketogenic diets, which are carbohydrate-restricted high-fat diets, may have therapeutic effects on various diseases, including cancer. However, ketogenic diets are often not standardized and, therefore, results are difficult to interpret. We previously investigated the usefulness of ketogenic diets in cancer therapy, where ketogenic formulas (KF) were used as supplements to enhance blood ketone bodies; however, the amount of KF was determined empirically with reference to blood ketone bodies levels.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest in a Patient With Sarcoidosis and Familial Hypercholesterolemia.

A 32-year-old Japanese man experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. On arrival, computed tomography (CT) showed ground-glass opacity in the right lung. Emergency coronary angiography revealed triple vessel disease, then he underwent percutaneous coronary intervention.

Parallel reductive genome evolution in Desulfovibrio ectosymbionts independently acquired by Trichonympha protists in the termite gut.

Several Trichonympha protist species in the termite gut have independently acquired Desulfovibrio ectosymbionts in apparently different stages of symbiosis. Here, we obtained the near-complete genome sequence of Desulfovibrio phylotype ZnDsv-02, which attaches to the surface of Trichonympha collaris cells, and compared it with a previously obtained genome sequence of 'Candidatus Desulfovibrio trichonymphae' phylotype Rs-N31, which is almost completely embedded in the cytoplasm of Trichonympha agilis. Single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis indicated that although Rs-N31 is almost clonal, the ZnDsv-02 population on a single host cell is heterogeneous.

A 9-Year Longitudinal Study of Basilar Artery Diameter.

Background Dilatation of the basilar artery ( BA ) has been recognized as a predictor of cardiovascular events ( CVE s). However, it is unclear if the longitudinal change in BA diameter (Δ BA ) is associated with CVE s. Methods and Results In a cohort of Japanese participants with vascular risk factors in an observational study, we evaluated the relationship of Δ BA to CVE s and the time course of the BA diameter.

Blood biomarkers associated with neurological deterioration in patients with acute penetrating artery territory infarction: A multicenter prospective observational study.

Background and purpose Neurological deterioration in acute penetrating artery territory infarction is unpredictable and associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes. The aim of this prospective study was to clarify the cause of neurological worsening and predict clinical outcomes using blood biomarkers. Methods Eight Japanese stroke centers participated.

Successful Corticosteroid Treatment of Refractory Spontaneous Vasoconstriction of Extracranial Internal Carotid and Coronary Arteries.

Introduction: Spontaneous vasoconstriction of the extracranial internal carotid artery (SVEICA) is a rare cause of cerebral infarction. Most patients with SVEICA suffer recurrent attacks of vasoconstriction. The standard treatment for this condition has not been established and its long-term prognosis is unclear.

Analysis of Factors Associated with Progression and Long-Term Outcomes of Penetrating Artery Territory Infarction: A Retrospective Study.

Background: Patients with penetrating artery territory infarction occasionally show progressive motor deficits during the acute stage with poor prognosis. Predictive indices or medical therapies for suppressing the symptomatic progression (SP) of penetrating artery infarction have not been established. In this study, we investigated SP-related clinical factors and functional outcomes, specifically improvement 3 months post ictus in patients with penetrating artery infarction.

Promicromonospora vindobonensis sp. nov. and Promicromonospora aerolata sp. nov., isolated from the air in the medieval 'Virgilkapelle' in Vienna.

Two airborne bacterial isolates designated V45(T) and V54A(T) were characterized in order to determine their taxonomic position. 16S rDNA sequence analysis showed that the two isolates shared 98.1 % sequence similarity.

Okibacterium fritillariae gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel genus of the family Microbacteriaceae.

Okibacterium fritillariae gen. nov., sp.

Rhodococcus jostii sp. nov., isolated from a medieval grave.

The taxonomic position of a bacterial strain isolated from the femur of the remains of Jost Lucemburský, margrave in Moravia, Brno (Czech Republic), was investigated by phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and molecular taxonomic methods. The chemotaxonomic characteristics, including the cell-wall amino acid and sugar compositions, the quinone system and the fatty acid profile, were in good agreement with those of the genus Rhodococcus. The G+C content of the DNA was 67.