Adjustment to an Appropriate Bedtime Improves Nocturia in Older Adults: A Crossover Study.

Purpose: We examined whether nocturia could be improved by adhering to an appropriate bedtime as determined using a wearable device that measures sleep-wake activity.

Materials And Methods: We enrolled patients aged 65 years or older with nocturia at our institution and associated hospital, for whom medical therapy was either not indicated or ineffective. We conducted a prospective crossover comparative study with alternate 4-week intervention and non-intervention periods with a 2-week washout period.

Prevalence of locomotive syndrome and associated factors in patients receiving hemodialysis.

Muscle strength and joint and nervous system functions decline with age and in patients undergoing hemodialysis. The Japanese Orthopaedic Association has defined locomotive syndrome (LoS) as a musculoskeletal disorder primarily caused by aging. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of LoS and identify factors associated with its development in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Enhanced Hydrogen Supply to Atomically Dispersed Copper Sites through Close Cooperation with Oxygen Vacancies in Black TiO to Promote CH Production in CO Electrolysis.

CO electroreduction (eCOR) holds promise as an environmentally friendly approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Cu is a representative catalyst with high eCOR activity. However, its selectivity for CH synthesis is still insufficient due to the slow eight-electron transfer to a single carbon, the predominance of C-C coupling reactions toward C products on Cu, as well as occurrence of the hydrogen evolution reaction.

Large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the kidney effectively treated by nivolumab and ipilimumab.

Introduction: Neuroendocrine tumors originating in the kidney are rare, and standard treatments are not established.

Case Presentation: An 80-years-old man was referred to our hospital with renal dysfunction and a left renal mass. Based on CT and bone scintigraphy results, he was diagnosed as having a large left renal tumor with a thrombus in the inferior vena cava, harboring lymph node, liver, lung, and left iliac bone metastasis.

Dutasteride, a 5 alpha reductase inhibitor, could be associated with the exacerbation of inflammation in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Background: α-1 blockers and dutasteride are widely used as agents to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH); the impact of these drugs on prostatic inflammation is still unclear. Herein, we investigated the impact of α-1 blockers and dutasteride treatment of BPH in terms of the degree of prostatic inflammation.

Materials And Methods: Tissue specimens were obtained from 143 BPH patients who were administered α-1 blockers up until their operation.

Constructing failure in big biology: The socio-technical anatomy of Japan's Protein 3000 Project.

This study focuses on the 5-year Protein 3000 Project launched in 2002, the largest biological project in Japan. The project aimed to overcome Japan's alleged failure to contribute fully to the Human Genome Project, by determining 3000 protein structures, 30 percent of the global target. Despite its achievement of this goal, the project was fiercely criticized in various sectors of society and was often branded an awkward failure.

A 5'-flanking region of gonadotropin-regulated testicular RNA helicase (GRTH/DDX25) gene directs its cell-specific androgen-regulated gene expression in testicular germ cells.

Gonadotropin-regulated testicular RNA helicase (GRTH/Ddx25) is a posttranscriptional regulator of genes that are essential for spermatid elongation and completion of spermatogenesis. It also prevents Leydig cells (LCs) from gonadotropin overstimulation of androgen production. In transgenic (Tg) mice carrying deletions of the GRTH 5'-flanking regions, we previously demonstrated that the -1085 bp to ATG contains the elements for basal and androgen-induced LC-specific expression.

Safety evaluation of laninamivir octanoate hydrate through analysis of adverse events reported during early post-marketing phase vigilance.

Background: Abnormal behavior and delirium are common in children with influenza. While abnormal behavior and delirium are considered to be associated with influenza encephalopathy, an increased risk of such neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients receiving neuraminidase inhibitor treatment is suspected. Laninamivir octanoate hydrate, recently approved in Japan, is a long-acting neuraminidase inhibitor.

Gonadotropin-regulated testicular RNA helicase (GRTH/DDX25), a negative regulator of luteinizing/chorionic gonadotropin hormone-induced steroidogenesis in Leydig cells: central role of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR).

Gonadotropin-regulated testicular RNA helicase (GRTH/DDX25) is a testis-specific gonadotropin-regulated RNA helicase that is present in Leydig cells (LCs) and germ cells and is essential for spermatid development and completion of spermatogenesis. Normal basal levels of testosterone in serum and LCs were observed in GRTH null (GRTH(-/-)) mice. However, testosterone production was enhanced in LCs of GRTH(-/-) mice compared with WT mice by both in vivo and in vitro human chorionic gonadotropin stimulation.

Myelodysplastic syndrome treated effectively with testosterone enanthate.

We report a case of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) treated effectively with testosterone enanthate. A 70-year-old man was diagnosed with low-risk MDS in 1998, and he was first given methenolone acetate orally because of gradual progression of anemia and thrombocytopenia. However, this treatment was not effective, so we changed the treatment to testosterone enanthate because of his symptoms with late-onset hypogonadism.

Androgen replacement therapy contributes to improving lower urinary tract symptoms in patients with hypogonadism and benign prostate hypertrophy: a randomised controlled study.

Purpose: We performed a randomised controlled study regarding the effects of androgen replacement therapy (ART) on lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in hypogonadal men with benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH).

Methods: Fifty-two patients with hypogonadism and BPH were randomly assigned to receive testosterone (ART group) as 250 mg of testosterone enanthate every 4 weeks or to the untreated control group. We compared International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), uroflowmetry data, post-voiding residual volume (PVR) and systemic muscle volume at baseline and 12 months after treatment.

Azoospermia factor and male infertility.

Recently, work has shown that azoospermia factor (AZF) microdeletions result from homologous recombination between almost identical blocks in this gene region. These microdeletions in the Y chromosome are a common molecular genetic cause of spermatogenetic failure leading to male infertility. After completion of the sequencing of the Y chromosome, the classical definition of AZFa, AZFb, and AZFc was modified to five regions, namely AZFa, P5/proximal-P1, P5/distal-P1, P4/distal-P1, and AZFc, as a result of the determination of Y chromosomal structure.

N-terminal pro-BNP is a novel biomarker for integrated cardio-renal burden and early risk stratification in patients admitted for cardiac emergency.

Background: The expanding role of cardiac markers - cytosolic [heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) and creatine kinase MB (CK-MB)], myofibril [troponin T (TnT)], and cardio-endocrine [N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP)] - has been clarified in patients with acute coronary syndrome and those with heart failure. However, these applications for early risk stratification in the cardiac emergency, and the influence of renal function on these evaluations have not been fully investigated.

Patients And Methods: We investigated the prognostic value of these representative cardiac markers and influence of renal function on these evaluations in 165 consecutive patients who were admitted for cardiac emergency because of chest pain or dyspnea.

Attentional processing of location and color cues during driving.

Studies have shown that prior information concerning the spatial location of a subsequent target facilitates the selection of that target for further visual processing in three-dimensional (3-D) space. Using Posner's cuing paradigm, our work examined the reaction time of drivers when cue duration and peripheral environment luminance was changed, and explored the effect color and location on reaction time. Experiment 1 showed that reaction time was not affected by cue duration, and that shifts of attention operated more efficiently for cue location validity.

Useful marker for the estimation of a recombination pair in the partial azoospermia factor c (gr/gr) deletion using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Azoospermia factor c (AZFc) microdeletions are associated with male infertility and are caused by intrachromosal recombination between homologous repetitive sequence segments. Partial AZFc deletion (gr/gr) has been reported in male factor infertility. In the present study, we established detecting the copy number using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) with the genome DNA, and assessed the association of the recombination pair set of gr/gr deletion and deleted in azoospermia copies.

Reevaluation of azoospermic factor c microdeletions using sequence-tagged site markers with confirmed physical positions from the GenBank database.

Objective: To investigate microdeletions and palindrome complexes in the azoospermic factor (AZF) c regions of the Y chromosome, by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with sequence-tagged site (STS) markers with known physical positions, after verification of the exact physical locations of candidate STSs and exclusion of those that would give ambiguous results on PCR.

Design: Retrospective STS deletion study in infertile Japanese men.

Setting: University hospital and reproductive clinic.

Dual-isotope myocardial SPECT in patients with redefined myocardial infarction.

Background: According to the redefinition of myocardial infarction (MI) by the ESC/ACC Committee, patients with unstable angina (UA) without significant elevation of creatine kinase (CK) but with elevation of troponin T should be diagnosed as MI.

Methods: One hundred and forty-six consecutive patients formerly diagnosed as UA, with peak CK levels0.10 ng/ml).

Application of NT-proBNP and BNP measurements in cardiac care: a more discerning marker for the detection and evaluation of heart failure.

Background: Measurement of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) has become a potent diagnostic aid as a means of identifying patients with systolic or diastolic dysfunction. Due to better stability in circulating blood, we reasoned that measurement of N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) may be a more discerning marker for the detection and evaluation of chronic heart failure.

Methods: The relationships between plasma concentrations of NT-proBNP and BNP, and aetiology, New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were analyzed in 105 patients with chronic heart failure.

Triterpenes and triterpene saponins from the stems of Akebia trifoliata.

To characterize the stems of Akebia trifoliata chemically, a detailed phytochemical examination was carried out on A. trifoliata stems, with particular attention to the triterpene and triterpene saponin constituents, and resulted in the isolation of three new triterpenes (1-3) and three new triterpene saponins (11-13), together with seven known triterpenes (4-10) and 12 known triterpene saponins (14-25). The structures of the new compounds were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including two-dimensional NMR spectroscopic data, and the results of hydrolysis.