Development of a machine learning model to predict the probability of health checkup participation in Japan.

Objectives: Enhancing health checkup participation is crucial for early detection and treatment of noncommunicable diseases and for improving public health. Effectively increasing health checkup rates requires identifying and encouraging individuals likely to adopt health-oriented behaviours. We aimed to develop a machine learning model to predict the participation probability in a specific health checkup in the following year.

Effects of parenteral nutrition supplemented with beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate on gut-associated lymphoid tissue and morphology in mice.

Background: Parenteral nutrition (PN) without enteral nutrition (EN) leads to marked atrophy of gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), causing mucosal defense failure in both the gut and the extraintestinal mucosal system. We evaluated the effects of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) on GALT and gut morphology in PN-fed mice.

Methods: Experiment 1: male Institute of Cancer Research mice were assigned to the Chow (n = 12), Control (standard PN: n = 10), or H600 and H2000 (PN containing 600 mg/kg or H2000 mg/kg body weight of Ca-HMB: n = 12 and 10, respectively) groups.

Efficacy of Pharmacotherapy for Seasonal Influenza in Young and Middle-aged Adults: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.

Objective Seasonal influenza affects healthcare demand. However, the efficacy of anti-influenza drugs, particularly among young patients at a low risk of complications, has rarely been evaluated. Therefore, we evaluated the efficacy of anti-influenza drugs against seasonal influenza in healthy young and middle-aged adults.

Effect of a Community-Based Program to Accelerate Referral to Physicians for Individuals at High-Risk of Lifestyle-Related Diseases: A Cluster Randomized Trial.

Aim: A cluster randomized trial was conducted within 43 Japanese municipalities (21 intervention and 22 usual care) to examine whether the standardized health counseling for individuals at high cardiovascular risk screened at community sites accelerates clinic visits to strengthen the primary health care system.

Methods: Among high-risk individuals aged 40-74 years screened by health checkups, 8,977 and 6,733 were allocated to the intervention and usual care groups, respectively, who were not under medical treatment but had high levels of blood pressure (systolic/diastolic ≥ 160/100 mmHg), hemoglobin A1c or glucose (≥ 7.0% or corresponding glucose levels), LDL-cholesterol (≥ 180 mg/dL for men), and/or proteinuria of ≥ 2+.

Prehabilitation Ameliorates Gut Ischemia Reperfusion Injury in Mice.

Introduction: We previously demonstrated that prehabilitation by running on a treadmill leads to improved survival after gut ischemia reperfusion (I/R) in mice. The purpose of this research was to examine whether prehabilitation attenuates inflammatory responses after gut I/R in mice.

Materials And Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice (n = 92) were assigned to the sedentary (n = 46) or the exercise (n = 46) group.

Lipid Compositions of Total Parenteral Nutrition Affect Gut Peyer's Patches and Morphology in Mice.

Introduction: Although parenteral nutrition (PN) is the only option for providing adequate nutrition to patients who cannot tolerate oral ingestion, it severely impairs intestinal barrier function in terms of morphology and immunity. While addition of either soybean oil (SO) or fish oil (FO) to PN partially reverses these defects, the effects of the oil composition (FO/SO ratio) on morphology and gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT) have yet to be elucidated. We focused on the effects of the FO/SO ratio in PN on the number of lymphocytes in Peyer's patches, immunoglobulin A levels, and intestinal structures.

Evaluation of public health nurse-led health counseling programs for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in Amagasaki City, Japan.

Objective: We evaluated whether Amagasaki health counseling programs led by public health nurses (PHNs) are contribute to improving cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and CVD mortality among adult residents.

Design And Sample: This cross-sectional study used a before-and-after comparative design. We evaluated data from health checkups and mortality before and after Amagasaki health promotion programs.

Heat acclimation ameliorated heat stress-induced acute kidney injury and prevented changes in kidney macrophages and fibrosis.

Heatstroke can cause acute kidney injury (AKI), which reportedly progresses to chronic kidney disease. Kidney macrophages may be involved in such injury. Although heat acclimation (HA) provides thermal resilience, its renoprotective effect and mechanism remain unclear.

Impact of modifiable healthy lifestyle adoption on lifetime gain from middle to older age.

Objective: this study explored whether the modification of selected lifestyles is likely to increase life expectancy from middle age onwards, regardless of the presence of major comorbidities.

Methods: we examined a prospective cohort of 20,373 men and 26,247 women aged 40-80 years. Eight modifiable lifestyle factors were assessed: consumption of fruit, fish and milk, walking and/or sports participation, body-mass index, smoking status, alcohol consumption and sleep duration.

Early biomarkers for kidney injury in heat-related illness patients: a prospective observational study at Japanese Self-Defense Force Fuji Hospital.

Background: Since heatstroke-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) can progress to chronic kidney disease, it would be useful to detect heatstroke-induced AKI and severe heat-related illness in the early phase. We studied the epidemiology of heat-related illness among patients in the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force and evaluated the relationship between heat-related illness severity and early urinary biomarkers for AKI.

Methods: We enrolled patients who were diagnosed with heat-related illness at the Self-Defense Force Fuji Hospital from 1 May to 30 September 2020.

Influence of a Low-Carbohydrate High-Fat Diet on Peritoneal Inflammation, Cancer-Associated Lymphocytes, and Survival in a Murine Carcinomatous Peritonitis Model.

Background: Low-carbohydrate high-fat diets (LCHFDs) are thought to be beneficial for metabolic support in patients with advanced cancer. However, whether LCHFDs affect the progression of carcinomatous peritonitis (CP) remains unclear. Our study examined the influence of a lard-based LCHFD on host immunity and survival in a murine CP model.

Japan Trial in High-Risk Individuals to Enhance Their Referral to Physicians (J-HARP)-A Nurse-Led, Community-Based Prevention Program of Lifestyle-Related Disease.

Background: It is uncertain whether health counselling after community-based health checkups for high-risk individuals of lifestyle-related disease enhances their referral to physicians.

Methods: We performed a clustered randomized controlled trial of untreated high-risk individuals aged 40 to 74 years who were screened from the annual health checkup in 2014 and 2015 under the national health insurance in 43 municipalities around Japan, assigning 21 intervention and 22 usual care municipalities. The high-risk conditions were severe forms of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia (for men), and proteinuria.

Influences of Short-Term Fasting and Carbohydrate Supplementation on Gut Immunity and Mucosal Morphology in Mice.

Background: Preoperative carbohydrate (CHO) supplementation has been recommended in enhanced recovery after surgery protocols. However, the effects of CHO supplementation on gut and systemic immunity are not well understood.

Methods: Mice (n = 60) were randomized to 1 of the following 5 groups: control (ad lib feeding), 12-hour fasting without CHO administration (fasting), and 12 hours of fasting with CHO administration at 2, 4, and 8 hours before sacrifice.

Effects of semielemental diet containing whey peptides on Peyer's patch lymphocyte number, immunoglobulin A levels, and intestinal morphology in mice.

Background: Enteral nutrition (EN) is the gold standard of nutritional therapy for critically ill or severely injured patients, because EN promotes gut and hepatic immunity, thereby preventing infectious complications as compared with parenteral nutrition. However, there are many EN formulas with different protein and fat contents. Their effects on gut-associated lymphoid tissue remain unclear.

Noradrenalin effectively rescues mice from blast lung injury caused by laser-induced shock waves.

Background: Blast lung injuries (BLI) caused by blast waves are extremely critical in the prehospital setting, and hypotension is thought to be the main cause of death in such cases. The present study aimed to elucidate the pathophysiology of severe BLI using laser-induced shock wave (LISW) and identify the initial treatment.

Methods: The current investigation comprised two parts.

The influence of dietary restriction on hepatic mononuclear cell numbers and functions in mice.

Background: Surgical patients with gastrointestinal malignancies are at increased risk for malnutrition. However, the mechanism by which dietary restriction (DR), one form of malnutrition, impairs hepatic immunity remains to be clarified. The present study was designed to examine the influence of DR on hepatic mononuclear cell (MNC) numbers, subpopulations, and cytokine productions (tumor necrosis factor α [TNF-α], interferon gamma [IFN-γ], and interleukin 10 [IL-10]) in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mice.

An inverse U-shaped association of late and peak insulin levels during an oral glucose load with glucose intolerance in a Japanese population: a cross-sectional study.

The current study investigated the association of post-load insulin levels with glucose tolerance in a Japanese population. A total of 1450 Japanese employees who underwent a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were included. Glucose tolerance was assessed by 120-min glucose levels during a 75-g OGTT.

Weight reduction is associated with improvement of glycemic control in Japanese men, whose hemoglobin A1C is 5.6-6.4%, with visceral fat accumulation, but not without visceral fat accumulation.

Aims/introduction: The aim of the present study was to determine whether weight reduction is associated with improvement of glycemic control in non-obese and obese subjects with or without visceral fat accumulation, whose hemoglobin A1c (A1C) is 5.6-6.4%.

Distribution of the Matsuda Index in Japanese healthy subjects.

We investigated the cut-off point of the Matsuda Index in Japanese according to the guideline from the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. A total of 1,596 subjects free from medications for diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and/or hypertension, and without cardiovascular diseases or chronic renal failure underwent a health check-up and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). We recruited 204 healthy reference individuals with normal glucose tolerance without obesity, any component of metabolic syndrome or elevated alanine aminotransferase.

Influence of fish to soybean oil ratio on hepatic mononuclear cell function and survival after intraportal bacterial challenge in parenterally fed mice.

Background: Parenteral nutrition (PN) is indispensable for meeting the caloric and substrate needs of patients who cannot receive adequate amounts of enteral nutrition. However, PN decreases hepatic mononuclear cell (MNC) numbers and impairs their functions. We examined the effects of various ratios of ω-3 to ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids on hepatic MNC number and function in a murine model.

Contribution of visceral fat accumulation and adiponectin to the clustering of metabolic abnormalities in a Japanese population.

Aim: The clustering of metabolic abnormalities occurs not only due to abdominal obesity but also other etiologies. We investigated the contribution of visceral fat accumulation and the circulating adiponectin level to the clustering of metabolic abnormalities in a Japanese population.

Methods: We used the data for 1,989 Japanese employees to perform a structural equation modeling analysis.