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Joshua Runtuwene,1,2 Kai-Chun Cheng,1 Akihiro Asakawa,1 Haruka Amitani,1 Marie Amitani,1 Akinori Morinaga,1 Yoshiyuki Takimoto,3 Bernabas Harold Ralph Kairupan,2 Akio Inui1 1Department of Psychosomatic Internal Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan; 2Faculty of Medicine, Sam Ratulangi University, Manado, Indonesia; 3Department of Biomedical Ethics, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan Background: Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a natural substance that may be useful for treating diabetes mellitus. The present study investigated the effects of RA on glucose homeostasis and insulin regulation in rats with streptozocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetes or high-fat diet (HFD)-induced type 2 diabetes.Methods: Glucose homeostasis was determined using oral glucose tolerance tests and postprandial glucose tests, and insulin activity was evaluated using insulin tolerance tests and the homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance. Additionally, the protein expression levels of PEPCK and GLUT4 were determined using Western blot analysis.Results: RA administration exerted a marked hypoglycemic effect on STZ-induced diabetic rats and enhanced glucose utilization and insulin sensitivity in HFD-fed diabetic rats. These effects of RA were dose-dependent. Meanwhile, RA administration reversed the STZ- and HFD-induced increase in PEPCK expression in the liver and the STZ- and HFD-induced decrease in GLUT4 expression in skeletal muscle.Conclusion: RA reduces hyperglycemia and ameliorates insulin sensitivity by decreasing PEPCK expression and increasing GLUT4 expression. Keywords: diabetes mellitus, STZ, HFD, HOMA-IR, PEPCK, GLUT4

Recent experimental and computational studies on intense short-pulse-laser interactions with small objects such as molecules (C[sub 60]) and clusters are reviewed. An anisotropic Coulomb explosion of C[sub 60] was observed, on irradiation by a high-intensity laser pulse (1 × 10[sup 16]W/cm²). The energy distributions of C[sup q+] ions (q = 1 − 4) (distributed over 1 keV) generated from the explosion process were characterized, with their dependence on laser polarization. These results are qualitatively explained by classical molecular-dynamics simulation. It was clearly established that the crucial process for the anisotropic Coulomb explosion is not electron impact ionization, but cascade hopping of electrons. An analytical model and three-dimensional particle simulations of intense laser interaction with a cluster of overdense plasma are presented. When the laser intensity is above a critical value, it blows off all electrons from the cluster and forms a non-neutral ion cloud. During the Coulomb explosion of the ion cloud, ions acquire energy. Ion energy spectra are discussed in detail for different densities and sizes of clusters with various laser intensities. It is shown that ultra-fast ions are produced for relatively large clusters, and that the ion energy reaches to three times greater than the maximum electrostatic potential energy of the ion cloud. The laser-driven Coulomb explosion of a cluster may provide a new high-energy ion source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and the urocortins (UCN1, UCN2, and UCN3) belong to the CRF family of peptides and are the major regulators of the adaptive response to internal and external stresses. The actions of CRF and UCNs are mediated through two receptor subtypes: CRF receptor 1 (CRFR1) and CRFR2. Their physiological roles, among other functions, include the regulation of food intake and anxiety-like behavior. In this review, we describe the progress that has been made towards understanding how anxiety- and depression-like behavior and food intake are regulated by CRF, UCN1, UCN2, and UCN3.

In order to recognize the odor of soy sauce, an electronic nose having 32 different semiconducting polymers was used. Prior to the odor analysis of soy sauce, the effect of water vapor in a sample gas on the change in resistance of a sensor was examined using two kinds of spray-dried coffee that exhibited different odors. The effect of the water vapor was eliminated by controlling the humidity of the reference air during baseline determination. Two dark soy sauces produced by different companies were used. The electronic nose recognized the difference in the odors of the soy sauces, of which point mappings formed clusters of odor apart from each other. The change in odor with time caused by exposure to air was also detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Aromatherapy has not accrued enough evidence to be integrated into standardized clinical medicine. If high-quality evidence supports the effects of aromatherapy, it will be handled as a parallel option to standardized medical treatment. The aromatherapeutic impact of peppermint (Mentha × piperita L.) essential oil has been researched to a certain extent, such as on pain, anxiety, fatigue, or depression. Considering the rising expenditure on dementia care, the potential effects of peppermint on cognition have become increasingly significant. Therefore, we performed a systematic review of the studies on the impact of peppermint on cognition and attention. Methods We focused on human research, and the effects of peppermint scents were required to be inhaled. According to the inclusion criteria, searching from PubMed, Scopus, and Gale Academic OneFile, we identified a total of 115 studies. Finally, eight references were selected for review. The risk of bias was analyzed according to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) criteria. Results Each reviewed reference had its own strength in investigating the effects of peppermint scent. However, as most studies have noted, the impact of peppermint should be assessed from multiple perspectives, including psychological, physiological, neurological, and pharmacological factors. The risk of bias was not found to be severe (high risk of bias rate: 35.7 ± 3.4%), our critical review elucidated the heterogeneity of the reviewed studies. Conclusion In summary, drawing a definitive conclusion at this stage is premature. Therefore, more carefully designed studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis., (S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Obesity is a global health concern that increases the risk of numerous complications, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Conventional obesity treatments, such as lifestyle modifications, pharmacotherapy, and surgical interventions, are often insufficient, highlighting the need for more efficient and effective approaches. Yoga, an ancient mind-body practice incorporating physical postures (asanas), breathing exercises (pranayama), and meditation, has emerged as a potential therapeutic intervention for obesity management. This review examines the functions of leptin and adiponectin, two key adipocytokines central to obesity, and evaluates the impact of yoga on these hormones. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar with the keywords "yoga" and "adipocytokine" as of May 5, 2024, resulting in the selection of 12 relevant studies. The majority of studies reviewed demonstrated that yoga significantly decreases leptin levels and increases adiponectin levels. Intensive yoga sessions and combined dietary interventions were found to contribute notably to improvements in these hormonal levels. These findings suggest that yoga may improve the balance between leptin and adiponectin, offering beneficial effects on anti-obesity and chronic inflammation reduction. Yoga, as an economical and non-invasive treatment option, presents a promising approach to managing obesity. Further research is expected to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and explore potential clinical applications., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2025, Shimizu et al.)

Introduction: School refusal is one of the serious problems with children's mental health, and various studies have examined its prevalence and factors among students. Although many studies suggested that anxiety and depression are deeply associated with school refusal, there is little agreement as to effective interventions. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mindfulness yoga intervention in children with school refusal., Method: This study is a multicenter, exploratory, open cluster-randomized controlled trial. 43 participants aged 10-15 years with school refusal were randomly assigned to a non-yoga group with treatment as usual (TAU) which includes cognitive behavioral therapy based on self-monitoring, or a yoga group (4-week mindfulness yoga program provided by video sessions + TAU). The primary outcome was symptoms of anxiety evaluated by Spence Children's Anxiety Scale-Children (SCAS-C). Participants were assessed in four time periods: a 2-week baseline (Day -14), a baseline (Day 1), a post-test after 4 weeks of treatment (Day 29), and an 8-week follow-up (Day 85). Statistical analysis was conducted by a linear mixed effect model using SAS version 9.4., Results: 43 participants were included in the Full-analysis set (FAS) (21 in the mindfulness yoga group and 22 in the non-yoga group). The estimates of SCAS-C at post-test adjusted for baseline values in each treatment group were 39.9 in the mindfulness yoga group and 39.4 in the non-yoga group. The between-group difference for the estimates was 0.4 (80%CI -4.8 to -5.6, p  = 0.54), which indicated mindfulness yoga program has no significant effect on anxiety compared with TAU. However, on an exploratory analysis of the subscale of SCAS-C, significant improvement was observed on the Physical Injury Fears subscale. The pulse rate was significantly lower in the yoga group compared to the non-yoga group., Conclusion: This study indicated the safety of a mindfulness yoga intervention for children with school refusal, but the effectiveness of the intervention for anxiety was limited. Further research is needed to determine the long-term effects of yoga and how it can best be integrated with other therapies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Kawazu, Amitani, Suzuki, Amitani, Monuki, Wada, Toyohira, Hamada, Yamamoto, Yoshimura, Mizuma, Nishida, Watanabe, Hirose, Tagawa, Ota, Asakawa and Owaki.)

Introduction: The most effective method of assessing sarcopenia has yet to be determined, whether by single muscle or by whole muscle segmentation. The purpose of this study was to compare the prognostic value of these two methods using computed tomography (CT) images in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)., Materials and Methods: Sex- and age-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were employed for each parameter of sarcopenia related to overall survival, disease-free survival, and disease-specific survival. Harrell's concordance index was calculated for each model to assess discriminatory power., Results: In this study including 165 patients, a significant correlation was found between the CT-based assessment of individual muscles and their cross-sectional area. Single muscle assessments showed slightly higher discriminatory power in survival outcomes compared to whole muscle assessments, but the difference was not statistically significant, as indicated by overlapping confidence intervals for the C-index between assessments. To further validate our measurements, we classified patients into two groups based on intramuscular adipose tissue content (P-IMAC) of the spinous process muscle. Analysis showed that the higher the P-IMAC value, the poorer the survival outcome., Conclusion: Our findings indicate a slight advantage of single-muscle over whole-muscle assessment in prognostic evaluation, but the difference between the two methods is not conclusive. Both assessment methods provide valuable prognostic information for patients with OSCC, and further studies involving larger, independent cohorts are needed to clarify the potential advantage of one method over the other in the prognostic assessment of sarcopenia in OSCC., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Takayama, Yoshimura, Suzuki, Hirano, Tezuka, Ishida, Ishihata, Amitani, Amitani, Nakamura, Imamura, Inui and Nakamura.)

Rationale: Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by idiopathic persistent chronic pain in the ligaments or musculoskeletal system, and more than half of the patients with FM might have migraine headaches. Direct musculoskeletal intervention could be a non-pharmacological management to relieve symptoms. However, patients with severe FM often have intense pain from only a soft touch, thereby rendering musculoskeletal intervention challenging., Patient Concerns: A 47-year-old man had progressing intense pain, and this affected his everyday life. There were no abnormal physical findings on laboratory examination such as levels of complement, antinuclear antibodies, and C-reactive protein, which were within normal limits. Magnetic resonance imaging did not indicate abnormalities., Diagnoses, Interventions, and Outcomes: The patient satisfied the American College of Rheumatology criteria. Finally, we made a final diagnosis of fibromyalgia. The therapeutic intervention of Kanshoho, the unique muscle relaxation technique with low force, relieved his pain., Lessons: If Kanshoho is carefully applied in a state of hospitalization under surveillance by an experienced physician, it could be a promising muscle relaxation method. Relaxing the trapezius muscle and reducing its intramuscular pressure might be key in treating patients with severe FM. However, it needs elucidation of its mechanism., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

With the global trend towards longer life expectancies, there's an increasing emphasis on not just living longer, but also maintaining health and wellbeing into older age. This study explores the efficacy of Ninjin'yoeito (NYT) in the early stages of frailty, a critical period for preventive interventions. Taking account of the knowledge gap regarding the association between early frailty and NYT, we use data from workplace health checkups to examine the relationship between pre-frailty severity and NYT adaption. The objective of our research is to enhance the comprehension of early treatments using NYT to prevent the progression of frailty. A total of 314 employees of the Kyoto Industrial Health Association who received workplace health checkups between November 2021 and March 2023 and consented to this study were included in the analysis. Information on gender, age, body mass index (BMI), NYT-specific symptoms assessment, the Japanese version of the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), and the Kihon Checklist (KCL) were obtained. The correlation analysis revealed that there was a strong positive correlation between the number of applicable NYT indications and the GHQ-12 score (r = 0.5992, p < 0.0001). Similarly, a moderate positive correlation was observed between the number of applicable NYT indications and the KCL score (r = 0.5030, p < 0.0001). In the multivariate analysis, both GHQ-12 (β = 0.49, SE = 0.06, t = 7.66, 95% CI: 0.36 to 0.62, p = 0.000) and KCL (β = 0.54, SE = 0.12, t = 4.29, 95% CI: 0.29 to 0.79, p = 0.000) showed significant positive associations with the variance in the number of applicable NYT indications, indicating that higher scores on these measures were related to a greater number of indications. NYT has the potential to be utilized not only as a therapeutic intervention for frailty, but also as a preventive measure., Competing Interests: YK and MK were employed by Kracie Pharma, Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Amitani, Suzuki, Kobayashi, Murayama, Uto, Kuroda, Kobayashi, Kawabe, Amitani, Inui and Marunaka.)

Rationale: Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an extreme fear of weight gain. Clinicians often prescribe meal replacement shakes if patients are unable or unwilling to consume typical foods. However, these shakes sometimes lack essential micronutrients, such as selenium, which may lead to health risks. Moreover, selenium deficiency induces macrocytic anemia. Herein, we present a case of a patient with anorexia nervosa with macrocytic anemia due to selenium deficiency, which was alleviated by selenium supplementation., Patient Concerns: An 18-year-old female was admitted to our hospital. The patient was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. Ultimately, she was unable to walk independently because of fatigue and electrolyte disturbances., Clinical Findings: On admission, the height, weight, and body mass index of the patient were 158.5 cm, 27.1 kg, and 10.8, respectively. Our treatment for anorexia nervosa showed relative effectiveness, and the patient's body weight recovered to 29.2 kg by day 60. However, the mean corpuscular volume increased from day 20, suggesting macrocytic anemia., Diagnoses, Interventions, and Outcomes: Despite our vitamin B12 and folic acid supplementation interventions, the mean corpuscular volume continued to rise. On day 60, the patient was diagnosed with selenium deficiency, and selenium administration of 100 μg/day was initiated., Outcomes: The macrocytic anemia in the patient was alleviated, and treatment for anorexia nervosa was continued in our hospital., Lessons: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of macrocytic anemia induced by selenium deficiency with anorexia nervosa comorbidity, underscoring the importance of selenium supplementation in patients with anorexia nervosa, especially in those with macrocytic anemia., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Anxiety disorder is the most prevalent psychiatric disorder. Benzodiazepines, which are often used for anxiety in patients with anxiety disorder, have various side effects. Lavender, one of the most commonly used essential oils in aromatherapy, has the potential to reduce benzodiazepine use for anxiety disorders., Methods: This study is a multicenter, double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The study will recruit patients aged 20-59 years old with generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder among anxiety disorders. The bottle containing the test solution (lavender aroma essential oil or distilled water) will be given to the patients. Patients will carry the bottles with them in their daily life and use the drops on tissue paper when anxious. The primary endpoint is the number of times anxiolytics used in 28 days., Discussion: If the use of benzodiazepines could be reduced by sniffing lavender aroma, which is inexpensive and safe, it would contribute not only to the risks associated with benzodiazepine use but also to the health care economy and could even be added as a standard treatment., Trial Registration: University hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR), ID: UMIN000034422 Registered 17 January 2019., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Stress is inevitable in humans and stress changes our physical and mental states. Stress has been studied epidemiologically, biologically, and psychologically. First defined in 1990, emotional intelligence (EI) affects psychological stress management. In contrast, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is suggested to play a vital role in stress management. Human PFC activity can be inferred from the balance of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin in cerebral blood flow, which can be measured and calculated using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). An important cognitive activation task to activate the PFC is the verbal fluency task (VFT). Therefore, if the PFC is activated by the VFT and monitored by fNIRS, and the activity correlates with EI, fNIRS can be used to measure EI. In this study, Psychological tests using the self-rating depression scale, state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI), and trait emotional intelligence questionnaire-short form (TEIQue-SF) were conducted to evaluate the correlation with VFT performance. Relative oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin concentrations were measured using an fNIRS device, and their correlation with VFT performance was tested. Spearman correlation coefficient was used to determine correlations. Results were as follows. Although VFT performance did not correlate with the oxygenated hemoglobin concentration ([Oxy-Hb]) changes, [Oxy-Hb] was elevated in all channels. VFT performance was significantly negatively correlated with the Zung self-rating depression scale (ρ = 0.063, P = .759), trait anxiety or anxiety level as a personal characteristic of STAI (ρ = 0.243, P = .232), and state anxiety or anxiety about an event of STAI (ρ = -0.138, P = .500), whereas no correlation was found with the TEIQue-SF (ρ = 0.303, P = .132). Healthy individuals PFC activity is not severely affected by their mental state and cognitive activation successfully activates the PFC, supporting the hypothesis that EI is correlated with frontal cortical activation during the VFT in a nonclinical population. EI may play a vital role in reducing stress associated with depression and anxiety in our social lives. Although we failed to show a statistical correlation between TEIQue-SF and [Oxy-Hb] due to a sample size shortage, our preliminary study was the first to attempt to show the PFC activity of EI through a hemodynamic response. Future research may elucidate the role of EI in reducing psychological stress in social life., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Rationale: Refeeding syndrome (RS) is a fatal condition caused by rapid calorie intake during starvation. Self-neglected fasting in psychiatric disorders is associated with RS. However, overeating resulting from circumventing the clinician's instructions does not have a reportedly high risk of RS., Patient Concerns: A 47-year-old undernourished woman with borderline personality disorder was hospitalized for nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea., Clinical Findings: She had not eaten much for 10 days and had lost weight (56.5-51.1 kg) over 3 weeks. No abnormalities were indicated on physical examination and imaging examinations., Diagnoses, Interventions, and Outcomes: Infectious diseases and malignancies were excluded from the differential diagnosis. On the third day of admission, the patient's serum phosphorus level significantly decreased to 0.7 mg/dL, and additional sodium phosphate was administered intravenously. On the fourth day, despite our instructions, the patient was found to be eating nonhospital food from the first day of admission. In conjunction with her history, a final diagnosis of RS was made. After appropriate treatments, the patient was discharged on the 15th day of hospitalization. The patient's nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea were improved., Lessons: When undernourished patients have psychiatric disorders, including borderline personality disorder or schizophrenia, the occurrence of RS should be considered based on the patients' poor adherence to physicians' instructions., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Rationale: Idiopathic achalasia is an esophageal peristaltic dysfunction of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The initial symptom is progressive dysphagia. However, due to its rarity, it is often misdiagnosed as an esophageal disorder. High LES pressure on esophageal manometry is an essential finding for the diagnosis., Patient Concerns: A 55-year-old man was hospitalized with saliva-like vomitus, stuck-in-throat feeling of dysphagia, and weight loss., Clinical Findings: On initial admission, gastrointestinal endoscopy, esophageal manometry, laboratory tests, and physical examination results were within normal limits., Diagnoses, Interventions, and Outcomes: Initially, the patient was diagnosed with globus sensation and recovered with medication. However, the symptoms recurred. He requested another examination on the second admission and was diagnosed with achalasia based on repeat esophageal manometry. The patient recovered after surgical treatment., Lessons: When patients still suffer from these symptoms, there is a need to reconsider achalasia, even if it is initially excluded from the differential diagnosis. Medication is not a radical treatment; however, it sometimes ameliorates symptoms. Moreover, the psychosomatic approach can be useful in such cases., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Better prognostic biomarkers for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) must be developed, particularly within the realm of clinically and frequently administered tests, to advise appropriate clinical therapy and follow-up. In this study, we retrospectively investigated which of the several inflammation-nutrition indicators might predict the prognosis of patients with OSCC. Methods:   The preoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), CRP-albumin ratio (CAR), Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), modified GPS (mGPS), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), controlling nutrition status (CONUT), and modified CONUT (mCONUT) were retrospectively evaluated using blood samples collected 1-5 days before surgery. To estimate the effect on the prognosis of tumor progression, the mean values of the markers between stages I/II and III/IV were used for subgroup analysis. The multivariate Cox proportional hazards model included all independent variables significantly associated with survival in the univariate analysis to determine the independent variables. Results: A total of 112 patients (69 males and 43 females) with primary OSCC who underwent surgical treatment at our hospital were included. There were statistically significant differences in the mean values of monocytes, platelets, and albumin between stages I/II and III/IV. According to the multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression, a low PNI was associated with shorter overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS); women were associated with shorter DFS. Conclusion: The pretreatment PNI had excellent predictive value for the 5-year OS and DFS of patients with OSCC. Future large-scale prospective studies with a high sample size are needed to verify our findings in OSCC patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yoshimura, Suzuki, Takayama, Higashi, Hirano, Tezuka, Ishida, Ishihata, Amitani, Amitani, Nishi, Nakamura, Imamura, Nozoe, Inui and Nakamura.)

With the recent aging of society, the prevention of frailty has become an important issue because people desire both a long and healthy lifespan. Klotho-hypomorphic (kl/kl) mice are known to show phenotypes of premature aging. Ninjin'yoeito (NYT) is a traditional Japanese Kampo medicine used to treat patients with vulnerable constitution, fatigue or physical exhaustion caused by aging and illness. Recent studies have reported the potential efficacy of NYT against frailty. We therefore evaluated the effect of NYT on the gait function, activity, the histopathological status of organs and survival using kl/kl mice as a model of aging-related frailty. Two sets of 28-day-old male kl/kl mice were assigned to the vehicle (non-treated; NT), 3% or 5% NYT dietary groups. One set of groups (NT, n = 18; 3% NYT, n = 11; 5% NYT, n = 11) was subjected to the analysis of free walking, rotarod, and spontaneous activity tests at approximately 58 days old. Thereafter, we measured triceps surae muscles weight and myofiber cross-sectional area (CSA), and quantified its telomere content. In addition, we evaluated bone strength and performed histopathological examinations of organs. Survival was measured in the second set of groups (NT, 3% NYT and 5% NYT group, n = 8 each). In the walking test, several indicators such as gait velocity were improved in the NYT 3% group. Similar results were obtained for the latency to fall in the rotarod test and spontaneous motor activity. Triceps muscle mass, CSA and its telomere content were significantly improved in the NYT 3% group. Bone density, pulmonary alveolus destruction and testicular atrophy were also significantly improved in the NYT 3% group. Survival rate and body weight were both significantly improved in the NYT3% group compared with those in the NT group. Continuous administration of NYT from the early stage of aging improved not only gait performance, but also the survival in the aging-related frailty model. This effect may be associated with the improvements in aging-related organ changes such as muscle atrophy. Intervention with NYT against the progression of frailty may contribute to a longer, healthier life span among the elderly individuals., Competing Interests: Authors HA and AI are affiliated with the Pharmacological Department of Herbal Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences. The Pharmacological Department of Herbal Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences is a joint research department with Kracie Pharma, Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Amitani, Chiba, Amitani, Michihara, Takemoto, Han, Fujita, Takahashi and Inui.)

Background: School refusal occurs in about 1-2% of young people. Anxiety and depression are considered to be the most common emotional difficulties for children who do not attend school. However, at present, no definitive treatment has been established for school refusal, although interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy have been used. This paper reports a protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial of a mindfulness yoga intervention for children with school refusal., Methods: This study is a multicenter, exploratory, open cluster-randomized controlled trial. This study will recruit children aged 10-15 years with school refusal. After a 2-week baseline, participants for each cluster will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: with or without mindfulness yoga for 4 weeks. Mindfulness yoga will be created for schoolchildren for this protocol and distributed to the participants on DVD. The primary outcome is anxiety among children with school refusal using the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale-Children., Discussion: For this study, we developed a mindfulness yoga program and protocol, and examine whether mindfulness yoga can improve anxiety in children with school refusal. Our mindfulness yoga program was developed based on the opinions of children of the same age, and is a program that children can continue to do every day without getting bored. In this way, we believe that we can contribute to the smooth implementation of support to reduce the anxiety of children with school refusal, and to the reduction of the number of children who refuse to go to school., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Amitani, Amitani, Owaki, Monuki, Adachi, Kawazu, Fukumoto, Suzuki, Yoshimura, Mizuma, Nishida, Watanabe, Hirose, Funakoshi, Ota, Murotani and Asakawa.)

In recent years, there has been a lot of research on the effectiveness of Kampo medicine. New findings from modern medicine are also being delivered in addition to traditional education in Japanese University. Kampo treatment covers a wide range of disorders. To achieve multidisciplinary cooperation in Kampo treatment, it is necessary to have an education system in which pharmacy, nursing, medicine and dentistry collaborate. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current status of Kampo classes in Japanese universities to clarify the problems experienced by each department and the needs for a system of interdisciplinary collaboration, and to examine what a new curriculum should encompass. We conducted a questionnaire survey of the Kampo curriculum at all medical, pharmaceutical, dental and nursing schools at universities in Japan. The target respondents were faculty members and administrators in charge of Kampo lectures. Multivariate analysis and correspondence analysis were conducted for multiple response items. Fisher's exact test and Cochrane's Q test were used to compare response frequency among departments and desired collaborators in each faculty, respectively. The results showed that the lack of instructors and the number of hours in the curriculum were problems in the departments of medicine, dentistry, and nursing. Medical, nursing, and dental departments cited the lack of time in their curriculum as a problem. The departments of medicine and pharmacy wished to further incorporate experiential learning (active learning) and problem-based learning/tutorial teaching methods. Incorporating an interdisciplinary collaboration system in the Kampo curriculum was required by a large percentage of respondents from all four academic departments. We identified trends in the problems and needs of each individual department, and this has given us direction for the development of Kampo curriculum in the future. Based on these findings, a new curriculum that includes interdisciplinary collaboration is required., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The purpose of this study was to develop an objective, content-valid, and reliable assessment method for Kampo medicine using an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) for the assessment of clinical competence in Kampo medicine., Methods: We developed a blueprint followed by a list of 47 assessment items and three task scenarios related to clinical competence in Kampo medicine. An eight-member test committee checked the relevance of the assessment items on a Likert scale. We calculated a content validity index and content validity ratio, and used the Angoff method to set the passing threshold. We trained a total of nine simulated patients with three assigned to each scenario. We conducted an OSCE for 11 candidates with varying medical abilities, and conducted three stations per person, which were evaluated by one evaluator in one room by direct observation. We used video recordings to test the inter-rater reliability of the three raters. We used the test results to verify the reliability of the assessment chart., Results: The inter-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [2,1]) was 0.973. The reliability of the assessment chart for each scenario (Cronbach's α) was 0.86, 0.89, and 0.85 for Scenarios 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The reliability of the assessment chart for the whole OSCE (Cronbach's α) was 0.90., Conclusions: We developed a content-valid new OSCE assessment method for Kampo medicine and obtained high inter-rater and test reliabilities. Our findings suggest that this is one of the most reliable evaluation methods for assessing clinical competence in Kampo medicine., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Kampo medicines contain many kinds of herbal drugs. Chinpi and Kippi, dried citrus peels, are components of a substantial number of Kampo medicine. They contain abundant flavonoids and studies on hesperidin, narirutin, and nobiletin as active ingredient have been conducted. Conversely, in Kagoshima prefecture, located in the southwestern part of the Japanese Islands, various citrus products are cultivated. Among them, Tankan and Daimasaki are specialies. In this study, we conducted high- performance liquid chromatography to determine the difference in flavonoid contents among Tankan, Daimasaki, Tankan related product, Chinpi, and Kippi. As a result, several active components, such as hesperidin, narirutin, nobiletin, and tangeretin, in common with crude drug, Chinpi, were detected in local citrus fruits. In addition, some active components little or not found in Chinpi, for example hesperetin and rutin, were detected in the local products. A detailed analysis of active components considering their genetic origin, the time of fruit collection, and different parts of the fruit used (peel, albedo, edible parts, and the whole) will need to be discussed to get the most out of the citrus fruits or make best use of them for health and longevity., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Accumulating evidence has shown that sarcopenia in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is at a risk of poor prognosis. There is no universal consensus on how to assess sarcopenia in patients with OSCC in daily practice. It is important to validate the usefulness of sarcopenia assessment from cervical muscles, which are frequently used in routine clinical practice in patients with OSCC. In this study, we investigated whether preoperative lumbar (L3) skeletal muscle mass and adiposity in OSCC patients were associated with cervical (C3) skeletal muscle mass and adiposity from CT measurements. We also investigated whether skeletal muscle mass and adiposity in the C3 muscles were associated with survival rates in patients with OSCC. We demonstrated that both the quality and quantity of muscle between the C3 and L3 levels were positively correlated with each other. We also demonstrated that the survival rates in patients with low sternocleidomastoid muscle mass index, high processus spinosus muscle-intramuscular adipose tissue content, and the combination of both were significantly lower than those in the controls. These results suggest that the assessment of sarcopenia from multiple neck muscles by preoperative CT measurements may be useful in predicting the prognosis of patients with OSCC.

Patients with AN often express psychological symptoms such as body image distortion, cognitive biases, abnormal facial recognition, and deficits in working memory. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the impairment of cognitive behaviors in AN remain unknown. In the present study, we measured cognitive behavior using novel object recognition (NOR) tasks and mRNA expressions in hypothalamic neuropeptides in female C57BL/6J mice with activity-based anorexia (ABA). Additionally, we evaluated the effects of antagonists with intracerebroventricular (icv) administration on the impairment of cognitive behavior in NOR tasks. Our results showed that NOR indices were lowered, subsequently increasing mRNA levels of agouti-related peptide (AgRP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY), and c-Fos- and AgRP- or NPY-positive cells in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus in ABA mice. We also observed that icv administration of anti-NPY antiserum (2 µl), anti-AgRP antibody (0.1 μg), and Y5 receptor antagonist CPG71683 (15 nmol) significantly reversed the decreased NOR indices. Therefore, our results suggest that increased NPY and AgRP signaling in the brain might contribute to the impairment of cognitive behavior in AN., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Aggressive therapy-resistant and refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has an extremely poor outcome. By analyzing a large number of genetically complex and diverse, primary high-risk poor-outcome human AML samples, we identified specific pathways of therapeutic vulnerability. Through drug screens followed by extensive in vivo validation and genomic analyses, we found inhibition of cytosolic and mitochondrial anti-apoptotic proteins XIAP, BCL2 and MCL1, and a key regulator of mitosis, AURKB, as a vulnerability hub based on patient-specific genetic aberrations and transcriptional signatures. Combinatorial therapeutic inhibition of XIAP with an additional patient-specific vulnerability eliminated established AML in vivo in patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) bearing diverse genetic aberrations, with no signs of recurrence during off-treatment follow-up. By integrating genomic profiling and drug-sensitivity testing, this work provides a platform for a precision-medicine approach for treating aggressive AML with high unmet need., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc. part of Springer Nature.)

The purposes of this study were as follows: to compare premorbid IQ with present IQ in patients with more severe anorexia nervosa restricting type (AN-R) and to investigate the relationship between decreasing IQ and symptoms in patients with severe AN-R. Twenty-two participants were recruited (12 were AN-R patients; 10 were healthy controls). The average BMI in AN-R patients and healthy controls was 12.65 and 19.82, respectively. We assessed the outcomes using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III), the Japanese Adult Reading Test, The Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2), Beck Depression Scale-2 (BDI-2) and State-Trait Anxiety Index. In two-way ANOVA, there were significant interactions for the FIQ and PIQ. Only in the AN-R group, a significant single main effect of time was evidenced for the FIQ and PIQ. In the AN-R group, a significantly high positive correlation was found between changes in the PIQ and the body dissatisfaction subscale of the EDI-2. These findings raise the possibility that in patients with severe AN-R, an excessive decrease in body weight induces decreased PIQ; as a result, they have worse dissatisfaction with their body shape., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

The one-step reaction of a dicyanovinyl-functionalized squaric acid with Fischer bases afforded C2v symmetric squaraine dyes with rigid planar structures due to intramolecular N-HO hydrogen bonds. Dense molecular packing, decrease of HOMO level, and sufficient thermal stability for sublimation enabled vacuum-processed OTFTs with hole mobility up to 0.32 cm2 V-1 s-1 and current on/off ratio of 106.

Rubiscolin-6 is an opioid peptide derived from plant ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco). It has been demonstrated that opioid receptors could control glucose homeostasis in skeletal muscle independent of insulin action. Therefore, Rubiscolin-6 may be involved in the control of glucose metabolism. In the present study, we investigated the effect of rubiscolin-6 on glucose uptake in skeletal muscle. Rubiscolin-6-induced glucose uptake was measured using the fluorescent indicator 2-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl) amino]-2-deoxyglucose (2-NBDG) in L6 and C2C12 cell lines. The protein expressions of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in L6 cells were observed by Western blotting. The in vivo effects of rubiscolin-6 were characterized in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Rubiscolin-6 induced a concentration-dependent increase in glucose uptake levels. The increase of phospho-AMPK (pAMPK) and GLUT4 expressions were also observed in L6 and C2C12 cells. Effects of rubiscolin-6 were blocked by opioid receptor antagonists and/or associated signals inhibitors. Moreover, Rubiscolin-6 produced a dose-dependent reduction of blood glucose and increased GLUT4 expression in STZ-induced diabetic rats. In conclusion, rubiscolin-6 increases glucose uptake, potentially via an activation of AMPK to enhance GLUT4 translocation after binding to opioid receptors in skeletal muscle., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC.)

Frailty and sarcopenia have recently gained considerable attention in terms of preventive care in Japan, which has an ever-increasing aging population. Sarcopenia is defined as atrophy of skeletal muscles caused by the age-related decrease in growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor and sex hormones. The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare reports that frailty can lead to impairment of both mental and physical functioning. Chronic diseases such as diabetes and dementia may underlie frailty. It is important to prevent progression of frailty and extend the healthy lifespan. In herbal medicine practice, including Japanese Kampo medicine, "Mibyo," a presymptomatic state, has long been recognized and may be applicable to frailty. Kampo medicines may include several medicinal plants and are thought to have the potential to improve symptoms of frailty, such as loss of appetite and body weight, fatigue, and sarcopenia, as well as anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline. Ninjin'yoeito (Ren Shen Yang Ying Tang) is the most powerful Kampo medicine and has been widely applied to palliative care of cancer patients. This review includes recent anti-aging studies and describes the effects and mechanisms of Ninjin'yoeito (Ren Shen Yang Ying Tang) when used for frailty or to extend a healthy life expectancy.

It is difficult for obese (body mass index of more than 30) and overweight (body mass index of 25-30) people to reduce and maintain their weight. The aim of this case series was to examine the effectiveness of a new cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program that combines mindfulness exercises (e.g., the raisin exercise and breathing exercises) and an online intervention to prevent dropout and subsequent weight gain in overweight participants. This case series included three participants, for whom previous weight reduction programs had been unsuccessful. All participants completed the program (60-min, group sessions provided weekly for 9 weeks) and an 18-month follow-up assessment. Results showed that all participants succeeded in losing weight (loss ranged from 5.30 to 8.88% of their total body weight). Although rebound weight gain is commonly observed in the first year following initial weight loss, the follow-up assessment showed that participants achieved further weight loss during the 18-month follow-up period. These results suggest that a CBT program that comprises mindfulness and an online intervention may be an effective method for weight loss and maintenance, and may prevent dropout in obese and overweight individuals., Trial Registration: This case series was registered at www.umin.ac.jp with identifier UMIN000029664.

With our aging society, more people hope for a long and healthy life. In recent years, researchers have focused on healthy longevity factors. In particular, calorie restriction delays aging, reduces mortality, and extends life. Ghrelin, which is secreted during fasting, is well known as an orexigenic peptide. Because ghrelin is increased by caloric restriction, ghrelin may play an important role in the mechanism of longevity mediated by calorie restriction. In this review, we will discuss the role of orexigenic peptides with a particular focus on ghrelin. We conclude that the ghrelin-growth hormone secretagogue-R signaling pathway may play an important role in the anti-aging mechanism., Competing Interests: No author has relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript.

Caloric restriction (CR) is known to retard aging and delay functional decline as well as the onset of diseases in most organisms. Ghrelin is secreted from the stomach in response to CR and regulates energy metabolism. We hypothesized that in CR ghrelin has a role in protecting aging-related diseases. We examined the physiological mechanisms underlying the ghrelin system during the aging process in three mouse strains with different genetic and biochemical backgrounds as animal models of accelerated or normal human aging. The elevated plasma ghrelin concentration was observed in both klotho-deficient and senescence-accelerated mouse prone/8 (SAMP8) mice. Ghrelin treatment failed to stimulate appetite and prolong survival in klotho-deficient mice, suggesting the existence of ghrelin resistance in the process of aging. However, ghrelin antagonist hastened death and ghrelin signaling potentiators rikkunshito and atractylodin ameliorated several age-related diseases with decreased microglial activation in the brain and prolonged survival in klotho-deficient, SAMP8 and aged ICR mice. In vitro experiments, the elevated sirtuin1 (SIRT1) activity and protein expression through the cAMP-CREB pathway was observed after ghrelin and ghrelin potentiator treatment in ghrelin receptor 1a-expressing cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Furthermore, rikkunshito increased hypothalamic SIRT1 activity and SIRT1 protein expression of the heart in the all three mouse models of aging. Pericarditis, myocardial calcification and atrophy of myocardial and muscle fiber were improved by treatment with rikkunshito. Ghrelin signaling may represent one of the mechanisms activated by CR, and potentiating ghrelin signaling may be useful to extend health and lifespan., Competing Interests: AI has received grant support from Tsumura. The other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background/aim: Macrophage activating factor (MAF)-based immunotherapy has a wide application for use in treating many diseases via macrophage activation. Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) using low-intensity ultrasound and tumor treating field (TTF) therapy are novel therapeutic modalities. SDT is usually combined with ozone therapy to improve local hypoxia within the tumor environment., Case Report: We treated a 77-year-old male diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer ((NSCLC) stage 3B) using second-generation serum GcMAF and oral colostrum MAF-based immunotherapy combined with SDT, TTF and ozone therapies., Results: This case report demonstrates that GcMAF, oral colostrum MAF, SDT, TTF and ozone therapy can be used for NSCLC without adverse effects., Conclusion: This case report suggests a new concept of cancer treatment using local destruction of cancer tissue, in this case conducted with SDT and TTF therapy, to be used in combination with serum GcMAF and colostrum MAF immunotherapy as a systemic treatment., (Copyright© 2016 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.)

Food intake regulation is generally evaluated by many aspects consisting of complex mechanisms, including homeostatic regulatory mechanism, which is based on negative feedback, and hedonic regulatory mechanism, which is driven by a reward system. One important aspect of food intake regulation is the peripheral hormones that are secreted from the gastrointestinal tract. These hormones are secreted from enteroendocrine cells as feedback to nutrient and energy intake, and will communicate with the brain directly or via the vagus nerve. Gastrointestinal hormones are very crucial in maintaining a steady body weight, despite variations in nutrient intake and energy expenditure. In this review, we provide an overview of the regulation of feeding behavior by gut hormones, and its role in obesity treatments.

Ginseng, a perennial plant belonging to the Panax genus of the Araliaceae family, has been used in China, Korea, and Japan as a traditional herbal medicine for thousands of years. Ginseng is recorded to have exhibited a wide variety of beneficial pharmacological effects and has become a popular and worldwide known health supplement and drug. The protective effects of ginseng on central nervous system are discussed in this review. Ginseng species and ginsenosides and their intestinal metabolism and bioavailability are concisely introduced. The molecular mechanisms of the effects of ginseng on central nervous system, mainly focused on the neuroprotection properties of ginseng, memory, and learning enhanced properties, and the effects on neurodegenerative disorders are presented. Thus, ginseng and its constituents are of potential merits in the treatment of cerebral disorders.

We investigated the effect of food appearance on appetite and on left-frontal pole blood flow in healthy young subjects. The iEat, a new form of foods with good appearance and greater softness was hypothesized to have the better effects to the subjects than blender-processed foods. The effect on appetite and left-frontal pole blood flow using hemoencephalography was assessed while participants were viewing the slideshows of two kinds of foods respectively. The slideshows were used to control the showing time and other variables. The pictures of iEat foods stimulated both of them more than the blender-processed ones. The measurement of cerebral blood flow could be a useful method to monitor the cognitive and emotional aspects of feeding behavior that are important for humans. Like iEat, the foods that look as good as ordinary food yet are softer can be used for people with poor appetite and eating difficulties to ordinary food.

Agmatine, an endogenous ligand of imidazoline receptors, is reported to exhibit anti-hyperglycaemic and many other effects. It has been established that the imidazoline I3 receptor is involved in insulin secretion. The current study characterizes the role of the imidazoline I3 receptor in the protection of pancreatic islets. The activity effect of agmatine against on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced (5 mmol/L) rat β cell apoptosis was examined by using ApoTox-Glo triplex assay, live/dead cell double staining assay, flow cytometric analysis, and western blot. Imidazoline I3 receptors antagonist KU14R and the phospholipase C inhibitor named U73122 were treated in β cells to investigate the potential signalling pathways. The serum glucose and recovery of insulin secretion were measured in STZ-treated rats after continuously injected agmatine. The apoptosis in rat β cells was reduced by agmatine in a dose-dependent manner, cell viability was improved after treatment with agmatine and these effects were suppressed after the blockade of KU14R and U73122. Western blot analysis confirmed that agmatine could decrease caspase-3 expression and increase the p-BAD levels. In STZ-treated rats, injection of agmatine for 4 weeks may significantly lower the serum glucose and recovery of insulin secretion. This improvement of pancreatic islets induced by agmatine was deleted by KU14R in vivo. Agmatine can activate the imidazoline I3 receptor linked with the phospholipase C pathway to induce cell protection against apoptosis induced by a low dose of STZ. This finding provides new insight into the prevention of early stage pancreatic islet damage., (© 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.)

Background: In Japan, growth hormone releasing peptide-2 (GHRP-2) is clinically used as a diagnostic agent for growth hormone secretion deficiency, but the therapeutic application of GHRP-2 has not been studied in anorexia nervosa. GHRP-2 reportedly exhibits agonistic action for ghrelin receptor and increases food intake., Methods: We administered GHRP-2 to a patient with a 20-year history of anorexia nervosa to determine whether GHRP-2 treatment increases food intake and body weight. GHRP-2 was administered before every meal by an intranasal approach for 1 year., Results: Although the patient reported a decreased fear of eating and decreased desire to be thin by our previous treatment, she was unable to increase food intake or body weight because of digestive tract dysfunction. Vomiting after meals caused by delayed gastric emptying and incurable constipation were prolonged, and sub-ileus and hypoglycemia were observed. GHRP-2 increased the feeling of hunger and food intake, decreased early satiety and improved hypoglycemia. The patient's body weight gradually increased by 6.7 kg (from 21.1 kg to 27.8 kg) in 14 months after starting GHRP-2 administration. The fatigability and muscle strength improved, and the physical and mental activities were also increased. No obvious side effects were observed after long-term intranasal administration of GHRP-2., Conclusions: Patients with a long-term history of eating disorder occasionally recover from the psychological problems such as fear for obesity but remain emaciated. We believe that ghrelin agonists such as GHRP-2 may be promising agents for the effective treatments of severe anorexia nervosa in a chronic condition.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) including Japanese Kampo is known to have anticancer potential. An increasing number of cancer survivors are using CAM for disease prevention, immune system enhancement, and symptom control. Although there have been abundant previous clinical reports regarding CAM, scientific investigations aimed at acquiring quantifiable results in clinical trials, as well as basic research regarding CAM, have only recently been undertaken. Recent studies suggest that CAM enhancement of immune function is related to cytokines. This review provides a translational aspect of CAM, particularly Hozai in Kampo from both scientific and clinical points of view for further development of CAM for cancer treatment.

Objective. Allantoin is the primary active compound in yams (Dioscorea spp.). Recently, allantoin has been demonstrated to activate imidazoline 3 (I3) receptors located in pancreatic tissues. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the role of allantoin in the effect to improve damage induced in pancreatic β-cells by streptozotocin (STZ) via the I3 receptors. Research Design and Methods. The effect of allantoin on STZ-induced apoptosis in pancreatic β-cells was examined using the ApoTox-Glo triplex assay, live/dead cell double staining assay, flow cytometric analysis, and Western blottings. The potential mechanism was investigated using KU14R: an I3 receptor antagonist, and U73122: a phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor. The effects of allantoin on serum glucose and insulin secretion were measured in STZ-treated rats. Results. Allantoin attenuated apoptosis and cytotoxicity and increased the viability of STZ-induced β-cells in a dose-dependent manner; this effect was suppressed by KU14R and U73112. Allantoin decreased the level of caspase-3 and increased the level of phosphorylated B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) expression detected by Western blotting. The improvement in β-cells viability was confirmed using flow cytometry analysis. Daily injection of allantoin for 8 days in STZ-treated rats significantly lowered plasma glucose and increased plasma insulin levels. This action was inhibited by treatment with KU14R. Conclusion. Allantoin ameliorates the damage of β-cells induced by STZ. The blockade by pharmacological inhibitors indicated that allantoin can activate the I3 receptors through a PLC-related pathway to decrease this damage. Therefore, allantoin and related analogs may be effective in the therapy for β-cell damage.

Oxidative stress is involved in cancer development. Hydrogen (H2) is a potent antioxidant and exhibits anti-inflammatory and potentially anticancer-like activities. This study aimed to investigate the role of H2 incombination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in cancer treatment both in vitro and in vivo using the colon 26 cell line. The survival rate was determined using the Kaplan-Meier survival test, and cell viability was assessed using cell viability imaging kit and the MTT assay, and activation of the cell apoptosis pathway (Phosphorylated adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase (p-AMPK), Apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and Caspase 3) were characterized by western blots. Hydrogen water administration improved the survival of mice with colon 26-induced cancer. Furthermore, hydrogen water enhanced cell apoptosis in cancer cells, resulting in a marked increase in the expression of p-AMPK, AIF and Caspase 3 in colon 26 cells. Hydrogen water also increased the inhibitory effect of 5-FU on colon 26 cells with spect to cell survival rate and anticancer functions. Additionally, high-content hydrogen water exhibited stronger antioxidative and anticancer activity than did the natural hydrogen water. In conclusion, high-content hydrogen water can inhibit colon cancer, particularly in combination with 5-fluorouracil.

Rice koji is considered a readily accessible functional food that may have health-promoting effects. We investigated whether white, yellow, and red koji have the anti-obesity effect in C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD), which is a model for obesity. Mice were fed HFD containing 10% (w/w) of rice koji powder or steamed rice for 4 weeks. Weight gain, epididymal white adipose tissue, and total adipose tissue weight were significantly lower in all rice koji groups than in the HFD-rice group after 4 weeks. Feed efficiency was significantly reduced in the yellow koji group. Blood glucose levels were significantly lower in the white and red koji groups with HOMA-R and leptin levels being reduced in the white koji group. White and red koji increased glucose uptake and GLUT4 protein expression in L6 myotube cells. These results showed that all rice koji have the anti-obesity or anti-diabetes effects although the mechanisms may differ depending on the type of rice koji consumed.

This study describes the development of a SNP typing system for human identification in the Thai population, in particular for extremely degraded DNA samples. A highly informative SNP marker set for forensic identification was identified, and a multiplex PCR-based Invader assay was developed. Fifty-one highly informative autosomal SNP markers and three sex determination SNP markers were amplified in two multiplex PCR reactions and then detected using Invader assay reactions. The average PCR product size was 71 base pairs. The match probability of the 54-SNP marker set in 124 Thai individuals was 1.48×10(-21), higher than that of STR typing, suggesting that this 54-SNP marker set is beneficial for forensic identification in the Thai population. The selected SNP marker set was also evaluated in 90 artificially degraded samples, and in 128 naturally degraded DNA samples from real forensic casework which had shown no profiles or incomplete profiles when examined using a commercial STR typing system. A total of 56 degraded samples (44%) achieved the matching probability (PM) equivalent to STR gold standard analysis (successful genotyping of 44 SNP markers) for human identification. These data indicated that our novel 54-SNP marker set provides a very useful and valuable approach for forensic identification in the Thai population, especially in the case of highly to extremely degraded DNA. In summary, we have developed a set of 54 Thai-specific SNPs for human identification which have higher discrimination power than STR genotyping. The PCRs for these 54 SNP markers were successfully combined into two multiplex reactions and detected with an Invader assay. This novel SNP genotyping system also yields high levels of genetic information from naturally degraded samples, even though there are much more difficult to recover than artificially degraded samples., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aims: Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a phosphoinositide phosphatase that regulates crucial cellular functions, including insulin signaling, lipid and glucose metabolism, as well as survival and apoptosis. Silymarin is the active ingredient in milk thistle and exerts numerous effects through the activation of PTEN. However, the effect of silymarin on the development of insulin resistance remains unknown., Methods: Wistar rats fed fructose-rich chow or normal chow were administered oral silymarin to identify the development of insulin resistance using the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemic- euglycemic clamping. Changes in PTEN expression in skeletal muscle and liver were compared using western blotting analysis. Further investigation was performed in L6 cells to check the expression of PTEN and insulin-related signals. PTEN deletion in L6 cells was achieved by small interfering ribonucleic acid transfection., Results: Oral administration of silymarin at a dose of 200 mg/kg once daily induced insulin resistance in normal rats and enhanced insulin resistance in fructose-rich chow-fed rats. An increase of PTEN expression was observed in the skeletal muscle and liver of rats with insulin resistance. A decrease in the phosphorylation of Akt in L6 myotube cells, which was maintained in a high-glucose condition, was also observed. Treatment with silymarin aggravated high-glucose-induced insulin resistance. Deletion of PTEN in L6 cells reversed silymarin-induced impaired insulin signaling and glucose uptake., Conclusions: Silymarin has the ability to disrupt insulin signaling through increased PTEN expression. Therefore, silymarin should be used carefully in type-2 diabetic patients.

Gastric and adipose tissue secrete a number of hormones that are involved in energy metabolism. The biological functions of these hormones, including their effects on aging, are currently under investigation. Adiponectin was shown to be directly involved in appetite and the control of body weight. However, the effects of aging of nesfatin-1, an appetite-suppressing peptide that was recently identified, have not yet been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of aging on the plasma levels of nesfatin-1 and adiponectin. Our results demonstrated no significant differences in the nesfatin-1 plasma levels among three age groups (2, 6 and 24 months) of female BALB/c mice. The plasma nesfatin-1 levels/visceral fat (VF) ratio in the 24-month-old mice was significantly lower compared to that in the 2- and 6-month-old mice. In addition, there were no significant differences in the plasma adiponectin levels among the three age groups. The plasma adiponectin levels/VF ratio in the 24-month-old mice was significantly lower compared to that in the 2- and 6-month-old mice. In conclusion, there were no age-related changes in the plasma levels of nesfatin-1 and adiponectin, although the ratio of plasma levels of nesfatin-1 and adiponectin per VF was decreased with advancing age. Our results indicated that nesfatin-1 and adiponectin may be involved in controlling energy balance during aging.

Cachexia is characterized by anorexia, weakness, weight loss, and muscle wasting. Anorexia and muscle wasting are the key features of cachexia and they affect mortality, morbidity, and quality of life. Consistent studies have found that feeding-regulating peptides such as melanocortin, ghrelin, and leptin are related to muscle metabolism, and the balance of catabolism and anabolism in muscle is regulated in the hypothalamus, which also regulates appetite and energy expenditure. In cachexia, proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6 and Angiotensin II induce muscle atrophy. The mechanism is suggested via upregulation of MuRF1 and MAFbx. In contrast, the orexigenic peptide, AgRP and ghrelin have the effect to decrease proinflammatory cytokines and increase body weight, food intake, and muscle mass. The understandings of the pathological mechanism of anorexia and muscle metabolism in view of the crosstalk between brain and muscle will open the new way for the management of cachexia. In this review, we describe recent experimental and clinical studies that have examined the regulation of food intake and muscle wasting in cachexia. This article is part of a Directed Issue entitled: Molecular basis of muscle wasting., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Type-2 diabetes is one of the fastest growing public health problems worldwide resulting from both environmental and genetic factors. Activation of μ-opioid receptor (MOR) could result in reversal of the impairment of insulin-stimulated glucose disposal in genetically obese Zucker rats via exercise training. This improvement of insulin resistance was associated with an elevation of circulating β-endorphin to ameliorate the post-receptor insulin signaling cascade, including downstream effectors of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) signaling pathway. In insulin resistant rats, Loperamide treatment effected on the insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1/PI3-kinase/Akt signaling cascade and subsequent insulin-stimulated glucose transport trafficking on skeletal muscle, which were all suppressed by MOR antagonism. In addition, induction of insulin resistance by the intake of high fructose is more rapid in MOR knockout mice than in wild-type mice. Improvements in insulin sensitivity through the peripheral MOR activation overcoming defects related to the post-receptor in IRS-1-associated PI3-kinase step have been defined. Opioid receptor activation, especially of the μ-subtype, may provide merits in the amelioration of defective insulin action. Atypical zeta (ζ) isoform of protein kinase C serves as a factor that integrates with peripheral MOR pathway and insulin signals for glucose utilization. The developments call new insights into the chemical compounds and/or herbal products that might enhance opioid peptide secretion and/or stimulate MOR in peripheral insulin-sensitive tissues to serve as potential agents or adjuvants for helping the glucose metabolism. In the present review, we update these topics and discuss the concept of targeting peripheral MOR pathway for the treatment of insulin resistance., (Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc.)