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Background Slow-motion training, which comprises exercising using extremely slow-movements, yields a training effect like that of high-intensity training, even when the applied load is small. We developed a slow-training exercise program that allows elderly people to safely use their own body weight without a machine. Previously, it was confirmed that functional gait and lower limb muscle strength were improved by low-intensity training using bodyweight training for 3 months. This study evaluated the long-term effects of low-intensity training using body weight with slow-movements on the motor function of frail, elderly patients. Methods Ninety-six elderly men and women aged 65 years or older whose level of nursing care was classified as either support required (1 and 2) or long-term care required (care levels 1 and 2) volunteered to participate. Two facilities were used. Participants at the first facility used low-intensity training using body weight with slow-movements (low-stress training [LST] group, n = 65), and participants at another facility used machine training (MT group, n = 31). Exercise interventions were conducted for 12 months, once or twice per week, depending on the required level of nursing care. Changes in motor function were examined. Results Post-intervention measurements based on the results of the chair-stand test after 12 months showed significant improvements from pre-intervention levels (P

We aim to elucidate the chemical damage structure in poly(allyl diglycol carbonate), PADC, exposed to UV photons with a wavelength of 222 nm using FT-IR spectrometric method. The number density of carbonyl (C˭O) in PADC, which composes carbonate ester, is hardly affected by the UV photons below the critical fluence of 3.0 × 1019 photons/cm2. The number density of carbonyl decreases only above the critical fluence, while those of ether and C-O-C in carbonate ester are monotonically cleaved. These findings corroborate the previous result using 28 MeV electron beams, in which the carbonate ester is lost only above the critical fluence of 1.6 × 1015 electrons/cm2, where the overlapping of electron tracks becomes significant. We extend the conventional track overlapping model to clarify the spatial distribution of point-like defects after the UV exposure. The discrete damage is seen at the critical condition, based on the extended track overlapping model.

Objective: This study was conducted to characterize differences in clinical background between patients with and without increased glucagon secretion while on SGLT2 inhibitors (S). Methods: Of the 75 type 2 diabetic patients admitted for glycemic control who were not receiving incretin-related drugs nor S at admission, 22 patients received S but no incretin-related drugs after admission and were subjected to meal tolerance tests (MTTs) during early morning fasting hours at admission and after improving glycemic control. Blood samples were drawn from these patients preprandially and 30, 60, and 120 minutes postprandially to measure their glucose, C-peptide, and glucagon (Mercodia) values. First, based on changes in glucagon secretion observed in MTTs, they were divided into those with increased AUC glucagon (n = 13) and those without (n = 9) and compared for changes in MTT parameters. Then, they were also divided canagliflozin (Cana) group (n = 12) and other S (non-Cana) group (n = 10) and compared for changes in MTT parameters. Results: Although those without increased AUC glucagon showed a significant increase in ΔCPR/Δglucose 0-30 min after improving glycemic control, those with increased AUC glucagon did not. Increased Δ CPR/Δ glucose 0-30 min values were noted in 5 of 13 of those with increased AUC glucagon but in 9/9 of those without, suggesting that those without increased AUC glucagon were more likely to be associated with increased Δ CPR/Δ glucose 0-30 min values. On the other hand, no significant difference was seen in changes in AUC glucagon or in the proportion of patients with increased AUC glucagon between the Cana and non-Cana groups. Conclusions: Study results suggest that differences in the recovery of insulin secretion between patients may affect glucagon secretion to a greater extent than differences between S with or without SGLT1-inhibitory properties. Disclosure M. Ishiguro: None. Y. Mori: None. R. Nishimura: Research Support; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Speaker’s Bureau; Self; Abbott, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eli Lilly Japan K.K., Medtronic, Merck & Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi K.K., Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited.

Objective: SGLT2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) were examined for their effects on nighttime sympathetic nerve activity in type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: A total of 15 type 2 diabetic outpatients with poor glycemic and body weight control despite conventional antidiabetic therapy (HbA1c, 7.7 ± 1.1%; BMI, 27.6 ± 3.8 kg/m2) were given dapagliflozin (Dapa) 5 mg/day for 3 months. Patients were compared before and 3 months after Dapa treatment for Low frequency/High frequency (LF/HF) ratios at 5-minute intervals as index of sympathetic verve activity through spectrum analysis of heart rate variability, blood pressure (BP) variability at 30-minute intervals, glucose variability at 5-minute intervals using concurrent Holter electrocardiogram, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, and continuous glucose monitoring. Blood samples were drawn from these patients after 30 minutes of bed rest before and 3 months after Dapa treatment to measure their plasma catecholamine values. Outcome measures of the study included the area under the curve for LF/HF ratios (AUC-LF/HF ratio), mean BP values during sleep, extent of nighttime BP dip, and mean glucose/SD of glucose values during sleep. Results: HbA1c and body weight were significantly decreased with Dapa. Again, the nighttime AUC-LF/HF ratio and plasma noradrenalin values, as well as the heart rate, systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) values during the same hours, were significantly decreased, and the extent of nighttime BP dip was also significantly increased, in those achieving weight reductions with Dapa. In contrast, these findings were not observed in 3 patients failing to achieve weight reductions with Dapa. Conclusions: Study results suggest that reductions in sympathetic nerve activity associated with the SGLT2i treatment may be closely associated with SGLT2i-mediated weight reductions. Disclosure T. Onishi: None. Y. Shioda: None. Y. Mori: None.

International audience; The detection threshold of poly(allyl dyglycol carbonate), PADC, for C ions is determined as 55 eV/nm in stopping power, which is significantly higher than that for proton and He ions. The stopping power is not a universal parameter for expressing the detection threshold of PADC. A new physical parameter of Radial Electron Fluence around Ion Tracks, REFIT, is proposed to describe the detection threshold of PADC. It is defined as the number density of electrons passing through the surface of a cylinder of a certain radius that is co-axial with the trajectory. Furthermore, preliminary calculations are presently being performed using the Monte Carlo simulation code of Geant4-DNA. The values of the REFIT at the detection thresholds for each ion are of the same order. Several issues affecting implementation of the REFIT paramter are discussed. These include the effects of impact parameter relating to the initial locations of secondary electrons, the effects of electron attachment below the cut off energy of 7.4 eV and the necessity of a more physically realistic medium than water for Monte Carlo simultaions.

G values of the losses of typical functional groups in PET films along boron ion tracks have been determined using FT-IR spectrometry. G value for the loss of aromatic-ring clearly increases above 270 eV/nm. Those of ester and ethylene increase around the slightly lower stopping power of 250 eV/nm. The detection thresholds are defined by determining the original points from which the evolution of etch pit starts along the latent track, when the chemical etching was progressing starting from the front surface of each incident ion trajectory. The thresholds for B, C, N, O, Ar and Kr ions have been determined for other kind of PET sheets. Values of the sensitivity at the thresholds are fairly higher at heavy ions with smaller atomic number.

Background Little is known about clinical associations between glucose fluctuations including hypoglycemia, heart rate variability (HRV), and the activity of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in patients with acute phase of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This pilot study aimed to evaluate the short-term effects of glucose fluctuations on HRV and SNS activity in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with recent ACS. We also examined the effect of suppressing glucose fluctuations with miglitol on these variables. Methods This prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded-endpoint, multicenter, parallel-group comparative study included 39 T2DM patients with recent ACS, who were randomly assigned to either a miglitol group (n = 19) or a control group (n = 20). After initial 24-h Holter electrocardiogram (ECG) (Day 1), miglitol was commenced and another 24-h Holter ECG (Day 2) was recorded. In addition, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) was performed throughout the Holter ECG. Results Although frequent episodes of subclinical hypoglycemia (≤4.44 mmo/L) during CGM were observed on Day 1 in the both groups (35% of patients in the control group and 31% in the miglitol group), glucose fluctuations were decreased and the minimum glucose level was increased with substantial reduction in the episodes of subclinical hypoglycemia to 7.7% in the miglitol group on Day 2. Holter ECG showed that the mean and maximum heart rate and mean LF/HF were increased on Day 2 in the control group, and these increases were attenuated by miglitol. When divided 24-h time periods into day-time (0700–1800 h), night-time (1800–0000 h), and bed-time (0000–0700 h), we found increased SNS activity during day-time, increased maximum heart rate during night-time, and glucose fluctuations during bed-time, which were attenuated by miglitol treatment. Conclusions In T2DM patients with recent ACS, glucose fluctuations with subclinical hypoglycemia were associated with alterations of HRV and SNS activity, which were mitigated by miglitol, suggesting that these pathological relationships may be a residual therapeutic target in such patients. Trial registration Unique Trial Number, UMIN000005874 (https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000006929)

Objective: We investigated the relationship between insulin withdrawal (IW), endogenous insulin recovery, and concurrent SGLT2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) therapy. Patients and Methods: Of the 78 type 2 diabetic patients admitted for glycemic control and subjected to meal tolerance tests (MTT) on the next day after admission and immediately before discharge using the same diabetes diet while off treatment, 39 patients who had received intensive insulin therapy after admission were subjected to retrospective analysis. Of these, 26 patients in whom insulin withdrawal had been achieved during admission were divided into those who had received concurrent SGLT2i therapy (n=19) and those who had not (n=7). Insulin secretion in terms of ΔCPR/ΔPG 0-30 min and AUC-CPR 0-2 h during the MTT was compared at admission and discharge. Results: 1) While there was no significant difference between those with IW and those without IW in their age, BMI, HbA1c, C-peptide index and urinary CPR excretion at admission, significantly more patients with IW had received SGLT2i than those without IW (P < 0.001). Again, ΔCPR/ΔPG 0-30 min and AUC-CPR 0-2 h were significantly (p Conclusions: Study results confirmed that endogenous insulin secretion was significantly restored in those with IW and that the time to IW was significantly shorter in those with concurrent SGLT2i therapy than in those without, suggesting a role for SGLT2i in achieving IW. Disclosure M. Matsui: None. H. Takahashi: None. S. Sawano: None. Y. Mori: None. K. Utsunomiya: None.

Objective: We investigated the relationship between enhanced efficacy of incretin-related drugs with add-on SGLT2 inhibitor therapy in type 2 diabetic patients and their background characteristics. Patients and Methods: 1) Add-on SGLT2i therapy was given to a total of 15 type 2 diabetic patients with insufficient glycemic control despite conventional therapy including DPP-4i for 2 months in an outpatient setting. 2) Likewise, add-on SGLT2i therapy was given to a total of 17 type 2 diabetic patients with insufficient glycemic control despite conventional therapy including GLP-1RA for 3 months in an outpatient setting. In both groups, the glycemic variability (GV) was compared before and after add-on SGLT2i therapy by using CGM. GV indices evaluated included the difference before and after SGLT2i therapy in SD of 24-hour glucose values (ΔSD), the 24-hour total GV area (ΔSQ), and MAGE (ΔMAGE). Both groups were further divided according to the GV results by over 50th %tile and under 50th %tile into high-responders (n = 8 and 9) and low-responders (n = 7 and 8). Results: 1) Effect of add-on SGLT2i therapy on reductions in GV in those receiving DPP-4i: High-responders were shown to be associated with significantly higher mean glucose values, SD, SQ and MAGE than low-responders at baseline (P < 0.05). 2) Effect of add-on SGLT2i therapy on reductions in GV in those receiving GLP-1RA: high-responders were shown to be associated with significantly lower BMI, as well as significantly higher SD and SQ than low-responders at baseline (P < 0.05). Conclusions: With 2-month SGLT2i therapy as add-on to DPP-4i, reductions were seen in GV among patients with higher mean glucose and greater GV at baseline, suggesting a role for add-on SGLT2i therapy particularly in those with poor glycemic control. In contrast, with 3-month SGLT2i therapy as add-on to GLP-1RA, reductions were seen in GV among those with less severe obesity and greater GV at baseline. Disclosure T. Onishi: None. Y. Shioda: None. Y. Mori: None.

Objective: We investigated the effect of short-term improvements in glycemic control with SGLT2i therapy on insulin and glucagon secretion with or without concurrent DPP-4 inhibitor (DPP-4i) therapy. Patients and Methods: 78 type 2 diabetic patients admitted for glycemic control and subjected to meal tolerance tests (MTT) on the next day after admission and immediately before discharge using the same diabetes diet while off treatment were subjected to retrospective analysis. Of these, 41 patients were found to have received SGLT2i after admission, with 15 of these also found to have received concurrent DPP-4i. The patients were divided into those not receiving SGLT2i (n=37), those receiving SGLT2i without concurrent DPP-4i (n=26) and those receiving SGLT2i with DPP-4i (n=15) and were compared for changes in postprandial insulin and glucagon secretion. All patients were evaluated at admission and discharge for insulin secretion in terms of ΔCPR/ΔPG 0-30 min and AUC-CPR 0-2h, and as well as for glucagon (G) secretion in terms of ΔG/ΔPG 0-30 min and AUC-G 0-2h during the MTT. Results: There was no significant difference between the 3 groups in their HbA1c, C-peptide index, and urinary CPR excretion at admission. With improvements in glycemic control, ΔCPR/ΔPG 0-30min and AUC-CPR 0-2h were significantly increased, and AUC-PG 0-2h were significantly decreased, in all groups. Again, with improvements in glycemic control, AUC-G 0-2h was significantly decreased in those not receiving SGLT2i, increased in those receiving SGLT2i without DPP-4i, and decreased in those receiving both SGLT2i and DPP-4i. Conclusions: Postprandial insulin secretion was shown to be restored after short-term improvements in glycemic control irrespective of SGLT2i or concurrent DPP-4i, while glucagon secretion was shown to be increased with SGLT2i without DPP-4i but decreased with combined SGLT2i and DPP-4i. Disclosure M. Matsui: None. H. Takahashi: None. S. Sawano: None. Y. Mori: None. K. Utsunomiya: None.

We propose an adaptive point-spread spherical wave synthesis method based on the point-source hologram technique for fast hologram pattern generation. The calculation time of the hologram generation is reduced by decreasing the number of reconstructed point sources composing an object. A larger point source is reconstructed in the area where an object can be partially expressed by low resolution. The point-spread is adjusted corresponding to the spatial frequency of an object. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by a computer simulation using two-dimensional images.

The image quality improvement method using a spatial-domain mask is proposed. In the proposed method, a single hologram is required for speckle reduction. The speckle noise of the reconstructed image is suppressed by averaging different speckle patterns. The different speckle patterns are generated by shifting the rectangular aperture in the hologram plane. The experiment results including a modulation transfer function are presented to confirm the performance of the proposed method.

A series of FT-IR spectrometric studies has been performed to understand the latent track structure in poly(allyl diglycol carbonate), PADC, which were exposed to proton beams with energies of 20, 30 and 70 MeV. These energies are too high to register etchable tracks in PADC. Chemical damage parameters, such as damage density, effective track core radius and radiation chemical yields, for losses of ether bond, carbonate ester bond and CH groups in PADC are evaluated as a function of the stopping power, which were compared to the previous results for 5.7 MeV proton and heavy ions, between He and Xe. Graphs of the chemical damage parameters are given at the wide stopping powers ranging from 1 to 12,000 keV/μm. The decreasing behaviors of the ether and carbonate ester bonds are on the almost identical trends with those of the heavy ions. On the contrary to this, the reducing behavior of CH groups is similar to that of the gamma rays. Different dependence of the chemical damage parameters for the loss of CH groups is found on the stopping powers between the both sides of the detection threshold as an etched track detector.

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) exerts beneficial pharmacological effects in the treatment of various cardiovascular disorders, such as acute congestive heart failure (ADHF). However, the clinical use of ANP is limited to the continuous intravenous infusion owing to its short half-life (2.4 ± 0.7 min). In the present study, we conjugated the glyco-modified ANP with a monoclonal antibody (mAb) or an Fc via chemo-enzymatic glyco-engineering using EndoS D233Q/Q303L. The most potent derivative SG-ANP-Fc conjugate extended the half-life to 14.9 d and the duration of blood pressure lowering effect to over 28 d. This new biologic modality provides an opportunity to develop outpatient therapy after ADHF.

Objective: Disparities were compared between flash glucose monitoring (FGM) sensor glucose (SG) and blood glucose (BG) values vs. between continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) SG and BG values to establish the accuracy of FGM SG values in patients with type 1 diabetes. Methods: FGM (FreeStyle Libre Pro; Abbott Japan) and a sensor-augmented pump (SAP) with built-in CGM (MiniMed 620G; Medtronic Minimed) were simultaneously put in place in 8 outpatients with type 1 diabetes receiving SAP therapy (Age, 50.9 ± 6.3 years; BMI, 20.4±2.6 kg/m2; HbA1c, 7.4±0.3%; urinary C-peptide excretion, 1.5±0.7 µg/day; duration of SAP therapy, 11.9±3.7 months; insulin dose, 34.2±14.5 U/day). SMBG BG values at 385 points registered on Minimed 620G for calibration purposes and CGM/FGM SG values at the same time points, were selected to examine the accuracy of FGM SG values. Both these devices were evaluated for accuracy in terms of 1) simple correlation coefficients between CGM/FGM SG values and BG values; and 2) mean absolute relative differences (MARD) in SG values of CGM/FGM relative to BG values as reference. Results: 1) A strong positive correlations were found between the CGM/FGM SG values and BG values (r = 0.984, p < 0.001 / r = 0.852, p< 0.001). 2) The MARD in CGM/FGM SG values were 5.81 ± 6.66% (0-39.4%) / 17.5 ± 24.8% (0-213.6%), and the frequency of MARD showing 10% or less accounted for 83% of all CGM SG values, and 48.3% of all FGM SG values. The relationship between the MARD of FGM SG values and the durations of FGM put in place varied depending on the number of days FGM put in place. Additionally, the disparity between the FGM SG values and the BG values varied greatly depending on the individual patient. Conclusions: While FGM represents an innovative device for glucose monitoring, there is a wide disparity between the FGM SG and BG values in some patients with type 1 diabetes, suggesting that FGM may be appropriately positioned as an adjunct, but not an alternative, to SMBG. Disclosure M. Tanizawa: None. H. Takahashi: None. Y. Mori: None. K. Utsunomiya: None.

Objective: Dulaglutide (Dula) is a novel, long-acting glucagon-like peptide receptor antagonist (GLP-1RA) used in the treatment of T2D patients with or without renal impairment. In this study we compared by using CGM once-daily Lira and once-weekly Dula, each combined with various doses of insulin degludec (IDeg). Methods: Eighteen adult HD patients with T2D (men/women, 11/7) who had been treated with once-daily Lira (0.6-0.9 mg) combined with daily IDeg (5-26 units) (Lira + IDeg) were switched to once-weekly Dula 0.75 mg combined with daily IDeg (Dula + IDeg). The dose of IDeg stayed the same in each patoent, and all patients were monitored for PG control by CGM, and the mean amplitude of glycaemic excursions (MAGE) was calculated before and after switching. Results: A significant reduction was observed in MAGE with Dula + IDeg 4 weeks after switching to Lira + IDeg both in on-HD days (122.3±38.3 mg/dL vs. 66.7±22.1 mg/dL, p Conclusions: Thus, Dula appears to be potentially superior to Lira in reducing PG fluctuations in HD patients with T2D receiving IDeg. Disclosure S. Funakoshi: None. M. Hayashida: None. K. Sawase: None. J. Hashiguchi: None. R. Etoh: None. Y. Mori: None. K. Utsunomiya: None. T. Harada: None.

Objective: The disparities were compared between flash glucose monitoring (FGM) sensor glucose (SG) values and SMBG blood glucose (BG) values vs. between continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) SG values and BG values to establish the accuracy of FGM SG values. Methods: CGM (CGMS-Gold, Medtronic Minimed) and FGM (FreeStyle Libre Pro; Abbott Japan) were simultaneously put in place in 16 type 2 diabetic patients admitted for glycemic control (BMI, 28.7 ± 5.2 kg/m2; HbA1c, 9.8 ± 2.1%). SMBG BG values at 500 time points registered on CGMS-Gold for calibration purpose and CGM/FGM SG values at the same time points, were selected to examine the accuracy of FGM SG values. Both these devices were evaluated for accuracy in terms of 1) simple correlation coefficients between CGM/FGM SG values and BG values; and 2) mean absolute relative differences (MARD) in SG values of CGM/FGM relative to BG values as reference. Results: 1) A strong positive correlations were found between the SMBG BG values and CGM/FGM SG values (r = 0.9462, p < 0.001 / r = 0.8797, p < 0.001). 2) The MARD in CGM/FGM SG values were 6.53 ± 6.35% (0-47.3%) / 10.35 ± 9.64% (0-65.5%), and the frequency of MARD showing 10% or less accounted for 79.0% of all CGM SG values, and 58.2% of all FGM SG values. The relationship between the MARD in CGM/FGM SG values and the durations of CGM/FGM put in place showed that while the MARD in CGM SG values was nearly constant, the MARD in FGM SG values varied from day to day. Again, the relationship between MARD in CGM/FGM SG values and BG value showed that while the MARD in CGM SG values remained constant, irrespective of BG values, the MARD in FGM SG values tended to increase with decreasing BG values. Additionally, the disparity between the FGM SG values and the BG values varied greatly depending on the individual patient. Conclusions: Despite being an innovative device for glucose monitoring, FGM may be appropriately positioned as an adjunct, but not an alternative, to SMBG. Disclosure M. Tanizawa: None. H. Takahashi: None. Y. Mori: None. K. Utsunomiya: None.

Objective: Changes in C-peptide index (CPI) before and after hemodialysis (HD) were compared to explore factors associated with insulin resistance in diabetic patients receiving HD. Methods: Fasting blood samples were drawn from type 2 diabetic patients receiving maintenance HD but not insulin therapy at our clinic before HD on the first day of the week they went on HD (pre-HD) as well as on the next day (post-HD) and CPI was calculated. Results: The mean post-HD CPI was significantly lower than the mean pre-HD CPI (6.7 ± 2.7 ng/mL vs. 8.1 ± 3.3 ng/mL) in the 19 type 2 diabetic patients (men/women, 12/7) included in the study. The rate of decrease in CPI was strongly positively correlated with geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) (R2 = 0.692) in these patients, while it was not correlated with their glycoalbumin (GA) or fasting glucose values. Conclusions: Despite reports that HD leads to resolution of uremia and excessive fluid overload resulting in improvements in insulin resistance, to date, very few reports compared insulin resistance before and after HD. This study showed that the rate of decrease in CPI was not increased in patients with favorable glycemic control but significantly increased in those with favorable nutritional status, suggesting that the patient’s overall status may have a role to play in HD-mediated improvements in insulin resistance in the short term. Disclosure S. Funakoshi: None. J. Hashiguchi: None. M. Hayashida: None. R. Etoh: None. K. Sawase: None. Y. Mori: None. K. Utsunomiya: None. T. Harada: None.

Objective: To investigate oral health status in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis (HD) and to examine the characteristics of diabetic patients receiving HD. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted in a total of 249 outpatients receiving HD using the Japanese Academy of Clinical Periodontology’s Self-administered Questionnaire on Periodontal Disease to compare oral/nutritional health status between diabetic and nondiabetic patients. Results: Of the patients surveyed, diabetic and nondiabetic patients totaled 83 and 166 (mean age, 64.3 ± 21.7 years and 73.9 ± 33.3 years), respectively. While there was no significant difference in the prevalence of periodontal disease between the diabetic and nondiabetic patients (26.5% and 34.9%), the diabetic patients had a significantly fewer number of intact teeth than the nondiabetic patients (14.9 ± 11.5 vs. 21.7 ± 12.9) as well as a lower geriatric nutritional risk index than the nondiabetic patients (85.7 ± 20.9 vs. 93.9 ± 27.4). Conclusions: While there was no difference in the prevalence of periodontal disease between the diabetic and nondiabetic patients among those receiving HD, the diabetic patients were associated with a fewer number of intact teeth as well as poorer nutritional status. Further study is required to investigate whether these may represent causes or consequences of diabetes and/or nutritional status. Disclosure S. Funakoshi: None. Y. Ohata: None. K. Fujimori: None. R. Etoh: None. K. Sawase: None. J. Hashiguchi: None. Y. Mori: None. K. Utsunomiya: None. T. Harada: None. M. Hayashida: None. M. Kawano: None.

Background Slow-motion training, an exercise marked by extremely slow movements, yields a training effect like that of a highly intense training, even when the applied load is small. This study evaluated the effects of low-intensity bodyweight training with slow movement on motor function in frail, elderly patients. Methods Ninety-seven elderly men and women aged 65 years or older, whose level of nursing care was classified as either support required (1 and 2) or long-term care required (care level 1 and 2), volunteered to participate. Two facilities were used. Participants in the first facility used low-intensity bodyweight training with slow movement (the LST group, n = 65), and participants in another facility used machine training (the control group, n = 31). Exercises were conducted for 3 months, once or twice a week, depending on the required level of nursing care. Changes in motor function were examined. Results Post-exercise measurements showed significant improvements from the pre-exercise levels after 3 months, based on the results of the Timed Up and Go test (p = 0.0263) and chair-stand test (p = 0.0016) in the low-intensity exercise with slow movement and tonic force generation (LST) group. Although the ability to stand on one leg with eyes open tended to improve, no significant change was found (p = 0.0964). Conclusions We confirmed that carrying out LST bodyweight training for 3 months led to improvements in ambulatory function and lower-limb muscle strength. In this way, it is possible that LST training performed by holding a bar or by staying seated on a chair contributes to improved motor function in elderly patients within a short time. Trial registration UMIN000030853. Registered 17 January 2018. (retrospectively registered).

Modified structure along ion tracks in poly(allyl diglycol carbonate), PADC, films exposed to protons and heavy ions, He, C, Ne, Ar, Fe, and Xe, in air has been examined by means of FT-IR spectroscopy, covering the stopping power ranging from 10 to 12,000 keV/μm. The damage density for the loss of CH groups and the amount of formed OH groups along each tracks are estimated and compared to the previous results on the ether and the carbonate ester bonds. The CH groups are lost in the center region of the track core with other functional groups and the OH groups are created as new end-points of the polymer network. We obtained the molar absorption coefficient for OH of water absorbed in PADC films as 9.7 × 103 M−1 cm−1. It has been assumed that the coefficient is applicable to the OH groups on the polymer. The amount of OH groups are almost equivalent to the damage density of the ether bonds.

A first attempt is made to mix the radial dose model with a simple radio-oxidation kinetic to simulate the G values for carbonate ester bond scissions in PADC induced by different ions from proton to Xenon with LET ranging from 10 to 1.20 × 10 4 keV μm −1 . Even if some discrepancies exist between experimental and simulated data, this work tends to prove that O 2 concentration in PADC rules the observed experimental LET dependence on carbonate ester bond scission in PADC irradiated in air.

A speckle reduction method based on a spherical waves synthesis with low-coherence digital holography for hologram generation is proposed. An object information is experimentally obtained from a number of recorded low-coherence digital holograms. A hologram is generated by synthesizing the fields of spherical waves with the obtained information. The performance of the proposed method as hologram generation from a distribution contained spike noises like speckles is confirmed. The image quality is evaluated by the speckle contrast of the reconstructed image.

Palm sap extracted from old oil palm trunks was previously found to contain sugar and nutrients (amino acids and vitamins). Some palm saps contain a low content of sugar due to differences in species or in plant physiology. Here we condensed palm sap with a low content of sugar using flat membrane filtration, then fermented the condensed palm sap at high temperature using the thermotolerant, high ethanol-producing yeast, Kluyveromyces marxianus. Ethanol production under non-optimum conditions was evaluated. Furthermore, the energy required to concentrate the palm sap, and the amount of energy that could be generated from the ethanol, was calculated. The condensation of sugar in sap from palm trunk required for economically viable ethanol production was evaluated.

A low-carbohydrate/high-monounsaturated fatty acid liquid diet (LC/HMD) was investigated for its role in long-term glycemic control in tube-fed type 2 diabetes patients who require insulin therapy.The study included 10 type 2 diabetes patients requiring insulin therapy who were being tube-fed with a high-carbohydrate liquid diet (HCD). With stable glucose control maintained, these patients were monitored for glucose levels for 4 consecutive days by using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The patients were continued on HCD during the first 2 days and were switched to an LC/HMD during the final 2 days. The patients were then continued on the LC/HMD, and seven of the 10 patients were monitored for glucose levels for 2 consecutive days by using CGM after 3 months of feeding with the LC/HMD. Insulin regimens used included basal-bolus insulin in five of these seven patients and intermediate-acting insulin in two patients.Based on CGM data, the indices for glucose variability, such as SDs of 288 glucose levels for 24 h, total area for the range of glucose variability, mean amplitude of glycemic excursions, and 24-h mean glucose levels were significantly decreased 3 months after switching from the HCD to the LC/HMD. Additionally, despite the significant decrease in required insulin dose, the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values were significantly decreased 3 months after switching.Study results demonstrated that the LC/HMD not only narrowed the range of glucose variability, but also decreased the required insulin dose and HbA1c values in diabetes patients on tube feeding who required insulin therapy, suggesting the LC/HMD may be useful in long-term glycemic control in these patients.

In an attempt to utilize felled palm trunks, we found that they contain a large quantity of sap, and that abundant glucose and other fermentable sugars exist in the sap. In this study, we developed a prototype system for compressing the sap from oil palm trunks; it is composed of a rotary lathe, a shredder, and a compressing mill. A high compression efficiency of the mill was maintained (a sap recovery of ∼80%) by properly preparing the trunks, which included peeling the bark and the outer layer of the trunks. In addition, a higher compression efficiency was obtained with a relatively slow rotation of the mill. Consequently, the net energy ratio (NER) reached 4.8 when the sugar concentration in the sap was 79 kg m −3 . This is the first paper about new developed systems for sap compressed from oil palm trunk.

Cassava pulp containing 60% starch and 20% cellulose is a promising renewable source for bioethanol. The starch granule was observed to tightly bind cellulose fiber. To achieve an efficient degradation for cassava pulp, saccharification tests without pre-gelatinization treatment were carried out using combination of commercial α-amylase with cellulosome from Clostridium thermocellum S14 and β-glucosidase (rCglT) from Thermoanaerobacter brockii. The saccharification rate for cassava pulp was shown 59% of dry matter. To obtain maximum saccharification rate, glucoamylase (GA) from C. thermocellum S14 was supplemented to the combination. The result showed gradual increase in the saccharification rate to 74% (dry matter). Supplementation of GA to the combination of commercial α-amylase, cellulosome and rCglT is powerful method for efficient saccharification of cassava pulp without pretreatment.