Relationship between Mortality and Oral Function of Older People Requiring Long-Term Care in Rural Areas of Japan: A Four-Year Prospective Cohort Study.

Oral ingestion influences the life sustenance, quality of life, and dignity of older adults. Thus, it is an important issue in medical care and the welfare of older adults. The purpose of this four-year prospective cohort study was to investigate the relationship between mortality and oral function among older adults who required long-term care and were living in different settings in a rural area of Japan. This study included 289 participants aged 65 and older who required long-term care and lived in the former Omorimachi area in Yokote City, Akita Prefecture, located in northern Japan. Following the baseline survey, mortality data were collected over four years; 102 participants (35.3%) died during that time. A significant difference was noted in the overall survival rates between the groups with good and deterioration of oral function such as oral dryness, rinsing ability, swallowing function, and articulation, based on Log-rank test results. After adjusting for various potential confounders using Cox proportional-hazards regression, oral dryness (HR: 1.83, 95% confidence interval: 1.12-3.00) was significantly associated with mortality within four years. This study revealed that oral dryness influences the life prognosis of older adults who receive long-term care in different settings.

Optimizing the Interdomain Spacing in Alicyclic Polythiourea toward High-Energy-Storable Dielectric Material.

Organic dielectric materials have been widely developed and investigated for energy storage capacitors. However, challenges remain in terms of the relatively low dielectric constant and energy density. Enhancing the dipolar polarization to increase the dielectric constant is considered to be an effective way to improve the energy density of polymer dielectrics. Herein, enlightened by the chain-packing structure that affects the dipolar relaxation behavior, a simple and low-cost approach is proposed to tailor the interdomain spacing in an alicyclic polythiourea (PTU) by changing quenching temperatures and further facilitate the dipolar polarization. It is found that the large interdomain spacing is beneficial to promote the localized motion of segmental chains in amorphous regions, but at the same time inevitably reduces the dipole density. Therefore, in order to achieve the highest dielectric constant in the PTU, there is an optimal value for the interdomain spacing. It is worth noting that the dielectric constant of PTU increases from 5.7 to 10, and thus the energy density increases by 53% to 16.3 J cm-3 . It proposes a simple and feasible strategy to further improve the energy density through optimizing the interdomain spacing toward high-energy-storable dielectric material.

How to Install TEMPO in Dielectric Polymers-Their Rational Design toward Energy-Storable Materials.

Polar groups and the charge-transport capability play significant roles in the dielectric properties of organic polymers, and thus influence the electric energy density upon application as a capacitor material. Here, the dielectric properties and electric conductivity of a series of polymers containing 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) radicals are investigated. The neat radical polymer poly(TEMPO methacrylate) (PTMA) has a high dielectric constant but poor breakdown strength. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is introduced as an insulating polymer with high resistivity on breakdown, along with molecular design of PTMA. Copolymers of TEMPO methacrylate and methyl methacrylate, P(TMA-r-MMA), exhibit high breakdown strengths but low dielectric constants. PMMA blended with TEMPO exhibits the highest electric energy density of 7.4 J cm-3 (that of PTMA is 0.48 J cm-3 as a control), with both a high dielectric constant (≈6.8) and a high breakdown strength (≈500 MV m-1 ). It benefits from long-range but not bulk charge transport in the blends, which is different from the bulk charge transport in PTMA and the short-range charge transport in P(TMA-r-MMA). These results indicate that the TEMPO moiety located in the high breakdown matrix leads to a high energy-storage density in the capacitor.

Ambient-Light-Promoted Three-Component Annulation: Synthesis of Perfluoroalkylated Pyrimidines.

An ambient-light-promoted and metal-free three-component reaction of active methylene compounds, perfluoroalkyl iodides, and guanidines/amidines is reported. This constitutes a powerful method to prepare perfluoroalkylated pyrimidines with mild reaction conditions, broad substrate scope, excellent functional group tolerance, and simple operation. A radical/polar mechanism involving the formation of a halogen-bond adduct and radical cross-coupling is proposed.

Quantifying TEMPO Redox Polymer Charge Transport toward the Organic Radical Battery.

To design new and better organic active battery materials in a rational fashion, fundamental parameters of the charge transport must be studied. Herein we report on the electronic conductivity by electron diffusion in a TEMPO-containing redox polymer, and the reorganization energy of the TEMPO self-exchange in an organic solvent is determined for the first time. The electronic conductivity was 8.5 µS/cm at E0 and corresponded to a redox hopping mechanism. The apparent electron diffusion coefficient was 1.9 × 10-9 cm2/s at room temperature, and at short times the ion diffusion was limiting with a diffusion coefficient of 6.5 × 10-10 cm2/s. The reorganization energy was determined to be 1.01 eV, indicating a rather polar chemical environment for the TEMPO groups. The implications for the usage of this type of materials in organic energy storage are discussed. As conductivity through 10 µm was demonstrated, we show that, if sufficient swellability can be ensured, charge can be transported through several micrometer thick layers in a battery electrode without any conducting additive.

MyoD is regulated by the miR-29a-Tet1 pathway in C2C12 myoblast cells.

Skeletal myogenesis is regulated by a considerable number of microRNAs (miRNAs). miRNA regulatory networks are complicated, and details of how they operate remain unclear. In this study, MTT assays confirmed that miR-29a is the most effective miR-29 paralog. Microarray analysis demonstrated upregulation of ten-eleven translocation enzyme-1 (Tet1) mRNA in response to miR-29a inhibition in C2C12 murine myoblast cells. We investigated the factors acting downstream in the miR-29a-Tet1 signal pathway using real-time RT-PCR. MyoD expression was upregulated by Tet1 inhibition and downregulated by miR-29a inhibition, whereas expression of cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (Cdk6) was regulated in an opposite manner. These results suggest that the miR-29a-Tet1 pathway upregulates MyoD expression and conversely downregulates Cdk6 expression. However, changes in the expression of other myogenic factors such as serum response factor (Srf), the myocyte enhancer factor 2 family (Mef2a, b and c), myogenin, myogenic regulatory factor 4 (Mrf4), muscle creatine kinase (Mck), and other cell cycle regulators such as Cdk4 and thymine DNA glycosylase (Tdg) cannot be explained in terms of the miR-29a-Tet1 pathway alone. The miR29a-Tet1 pathway may be part of a complex myogenic regulatory network in C2C12 cells. (J Oral Sci 58, 219-229, 2016).

Unraveling Inter- and Intrachain Electronics in Polythiophene Assemblies Mediated by Coordination Nanospaces.

Strong interchain interactions render unsubstituted polythiophene un-fusible, non-melting, and insoluble. Therefore, control of the packing structure, which has a profound effect on the optical and electronic properties of the polymer, has never been achieved. Unsubstituted polythiophene was prepared in the one-dimensional channels of [La(1,3,5-benzenetrisbenzoate)]n, where polymer chains form unprecedented assembly structures mediated by the host framework. It is noteworthy that the emission and carrier transport properties were drastically changed by varying the number of chains within a particular assembly. The response of the composite to additional guests is also examined as a method to use the composites as low-concentration sensors. Our findings show that the encapsulation of polymer chains in host materials is a facile method for understanding the intrinsic properties of conjugated polymers, along with controlling and enhancing their functions.

Factors associated with older adults' need for oral hygiene management by dental professionals.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to assess the need for oral hygiene management by dental professionals among older adults requiring long-term care, and to collect basic data for building a dental treatment framework on a regional level. Although healthcare providers are aware of the importance of oral care for older adults requiring long-term care, reports claim that the provision of oral care is insufficient, and a framework is being built for the provision of oral hygiene management by dental professionals. METHODS: A survey on lifestyle and oral health was carried out on 372 older adults requiring long-term care in one town in Japan. Binomial logistic regression analysis was carried out to assess factors affecting the need for oral hygiene management. RESULTS: A total of 66.1% of participants required oral hygiene management. The Barthel Index, Clinical Dementia Rating, oral hygiene status and other factors differed significantly with the presence or absence of oral hygiene management need. In addition to variables related to oral hygiene status (dental plaque and tongue coating), factors that significantly affected oral hygiene management need included the Clinical Dementia Rating (odds ratio 2.63, 95% confidence interval 1.08-6.41). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study suggest that the need for oral hygiene management by dental professionals increases as dementia advances. However, current systems that provide regional dental care are structured based on the level of care need and the degree of independence. A dementia perspective needs to be added to these systems. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2016; 16: 956-962.

"Click" Incorporation of Radical/Ionic Sites into a Reactive Block Copolymer: A Facile and On-Demand Domain Functionalization Approach toward Organic Resistive Memory.

Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization yields reactive block copolymers bearing the pentafluorophenyl ester (PFPA) group, and subsequent Click amidation using 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl- and imidazolium-functionalized primary amines produces the corresponding functional block copolymers, leading to installation of statistical radical- and ionic sites into the PFPA segment. The monolayered thin film devices fabricated using the obtained block copolymers exhibit repeatable switching of electric conductivity (on/off ratio > 103 ) under a bias voltage, which reveals that the coexistence of radicals and ions in the same spherical domain of the copolymer layer is a prerequisite for repeatable switching memory.

Macromol. Rapid Commun. 1/2016.

Back Cover: RAFT polymerization yields reactive block copolymers bearing the pentafluorophenyl ester (PFPA) group, and subsequent Click amidation using 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl- (TEMPO-) and imidazolium-functionalized primary amines produces the corresponding functional block copolymers, leading to installation of statistical radical and ionic- sites into the PFPA segment. The monolayered thin film devices fabricated using the obtained block copolymers exhibit repeatable switching (memory) characteristic of electric conductivity (on/off ratio > 103) under a bias voltage. Further details can be found in the article by T. Suga,* K. Aoki, T. Yashiro, and H. Nishide* on page 53.

Ionic Liquid-Triggered Redox Molecule Placement in Block Copolymer Nanotemplates toward an Organic Resistive Memory.

The integration of functional components such as metal nanoparticles, metal salts, or ionic liquids with well-defined block copolymer (BCP) nanotemplates via noncovalent bond interactions has afforded hybrid functional materials. Here, we designed an ionic liquid (IL)-functionalized redox-active TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxy) radical (guest), investigated phase-selective incorporation/placement into host BCP nanostructured matrices, and established a rational approach to functionalize BCP templates. On-demand domain functionalization of poly(styrene-b-ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) was triggered by ion-ionophore interaction, as verified by the suppression of PEO melting transition in DSC, and the swelling behavior of the PEO spherical domain in AFM, TEM, and X-ray scattering characterizations. The obtained BCP layer containing the redox-active TEMPO and IL was utilized as an active layer in the diode-structured memory device, which exhibited on/off resistive switching (on/off ratio >103). Systematic placement of TEMPO and IL in the BCP spherical domain allowed for tuning of the switching characteristics and revealed that the formation of a discontinuous redox-active domain was critical for rewritable resistive switching.

Age-related changes in rat genioglossus, geniohyoid and masseter muscles.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to elucidate age-related changes from adult to middle age in the contractile properties of the masseter, genioglossus and geniohyoid muscles of the rat. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analysed the expressions of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) mRNAs and proteins as indicators of the contractile properties in these muscles obtained from rats at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months of age using real-time PCR and SDS-PAGE. RESULTS: We found no marked age-related changes in the expressions of MyHC mRNAs and proteins in rat masseter and geniohyoid muscles, suggesting that the biological ageing process does not affect contractile properties in these muscles. However, we found a decrease in the expression of MyHC IIb mRNA with ageing in the rat genioglossus muscle, suggesting that biological ageing process induces at least some fast-to-slow myofibre phenotype transition. CONCLUSION: The biological ageing process from adult to middle age appears to differentially affect different types of craniofacial muscles.

Synthesis of Pendant Radical- and Ion-Containing Block Copolymers via Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization for Organic Resistive Memory.

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) using Grubbs third-generation catalyst directly yielded a norbornene-based polymer bearing robust redox-active radicals without any protection. Successive addition of imidazolium-containing norbornene in a one-pot reaction during ROMP produced pendant radical- and ion-containing block copolymers. The diode-structured thin-film devices fabricated with the obtained block polymers that had morphologies of spheres, lamellae, and inverse spheres exhibited conductive switching (write-once read-many-times, WORM) under a bias voltage, which revealed the dominant effect of the location of radicals and ions in the microphase-segregated domains on memory characteristics.

IGF and myostatin pathways are respectively induced during the earlier and the later stages of skeletal muscle hypertrophy induced by clenbuterol, a ß2-adrenergic agonist.

Clenbuterol, a ß2-adrenergic agonist, increases the hypertrophy of skeletal muscle. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) is reported to work as a potent positive regulator in the clenbuterol-induced hypertrophy of skeletal muscles. However, the precise regulatory mechanism for the hypertrophy of skeletal muscle induced by clenbuterol is unknown. Myostatin, a member of the TGFß super family, is a negative regulator of muscle growth. The aim of the present study is to elucidate the function of myostatin and IGF in the hypertrophy of rat masseter muscle induced by clenbuterol. To investigate the function of myostatin and IGF in regulatory mechanism for the clenbuterol-induced hypertrophy of skeletal muscles, we analysed the expression of myostatin and phosphorylation levels of myostatin and IGF signaling components in the masseter muscle of rat to which clenbuterol was orally administered for 21 days. Hypertrophy of the rat masseter muscle was induced between 3 and 14 days of oral administration of clenbuterol and was terminated at 21 days. The expression of myostatin and the phosphorylation of smad2/3 were elevated at 21 days. The phosphorylation of IGF receptor 1 (IGFR1) and akt1 was elevated at 3 and 7 days. These results suggest that myostatin functions as a negative regulator in the later stages in the hypertrophy of rat masseter muscle induced by clenbuterol, whereas IGF works as a positive regulator in the earlier stages.

Morphology-driven modulation of charge transport in radical/ion-containing, self-assembled block copolymer platform.

A TEMPO-substituted ionic liquid was selectively incorporated into well-defined, self-assembled block copolymer templates, which served as an active layer for organic nonvolatile memory. Phase structures (sphere, cylinder, and lamellae) and their orientation modulated the resistive switching behavior, which demonstrated the unprecedented, morphology-driven charge transport in the organic electronic devices.

Changes in triacylglycerol-accumulated fiber type, fiber type composition, and biogenesis in the mitochondria of the soleus muscle in obese rats.

Little is known about the effects of obesity on skeletal muscle consisting of approximately 80% type I (slow) fibers, such as that in the soleus muscle, although type I fibers have an enhanced capacity for mitochondrial respiration and fatty acid oxidation. We investigated the effects of obesity on the soleus muscle in the rat. Rats were fed a high-fat diet (protein:fat:carbohydrate = 20:57:23; 508 kcal/100 g) or a control diet (protein:fat:carbohydrate = 20:10:70; 366 kcal/100 g) for 10 weeks. We analyzed the accumulation of intramyocellular triacylglycerol (IMTG), fiber type composition, and the biogenesis and function of the mitochondria in the soleus muscle of the rat during 10 weeks of feeding, using histochemical and real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses. Obesity increased body weight and markedly elevated IMTG levels in type I, but not in type II, fibers of the soleus muscle throughout the feeding period. Obesity also inhibited the biogenesis and function in the mitochondria and altered the fiber type composition in the soleus muscle. The suppression of biogenesis and function in the mitochondria, and the alteration in the fiber type composition may be attributable to the marked IMTG accumulation in the soleus muscle of the rat.

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 functions as a negative regulator in the differentiation of myoblasts, but not as an inducer for the formations of cartilage and bone in mouse embryonic tongue.

BACKGROUND: In vitro studies using the myogenic cell line C2C12 demonstrate that bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) converts the developmental pathway of C2C12 from a myogenic cell lineage to an osteoblastic cell lineage. Further, in vivo studies using null mutation mice demonstrate that BMPs inhibit the specification of the developmental fate of myogenic progenitor cells. However, the roles of BMPs in the phases of differentiation and maturation in skeletal muscles have yet to be determined. The present study attempts to define the function of BMP-2 in the final stage of differentiation of mouse tongue myoblast. RESULTS: Recombinant BMP-2 inhibited the expressions of markers for the differentiation of skeletal muscle cells, such as myogenin, muscle creatine kinase (MCK), and fast myosin heavy chain (fMyHC), whereas BMP-2 siRNA stimulated such markers. Neither the recombinant BMP-2 nor BMP-2 siRNA altered the expressions of markers for the formation of cartilage and bone, such as osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), collagen II, and collagen X. Further, no formation of cartilage and bone was observed in the recombinant BMP-2-treated tongues based on Alizarin red and Alcian blue stainings. Neither recombinant BMP-2 nor BMP-2 siRNA affected the expression of inhibitor of DNA binding/differentiation 1 (Id1). The ratios of chondrogenic and osteogenic markers relative to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH, a house keeping gene) were approximately 1000-fold lower than those of myogenic markers in the cultured tongue. CONCLUSIONS: BMP-2 functions as a negative regulator for the final differentiation of tongue myoblasts, but not as an inducer for the formation of cartilage and bone in cultured tongue, probably because the genes related to myogenesis are in an activation mode, while the genes related to chondrogenesis and osteogenesis are in a silencing mode.

Autophagic-lysosomal pathway functions in the masseter and tongue muscles in the klotho mouse, a mouse model for aging.

Klotho mutant (kl/kl) mice, a type of short-lived mouse models, display several aging-related phenotypes. To investigate whether the atrophy of skeletal muscles is induced in these mice via activation of the ubiquitin-proteasomal pathway and/or the autophagic-lysosomal pathway through an alteration of insulin/IGF-I signaling, we analyzed the activity of the two pathways for protein degradation and components of the insulin/IGF signaling pathway in their skeletal muscles. The masseter, tongue, and gastrocnemius muscles in kl/kl showed marked reductions in muscle weight and in myofiber diameter compared with +/+. The autophagic-lysosomal pathway in kl/kl was activated in the masseter and tongue, but not in the gastrocnemius, compared with that in +/+, whereas the ubiquitin-proteasomal pathway in these three muscles of kl/kl was not altered. No marked difference in the phosphorylation levels of insulin/IGF-I signaling components, such as insulin/IGF-I receptor, Akt, and FoxO in three muscles studied were found between kl/kl and +/+, but the phosphorylation levels of signaling component at the downstream of mTOR such as 4E-BP1 and p70 S6K were suppressed in the masseter and tongue of kl/kl compared with +/+. Deficiency of essential amino acids is reported to activate the autophagy-lysosomal pathway through the down-regulation of mTOR, not through IGF-Akt-FoxO. The masseter and tongue seem to be more actively moved than limb muscles in kl/kl, because they are essential for survival activities such as mastication, swallowing, and respiration. Thus, the deficiency of amino acid by the active movement of the masseter and tongue seems to stimulate the autophagic-lysosomal pathway via the down-regulation of mTOR signalling pathway.

BMP-2 regulates the formation of oral sulcus in mouse tongue by altering the balance between TIMP-1 and MMP-13.

The aim of this study is to investigate whether BMP-2 regulates the oral sulcus formation of mouse embryonic tongue by modifying the expression of TIMP and MMP. The BMP-2 siRNA induced a 180% increase in the depth of oral sulcus cavity (P < 0.01) by stimulating the invagination of oral sulcus into the mesenchymal tissues consisting of tongue floor, whereas the recombinant BMP-2 suppressed the process in the organ culture system of mouse embryonic tongue. The BMP-2 siRNA induced a 60% decrease in the expression of TIMP-1 mRNA (P < 0.05) and a drastic decline in TIMP-1 protein was observed around the oral sulcus in the BMP-2 siRNA treated mandibles. The recombinant BMP-2 induced a 220% increases in the expression of TIMP-1 mRNA and the area of the immunostaining for TIMP-1 around the oral sulcus was larger in the mandibles treated with the recombinant BMP-2 than the vehicle. The BMP-2 siRNA induced a 60% increase in the expression of MMP-13 protein and a marked increase in the staining intensity for MMP-13 was observed in the epithelial region of the BMP-2 siRNA treated mandibles. The recombinant BMP-2 induced a 70% decrease in the expression of MMP-13 mRNA and the decrease was mainly observed in the tissues around oral sulcus. The expressions of BMP-2, TIMP-1, and MMP-13 were verified in the tissues around in vivo developing oral sulcus at E11, 12, and 13 by immunohistochemistry. These results suggest that BMP-2 regulates the formation of oral sulcus by altering the balance between TIMP-1 and MMP-13.