Association of the Number of Teeth With Physical Function and Length of Hospital Stay After Hip Fracture Surgery: A Prospective Observational Study at a Tertiary Hospital in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: Although lower-extremity muscle strength is associated with physical function, there are challenges in assessing the muscle strength of patients after hip surgery due to pain or limited cognitive function. The number of teeth is a characteristic that can be easily examined. Although the relationship between the number of teeth and physical function has been reported in recent years, there are no reports examining the relationship with prognosis in patients with hip fractures. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between the number of teeth and physical function and length of hospital stay after hip fracture surgery and to evaluate the predictive efficacy of the number of teeth on postoperative prognosis. METHODS: This prospective cohort study was conducted in a tertiary clinical care facility. Patients aged ≥65 years who underwent hip surgery were included. A total of 101 patients (mean age: 85.1±8.0 years) were included. The factor analyzed was the number of teeth at admission. Patients were divided into two groups according to the number of teeth: those with ≥20 and those with ≤19 teeth. The outcomes were knee extension muscle strength-to-weight ratio at two weeks postoperatively and the length of hospital stay. A multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the association between the two groups. RESULTS: Of 101 patients, 79 (78.2%) had ≤19 teeth, whereas 22 (21.8%) had ≥20 teeth. The mean muscle strength-to-weight ratio and length of hospital stay were 0.26±0.11 kgf/kg and 57.5±31.4 days, respectively. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the number of teeth was significantly associated with the muscle strength-to-weight ratio (ß=-0.26, p=0.04) but not with the duration of hospitalization (ß=0.17, p=0.09). CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that assessment of the number of teeth at admission may be a useful predictor of patient physical function.

Use of otolith for detecting strontium-90 in fish from the harbor of Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant.

To clarify the level of contamination with radioactive cesium (radiocesium) discharged from Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), three fish species caught in the main harbor of FDNPP were subjected to γ-ray analysis. The concentration of radiocesium in muscle differed among individual fish, even those of similar size of the same species, and showed little relation to the standard length of fish. The maximum concentration of radiocesium (202 kBq/kg wet) was detected from fat greenling samples. A comparison to data from outside the port indicated that the level of radiocesium contamination inside the port was higher than that outside. We found that ß-rays were emitted from otoliths of fishes caught in the port of FDNPP. ß-ray intensities were correlated with the concentrations of radiocesium in muscles of the three fish species. In Japanese rockfish, the ß-ray count rates from otoliths were significantly correlated with the concentration of radiocesium and (90)Sr in the whole body without internal organs of Japanese rockfish. However, no ß-rays were detected from brown hakeling samples collected around FDNPP, suggesting that the detection of ß-rays from otoliths may indicate living in the main harbor of FDNPP.

Characterization of obesity in Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata) in a pedigreed colony.

BACKGROUND: Japanese monkey, Macaca fuscata, is recognized as the monkey species inhabiting the northernmost area in the world, and thus likely to possess unique fat-depositing mechanisms to resist cold weather in winter. We report that obese females are present in the Wakasa group of Japanese monkey reared in an open enclosure of the Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University. METHODS AND RESULTS: Eight of 12 females were categorized as obese, showing percentage body fat of over 22%. The levels of serum leptin (mean +/- SD, 4.9 +/- 2.3 ng/ml) measured in these obese monkeys were significantly higher than those of non-obese peers of the same group (n = 4; 1.2 +/- 0.5 ng/ml) and another Japanese monkey group (Takahama, n = 14; 0.8 +/- 0.25 ng/ml); however, serum levels of adiponectin, insulin, glucose, hemoglobin A1c, and fructosamine did not differ between obese and non-obese monkeys. Few serum lipid parameters such as triglyceride and cholesterol showed lower levels in obese monkeys than their non-obese peers. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that these obese monkeys in the Wakasa group have not developed obesity-related diseases/disorders such as diabetes. In the Wakasa group, the frequency of obese individuals was high in some maternal lineages, suggesting that genetic factors responsible for obesity may have been inherited in these lineages.

Culture and social support: who seeks it and why?

Are Asians and Asian Americans more or less likely to seek social support for dealing with stress than European Americans? On the one hand, the collectivist orientation of Asian countries might favor the sharing of stressful problems; on the other hand, efforts to maintain group harmony might discourage such efforts. In 2 studies, Koreans (Study 1) and Asians and Asian Americans in the United States (Study 2) reported using social support less for coping with stress than European Americans. Study 3 examined potential explanations for these effects and revealed that relationship concerns accounted for the cultural differences in use of support seeking. Discussion centers on the potential benefits and liabilities of seeking social support.

Effects of sigma(1) receptor ligand MS-377 on D(2) antagonists-induced behaviors.

(R)-(+)-1-(4-Chlorophenyl)-3-[4-(2-methoxyethyl)piperazin-1-yl]methyl-2-pyrrolidinone L-tartrate (MS-377) is a novel antipsychotic agent with selective and high affinity for sigma(1) receptor. The present study was carried out to clarify the interaction of MS-377 with dopamine D(2) receptor antagonists (D(2) antagonists) in concurrent administration, and then the involvement of sigma receptors in the interaction. The effects of MS-377 on haloperidol- or sultopride-induced inhibition of apomorphine-induced climbing behavior and catalepsy were investigated in mice and rats, respectively. In addition, the effects of (+)-SKF-10,047 and SA4503, both of which are sigma receptor agonists, and WAY-100,635, which is a 5-HT(1A) receptor antagonist, on the interaction due to the concurrent use were also investigated. MS-377 potentiated the inhibitory effects of haloperidol or sultopride on apomorphine-induced climbing behavior in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, MS-377 did not affect the catalepsy induction by these drugs. The potentiation of the inhibitory effects of haloperidol or sultopride on apomorphine-induced climbing behavior by MS-377 was not inhibited by WAY-100,635, but was inhibited by (+)-SKF-10,047 and SA4503. These findings showed that MS-377 potentiates the efficacy of D(2) antagonists, but it does not deteriorate the adverse effect. Moreover, sigma(1) receptors are involved in this potentiation of the efficacy of D(2) antagonists by MS-377.

Altered extracellular signal-regulated kinase signal transduction by the muscarinic acetylcholine and metabotropic glutamate receptors after cerebral ischemia.

To determine whether muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChR) in the post-ischemic hippocampus may be involved in altered extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) signal transduction, we have investigated changes in the activity of ERK1/2 induced by a muscarinic agonist, carbachol. Cerebral ischemia was produced in the rat by injecting 900 microspheres (48 microm in diameter) into the right internal carotid artery. Applying carbachol to the contralateral hippocampal slices from ischemic rats increased the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 but did not increase phosphorylation in the ipsilateral hippocampus. Analysis of M(1) mAChR binding showed that there was no significant difference in the number and K(d) values between the hippocampi from naïve and ischemic rats. Immunoblotting analysis showed no significant difference in the amount of M(1) mAChR in both hemispheres. In contrast to carbachol stimulation, the protein kinase C activator induced an activation of ERK1/2 in the ipsilateral hippocampus. This increase was shown to occur in neurons by immunofluorescence colocalization study. Carbachol-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of the G alpha(q/11), inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate formation, and association of G alpha(q/11) with phospholipase C beta 1 were attenuated in the ipsilateral hippocampus. We also found that stimulation of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors, which are linked to G alpha(q/11), failed to increase in phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in the ipsilateral hippocampus. These results suggest that failure in receptor-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of the G alpha(q/11) subunit and a defect in receptor-G alpha(q/11-)effector coupling in the ischemic hippocampus may be involved in alterations of ERK signal transduction.