The Effect of Umami Stimulation on Salivary Secretion Rate and Duration

Purpose: Umami reportedly promotes salivation. We aimed to investigate the effects of taste stimuli on slow and fast salivary secretion in humans using umami, sweet, and sour stimuli. Methods: Eight healthy women participated between 14:00 and 15:00, taking the circadian rhythm of salivary secretion into account. The types and concentrations of the taste solutions were glutamic acid (1.7 × 10−3 M), inosinic acid (9.8 × 10−3 M), and guanylic acid (9.8 × 10−3 M) for umami stimulation, citric acid (6.5 × 10−3 M) for acidity stimulation, and sucrose (1.6 × 10−2 M) for sweetness stimulation. First, the unstimulated salivary flow rate was measured. Then, 3 ml of a flavor solution was dropped under the tongue using a syringe. The saliva was expelled into an aluminum cup every minute and weighed. The first minute’s value minus 3 ml flavor solution was the stimulated salivary secretion rate produced by each flavor. The time-to-return to the initial unstimulated salivary flow rate was the duration of the stimulated saliva secretion rate. Results: The mean unstimulated salivary flow rate across participants was 0.64 ± 0.25 ml/min (range: 0.23 - 1.03 ml/min). The highest amount of saliva was induced by citric acid. There were significant differences between citric acid and the other flavor solutions (p < 0.05 for glutamic acid, inosinic acid, and sucrose;p < 0.01 for guanylic acid). There were no significant differences in duration of salivation between the flavor solutions. When the participants were divided into slow (0.45 ± 0.16 ml/min) and fast groups (0.83 ± 0.15 ml/min) based on their median resting salivary secretion rate, there were no significant differences between the two groups in the amount of saliva secreted at 1 minute after stimulation and the duration of the salivary secretion rate. Conclusion: Umami stimulation was effective in slowing salivary secretion and sustaining salivary secretion after stimulation.

Qualitative Rural Indonesian Study of Diabetes Knowledge, Health Beliefs, and Behaviors in Type 2 Diabetes Patients

This study was aimed at understanding diabetes knowledge, health beliefs, and behaviors among type 2 diabetes patients in Balinese rural areas. The study used the Health Belief Model (HBM) in applied thematic analysis. It involved semi-structured focus groups with 20 patients (M = 49.95 years old, SD 6.7). Three themes formulated: poor diabetes knowledge, diabetes perceived as a life burden, and the factors affecting self-efficacy in practicing healthy lifestyle. The poor diabetes knowledge was due to traditional indigenous beliefs and low health literacy. The perception that diabetes is a life burden was related with physical and psychological condition. The factors affecting the self-efficacy were the perceived barriers and external influence. It is need to understand the traditional indigenous beliefs, burdens, and lacking internal intention as the modifying factors of health beliefs. This study suggests that the development of integrated health promotion of diabetes should consider the HBM’s modifying factors in rural areas.

Prioritizing Strategies for Building the Resilience of Public Health Systems to Disasters Across Multiple Communities and Countries

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgent need to strengthen public health systems.In response,the United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction(UNDRR) Public Health System Resilience Scorecard(Scorecard) was applied in workshops across multiple countries.The aim of our research was to explore the workshop findings to develop priority strategies for strengthening public health system resilience.We conducted a workshop from 14 to 16 March 2023,at the UNDRR Global Education and Training Institute in Incheon,Republic of Korea.A sequential modified Delphi method was utilized to develop a set of prioritized resilience strategies.These were drawn from 70 strategies identified from 13 distinct workshops in eight countries.After two surveys,23 strategies were finalized.Ten received ratings of "High" or Very High" from89% of participants.These related to the inclusion of public health risks in emergency plans,integrating multidisciplinary teams into public health,enabling local transport mechanisms,and improving the ability to manage an influx of patients.The Scorecard provides an adaptable framework to identify and prioritize strategies for strengthening public health system resilience.By leveraging this methodology,our study demonstrated how resilience strategies could inform disaster risk reduction funding,policies,and actions.

Effects of progressive muscular relaxation and stretching exercises combination on blood pressure among farmers in rural areas of Indonesia:a randomized study

Objective:Maintaining blood pressure(BP)could improve the quality of life among farmers in agricultural health.The study aims to evaluate the effects of progressive muscular relaxation and stretching exercises(SEs)for BP in farmer subjects in rural areas.Methods:A randomized controlled design was applied for this study.We performed a method,which is the combination of progressive muscle relaxation(PMR)and SEs for participants(30 in the control group and 60 in the intervention group).The intervention group self-practiced PMR and SEs through a video that providing instructions for 15 min.PMR practiced before going to sleeping in the night,and SEs practiced before going to farms in the morning per day for 3-months.Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed to measure the difference between systolic blood pressure(SBP)and diastolic blood pressure(DBP)as one pre-and post-test comparison of baseline and 3 months data in control and intervention groups.Results:There were no significant differences between SBP and DBP pre-and post-test in control group(P>0.050).Meanwhile,there were significant differences in reducing SBP(M=126.67;SD=18.07;95%CI=120-147.5 mmHg)and DBP(M=80.67;SD=6.91;95%CI=80-90 mmHg)pre-and post-test combination of PMR and SEs in intervention group(P<0.001).After 3-months of follow-up data,number type SBP and DBP still remained at the same levels of baseline and 3-month data in control group.While,there was an increased number of normal and prehypertension for SBP and DBP(10%vs.10%and 20%vs.31.6%)and reduced of hypertension stage I for SBP and DBP(30%vs.41.6%).Conclusions:This pilot study demonstrated effectively to reduce SBP and DBP among farmers using the combination of PMR and SEs in the agricultural health setting.

Lignan Glycosides and Phenolic Compound Glycosides from the Branches of <i>Tabebuia chrysotricha</i>

From the branches of Tabebuia chrysotricha (Bignoniaceae), two lignan glycosides (1, 2) and two phenolic compound glycosides (3, 4) were isolated, along with 15 known compounds (5 - 19). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic evidence and those of the known compounds were identified by comparison of spectroscopic data with those reported in the literature. The DPPH radical-scavenging activity was assayed for the compounds isolated, the aryltetralin-type lignans showing moderate activity.

Computer-Aided Design and Fabrication of Finger Prosthesis

Custom-made esthetic finger prostheses, which are used for rehabilitation of patients with missing or impaired fingers, have been fabricated manually. However, such fabrication is time-consuming and requires manual skill. Here we propose a computer-aided method for fabricating finger pros-theses to save time and allow fabrications that do not require considerable manual skill. In this method, the dimensions of a patient’s healthy finger on the contralateral hand are first measured using a caliper. Using these dimensions, a three-dimensional model is constructed for fabricating a prosthesis for the patient’s impaired finger. Using the 3D model, a mold is designed using 3D modeling tools and a computer-aided design system. The resulting mold is then fabricated using a 3D printer. A finger prosthesis is fabricated by pouring silicone resin into the mold. A finger prosthesis for a volunteer was experimentally fabricated according to the proposed method. To evaluate the size and shape of the finger prosthesis, the difference between the finger prosthesis and the original finger of the volunteer was analyzed. Because the average difference between them was 0.25 mm, it was concluded that the proposed method could be used to fabricate a finger prosthesis of adequate size and shape.

Neuroprotective Effects of 4-phenylbutyric Acid and Its Derivatives： Possible Therapeutics for Neurodegenerative Diseases

The pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer＇s and Parkinson＇s diseases involves the aggregation of denatured and misfolded nascent proteins. Consequently, many pharmacological approaches have been developed to prevent protein aggregation. 4-Phenylbutyric acid （4-PBA） is a chemical chaperone that shows potential as a candidate drug for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The main actions of chemical chaperones are the amelioration of unfolded proteins and the suppression of their aggregation, which result in protective effects against endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced neuronal cell death. Furthermore, 4-PBA exhibits inhibitory activity against histone deacetylases （HDACs）. However, owing to the problematically high doses of 4-PBA currently required for therapeutic efficacy, the optimization of 4-PBA is crucial for its effective medicinal application. In the present review, we summarize the recent advances in research on the basic actions of 4-PBA and its derivatives. We also discuss whether these compounds could be viable therapeutic agents against neurodegenerative diseases.

综合医院认知障碍患者护理困难量表的编制和信效度检验

目的随着中国老龄化速度的加快,患有认知障碍的患者住院率逐渐上升。目前,针对中国综合医院认知障碍患者护理困难的研究相对有限。该研究编制了针对综合医院护士的认知障碍患者护理困难量表,并验证其效度和信度。方法以生物-心理-社会医学理论模型为指导,通过文献查阅、定性访谈、专家咨询拟订初始量表。2021年9月至11月,对11所综合性医院的313名护士进行调查。采用项目分析、探索性因子分析、已知组别法和并存效度,验证量表的效度。采用Cronbach'sα系数和分半可靠性评估量表的信度。结果各条目内容效度指数(I-CVI)为0.833~1.00,总内容效度指数(S-CVI)为0.929。通过项目分析和探索性因子分析提取了21个项目,涉及4个因子。根据已知组别法,认知障碍护理经验丰富组和有认知障碍护理培训经历组的护理困难程度,显著低于经验较少组和未接受过培训组。综合医院认知障碍患者护理困难量表与护士工作压力源量表的相关系数为0.387,与认知障碍护理态度量表的相关系数为-0.239。各维度的Cronbach'sα系数为0.889~0.905,总的Cronbach'sα系数为0.959。各维度的折半系数为0.814~0.894,总体为0.911。结论该研究制订了综合医院认知障碍患者护理困难量表,并提取了4个因子,验证了该量表的信度和效度。该量表可用于评估综合医院认知障碍患者护理实践的难度,并可用于未来的研究以改善认知障碍患者的护理实践。

Hand-assisted laparoscopic restorative proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis

AIM To evaluate the utility of hand-assisted laparoscopic restorative proctocolectomy(HALS-RP) compared with the conventional open procedure(OPEN-RP).METHODS Fifty-one patients who underwent restorative total proctocolectomy with rectal mucosectomy and ileal pouch anal anastomosis between January 2008 and July 2015 were retrospectively analyzed.Twentythree patients in the HALS-RP group and twentyfour patients in the OPEN-RP group were compared.Four patients who had purely laparoscopic surgery were excluded.Restorative total proctocolectomy was performed with mucosectomy and a hand-sewn ilealpouch-anal anastomosis.Preoperative comorbidities,intraoperative factors such as blood loss and operative time,postoperative complications,and postoperative course were compared between two groups.RESULTS Patients in both groups were matched with regards to patient age,gender,and American Society of Anesthesiologists score.There were no significant differences in extent of colitis,indications for surgery,preoperative comorbidities,and preoperative medications in the two groups.The median operative time for the HALS-RP group was 369(320-420) min,slightly longer than the OPEN-RP group at 355(318-421) min; this was not statistically significant.Blood loss was significantly less in HALS-RP [300(230-402) m L] compared to OPEN-RP [512(401-1162) m L,P = 0.003].Anastomotic leakage was noted in 3 patients in the HALS-RP group and 2 patients in the OPEN-RP group(13% vs 8.3%,NS).The rates of other postoperative complications and the length of hospital stay were not different between the two groups.CONCLUSION HALS-RP can be performed with less blood loss and smaller skin incisions.This procedure is a feasible technique for total proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis.

Zinc-doped hydroxyapatite-zeolite/polycaprolactone composites coating on magnesium substrate for enhancing in-vitro corrosion and antibacterial performance

This work is focused on developing zinc-doped hydroxyapatite-zeolite(Zn HA-Zeo)and polycaprolactone(PCL)composite coatings on magnesium(Mg)substrate to improve the corrosion resistance and antimicrobial properties.Dip-coating technique was used to coat Zn HA-Zeo/PCL on the Mg substrate at room temperature.The samples were subjected to field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),Fourier transform infrared(FTIR),energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDX)and antimicrobial potential.Results demonstrated that composite coatings consist of HA,scholzite,zeolite,and PCL phases.EDX spectra indicated the presence of calcium(Ca),silicon(Si),aluminum(Al),zinc(Zn),phosphorus(P)and oxygen(O).The composite surface appeared in spherical-like microstructure on coating with thickness ranging 226-260μm.Zinc-doped HA-Zeo composite coating had a high corrosion resistance and provided sufficient protection to the Mg surface against galvanic corrosion.Doped Zn HA-Zeo coating samples exhibited superior disc inhibition by confirming antimicrobial activity against the E.coli as compared to HA-Zeo sample.Altogether these results showed that the Zn HA-Zeo coatings not only improved the corrosion resistance,but also enhanced the antimicrobial property and hence they can be used as suitable candidates for implant applications.

Effects of Elasticity on Wall Shear Stress in Patient-Specific Aneurysm of Cerebral Artery

The behavior of wall shear stress (WSS) was previously reported in a deformable aneurysm model using fluid-structure interactions. However, these findings have not been validated. In the present study, we examined the effect of elasticity (i.e., deformation) on wall shear stress inside a cerebral aneurysm at the apex of a bifurcation using particle image velocimetry in vitro. The flow model simulated a human patient-specific aneurysm at the apex of the bifurcation of the middle cerebral artery. Flow characteristics by wall elasticity were examined for both elastic and non-deformable aneurysm models with pulsatile blood flow. The absolute temporally- and spatially-averaged WSS along the bleb wall was smaller in the elastic model than that in the non-deformable model. This small WSS may be related to attenuation of the WSS. Further, the WSS gradient had a finite value near the stagnation point of the aneurysm dome. Finally, the WSS gradient near the stagnation point was slightly smaller in the elastic model than that in the non-deformable model. These data suggest that elasticity of the aneurysm wall can affect the progression and rupture of aneurysms via hemodynamic stress.

Preventive approach against drug-induced pulmonary fibrosis through the suppression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition

A number of drugs induce pulmonary injury and subsequently lead to serious lung diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis as the adverse drug reactions.However,an effective preventive approach against drug-induced pulmonary fibrosis has not been established due to poor understanding of common preventive targets in a variety of drugs showing pulmonary toxicity.Epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT),a cellular phenotypic change of the epithelial to mesenchymal state,contributes to the development of pulmonary fibrosis through the conversion of damaged alveolar epithelium into myofibroblasts.As several drugs with pulmonary toxicity have been reported to induce EMT,EMT serves as a bridge between the drugs and pulmonary fibrosis.Accumulated evidence supports the potential of EMT as a preventive target against drug-induced pulmonary fibrosis.Additionally,since there are mechanistic differences between the main pharmacological effect and EMT induced by the drug,prevention based on EMT suppression would be possible and would contribute to continuous clinical treatment with the drug to avoid EMT-mediated serious pulmonary fibrosis.Furthermore,targeting EMT seems to be adequate for exerting a preventive effect since EMT in damaged alveolar epithelial cells occurs prior to the development of the pathophysiological state of the whole lung in a bleomycin-induced lung injury rat model.This viewpoint deals with the benefits and perspectives of preventive approaches against druginduced pulmonary fibrosis through the suppression of EMT,which has rarely been addressed.

Poor Schedule Management Leads to Discontinuity of Medical Attendance among Patients Infected with HIV

Dropout from medical attendance is a well-recognized issue among patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We interviewed 23 HIV-positive patients and used text mining methods to analyse the risk factors for dropout. Fifteen patients continued medical attendance and eight patients dropped out of medical attendance. Categories were extracted from the interview data of the patients who continued medical attendance (i.e., the continuity group) and the patients who dropped out of medical care (i.e., the discontinuity group). Categories of the continuity group included needing to take a day off for medical attendance, scheduling each appointment, writing down medical appointments, being grateful for the medical care, and 12 additional categories. Categories of discontinuity group included forgetting the dates of medical appointments, not needing to get a day off for medical attendance, allowing aid for medical care to expire, and 10 additional categories. The discontinuity group had poorer schedule management than the continuity group, which caused them to forget their next medical appointments and delay the renewal of aid for medical care. Thus, medical staff may be able to prevent dropouts by ensuring that patients record the dates of their medical appointments.

Microtropins J-P: 6’-O-(2”<i>S</i>,3”<i>R</i>)-2”-Ethyl-2”,3”-Dihydroxybutyrates of Phenolic Alcohol <i>&#223</i>-D-Glucopyranosides from the Branches of <i>Microtropis japonica</i>

From the branches of Microtropis japonica (Celastraceae), seven phenolic alcohol glucosides, named microtropins J-P (1-7), were isolated. The 6-position of glucose was esterified with 2-ethyl-2,3-dihydroxybutyric acid. Microtropin K (2) was hydrolyzed under a mild basic condition to give methyl (2S,3R)-2-ethyl-2,3-dihydroxybutyrate, whose absolute structure was determined by the comparison of NMR data and the optical rotation value with that reported.

Inhibition of Heterogeneous Nucleation in Water by Hydrogel Coating

Heterogeneous nucleation plays a critical role in the phase transition of water,which can cause damage in various systems.Here,we report that heterogeneous nucleation can be inhibited by utilizing hydrogel coatings to isolate solid surfaces and water.Hydrogels,which contain over 90%water when fully swelled,exhibit a high degree of similarity to water.Due to this similarity,there is a great energy barrier for heterogeneous nucleation along the water-hydrogel interface.Additionally,hydrogel coatings,which possess polymer networks,exhibit higher fracture energy and more robust adhesion to solid surfaces compared to water.This high fracture and adhesion energy acts as a deterrent for fracture nucleation within the hydrogel or along the hydrogel-solid interface.With a hydrogel layer approximately 100μm thick,the boiling temperature of water under atmospheric pressure can be raised from 100 to 108℃.Notably,hydrogel coatings also result in remarkable reductions in cavitation pressure on multiple solid surfaces.We have demonstrated the efficacy of hydrogel coatings in preventing damages resulting from acceleration-induced cavitation.Hydrogel coatings have the potential to alter the energy landscape of heterogeneous nucleation on the water-solid interface,making them an exciting avenue for innovation in heat transfer and fluidic systems.

茶叶提取物对小肠Caco-2细胞糖吸收的抑制作用

利用水提法制备绿茶、乌龙茶、红茶、青砖茶和普洱茶提取物,研究5种提取物对体外小肠Caco-2细胞吸收葡萄糖的抑制效果。结果表明:在相同质量浓度(0.5mg/mL)条件下,5种茶叶提取物均能抑制Caco-2细胞吸收葡萄糖的活性,抑制能力大小依次为绿茶!乌龙茶!红茶!青砖茶!普洱茶;与对照相比,绿茶、乌龙茶、红茶和青砖茶提取物极显著抑制葡萄糖的吸收,但普洱茶提取物的抑制效果并未达到显著水平(P>0.05)。茶叶提取物抑制小肠Caco-2细胞吸收葡萄糖的能力可能与加工过程中儿茶素的转化有关。

日本口腔医学研究生创新能力培养的启示

如何保证和提高口腔医学研究生的教育质量,培养出具有较强创新精神和创新能力的研究生,已成为当前口腔医学的主要课题之一。根据口腔医学研究生的特点,结合在日本医科大学参与研究生培养过程中的体会,同时结合目前研究生创新能力培养存在的问题,从课程制定、导师职责、培养模式等方面,初步探索培养口腔医学研究生创新能力的新模式。

Cancer immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer utilizing α-gal epitope/natural anti-Gal antibody reaction

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC) has the poorest prognosis of all malignancies and is largely resistant to standard therapy. Novel treatments against PDAC are desperately needed. Anti-Gal is the most abundant natural antibody in humans,comprising about 1% of immunoglobulins and is also naturally produced in apes and Old World monkeys. The anti-Gal ligand is a carbohydrate antigen called "α-gal epitopes" with the structure Galα1-3Galβ1-4Glc NAc-R. These epitopes are expressed as major carbohydrate antigens in non-primate mammals,prosimians,and New World monkeys. Anti-Gal is exploited in cancer vaccines to increase the immunogenicity of antigen-presenting cells(APCs). Cancer cells or PDAC tumor lysates are processed to express α-gal epitopes. Vaccination with these components results in in vivo opsonization by anti-Gal Ig G in PDAC patients. The Fc portion of the vaccine-bound anti-Gal interacts with Fcγ receptors of APCs,inducing uptake of the vaccine components,transport of the vaccine tumor membranes to draining lymph nodes,and processing and presentation of tumor-associated antigens(TAAs). Cancer vaccines expressing α-gal epitopes elicit strong antibody production against multiple TAAs contained in PDAC cells and induce activation of multiple tumor-specific T cells. Here,we review new areas of clinical importance related to the α-gal epitope/anti-Gal antibody reaction and the advantages in immunotherapy against PDAC.

Quest for the best endoscopic imaging modality for computer-assisted colonic polyp staging

BACKGROUND It was shown in previous studies that high definition endoscopy, high magnification endoscopy and image enhancement technologies, such as chromoendoscopy and digital chromoendoscopy [narrow-band imaging(NBI), iScan] facilitate the detection and classification of colonic polyps during endoscopic sessions. However, there are no comprehensive studies so far that analyze which endoscopic imaging modalities facilitate the automated classification of colonic polyps. In this work, we investigate the impact of endoscopic imaging modalities on the results of computer-assisted diagnosis systems for colonic polyp staging.AIM To assess which endoscopic imaging modalities are best suited for the computerassisted staging of colonic polyps.METHODS In our experiments, we apply twelve state-of-the-art feature extraction methods for the classification of colonic polyps to five endoscopic image databases of colonic lesions. For this purpose, we employ a specifically designed experimental setup to avoid biases in the outcomes caused by differing numbers of images per image database. The image databases were obtained using different imaging modalities. Two databases were obtained by high-definition endoscopy in combination with i-Scan technology(one with chromoendoscopy and one without chromoendoscopy). Three databases were obtained by highmagnification endoscopy(two databases using narrow band imaging and one using chromoendoscopy). The lesions are categorized into non-neoplastic and neoplastic according to the histological diagnosis.RESULTS Generally, it is feature-dependent which imaging modalities achieve high results and which do not. For the high-definition image databases, we achieved overall classification rates of up to 79.2% with chromoendoscopy and 88.9% without chromoendoscopy. In the case of the database obtained by high-magnification chromoendoscopy, the classification rates were up to 81.4%. For the combination of high-magnification endoscopy with NBI, results of up to 97.4% for one database and up to 84% for the other were achieved. Non-neoplastic lesions were classified more accurately in general than non-neoplastic lesions. It was shown that the image recording conditions highly affect the performance of automated diagnosis systems and partly contribute to a stronger effect on the staging results than the used imaging modality.CONCLUSION Chromoendoscopy has a negative impact on the results of the methods. NBI is better suited than chromoendoscopy. High-definition and high-magnification endoscopy are equally suited.

Significance of timing of therapeutic line on effectiveness of nivolumab for metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Objectives:This study aimed to clarify the significance of therapeutic timing on the effectiveness of nivolumab for treating metastatic renal cell carcinoma.Marterials and methods:Fifty-eight patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with nivolumab monotherapy were retrospectively studied.Patients who were treated with nivolumab as second-line therapy were included in the second-line group,while the others were included in the later-line group.The clinicopathological characteristics,effects of nivolumab,and prognoses of these groups were compared.Results:Twenty and thirty-eight patients were included in the second-line and later-line groups,respectively.There were no significant differences in the distribution of International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consotium risk and other clinicopathological characteristics between the 2 groups.The proportion of patients whose objective best response was progressive disease in the second-line group was significantly lower than that in the later-line group(15%vs.50%,p=0.0090).The 50%progression-free survival with nivolumab in the second-line group was significantly better than that in the later-line group(not reached and 5 months,p=0.0018).Multivariate analysis showed that the second-line setting was an independent predictive factor for better progression-free survival(p=0.0028,hazard ratio=0.108).The 50%overall survival after starting nivolumab in the second-line and later-line groups was not reached and 27.8 months,respectively(p=0.2652).Conclusions:The therapeutic efficacy of nivolumab as second-line therapy is expected to be better than that of later therapy.