Purpose
The ratio of fat within skeletal muscle is an important parameter that is indicative of muscle quality, and can be assessed using ultrasonography to measure echo intensity (EI). Muscle EI ...indicates muscle strength and risk of physical dysfunction; however, this observation was determined following examinations of only selected muscle. The purpose of this study was to investigate the EI characteristics of muscles in several regions in elderly men and women, using physical function tests and serum cholesterol levels.
Methods
Twenty-two men and women (age 78 ± 8 years) participated in this study. The EIs were calculated from rectus femoris (RF), biceps femoris (BF) triceps brachii (TB) and multifidus (MF) using B-mode transverse ultrasound images. Seven functional tests (isometric knee-extension peak torque, functional reach, sit-to-stand, 5-m normal/maximal speed walking, handgrip strength and timed up-and-go) and blood lipid components including adipocytokines were measured in all participants.
Results
A statistically significant correlation between EI of the RF, TB and BF was observed (
r
= 0.46–0.50,
P
< 0.05), but not between EI of the MF and that of other muscles. EI of muscles of the limbs, which was averaged EI for RF, TB and BF, was negatively correlated with leptin levels (adjusted
R
2
= 0.27,
P
< 0.01), and EI of the MF was correlated with muscle mass and performance in the timed up-and-go test (adjusted
R
2
= 0.61,
P
< 0.01).
Conclusion
These results suggest that EI might be influenced by specific parameters depending on the location of the muscle.
Higher muscle echo intensity (EI) reflects higher content of fat and/or connective tissue within skeletal muscle, eventually inducing lower muscle strength, physical dysfunction, and metabolic ...impairment. Continuous exercise decreases muscle EI in older individuals; however, it is not well understood how several months' rehabilitation exercise affects gradation-based EI. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 6 months of rehabilitation exercise on gradation-based higher and lower EI in older men and women.
Twenty-seven men and women (7 men, 20 women; age, 75.6 ± 6.4 years; height, 154.3 ± 8.5 cm; weight, 55.8 ± 9.7 kg) participated in this study. This study was a one-group before-and-after trial. They needed long-term care for activities of daily living. They performed rehabilitation exercises consisting of resistance exercises using a hydraulic resistance machine, stretching, and aerobic exercises using a recumbent bicycle once or twice a week for 6 months. B-mode ultrasonographic transverse image was taken from thigh muscles, e.g., rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, and biceps femoris. We calculated gradation-based cross-sectional area (CSA) from thigh muscles by dividing 256 greyscale level to 10 different components levels (e.g., 0-24, 25-49, 50-74, …, 200-224 and 225-249 a.u.).
Lowest EI (e.g., 0-24 a.u.) CSA of thigh muscle was significantly increased after the exercise (0.3 ± 0.3 to 1.0 ± 0.8 cm
; P < 0.05). Middle to higher EI (e.g., 50-74, 75-99, 100-124, 125-149, 150-174, 175-199 and 200-224 a.u.) CSAs were significantly decreased from 23.0 to 68.7% after the exercise (P < 0.05).
Several months' rehabilitation exercise affected both lower and higher EI in older men and women. This result suggests that rehabilitation exercise changes muscle composition by increasing contractile muscle tissue and decreasing fat and connective tissues.
Activin A promotes the development of endometriotic lesions in a murine model of endometriosis, and the immunohistochemical localization of phosphorylated suppressor of mothers against ...decapentaplegic homolog 2/3 (pSMAD2/3) complex in endometriotic lesions has been reported. Activin may therefore be involved in the development and proliferation of endometriotic cells via the SMAD signaling pathway. However, few detailed reports exist on SMAD7 expression in endometriosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of pSMAD2/3 or pSMAD3 and SMAD7 in the orthotopic human endometrium, ovarian endometriosis, and endometriotic lesions in a murine model and the effect of activin A on pSMAD2/3 and SMAD7 expression. We established an endometriosis murine model via the intraperitoneal administration of endometrial tissue and blood from donor mice. Activin A was intraperitoneally administered to the activin group. We immunohistochemically evaluated orthotopic endometria, ovarian endometriotic tissues, and endometriotic lesions in the murine model followed by western blotting. We found that pSMAD3 and SMAD7 were expressed in ovarian endometriosis and orthotopic endometria from patients with and without endometriosis. In the murine model, endometriotic lesions expressed pSMAD2/3 and SMAD7 in the activin and control groups, and higher SMAD7 expression was found in the activin group. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to show that SMAD7 expression is upregulated in endometriosis. In conclusion, these results suggest that activin A activates the SMAD signaling pathway and promotes the development of endometriotic lesions, thus identifying SMAD7 as a potential therapeutic target for endometriosis.
Purpose : It is essential to determine normative data of testicular size and penile length in newborn infants in order to assess the development during the fetal period. In this study, we evaluated ...testicular volumes using ultrasonography and also measured penile lengths in Japanese newborn infants. We also examined the associations of the development of these organs with factors including placental weight and anthropometric data. Methods : One hundred and fifteen full-term male newborn infants were recruited for this study. Testicular size was measured by ultrasonography. Results : Mean testicular volumes were 187.4 mm3 in the right testis and 185.4 mm3 in the left testis, and there was no significant difference between the right and left testicular volumes. Right and left testicular volumes showed positive and significant correlations with body lengths and weights. Testicular volumes in the right and left sides were not significantly associated with penile lengths. In 4 groups according to gestational weeks, testicular volume increased significantly with advance of gestational weeks in the left testis. Conclusion : We determined testicular volumes using ultrasonography in Japanese newborn infants. We believe that the results for newborn infants provide important information for assessment of the development of fetal testicular volume. J. Med. Invest. 69 : 256-260, August, 2022
This study aimed to evaluate the changes in quadriceps femoris muscle thickness during the pregnancy and postpartum periods and to elucidate the effect of bed rest for threatened preterm labor on ...muscle thickness. In 26 women with normal pregnancy, quadriceps femoris thickness was measured at 11-13, 26, 30, and 35 weeks' gestation, and at 3-5 days and 1 month postpartum using ultrasonography. In 15 pregnant women treated with bed rest for threatened premature labor, quadriceps femoris thickness was measured at 30 and 35 weeks' gestation and postpartum. In women with normal pregnancy, quadriceps femoris thickness increased, peaking at 35 weeks' gestation, followed by a postpartum decrease. In women on bed rest, quadriceps femoris thickness showed no significant change during the pregnancy and postpartum periods, and the muscle was significantly thinner at 35 weeks' gestation than that in women with normal pregnancy. In conclusion, a significant increase in quadriceps femoris muscle thickness during normal pregnancy was found using ultrasonography. Meanwhile, in pregnant women on bed rest treatment, the quadriceps femoris was significantly thinner in the late third trimester than that in normal pregnant women. Prolonged bed rest can affect normal changes in the quadriceps femoris muscle thickness during the pregnancy and postpartum periods.
Many transgender men receive testosterone therapy to achieve virilization. The therapy is often mistaken for having a contraceptive effect because it causes amenorrhea. However, some treated patients ...become pregnant, which is not well known. A 25‐year‐old transgender man who had received testosterone for 3 years had an unplanned pregnancy during discontinuation of treatment. He was unaware of his pregnancy, resumed testosterone, and continued treatment until pregnancy was confirmed. His female child was exposed to androgens during the fetal period; thus, careful, long‐term observation was required. He developed insomnia and depression during the postpartum, and giving birth made it difficult for him to change his family register to male. Transgender men can become pregnant through sexual intercourse with biological men, even during hormone replacement therapy, so correct contraception is necessary to avoid unwanted pregnancies. Transgender sex education is important to increase awareness of this issue among individuals and medical professionals.
Aim
We aimed to evaluate the effect of prolonged hospitalization for threatened preterm labor (TPL) on maternal and fetal vitamin D status.
Methods
This was a retrospective cohort study, spanning 4 ...years, including 18 women with TPL and 36 women with normal pregnancy who received prenatal care for a singleton pregnancy at our center. TPL cases were women who were admitted to our hospital after the second trimester test for at least 28 days, during which time the third trimester test was also performed. Controls were randomly sampled from women matched for age as well as the season during which the third trimester test was performed. Serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration in maternal blood was compared between the two groups at second trimester, third trimester and in the umbilical cord blood at delivery.
Results
The mean ± SD of maternal serum 25(OH)D concentration in the TPL group (14.0 ± 3.0 ng/mL) was significantly lower than that in the control group (17.8 ± 5.9 ng/mL) (P < 0.01) in the third trimester, although there was no significant difference in the second trimester (P = 0.30). There was a significant reduction (P < 0.01) in the maternal serum 25(OH)D from the second to third trimester in the TPL group, compared to the control group (P = 0.60). There was no significant difference between the two groups in umbilical cord blood 25(OH)D concentrations at delivery (P = 0.41).
Conclusion
Prolonged hospitalization for TPL reduced the maternal vitamin D status but did not influence the neonatal status at delivery.
In recent years, the effects of androgens on metabolic and body weight regulation systems and their underlying mechanisms have been gradually revealed in females. In women and experimental animals of ...reproductive age, androgen excess can adversely affect metabolic functioning, appetite, and body weight regulation. In addition, excess androgens can increase the risk of metabolic disorders, such as obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. These unfavorable effects of androgens are induced by alterations in the actions of hypothalamic appetite-regulatory factors, reductions in energy expenditure, insulin resistance in skeletal muscle, and β-cell dysfunction. Interestingly, these unfavorable effects of androgens on metabolic and body-weight regulation systems are neither observed nor evident in ovariectomized animals and post-menopausal women, indicating that the adverse effects of androgens might be dependent on the estrogen milieu. Recent findings may provide novel sex- and age-specific strategies for treating metabolic diseases.
Maternal characteristics and neonatal outcomes associated with cell-free DNA (cfDNA) results were analysed retrospectively to assess the details of false-positive and false-negative results after ...initial blood sampling in non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT).
A multicentre retrospective study was performed for women undergoing NIPT who received discordant cfDNA results between April 2013 and March 2018. The NIPT data obtained using massive parallel sequencing were studied in terms of maternal background, fetal fraction, z-scores, invasive procedure results and neonatal outcomes after birth.
Of the 56,545 women who participated in this study, 54 false-positive (0.095 %) and three false-negative (0.006 %) cases were found. Seven of the 54 false-positive cases (13.0 %) had vanishing twin on ultrasonography. Among the 18 false-positive cases of trisomy 18, confined placental mosaicism (CPM) was confirmed in three cases (16.7 %), while CPM was present in one of the three false-negative cases of trisomy 21.
These data suggest that the incidence of women with false-positive or false-negative results is relatively low, that such false results can often be explained, and that vanishing twin and CPM are potential causes of NIPT failure. Genetic counselling with regard to false results is important for clients prior to undergoing NIPT.
Changes in the activities of some metabolic factors have been suggested to increase the risk of conditions associated with the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD). We examined changes ...in oxytocin (OT), a metabolic factor, and OT receptor (OTR) mRNA levels throughout the developmental period in rats of intrauterine undernutrition. Pregnant rats were divided into two groups: a maternal normal nutrition (mNN) and maternal undernutrition (mUN) group. Serum OT concentrations and hypothalamic mRNA levels of OT and OTR were measured in both offspring at various postnatal stages. Both offspring showed significant increases in serum OT concentrations during the neonatal period, significant reductions around the pubertal period, and significant increases in adulthood. Hypothalamic OT mRNA expression levels gradually increased from the neonatal to pubertal period and decreased in adulthood in both offspring. In the pre-weaning period, hypothalamic OT mRNA expression levels were significantly lower in the mUN offspring than in the mNN offspring. In the mUN offspring, hypothalamic OTR mRNA expression levels transiently increased during the neonatal period, decreased around the pubertal period, and increased again in adulthood, whereas transient changes were not detected in mNN offspring. These changes could affect nutritional and metabolic regulation systems in later life and play a role in the mechanisms underlying DOHaD.
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