This study found several in situ fossil shells of the boring bivalve Penitella gabbii exposed in mudstone at an elevation of 1.05–1.35 m above mean sea level in a wave-cut platform at Cape Omaezaki, ...Shizuoka, central Japan. This region faces the Nankai Trough where great earthquakes (M ~8) occur with a recurrence interval of 90–200 years. Based on the upper limit of living P. gabbii (−0.8 m above mean sea level) and geodetic data, the total uplift of shells since the time of their active is estimated to be up to 2.5 m. Using 14C dates from the uplifted terrace deposits around the study area and shell fossils, we propose that the emerged fossils provide new evidence for the pairing of the 1361 CE Shohei (Koan)–Tokai earthquake (rupture of Suruga Trough and the eastern half of the Nankai Trough) with the 1361 CE Shohei (Koan)–Nankai earthquake (rupture of the western half of the Nankai Trough).
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Eight years after the Fukushima nuclear accident, mosses exposed in bags were used to investigate their ability to accumulate radiocaesium and therefore to act as biointerceptors of 134Cs and 137Cs ...in the evacuated area of the Fukushima territory. Bags were filled with 3 widely studied moss species (Sphagnum palustre, Hypnum cupressiforme, and Hypnum plumaeforme) and exposed for 3, 6 or 9 weeks at 5 former residential sites within the Fukushima area and, for comparison, at three background sites located 700 km away. The radiocaesium activity concentrations found in moss bags were evaluated as function of exposure time, site conditions and moss species. In the Fukushima area, the moss bags accumulated 137Cs at all exposure sites and in all exposure periods, with S. palustre having the highest 137Cs accumulation ability. The 137Cs activity concentrations (from 28 to 4700 Bq kg−1) measured in moss bags increased with the exposure time and were consistent with the decontamination status of each exposure site, highlighting the big potential of moss bags to discriminate among exposure sites. Time dependency of 137Cs activity concentrations measured in mosses allowed the calculation of location-specific and species-specific factors, which can be used to predict radiocaesium accumulation trends in future biomonitoring surveys performed in the same area with the same experimental design. Autoradiography and electron microscopy analyses of the moss surfaces revealed a prevalence of soil-derived particulate form of radiocaesium, suggesting the use of moss bags as warning sensors of resuspended particles potentially harmful for local residents.
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•Mosses in bags act as biosensors of radiocaesium in evacuated Fukushima municipalities.•In Fukushima sites moss-bags highlight 137Cs after only 3 weeks of exposure.•Sphagnum palustre shows the highest 137Cs uptake ability.•Radiocaesium occurs on moss surfaces in soil-derived particulate form.•Location (LF) and Species (SF) factors may help to determine 137Cs accumulation trends.
Objectives
To examine whether eating status and dietary variety were associated with functional disability during a 5-year follow-up analysis of older adults living in a Japanese metropolitan area.
...Design
A 5-year follow-up study.
Setting
Ota City, Tokyo, Japan.
Participants
A total of 10,308 community-dwelling non-disabled adults aged 65–84 years.
Measurements
Eating status was assessed using a self-reported questionnaire. Dietary variety was assessed using the dietary variety score (DVS). Based on the responses, participants were classified according to eating alone or together and DVS categories (low: 0–3; high: 4–10). Functional disability incidence was prospectively identified using the long-term care insurance system’s nationally unified database. Multilevel survival analyses calculated the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for incident functional disability.
Results
During a 5-year follow-up, 1,991 (19.3%) individuals had functional disabilities. Eating status or DVS were not independently associated with incident functional disability. However, interaction terms between eating status and DVS were associated with functional disability; HR (95% CI) for eating together and low DVS was 1.00 (0.90–1.11), eating alone and high DVS was 0.95 (0.77–1.17), and eating alone and low DVS was 1.20 (1.02–1.42), compared to those with eating together and high DVS.
Conclusion
Older adults should avoid eating alone or increase dietary variety to prevent functional disability. This can be ensured by providing an environment of eating together or food provision services for eating a variety of foods in the community.
Objective
To examine the association between the severity of oral frailty (OF), which is one of the comprehensive oral functions evaluated, and dietary variety in community-dwelling older persons.
...Design
Cross-sectional study.
Setting
Community-based.
Participants A total of 769 community-dwelling older persons aged 65 and over
Interventions
We examined basic demographic information, functional status, cognitive status, depressive symptoms, medical history, and oral functions of the participants.
Measurements
OF was defined by 1–2 and 3 or more of 6 items of oral function evaluation in the pre-oral frailty and oral frailty groups, respectively. Dietary variety was assessed using the dietary variety score (DVS). The participants were categorized into 3 groups for evaluation: those with a low score (0–2), medium score (3–5), and high score (≥6). Ordinal logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between OF and DVS.
Results
The rate of OF in the participants was 21.6%, and its severity was significantly associated with DVS after adjusting for potential confounders (Pre-OF; adjusted odds ratio OR = 1.687, 95% confidence interval CI = 1.219–2.335, OF; adjusted OR = 2.857, 95% CI = 1.489–5.484).
Conclusion
The severity of OF was significantly associated with DVS in community-dwelling older persons. This suggests that DVS may be useful in understanding the effects of OF on the nutritional status. Further longitudinal studies are needed to elucidate the association between OF and DVS.
Aims/hypothesis Although the associations between obstructive sleep apnoea and type 2 diabetes mellitus have been reported in cross-sectional design studies, findings on the prospective association ...between the two conditions are limited. We examined prospectively the association between nocturnal intermittent hypoxia as a surrogate marker of obstructive sleep apnoea and risk of type 2 diabetes. Methods A total of 4,398 community residents aged 40 to 69 years who had participated in sleep investigation studies between 2001 and 2005 were enrolled. Nocturnal intermittent hypoxia was assessed by pulse-oximetry and defined by the number of oxygen desaturation measurements ≤3% per h, with five to <15 per h corresponding to mild and 15 events or more per h corresponding to moderate-to-severe nocturnal intermittent hypoxia, respectively. The development of type 2 diabetes was defined by: (1) fasting serum glucose ≥7.00 mmol/l (126 mg/dl); (2) non-fasting serum glucose ≥11.1 mmol/l (200 mg/dl); and/or (3) initiation of glucose-lowering medication or insulin therapy. Multivariable model accounted for age, sex, BMI, smoking status, current alcohol intake, community, borderline type 2 diabetes, habitual snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep duration and (for women) menopausal status. Results By the end of 2007, 92.2% of participants had been followed up (median follow-up duration interquartile range 3.0 2.9-4.0 years) and 210 persons identified as having developed diabetes. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI) for developing type 2 diabetes was 1.26 (0.91-1.76) among those with mild nocturnal intermittent hypoxia and 1.69 (1.04-2.76) among those with moderate-to-severe nocturnal intermittent hypoxia (p = 0.03 for trend). Conclusions/interpretation Nocturnal intermittent hypoxia was associated with increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes among middle-aged Japanese.
In the accelerator driven system, oxygen sensors, on which yttria-stabilized-zirconia (YSZ) is used for the electrolyte, will be irradiated by gamma-ray in activated lead bismuth eutectic (LBE) ...adopted as a both coolant and spallation target. Partially stabilized zirconia, like a 3Y-YSZ, has high strength due to the stress induced phase transformation from tetragonal (T) to monoclinic (M) phase. The mechanical properties of YSZ specimens after gamma-ray irradiation, thermal aging and immersion in LBE have been investigated in terms of the fracture surface structure. In the case of 6Y and 8Y-YSZ, the 4-point bend strength did not change even after gamma-ray irradiation and thermal aging. The 3Y-YSZ, however, showed that the strength was decreased a little by the gamma-ray irradiation, thermal aging and also immersion in LBE. The XRD results indicate that in the case of 3Y-YSZ after the annealing and soaking in LBE, the pristine surface, which is not fractured and strained by bending test, shows M phase much more than the surface of as-received one. After surface polishing of 3Y-YSZ the XRD intensity of M phase increased with increasing gamma-ray dose for the pristine surface. The bend strength of irradiated 3Y-YSZ after polishing, however, did not change in this study. These results suggest that the process of gamma-ray irradiation and thermal process around 450 °C cause pre-phase transformation from T to M, which prevents the stress induced phase transformation previously.
Objectives
To investigate whether supplementation with low-dose dairy protein plus micronutrients augments the effects of resistance exercise (RE) on muscle mass and physical performance compared ...with RE alone among older adults.
Design
Randomized controlled trial.
Setting
Tokyo, Japan.
Participants
Eighty-two community-dwelling older adults (mean age, 73.5 years) were randomly allocated to an RE plus dairy protein and micronutrient supplementation group or an RE only group (n = 41 each).
Intervention
The RE plus supplementation group participants ingested supplements with dairy protein (10.5 g/day) and micronutrients (8.0 mg zinc, 12 μg vitamin B12, 200 μg folic acid, 200 IU vitamin D, and others/day). Both groups performed the same twice-weekly RE program for 12 weeks.
Measurements
Whole-body, appendicular, and leg lean soft-tissue mass (WBLM, ALM, and LLM, respectively) with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, physical performance, biochemical characteristics, nutritional intake, and physical activity were measured before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed by using linear mixed-effects models.
Results
The groups exhibited similar significant improvements in maximum gait speed, Timed Up-and-Go, and 5-repetition and 30-s chair stand tests. As compared with RE only, RE plus supplementation significantly increased WBLM (0.63 kg, 95% confidence interval CI: 0.31-0.95), ALM (0.37 kg, 95% CI: 0.16-0.58), LLM (0.27 kg, 95% CI: 0.10-0.46), and serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (4.7 ng/mL, 95% CI: 1.6-7.9), vitamin B12 (72.4 pg/mL, 95% CI: 12.9-131.9), and folic acid (12.9 ng/mL, 95% CI: 10.3-15.5) (all P < 0.05 for group-by-time interactions). Changes over time in physical activity and nutritional intake excluding the supplemented nutrients were similar between groups.
Conclusion
Low-dose dairy protein plus micronutrient supplementation during RE significantly increased muscle mass in older adults but did not further improve physical performance.
Four tsunami deposits (deposits I–IV) have been identified on Ishigaki Island, southwest Japan. The youngest tsunami deposit (deposit I) was caused by the Meiwa tsunami, which occurred on 24 April ...1771 CE, as described in reliable historical documents. Two well-preserved specimens of articulated marine bivalve were collected from the youngest tsunami deposit (deposit I) and an additional two from the second-youngest tsunami deposit (deposit II; 920–620 cal. yr BP). The shells were tightly closed and empty inside. No encrusting epifauna or evidence of erosion was observed on the inner or outer shell surfaces. In each tsunami deposit, the 14C ages of the shells are nearly identical. The mode of occurrence and coincidence of ages mean that these shells were transported and buried alive by tsunamis. We analyzed the oxygen-isotope (δ18O) profiles of these bivalves to determine the seasons of their death, which provides clues to the seasonal timing of tsunamis. Tsunami deposits I and II were formed during spring and fall, respectively. The former supports the proposal that tsunami deposit I was caused by the 1771 Meiwa tsunami and provides regional radiocarbon reservoir age for the late 1700s; the latter provides a chronological constraint on the identification of tsunami deposit II. Thus, a combination of radiometric dating and δ18O profiles of articulated bivalves derived from tsunami deposits provides important chronologic constraints for examining paleo-tsunami events.
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Objectives
Accumulating evidence from cross-sectional studies suggests that the serum creatinine-to-cystatin C ratio (CCR) may be a useful biomarker for sarcopenia. This study aimed to assess the ...cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of CCR with sarcopenia and its parameters in community-dwelling older adults.
Design
Cross-sectional and longitudinal study.
Setting and Participants
This 6-year prospective cohort study included the repeated measurement data from 1,253 Japanese residents (662 males and 591 females) aged ≥65 years who underwent medical checkups in Kusatsu and Hatoyama, Japan. A total of 4,421 observations were collected.
Measurements
The CCR was grouped into quartiles by sex (Q1–Q4) using Q4 as the reference category. Sarcopenia was defined according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 algorithm. Skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) measured using segmental multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis, handgrip strength (HGS), usual gait speed (UGS), and maximal gait speed (MGS) were measured repeatedly as sarcopenia parameters. The association of the CCR with changes in sarcopenia, SMI, HGS, UGS, and MGS during the 6-year period were analyzed using a generalized linear mixed-effects model.
Results
The prevalence of sarcopenia at baseline was 13.1% (11.9% in males and 14.5% in females). In a cross-sectional analysis, the CCR quartile was inversely associated with sarcopenia and was positively associated with SMI, HGS, and MGS (P for trend < 0.001). In a longitudinal analysis during the 6 years, a significant increase in sarcopenia in Q2 (B = 1.1% point/year; P = 0.026 for group-by-time interaction) and significant declines in SMI (B = −0.01 kg/m2/year; P = 0.044 for group-by-time interaction) and MGS (B = −0.008 m/sec/year; P = 0.041 for group-by-time interaction) in Q1 were observed compared with Q4. However, the dose-response relationship was significant only for MGS (P = 0.033 for trend). No significant group-by-time interaction was observed for HGS. CCR was not significantly associated with UGS either cross-sectionally or longitudinally.
Conclusions
CCR is a useful biomarker regarding the status of sarcopenia. It may be used for sarcopenia screening even in older adults whose physical function is difficult to assess. However, further longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether CCR can be a predictor of future sarcopenia.
The purpose of this paper is to determine the degree of contamination of the largest waterway of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (STS), the Shagan River, with heavy metals and artificial ...radionuclides. With the data obtained by the long term monitoring results, we identified the most significant contaminants and determined the most contaminated reaches of the Shagan River. The contamination indices for heavy metals were calculated and applied to evaluate possible usage of the Shagan River water for domestic purposes.
•The Shagan river is the largest waterway of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test Site.•The excesses of the intervention limit for tritium in the Shagan river water are observed only at 4 sampling points near the outflow of the Shagan river from the “Atomic” lake.•The excesses of the maximum acceptable concentration values in the Shagan river water for heavy metals are observed to varying degrees for all sampling points.•It is necessary to carry out measures to purify water from heavy metals and tritium in order to use the water of the Shagan river for drinking purposes.
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