The progression of many common disorders involves a complex interplay of multiple factors, including numerous different genes and environmental factors. Gene-environmental cohort studies focus on the ...identification of risk factors that cannot be discovered by conventional epidemiological methodologies. Such epidemiological methodologies preclude precise predictions, because the exact risk factors can be revealed only after detailed analyses of the interactions among multiple factors, that is, between genes and environmental factors. To date, these cohort studies have reported some promising results. However, the findings do not yet have sufficient clinical significance for the development of precise, personalized preventive medicine. Especially, some promising preliminary studies have been conducted in terms of the prevention of obesity. Large-scale validation studies of those preliminary studies, using a prospective cohort design and long follow-ups, will produce useful and practical evidence for the development of preventive medicine in the future.
Diet and nutrition are important factors in cancer prevention and treatment because an unbalanced diet increases the risk of cancer onset, while malnutrition negatively impacts the efficacy of cancer ...treatment ...
Objectives. YouTube is one of the most popular video-sharing tools and is used as a forum for sharing information about experiences with new technology-based exercise programs, such as the wearable ...cyborg Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL). This study aimed to analyze the content and quality of HAL-related videos viewed by people to clarify the content required by YouTube viewers. Methods. We searched HAL-related YouTube videos and selected the top 100 most viewed videos. The number of views, video length, upload date, content, and uploaders of each video were recorded. In addition, DISCERN was used to evaluate the quality of videos. Results. Of the 100 videos, the most shared content was the training videos on HAL (n = 58). The videos uploaded by YouTubers had a significantly higher number of views than those uploaded by other uploaders (hospital, company, and municipality) (p < .001). Furthermore, they had significantly higher DISCERN Questions 16 scores, which serve as the basis for the overall evaluation of the publication’s overall quality (p < .001). Conclusion. HAL-related videos on YouTube, featuring the experiences and feedback of YouTubers who are HAL users, are favored more by viewers than by service providers.
Twitter is an interactive, real-time media that could prove useful in health care. Tweets from cancer patients could offer insight into the needs of cancer patients.
The objective of this study was ...to understand cancer patients' social media usage and gain insight into patient needs.
A search was conducted of every publicly available user profile on Twitter in Japan for references to the following: breast cancer, leukemia, colon cancer, rectal cancer, colorectal cancer, uterine cancer, cervical cancer, stomach cancer, lung cancer, and ovarian cancer. We then used an application programming interface and a data mining method to conduct a detailed analysis of the tweets from cancer patients.
Twitter user profiles included references to breast cancer (n=313), leukemia (n=158), uterine or cervical cancer (n=134), lung cancer (n=87), colon cancer (n=64), and stomach cancer (n=44). A co-occurrence network is seen for all of these cancers, and each cancer has a unique network conformation. Keywords included words about diagnosis, symptoms, and treatments for almost all cancers. Words related to social activities were extracted for breast cancer. Words related to vaccination and support from public insurance were extracted for uterine or cervical cancer.
This study demonstrates that cancer patients share information about their underlying disease, including diagnosis, symptoms, and treatments, via Twitter. This information could prove useful to health care providers.
Cachexia is one of the most common, related factors of malnutrition in cancer patients. Cancer cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome characterized by persistent loss of skeletal muscle mass and fat ...mass, resulting in irreversible and progressive functional impairment. The skeletal muscle loss cannot be reversed by conventional nutritional support, and a combination of anti-inflammatory agents and other nutrients is recommended. In this review, we reviewed the effects of nutrients that are expected to combat muscle loss caused by cancer cachexia (eicosapentaenoic acid, β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate, creatine, and carnitine) to propose nutritional approaches that can be taken at present. Current evidence is based on the intake of nutrients as supplements; however, the long-term and continuous intake of nutrients as food has the potential to be useful for the body. Therefore, in addition to conventional nutritional support, we believe that it is important for the dietitian to work with the clinical team to first fully assess the patient's condition and then to safely incorporate nutrients that are expected to have specific functions for cancer cachexia from foods and supplements.
Pancreatic cancer frequently involves cancer‐associated thromboembolism, which is strongly associated with poor prognosis. Tissue factor, a blood coagulation factor largely produced in cancer ...patients as a component of extracellular vesicles, plays a key role in the incidence of cancer‐associated thromboembolism in patients with pancreatic cancer. However, no prospective studies have been published on the relationship between tissue factor and cancer‐associated thromboembolism or patient clinical characteristics, including recent chemotherapy regimens. Thus, we aimed to address this in a Japanese cohort of 197 patients and 41 healthy volunteers. Plasma tissue factor levels were measured by ELISAs preevaluated by tissue factor specificity. Multivariable analysis was used to identify independent predictors of cancer‐associated thromboembolism. We found that the cancer‐associated thromboembolism rate in the patient cohort was 6.6% (4.6%, venous thromboembolism; 2.0%, arterial thromboembolism). Tissue factor levels of 100 pg/mL or higher at patient registration were predictive of cancer‐associated thromboembolism, with positive and negative predictive values of 23.1% and 94.6%, respectively. Multivariable analysis showed that plasma tissue factor levels were an independent predictive factor for cancer‐associated thromboembolism, with a risk ratio of 5.54 (95% confidence interval, 1.02‐30.09). Unlike in healthy volunteers and patients without cancer‐associated thromboembolism, tissue factor levels were highly correlated with extracellular vesicles’ procoagulant activity in patients developing cancer‐associated thromboembolism. Taken together, our data show that the tissue factor levels at patient registration were a predictive factor for cancer‐associated thromboembolism in this cohort of patients with pancreatic cancer.
Tissue factor levels were highly correlated with extracellular vesicles’ procoagulant activity in patients with pancreatic cancer who developed cancer‐associated thromboembolism. Tissue factor levels before the start of systemic chemotherapy were a predictive factor of cancer‐associated thromboembolism in a Japanese cohort of patients with pancreatic cancer.
Sarcopenia and frailty often worsen in older adults because of declines in activities of daily living and social connections that are associated with chronic diseases and traumatic injuries such as ...falls and fractures. Exercise intervention for sarcopenia can take >3 months to improve muscle mass, muscle strength, and walking speed. Thus, a specialized intervention system for shorter periods of time is needed. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the short-term efficacy of an exercise program using the wearable cyborg Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) lumbar type in physical function in mobility-limited older adults who do not require transition to long-term care.
This randomized, single-blind, parallel-group study involved 79 community-dwelling older adults with physical frailty or locomotive syndrome assigned to an intervention group (n = 40) with the HAL lumbar type exercise program or a control group (n = 39) without the exercise program. The intervention group underwent trunk training (including trunk and hip flexion, standing and sitting from a single sitting position, and squats) and gait training (treadmill and parallel bars) twice a week for 5 weeks while wearing the HAL lumbar type. The 10-m usual and maximum walking speeds, Timed Up and Go test results, 5-times chair-standing test results, 5-question Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale (GLFS-5) scores, body-fat percentage, and muscle mass were measured before and after the intervention and analyzed using the intention-to-treat method.
The intervention (23 % male; mean age, 74.7 ± 4.7 years) and control (21 % male; mean age, 75.1 ± 4.1 years) groups did not differ significantly in baseline characteristics. Seventy-seven participants completed the program; two withdrew for personal reasons. The mean difference (standard error) between the groups for the primary outcome (usual walking speed) was 0.35 (0.04) m/s; the time-by-group interaction was significant (p < 0.001). Secondary outcomes (maximum walking speed, Timed Up and Go test results, 5-times chair-standing test results, and GLFS-5 scores) significantly improved in the intervention group. Body composition was unchanged in both groups.
A 5-week exercise program using the HAL lumbar type is a promising option for community-dwelling older adults with limited mobility who do not require nursing care, resulting in clinically meaningful improvements in most physical functions within a short period.
•We tested the short-term efficacy of an exercise program with a HAL lumbar type.•Mobility function improved in those with physical frailty or locomotive syndrome.•Most physical functions improved clinically within a short period of 5 weeks.
Background: The Japan Multi-institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) study was launched in 2005 to examine gene–environment interactions in lifestyle-related diseases, including cancers, among the ...Japanese. This report describes the study design and baseline profile of the study participants.Methods: The participants of the J-MICC Study were individuals aged 35 to 69 years enrolled from respondents to study announcements in specified regions, inhabitants attending health checkup examinations provided by local governments, visitors at health checkup centers, and first-visit patients at a cancer hospital in Japan. At the time of the baseline survey, from 2005 to 2014, we obtained comprehensive information regarding demographics, education, alcohol consumption, smoking, sleeping, exercise, food intake frequency, medication and supplement use, personal and family disease history, psychological stress, and female reproductive history and collected peripheral blood samples.Results: The baseline survey included 92,610 adults (mean age: 55.2 standard deviation, 9.4 years, 44.1% men) from 14 study regions in 12 prefectures. The participation rate was 33.5%, with participation ranging from 19.7% to 69.8% in different study regions. The largest number of participants was in the age groups of 65–69 years for men and 60–64 years for women. There were differences in body mass index, educational attainment, alcohol consumption, smoking, and sleep duration between men and women.Conclusions: The J-MICC Study collected lifestyle and clinical data and biospecimens from over 90,000 participants. This cohort is expected to be a valuable resource for the national and international scientific community in providing evidence to support longer healthy lives.
PDF
