We report 958 cases of cestodiasis occurring in Japan during 2001-2016. The predominant pathogen was Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense tapeworm (n = 825), which caused 86.1% of all cases. The other ...cestode species involved were Taenia spp. (10.3%), Diplogonoporus balaenopterae (3.3%), and Spirometra spp. (0.2%). We estimated D. nihonkaiense diphyllobothriasis incidence as 52 cases/year. We observed a predominance of cases during March-July, coinciding with the cherry salmon and immature chum salmon fishing season, but cases were present year-round, suggesting that other fish could be involved in transmission to humans. Because of increased salmon trade, increased tourism in Japan, and lack of awareness of the risks associated with eating raw fish, cases of D. nihonkaiense diphyllobothriasis are expected to rise. Therefore, information regarding these concerning parasitic infections and warnings of the potential risks associated with these infections must be disseminated to consumers, food producers, restaurant owners, physicians, and travelers.
Using smartphones, we aimed to clarify the characteristics of anticipatory postural adjustments (APA) in older adults and examine the relationship between cognitive and balance functions.
The study ...participants were 10 young and 13 older adults. An accelerometer built into a smartphone was attached to the lower back (L5) of the participant, and acceleration in the mediolateral direction was measured using a one-leg stance (OLS). As APA features, we analyzed the time to the peak value in the stance direction (peak latency PL) and the amount of displacement to the peak value in the stance direction (peak magnitude PM). Additionally, the measured PL was divided by PM for each group to obtain the APA ratio (APAr). We investigated the relationship between the APAr and Mini-BESTest subitems.
Older adults showed delayed PL and decreased PM levels (p < 0.01). While in the Mini-BESTest sub-items, deductions were most common in the order of dual-task and single-leg standing, and most participants with low APAr scores were degraded in APA of sub-items. The correlation was observed between APAr and both TUG and dual-task cost (DTC) (r= −0.56, r= −0.67). According to the receiver operating characteristic curve, the APAr value was 1.71 in the older age group.
Older adults showed delayed PL and decreased PM, and APAr was associated with cognitive and locomotor functions. By evaluating the APAr at the initiation of movement, it may be possible to distinguish the APA of the older adluts from the possible to the impossible of OLS movement.
•Anticipatory postural adjustments (APA) were compared in older and young adults.•PL and PM of lumbar acceleration in one-leg stance were used for evaluation of APA.•Older adults show delayed peak latency(PL) and decreased peak magnitude(PM).•The characteristic values of APA is associated with cognitive and balance functions.•APA evaluation is useful as an index reflecting cognitive motor-processing function.
Spirometra infections in companion animals and wildlife in Japan have been diagnosed based on the morphology of the adult worms and eggs, and the etiological agent has been mainly ascribed to ...Spirometra erinaceieuropaei. However, recent studies have revealed that two other species, Spirometra mansoni and Spirometra asiana, coexist in Japan. Spirometra asiana is a new species recently discovered in Japan. Although morphological discrimination between these two species is difficult, molecular identification is useful. Therefore, to understand which species commonly parasitizes companion animals and wildlife in Japan, a preliminary study was performed based on mitochondrial DNA analysis. Eleven adult worms examined were identified as S. mansoni, suggesting that S. mansoni infects companion animals and wildlife commonly than S. asiana in Japan.
To investigate a smartphone-enabled quantitative evaluation of anticipatory postural adjustments (APA) during one-leg stance (OLS) movements among individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD).
This ...cross-sectional study included 10 young controls, 10 older individuals, and 13 individuals with PD. A smartphone and accelerometer were attached to the participants' lower back (L5), and the movements of the lower back toward the stance side during OLS were measured. For acceleration, the time to the peak value in the stance direction (peak latency PL) and the amount of displacement to the peak value in the stance direction (peak magnitude PM) were analyzed as APA characteristics. Additionally, the measured PL was divided by the PM for each group to obtain the APA ratio (APAr) as a new index.
Individuals with PD showed a delayed PL and decreased PM (vs. young controls: p = .002 for PL, p < .001 for PM) (vs. older individuals: p = .022 for PL, p = .001 for PM). The APAr clustered the young controls, older individuals, and individuals with PD. According to the receiver operating characteristic curve the APAr value was 0.95, and individuals in the PD group were identified (i.e. area under the curve: 0.98; sensitivity: 85.0%; specificity: 100%). Moreover the APAr was correlated with severity and balance ability in individuals with PD (p = .015 for NFOG-Q, p = .028 for UPDRS, p = .036 for TUG, p = .015 for Mini-BESTest, p = .018 for OLS time).
This smartphone-based evaluation using the APAr index was reflective of disease severity and decreased balance ability among individuals with PD. The facilitation of this measurement can help clinicians and physiotherapists quantitatively evaluate the APA of individuals with PD at laboratories and hospitals as well as in home environments.
Purpose Few studies have assessed the reliability of muscle strength measurement using a hand-held dynamometer, specifically in Japanese young children. This study aims to investigate the ...reliability, minimal detectable change and measurement error in knee extension muscle strength measurements in young children using a hand-held dynamometer. Participants and Methods The study participants comprised 36 kindergarten-enrolled children of 3–6 years age. An experienced physiotherapist measured their isometric knee extension strength. Appropriate orientation and practices were performed prior to measurement. The same physiotherapist took the muscle measurements twice; and the maximum value was used as the muscle strength value. The measurements were repeated at intervals of approximately 30 min to verify reproducibility. Results The initial isometric knee extension strength was 10.6 ± 3.3 kgf and the Intra-class correlation coefficient (1,1) was 0.765. The standard error of measurement was 1.6 kgf and the minimal detectable change was 4.4 kgf. No significant systematic errors were observed. Conclusion Isometric knee extension strength measurement using a hand-held dynamometer in young children has good reliability with a low risk of systematic errors.
Abstract The robustness of movement patterns is an essential factor for characterizing the adaptability of our daily motions; however, details of the mechanism underlying adaptive motion patterns are ...not well understood. Here, we utilized complex principal component analysis (CPCA) to examine the spatiotemporal structure of dynamic muscle torques during sit-to-stand (STS) movements. The motion of a three-link rigid body model in the sagittal plane was captured by a Vicon motion analysis system to compute the kinematics of the center of mass (COM), angular displacement, and joint torques. Using CPCA, dynamic muscle torques were decomposed into three components: a control signal, the phase lags of the joint torques, and weighting coefficients. Two kinetic modules were identified in STS, indicating spatiotemporal modular control of the COM in the horizontal and vertical directions. Simulation results suggested that fine-tuning of these two modules according to environmental conditions contributes to adaptive changes in motion pattern. Taken together, our findings suggest that the sources of behavioral adaptations to the environment include the use of fixed modules to reduce computational load on the central nervous system, fine-tuning of these modules, and control of the temporal signals that activate them.
Depression is one of the most prevalent and livelihood-threatening forms of mental illnesses and the neural circuitry underlying depression remains incompletely understood. Recent studies suggest ...that the neuronal plasticity involved with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an important role in the recovery from depression. Some antidepressants are reported to induce BDNF expression in vivo; however, the mechanisms have been considered solely in neurons and not fully elucidated. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of imipramine, a classic tricyclic antidepressant drug, on BDNF expression in cultured rat brain astrocytes. Imipramine dose-dependently increased BDNF mRNA expression in astrocytes. The imipramine-induced BDNF increase was suppressed with inhibitors for protein kinase A (PKA) or MEK/ERK. Moreover, imipramine exposure activated transcription factor cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggested that imipramine induced BDNF expression through CREB activation via PKA and/or ERK pathways. Imipramine treatment in depression might exert antidepressant action through BDNF production from astrocytes, and glial BDNF expression might be a target of developing novel antidepressants.
We herein report two P/Q-type voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) antibody-positive Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) patients who responded dramatically to cholinesterase inhibitors. Patient ...1, a 76-year-old man, had small-cell lung cancer and developed LEMS during chemotherapy. When symptomatic treatment was started with pyridostigmine, gait disturbance was ameliorated, and his modified Rankin scale decreased from 4 points to 3 points. Patient 2, a 68-year-old man, had cancer-free LEMS. Distigmine bromide was very effective and ameliorated not only his gait disturbance but also autonomic symptoms, and his modified Rankin scale decreased from 2 points to 1 point. Cholinesterase inhibitors alone may be effective in a small portion of LEMS patients.
In the present study, Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) was applied to the measurement of fuel-rich propane-air luminous flame in a counter-flow configuration to investigate the ...applicability of LIBS to measure local chemical composition in sooting field. H656nm/O777nm intensity ratio was chosen as the indicator of atomic number ratio H/O which gives direct information on equivalence ratio and is important for analyzing not only blue flame but also sooting flame. Measurement was conducted in the first place on propane-air/air counter-flow flame with the range of local equivalence ratio 0–4, in which the intensity ratio showed a good linear correlation with calculated H/O atomic number ratio as it had been observed in non-sooting conditions. LIBS technique was also applied to uniformly sooting flame supplying the same mixture at equivalence ratio of 2.2 from both nozzles to produce predefined homogeneous atomic composition. The measured intensity ratio was a good agreement with the linear relationship obtained in the propane-air/air diffusion flame experiment. Therefore, robustness of LIBS measurement of atomic/molecular composition in sooting flame was reasonably elucidated.
•Local composition in sooting flame was successfully measured in a linear correlation.•Laser-energy dependence never mattered in the measurement in sooting flame.•The linear correlation was validated against the flame with known uniform composition.
Purpose We aimed to examine the correlation between the knee extension angles in the sitting and supine positions measured using ImageJ software. Participants and Methods A total of 50 legs in 25 ...healthy participants (17 males and 8 females) were included in our study. The knee extension angle was measured in the sitting and supine positions with the participants actively and maximally extending their knee joint on one side. The participants were photographed from the side with their knees centered in the image. Thereafter, the photographs were imported into the ImageJ image processing software to calculate the knee extension angles. Results The mean values of the knee extension angles in the sitting and supine positions were 131.5 ± 11.2° and 132.1 ± 12.2°, respectively, with a correlation coefficient of 0.85. No systematic errors were observed, and the minimal detectable change was 12.9°. Conclusion The knee extension angle in the sitting position showed a strong correlation with that in the supine position, with no systematic errors observed. Therefore, measurement of the knee extension angle in the sitting position can be an alternative to its measurement in the supine position.
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