Objectives The objective of this study was to investigate changes in physical activity (PA) between January (before the COVID-19 epidemic) and April (during the COVID-19 epidemic) 2020 in community-dwelling older adults in Japan. Design Cross-sectional online survey. Setting and Subjects From April 23 to 27, 2020, an online survey was completed by 1,600 community-dwelling older adults in Japan. Methods We assessed the frailty status using the Kihon checklist, and other demographics and asked questions regarding PA at two time points: January and April 2020. We defined the total PA time (minutes) per week based on activity frequency and time. Results The study participants’ mean age, proportion of women, and prevalence of frailty were 74.0±5.6 years, 50% (n=800), and 24.3% (n=388), respectively. We found a significant decrease in total PA time in April 2020 (median [interquartile range (IQR)], 180 [0 to 420]) when compared to January 2020 (median [IQR], 245 [90 to 480]) (P<0.001). We also performed a subgroup analysis according to the frailty category; total PA time significantly decreased in April 2020 when compared to January 2020 for all frailty categories (P<0.001). Conclusion In conclusion, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the total PA time in April 2020 significantly decreased compared to that in January 2020 in older adults. This finding may lead to a higher incidence of disability in the near future in older people.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between functional disability and fear of falling during daily activities. Also examined was the relationship between fear of falling and health-related Quality of Life (QOL). Health-related QOL concepts were measured using the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) within an elderly day services sample. Eligible subjects were elderly persons using Day Service (type B) who were capable of independently answering a questionnaire and had no memory problems. Forty-three males and 92 females were eligible for this study. Forty-nine (36.3%) subjects expressed no fear of falling, whereas 22 (16.3%) reported that they were very fearful of falling. Among females, walking and bathing had a highly significant relationship with the fear of falling. The fear of falling can contribute to psychological conditions such as depression, and also impacts on the health-related QOL of frail elderly people. Thus, it is critical to provide integrated health care activities for these individuals that address both psychological well-being and physical functioning.

eastern part of Japan was rocked by a huge earthquake and tsunami. This disaster not only led to a large number of deaths, but also to a higher incidence of disability after a few months in disaster areas (5). One of the possible reasons is a decline in PA after a disaster, similarly, the COVID-19 epidemic may cause lower PA and a high incidence of disability. The objective of this study, therefore, was to investigate the change in PA between January (before the COVID-19 epidemic) and April 2020 (during the COVID-19 epidemic) in community-dwelling Japanese older adults. We hypothesized that the PA in April has drastically decreased compared to that in January in older adults, especially for frail older adults. Methods Participants From April 23 to 27, 2020, an online survey was completed by 1,600 community-dwelling older adults in Japan. The inclusion criteria included adults who were 65 to 84 years old without COVID-19 and were residents of Tokyo,

Aim The objective of this trial was to investigate the synergistic effects of bodyweight resistance exercise and a protein supplement with vitamin D on skeletal muscle in sarcopenic or dynapenic older adults. Methods This was a four‐arm randomized controlled trial. Sarcopenic or dynapenic older adults were recruited for this trial. After screening, a total of 112 older adults were randomly allocated among four groups; 28 older adults each were enrolled in the combined resistance exercise and nutritional supplementation group, the exercise alone group, the nutritional supplementation alone group, and the control group. Participants in the combined group and exercise alone groups took part in a bodyweight resistance exercise program for 12 weeks. Protein and vitamin D supplements were provided every day for 12 weeks for the participants in the combined group and nutritional supplementation alone groups. We assessed the echo intensity of participants’ thigh muscle using ultrasonography, measured their appendicular muscle mass using a bioelectrical impedance data acquisition system, and tested their knee extension strength and physical function. Results Participants in the combined group had a significantly greater improvement in rectus femoris echo intensity and knee extension torque than those in the other groups (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the combined program increased appendicular muscle mass in sarcopenic older adults (P < 0.05), but not in older adults with low physical function with normal muscle mass. Conclusions The present study confirmed the synergistic effect of bodyweight resistance exercise and protein supplement with vitamin D on muscle quality and muscle strength in sarcopenic or dynapenic older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 429–437.

The present study investigated the effectiveness of music therapy for dementia patients using endocrinological and behavioral evaluations. The study comprised 10 patients with senile dementia who received music therapy; six had Alzheimer's dementia and four had vascular dementia. Music therapy was performed twice a week for 8 consecutive weeks (16 sessions). As a result, total scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) did not significantly change, but the scores of a subscale, "language", improved significantly. According to the Multidimensional Observation Scale For Elderly Subjects (MOSES), scores for "irritability" decreased significantly. Regarding changes in salivary chromogranin A (CgA) levels, the average was significantly decreased before session 16 compared to after this. These results suggest that the combination of endocrinological measurements, behavioral evaluations and functional assessment methods are useful in evaluating the effects of music therapy in persons with senile dementia.

Nucleotide sulfate, namely 3 -phosphoadenosine 5 -phosphosulfate (PAPS), is a universal sulfuryl donor for sulfation. Although a specific PAPS transporter is present in Golgi membrane, no study has reported the corresponding gene. We have identified a novel human gene encoding a PAPS transporter, which we have named PAPST1, and the Drosophila melanogaster ortholog, slalom (sll). The amino acid sequence of PAPST1 (432 amino acids) exhibited 48.1% identity with SLL (465 amino acids), and hydropathy analysis predicted the two to be type III transmembrane proteins. The transient expression of PAPST1 in SW480 cells showed a subcellular localization in Golgi membrane. The expression of PAPST1 and SLL in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae significantly increased the transport of PAPS into the Golgi membrane fraction. In human tissues, PAPST1 is highly expressed in the placenta and pancreas and present at lower levels in the colon and heart. An RNA interference fly of sll produced with a GAL4-UAS system revealed that the PAPS transporter is essential for viability. It is well known that mutations of some genes related to PAPS synthesis are responsible for human inherited disorders. Our findings provide insights into the significance of PAPS transport and post-translational sulfation.Glycosylation, phosphorylation, and sulfation are essential post-translational alterations of glycoproteins, proteoglycans, and glycolipids for normal growth and development. For sulfation, an activated form of sulfate, 3Ј-phosphoadenosine 5Ј-phosphosulfate (PAPS), 1 is used as a common sulfate donor (1). Sulfate is transferred from PAPS to a defined position on the sugar residue by sulfotransferases. In higher organisms, PAPS is synthesized in the cytosol (2, 3) by a bifunctional PAPS synthetase having both ATP-sulfurylase and adenosine-phosphosulfate kinase activities (4). Since sulfation occurs in the lumens of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus (5), PAPS must be translocated from the cytosol into the Golgi lumen through a specific transporter localized in the microsomal membrane.Earlier studies had shown a saturable transport activity of PAPS using isolated Golgi vesicles (6) or reconstituted proteoliposome (7). To identify this transporter protein, the proteins responsible for PAPS translocating activity have been purified (8 -10). The characterization of these purified proteins revealed the kinetic behavior of a PAPS-specific transport through an antiport mechanism (8 -10); however, cloning of the transporter has not been reported.Recently, several nucleotide-sugar transporters (NSTs) have been cloned and characterized in mammals, yeast, protozoa, and plants (11-13). Nucleotide-sugars are the donor substrates for glycosylation, which is catalyzed by glycosyltransferases. These NST proteins are highly hydrophobic Type III multitransmembrane proteins localized in the Golgi or endoplasmic reticulum membrane and provide a specific substrate for the glycosylation. The structural conservation among NSTs has contributed to the identifi...

The effects of recombinant human hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on liver growth and function of normal and partially hepatectomized rats have been examined. HGF was continuously administered into the jugular vein because it was rapidly eliminated from the plasma (t1/2 alpha; approximately 4.5 min) and degraded. In normal rats, the labeling index of hepatocytes was increased about 6 times by the administration of HGF. HGF also decreased the prothrombin time and increased the hepaplastin and serum albumin content. In 70%-hepatectomized rats, HGF stimulated liver regeneration and increased the level of blood proteins such as hepaplastin in a dose-dependent manner. The stimulation of serum protein level seemed to result from not only the increase of hepatic cell number but also the direct effect of HGF on the protein production in hepatocytes, because HGF rapidly enhanced the protein synthesis prior to the increase of cell number and increased the mRNA content of albumin in the liver in vivo. In addition, a combination of heparin with HGF further accelerated the effects of HGF described above, possibly due to the decrease of HGF clearance. These findings suggest that HGF accelerates both the hepatic regeneration and function in vivo, and that rhHGF is clinically expected to be a potent therapeutic agent in hepatectomy and liver injury.

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