Personality traits and BMI trends over three years in Japanese university students.

In Europe and America, associations between personality traits and body-mass index (BMI) have been reported. However, in Japan, the association between personality traits and BMI (i.e., thinness and obesity) has not been well studied. In this study, we investigated the relationship between Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) personality traits and changes in BMI status among Japanese students during their university attendance. We measured the height and weight of 5,340 students in a Japanese university during annual medical checkups and calculated their BMI. The students' personality traits were measured using the short Japanese version of the TCI at university admission. The participants were divided into seven groups based on how BMI changed from the first year to the fourth year at university. In men, compared to the group that maintained normal BMI status (N = 2,189) over time (i.e., the control group), the group that maintained thinness status (N = 226) were lower in Reward Dependence, and the group whose status improved from thinness to normal (N = 117) were higher in Harm Avoidance. In women, compared with the control group (N = 1,510), the group that maintained thinness status (N = 302) was lower in Novelty Seeking, and the group whose status worsened from normal to thinness (N = 127) was higher in Harm Avoidance. Weak associations were found between thinness and TCI personality traits among Japanese university students. Further elaboration of the relationship between obesity or thinness and personality traits may help to provide effective preventive interventions in these areas.

The linkage between medical student readiness for interprofessional learning and interest in community medicine.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between medical student readiness for interprofessional learning and interest in community medicine prior to incorporating community-oriented interprofessional education into the curriculum. METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to students at Nagasaki University School of Medicine in Japan during each of three consecutive years (N=2244). The Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) was administered in addition to a questionnaire to evaluate interest in community medicine. The Kruskal-Wallis and Steel-Dwass tests were used to determine differences between school years. Correlation between the RIPLS score and interest in community medicine was evaluated with Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Relationships between RIPLS score and demographic parameters, and interest in community medicine were evaluated with multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Eighty-four percent (1891/2244) of students responded. The RIPLS score was highest in school year 1, followed by year 6, year 5, year 3, and years 4 and 2. Interest in community medicine correlated with the RIPLS score (rs = 0.332, p < 0.001), but less in year 1 (rs = 0.125, p = 0.002) than in other years. RIPLS score was significantly associated with gender, age, school year, interest in community medicine, but not the year that the survey was conducted. CONCLUSIONS: Community-oriented interprofessional education has the potential to improve attitudes towards interprofessional learning. When introducing this promising education into the curriculum from year 1, attracting students' interest in community medicine should be considered.

Intra-abdominal fat accumulation is an important predictor of metabolic syndrome in young adults.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS), mainly caused by intra-abdominal fat (IAF) accumulation, is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The prevalence of MetS increases rapidly after the age of 40 years, and it is presumed that there is a substantial proportion of MetS in younger age groups. However, the association of IAF with MetS in adults aged 20 to 30 years has not been fully investigated.This study aimed to determine the prevalence of MetS and to verify whether IAF accumulation is associated with other MetS-related metabolic disorders including dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, and high blood glucose among the Japanese population in their 20s.In this cross-sectional study, IAF area (IAFA) and MetS-related metabolic parameters were evaluated in university students in their 20s (n = 1822, 21.5 ±â€Š1.5 years). IAFA was measured using a non-invasive device, DUALSCAN, which can be readily measured through the dual impedance method. The participants were divided into four groups according to IAFA: 0-49.9, 50-74.9, 75-99.9, and ≥100 cm.MetS was prevalent in 3.3% and 0.0% of the males and females, respectively, according to the Japanese criteria of MetS. The sex- and lifestyle-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for the three metabolic component levels of Mets were elevated in the larger IAFA groups compared to the smallest IAFA group, according to the level of IAFA. The levels particularly increased in participants with abdominal obesity, defined by both, IAFA and waist circumference rather than by waist circumference alone.IAF accumulation was significantly associated with MetS-related metabolic disorders in young adults. An evaluation of IAFA may contribute to the early prediction of the risk of developing MetS in the future.

RENAL FUNCTION AND PLASMA RENIN ACTIVITY AS POTENTIAL FACTORS CAUSING HYPERKALEMIA IN PATIENTS WITH THYROID CARCINOMA UNDERGOING THYROID HORMONE WITHDRAWAL FOR RADIOACTIVE IODINE THERAPY.

Objective: Hypothyroidism is not commonly considered a cause of hyperkalemia. We previously reported that hyperkalemia was observed mainly in elderly patients treated with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAS) inhibitors when levothyroxine treatment was withdrawn for the thyroidectomized patients with thyroid carcinoma to undergo radioactive iodine treatment. Here, we investigated whether acute hypothyroidism causes hyperkalemia in patients who were not treated with RAS inhibitors. We also investigated factors influencing potassium metabolism in hypothyroid patients. Methods: We conducted a single-center, prospective cohort study of 46 Japanese patients with thyroid carcinoma undergoing levothyroxine withdrawal prior to radioiodine therapy. All patients were normokalemic before levothyroxine withdrawal. Blood samples were analyzed 3 times: before, and at 3 and 4 weeks after levothyroxine withdrawal. We investigated factors that may be associated with the elevation of serum potassium levels from a euthyroid state to a hypothyroid state. Results: None of the patients developed symptomatic hyperkalemia. The mean serum potassium level was significantly higher at 4 weeks after levothyroxine withdrawal compared to baseline. The serum sodium levels, the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and the plasma renin activity (PRA) decreased significantly as hypothyroidism advanced. In contrast, the plasma levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone, cortisol, aldosterone, and antidiuretic hormone were not changed, while serum thyroid hormone decreased. At 4 weeks after their levothyroxine withdrawal, the patients' serum potassium values were significantly correlated with the eGFR and the PRA. Conclusion: Acute hypothyroidism can cause a significant increase in the serum potassium level, which may be associated with a decreased eGFR and decreased circulating RAS. Abbreviations: ACTH = adrenocorticotropic hormone; ADH = antidiuretic hormone; ATPase = adenosine triphosphatase; eGFR = estimated glomerular filtration rate; HbA1c = glycated hemoglobin; K+ = potassium; Na+ = sodium; PRA = plasma renin activity; RAS = renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system; T4 = thyroxine; TSH = thyroid-stimulating hormone.

Effects of the 2-Substituted Adenosine-1,3-diazaphenoxazine 5'-Triphosphate Derivatives on the Single Nucleotide Primer Extension Reaction by DNA Polymerase.

The adenosine triphosphate derivatives of 2-oxo-1,3-diazaphenoxazine (dAdapTP) showed a significant discrimination ability for the template strand including that between 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) and 2'-deoxyguanosine (dG) by the single nucleotide primer extension reaction using the Klenow Fragment. In this study, we synthesized new dAdapTP derivatives, i.e., 2-amino-dAdapTP, 2-chloro-dAdapTP and 2-iodo-dAdapTP, to investigate the effect on the selectivity and efficiency of incorporation for the primer extension reaction using a variety of DNA polymerases. In contrast to the previously tested dAdapTP, the selectivity and efficiency of the 2-halo-dAdapTP incorporation were dramatically decreased using the Klenow Fragment. Moreover, the efficiency of the 2-amino-dAdapTP incorporation into the T-containing template was almost the same with that of dAdapTP. In the case of the Bsu DNA polymerase, the efficiency of all the dAdapTP derivatives decreased compared to that using the Klenow Fragment. However, the incorporation selectivity of dAdapTP had improved against the oxodG-containing template for all the template sequences including the T-containing template. Moreover, 2-amino-dAdapTP showed a better efficiency than dAdapTP using the Bsu DNA polymerase. The 2-amino group of the adenosine unit may interact with syn-oxodG at the active site of the Bsu DNA polymerase during the single primer extension reaction.

Increased sugar intake as a form of compensatory hyperphagia in patients with type 2 diabetes under dapagliflozin treatment.

AIMS: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) cause substantially less weight loss than would be expected based on their caloric deficits, probably due to enhanced appetite regulation known as "compensatory hyperphagia," which occurs to offset the negative energy balance caused by increased glycosuria. We examined whether any specific nutrients contributed to the compensatory hyperphagia in diabetic patients taking SGLT2i. METHODS: Sixteen patients with type 2 diabetes were newly administered dapagliflozin 5 mg daily as the experimental SGLT2i group. Sixteen age-, sex- and BMI-matched type 2 diabetes patients not receiving dapagliflozin served as controls. A brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ) was undertaken just before and 3 months after study initiation to evaluate changes of energy and nutrient intakes in each group. RESULTS: At 3 months, daily intakes of total calories and the proportions of the three major nutrients were not significantly increased in either group. However, daily sucrose intake was significantly increased after treatment versus the baseline value in the SGLT2i group (p = .003), but not in controls. The calculated intakes of all other nutrients were not significantly changed in either group. CONCLUSIONS: Dapagliflozin treatment specifically increased sucrose intake, which might be an ideal target for nutritional approaches to attenuate compensatory hyperphagia.

Psychological effects of Helicobacter pylori-associated atrophic gastritis in patients under 50 years: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: While gastrointestinal function is known to be closely related to psychological status, the influence of Helicobacter pylori-associated atrophic gastritis is currently unknown. We aimed to determine whether atrophic gastritis status or H. pylori infection is associated with psychological distress or depressed mood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional, observational study involving 975 Japanese individuals (503 females; mean age, 44 ± 8 years) who underwent a health checkup. Psychological distress was defined as a Kessler-6 Scale score ≥13 and depressive mood as a Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale score ≥ 16. The odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals assessing the risk of psychological distress or depressive mood associated with H. pylori infection (H. pylori-specific immunoglobulin G levels >10 U/mL) and atrophic gastritis status (pepsinogen I levels < 70 µg/L and pepsinogen I/II ratio < 3) were calculated using multiple logistic analysis adjusting for several covariates. RESULTS: Individuals with atrophic gastritis had a significantly higher risk of experiencing psychological distress, with younger females (<50 years) displaying the highest risk for psychological distress and depressive mood regardless of H. pylori infection status. Among females aged <50 years, H. pylori-seropositive participants with atrophic gastritis (HP+AG+) showed the highest risk of psychological distress (OR, 16.4; 95% CI, 3.45-94.9) and depression (OR, 2.86; 95% CI, 1.31-6.05), using HP-AG- status as the reference. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the results of previous animal studies regarding the psychological response to gastritis in humans. Further studies are needed to elucidate whether H. pylori eradication provides psychological benefits.

Quality of life in the patients with central diabetes insipidus assessed by Nagasaki Diabetes Insipidus Questionnaire.

Central diabetes insipidus (CDI) is characterized by polyuria and polydipsia due to a deficiency of vasopressin. Currently, the treatment goal for CDI is improvement of quality of life (QOL) by desmopressin (DDAVP) without developing hyponatremia. However, there is no reliable measure for QOL in CDI patients. We evaluate our original questionnaire for QOL, consisting of 12 questions focusing on polyuria, polydipsia, and DDAVP treatment, in CDI patients who underwent a switch from nasal spray to oral disintegrating tablets of DDAVP. Twenty-five CDI patients under nasal DDAVP treatment, six with newly developed CDI, and 18 healthy individuals without known polyuric/polydipsic disorders as control subjects were enrolled. QOL scores were determined by our questionnaire at the enrollment and 3 months after the start of oral DDAVP treatment and were examined by the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Eleven questions detected improvement in QOL. The sum of the QOL scores of the eleven questions increased from 29.2 ± 5.6 under nasal to 36.8 ± 4.5 under oral DDAVP (p < 0.001). There were no clinically relevant changes in serum levels of Na. After eliminating two questions about DDAVP treatment, the sum of QOL scores was 15.3 ± 6.5 in untreated CDI patients, 24.4 ± 5.2 in those with nasal treatment, 28.9 ± 4.9 in those with oral DDAVP, and 29.5 ± 3.6 in healthy controls. The difference among groups was significant (p < 0.05 in Steel-Dwass test) except between patients treated with oral DDAVP and healthy controls. Our questionnaire can be used to accurately assess QOL in CDI patients.