A fact-finding survey on pre-ulcerative lesions of foot in patients with diabetes: analysis using the Diabetes Study from the Center of Tokyo Women's Medical University 2018 (DIACET 2018).

Aims/introduction: We aimed to identify the frequency and risk factors of pre-ulcerative lesions of foot in Japanese individuals with diabetes. Materials and methods: This was a single-center cross-sectional observational study. We conducted a questionnaire survey of 5029 individuals with diabetes (mean age 63 years; 2185 women; 1015 individuals with type 1 diabetes and 4014 individuals with type 2 diabetes) who (a) participated in the Diabetes Study from the Center of Tokyo Women's Medical University: DIACET 2018, and (b) responded to the presence of pre-ulcerative lesions of foot. A pre-ulcerative lesions of foot was defined as a calluses, ingrown nails, or symptoms of fungal infection. The associations between pre-ulcerative lesions of foot and commonly available clinical information were examined using the logistic regression analysis. Results: 412 of 1015 (40.6%) individuals with type 1 diabetes and 1585 of 4014 (39.5%) individuals with type 2 diabetes reported having any type of pre-ulcerative lesions of foot. The frequency of calluses, ingrown nails, and symptoms of fungal infection, respectively, were 16.8%, 15.8%, and 21.9% in type 1 diabetes and 10.5%, 18.5%, and 24.7% in type 2 diabetes. In the separate analysis by type of diabetes, common risk factors found to be significantly correlated with pre-ulcerative lesions of foot were female gender, numbness in the feet and foot deformation. Conclusion: Proactive foot screening by health care professionals was considered important, especially in individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes with advanced complications and foot deformation. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13340-023-00649-7.

Characterization of a new Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated from banana stems and its mutant with l-leucine accumulation for awamori brewing.

We isolated a new strain of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 35a14, from banana stems in Okinawa. This strain did not belong to any industrial yeast groups in a phylogenetic tree and produced high levels of alcohol. Furthermore, awamori, an Okinawa's traditional distilled alcoholic beverage, brewed with an l-leucine overproducing mutant derived from 35a14 showed a high concentration of isoamyl acetate.

Draft Genome Sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strain Awamori Number 101, Commonly Used to Make Awamori, a Traditional Spirit, in Okinawa, Japan.

We report here the draft genome sequence for Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain Awamori number 101, an industrial strain used for producing awamori, a distilled alcohol beverage. It was constructed by assembling the short reads obtained by next-generation sequencing. The 315 contigs constitute an 11.5-Mbp genome sequence encoding 6,185 predicted proteins.

A fact-finding survey on self-efficacy of foot care behaviour in patients with diabetes: Analysis using the Diabetes Study from the Center of Tokyo Women's Medical University 2017 (DIACET 2017).

Aim: We aimed to determine the association between self-efficacy of foot care behaviour and chronic complications in Japanese patients with diabetes. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study based on a questionnaire survey of 4571 patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who had (a) given consent to participate in the Diabetes Study from the Center of Tokyo Women's Medical University: DIACET 2017, and (b) completed all the questions of the Japanese Version of Foot Care Confidence Scale (J-FCCS), consisting of 12 statements. Results: A greater proportion of respondents answered that they were not confident in determining the condition of corns and/or calluses and the condition of toenails. The J-FCCS total scores of the patients with retinopathy (p <.001) and numbness or pain in the feet (p <.001) were significantly lower than those of the patients without these complications. In both the multiple regression analysis and logistic regression analysis, lower J-FCCS was significantly associated with retinopathy and numbness or pain in the feet. Conclusion: Foot care education that emphasizes a psychological approach in improving confidence associated with foot self-care is important for patients with advanced complications of diabetes.

Polymerase-chain reaction testing to prevent hospital-acquired severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in Shinjuku, an epicenter in Tokyo: The Tokyo Women's Medical University model.

Hospital-acquired severe acute respiratory virus coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a healthcare challenge. We hypothesized that polymerase chain reaction testing of symptomatic triaged outpatients and all inpatients before hospitalization in Shinjuku, a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epicenter in Tokyo, using the Tokyo Women's Medical University (TMWU) model would be feasible and efficient at preventing COVID-19. This retrospective study enrolled 2981 patients from March to May 2020. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 1.81% (95% credible interval [CI]: 0.95-3.47%) in triaged symptomatic outpatients, 0.04% (95% CI: 0.0002-0.2%) in scheduled asymptomatic inpatients, 3.78% (95% CI: 1.82-7.26%) in emergency inpatients, and 2.4% (95% CI: 1.49-3.82%) in symptomatic patients. There were no cases of hospital-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infection. This shows that the TWMU model could prevent hospital-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infection and is feasible and effective in reducing the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the hospitals.

Characterization of a New Saccharomyces cerevisiae Isolated From Hibiscus Flower and Its Mutant With L-Leucine Accumulation for Awamori Brewing.

Since flavors of alcoholic beverages produced in fermentation process are affected mainly by yeast metabolism, the isolation and breeding of yeasts have contributed to the alcoholic beverage industry. To produce awamori, a traditional spirit (distilled alcoholic beverage) with unique flavors made from steamed rice in Okinawa, Japan, it is necessary to optimize yeast strains for a diversity of tastes and flavors with established qualities. Two categories of flavors are characteristic of awamori; initial scented fruity flavors and sweet flavors that arise with aging. Here we isolated a novel strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae from hibiscus flowers in Okinawa, HC02-5-2, that produces high levels of alcohol. The whole-genome information revealed that strain HC02-5-2 is contiguous to wine yeast strains in a phylogenic tree. This strain also exhibited a high productivity of 4-vinyl guaiacol (4-VG), which is a precursor of vanillin known as a key flavor of aged awamori. Although conventional awamori yeast strain 101-18, which possesses the FDC1 pseudogene does not produce 4-VG, strain HC02-5-2, which has the intact PAD1 and FDC1 genes, has an advantage for use in a novel kind of awamori. To increase the contents of initial scented fruity flavors, such as isoamyl alcohol and isoamyl acetate, we attempted to breed strain HC02-5-2 targeting the L-leucine synthetic pathway by conventional mutagenesis. In mutant strain T25 with L-leucine accumulation, we found a hetero allelic mutation in the LEU4 gene encoding the Gly516Ser variant α-isopropylmalate synthase (IPMS). IPMS activity of the Gly516Ser variant was less sensitive to feedback inhibition by L-leucine, leading to intracellular L-leucine accumulation. In a laboratory-scale test, awamori brewed with strain T25 showed higher concentrations of isoamyl alcohol and isoamyl acetate than that brewed with strain HC02-5-2. Such a combinatorial approach to yeast isolation, with whole-genome analysis and metabolism-focused breeding, has the potentials to vary the quality of alcoholic beverages.