Impact of the transition from radioimmunoassay (RIA) to chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA) for the measurement of plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) on the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA) via retrospective analyses in Okinawa, Japan.

In Japan, the traditional method for measuring plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) was radioimmunoassay (RIA), which had several challenges, including poor traceability of certified reference materials and reduced detection sensitivity at low concentrations. To overcome these issues, a chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA) for PAC measurement was introduced in April 2021 and the Japan Endocrine Society published new guidelines for primary aldosteronism (PA). This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the transition from RIA to CLEIA for PAC measurement on PA diagnosis. Data from 190 patients admitted to the Second Department of Internal Medicine, University of the Ryukyus Hospital, between April 2012 and March 2021 were analyzed. Patients who were diagnosed with PA underwent adrenal venous sampling. The PAC measured by RIA (PAC(RIA)) was converted to the estimated PAC measured by CLEIA (ePAC(CLEIA)) using a conversion formula. The present study evaluated the discordance rates in diagnoses based on screening (SC), captopril challenge test (CCT), saline infusion test (SIT), and diagnosis of PA between results judged by PAC(RIA) according to the previous guidelines and those judged by ePAC(CLEIA) according to the new guidelines. The results revealed discordant diagnosis rates of 6.4% for SC and 10.1% for CCT, with no discordance for SIT. The discordant diagnosis rate for PA was 3.7%. Our study reveals the challenges in establishing appropriate diagnostic criteria for PA using PAC(CLEIA) and highlights the demand for further research on provisionally positive categories.

Post-traumatic pituitary stalk transection syndrome (PSTS) expeditiously manifested after a fall from a height combined with acute traumatic spinal cord injury: a rare case report with review of literature.

Post-traumatic pituitary stalk transection syndrome (PSTS) is an extremely rare cause of combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD), affecting approximately 9 per 100,000 cases of traumatic brain injury. In contrast, pituitary stalk interruption syndrome (PSIS) is also a rare cause of CPHD. Importantly, these conditions are often confused due to their similar names and resembling findings on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). PSIS has been thought to be a prenatal developmental event resulting from a couple of genetic aberrations. In typical PSIS, anterior pituitary hormone deficiencies are restricted to growth hormone (GH) and gonadotropin during the pediatric age, gradually and generally progressing to panhypopituitarism in most cases. In contrast, global deficiencies of the anterior pituitary hormones in PSTS are temporally associated with trauma. To the best of our knowledge, no case reports of PSTS combined with acute traumatic spinal cord injury have been reported. A 34-year-old female was transferred to our hospital after jumping from the fourth building floor. She was diagnosed as an acute traumatic spinal cord injury and underwent the operation of elective posterior spinal fusion. On postoperative day 7, the blood tests revealed considerable hyperkalemia, hyponatremia and eosinophilia. Notably, menstruation stopped after falling from a height. Pituitary function tests revealed GH deficiency, hypogonadism, hypothyroidism and hypoadrenocorticism. MRI revealed loss of the pituitary stalk, whilst the hyperintense signal from distal axon of hypothalamus was still identified. Based on these findings, she was diagnosed as PSTS. Our case highlights endocrinological landscape of transection of the pituitary stalk by acute trauma.

Validation of a novel digital health monitoring system to measure the volume of voided urine.

AIM: To validate a novel digital health monitoring system to measure the volume of voided urine. METHODS: Micturition volume was calculated using our novel digital self-health monitoring system of urine excretion (s-HMSU) in 18 participants (16 women and 2 men; average age, 40.8 years), without a history of voiding symptoms. Participants completed a self-reported questionnaire regarding their medical history and water intake during the period of observation, as well as the Core Lower Urinary Tract Symptom Score (CLSS) questionnaire. To assess the reliability of the voided volumes measured using the s-HMSU, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated between the volume and the change in body weight before and after micturition. RESULTS: The CLSS questionnaire confirmed the absence of urinary system diseases in all participants. The medical history was also negative with the exception of hypertension in one participant. The ICC (1,1) between the measured volume of urine excretion using the s-HMSU and the change in body weight was 0.972 (95% confidence interval, 0.957-0.982). CONCLUSIONS: The s-HMSU system provides a reliable measure of voiding volume and is appropriate for home use. It has the potential to facilitate large-scale clinical research to examine the relationship between medical diseases and voiding dysfunction.

Gut microbiota-based prediction for the transition from normal glucose tolerance (NGT) to impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in a remote island cohort study.

AIM: The present cohort study explored whether specific gut microbiota (GM) profile would predict the development of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in individuals with normal glucose tolerance (NGT). METHODS: A total of 114 study subjects with NGT in Kumejima island, Japan participated in the present study and underwent 75 g oral glucose tolerance tests at baseline and one year later. We compared the profile of GM at baseline between individuals who consistently maintained NGT (NRN, n = 108) and those who transitioned from NGT to IGT (NTI, n = 6). RESULTS: Within-individual bacterial richness and evenness as well as inter-individual bacterial composition showed no significant differences between NRN and NTI. Of note, however, partial least squares discriminant analyses revealed distinct compositions of GM between groups, with no overlap in their 95 % confidence interval ellipses. Multi-factor analyses at the genus level demonstrated that the proportions of CF231, Corynebacterium, Succinivibrio, and Geobacillus were significantly elevated in NTI compared to NRN (p < 0.005, FDR < 0.1, respectively) after adjusting for age, sex, HbA1c level, and BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that increased proportion of specific GM is linked to the future deterioration of glucose tolerance, thereby serving as a promising predictive marker for type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Profile of gut microbiota and serum metabolites associated with metabolic syndrome in a remote island most afflicted by obesity in Japan.

Numerous studies have revealed distinct differences in the profiles of gut microbiota between non-obese and obese individuals. To date, however, little is known if any disparities in the community of gut microbiota exist between metabolically healthy obese (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO) subjects. We therefore aimed to comprehensively characterize the gut microbiota and circulating metabolites in serum from both MHO and MUO residing in the remote island, Kumejima, where the prevalence of obesity is one of the highest in Japan, and explored possible correlations between the gut microbiota profile and markers of metabolic syndrome. Results revealed that MUO showed significantly higher levels of genera such as g_Succinivibrio, g_Granulicatella, g_Brachyspira, g_Oribacterium and g_Atopobium in comparison to MHO. Moreover, abundance of g_Succinivibrio, g_Brachyspira and g_Atopobium were positively correlated with value of fasting insulin, HOMA-R, circulating triglycerides, diastolic blood pressure, BMI, body weight, waist circumference and HbA1c. In addition, MUO compared to MHO showed an imbalance of serum metabolites, with a significant elevation in 2-oxoisovaleric acid, pyruvic acid, 2-hydroxybutyric acid, and creatine. Our data highlight unmet needs in precision approaches for the treatment of obesity, targeting the gut microbiota profile and serum metabolites in a distinct population affected by obesity.

Fermented brown rice beverage distinctively modulates the gut microbiota in Okinawans with metabolic syndrome: A randomized controlled trial.

Accumulating evidence to date suggests that brown rice is superior to white rice in regard to its beneficial impact on a number of risk factors of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, little is known about the influence of fermented brown rice beverage on the gut microbiota in humans. We therefore hypothesized that its impact would beneficially alter the gut microbiota composition of patients with MetS. Using a 4-week randomized, single-arm study design, subjects (n = 40) were advised to consume a daily fermented brown rice beverage (BA) or fermented white rice beverage (WA) as a replacement of their main meal. Clinical and anthropometric measurements as well as fecal samples were collected at baseline and immediately after completion of the intervention. Gut microbiota was analyzed using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing and capillary electrophoresis-time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to measure plasma short-chain fatty acids. Interestingly, ingestion of BA in contrast to WA resulted in a unique elevation in the abundance of number of beneficial species belonging to the Clostridia class, associated with reduced inflammation, and increased short-chain fatty acid production: Lactobacillales bacterium DJF B280 (P = .005), Butyrate producing bacterium A2 207 (P = .012), and Firmicutes bacterium DJF VP44 (P = .038). This study demonstrates that consumption of BA is effective to beneficially modulate the gut microbiota compared with WA in patients with MetS.

Obesity and Voiding Parameters in a Community-Based Population of Okinawa, Japan: Kumejima Digital Health Project (KDHP).

(1) Background: Evidence has accumulated regarding the etiology of lower urinary tract symptoms associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify which subjectively and objectively measured voiding parameters were associated with obesity in a community-based population. (2) Methods: Voiding parameters on a self-administered questionnaire and a digital self-health monitoring system for urine excretion (s-HMSU) were compared between participants with and without obesity, defined as a body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2 (n = 30 and 29, respectively), from a community in Okinawa, Japan. Logistic regression analysis was employed to calculate the odds ratios of abnormalities in voiding parameters for the obese group, with the non-obese group serving as a reference. (3) Results: The obese group had odds ratios of 5.17 (95% confidence interval: 1.33−20.0) for shortened hours of undisturbed sleep (<302 min) by s-HMSU and 7.65 (1.88−31.1) for nighttime urinary frequency by a questionnaire after adjusting for age and sex. In addition, the obese group had an adjusted odds ratio of 2.27 (0.76−6.78) for decreased maximum bladder capacity (<212 mL) by s-HMSU. (4) Conclusion: the results of the present study suggest that nocturia and shortened hours of undisturbed sleep are signs of obesity.

Effect of a mobile digital intervention to enhance physical activity in individuals with metabolic disorders on voiding patterns measured by 24-h voided volume monitoring system: Kumejima Digital Health Project (KDHP).

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of a mobile digital intervention on voiding patterns, we performed 24-h voided volume monitoring in individuals with metabolic disorders. METHODS: Participants with metabolic disorders were grouped into either the intervention group (n = 17), who had access to a smartphone app (CARADA), or the non-intervention group (n = 11), who did not. Urine monitoring was conducted for 24 h using a novel digital self-health monitoring system for urine excretion (s-HMSU). Body weight, abdominal circumference, blood pressure, and biomarkers were measured. RESULTS: Physical findings and blood test results at baseline and 6 months indicated no significant between-group differences. Night-time frequency did not change between baseline and 6 months in the intervention group but significantly worsened at 6 months in the non-intervention group, as compared to baseline (1.0 ± 0.7 vs. 1.5 ± 0.5, p < 0.05). The change in night-time frequency over 6 months did not differ between the intervention and non-intervention groups. Furthermore, the change in hours of undisturbed sleep over 6 months did not differ between the two groups. However, compared with baseline, nocturnal polyuria index tended to worsen at 6 months in the non-intervention group. CONCLUSION: Our study results suggest that mobile digital intervention might be useful for behavioral therapy to improve night-time frequency and urine production and that s-HMSU might be beneficial for confirming the prevention of progress in individuals with metabolic disorders, which can aid in modifying lifestyle.