Transient forebrain ischemia induces impairment in cognitive performance prior to extensive neuronal cell death in Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)

Tomohiro Kondo,Suguru Yoshida,Hiroaki Nagai,Ai Takeshita,Masaki Mino,Hiroshi Morioka,Takayuki Nakajima,Ken Takeshi Kusakabe,Toshiya Okada 대한수의학회 2018 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.19 No.4

In Mongolian gerbils, bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) for several minutes induces ischemia, due to an incomplete circle of Willis, resulting in delayed neuronal cell death in the Cornet d’Ammon 1 (CA1) region of the hippocampus. Neuronal cell death in the hippocampus and changes in behavior were examined after BCCAO was performed for 5 min in the gerbils. One day after BCCAO, the pyramidal neurons of the CA1 region of the hippocampus showed degenerative changes (clumped chromatin in nuclei). At 5 and 10 days after BCCAO, extensive neuronal cell death was observed in the hippocampal CA1 region. Cognitive performance was evaluated by using the radial maze and passive avoidance tests. In the radial maze test, which examines win-stay performance, the number of errors was significantly higher in ischemic gerbils than in sham-operated gerbils on days 1 and 2 post-operation. In the passive avoidance test, the latency and freezing times were significantly shorter in ischemic gerbils than in sham-operated gerbils on the days 1, 2, and 4–6 post-operation. These results indicate that transient forebrain ischemia impairs cognitive performance, even immediately after the ischemic insult when there are only subtle signs of neuronal cell death.

Regional Difference of Feeding Management and Milk Composition in Hokkaido, Japan

Tomohiro Mitani,Kuniyuki Kobayashi,Tetsushiro Endo,Koichiro Ueda,Seiji Kondo 한국초지조사료학회 2016 한국초지조사료학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2016 No.08

Evaluation of physical function in older adults at individual and community levels

( Taishi Tsuji ),( Katsunori Kondo ),( Kenji Tsunoda ),( Jieun Yoon ),( Tomohiro Okura ) 한국체육학회 2016 국제스포츠과학 학술대회 Vol.2016 No.1

Purpose: We aimed to develop a novel physical performance test to easily evaluate lower limb muscle function and risk of their functional disability in a clinical setting. Community-level evaluation is also needed to identify a “high-risk community” and to promote a community-level approach for the prevention of functional disability. In this presentation, we will share the outline of our research project evaluating physical function in older adults at individual and community levels. Method: To evaluate physical function, we measured ground reaction force (GRF) during a sit-to-stand movement and calculated two parameters: peak reaction force per body weight and rate of force development per body weight (RFD/w). We investigated the validity of these parameters using data from the Kasama Study. For community-level evaluation, we performed ecological analyses using data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES), a nationwide research project including a questionnaire survey on aging, with over 100,000 participants in 2010 and 2013. We calculated the prevalence of physical function decline in 31 municipalities from the JAGES 2010 survey and investigated relevant factors affecting the prevalence. Result: We found that in older adults, two GRF parameters negatively correlated with age, had good criterion-related validity with lower limb muscle strength and power, and had relationships with physical function, history of fall, and ability to perform mobility activities. Further, we found that RFD/w declined with increase in incidences of falls and could predict onset of mobility limitations. Community-level analyses revealed that the prevalence of physical function decline varied from 14.6% to 32.2% in the 31 municipalities. Higher frequencies of participation in sports and hobby groups in a municipality were found to negatively correlate with the prevalence of physical function decline (r = .0.58 and .0.74, respectively). Conclusion: Measuring the GRF parameters during a sit-to-stand movement might provide a better evaluation of an older individual’s physical function, with sufficient validity. Recently, we have developed a specialized weight scale for measuring GRF more easily in a clinical setting. Further, we found that regional variations exist in the physical function of older adults. Community intervention with increasing participation in sports or hobby groups in a community might be an effective way to reduce these variations.

A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial on the effect of magnesium oxide in patients with chronic constipation

Sumire Mori,Toshihiko Tomita,Kazuki Fujimura,Haruki Asano,Tomohiro Ogawa,Takahisa Yamasaki,Takashi Kondo,Tomoaki Kono,Katsuyuki Tozawa,Tadayuki Oshima,Hirokazu Fukui,Takeshi Kimura,Jiro Watari,Hiroto 대한소화기 기능성질환∙운동학회 2019 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.25 No.4

Background/Aims Magnesium oxide (MgO) has been frequently used as a treatment for chronic constipation (CC) since the 1980s in Japan. The aim of this study is to evaluate its therapeutic effects of MgO in Japanese CC patients. Methods We conducted a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study. Thirty-four female patients with mild to moderate constipation were randomly assigned to either placebo (n = 17) or MgO group (n = 17) 0.5 g × 3/day for 28 days. Primary endpoint was overall improvement over the 4-week study period. Secondary endpoints were changes from baseline in spontaneous bowel movement (SBM), response rates of complete spontaneous bowel movement (CSBM), stool form, colonic transit time (CTT), abdominal symptom, and quality of life. Results One patient failed to complete the medication regimen and was omitted from analysis: data from 16 placebo and 17 MgO patients were analyzed. The primary endpoint was met by 25.0% of placebo vs 70.6% of MgO group (P = 0.015). MgO significantly improved SBM changes compared to placebo (P = 0.002). However, MgO did not significantly improved response rates of CSBM compared to placebo (P = 0.76). In addition, MgO significantly improved Bristol stool form scale changes (P < 0.001) and significantly improved CTT compared to the placebo group (P < 0.001). MgO significantly improved the Japanese version of the patient assessment of constipation quality of life (P = 0.003). Conclusion Our placebo-controlled study demonstrated that MgO was effective treatment for improving defecation status and shortened CTT in Japanese CC patients with mild to moderate symptoms. Background/Aims Magnesium oxide (MgO) has been frequently used as a treatment for chronic constipation (CC) since the 1980s in Japan. The aim of this study is to evaluate its therapeutic effects of MgO in Japanese CC patients. Methods We conducted a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study. Thirty-four female patients with mild to moderate constipation were randomly assigned to either placebo (n = 17) or MgO group (n = 17) 0.5 g × 3/day for 28 days. Primary endpoint was overall improvement over the 4-week study period. Secondary endpoints were changes from baseline in spontaneous bowel movement (SBM), response rates of complete spontaneous bowel movement (CSBM), stool form, colonic transit time (CTT), abdominal symptom, and quality of life. Results One patient failed to complete the medication regimen and was omitted from analysis: data from 16 placebo and 17 MgO patients were analyzed. The primary endpoint was met by 25.0% of placebo vs 70.6% of MgO group (P = 0.015). MgO significantly improved SBM changes compared to placebo (P = 0.002). However, MgO did not significantly improved response rates of CSBM compared to placebo (P = 0.76). In addition, MgO significantly improved Bristol stool form scale changes (P < 0.001) and significantly improved CTT compared to the placebo group (P < 0.001). MgO significantly improved the Japanese version of the patient assessment of constipation quality of life (P = 0.003). Conclusion Our placebo-controlled study demonstrated that MgO was effective treatment for improving defecation status and shortened CTT in Japanese CC patients with mild to moderate symptoms.