Aichi Shukutoku University (愛知淑徳大学, Aichi shukutoku daigaku) is a private university in Nagakute, Aichi, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1905. It was chartered as a women's college in 1975 and became co-educational in 1995..
Purpose The aim of this study was to identify biopsychosocial factor combinations associated with an unacceptable Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) pain state in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) awaiting knee arthroplasty. Methods This cross-sectional study included consecutive patients with radiographic KOA scheduled for knee arthroplasty at a secondary care hospital in Japan (October 2024 to January 2026). Eligible patients had unilateral KOA (Kellgren–Lawrence grade ≥2) and were ambulatory without a walker (cane permitted). Major exclusions included bilateral KOA, inflammatory arthritis, osteonecrosis-related arthroplasty, and revision surgery. The primary outcome (consequent) was an unacceptable KOOS pain state (KOOS pain <73.6). Other dichotomized biopsychosocial and functional variables were treated as antecedents. Association rule mining (apriori algorithm; R, arules) identified multi-factor patterns. Rules were extracted using prespecified thresholds (support ≥0.10, confidence ≥80%, lift ≥1.10) with 95% bootstrap confidence intervals (1000 resamples) and evaluated using contingency table testing (Fisher’s exact test or χ2 test). Result The algorithm generated 6060 candidate rules; 5 single-antecedent and 68 two-antecedent rules met extraction thresholds, and 28 two-antecedent rules differed between applicable and non-applicable groups. Representative high-confidence combined patterns included fear of movement plus depressive symptoms (support 39/101, confidence 100%, lift 1.16; p = 0.001) and unacceptable KOOS symptoms plus fear of movement (support 38/101, confidence 100%, lift 1.16; p = 0.002). Conclusions In patients with end-stage KOA awaiting arthroplasty, unacceptable pain clustered with greater symptom burden and psychosocial distress. These findings support combined screening to inform risk stratification and integrated care planning. Considering this study is exploratory and cross-sectional, causality cannot be inferred, and generalizability beyond surgical candidates may be limited.
Objectives Community gathering places have emerged as a key population-level approach for frailty prevention in Japan. Although these activities are expected to support health maintenance and long-term care prevention among older adults, evidence regarding their association with frailty remains limited because few studies have adequately addressed potential confounding and reverse causation. This study aimed to examine the association between participation in community gathering places and frailty using large-scale three-wave panel data.Methods Data were obtained from the 2016, 2019, and 2022 waves of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES). The analytic sample comprised 41,245 community-dwelling older adults aged ≥65 years from 25 municipalities. Frailty status in 2022 was the outcome, and participation in community gathering places in 2019 was the primary exposure. Thirteen covariates measured in 2016 were included: sex, age, baseline frailty status, urbanicity, equivalent household income, educational attainment, marital status, household composition, employment status, social participation, social support, depressive symptoms, and current medical treatment. Modified Poisson regression models were used to estimate risk ratios. Subgroup analyses stratified by demographic and socioeconomic characteristics were also performed.Results Older adults who participated in community gathering places at least once monthly had a lower risk of frailty in 2022 than nonparticipants (risk ratio: 0.93, 95% confidence interval: 0.88-0.97). Subgroup analyses showed that the association was generally consistent across sex and age categories. Similar findings were observed among individuals with lower socioeconomic status, indicating that the potential benefits of participation may extend across diverse population groups.Conclusion Participation in community gathering places was associated with a reduced risk of frailty, suggesting that these community-based activities may contribute to frailty prevention. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening and expanding such programs as part of broader population strategies to promote healthy longevity among older adults.
BACKGROUND/AIM:Andrographolide (Andro), a diterpene lactone from Andrographis paniculata, induces reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent apoptosis in hematologic malignancy cells. This study investigated whether Andro also induces ferroptosis-associated cytotoxicity in plasma cell neoplasm cell lines. MATERIALS AND METHODS:H929 and ARH77 cells were treated with Andro in the presence or absence of Ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1). Cell viability, ROS generation, Annexin V positivity, intracellular iron, lipid peroxidation, FACL4/GPX4 expression, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB)/cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) signaling, and lipidomic changes were examined. RESULTS:Andro induced dose-dependent cytotoxicity and increased ROS generation and Annexin V positivity, while Fer-1 partially restored Andro-induced loss of cell viability. Both cell lines showed elevated basal intracellular iron levels. Andro also induced Fer-1-sensitive lipid peroxidation, increased FACL4, decreased GPX4, and promoted lipid remodeling characterized primarily by reduced monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) abundance, resulting in an increased polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)/MUFA ratio. In addition, Andro significantly decreased nuclear NF-κB p65 levels and COX-2 expression in both cell lines. CONCLUSION:Andro induces a ferroptosis-prone lipid state characterized by Fer-1-sensitive lipid peroxidation, FACL4 up-regulation, GPX4 down-regulation, and alterations in the PUFA/MUFA phospholipid balance. Suppression of the nuclear NF-κB/COX-2 axis may be associated with this lipid remodeling, although its causal role requires further investigation.
