Nagoya Women's University (名古屋女子大学, Nagoya joshi daigaku) is a private women's university in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan with campus at Mizuho-ku. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1915, and it was chartered as a junior college in 1950..
BACKGROUND:Heart failure (HF) is a major health issue with high hospitalization and 30-day readmission rates. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is recommended for managing HF; however, its effectiveness during hospitalization remains unclear in real-world settings. METHODS:This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from the National Hospital Organization database in Japan. We included patients with HF aged ≥40 years who were hospitalized between April 2016 and March 2019. We analyzed the relationship between inpatient CR and 30-day outcomes (primary: all-cause readmission) using logistic regression with inverse probability of treatment weighting, which creates a pseudo-population with measured baseline covariates balanced between groups. Propensity score-matched analysis was additionally performed for the primary outcome. RESULTS:Among 17,022 eligible patients, 9390 (55.2%) received inpatient CR. Inpatient CR was not significantly associated with lower risks of 30-day all-cause (odds ratio [OR]: 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.82-1.05), cardiovascular-related (OR: 0.97, 95%CI: 0.82-1.14), or HF-related readmissions (OR: 0.99, 95%CI: 0.82-1.19), or all-cause death (OR: 0.95, 95%CI: 0.53-1.73) in the weighted analyses. Results for all-cause readmission were consistent in the matched analysis (OR: 0.89, 95%CI: 0.78-1.01). In an exploratory subgroup analysis, inpatient CR was associated with a lower risk of 30-day all-cause readmission among patients without pre-existing kidney dysfunction. Inpatient CR was also significantly associated with improved physical function during hospitalization (OR: 1.18, 95%CI: 1.07-1.31). CONCLUSIONS:In this nationwide cohort, inpatient CR was not significantly associated with 30-day readmission risk. However, inpatient CR was associated with improvement in functional status during hospitalization.
The maternal restraint stress animal model is based on a long-term stress paradigm administered to pregnant maternal animals, and these offspring have been shown to exhibit a variety of biochemical defects including obesity. This study aimed to investigate whether maternal restraint stress affects obesity-associated changes in offspring intestinal microbiota and the adipogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).Pregnant mice were subjected to restraint stress three times daily from gestational Day12 to delivery. Changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota of mothers (during pregnancy and lactation) and their lactating offspring exposed to maternal restraint stress were analyzed using next-generation sequencing. Maternal stress altered the maternal microbiota, with reduced Bacteroidetes and increased Firmicutes. While similar trends were observed in offspring, these changes were not statistically significant. However, maternal stress notably reduced microbial diversity in the offspring's intestinal microbiota. Bone marrow-derived MSCs from offspring at weaning were analyzed for adipogenic transcription factors and hormone receptor expression using quantitative PCR. Maternal stress enhanced the adipogenic phenotype of offspring MSCs, as evidenced by increased expression of adipogenic markers (PPAR gamma, leptin receptor) and a reduced osteogenic phenotype. In vitro induction further confirmed the higher adipocyte differentiation potential in stressed offspring MSCs compared to controls.Our results revealed that maternal restraint stress altered the maternal intestinal microbiota, leading to reduced microbial diversity in offspring, predisposing their MSCs toward an adipocyte phenotype. These finding suggest that modulating the intestinal microbiota of stressed pregnant women may improve the susceptibility to obesity in their children.
Background/Purpose: Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and function, poses risks in Japan's aging population. While exercise helps to prevent it, older adults, especially those with pain, may struggle to exercise. This study examines the effects of vibrating (VFR) and non-vibrating foam rollers (NVFR) on lower-limb strength and function in this group. Methods: Twenty-seven adults aged >= 65 years participated in this crossover study. Lower-limb strength and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) tests were performed at baseline and after using VFR or NVFR. Results: VFR significantly increased knee extension strength (0.24 kgf/kg [0.19-0.27] to 0.29 kgf/kg [0.24-0.34], p < 0.01) and improved chair stand time (17.8 s [13.9-22.6] to 16.3 s [14.2-20.4], p < 0.01). VFR also enhanced knee extensor strength on the affected (0.20 kgf/kg [0.16-0.26] to 0.27 kgf/ kg [0.22-0.31], p < 0.01) and healthy sides (0.25 kgf/kg [0.22-0.30] to 0.31 kgf/kg [0.27-0.38], p < 0.01). NVFR increased knee extensor strength (0.24 kgf/kg [0.19-0.27] to 0.26 kgf/kg [0.22-0.29], p = 0.03) and reduced chair stand time (17.8 s [13.9-22.6] to 16.3 s [14.2-20.4], p < 0.01) but did not significantly improve chair stand scores or knee extensor strength on either side separately. Conclusion: Foam rolling exercises, particularly when integrated with vibration, may offer immediate improvements in lower-limb strength and physical performance for older adults. Further study is needed to establish standardized protocols for incorporating VFR into older patient care prevention programs.
Despite advances in treatment, the incidence of postoperative complications following pancreatectomy remains high, leading to frequent hospital readmissions. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between preoperative exercise tolerance and the likelihood of unplanned readmission in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. This retrospective analysis included 88 patients who underwent pancreatectomy at a single institution between July 2019 and September 2022 and focused on patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Patients’ preoperative exercise tolerance was assessed using the 6-minute walk distance (6 MWD). The study found a 22.7
