Articles

Plasmodium—a brief introduction to the parasites causing human malaria and their basic biology

Malaria is one of the most devastating infectious diseases of humans. It is problematic clinically and economically as it prevails in poorer countries and regions, strongly hindering socioeconomic development....

Authors: Shigeharu Sato

The associations of eating behavior and dietary intake with metabolic syndrome in Japanese: Saku cohort baseline study

The prevention of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a major public health concern in Japan. The effects of the relationship between eating behavior and nutritional intake on MetS remained unclear.

Authors: Akemi Morita, Naomi Aiba, Motohiko Miyachi and Shaw Watanabe

Standard reference values of weight and maximum pressure distribution in healthy adults aged 18–65 years in Germany

The aim of this study was to collect standard reference values of the weight and the maximum pressure distribution in healthy adults aged 18–65 years and to investigate the influence of constitutional paramete...

Authors: D. Ohlendorf, K. Kerth, W. Osiander, F. Holzgreve, L. Fraeulin, H. Ackermann and D. A. Groneberg

Epidemiology of the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and musculoskeletal conditions among elderly individuals: a literature review

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with osteoporosis, fracture, muscle weakness, falls, and osteoarthritis in adults. Elderly individuals are more likely to present with poor musculoskeletal conditions. Recent...

Authors: Kazuhiko Arima, Satoshi Mizukami, Takayuki Nishimura, Yoshihito Tomita, Hiroki Nakashima, Yasuyo Abe and Kiyoshi Aoyagi

Low-frequency oscillations of finger skin blood flow during the initial stage of cold-induced vasodilation at different air temperatures

Cold-induced vasodilation (CIVD) is known to be influenced by the ambient temperature. Frequency analysis of blood flow provides information on physiological regulation of the cardiovascular system, such as my...

Authors: Toshihiro Sera, Taiki Kohno, Yusuke Nakashima, Musashi Uesugi and Susumu Kudo

Malaria elimination in Malaysia and the rising threat of Plasmodium knowlesi

Malaria is a major public-health problem, with over 40% of the world’s population (more than 3.3 billion people) at risk from the disease. Malaysia has committed to eliminate indigenous human malaria transmiss...

Authors: Abraham Zefong Chin, Marilyn Charlene Montini Maluda, Jenarun Jelip, Muhammad Saffree Bin Jeffree, Richard Culleton and Kamruddin Ahmed

Effect on autonomic nervous activity of applying hot towels for 10 s to the back during bed baths

Bed baths are a daily nursing activity to maintain patients’ hygiene. Those may provide not only comfort but also relaxation. Notably, applying a hot towel to the skin for 10 s (AHT10s) during bed baths helped...

Authors: Inaho Shishido, Issei Konya and Rika Yano

Evaluation of the nutritional status of rural children living in Zambia

Growth references (growth charts) are used to assess the nutritional and growth status of children. In developed countries, there are growth charts based on the country’s national surveys. However, many develo...

Authors: Arimi Mitsunaga and Taro Yamauchi

Correction to: Functional dissociation of hippocampal subregions corresponding to memory types and stages

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Authors: Ji-Woo Seok and Chaejoon Cheong

NOD-like receptors mediate inflammatory lung injury during plateau hypoxia exposure

The lung is an important target organ for hypoxia treatment, and hypoxia can induce several diseases in the body.

Authors: Haiyan Wang, Xue Lin and Xiaoyan Pu

Individual variations and sex differences in hemodynamics with percutaneous arterial oxygen saturation (SpO₂) in young Andean highlanders in Bolivia

Many studies have reported specific adaptations to high altitude, but few studies have focused on physiological variations in high-altitude adaptation in Andean highlanders. This study aimed to investigate the...

Authors: Takayuki Nishimura, Juan Ugarte, Mayumi Ohnishi, Mika Nishihara, Guillermo Alvarez, Yoshiki Yasukochi, Hideki Fukuda, Kazuhiko Arima, Shigeki Watanuki, Victor Mendoza and Kiyoshi Aoyagi

Cardiorespiratory fitness is strongly linked to metabolic syndrome among physical fitness components: a retrospective cross-sectional study

Maintaining a good level of physical fitness from engaging in regular exercise is important for the treatment and prevention of metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, which components constitutive of physical fit...

Authors: Bokun Kim, Minjae Ku, Tanaka Kiyoji, Tomonori Isobe, Takeji Sakae and Sechang Oh

Implications of human activities for (re)emerging infectious diseases, including COVID-19

Since 1980, the world has been threatened by different waves of emerging disease epidemics. In the twenty-first century, these diseases have become an increasing global concern because of their health and econ...

Authors: Nundu Sabiti Sabin, Akintije Simba Calliope, Shirley Victoria Simpson, Hiroaki Arima, Hiromu Ito, Takayuki Nishimura and Taro Yamamoto

Effects of acute hypobaric hypoxia on thermoregulatory and circulatory responses during cold air exposure

The thermoregulatory responses during simultaneous exposure to hypoxia and cold are not well understood owing to the opposite reactions of vasomotor tone in these two environments. Therefore, the purpose of th...

Authors: Sora Shin, Yoshiki Yasukochi, Hitoshi Wakabayashi and Takafumi Maeda

Standard reference values of the postural control in healthy female adults aged between 31 and 40 years in Germany: an observational study

To detect deviations from a normal postural control, standard values can be helpful for comparison purposes. Since the postural control is influenced by gender and age, the aim of the present study was the col...

Authors: Daniela Ohlendorf, Julia Pflaum, Christina Wischnewski, Sebastian Schamberger, Christina Erbe, Eileen M. Wanke, Fabian Holzgreve and David A. Groneberg

Microsaccadic modulation evoked by emotional events

Saccadic eye movements can allude to emotional states and visual attention. Recent studies have shown that microsaccadic responses (i.e., small fixational eye movements) reflect advanced brain activity during ...

Authors: Koji Kashihara

Spatial navigation ability is associated with the assessment of smoothness of driving during changing lanes in older drivers

Age-related changes affect driving ability, including the smoothness of driving. This operation requires the use of both allocentric strategies (based on world-centered representations) and egocentric strategi...

Authors: Masafumi Kunishige, Hideki Miyaguchi, Hiroshi Fukuda, Tadayuki Iida, Kawabata Nami and Chinami Ishizuki

Body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio misclassification of overweight and obesity in Chinese military personnel

The rising prevalence of obesity in military personnel has raised great concerns. Previous studies suggest that body mass index (BMI)- and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)-based obesity classifications in US military ...

Authors: Qingqing Zhu, Binbin Huang, Qiaoli Li, Liqian Huang, Wenbo Shu, Lin Xu, Qiongying Deng, Ziliang Ye, Chunyan Li and Peng Liu

Comparison of correction factor for both dynamic total thermal insulation and evaporative resistance between ISO 7933 and ISO 9920

Thermal insulation and evaporative resistance of clothing are the physical parameters to quantify heat transfer and evaporative dissipation from the human body to the environment, respectively. Wind and body m...

Authors: Satoru Ueno

Useful parameters for the motion analysis of facial skin care in Japanese women

Facial skin care (FSC) is an important routine for Japanese women. Hand motions during FSC physically affect psychological state. However, it is very difficult to evaluate hand motions during personal and comp...

Authors: Shingo Sakai, Ruako Takatori, Mika Nomura and Kuniaki Uehara

Pulse rate variability: a new biomarker, not a surrogate for heart rate variability

With the popularization of pulse wave signals by the spread of wearable watch devices incorporating photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors, many studies are reporting the accuracy of pulse rate variability (PRV) a...

Authors: Emi Yuda, Muneichi Shibata, Yuki Ogata, Norihiro Ueda, Tomoyuki Yambe, Makoto Yoshizawa and Junichiro Hayano

Oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism (rs53576) and digit ratio associates with aggression: comparison in seven ethnic groups

The specific role of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene polymorphisms in emotional support seeking, related to social norms and culturally normative behavior, has been discussed in several studies. Evidence on the...

Authors: Marina Butovskaya, Victoria Rostovtseva, Polina Butovskaya, Valentina Burkova, Daria Dronova, Vasilisa Filatova, Eugenia Sukhodolskaya, Vasiliy Vasiliev, Tania Mesa, Araceli Rosa and Oleg Lazebny

The east coast districts are the possible epicenter of severe dengue in Sabah

Malaysia recorded the highest number of dengue cases between 2014 and 2017. There are 13 states and three federal territories in Malaysia, and each area varies in their prevalence of dengue. Sabah is one of th...

Authors: Narinderjeet Kaur, Syed Sharizman Syed Abdul Rahim, Joel Judson Jaimin, Jiloris Julian Frederick Dony, Koay Teng Khoon and Kamruddin Ahmed

Association between vegetable consumption and calf venous compliance in healthy young adults

Venous compliance decreases with aging and/or physical inactivity, which is thought to be involved partly in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease such as hypertension. This suggests that it is important ...

Authors: Anna Oue, Yasuhiro Iimura, Kotose Maeda and Takahiro Yoshizaki

Effects of beta-conglycinin intake on circulating FGF21 levels and brown adipose tissue activity in Japanese young men: a single intake study and a randomized controlled trial

Human brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity has beneficial effects on body composition and glucose metabolism. A previous study reported that beta-conglycinin intake induced postprandial fibroblast growth factor...

Authors: Hirokazu Taniguchi, Keigo Shimizu, Sayori Wada, Shinsuke Nirengi, Haruki Kataoka and Akane Higashi

Development and validation of an ELISA for a biomarker of thyroid dysfunction, thyroid peroxidase autoantibodies (TPO-Ab), in dried blood spots

The prevalence of allergic and autoimmune conditions has been steadily increasing in wealthy nations over the past century. One hypothesis put forward to explain this is the Old Friends Hypothesis, which posit...

Authors: Geeta N. Eick, Tara J. Cepon-Robins, Maureen J. Devlin, Paul Kowal, Larry S. Sugiyama and J. Josh Snodgrass

Functional dissociation of hippocampal subregions corresponding to memory types and stages

The hippocampus reportedly plays a crucial role in memory. However, examining individual human hippocampal-subfield function remains challenging because of their small sizes and convoluted structures. Here, we...

Authors: Ji-Woo Seok and Chaejoon Cheong

The association between FTO rs9939609 gene polymorphism and anthropometric indices in adults

Fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) is the most studied obesity-related gene up to date. We aimed to assess anthropometric indices in carriers of FTO rs9939609 polymorphism with overweight across Iranian p...

Authors: Mahsa Mehrdad, Majid Fardaei, Mohammad Fararouei and Mohammad Hassan Eftekhari

What is the significance of the traditional pinching mode of holding chopsticks?

The purpose of this study was to clarify the influence of manipulation mode of chopsticks on the learning process, using assessment of task performance and electromyography, and to understand the significance ...

Authors: Yoshihiro Shimomura, Takeaki Ohsawa, Megumi Shimura, Yali Xia, Koichi Iwanaga and Tetsuo Katsuura

Association of abdominal fat with metabolic syndrome components in overweight women: effect of menopausal status

The association between abdominal fat distribution and metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) components by menopausal status has yet to be explicated. The purpose of this study was to examine a cross-sectional associati...

Authors: Shigeharu Numao, Yasutomi Katayama, Yoshio Nakata, Tomoaki Matsuo, Masaki Nakagaichi and Kiyoji Tanaka

Effect of age and sex on strength and spatial electromyography during knee extension

Multichannel surface electromyography (EMG) is a method to examine properties of motor unit (MU) activity using multiple electrodes arranged on a two-dimensional grid. This technique can be used to examine alt...

Authors: Ashirbad Pradhan, Gemma Malagon, Rebecca Lagacy, Victoria Chester and Usha Kuruganti

Adaptive changes in physiological and perceptual responses during 10-day heat acclimation training using a water-perfused suit

While active heat acclimation strategies have been robustly explored, not many studies highlighted passive heat acclimation strategies. Particularly, little evidence demonstrated advantages of utilizing a wate...

Authors: Yelin Ko, Seon-Hong Seol, Juho Kang and Joo-Young Lee

Vitamin K deficiency, evaluated with higher serum ucOC, was correlated with poor bone status in women

An increase in serum undercarboxylated osteocalcin concentrations suggests vitamin K deficiency. Clinical intervention studies suggested that the vitamin K supplementation might contribute to preventing bone l...

Authors: Natsumi Tanaka, Kazuhiko Arima, Takayuki Nishimura, Yoshihito Tomita, Satoshi Mizukami, Takuhiro Okabe, Yasuyo Abe, Shin-ya Kawashiri, Michiko Uchiyama, Yuzo Honda, Ritsu Tsujimoto, Mitsuo Kanagae, Makoto Osaki and Kiyoshi Aoyagi

Ground golf-induced changes in the blood pressure of healthy elderly people

Ground golf is a popular sport among the elderly in Japan. Several types of exercise can reduce the body's mean arterial pressure (MAP), but little is known about how ground golf affects the MAP. We investigat...

Authors: Naoyuki Ebine, Masahiro Itoh, Masahiro Horiuchi, Tatsuya Hojo, Miho Yoshimura and Yoshiyuki Fukuoka

Association of epigenetics of the PDK4 gene in skeletal muscle and peripheral blood with exercise therapy following artificial knee arthroplasty

Although exercise is a standard treatment for postoperative osteoarthritis, interindividual differences have been reported. Epigenetic modification (DNA methylation), a factor causing interindividual differenc...

Authors: Tomohiro Kamo, Satoshi Kurose, Hiroshi Ohno, Minoru Murata, Takanori Saito and Yutaka Kimura

Early age at menarche and its associated factors in school girls (age, 10 to 12 years) in Bangladesh: a cross-section survey in Rajshahi District, Bangladesh

Early onset of menarche is one of the most important factors for breast cancer and other associated health hazards. The aim of this study was to investigate the early age at menarche and its associated factors...

Authors: Jannatul Maowa Malitha, Md. Ariful Islam, Saima Islam, Abu Sayed Md. Al Mamun, Suman Chakrabarty and Md. Golam Hossain

Profile of regional fat and fat-free soft tissue accumulation in male athletes

It is unclear whether or not the breakpoint (BP), at which the proportion of each of fat mass (FM) and fat-free soft tissue mass (FFSTM) to body mass (BM) alter, exists in male athletes. We examined the hypoth...

Authors: Yohei Takai, Miyuki Nakatani, Toru Aoki, Daisuke Komori, Kazuyuki Oyamada, Kensuke Murata, Eiji Fujita, Takuya Akamine, Yoshihisa Urita, Masayoshi Yamamoto and Hiroaki Kanehisa

Differences in pulse rate variability with measurement site

Recently, attempts have been made to use the pulse rate variability (PRV) as a surrogate for heart rate variability (HRV). PRV, however, may be caused by the fluctuations of left ventricular pre-ejection perio...

Authors: Emi Yuda, Kento Yamamoto, Yutaka Yoshida and Junichiro Hayano

Effects of aging on foot pedal responses to visual stimuli

Car accidents due to unexpected forward or backward runaway by older drivers are a serious social problem. Although the cause of these accidents is often attributed to stepping on the accelerator instead of th...

Authors: Emi Yuda, Yutaka Yoshida, Norihiro Ueda, Itaru Kaneko, Yutaka Miura and Junichiro Hayano

Body cooling effects of immersion of the forearms in high-concentration artificial carbonic acid water at 25°C

This study examined the effects of immersion in stirred, high-concentration, artificial carbonic acid water on body cooling.

Authors: Yuuki Tanaka, Hisaho Nagano and Akihiro Taimura

Qualitative and quantitative dermatoglyphics of chronic kidney disease of unknown origin (CKDu) in Sri Lanka

Dermatoglyphics has been used widely in fields of medicine as a non-invasive diagnostic tool and an early assessment of risk for certain medical conditions. It reflects disturbances in fetal development during...

Authors: Buddhika Thilanga Bandara Wijerathne, Robert John Meier, Sujatha Senadeera Salgado and Suneth Buddhika Agampodi

On the simple calculation of walking efficiency without kinematic information for its convenient use

Since walking is a daily activity not to require the maximal effort in healthy populations, a very few universal bio-parameters and/or methods have been defined to evaluate individual walking characteristics i...

Authors: Daijiro Abe, Yoshiyuki Fukuoka and Masahiro Horiuchi

Associations between serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-I and bone mineral acquisition in pubertal children: a 3-year follow-up study in Hamamatsu, Japan

Epidemiological data regarding the association between serum levels of IGF-I and bone mineral acquisition during childhood are scarce. Here, we investigated the association between serum levels of IGF-I and bo...

Authors: Katsuyasu Kouda, Masayuki Iki, Kumiko Ohara, Harunobu Nakamura, Yuki Fujita and Toshimasa Nishiyama

Reliability of Physiological Responses Induced by Basic Emotions: A Pilot Study

Although emotion-specific autonomic responses based on the discrete theory of emotion have been widely studied, studies on the reliability of physiological responses to emotional stimuli are limited. In this s...

Authors: Eun-Hye Jang, Sangwon Byun, Mi-Sook Park and Jin-Hun Sohn

Performance of newly developed body mass index cut-off for diagnosing obesity among Ethiopian adults

Obesity is defined as unhealthy excess body fat, which increases the risk of premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases. Early screening and prevention of obesity is critical for averting associated mor...

Authors: Makeda Sinaga, Tilahun Yemane, Elsah Tegene, David Lidstrom and Tefera Belachew

Estimation of stature from finger and phalange lengths in a Korean adolescent

Authors: Ilsun Rhiu and Wonjoon Kim

Longevity-associated mitochondrial DNA 5178 C/A polymorphism modifies effect of aging on renal function in male Japanese health checkup examinees: an exploratory cross-sectional study

Mitochondrial DNA 5178 (Mt5178) C/A polymorphism is reportedly associated with longevity in the Japanese population. The objective of this study was to investigate whether Mt5178 C/A polymorphism influences th...

Authors: Iichiro Ohtsu, Mamoru Ishikawa, Naomi Matsunaga, Kanae Karita, Masao Yoshida, Hirotaka Ochiai, Takako Shirasawa, Takahiko Yoshimoto, Akira Minoura, Shogo Sai and Akatsuki Kokaze

The effects of toe grip training on physical performance and cognitive function of nursing home residents

Toe grip-related training requires individuals to actively exercise muscles that are not frequently used; therefore, it may improve not only toe grip strength but also cognitive function. The purpose of this s...

Authors: Ryota Tsuyuguchi, Satoshi Kurose, Takayuki Seto, Nana Takao, Aya Fujii, Hiromi Tsutsumi, Shingo Otsuki and Yutaka Kimura

Non-visual effects of diurnal exposure to an artificial skylight, including nocturnal melatonin suppression

Recently, more consideration is being given to the beneficial effects of lighting on the maintenance and promotion of the health and well-being of office occupants in built environments. A new lighting technol...

Authors: Akira Yasukouchi, Takafumi Maeda, Kazuyoshi Hara and Hiroyuki Furuune

An overview of hand postures and aging on morphological changes of the median nerve

High-resolution ultrasound is being widely used in carpal tunnel examination to understand morphological and biomechanical characteristics of the median nerve and surrounding anatomy structures.

Authors: Ping Yeap Loh, Wen Liang Yeoh and Satoshi Muraki