Articles

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

Effect of food intake on respiratory chemosensitivity to CO₂ in young adults

Food intake augments CO₂ production; however, minute ventilation is not augmented during exercise after food intake. Respiratory chemoreceptors respond to CO₂ and influence respiration. We examined the effect of ...

Authors: Keiji Hayashi, Misato Suekuni and Koji Sugiyama

Effects of fat distribution on lung function in young adults

To study the associations between fat distribution and lung functions in healthy subjects of young adults and to explore potential gender difference in these correlations.

Authors: Liqian Huang, Ziliang Ye, Jingjing Lu, Cunqing Kong, Qingqing Zhu, Binbin Huang, Zerong Wang, Lin Xu, Qiongying Deng, Jiangu Gong and Peng Liu

Association of taller stature with lower cardiovascular disease mortality in Asian people: a systematic review

Adult height can serve as a disease marker. While taller stature has been reported to be linked to a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), an influence of the height on CVD is not fully understood in...

Authors: Hiroyuki Teraura, Tatsuya Suzuki and Kazuhiko Kotani

ERP study on the associations of peripheral oxytocin and prolactin with inhibitory processes involving emotional distraction

Child maltreatment is a major health and social welfare problem, with serious and longstanding consequences. Impulse control ability plays an important role in reducing the risk of child maltreatment. The aim ...

Authors: Sayuri Hayashi, Ayami Tsuru, Fumi Kishida, Yeon-Kyu Kim, Shigekazu Higuchi and Yuki Motomura

NR3C1 gene polymorphisms are associated with high-altitude pulmonary edema in Han Chinese

High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) is a life-threatening form of non-cardiogenic edema which occurs in unacclimatized individuals after rapid ascent to high altitude. NR3C1 gene encodes for glucocorticoid recep...

Authors: Yingzhong Yang, Hui Du, Yuhong Li, Wei Guan, Feng Tang, Qin Ga and Ri-Li Ge

Pitfalls of assessment of autonomic function by heart rate variability

Although analysis of heart rate variability is widely used for the assessment of autonomic function, its fundamental framework linking low-frequency and high-frequency components of heart rate variability with...

Authors: Junichiro Hayano and Emi Yuda

A review of the studies on nonvisual lighting effects in the field of physiological anthropology

Here, we review the history and the trends in the research on the nonvisual effect of light in the field of physiological anthropology. Research on the nonvisual effect of light in the field of physiological a...

Authors: Tetsuo Katsuura and Soomin Lee

Effects of the differences in mental states on the mirror system activities when observing hand actions

It is known that the activities of the mirror system are related to imitation and understanding of the intention of an action. It has been reported that the activity of the mirror system is higher for observat...

Authors: Yuki Ikeda, Yuki Nishimura and Shigekazu Higuchi

Correction to: Eye movements and brain oscillations to symbolic safety signs with different comprehensibility

After the publication of the original article [1] it was highlighted that there was an omission regarding the online resources for the traffic signs in the section of “Experimental stimuli”.

Authors: Yohana Siswandari and Shuping Xiong

Do green-blocking glasses enhance the nonvisual effects of white polychromatic light?

It is well known that light containing the blue component stimulates the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) and plays a role in melatonin suppression and pupillary constriction. In ou...

Authors: Soomin Lee, Naoshi Kakitsuba and Tetso Katsuura

Stress, migration, and allostatic load: a model based on Mexican migrants in Columbus, Ohio

Immigration is a disruptive event with multiple implications for health. Stressors, including family separation, acculturation, job insecurity, restricted mobility, sojourns, dangerous border crossings, stigma...

Authors: Alexandra C. Tuggle, Jeffrey H. Cohen and Douglas E. Crews

Evaluation of postural stability based on a force plate and inertial sensor during static balance measurements

Previous research on balance mostly focused on the assessment, training, and improvements of balance through interventions. We investigated tools commonly used to study static balance. Differences in postural ...

Authors: Chia-Hsuan Lee and Tien-Lung Sun

Developing an equation for estimating body height from linear body measurements of Ethiopian adults

Measurements of erect height in older people, hospitalized and bedridden patients, and people with skeletal deformity is difficult. As a result, using body mass index for assessing nutritional status is not va...

Authors: Alemayehu Digssie, Alemayehu Argaw and Tefera Belachew

Impact of season on the association between muscle strength/volume and physical activity among community-dwelling elderly people living in snowy-cold regions

Although the benefits of physical activity are well-known, levels of physical inactivity are increasing in many countries. Physical activity, particularly for preventive care of the elderly, must be encouraged...

Authors: Junko Hasegawa, Hideki Suzuki and Taro Yamauchi

The relationship between inhibition of automatic imitation and personal cognitive styles

Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of the inhibition of automatic imitation in social interactions. Additionally, cognitive traits are known to vary among individuals. According to the empathizi...

Authors: Yuki Nishimura, Yuki Ikeda and Shigekazu Higuchi

Suppression of salivary melatonin secretion under 100-Hz flickering and non-flickering blue light

Bright light at night is known to suppress melatonin secretion. Novel photoreceptors named intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) are mainly responsible for projecting dark/bright informa...

Authors: Tomoaki Kozaki, Yuki Hidaka, Jun-ya Takakura and Yosuke Kusano

Characteristics of cardiovascular responses to an orthostatic challenge in trained spinal cord-injured individuals

We investigated cardiovascular responses to an orthostatic challenge in trained spinal cord-injured (SCI) individuals compared to able-bodied (AB) individuals.

Authors: Masahiro Itoh, Masako Yamaoka Endo, Tatsuya Hojo, Miho Yoshimura and Yoshiyuki Fukuoka

Correction to: Effect of simultaneous exposure to extremely short pulses of blue and green light on human pupillary constriction

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported that the abstract was missing from this article.

Authors: Soomin Lee, Shougo Ishibashi, Yoshihiro Shimomura and Tetsuo Katsuura

Current health status and its risk factors of the Tsarang villagers living at high altitude in the Mustang district of Nepal

Epidemiology of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as obesity and diabetes mellitus (DM) are influenced by multiple hosts and environmental factors. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of NCDs and ...

Authors: Sweta Koirala, Masayuki Nakano, Hiroaki Arima, Shouhei Takeuchi, Tomo Ichikawa, Takayuki Nishimura, Hiromu Ito, Basu Dev Pandey, Kishor Pandey, Takayuki Wada and Taro Yamamoto

Concordance between appendicular skeletal muscle mass measured with DXA and estimated with mathematical models in middle-aged women

Appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASMM) is a measure of body muscle content, and it correlates with nutrition and physical status. Estimation of ASMM using anthropometric models is a well-established strategy...

Authors: Nirmala Rathnayake, Gayani Alwis, Janaka Lenora and Sarath Lekamwasam

Energy cost and lower leg muscle activities during erect bipedal locomotion under hyperoxia

Energy cost of transport per unit distance (CoT) against speed shows U-shaped fashion in walking and linear fashion in running, indicating that there exists a specific walking speed minimizing the CoT, being d...

Authors: Daijiro Abe, Yoshiyuki Fukuoka, Takafumi Maeda and Masahiro Horiuchi

Non-cotton swab sample collection may not affect salivary melatonin assay results

Salivary melatonin levels have been analyzed in many research fields, including physiological anthropology. Although various devices have been utilized for saliva collection, cotton swabs are among the most co...

Authors: Tomoaki Kozaki and Yuki Hidaka

Effect of visual orientation on mu suppression in children: a comparative EEG study with adults

The human mirror neuron system exists in adults, and even in children. However, a significant, unanswered question in the literature concerns age differences in the effect of visual orientation of human body m...

Authors: Yuki Nishimura, Yuki Ikeda, Airi Suematsu and Shigekazu Higuchi

The importance of the exposome and allostatic load in the planetary health paradigm

In 1980, Jonas Salk (1914–1995) encouraged professionals in anthropology and related disciplines to consider the interconnections between “planetary health,” sociocultural changes associated with technological...

Authors: Alan C. Logan, Susan L. Prescott, Tari Haahtela and David L. Katz

l-Menthol attenuates the magnitude of cold-induced vasodilation on the extremities of young females

Menthol chemically triggers cold-sensitive receptors in the skin without conductive skin cooling. We investigated the effects of menthol-induced activation of cutaneous cold receptors on the cold-induced vasod...

Authors: Siyeon Kim and Joo-Young Lee

Effects of feet warming using bed socks on sleep quality and thermoregulatory responses in a cool environment

As a way of helping to sleep in winter, methods of warming the feet through footbaths or heating pads before bedtime are tried. In particular, bed socks are popular during winter sleeping in Korea, but scienti...

Authors: Yelin Ko and Joo-Young Lee

Impact of a single, short morning bright light exposure on tryptophan pathways and visuo- and sensorimotor performance: a crossover study

Bright light (BL) has been shown to be effective in enhancing both cognitive and physical performances. Alterations in nighttime melatonin levels have also been observed. However, evaluations of light-induced ...

Authors: Wolfgang Schobersberger, Cornelia Blank, Friedrich Hanser, Andrea Griesmacher, Markus Canazei and Veronika Leichtfried

Ageing vision and falls: a review

Falls are the leading cause of accidental injury and death among older adults. One of three adults over the age of 65 years falls annually. As the size of elderly population increases, falls become a major con...

Authors: Liana Nafisa Saftari and Oh-Sang Kwon

Serotonergic gene polymorphisms (5-HTTLPR, 5HTR1A, 5HTR2A), and population differences in aggression: traditional (Hadza and Datoga) and industrial (Russians) populations compared

Current knowledge on genetic basis of aggressive behavior is still contradictory. This may be due to the fact that the majority of studies targeting associations between candidate genes and aggression are cond...

Authors: Marina L. Butovskaya, Polina R. Butovskaya, Vasiliy A. Vasilyev, Jane M. Sukhodolskaya, Dania I. Fekhredtinova, Dmitri V. Karelin, Julia N. Fedenok, Audax Z. P. Mabulla, Alexey P. Ryskov and Oleg E. Lazebny

Association of EGLN1 genetic polymorphisms with SpO₂ responses to acute hypobaric hypoxia in a Japanese cohort

Recent studies have explored various genetic and physiological factors related to high-altitude adaptation in highlander populations. However, the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), influencing...

Authors: Yoshiki Yasukochi, Takayuki Nishimura, Midori Motoi and Shigeki Watanuki

Enhanced Nogo-P3 amplitudes of mothers compared with non-mother women during an emotional Go/Nogo task

It is known that emotion regulatory responses of humans are changed by the experiences they have, but in particular, they are changed by becoming a mother. A recent study has found how a woman’s emotion regula...

Authors: Sayuri Hayashi, Hiroko Wada, Sung-Phil Kim, Yuki Motomura, Shigekazu Higuchi and Yeon-Kyu Kim

Sequencing the exons of human glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1) gene in Han Chinese with high-altitude pulmonary edema

High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) is a serious acute mountain sickness that mainly occurs in non-acclimatized individuals after rapid ascent to high altitude. The precise etiology of HAPE remains unclear. T...

Authors: Hui Du, Jing Zhao, Zhanhai Su, Yongnian Liu and Yingzhong Yang

Seasonal differences in brown adipose tissue density and pulse rate variability in a thermoneutral environment

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is sympathetically activated and induces thermogenesis during cold exposure, thereby influencing energy expenditure and body fat levels. The very low frequency (VLF) components of pu...

Authors: Shinsuke Nirengi, Naoki Sakane, Shiho Amagasa, Sawako Wakui, Toshiyuki Homma, Yuko Kurosawa and Takafumi Hamaoka

Telomere elongation protects heart and lung tissue cells from fatal damage in rats exposed to severe hypoxia

The effects of acute hypoxia at high altitude on the telomere length of the cells in the heart and lung tissues remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the change in telomere length of rat heart and lu...

Authors: Yaping Wang, Zhen Zhao, Zhiyong Zhu, Pingying Li, Xiaolin Li, Xiaohong Xue, Jie Duo and Yingcai Ma

Human cerebrovascular function in health and disease: insights from integrative approaches

The marked increase in the size of the brain, and consequently, in neural processing capability, throughout human evolution is the basis of the higher cognitive function in humans. However, greater neural, and...

Authors: Erin D. Ozturk and Can Ozan Tan

Black tea aroma inhibited increase of salivary chromogranin-A after arithmetic tasks

Growing attention has been paid to the effects of food flavor components on alleviating negative brain functions caused by stressful lifestyles. In this study, we investigated the alleviating effect of two kin...

Authors: Ai Yoto, Natsuki Fukui, Chisa Kaneda, Shoko Torita, Keiichi Goto, Fumio Nanjo and Hidehiko Yokogoshi

Developmental changes in shortening of pro-saccade reaction time while maintaining neck flexion position

We investigated developmental changes in shortening of pro-saccade reaction time while maintaining neck flexion.

Authors: Kenji Kunita, Katsuo Fujiwara, Naoe Kiyota, Chie Yaguchi and Takeo Kiyota

Timings of attentional switching to perturbation and postural preparation during transient forward or backward floor translation

Relationships between the timings of attentional switching and postural preparation were investigated using a choice-reaction paradigm with transient floor translation (S2), with the direction indicated by a w...

Authors: Katsuo Fujiwara, Chie Yaguchi, Maki Maekawa and Naoe Kiyota

Activation timing of postural muscles of lower legs and prediction of postural disturbance during bilateral arm flexion in older adults

Activation timings of postural muscles of lower legs and prediction of postural disturbance were investigated in young and older adults during bilateral arm flexion in a self-timing task and an oddball task wi...

Authors: Chie Yaguchi, Katsuo Fujiwara and Naoe Kiyota

Muscle co-contraction in elderly people change due to postural stability during single-leg standing

Muscle co-contraction is the simultaneous contraction of agonist and antagonist muscles crossing a joint, and it increases with age. This study primarily aimed to clarify the difference in the effect of a ligh...

Authors: Yoshitaka Iwamoto, Makoto Takahashi and Koichi Shinkoda

Relationship between maximum oxygen uptake and peripheral vasoconstriction in a cold environment

Various individual characteristics affect environmental adaptability of a human. The present study evaluates the relationship between physical fitness and peripheral vasoconstriction in a cold environment.

Authors: Takafumi Maeda

Cathodal transcranial direct-current stimulation over right posterior parietal cortex enhances human temporal discrimination ability

Time perception associated with durations from 1 s to several minutes involves activity in the right posterior parietal cortex (rPPC). It is unclear whether altering the activity of the rPPC affects an individ...

Authors: Fuyuki Oyama, Keita Ishibashi and Koichi Iwanaga

Correction to: Anthropometric and metabolic indices in assessment of type and severity of dyslipidemia

After the publication of this work [1] an error was noticed in one of the formulas.

Authors: Muhammad Zaid, Fatima Ameer, Rimsha Munir, Rida Rashid, Nimrah Farooq, Shahida Hasnain and Nousheen Zaidi

Subadditive responses to extremely short blue and green pulsed light on visual evoked potentials, pupillary constriction and electroretinograms

The simultaneous exposure to blue and green light was reported to result in less melatonin suppression than monochromatic exposure to blue or green light. Here, we conducted an experiment using extremely short...

Authors: Soomin Lee, Yuria Uchiyama, Yoshihiro Shimomura and Tetsuo Katsuura