A large survey of nocturia related to sleep quality and daytime quality of life in a young Japanese population: NOCTURNE study

AIMS

Nocturia, due to nocturnal polyuria and other conditions associated with nocturnal voiding, affects sleep quality and daytime quality of life (QOL). We aimed to investigate the relationship among nocturia, sleep quality, and daytime QOL in a young Japanese population.

METHODS

This epidemiological study analyzed data from a retrospective data set containing sleep data from wearable devices worn by 9446 Japanese users and a prospective data set containing answers to a 10-item questionnaire completed by a subset of 605 users in the retrospective dataset. We recorded the first uninterrupted sleep period (FUSP), total sleep time (TST), number of nocturnal voids, sleep quality, daytime QOL, bothering nocturnal voids, and early wake-ups in the morning.

RESULTS

The subjects were 18-65 years old. The mean TST was 6.7 ± 0.9 h, and the mean number of wake-ups was 2.11 ± 1.1. FUSP and TST decreased (from 334 ± 114 to 173 ± 74 min and 5.9 ± 1.0 to 5.5 ± 1.0 h, respectively) with an increasing number of nocturnal voids, and the change was statistically significant. Logistic regression analysis showed a statistically significant relationship between nocturia and FUSP and the number of wake-ups.

CONCLUSION

Nocturia has close relationships with FUSP and the number of wake-ups and can result in decreased daytime QOL in young Japanese people.

Changes in blood biochemical markers before, during, and after a 2-day ultramarathon

We studied changes in blood markers of 18 nonprofessional, middle-aged runners of a 2-day, 130 km ultramarathon. Blood was sampled at baseline, after the goals on the first and second day, and at three time points (1, 3, and 5/6 days) after the race. Blood indices showed three patterns. First pattern indices showed essentially no changes after the two goals and after the race, including red blood cell indices, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and tumor necrosis factor-α. Second pattern markers, including the majority of indices, were elevated during the race (and also after the race for some parameters) and then returned to baseline afterward, including hemolysis/red blood cell destruction markers (indirect bilirubin) and an iron reservoir index (ferritin), muscle damage parameters (uric acid, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, and aspartate aminotransferase), renal function markers (creatinine and blood urea nitrogen), liver injury index (alanine aminotransferase), lipid metabolism indices (free fatty acid), reactive oxygen species and inflammation parameters (white blood cells, interleukin-6, and C-reactive protein), and energy production and catecholamines (adrenaline, noradrenaline, and dopamine). Third pattern index of a lipid metabolism marker – triglyceride – decreased during the race periods and started returning to baseline from then onward. Some hormonal markers such as insulin, leptin, and adiponectin showed unique patterns. These findings appeared informative for nonprofessional athletes to know about an optimal physical activity level, duration, and total exercise for elevating physical performance and monitoring physical/mental conditioning as well as for prevention of overtraining and physical injuries.

Changes of mental stress biomarkers in ultramarathon

We investigated the possible influence of an exhaustive physical exercise on mental stress biomarkers (serotonin, tryptophan, and beta-endorphin) along with dopamine, noradrenaline and free fatty acids in an ultramarathon race in which 45 km was run on the first day and 90 km on the second. We obtained serum samples at 6 different time points during and after the race from 18 Japanese male runners who completed the marathon. Overall changes of serum serotonin and tryptophan concentrations were statistically significant according to ANOVA for repeated measurements (p < 0.05). Serum serotonin levels elevated rapidly on the first day with the post hoc Tukey's test. Tryptophan concentrations inversely decreased during the race, possibly because of utilization for synthesis of serotonin. Levels of beta-endorphin appeared to increase on the first and second days, but were not statistically significant. In conclusion, serum serotonin, tryptophan and beta-endorphin appeared to be used for mental stress markers in physical exercise.

Are there any real Helicobacter pylori infection-negative gastric cancers in Asia?

The great variability in gastric cancer rates across Asia, with very high incidences in Japan and Korea, and exceedingly low incidences in ethnic Malays, whether in Malaysia or Indonesia, appears largely due to variation in Helicobacter pylori infection rates. While between 2% and 10.6% of gastric cancers in a recent Japanese survey were considered to be negative for bacterial infection on the basis of seropositivity and H. pylori-dependent mucosal atrophy, it is notoriously difficult to preclude past infection. The situation is greatly complicated by reported differences in the etiology of gastric cardia and non-cardia cancers. In the Western world there do appear to be tumours arising close to the esophageal-gastric junction which are not related to H. pylori and associated inflammation, but in most Asian populations these appear to be very rare. Therefore preventive efforts, and particularly screening, should be focused on markers of bacterial infection, with avoidance of unnecessary exposure to X-ray radiation.

Optimal electric conditions in electrical impulse chemotherapy

The relationship was examined between the tumoricidal effect and the electrical variables of in vivo electrical impulse chemotherapy. Donryu rats subcutaneously inoculated with AH-109AY hepatocellular carcinomas were given a single high-voltage electrical impulse of varying voltage and duration, 30 min after an intramuscular injection of 4 mg/kg bleomycin. As the voltage (V) was increased from 0 to 5 kV, the tumoricidal effect (E) increased in proportion to the square of the voltage. As the pulse duration (D) was increased from 2.5 to 5.8 ms, the tumoricidal effect increased in direct proportion to it. Combining these results yielded the formula, E = gamma V2D, which indicates that tumoricidal efficacy was proportional to the applied electrical energy. When the electrical energy was kept constant while varying the voltage and duration of pulse, the anticancer effect was the same, confirming this relationship for lower energy levels.

[The effect of menatetrenone on peritoneal adhesion]

The correlation between the dose of menatetrenone and the incidence of post-laparotomy peritoneal adhesion in Ryan's model was investigated with the use of rats. In the menatetrenone treated group, the menatetrenone was intramuscularly given in a dosage of 10 mg immediately after closure of the abdominal wound and every 24 hours for two days. In this group, the incidence of ceco-colonic adhesion was 54% (20/37), whereas the incidence in non-treated group was 26% (10/39) (p less than 0.012). Especially in cases with an air-drying time of 1-2 minutes, the difference between incidences of ceco-colonic adhesion in the menatetrenone and that of the non-treated group was high. The former incidence was 61% (17/28) and that of the latter was 21% (6/29) (p less than 0.01). In addition, the incidence of peritoneal adhesion was proportionally dose-dependent to the menatetrenone. In our clinical retrospective study, the incidence of post-gastrectomy adhesive ileus increased with menatetrenone treatment to a significant degree. It is concluded that prophylactic administration of a large dose of menatetrenone should be avoided, because the incidence of post-laparotomy peritoneal adhesion could be increased.

[Hemodynamic effects of a large dose injection of OK-432 (picibanil)]

Intratumoral administration of a large dose of OK-432 has two antitumor functions; a direct cytotoxic effect and an indirect effect through the host reticuloendotherial functions. It has been pointed out that this method, however, occasionally results in shock. Several investigators have suggested the importance of the use of general anesthesia to avoid such shock. In order to explore the hemodynamic effect of intratumoral injection of OK-432, a simulated experiment (OK-432 or saline intramuscular injection) was carried out utilizing 10 anesthetized and 10 unanesthetized dogs. In addition, hemodynamic alterations during the OK-432 administration were studied in nine patients under neuroleptal anesthesia. In both anesthetized and unanesthetized dogs, OK-432 intramuscular injection resulted in a slight decrease of the mean arterial pressure, left ventricular systolic pressure and cardiac output as compared with those of the saline injected dogs. The hemodynamic alterations, however, were minimal and were thought not to cause severe hemodynamic derangements. Clinical experiences also showed no serious hemodynamic effects by the OK-432 intratumoral injections. It was concluded that the OK-432 intratumoral injection appeared not to induce hemodynamic derangement when applied to euvolemic and hemodynamically stable patients.