Aim We aimed to clarify whether snacking habits decrease the risk of all-cause mortality in an older Japanese population. Methods The study participants were 64- or 65-year-old community-dwelling residents recruited each survey year from 1996 through 2005. Data on frequency and other lifestyle factors obtained during baseline using self-administered questionnaires, followed up annually until en...

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major kidney disease associated with a poor clinical outcome both in the short and long term. Autophagy is a cellular stress response that plays important roles in the pathogenesis of various diseases. Autophagy is induced in proximal tubules during AKI. A renoprotective role of autophagy in AKI has been demonstrated by pharmacological and genetic inhibition studi...

Papaya (Carica papaya L) belongs to the family Caricaceae is one of the most economically important fruit crops of the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is a dicotyledonous, polygamous and diploid species, with geographical origin being Southern Mexico and Costa Rica (Candolle, 1884). India stands first in the production of papaya in the world followed by Brazil, Indonesia, Nige...

Genes encoding the opioid receptors (OPRM1, OPRD1 and OPRK1) are obvious candidates for involvement in risk for heroin dependence. Prior association studies commonly had samples of modest size, included limited single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) coverage of these genes and yielded inconsistent results. Participants for the current investigation included 1459 heroin-dependent cases ascertained...

OBJECTIVE To test whether higher levels of general competence are linked to more frequent use of refusal assertiveness that is in turn related to less subsequent smoking among inner city adolescents. METHODS Longitudinal study conducted during three year middle school or junior high school period. A sample of 1459 students attending 22 middle (ages 11-14 years) and junior high (ages 12-15 yea...

Because of unavoidable complications of vasectomy, this study was undertaken to assess the efficacy and safety of male sterilization with a nonobstructive intravas device (IVD) implanted into the vas lumen by a mini-surgical method compared with no-scalpel vasectomy (NSV). IVDs were categorized into two types: IVD-B has a tail used for fixing to the vas deferens (fixed wing) whereas IVD-A does ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the common perception that more serious suicide attempts tend to occur earlier in the day. METHODS Prospective study of 158 adults referred for psychiatric assessment from the general hospital following an episode of deliberate self-harm. The main outcome measures used were Beck's Suicide Intent score, ICD-10 psychiatric diagnosis, alcohol consumption at the time of t...

ISSN:0975-1459 A novel micro protein precipitation was proposed and employed effectively for bio-sample preparation of only 5 μl of human plasma for rapid liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometric (LC-MSMS) determination of gemcitabine (dFdC) and its deaminated metabolite, 2’, 2’-difluorodeoxyuridine (dFdU).). Gemcitabine-13C, 15N2 Hydrochloride was the internal standard. Baseline chromato...

Background: Mitochondria play fundamental roles in cellular metabolism, signaling, and viability. Disruption of mitochondria not only leads to dysfunction of the organelles but also activates mechanisms of cell injury and death, contributing to the pathogenesis of various diseases. Summary: Removal of damaged mitochondria is therefore crucial for cellular homeostasis and survival. Mitophagy, th...

PURPOSE To create a risk model for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) based on nongenetic factors. METHODS In this case-control study, 1459 individuals were included, 445 patients showed nAMD and 1014 were healthy controls. Participants were randomly assigned into a training set (containing two-thirds of individuals) and a validation set. Stepwise logistic regression analysis...