The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of a newly designed rehabilitation program for postoperative patients with breast cancer. This was achieved through examinations to clarify the range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder joint, postoperative pain and recovery of activities of daily living (ADL). The ROM of the shoulder joint was evaluated with respect to five items and determinations were carried out five times. Patients were orally questioned four times regarding their pain after surgery, movement-associated chest pain, pain at night and operative wound pain. Evaluation of the ADL after discharge was conducted using a three-level rating method at postoperative week 4 and week 12. A total of 72 patients were studied, comprising 39 who underwent pectoral muscle-conserving mastectomy and 33 who underwent breast-conserving surgery. The arm movement of forward raising showed the greatest decline, followed by lateral raising of the arm. Postoperative time-course changes in internal/external arm rotation, as well as backward arm raising were slight. Comparison of the operative procedures revealed differences only for lateral arm raising at postoperative week 4, while there were no differences in any of the shoulder joint movements. Lowering of the ROM of the shoulder joint was more marked at an earlier time (week 1 to week 2) after surgery, but it was not statistically significant. Pain at night and operative wound pain were prolonged over the period, and reported in postoperative week 1 to week 12 by 3-15% of patients. All ADL items became almost normal in approximately 90% of patients at postoperative week 4. The efficacy of the present rehabilitation program early after surgery was demonstrated in terms of recovery of ADL as well as the ROM of the arm on the affected side.

Mannose for mammalian glycan biosynthesis can be imported directly from the medium, derived from glucose or salvaged from endogenous or external glycans. All pathways must generate mannose 6‐phosphate, the activated form of mannose. Imported or salvaged mannose is directly phosphorylated by hexokinase, whereas fructose 6‐phosphate from glucose is converted to mannose 6‐phosphate by phosphomannose isomerase (PMI). Normally, PMI provides the majority of mannose for glycan synthesis. To assess the contribution of PMI‐independent pathways, we used PMI‐null fibroblasts to study N‐glycosylation of DNase I, a highly sensitive indicator protein. In PMI‐null cells, imported mannose and salvaged mannose make a significant contribution to N‐glycosylation. When these cells were grown in mannose‐free medium along with the mannosidase inhibitor, swainsonine, to block the salvage pathways, N‐glycosylation of DNase I was almost completely eliminated. Adding ∼13 μm mannose to the medium completely restored normal glycosylation. Treatment with bafilomycin A1, an inhibitor of lysosomal acidification, also markedly reduced N‐glycosylation of DNase I, but in this case only 8 μm mannose was required to restore full glycosylation, indicating that a nonlysosomal source of mannose made a significant contribution. Glycosylation levels were greatly also reduced in glycoconjugate‐free medium, when endosomal membrane trafficking was blocked by expression of a mutant SKD1. From these data, we conclude that PMI‐null cells can salvage mannose from both endogenous and external glycoconjugates via lysosomal and nonlysosomal degradation pathways.

AimTo determine the optimal cut-off value of serum total adiponectin for managing the risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MetS) in male Japanese workers.MethodsA total of 365 subjects without MetS aged 20–60 years were followed up prospectively for a mean of 3.1 years. The accelerated failure-time model was used to estimate time ratio (TR) and cut-off value for developing MetS.ResultsDuring follow-up, 45 subjects developed MetS. Age-adjusted TR significantly declined with decreasing total adiponectin level (≤ 4.9, 5.0–6.6, 6.7–8.8 and ≥ 8.9 μg/ml, P for trend = 0.003). In multivariate analyses, TR of MetS was 0.12 (95% CI 0.02–0.78; P = 0.03) in subjects with total adiponectin level of 5.0–6.6 μg/ml, and 0.15 (95% CI 0.02–0.97; P = 0.047) in subjects with total adiponectin level ≤ 4.9 μg/ml compared with those with total adiponectin level ≥ 8.9 μg/ml. The accelerated failure-time model showed that the optimal cut-off value of total adiponectin for managing the risk of developing MetS was 6.2 μg/ml. In the multivariate-adjusted model, the mean time to the development of MetS was 78% shorter for total adiponectin level ≤ 6.2 μg/ml compared with > 6.2 μg/ml (TR 0.22, 95% CI: 0.08–0.64, P = 0.005).ConclusionOur findings suggest that the cut-off value for managing the risk of developing MetS is 6.2 μg/ml in male Japanese workers. Subjects with total adiponectin level ≤ 6.2 μg/ml developed MetS more rapidly than did those with total adiponectin level > 6.2 μg/ml.

: Epidemiological investigations have shown that consumption of soybeans or soy foods reduces the risk of the development of cardiovascular disease, cancer and osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to determine the associations between different soy foods and inflammatory markers, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-18, in Japanese workers. The cross-sectional study included 1,426 Japanese workers (1,053 men and 373 women) aged 20 to 64 years. Intake of 12 soy foods was estimated by a validated food frequency questionnaire. Associations of total soy foods, fermented soy food, non-fermented soy food, soy isoflavone with hs-CRP, IL-6, and IL-18 levels were examined by general linear model regression analysis. We found that total fermented soy food intake was inversely associated with multivariable-adjusted geometric concentration of IL-6 in men (Q1 : 1.03 pg/mL, Q5 : 0.94 pg/mL ; P for trend = 0.031). Furthermore, it was shown that IL-6 concentrations were inversely associated with miso intake (β = -0.068 ; p = 0.034) and soy sauce intake in men (β = -0.074 ; p = 0.018). This study suggests that intake of total fermented soy food, miso and soy sauce be associated with IL-6 concentrations in Japanese men. J. Med. Invest. 65 : 74-80, February, 2018