Background-Increasing evidence points to a role for circulating endothelial progenitor cells, including populations of CD34-and CD133-positive cells present in peripheral blood, in maintenance of the vasculature and neovascularization. Immature populations, including CD34-positive cells, have been shown to contribute to vascular homeostasis, not only as a pool of endothelial progenitor cells but also as a source of growth/angiogenesis factors at ischemic loci. We hypothesized that diminished numbers of circulating immature cells might impair such physiological and reparative processes, potentially contributing to cerebrovascular dysfunction. Methods and Results-The level of circulating immature cells, CD34-, CD133-, CD117-, and CD135-positive cells, in patients with a history of atherothrombotic cerebral ischemic events was analyzed to assess possible correlations with the degree of carotid atherosclerosis and number of cerebral infarctions. There was a strong inverse correlation between numbers of circulating CD34-and CD133-positive cells and cerebral infarction. In contrast, there was no correlation between the degree of atherosclerosis and populations of circulating immature cells. Analysis of patients with cerebral artery occlusion revealed a significant positive correlation between circulating CD34-and CD133-positive cells and regional blood flow in areas of chronic hypoperfusion. Key Words: cerebral infarction Ⅲ cerebral ischemia Ⅲ antigens, CD34 Ⅲ stem cells A lthough it had traditionally been assumed that replacement of damaged endothelium resulted only from outgrowth of preexisting vasculature, recent studies have identified endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) that appear to contribute to vascular homeostasis and repair. 1 Clinical trials to assess the therapeutic potential of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells, a rich source of immature cells including EPCs, in hind-limb 2,3 and cardiac ischemia 4 have been initiated and have, thus far, provided promising results. Furthermore, immature cells, including CD34-positive (CD34 ϩ ) cells, have been shown to contribute to maintenance of the vasculature, not only as a pool of EPCs but also as the source of growth/angiogenesis factors. 5 Bone marrow-derived immature cells have also been shown to participate in neovascularization of ischemic brain after experimental stroke. 6 On the basis of these results, we hypothesized that levels of circulating immature cells might be proportional to the resilience of the cerebral circulation to ischemic stress; ie, lower numbers of circulating immature cells might be associated with cerebral ischemia and infarction. Conclusions-These MethodsThe institutional review board of the National Cardiovascular Center approved this study. All subjects provided informed consent. Circulating CD34 ϩ cells in 50 L of peripheral blood were quantified according to the manufacturer's protocol (ProCOUNT, Becton Dickinson Biosciences). To minimize intersample variation for measurements of CD34 ϩ cells, several methods were used: A nucleic ...

Oral hypofunction is a new concept that addresses the oral function of older adults. Few studies have investigated the relationship between oral hypofunction and general health conditions such as frailty, sarcopenia, and mild cognitive impairment. This paper explores these relationships in a large-scale, cross-sectional cohort study. The relationships of oral hypofunction with frailty, sarcopenia, and mild cognitive impairment were examined using data from 832 individuals who participated in the 2018 health survey of the residents of Tarumizu City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Individuals with frailty, sarcopenia, and mild cognitive impairment had significantly higher rates of oral hypofunction. Frailty was independently associated with deterioration of the swallowing function (odds ratio 2.56; 95% confidence interval, 1.26–5.20), and mild cognitive impairment was independently associated with reduced occlusal force (odds ratio 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–2.08) and decreased tongue pressure (odds ratio 1.77; 95% confidence interval, 1.28–2.43). There was no independent association found between sarcopenia and oral function. In conclusion, early intervention for related factors such as deterioration of the swallowing function in frailty, reduced occlusal force, and decreased tongue pressure in mild cognitive impairment could lead to the prevention of general hypofunction in older adults.

Plasma levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), vascular adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), and E-selectin were measured in 80 outpatients with uncomplicated essential hypertension. Although the levels of E-selectin and sICAM-1 were similar between the patients with and without left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, sVCAM-1 level was significantly elevated in the patients with LV hypertrophy (759.7+/-154.6 ng/mL nu 984.4+/-240.6 ng/mL, P < .0001). The LV mass normalized to body surface area or height were significantly correlated with sVCAM-1 (r=0.615, P < .0001 and r=0.571, P < .0001, respectively). These results indicate that a soluble adhesion molecule is correlated with LV mass in uncomplicated essential hypertensive patients.

Few studies have investigated the relationship between nutritional status and comprehensive assessment of oral hypofunction, especially protein intake-related sarcopenia. Thus, we explored these relationships in a large-scale cross-sectional cohort study using the seven-item evaluation for oral hypofunction and Diet History Questionnaire for nutritional assessment. We used the data from 1004 individuals who participated in the 2019 health survey of the residents of Tarumizu City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan for analysis. We found that individuals with oral hypofunction were significantly older with a lower skeletal muscle index. Although there were few foods that had a significant difference between the groups with and without oral hypofunction, the consumption of beans and meats was significantly lower in women and men in the oral hypofunction group, respectively. According to the lower limit of the tentative dietary goal defined in Japan, comprehensive evaluation of oral hypofunction was significantly and independently associated with protein intake in both men and women (odds ratio, 1.70; 95% confidence interval, 1.21–2.35). In conclusion, we found that oral hypofunction was associated with targeted protein intake for sarcopenia and frailty prevention in middle-aged and older community-dwelling adults. Comprehensive evaluation of oral function with intervention in cases of hypofunction could inform clinicians to better prevent sarcopenia.

A lack of reliable biomarkers for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) poses a major clinical issue. The sensitivity and specificity of classical serum tumor markers, such as the squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag), are quite poor, especially for early detection. This study aimed to identify specific serum miRNAs potentially serving as OSCC biomarkers. The expression levels of candidate miRNAs in serum samples from 40 OSCC patients and 40 healthy controls were quantitatively analyzed via microarray and reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) analyses. To enhance the accuracy of detection, we used Fisher’s linear discriminant analysis to establish a diagnostic model that incorporated a combination of selected miRNAs. Consequently, miR-19a and miR-20a were significantly upregulated in the patient group (p = 0.014 and 0.036, respectively), whereas miR-5100 was downregulated (p = 0.001). We found that a combination of six miRNAs (miR-24, miR-20a, miR-122, miR-150, miR-4419a, and miR-5100) could distinguish between OSCC and the control group with a higher degree of accuracy (Area Under the Curve, AUC: 0.844, sensitivity: 55%, and specificity: 92.5%). Furthermore, compared to serum SCC antigen, the 6-miRNA panel could accurately detect the presence of OSCC. The present specific miRNAs panel may serve as a novel candidate biomarker of oral cancer.