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.

In 2003, we started autologous bone marrow cell infusion (ABMi) therapy for treating liver cirrhosis. ABMi therapy uses 400 mL of autologous bone marrow obtained under general anesthesia and infused mononuclear cells from the peripheral vein. The clinical study expanded and we treated liver cirrhosis induced by HCV and HBV infection and alcohol consumption. We found that the ABMi therapy was effective for cirrhosis patients and now we are treating patients with combined HIV and HCV infection and with metabolic syndrome-induced liver cirrhosis. Currently, to substantiate our findings that liver cirrhosis can be successfully treated by the ABMi therapy, we are conducting randomized multicenter clinical studies designated "Advanced medical technology B" for HCV-related liver cirrhosis in Japan. On the basis of our clinical study, we developed a proof-of-concept showing that infusion of bone marrow cells (BMCs) improved liver fibrosis and sequentially activated proliferation of hepatic progenitor cells and hepatocytes, further promoting restoration of liver functions. To treat patients with severe forms of liver cirrhosis, we continued translational research to develop less invasive therapies by using mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow. We obtained a small quantity of BMCs under local anesthesia and expanded them into mesenchymal stem cells that will then be used for treating cirrhosis. In this review, we present our strategy to apply the results of our laboratory research to clinical studies.

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.

These data suggest that plasma TRX is an OS marker during physical exercise. Further studies are needed to determine the appropriate level of exercise for the promotion of health.

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. K E Y W O R D S nocturia, prevalence, surveys and questionnaires, wearable electronic devices 1 | INTRODUCTION Nocturia is one of the most bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms and is associated with poor sleep quality. 1 Nocturia is defined by the International Continence Society as "the number of times urine is passed during the main sleep period. Having woken to pass urine for the first time, each urination must be followed by sleep or the intention to sleep." 2 According to epidemiological reports on nocturia, the prevalence of nocturnal voiding (≥two times) was 47% in Japanese residents (mean age, 72.3 years) 3 and 36% in European residents (age range, 60-80 years old). 4 Nocturia correlates with age, race or ethnicity, medical problems (such as hypertension, diabetes, and stroke), psychological aspects, eating and drinking habits, and quality of life (QOL) and is associated with increased mortality. 5