Search Results (45)

Marginal vitamin B6 (B6) deficiency is common in various segments worldwide. In a super-aged society, sarcopenia is a major concern and has gained significant research attention focused on healthy aging. To date, the primary interventions for sarcopenia have been physical exercise therapy. Recent evidence suggests that inadequate B6 status is associated with an increased risk of sarcopenia and mortality among older adults. Our previous study showed that B6 supplementation to a marginal B6-deficient diet up-regulated the expression of various exercise-induced genes in the skeletal muscle of rodents. Notably, a supplemental B6-to-B6-deficient diet stimulates satellite cell-mediated myogenesis in rodents, mirroring the effects of physical exercise. These findings suggest the potential role of B6 as an exercise-mimetic nutrient in skeletal muscle. To test this hypothesis, we reviewed relevant literature and compared the roles of B6 and exercise in muscles. Here, we provide several pieces of evidence supporting this hypothesis and discuss the potential mechanisms behind the similarities between the effects of B6 and exercise on muscle. This research, for the first time, provides insight into the exercise-mimetic roles of B6 in skeletal muscle. Full article

Worldwide, interest in healthy living has been increasing as people’s lifespans have lengthened, owing to interest in health and the development of the medical industry. The need for research on healthy lifestyles aided by sports activities for older adults is greater than before. This study aimed to compare and analyze constraints on participation in leisure sports and participation price sensitivity based on age groups in a super-aging society. From 22 May to 10 July 2024, in three community and sports centers, Korean adults over the age of 20 who regularly participated in leisure sports voluntarily responded to a questionnaire. Based on a quantitative research design using a survey with a convenience sampling technique, 305 collected survey responses were analyzed for validity, reliability, and exploratory factor analysis through SPSS 28. Additionally, one-way multivariate analysis of variance and the price sensitivity meter technique allowed us to analyze the differences in leisure participation constraints and price sensitivity among the groups. No statistically significant group differences were found in the health and social factors of leisure sports participation constraints. However, statistically significant differences were found for the cost and time factors. Finally, the price sensitivity meter technique found differences in price sensitivity in participating in leisure sports among the three age groups. This scientific analysis, aiming to expand older adults’ participation in leisure sports, provides objective data for the future. Full article

We studied the impact of well-designed dementia care environments for people with dementia and how such environments reduce anxiety, alleviate fear, and slow the progression of the disease. The “group home” model has been particularly successful, as it emphasizes “home-like”, family-oriented, and personalized care. A case study of the Yunlin County Elderly Long-Term Care Association showed that this model fostered a sense of belonging and serenity in residents, with high levels of satisfaction and effective design outcomes. The environments researched were found to enhance the well-being and quality of life of people with dementia in Taiwan. Full article

In recent years, with the advent of a super-aged society, lifelong dental care has gained increasing emphasis, and implant therapy for patients with an edentulous jaw has become a significant option. However, for implant therapy to be suitable for elderly patients with reduced regenerative and immunological capabilities, higher osteoconductive and antimicrobial properties are required on the implant surfaces. Silicon nitride, a non-oxide ceramic known for its excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility, has demonstrated high potential for inducing hard tissue differentiation and exhibiting antibacterial properties. In this study, silicon nitride was deposited on pure titanium metal surfaces and evaluated for its biocompatibility and antibacterial properties. The findings indicate that silicon nitride improves the hydrophilicity of the material surface, enhancing the initial adhesion of rat bone marrow cells and promoting hard tissue differentiation. Additionally, the antibacterial properties were assessed using Staphylococcus aureus, revealing that the silicon nitride-coated surfaces exhibited significant antibacterial activity. Importantly, no cytotoxicity was observed, suggesting that silicon nitride-coated titanium could serve as a novel implant material. Full article

Owing to increasing super-aging societies, older adults will be encouraged to continue working. Although demand exists for older adults to continue working in Japanese society, the enabling factors have not been clarified. This study aimed to clarify (1) the life functions that affect the working status among younger-older adults who continue to work and those who do not via the Kihon Checklist (KCL) and (2) examine whether the number of areas of difficulties in daily functions of the KCL affected older adults’ employment status. This cross-sectional study involved 5386 older men and women aged 65 years or older in one city in Japan. Employment status and the seven domains of the Kihon Checklist (KCL) were analyzed. The KCL items related to employment status were the physical (odds ratio = 2.46, p < 0.01), socialization (odds ratio = 1.95, p < 0.01), and mood domains (odds ratio = 1.29, p < 0.01). Furthermore, the odds ratio increased to 2.06 when three or more domains were applicable. To remain employed, one must be physically and mentally healthy. Furthermore, since the risk of non-employment increased when one KCL domain was applicable, a broader assessment of life functions is necessary. Full article

Background/Objectives: Taste disorders have a negative impact on meal enjoyment, which is essential for maintaining adequate nutrition and quality of life. Japan is a rapidly aging society with an increasing number of individuals with taste disorders. However, despite the increasing prevalence of taste disorders, the correlation between oral frailty and taste sensitivity remains largely unknown. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between oral health status and taste sensitivity among the Japanese population. Methods: Participants were recruited from Kanagawa Dental University Hospital Medical–Dental Collaboration Center between 2018 and 2021. The exclusion criteria were severe systemic infections, pregnancy, or lactation. Clinical examinations, oral function assessments, and taste tests were conducted using tap water and 1% sweet, 0.3% salty, 0.03% umami, and 0.1% umami tastants. The relationships between oral function, systemic indicators, and taste sensitivity were statistically evaluated. Results: Of the 169 participants included in this cross-sectional study, 39.6% were male and 60.4% were female (median age, 68 years). Participants with low taste sensitivity showed a decline in tongue–lip motor function, independent of age, sex, or smoking status. A multiple logistic regression analysis conducted using two age categories—younger than 65 years and older than 65 years—revealed an association between tongue–lip motor function and taste sensitivity among participants younger than 65 years. Conclusions: Decreased taste sensitivity is associated with tongue–lip motor function. Therefore, the early maintenance of oral function and taste sensitivity may be beneficial for optimal tongue–lip motor function. Full article

Urban farming provides diverse benefits to cities and their residents, including access to fresh food, increased food security, healthy dietary habits, improved physical and mental health, increased green spaces, and climate regulation. Urban attitudes and perceptions play crucial roles in urban farming development. However, despite the recent interest in urban farming, studies on the profiles and perceptions of urban farmers are lacking. This study aimed to clarify the motivations of urban gardeners, features of urban farmers, and differences in motivations between urban and non-urban farmers. We used Japan as a case study to add to the knowledge of a developed Asian country regarding the challenges that society faces. Approximately one-third of the respondents practiced urban farming, while one-sixth wanted to try it. Most urbanites practiced farming around their houses or apartment buildings. The benefits of urban farming considered by Okinawan respondents were safe and fresh food, health improvement, and green spaces, which were not significantly different from those in other regions. Respondents older than 50 were more likely to engage in urban farming than younger people. The respondents did not appreciate the social benefits of urban farming, which was inconsistent with the results from other regions worldwide; this may be because most participants were home gardeners, and only a few were allotment gardeners. Challenges in the development of urban farming include the unavailability of urban farming knowledge and of allotment gardens, and negative environmental influences on neighborhoods. This research is the first to report on the motivations of urban farmers in Japan. It fills a gap in the pertinent knowledge of highly urbanized and super-aging societies worldwide. Full article

In the biomedical fields of bone regenerative therapy, the immobilization of proteins on the bioceramic particles to maintain their highly ordered structures is significantly important. In this review, we comprehensively discussed the importance of the specific surface layer, which can be called “non-apatitic layer”, affecting the immobilization of proteins on particles such as hydroxyapatite and amorphous silica. It was suggested that the water molecules and ions contained in the non-apatitic layer can determine and control the protein immobilization states. In amorphous silica particles, the direct interactions between proteins and silanol groups make it difficult to immobilize the proteins and maintain their highly ordered structures. Thus, the importance of the formation of a surface layer consisting of water molecules and ions (i.e., a non-apatitic layer) on the particle surfaces for immobilizing proteins and maintaining their highly ordered structures was suggested and described. In particular, chlorine-containing amorphous silica particles were also described, which can effectively form the surface layer of protein immobilization carriers. The design of the bio-interactive and bio-compatible surfaces for protein immobilization while maintaining the highly ordered structures will improve cell adhesion and tissue formation, thereby contributing to the construction of social infrastructures to support super-aged society. Full article

South Korea is a rapidly aging society with the lowest fertility rates among the OECD economies. It is projected to become a super-aged society in 2025, with the share of individuals older than 65 reaching twenty percent. These developments make it important to analyze the determinants of health outcomes in older individuals. In this study, we identified the determinants of subjective and objective health outcomes among senior individuals in South Korea. We used self-rated health and life satisfaction scores as the two subjective health status indicators, while the number of chronic diseases was the objective one. We ran Tobit multivariate regressions of all three indicators on a set of factors related to the older citizens’ physical, economic, and social characteristics. Active employment status and willingness to work in the future were positively related to self-rated health level but were not statistically related to life satisfaction, while income positively affected both subjective health status indicators. Age did not appear to affect satisfaction with life. Active leisure activities were positively related to both self-rated health and life satisfaction. In contrast, passive leisure, such as watching TV, was negatively related to both health status indicators while being associated with an increased number of chronic diseases. Our findings suggest that older South Koreans view employment primarily as a means of financial support rather than as an opportunity for active social engagement. Full article

As the world enters an aging and super-aged society, the application of advanced technology in assistive devices to support the daily life of the elderly is becoming a hot issue. Among them, electric wheelchairs are representative assistive devices for the walking support of the elderly, and their structural form is similar to AGV and AMR. For this reason, research is being introduced and underway to guarantee the right to voluntarily move or improve the convenience of movement for the elderly and severely disabled people who have difficulties in operating a joystick for operating an electric wheelchair. Autonomous driving of mobile robots is a technology that configures prior information on the driving environment as a map DB and operates based on it. However, active driving assistance technology is needed because wheelchairs do not move in a limited space, but can move to a place without a prior map DB or vehicle boarding depending on the passenger’s intention to move. Therefore, a system for estimating the moving position and direction of the wheelchair is needed to develop a driving assistance technology in the relevant driving environment. In order to solve the above problem, this study proposes a position and direction estimation algorithm suitable for active driving of a wheelchair based on a UWB sensor. This proposal is an algorithm for estimating the position and direction of the wheelchair through the fusion of UWB, IMU, and encoder sensors. In this proposal, it is difficult to design an active driving assistance system for wheelchairs due to low accuracy, obstacles, and errors due to signal strength in the position and direction estimation with UWB sensors alone. Therefore, this study proposes a wheelchair driving position and direction estimation system that fuses the dead recording information of a wheelchair and the UWB-based position estimation technique based on sensors applied in IMU and encoders. Applying quantitative verification to the proposed technique, the direction estimation accuracy of the wheelchair of about 15.3° and the position estimation error average of ±15 cm were confirmed, and it was verified that a driving guide for active driving was possible when the sensor system proposed in a mapless environment of the wheelchair was installed at a specific destination. Full article

Marginal vitamin B6 (B6) deficiency is a widespread global concern. Inadequate B6 levels have been linked to an increased risk of age-related chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancers. In recent years, the growing concern over sarcopenia (the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength) and frailty (a decline in physiological resilience and increased vulnerability associated with aging) is particularly relevant due to the emergence of super-aged societies in developed countries. Notably, among the thirty-one studies included in this review, twenty-five showed a significant association of B6 status with sarcopenia, frailty, and all-cause mortality in adults (p < 0.05), while six showed no association. Emerging studies have suggested novel mechanisms underlying this association. These mechanisms involve P2X7 receptor-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome signaling, AMPK signaling, PD-L1 signaling, and satellite cell-mediated myogenesis. Furthermore, the modulation of PLP-dependent enzymes due to B6 deficiency is associated with impaired metabolic processes, affecting energy utilization, imidazole peptide production, and hydrogen sulfide production, as well as the kynurenine pathway, all of which play vital roles in skeletal muscle health and pathophysiology. This narrative review provides an up-to-date assessment of our current understanding of the potential role of nutritional B6 status in combating sarcopenia, frailty, and mortality. Full article

(1) Background: Subjective well-being (SWB) is internationally recognized as an important health-related factor for most age groups and is particularly influential for life quality and expectancy in independent, healthy, community-dwelling older adults. However, the physical function and community participation correlates of SWB in independent living older adults in super-aging societies and other influencing factors remain underexplored. (2) Methods: A total of 926 independent, healthy, community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years and above registered in Yokohama, Japan, were included. Respondents’ mean age was 78.1 years (standard deviation = 6.7), and 74.0% were women. The dependent variable was SWB. The independent variables were respondents’ demographic characteristics, physical factors (visual, hearing, and cognitive functions, and mobility), and community and social factors (participation in community groups, social networks, and community commitment. (3) Results: The mean (standard deviation) WHO-5 score was 16.3 (5.1). Significant factors associated with WHO-5 score were visual function (odds ratio [OR]: 0.708; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.352–0.690), hearing function (OR: 0.615; CI: 0.431–0.878), community groups (OR: 1.310; CI: 1.003–1.059), community commitments (OR: 1.180; CI: 1.132–1.231), and social networks (OR: 1.525; CI: 1.142–2.037) adjusted for the effects of demographic factors. (4) Conclusions: These findings are important because factors associated with SWB are likely to contribute to individual well-being and longevity and to developing a healthy super-aged society. Full article

The number of advanced-age patients with spinal metastases is rising. This study was performed to clarify the characteristics and surgical outcomes of spinal metastases in advanced-age patients. We prospectively analyzed 216 patients with spinal metastases from 2015 to 2020 and divided them into three age groups: <70 years (n = 119), 70–79 years (n = 73), and ≥80 years (n = 24). Although there were no significant intergroup differences in preoperative characteristics and surgery-related factors except for age, patients aged ≥80 years tended to have a worse performance status (PS), Barthel index, and EuroQol-5 dimension (EQ-5D) before and after surgery than the other two groups. Although the median PS, mean Barthel index and mean EQ-5D greatly improved postoperatively in each group, the median PS and mean Barthel index at 6 months and the mean EQ-5D at 1 month postoperatively were significantly poorer in the ≥80-year group than the 70–79-year group. The rates of postoperative complications and re-deterioration of the EQ-5D were significantly higher in the oldest group than in the other two groups. Although surgery for spinal metastases improved the PS, Barthel index, and EQ-5D regardless of age, clinicians should be aware of the poorer outcomes and higher complication rates in advanced-age patients. Full article

Many countries are facing the advent of super-aging societies, where sarcopenia and frailty will become pertinent problems. The prevalence of comorbidities is a major problem in countries with aged populations as elderly people suffer from various diseases, such as diabetes, heart failure, chronic kidney disease and dementia. All of these diseases are associated with sarcopenia and frailty, and they frequently cause falls, fractures, and a decline in activities of daily living. Fractures in the elderly people are associated with bone fragility, which is influenced by diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Nutritional support for chronic disease patients and sarcopenic individuals with adequate energy and protein intake, vitamin D supplementation, blood glucose level management for individuals with diabetes, obesity prevention, nutritional education for healthy individuals, and the enlightenment of society could be crucial to solve the health-related problems in super-aging societies. Full article

Japan is advancing into a super-aged society at an unprecedented speed, and the proportion of the elderly population will continue to rise. The number of older adults needing nursing care will also increase with the aging population. We used a cross-sectional dataset of older Japanese adults to examine their future preferences for care facilities and their relationship with individual characteristics, household structure, and economic status. We further focused on a subgroup of those who lived alone and were experiencing poverty and examined their care needs through their choice of care facilities. We found the following results from multinomial logit and probit regressions. First, compared with living alone, older adults who live with their spouses or other members prefer to live in their own houses. Second, older adults experiencing poverty preferred to choose facilities geared towards low-income groups, while wealthy older adults preferred to choose fee-based nursing homes/nursing homes with diverse services and high costs. Third, single older adults in poverty were less likely to choose to live in facilities. Covariates such as sex, age, and health status also mattered in their choices. Therefore, tailoring the formal care services to the preferences and actual needs of older adults is imperative. Full article