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Association Between Endogenous Equol Production and the Onset of Overactive Bladder in Postmenopausal Women
Get PDFObjectives: Equol, a gut-derived metabolite of soy isoflavones with estrogenic activity, may influence bladder aging. However, the association between overactive bladder (OAB), which is closely linked to bladder aging, and the estrogenic effects of equol remains unknown. Therefore, this study investigated the association between endogenous equol production and onset and severity of OAB in postmenopausal women. Methods: The study included 128 postmenopausal women, newly diagnosed with OAB, who were categorized into equol- and non-equol-producing groups based on urinary equol levels as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Patient clinical characteristics, OAB Symptom Score (OABSS), and urodynamic parameters were assessed. Propensity score matching was performed to minimize confounding factors related to the timing of lower urinary tract symptom (LUTS) onset. Results: Equol producers exhibited a significantly later onset of LUTS than non-producers (68.7 ± 10.9 vs. 62.7 ± 10.7 years, p = 0.002). Equol producers were more prevalent in the late-onset group (58.6% vs. 31.0%, p = 0.002), which had significantly higher urinary equol concentrations than the early-onset group (p = 0.014). No significant differences were observed in total OABSS or subscale scores between the groups, suggesting that equol did not affect symptom severity. Propensity score-matched analysis (n = 104) confirmed that equol non-production was an independent risk factor for early-onset LUTS (OR, 1.930; 95% CI, 1.248–4.049; p = 0.014). Conclusions: Endogenous equol production was significantly associated with the delayed onset of OAB in postmenopausal women. Thus, equol may serve as a protective factor and non-invasive biomarker to guide individualized prevention and early intervention strategies in urological care for women.Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14(12), art. no. 4183; 2025journal articl
New mosquito repellency bioassay for evaluation of repellents and pyrethroids using an attractive blood-feeding device
Get PDFNagasaki University (長崎大学)博士(医学)Background: With the increasing threat of the worldwide spread of mosquito-borne infectious diseases, consumer interest in anti-mosquito textiles that protect against mosquito bites is also increasing. Accordingly, repellent- or insecticide-treated textiles are gaining popularity. The standardization of commercial textile products is, therefore, indispensable for an authentic and objective evaluation of these products. Here we report a textile testing method using an artificial blood-feeding system that does not involve human volunteers or live animals, which aligns with the policy of protecting human and animal welfare. Methods: The attractive blood-feeding device (ABFD) was designed using the Hemotek® membrane feeding system. The repellency of DEET, icaridin and permethrin was assayed using unfed female adults of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) under two different test conditions, namely choice and no-choice tests. The choice test consisted of two feeding units, one chemically treated and untreated, that were installed on the ABFD; mosquitoes attracted to and resting on the feeding units were counted and the overall blood-feeding rates recorded. The no-choice test consisted of two feeding units treated with the same chemical that were installed on the ABFD; mosquitoes attracted to and resting on the feeding units were counted and the blood-feeding rates were recorded. A control test was conducted using two feeding units, both sides of which were untreated. Results: In the choice test, high repellency (> 95% inhibition of resting on the treated surface) of 1% DEET and 2% icaridin was observed, whereas 2% permethrin was not an effective repellent. Also, high blood-feeding inhibition (> 95%) was observed for 2% DEET and 2% icaridin. In the no-choice test, high repellency was observed for 1% DEET and 2% icaridin, whereas the repellency of 2% permethrin was low. Also, high blood-feeding inhibition was observed for 2% DEET, 4% icaridin and 2% permethrin. Conclusions: The accuracy and reproducibility of the developed method demonstrate that the ABFD may be widely used for fundamental experiments in the field of mosquito physiology, for the development of new repellent chemicals and in evaluation studies of mosquito repellent products, such as anti-mosquito textiles. The further development of the membrane and feeding unit systems will enable a more practical evaluation of mosquito repellents and blood-feeding inhibitors, such as pyrethroids.長崎大学学位論文 学位記番号:博(医歯薬)甲第1714号 学位授与年月日:令和7年6月4日Author: Yasue Morimoto, Hitoshi Kawada, Kan‑ya Kuramoto, Takuya Mitsuhashi, Toshinobu Saitoh and Noboru MinakawaCitation: Parasites & Vectors, 14, art. no. 15; 2021Nagasaki University (長崎大学), 博士(医学) (2025-06-04)doctoral thesi
Topology optimization of permanent magnet motors using Gabor filter
Get PDFIn this study, we propose a novel topology optimization method for permanent magnet (PM) motors by using a Gabor filter (GF) to obtain slit-shaped magnetic cores. Moreover, we propose a hybrid optimization method by combining a GF with a normalized Gaussian network to simultaneously realize slit-shaped and smooth magnetic cores. In the proposed optimization, we minimize the torque ripple while maximizing the average torque. The proposed hybrid optimization results in a PM motor with slit-shaped magnetic cores around the magnets, which effectively reduces higher harmonics in the electromotive force and improves torque performance. The results of the study can be used for the development of efficient PM motors.International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics, 78(1-3), pp.147-151; 2025journal articl
Topology optimization of asymmetric Interior permanent magnet motors using Gaussian basis function
Get PDFNovel rotor structures of an asymmetric interior permanent magnet (IPM) motor are realized by using the topology optimization (TO) in this study. The TO method to be presented in this article takes into account both the configuration of the magnet and the geometry of the magnetic core. In the optimization, the shape of the magnetic core is determined by a linear combination of the Gaussian basis functions, whereas the magnet configuration is determined by a Boolean geometry projection for its manufacturability. It is shown that the optimized asymmetric IPM motor exhibits better torque performance compared to the conventional TO which considers only the magnetic core.International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics, 78(1-3), pp.234-239; 2025journal articl
子どもの学びの姿を中心とした授業研究会に関する事例分析―学年別グループの発話特徴の⽐較―
Get PDF長崎大学教育学部教育実践研究紀要, 24, pp.87-96; 2025departmental bulletin pape
Multicentre retrospective observational study for development and validation of MAC prognostic score model
Get PDFThe global incidence and mortality rates of Mycobacterium avium–intracellulare complex pulmonary disease (MAC-PD) are increasing. We conducted a multicentre retrospective cohort study across 18 hospitals to develop a scoring system for predicting respiratory infection-related mortality in patients with MAC-PD. A total of 1,165 patients newly diagnosed with MAC-PD between 2010 and 2017 were enrolled and randomly allocated to a 4:1 ratio to derivation (n = 932) and validation (n = 233) groups. Among them, 656 patients (56.3%) received MAC-PD treatment within 5 years. During the observation period, all-cause mortality occurred in 183 patients (15.7%), and respiratory infection-related mortality occurred in 67 patients (5.8%). To identify the risk factors for respiratory infection-related mortality, Cox proportional hazards analysis was conducted in the derivation group, which informed the development and validation of the prognostic scoring model. Five independent risk factors were identified: age ≥ 65 years, male sex, interstitial pneumonia, albumin < 3.5 g/dL, and cavitary lesions. A prognostic score was developed by assigning 2 points to albumin < 3.5 g/dL and 1 point to each of the other factors. The score demonstrated good predictive performance, with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of 0.86 and 0.81 in the derivation and validation groups, respectively. Patients with scores ≥ 3 had significantly poorer prognoses than those with scores ≤ 2. The strength of this study lies in its multicentre validation and focus on respiratory infection-related mortality, providing a clinically useful risk stratification tool for MAC-PD.Scientific Reports, 15(1), art. no. 28539; 2025journal articl
Utility of the Redox Cycle of Nitrofurantoin for the Development of a New Chemiluminescence Method for Its Analysis in Milk Samples
Get PDFNitrofurantoin is utilized in various industries, including dairy, livestock, poultry, and aquaculture, as a growth promoter and antibacterial agent. Because prolonged use can cause mutagenesis and other side effects, many countries have prohibited its use in food-producing animals. In this work, we introduce a simple, rapid, and highly sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) approach for the quantitation of nitrofurantoin using its redox cycle activity. Nitrofurantoin is reduced to nitrofurantoin radicals by the reducing agent dithiothreitol, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) formed during the reoxidation process (superoxide anion radical) are detected by luminol CL. The CL conditions were optimized, including types of solvents, CL and reducing reagents, and their concentrations. The method was validated as per International Council for Harmonization (ICHQ2(R2)) guidelines, regarding linearity, detection and quantitation limits, accuracy, and precision. A good linearity with r = 0.9992 was obtained between the CL intensity and the nitrofurantoin concentration in the range of 4.0–400.0 ng/mL with a high sensitivity down to 1.15 ng/mL. The method was utilized to determine nitrofurantoin in milk samples, and a good recovery range was obtained (97.5–103.1%; RSD ≤ 4.4%); the results were comparable to the reported method, demonstrating the method’s reliability. Finally, the method demonstrated good practicality using a recently developed assessment tool.Molecules, 30(18), art. no. 3698; 2025journal articl
日本のテレビドラマにおける独身女性表象―構造的トピックモデルによる分析―
Get PDFThis article focuses on single women in Japan, their representations, and the marriage-related discourses surrounding them in female-oriented television dramas. To analyze the representations of single women on the media in Japanese, 9 TV dramas collected from 2000 were selected as the objects, in which single women are the main characters. Based on the structured topic modeling analysis of linguistic semiotic found in these dramas about single women and marriage-related discourses, this article found three predominant themes: obsessed with marriage, fluctuations in gender roles, and pursuit of self-actualization.本論文は「九州地区国立大学教育系・文系研究論文集」Vol.12,No.1に査読を経て受理された。九州地区国立大学教育系・文系研究論文集, 12(1), No.5; 2025journal articl