20s Group Research Articles

Age-related wall shear stress changes assessed by vascular vector flow mapping in the carotid arteries of healthy adults: a cross-sectional study.

Wall shear stress (WSS) is related to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. WSS is affected by a variety of hemodynamic factors, and there is still a lack of accurate and objective methods for measuring it. This study sought to evaluate hemodynamic changes in WSSmaximum (max), WSSmean, WSSminimum (min) in the common carotid artery of healthy adults of different ages using vascular vector flow mapping (VFM). A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 healthy volunteers aged 20-89 years who were recruited from our Ultrasound Department between February 2021 and June 2021. An ultrasound system with a 3-15 MHz probe was used to determine regions of interest (ROIs) of the common carotid artery. VFM-based WSS measurements were obtained by selecting ROIs with optimal image quality from three full cardiac cycles. The participants were divided into the following seven age groups: the 20s group, the 30s group, the 40s group, the 50s group, the 60s group, the 70s group, and the 80s group. The WSS parameters were compared among the age groups. An analysis of variance or a Kruskal-Wallis test was used to evaluate the difference among the groups, and a Pearson analysis and linear regression were used for the correlation and trend analysis. The WSS parameters were quantified using vascular VFM software. The WSSmax, WSSmean, WSSmin differed among the age groups and gradually decreased with age, the elderly were significantly lower than the young. The Pearson correlation coefficient of the WSSmax and age was -0.556 (P<0.001), that of the WSSmean and age was -0.461 (P<0.001), and that of the WSSmin and age was -0.308 (P<0.001). The WSS parameters with age are negatively correlated the carotid intima-media thickness differed between the groups. The carotid WSSmax, WSSmean, WSSmin can be quantitatively and visually analyzed using the vascular VFM technique. In healthy adults of different ages, the carotid WSSmax, WSSmean, WSSmin decreased with age. Our findings about the normal values of carotid WSS maybe have clinical reference value for future studies.

Are There Differences in the Causes and Complications of Mandibular Third Molar Extraction in Older Patients Compared to Younger Patients?

BackgroundAlthough most impacted third molars (ITM) are extracted in the teens and early 20s, some undergo extractions after their 40s. It is unclear whether the reasons for extraction, the degree of impaction, and complications differ in patients in an older age group compared with a younger age group. PurposeThe purpose of this study was to measure the association between age and 1) reason for extraction and 2) postoperative complications. Study design, setting, sampleThis was a retrospective cohort study of patients who had undergone surgical extraction of at least one mandibular ITM at a single institution. We excluded 1) age under 20 years, 2) follow-up period of less than 1 week, and 3) tooth extraction under general anesthesia. Predictor variableThe primary predictor variable was age, classified into 3 groups (20s:20-29; 30s:30-39; over 40s: 40 and greater). Outcome variableThe primary outcome variables were reason for extraction (prophylactic or symptomatic) and presence of complications. The secondary outcome variable was type of complication (post-operative infection, dry socket, neurosensory disturbance, presenting pain over 1 month, retained root requiring secondary treatment). CovariatesThe covariates were sex, laterality of ITM, and difficulty of extraction as measured by the difficulty index, a measure based on depth, orientation, and ramus relationship/space available, with a higher score indicating greater difficulty. AnalysesChi-square test was performed to analyze the association of categorical outcome variables and covariates. Level of statistical significance was set at P<0.05. ResultsOf a total of 831 eligible subjects, there were 555 (66.8%), 159 (19.1%), and 117 (14.1%) in 20s, 30s and over 40s age groups, respectively. The percentage of symptomatic extraction of ITM was significantly higher in the over 40 age group compared with the 20s group (92.3% vs. 69.4%, (p<0.001). Complication rate also significantly differed between over 40s group and the 20s group (7.7% vs. 1.8%, p<0.001). Difficulty index and indications for ITM extraction were significantly different between groups (p<0.001). ConclusionSymptoms, difficulty, and complications related to ITM increase at over 40 years of age. This should be taken into consideration during the joint clinical decision-making process with patients with ITM.

Basic biology education in high school and acceptance of genetically modified food in Japan.

While many types of genetically modified (GM) food have become more available worldwide, the acceptance of GM food continues to be low. To increase this acceptance, various educational interventions have been conducted; however, conflicts remain about the safety and acceptability of GM food among laypeople, experts, and policymakers in several countries. Thus, this study aimed to clarify whether basic biology education influences Japanese people's acceptance of GM food. We examined this idea by comparing individual experiences of high school biology education based on curriculum and proficiency level. We distributed online questionnaires to 1,594 people in Japan; 1,122 valid responses (70.4%) were obtained. Results showed that the acceptance rates of GM vegetables, fish, and meat were 33.6%, 29.0%, and 29.1%, respectively. Comparing the biology knowledge test scores according to different high school biology education levels (i.e., non-learners, basic, and advanced levels) showed no significant differences between the three age groups (20s, 30s, and 40s), which corresponded to different curricula (p = 0.90); however, there were significant differences between the high school biology education levels (p<0.01). Using logistic regression analysis, we then examined the effect of high school biology education on acceptance of GM food. The results showed no significant differences between different high school biology education levels but significantly lower acceptance by the 30s and 40s groups compared with the 20s group (p<0.05). This suggests that basic biology education alone is not sufficient to change people's attitudes toward GM foods. These generational differences suggest factors other than high school biology curriculum affect different generations' acceptance of GM foods. Overall, high school biology education did not directly affect acceptance of GM foods, although those who received a higher level of education had an increased knowledge of GM foods.

Age-related changes in muscle thickness and echo intensity of trunk muscles in healthy women: comparison of 20-60s age groups.

The objective of this study was to investigate the age-related changes in muscle thickness and muscle echo intensity of trunk in subjects including wide range of age groups. The subjects were 112 healthy women (age range 20-60s). The rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique, transversus abdominis, erector spinae, and lumbar multifidus muscles were examined. To confirm the differences among the age groups, the linear mixed effect models were performed. There were significant decreases in muscle thickness of the rectus abdominis and external oblique muscles in the 50s and 60s age groups compared to those in the 20s age group, and a significant decrease in muscle thickness of the erector spinae muscle in the 60s age group compared tothose in the 20s age group. However, there was no significant difference among the age groups in muscle thickness of other trunk muscles. There were significant increases in echo intensity of the abdominal musclesin otherage groups compared to those inthe 20s age group, and significant increases in echo intensity of the back muscles in the age groups over 40 compared to those in the 20s group. Our study revealed that muscle quality may be more affected by age than muscle quantity and the effects of aging differ among muscles.

Assessment of the Defatting Efficacy of Mechanical and Chemical Treatment for Allograft Cancellous Bone and Its Effects on Biomechanics Properties of Bone.

ObjectiveTo assess the defatting efficacy of high pressure washing and gradient alcohol and biomechanical properties of defatted bone.MethodsFresh cancellous bone was obtained from the femoral condyle and divided into six groups according to different defatting treatments, which were: high pressure washing for 10 s (10S group), 20 s (20S group), and 30 s (30S group), gradient alcohol immersion (Alcohol group), acetone immersion (Acetone group), and non‐defatted (Fresh group). The appearance of six groups was observed, and the appearance of defatted bone and fresh bone was compared. The residual lipid content and infrared spectrum were used to compare the efficacy of defatting, the DNA content was used to compare the cell content after defatting, and the maximum stress and elastic modulus were used to compare the effects of defatting treatment on biomechanical properties.ResultsThe fresh bone was yellow and the pores contained a lot of fat. The defatted bone was white and the porous network was clear. There was no difference in residual lipid content among the three groups with high pressure washing (1.45% ± 0.16%, 1.40% ± 0.13%, and 1.46% ± 0.11%, respectively) (P = 0.828). There was no difference in residual lipid content among the 10S, alcohol, and acetone groups (1.45% ± 0.16%, 1.28% ± 0.07%, and 1.13% ± 0.22%, respectively) (P = 0.125). Infrared spectra showed that the fat content of the five defatting groups was significantly lower than that of the fresh group. There was no difference in residual lipid content among the three groups with high pressure washing (4.53 ± 0.23 ug/mL, 4.61 ± 0.18 ug/mL, and 4.66 ± 0.25 ug/mL, respectively) (P = 0.645). There was no difference in residual lipid content among the 10S, alcohol, and acetone groups (4.53 ± 0.23 ug/mL, 4.29 ± 0.24 ug/mL, and 4.27 ± 0.29 ug/mL, respectively) (P = 0.247). The maximum stress of the bone decreased significantly with the increase of the washing time (9.95 ± 0.31 Mpa, 9.07 ± 0.45 Mpa, and 8.17 ± 0.35 Mpa, respectively) (P = 0.003). The elastic modulus of the bone decreased significantly with the increase of the washing time (116.40 ± 3.54 Mpa, 106.10 ± 5.29 Mpa, and 95.63 ± 4.08 Mpa, respectively) (P = 0.003). There was no statistical difference in the maximum stress between the fresh group, the 10S group, the alcohol group, and the acetone group (10.09 ± 0.67 Mpa, 9.95 ± 0.31 Mpa, 10.11 ± 0.07 Mpa, and 10.09 ± 0.39 Mpa, respectively) (P = 0.963). There was no statistical difference in the maximum stress between the fresh group, the 10S group, the alcohol group and the acetone group (119.93 ± 4.94 Mpa, 116.40 ± 3.54 Mpa, 118.27 ± 0.85 Mpa, 118.10 ± 4.52 Mpa, respectively) (P = 0.737).ConclusionThe defatting efficiency was satisfactory at a time of 10 s under high pressure washing. In terms of defatting efficiency and its effect on biomechanical properties of bone, high pressure washing and gradient alcohol were similar to conventional acetone solvent extraction defatting.

Characteristic findings by phototrichogram in southern Chinese women with Female pattern hair loss.

To investigate the characteristics of hairs in Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) patients and healthy females in Southern China. Three fundamental hair parameters in different scalp areas of 90 Southern Chinese FPHL patients and 83 healthy controls were analyzed by phototrichogram. Female pattern hair loss patients showed reduced hair density, hair diameter, and terminal/vellus hair ratio. The reduction correlated with the severity of Ludwig staging. Midscalp was the most affected area in FPHL, but occipital and temporal sites were also involved. In normal women, the highest hair density was observed in midscalp, followed by occipital and temporal areas. Peak hair density at midscalp sites was reached at 20s group, then declined with age. Maximum hair diameter at midscalp and occipital sites occurred in 40s group. Terminal/vellus hair ratio tended to increase with age and peak on 50-60s group. Reduced hair density and hair diameter, and miniaturization of hair follicles are the characteristics of FPHL in Southern Chinese women. Occipital and temporal sites are also affected in FPHL. Age-associated changes might have an influence on the hair condition. The values of hair parameters obtained in this study will help to establish reference data for better evaluation of hair disorders.

Ecological studies of mayflies (Insecta, Ephemeroptera): Can sampling effort be reduced without losing essential taxonomic and ecological information?

ABSTRACT The present study evaluated the potential for the reduction of sampling effort in studies of ephemeropteran nymphs in Brazilian Amazon streams, Pará State, Brazil, without the loss of ecological information (species composition, abundance, and richness), and the congruence of different levels of taxonomic resolution (morphospecies, genus, family and functional group). Test groups of 15, 10 and five subsamples were selected from the 20 subsamples collected per stream (40 streams sampled), and were compared in terms of their species richness and abundance (ANOVA), and composition (Procrustes). Taxonomic resolution was also analyzed in Procrustes. Species abundance (F(3, 156) = 25.426; p &lt; 0.001) and richness (F(3, 156) = 13.866, p &lt; 0.001) varied significantly among sample groups, while the results of the 15-S group were statistically similar, in both cases, to those of the 20-S group. A similar pattern was found for species composition. The genus-level taxonomic resolution produced results 99% similar to those found for the species-level data. The results indicate that the reduction in sampling effort from 20 to 15 subsamples per site and a genus-level taxonomic resolution would not affect the reliability of analyses significantly. A reduction of five samples per site would result in a decrease of effort in the field and the amount of material to be processed, reducing laboratory time. In addition to a reduction in the time and resources needed to identify specimens, the adoption of a genus-level taxonomic resolution could help minimize errors of under- or over-estimation in the processing of the results.

Different prognosis of young breast cancer patients in their 20s and 30s depending on subtype: a nationwide study from the Korean Breast Cancer Society

Numerous studies have demonstrated that breast cancer in young women (BCY) has unfavorable prognostic features and more unfavorable subtypes. However, few studies have evaluated the effect of subtype disparities on breast cancer prognosis by age, especially for BCY. We analyzed breast cancer mortality stratified by tumor subtype according to age among patients younger than 50years. Data from the Korean Breast Cancer Society Registry for patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer when aged less than 50years between 2003 and 2010 were reviewed retrospectively. We identified 30,793 patients with breast cancer who were eligible for analysis. Of these, 793 (2.6%) were aged 20-29 and 8926 (28.8%) were aged 30-39. Median follow-up duration was 84months. Mean age was 42.4years. Patients in their 20s were more likely to have cancer of advanced stage and higher nuclear grade, present with lymphovascular invasion, and have unfavorable subtypes. Patients in the 20s group showed worse prognosis. In multivariate analysis for overall survival (OS), the hazard ratio (HR) for patients in the 20s group was higher than that for the 30s and 40s groups, and patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) showed higher HR than patients with HER-2 or luminal subtype (all p<0.0001). When stratified by subtype, luminal subtype showed significantly worse prognosis in the 20s group than the 30s and 40s groups, whereas HER-2 and TNBC subtypes showed no significant difference. Patients in their 20s with breast cancer had unfavorable characteristics and worse prognosis than patients in their 30s and 40s. When stratified by tumor subtype, patients in their 20s with luminal subtype of breast cancer showed worse prognosis than older patients, whereas HER-2 and TNBC subtypes showed no significant differences.

Home-based exercise program in TSP/HAM individuals: a feasibility and effectiveness study.

To investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of a home-based exercise program in TSP/HAM individuals. Twenty-three TSP/HAM individuals divided in two groups according to Timed Up and Go (TUG) score (<20s vs ≥20s) performed a 20-week home-based exercise program. The primary outcomes were exercise adherence, maximum voluntary isometric contraction of lower limbs (MVIC), Barthel Index and SF-36. Secondary outcomes were adverse effects and barriers to exercise practice. MVIC and the social functioning domain in SF-36 improved significantly in TUG <20s group. The individuals in the TUG ≥20s group improved significantly their physical functioning domain in SF-36. The total adherence to the 20-week home-based exercise program was 90%. There were mild to moderate adverse events related to exercise program. There were no adverse events related to MVIC test. The home-based exercise program was feasible and effective in improving disability and quality of life in individuals with TSP/HAM.

Influence of transient intraocular pressure elevation during laser in situ keratomileusis on rabbit retina thickness.

To utilize tissue micro measurement to study the effect of transient high intraocular pressure (IOP) induced by different durations of suction during laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) on rabbit retina thickness. Sixty healthy New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into a control group, and 3 negative-pressure suction groups (20s group, 45s group, and 3min group) and each group was comprised of 15 rabbits (30 eyes); the latter 3 groups were the transient high IOP models. The retinal tissue around the papilledema was separated. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was carried out to generate slices for light microscopy. The changes in the retina thickness values of each layer were measured for all animals in each group at different postoperative recovery periods and compared with the values recorded for the animals in the control group. The thickness of the retinal tissue showed a normal distribution. The ANOVA was performed by using SPSS13.0 statistic software. In the comparison between the 20s and 45s negative-pressure suction groups and the control group, no significant differences were observed, except at 14d. Significant difference was observed between the 3min negative-pressure suction group and the control group, and the retina thickness value of each layer reached a peak at 14d after repair. Conventional negative suction during LASIK may not lead to significant changes in retinal tissue thickness; however, if the suction duration is increased to 3min, it will cause significant changes in retinal tissue thickness.

Age-Related Differences in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Remnant Vascular-Derived Cells

Background: The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) does not heal spontaneously after injury, and patients of different ages respond differently to treatment. CD34+ stem/progenitor cells derived from the ACL remnant and associated tissues contribute to tendon-bone healing, but the relationship between age and the ACL’s healing potential has not been clarified. Hypothesis: The ACL remnant and associated tissues from adolescent patients have more CD34+ cells, and this population of cells from younger patients exhibits a higher potential for proliferation and differentiation in vitro. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: Ruptured ACL remnants and associated tissues were harvested from 28 patients (mean age, 24.6 ± 1.6 years) who had undergone primary arthroscopic ACL reconstruction. Patients were divided into 3 patient groups by age: 10-19 years (teens group; n = 10), 20-29 years (20s group; n = 10), and ≥30 years (30s group; n = 8). The ACL remnant cells were characterized using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Expansion potential was evaluated using population doubling (PD), and multilineage differentiation potential was assessed and compared. Results: The FACS analysis showed numerous CD34+ cells in the teens group compared with the 30s group (mean, 25.4% ± 7.9% vs 16.9% ± 3.9%, respectively; P = .044). The PD results indicated that the teens group had a significantly higher expansion potential than the 30s group at passage 3 (mean, 3.3 ± 0.2 vs 2.8 ± 0.2, respectively; P = .039). Young ACL remnant cells had a higher potential for osteogenic differentiation according to alkaline phosphatase activity (teens group, 169.5 ± 37.9 × 10 ng/mL vs 30s group, 64.9 ± 14.6 × 10 ng/mL; P = .029) and osteocalcin gene expression (teens group, 1.0 ± 0.25 vs 30s group, 0.39 ± 0.01; P = .01). In addition, the teens group displayed a higher differentiation potential to angiogenic lineages (acetylated low-density lipoprotein/Ulex europaeus lectin-stained cell counts) than other groups (teens group, 15.9 ± 1.9 vs 20s group, 8.9 ± 1.3 [P = .04]; teens group, 15.9 ± 1.9 vs 30s group, 7.2 ± 1.5 [P = .008]) and also tube length (teens group, 6939 ± 470 μm vs 30s group, 4119 ± 507 μm; P = .009). Conclusion: The ACL remnants of adolescent patients had more CD34+ cells, and those cells had a higher potential for proliferation and multilineage differentiation in vitro. Clinical Relevance: During remnant-preserving or remnant-transplanted ACL reconstruction, surgeons should consider the patient’s age when predicting the healing potential.

Idiom understanding in adulthood: Examining age-related differences

Idioms are figurative expressions such as hold your horses, kick the bucket, and lend me a hand, which commonly occur in everyday spoken and written language. Hence, the understanding of these expressions is essential for daily communication. In this study, we examined idiom understanding in healthy adults in their 20s, 40s, 60s and 80s (n = 30 per group) to determine if performance would show an age-related decline. Participants judged their own familiarity with a set of 20 idioms, explained the meaning of each, described a situation in which the idiom could be used, and selected the appropriate interpretation from a set of choices. There was no evidence of an age-related decline on any tasks. Rather, the 60s group reported greater familiarity and offered better explanations than did the 20s group. Moreover, greater familiarity with idioms was associated with better understanding in adults.

Regulation network analysis of testicular seminoma at various stages of progression

Testicular seminoma has become the most common solid malignancy in young men, especially in the 20s group. We obtained the gene expression profile of human testicular seminoma cells from NCBI, identified the differentially expressed genes of testicular seminoma cells of different stages, and constructed the regulation networks of different stages of testicular seminoma using bioinformatics methodology. Forty differentially expressed genes of testicular seminoma cells of different stages were identified. These genes and pathways are apparently involved in the progression of testicular seminoma.

Qualitative and quantitative effects of dietary proteins on hyperlipidemia and proteinuria in nephritic rats

Effects of qualitative and quantitative differences in dietary poteins on hyperlipidemia and proteinuria were studied in rats with nephrotoxic serum nephritis. Dietary proteins examined were milk casein, whole egg protein, soy protein isolate and wheat gluten. Rats were maintained on experimental diets for 14 days after an injection of nephrotoxic serum to induce nephritis. In the qualitative study, almost the same extent of growth and urinary protein excretion was observed in a 20% casein (20C), egg protein (20E) and a soy protein (20S) group. Growth and protein excretion of a 20% gluten (20G) group were suppressed compared with that of the other three groups. The serum lipid levels were highest in the 20E group and lowest in the 20G group. In the quantitative study, 8.5% protein diets, in general, ameliorated hyper lipidemia and proteinuria but retarded the growth of rats compared with the corresponding 20% protein diets, except for an 8.5% egg protein diet that did not suppress the growth. These results suggest that amino acid-balanced low protein diets improve hyperlipidemia and proteinuria without growth retardation in nephritic rats.

EFFECT OF SPEED OF INJECTION ON INDUCTION OF ANAESTHESIA USING PROPOFOL

Sixty unpremedicated patients (30 male) were randomly allocated to three groups. They received an induction dose of propofol 2 mg kg-1 over 5, 20 or 60 s to a forearm vein. Anaesthesia was maintained with conventional inhalation anaesthetic agents. Anaesthesia was induced satisfactorily in all 20 of the patients in the 5-s group, in 19 of the patients in the 20-s group and in 18 of the patients in the 60-s group. The rate of injection had a significant influence on induction time. Mean induction time increased from 21.5 to 34.7 and 50.5 s, when injection time was increased from 5 to 20 to 60 s, respectively. Similar induction times were found in male and female patients. There was no significant difference between the groups, in depth of anaesthesia obtained--as assessed by the eyelash reflex. Mean arterial pressure decreased to the same extent in all three groups. Two minutes after induction, mean systolic arterial pressure was reduced by 15.1, 13.5 and 19.3 mm Hg in the 5-, 20- and 60-s groups, respectively, and mean diastolic arterial pressure by 10.3, 13.2 and 13.7 mm Hg. Heart rate changes were insignificant. Apnoea of more than 10 s duration was seen frequently in all three groups, but the results suggest that the incidence was not influenced by the rate of injection. Three patients experienced mild pain at the time of injection. No major adverse reactions occurred during or after anaesthesia.