This study aimed to examine whether a single ingestion of arginine activates the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) in rat fast- and slow-twitch skeletal muscles. In the first experiment, the rats were orally administered arginine (3 or 10 mmol/kg body weight) in water. The plantaris, gastrocnemius, and soleus muscles were excised 1 h after the administration. Immunoblot analysis showed that the administration with a higher dose (10 mmol/kg) resulted in increased phosphorylation of ribosomal S6 kinase (S6K) and ribosomal protein S6 only in the soleus muscles. The amounts of cellular arginine sensor for mTORC1 subunit 1 (CASTOR1) expressed were similar in these three muscles. In the second experiment, the plantaris and soleus muscles were excised 1 h after the administration of 10 mmol/kg of arginine. The binding of CASTOR1 to the GATOR2 complex was not detected in either muscle in co-immunoprecipitation and immunoblot analyses, irrespective of arginine administration. In the third experiment, a role of nitric oxide (NO) was elucidated. Treatment with an inhibitor of NO synthase blocked the arginine-induced increase in S6K phosphorylation. These results indicate that a single ingestion of arginine is capable of activating mTORC1 only in slow-twitch muscles and suggest that the activation may be mediated via NO, but not via the CASTOR1-GATOR2 complex pathway.

Background: Despite the recent increase in the number of institutions introducing nurse practitioners to perioperative management following cardiovascular surgery, limited reports have evaluated their performance. Objective: The current study aimed to evaluate nurse practitioners' intervention based on perioperative outcomes following cardiovascular surgery. Methods: We performed a retrospective visualization of perioperative data following open-heart surgeries conducted at our hospital from April 1, 2019 to May 31, 2021, with the NP (99 patients) and DR (109 patients) groups consisting of patients whose first assistant was a nurse practitioner and physician, respectively. Results: No significant differences in patient characteristics were observed between the two groups. There were no significant differences in the operative time (304.4±92.7 vs. 301.4±86.8: min; p=0.947), death within 30 days (n)(2 vs. 2; p=0.923), and ICU stay (5.72±4.42 vs. 6.65±5.43: days; p=0.302), between the two groups. No significant difference was observed in the occurrence of postoperative complications between the two groups. The NP group had significantly shorter hospital stay (18.6±6.7 vs. 23.0±9.8: days; p<0.001) and duration of ventilator management (19.7±22.6 vs. 28.8±50.2: h; p=0.047) than the DR group. Discussion: The NP and DR groups exhibited comparable surgical outcomes. Perioperative management by a team including nurse practitioners, rather than by physicians alone, has been considered to reduce the duration of time spent on ventilator management and enable earlier hospital discharge, resulting in shorter hospital stays. This suggests that nurse practitioners, including surgical assistants under the direct supervision of physicians, may be able to safely perform perioperative management.

BACKGROUND: Systemic and local factors may lead to disruption of craniofacial growth and development, causing an imbalance between the orofacial skeleton, muscle and soft tissue, dental occlusion, and the dental arch during growth periods. We aimed to reveal whether the prevalence of incompetent lip seal (ILS) varies with age and region, as well as to clarify the factors related to an ILS, in a national, large-scale epidemiological study. METHODS: We surveyed 3399 children, from 3 to 12 years of age, visiting 66 pediatric dental clinics throughout Japan. For this survey, we employed a questionnaire consisting of 44 questions regarding daily health conditions and lifestyle habits. We evaluated the differences in ILS prevalence by age and region (using a Cochran-Armitage test for trend and a Kruskal-Wallis test), and the relationship between ILS and factors investigated in the questionnaire (using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient). RESULTS: We observed that 30.7% of Japanese children exhibited an ILS and that the ILS rate increased with age (p < 0.001). There were no regional differences in the rate of ILS in Japanese children (p = 0.506). We revealed that 12 of 44 survey items exhibited a statistically significant correlation with ILS (p < 0.001), using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. These items involved orofacial morphology, mouth breathing, and possibly, allergic rhinitis. CONCLUSION The rate of ILS seems to increase with age in children, throughout Japan. Therefore, this disorder may not self-correct during the growth periods in these children. Guidelines are required for pediatric dentists to recognize ILS among children aged 3-12 years.
Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Lip/abnormalities* ; Male ; Prevalence