Jiawei Wan

Regular bathing is a common habit worldwide, yet bath additives have been characterized almost exclusively at the physiological level, while their molecular effects on human cells remain largely unexplored. We previously showed by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) that the complex bath additive Karada Totonou ProBath (KTPB) induced the expression of EGR1 and hyaluronic acid synthase genes in human keratinocytes and fibroblasts, which represent the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-producing side of the cutaneous angiogenic axis; whether the VEGF-receiving endothelium responds to KTPB was unknown. Here, human vascular endothelial cells were exposed to KTPB and profiled by RNA-seq, and cytotoxicity was assessed using resazurin and Hoechst assays. KTPB altered gene expression in a time-dependent manner, and the differentially expressed genes were classified into three clusters with distinct temporal profiles: a late-repressed cluster, a transiently induced cell cycle-associated cluster, and a late-induced cluster enriched for blood vessel development and VEGFA-VEGFR2 signaling. The angiogenesis-related genes ID1, ID3, and EDN1 were markedly upregulated, peaking at 1–2 h. KTPB showed no detectable cytotoxicity in this cell model at any of the tested concentrations, which spanned the recommended use range. These results indicate that KTPB elicits an angiogenesis-associated transcriptional program in vascular endothelial cells without compromising viability and highlight transcriptomics’ value for characterizing bath additives.

This study investigated whether dog ownership and exercise self-efficacy were associated with physical activity in Japanese office workers, and whether these associations differed across restrictive contexts (pre-, during-, and post-COVID-19). A web-based questionnaire was administered to Japanese office workers between August and November 2023. Basic characteristics, physical activity level, dog ownership, and exercise self-efficacy were obtained using the recall method at three time points: before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Dog-walking activity and self-efficacy, and dog-related obligations were assessed among dog owners. A two-way repeated measures analysis of covariance was conducted to examine the effects of time and dog ownership on physical activity. A mediation analysis was conducted to confirm the mediating effect of exercise self-efficacy. A total of 414 responses were analyzed. Physical activity levels decreased from pre- to during-COVID-19, then partially rebounded post-COVID-19 ( p < 0.001); the pattern of change differed depending on dog ownership ( p = 0.043). A full mediation effect of exercise self-efficacy was observed before the pandemic ( p < 0.001). Among dog owners, dog-walking activity was influenced by dog walking self-efficacy at the three time points (before: β = 0.418, p < 0.001; during: β = 0.401, p = 0.001; after: β = 0.373, p = 0.001). Dog ownership appeared to buffer pandemic-related declines in physical activity, facilitated by exercise self-efficacy; this supported a rapid recovery in physical activity. These findings highlight the importance of structured caregiving routines, such as dog walking, as a resilient strategy for maintaining physical activity in restrictive environments.

In recent years, as gene therapy technology has rapidly developed, there has been growing concern that it could be misused by athletes as a means of doping. However, current testing methods for gene doping have a range of limitations and require further improvement. Furthermore, significant progress has been made in the fields of blood storage, next-generation sequencing (NGS), and LabDroid (experimental robots). Against this background, this study was implemented to develop a test method for gene doping using dried blood spot (DBS), NGS, and the LabDroid ”Maholo”. As a first step, recombinant adeno-associated virus containing the human erythropoietin gene (hEPO) was injected into mice to establish a gene doping model. Subsequently, DBS was created using whole blood. Maholo was used to extract DNA from the DBS and to create DNA libraries for NGS. NGS in combination with bioinformatic analysis clearly identified DNA fragments that provided definitive evidence of gene doping in the mouse model, which were absent in the control mouse. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to use a biological model of hEPO gene doping in conjunction with Maholo, NGS, and DBS. This method should facilitate the further development of gene doping tests.

In recent years, bath additives developed to enhance the physiological benefits of bathing have become a popular part of self-care routines. However, there has been little investigation of the biological effects of these additives, especially in terms of their impact on gene expression. To bridge this research gap, this study was implemented to reveal the effects of a newly developed complex bath additive, Karada Totonou ProBath (KTPB), on gene expression, using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Two human skin-derived cell lines (keratinocytes and fibroblasts) were treated with KTPB at a final concentration of 100 μg/mL, and RNA extracted between 15 and 240 min after treatment was subjected to RNA-seq analysis. The results showed that KTPB induced significant changes in the expression of over 80 genes in both cell lines. In particular, the expression levels of genes encoding Early Growth Response Protein 1 and Hyaluronic Acid Synthases increased over time following the treatment. Enrichment analysis showed the upregulation of pathways associated with cell activation in both cell types, with no evidence of KTPB-related cytotoxicity. The findings suggest that KTPB activates the metabolism of skin cells through hormesis without inducing toxicity. Our results provide new insights promoting future research in this field.

Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23) is a phosphaturic hormone secreted by the bone in response to dietary phosphate intake. High circulating FGF23 levels is an early sign of cardiovascular disease in individuals with obesity. This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of replacing meat and fish with pulse intake on circulating FGF23 levels during a dietary weight-loss intervention. Sixteen middle-aged and older individuals with overweight and obesity (63.7 ± 5.1 years of age) were randomly assigned to control and plant groups. All participants attended a dietary weight-loss class once per week for 12 weeks. Participants in the plant group replaced meat and fish with pulse intake. Circulating FGF23 levels were measured before and after the intervention. Both groups showed reductions in body weight (control: 73.3 kg to 66.9 kg, plant: 78.8 kg to 73.1 kg, P < 0.001 for time effect). Plant-based protein intake was significantly higher in the plant group than in the control group (control: 7.3% of energy to 7.7% vs. plant: 7.0% of energy to 9.2%; P = 0.002 for group × time effect). However, the circulating FGF23 levels did not change in either group. Our results suggest that dietary weight-loss intervention promoting plant-based protein intake does not decrease circulating FGF23 levels. As this trial is one of the few to examine the effects of dietary weight-loss interventions on circulating FGF23 levels, additional intervention studies are needed. The protocol was registered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000048081; registered on 6/18/2022).

Physical inactivity contributes to various health risks; however, approximately one-third of the global population remains insufficiently active. Many researchers have attempted to increase physical activity levels; however, the effectiveness and the specific components of these interventions remain unclear. This systematic review with meta-analyses utilized a behavior change technique taxonomy to identify and extract effective intervention components, aiming to develop more efficient programs to promote physical activity. We searched the PubMed and Ichu-shi Web databases for studies targeting healthy young and middle-aged adults with data on physical activity changes and extracted the intervention components. A random-effects model was used for the primary meta-analysis, and a meta-regression was conducted for the selected outcomes. Overall, 116 studies were included, with 102 used for the primary analysis. The interventions showed a small effect on overall physical activity promotion. Subsequent meta-regressions identified 1.5 Review behavior goal(s) as a significant positive intervention component, as well as four and three potential positive and negative components, respectively. This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated the effectiveness of physical activity interventions and highlighted effective and negative components. These findings may inform the design of future programs aimed at promoting physical activity.