Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is prevalent in older adults with type 2 diabetes and contributes to an elevated risk of cognitive decline. Although physical activity (PA) is a potentially modifia Show more
Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is prevalent in older adults with type 2 diabetes and contributes to an elevated risk of cognitive decline. Although physical activity (PA) is a potentially modifiable factor in SVD prevention, previous findings remain inconsistent, particularly regarding activity intensity. This study aimed to investigate the association between accelerometer-measured PA and SVD severity in older adults with type 2 diabetes. This cross-sectional study analyzed 66 adults aged ≥70 years with type 2 diabetes. PA was objectively measured using a tri-axial accelerometer over 14 days. Time spent in sedentary behavior (≤1.5 metabolic equivalents [METs]), light-intensity PA (LPA; 1.6-2.9 METs), and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA; ≥3.0 METs) were assessed. Lacunes, cerebral microbleeds, enlarged perivascular spaces, and white matter hyperintensities were evaluated using brain magnetic resonance imaging. The total SVD score (range, 0-4) was calculated, and participants were categorized into either mild (score 0-1) or moderate-to-severe (score 2-4) groups. To estimate the odds of having moderate-to-severe SVD associated with a hypothetical reallocation of 10 min of sedentary time to either LPA or MVPA, multiple logistic regression analysis using an isotemporal substitution model was performed. Of the 66 participants, 29 (43.9%) had moderate-to-severe SVD. A hypothetical reallocation of 10 min from sedentary time to MVPA was associated with lower odds of moderate-to-severe SVD (odds ratio, 0.78; 95% confidence interval, 0.61-1.00; p = 0.047). LPA exhibited no significant association. Engaging in MVPA is associated with lower SVD severity in older adults with type 2 diabetes. Show less
The prognosis of patients with high-grade or advanced-stage endometrial cancer remains poor. As cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) are thought to be associated with endometrial cancers, it is essential to Show more
The prognosis of patients with high-grade or advanced-stage endometrial cancer remains poor. As cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) are thought to be associated with endometrial cancers, it is essential to investigate the molecular mechanisms that regulate endometrial CSCs. Dual-specificity phosphatase 6 (DUSP6) functions as a negative-feedback regulator of MAPK-ERK1/2 signaling, but its role in endometrial cancer remains unknown. We investigated whether DUSP6 is involved in cancer cell stemness using endometrial cancer cell lines and specimens from endometrial cancer patients. DUSP6 induced the expression of CSC-related genes including ALDH1, Nanog, SOX2 and Oct4A, increased the population of cells in the G0/G1 phase, and promoted sphere formation ability. DUSP6 knockdown resulted in reduced cell invasion and metastasis, whereas DUSP6 overexpression inhibited apoptosis under serum-free conditions. Moreover, DUSP6 decreased phosphorylated ERK1/2 and increased phosphorylated Akt levels, which potentially induces CSC features. In patients with endometrial cancers, DUSP6 expression was determined using immunohistochemistry, and based on the results, the patients were dichotomized into high- and low-DUSP6-expression groups. Progression-free survival and overall survival were significantly shorter in the high-DUSP6-expression group. These results suggest that DUSP6 has potential value as a biomarker of CSCs and as a target of therapies designed to eliminate CSCs in endometrial cancer. Show less