Association of maternal blood and umbilical cord blood plasma fatty acid levels with the body size at birth of Japanese infants.

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), mainly obtained from fish, have been implicated in fetal development. Because few studies have examined maternal and umbilical cord blood fatty acid levels and infant body size in Japan with a fish-eating culture, we examined differences in plasma fatty acid levels in pregnant women and infant size at birth. This study is a large birth cohort study of 1476 pairs of Japanese pregnant women and their infants.

Japanese Survey of Radiation Dose Associated With Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography - 2013 Data From a Multicenter Registry in Daily Practice.

Background: Although coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) is frequently used for identifying coronary artery disease, no studies have investigated the radiation dose in detail in Japan. The aim of this study was to estimate the radiation dose of coronary CTA in Japanese clinical practice and to identify the independent predictors associated with radiation dose.

Methods and results: A multicenter, retrospective, observational study (54 institutions) was conducted for estimating the radiation dose of coronary CTA in 2,469 patients between January and December 2013.

Associations of erythrocyte fatty acid compositions with FADS1 gene polymorphism in Japanese mothers and infants.

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) are involved in the fetal growth in utero, and are essential for the development of visual and cognitive functions during infancy. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of erythrocyte fatty acid compositions with FADS1 gene polymorphism in Japanese mothers and infants. The subjects were 383 mothers who participated in an adjunct birth cohort study of the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).

Relationships between docosahexaenoic acid compositions of maternal and umbilical cord erythrocytes in pregnant Japanese women.

Previous reports have shown that the transfer of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from mother to fetus during pregnancy is important for development of the child's nervous and visual functions. The amount of DHA passing through the placenta varies depending on the relative DHA compositions of the erythrocytes in the maternal blood and the umbilical cord. Prior research has reported that if the DHA composition of the maternal erythrocytes is over 5.

Determination of pyrroloquinoline quinone by enzymatic and LC-MS/MS methods to clarify its levels in foods.

Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is believed to be a new B vitamin-like compound, and PQQ supplementation has received attention as a possible treatment for diseases including dementia and diabetes. However, the distribution of PQQ in foods is unclear, due to the difficulty in analyzing the compound. Therefore, in this study, enzymatic and LC-MS/MS methods were optimized to enable an accurate analysis of PQQ in foods.

Determination of the Anisotropic Rotational Diffusion Constant of Microcrystals Dispersed in Liquid Medium.

Microcrystals of ErBaCuO suspended in a liquid medium were triaxially aligned by a frequency-modulated magnetic field and allowed a free rotational relaxation after the magnetic field was turned off. In situ X-ray diffraction measurements of the suspension were performed during relaxation, and the temporal change of the orientation fluctuation was monitored via broadening of the diffraction spots. The rotational diffusion constants were determined using the plot of the orientation fluctuation versus the elapsed time of rotational relaxation.

Orexigenic action of oral zinc: metabolomic analysis in the rat hypothalamus.

We previously reported an orexigenic action of oral zinc administration in male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats during an early stage of feeding with a zinc-deficient diet, without decreased zinc concentrations in tissues. The overall conclusion was that orally but not intraperitoneally administered zinc stimulates food intake in short-term zinc-deficient-diet fed rats. We here investigate the mechanism of the orexigenic action of zinc using GC-MS/MS-targeted metabolomic analysis in the rat hypothalamus.

Curcumin and piperine supplementation of obese mice under caloric restriction modulates body fat and interleukin-1β.

Background: Dietary bioactive compounds capable of improving metabolic profiles would be of great value, especially for overweight individuals undergoing a caloric restriction (CR) regimen. Curcumin (Cur), a possible anti-obesity compound, and piperine (Pip), a plausible enhancer of Cur's bioavailability and efficacy, may be candidate agents for controlling body fat, metabolism and low grade inflammation.

Methods: 47 eight-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were fed a high fat diet (HFD) for 23 weeks to induce obesity.

Determination of triacylglycerol oxidation mechanisms in canola oil using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Triacylglycerol (TG), the main component of edible oil, is oxidized by thermal- or photo- oxidation to form TG hydroperoxide (TGOOH) as the primary oxidation product. Since TGOOH and its subsequent oxidation products cause not only the deterioration of oil quality but also various toxicities, preventing the oxidation of edible oils is essential. Therefore understanding oxidation mechanisms that cause the formation of TGOOH is necessary.

Determinants of polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in erythrocytes of pregnant Japanese women from a birth cohort study: study protocol and baseline findings of an adjunct study of the Japan environment & Children's study.

Background: N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) may have multiple beneficial effects on the outcome of pregnancy, maternal health and child development. The present study introduced the protocol of a birth cohort study to examine the beneficial effects of n-3 PUFA status in pregnant Japanese women as an adjunct study of the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).

Methods: The JECS participants in the coastal areas of Miyagi Prefecture were further invited to participate in this adjunct study, and 1,878 pregnant women were enrolled prior to delivery.

High-fat Diet Increases Phospholipid Peroxidation in the Liver of Mature Fischer 344 Rats.

Phospholipid peroxidation is considered to be involved in the pathophysiology of various diseases. While dietary antioxidants are believed to help prevent these diseases via inhibition of phospholipid peroxidation, further evaluation is needed to prove this hypothesis. For this, it is crucial to establish an animal model with accelerated phospholipid peroxidation.

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Levels in Maternal Erythrocytes of Japanese Women during Pregnancy and after Childbirth.

Background: The transport of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4n-6) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), to the fetus from maternal stores increases depending on the fetal requirements for PUFA during the last trimester of pregnancy. Therefore, maternal blood PUFA changes physiologically with gestational age. However, the changes in PUFA levels in maternal blood erythrocytes during pregnancy and after childbirth have not been fully investigated in a fish-eating population.

Evaluation of the Mechanisms of Mayonnaise Phospholipid Oxidation.

Mayonnaise, which is widely used in foods, is rich in lipids and therefore susceptible to oxidation during the manufacturing process, which can result in loss of quality. Herein, we detected and analyzed phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide (PCOOH) isomers present in fresh mayonnaise using LC-MS/MS. The PCOOH isomer composition suggests that mayonnaise phospholipid peroxidation is predominantly initiated by radical-oxidation (i.

Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation of Primary and Secondary Cardiomyopathies: MR Imaging and Histopathologic Findings in Hearts from Autopsy and Transplantation.

Cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) is used to detect and assess the myocardial damage seen with a variety of cardiomyopathies. Gadolinium-based contrast material accumulates in the expanded interstitial space of the myocardium. Areas with LGE correspond to replacement fibrosis, fibrofatty change, epithelioid granuloma, inflammatory cell infiltration, cardiomyocyte necrosis, and amyloid deposition-conditions that represent a focal increase in interstitial space.

δ and γ tocotrienols suppress human hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation via regulation of Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK pathway-associated upstream signaling.

Tocotrienol (T3) has recently gained increasing interest due to its anti-cancer effect. Here, we investigated the modulating effect of δ and γ T3 on the Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK oncogenic upstream signaling pathway in human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. The results indicated that T3 regulated the upstream signaling cascades of this pathway.

Metabolic fate of poly-(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-based curcumin nanoparticles following oral administration.

Purpose: Curcumin (CUR), the main polyphenol in turmeric, is poorly absorbed and rapidly metabolized following oral administration, which severely curtails its bioavailability. Poly-(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-based CUR nanoparticles (CUR-NP) have recently been suggested to improve CUR bioavailability, but this has not been fully verified. Specifically, no data are available about curcumin glucuronide (CURG), the major metabolite of CUR found in the plasma following oral administration of CUR-NP.

Neutron and X-ray single-crystal diffraction from protein microcrystals via magnetically oriented microcrystal arrays in gels.

Protein microcrystals magnetically aligned in D2O hydrogels were subjected to neutron diffraction measurements, and reflections were observed for the first time to a resolution of 3.4 Å from lysozyme microcrystals (∼10 × 10 × 50 µm). This result demonstrated the possibility that magnetically oriented microcrystals consolidated in D2O gels may provide a promising means to obtain single-crystal neutron diffraction from proteins that do not crystallize at the sizes required for neutron diffraction structure determination.

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging-based myocardial strain study for evaluation of cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab: A pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of the method.

Background: Trastuzumab, used to treat breast cancer overexpressing human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, may be cardiotoxic. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging with myocardial strain studies has been used to evaluate subclinical biventricular myocardial changes, however, its clinical utility during chemotherapy has not been evaluated.

Methods: The clinical outcomes, CMR and cardiac biomarkers of 9 women aged 62.