Vegetable and Fruit Intake and LOX-Index in Japanese Municipal Workers.

Vegetable and fruit intake has been reported to be associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. To date, however, no study has examined the association between vegetable and fruit intake and LOX-index, which reflects the progression of atherosclerosis and is a predictive biomarker of stroke and coronary heart disease. Here, we examined the cross-sectional association between vegetable and fruit intake and LOX-index in Japanese municipal workers.

[Identification of dietary patterns and their relationship with zinc intake in male and female workers].

Objectives　Deficiency of zinc, an essential trace element in the body, adversely affects taste, wound healing, and immunity. This study aimed to identify the dietary patterns of male and female workers using factor analysis and clarify the relationship between dietary patterns and zinc intake.Methods　The participants were 395 municipal employees (193 men and 202 women) in Northern Kyushu aged 19-71 years.

Antioxidant Vitamin Intake and LOX-Index in Japanese Municipal Workers.

Antioxidant vitamin intake has been reported to be associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases. To date, however, no study has examined the association between antioxidant vitamin intake and LOX-index, a predictive biomarker of cardiovascular disease. We investigated the cross-sectional association between antioxidant vitamin (α-carotene, β-carotene, α-tocopherol, and vitamin C) intake and LOX-index in Japanese municipal workers.

Impact of natural disaster combined with nuclear power plant accidents on local medical services: a case study of Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Objective: To elucidate the impacts of nuclear plant accidents on neighboring medical centers, we investigated the operations of our hospital within the first 10 days of the Great East Japan Earthquake followed by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident.

Methods: Data were extracted from medical records and hospital administrative records covering 11 to 20 March 2011. Factual information on the disaster was obtained from public access media.

Reduction of depression and anxiety by 4 weeks Hericium erinaceus intake.

Hericium erinaceus, a well known edible mushroom, has numerous biological activities. Especially hericenones and erinacines isolated from its fruiting body stimulate nerve growth factor (NGF) synthesis, which expects H. erinaceus to have some effects on brain functions and autonomic nervous system.

Association of cardiorespiratory fitness with elevated hepatic enzyme and liver fat in Japanese patients with impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

No study has so far determined whether a favorable level of cardiorespiratory fitness (CF) contributes to a reduced risk of elevated hepatic enzymes and a high degree of liver fat in patients having various metabolic risks. This study investigated the association between the maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) and the prevalence of elevated liver enzymes and high liver fat, while considering such factors as abdominal obesity, hyperinsulinemia and the other metabolic risks. The study enrolled newly diagnosed Japanese patients (n = 84; 52 males and 32 females; aged 25-69 years) with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (Type2DM) who did not receive any intervention or pharmacological therapy.

A (13)C-detection NMR approach for large glycoproteins.

NMR spectroscopy has great potential to provide us with information on structure and dynamics at atomic resolution of glycoproteins in solution. In larger glycoproteins, however, the detrimental fast (1)H transverse relaxation renders the conventional (1)H-detected NMR experiments difficult. (13)C direct detection potentially offers a valuable alternative to (1)H detection to overcome the fast T(2) relaxation.

The facial massage reduced anxiety and negative mood status, and increased sympathetic nervous activity.

The aim of this study was to clarify the effects of 45 min of facial massage on the activity of autonomic nervous system, anxiety and mood in 32 healthy women. Autonomic nervous activity was assessed by heart rate variability (HRV) with spectral analysis. In the spectral analysis of HRV, we evaluated the high-frequency components (HF) and the low- to high-frequency ratio (LF/HF ratio), reflecting parasympathetic nervous activity and sympathetic nervous activity, respectively.

Relative contributions of cardiorespiratory fitness and visceral fat to metabolic syndrome in patients with diabetes mellitus.

The objective of this study was to examine the contribution of endurance fitness and visceral fat accumulation on the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Japanese male patients with either an impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). The subjects of this cross-sectional study consisted of 135 Japanese male patients with either IGT or type 2 DM who had not taken any medication or intervention. They were classified into three fitness categories (low, moderate, and high) based on the tertiles of their maximal oxygen uptake ( [Formula: see text] O(2)max) predicted by the Astrand nomogram using a cycle ergometer.

Structural comparison of fucosylated and nonfucosylated Fc fragments of human immunoglobulin G1.

Removal of the fucose residue from the oligosaccharides attached to Asn297 of human immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) results in a significant enhancement of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) via improved IgG1 binding to Fcgamma receptor IIIa. To provide structural insight into the mechanisms of affinity enhancement, we determined the crystal structure of the nonfucosylated Fc fragment and compared it with that of fucosylated Fc. The overall conformations of the fucosylated and nonfucosylated Fc fragments were similar except for hydration mode around Tyr296.

Glycoform-dependent conformational alteration of the Fc region of human immunoglobulin G1 as revealed by NMR spectroscopy.

The Fc portion of immunoglobulin G (IgG) expresses the biantennary complex type oligosaccharides at Asn297 of the C(H)2 domain of each heavy chain with microheterogeneities depending on physiological and pathological states. These N-glycans are known to be essential for promotion of proper effector functions of IgG such as complement activation and Fcgamma receptor (FcgammaR)-mediated activities. To gain a better understanding of the role of Fc glycosylation, we prepared a series of truncated glycoforms of human IgG1-Fc and analyzed their interactions with human soluble FcgammaRIIIa (sFcgammaRIIIa) and with staphylococcal protein A by surface plasmon resonance and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods.