Hydrogen-rich water for improvements of mood, anxiety, and autonomic nerve function in daily life.

Health and a vibrant life are sought by everyone. To improve quality of life (QOL), maintain a healthy state, and prevent various diseases, evaluations of the effects of potentially QOL-increasing factors are important. Chronic oxidative stress and inflammation cause deteriorations in central nervous system function, leading to low QOL.

Effects of a Bovine Lactoferrin Formulation from Cow's Milk on Menstrual Distress in Volunteers: A Randomized, Crossover Study.

Dysmenorrhea is a highly prevalent complaint and highly undiagnosed gynecologic condition. Dairy products have a potential in the management of menstrual distress, and bovine lactoferrin can help the subjective dysphoria associated with dysmenorrhea. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of a lactoferrin formulation isolated from cow's milk on menstrual symptoms in volunteers.

Ubiquinol-10 supplementation improves autonomic nervous function and cognitive function in chronic fatigue syndrome.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefit of oral ubiquinol-10 supplementation in CFS patients using an open-label study and a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled (RCT) study. Twenty patients with CFS were randomly enrolled in an 8-week open-label oral ubiquinol-10 (150 mg ubiquinol-10/day) study. The patients and the attending physicians were not blinded to the supplementation.

Effects of nutritional supplementation on fatigue, and autonomic and immune dysfunction in patients with end-stage renal disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial.

Background: Fatigue is a predictor of cardiovascular events in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis treatment. We hypothesized that multinutritional support would improve quality of life, fatigue symptoms, and potential quantitative measures including endocrine, immune and autonomic functions in patients with ESRD undergoing hemodialysis.

Methods: Two hundred and two hemodialysis patients were randomly assigned to receive active treatment (containing vitamin B1, vitamin B2, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid, vitamin C, carnitine, coenzyme Q10, naïve galacto-oligosaccharide, and zinc) or placebo after each dialysis session for 12 weeks.

Developmental change of visuo-spatial working memory in children: quantitative evaluation through an Advanced Trail Making Test.

Aim: The present study aimed to investigate the developmental change in Visuo-Spatial Working Memory (VSWM) in typically developed children using a specially designed Advanced Trail Making Test for children (ATMT-C).

Methods: We developed a new method for evaluating VSWM efficiency in children using a modified version ATMT to suit their shorter sustained attention. The ATMT-C consists of two parts; a number-based ATMT and a hiragana (Japanese phonogram)-based ATMT, both employing symbols familiar to young children.

Mental fatigue caused by prolonged cognitive load associated with sympathetic hyperactivity.

Background: It is known that chronic fatigue is associated with sympathetic hyperactivity. However, the relationship between autonomic function and mental fatigue caused by a prolonged mental load in healthy humans is still unclear. Thus, in order to clarify the mechanisms underlying mental fatigue, we examined the association between mental fatigue and autonomic functions.

Frontal cortex activation associated with speeded processing of visuospatial working memory revealed by multichannel near-infrared spectroscopy during Advanced Trail Making Test performance.

Although visuospatial working memory (VSWM) is commonly used during speeded and unconscious memory processing in daily life, most neuroimaging studies on VSWM use tasks that impose motor restrictions onto the examinees to avoid movement-related artifacts. Multichannel near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), however, can measure cortical activation during cognitive processing without interfering with task procedure. The purpose of this study is to determine whether multichannel NIRS can detect VSWM-induced frontal cortex activation similar to that seen in VSWM performance in daily-life activity.

Effect of exercise on gene expression profile in unfractionated peripheral blood leukocytes.

A 4-h bout of exercise induces immunomodulatory effects. Peripheral blood was withdrawn before, and at 4, 8 and 24h after the start of exercise. RNA from the unfractionated white blood cells was analyzed using Agilent human 44K microarray.

Daily oral administration of crocetin attenuates physical fatigue in human subjects.

This study compared the effects of placebo with a carotenoid compound, crocetin, as well as an antioxidant, ascorbic acid, on physical fatigue in humans. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, 3-way crossover study, 14 Japanese healthy volunteers (7 men and 7 women) were randomized to oral administration of crocetin (15 mg), ascorbic acid (3,000 mg), or placebo for 8 days. Subjects performed workload tests on a bicycle ergometer at fixed workloads for 120 minutes at 2 times (a total of 240 minutes) as a fatigue-inducing physical task.

L-ornithine supplementation attenuates physical fatigue in healthy volunteers by modulating lipid and amino acid metabolism.

We examined the effects of L-ornithine administration on physical fatigue. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2-way crossover study, 17 healthy volunteers were randomized to L-ornithine (2000 mg/d for 7 days and 6000 mg/d for 1 day as L-ornithine hydrochloride) or placebo for 8 days. The fatigue-inducing physical task consisted of workload trials on a cycle ergometer at fixed workloads for 2 hours on 2 occasions.

Mental and physical fatigue-related biochemical alterations.

Objective: To confirm fatigue-related biochemical alterations, we measured various parameters just before and after relaxation and fatigue-inducing mental or physical sessions.

Methods: Fifty-four healthy volunteers were randomized to perform relaxation and fatigue-inducing mental and physical sessions for 4 h in a double-blind, three-crossover design. Before and after each session, subjects were asked to rate their subjective sensations of fatigue, and blood, saliva, and urine samples were taken.

Effects of Citric Acid and l-Carnitine on Physical Fatigue.

We examined the effects of citric acid and l-carnitine administration on physical fatigue. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 3-way crossover study, 18 healthy volunteers were randomized to oral citric acid (2,700 mg/day), l-carnitine (1,000 mg/day), or placebo for 8 days. The fatigue-inducing physical task consisted of workload trials on a cycle ergometer at fixed workloads for 2 h on 2 occasions.

Antifatigue effects of coenzyme Q10 during physical fatigue.

Objective: This study examined the effects of coenzyme Q10 administration on physical fatigue.

Methods: In a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, three crossover design, 17 healthy volunteers were randomized to oral coenzyme Q10 (100 or 300 mg/d) or placebo administration for 8 d. As a fatigue-inducing physical task, subjects performed workload trials on a bicycle ergometer at fixed workloads twice for 2 h and then rested for 4 h.

Effects of oral administration of caffeine and D-ribose on mental fatigue.

Objective: We examined the effects of administering two different candidate antifatigue substances, caffeine and D-ribose, on mental fatigue.

Methods: In a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, three-way crossover design, 17 healthy volunteers were randomized to oral caffeine (200 mg/d), D-ribose (2000 mg/d), or placebo for 8 d. As fatigue-inducing mental tasks, subjects performed a 30-min Uchida-Kraepelin psychodiagnostic test and a 30-min advanced trail-making test on four occasions.

Effects of Applephenon and ascorbic acid on physical fatigue.

Objective: We examined the effects of Applephenon and ascorbic acid administration on physical fatigue.

Methods: In a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, three-way crossover design, 18 healthy volunteers were randomized to oral Applephenon (1200 mg/d), ascorbic acid (1000 mg/d), or placebo for 8 d. The fatigue-inducing physical task consisted of workload trials on a bicycle ergometer at fixed workloads for 2 h on two occasions.

Effects of probiotics on allergic rhinitis induced by Japanese cedar pollen: randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Background: Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) has been found to exert antiallergic effects in animal experiments, but there is little information about its clinical effects in human patients with allergy.

Methods: We performed a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study to investigate the effects of LcS in patients with allergic rhinitis triggered by Japanese cedar pollen (JCP). Participants were asked to drink fermented milk containing LcS (LcS group) or placebo (control group) for 8 weeks.

Antipsychotic medication and cognitive function in schizophrenia.

Antipsychotic polypharmacy and excessive dosing still prevail worldwide in the treatment of schizophrenia, while their possible association with cognitive function has not well been examined. We examined whether the "non-standard" use of antipsychotics (defined as antipsychotic polypharmacy or dosage >1,000 mg/day of chlorpromazine equivalents) is associated with cognitive function. Furthermore, we compared cognitive function between patients taking only atypical antipsychotics and those taking only conventionals.

Discrepancy of performance among working memory-related tasks in autism spectrum disorders was caused by task characteristics, apart from working memory, which could interfere with task execution.

Working memory performance has been inconsistently reported in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Several studies in ASD have found normal performance in digit span and poor performance in digit symbol task although these are closely related with working memory. It is assumed that poor performance in digit symbol could be explained by confirmatory behavior, which is induced due to the vague memory representation of number-symbol association.

Effect of casein hydrolysate, prepared with protease derived from Aspergillus oryzae, on subjects with high-normal blood pressure or mild hypertension.

Casein hydrolysate, prepared with Aspergillus oryzae protease, contains angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory peptides, such as Val-Pro-Pro and Ile-Pro-Pro. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the effect of casein hydrolysate on the blood pressure of 144 subjects with high-normal blood pressure (n = 104) and mild hypertension (n = 40). Subjects were randomly assigned to two groups for a 12-week intake period.

Effect of powdered fermented milk with Lactobacillus helveticus on subjects with high-normal blood pressure or mild hypertension.

Objective: Two tripeptides (Val-Pro-Pro and Ile-Pro-Pro) that have inhibitory activities for angiotensin I-converting enzyme are produced in milk fermented with Lactobacillus helveticus. In this study we evaluated the effect and safety of powdered fermented milk with L. helveticus CM4 on subjects with high-normal blood pressure or mild hypertension.

Spatial working memory deficit correlates with disorganization symptoms and social functioning in schizophrenia.

Both spatial working memory deficit and disorganization symptoms have been considered significant components of schizophrenic impairment involved with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationships among spatial working memory, psychiatric symptoms including disorganization symptoms, and social functioning in schizophrenia. Fifty clinically stable patients with schizophrenia and 34 healthy controls participated in the study.

Effect of bread containing resistant starch on postprandial blood glucose levels in humans.

We examined the inhibitory effect of a single ingestion of bread containing resistant starch (bread containing about 6 g of resistant starch derived from tapioca per 2 slices) (test food) on the postprandial increase in blood glucose in male and female adults with a fasting blood glucose level between 100 and 140 mg/dl. Bread not containing resistant starch (placebo) was used as the control. The study was conducted in 20 subjects (9 men and 11 women with a mean age of 50.

The inappropriate smile and zygomatic muscle activity.

Long-term recording of activity of the zygomatic muscle, the most important mimic muscle involved in smiling, was performed in 22 disorganized type schizophrenic patients with inappropriate smiles and 15 normal subjects in two separate experiments. During inappropriate smiles, the zygomatic muscle exhibited waxing and waning bursts of activity with an amplitude of 75 to 120 microV, which could not be distinguished from the activity observed during usual smiling in normal subjects. However, the duration of such activity tended to be longer when compared to that in usual smiling by normal subjects as well as by schizophrenic patients.