Gallated form of tea catechin, not nongallated form, increases fecal starch excretion in rats.

This study was carried out to elucidate the structural advantage of a gallated form of tea catechin on modulating bioavailability of dietary starch in rats. Animal studies demonstrated that the addition of 0.5% (w/w) (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) to the diet brought about a significant increase in the starch content in the feces collected for 2 d at the fourth week of feeding over that with the control diet.

Dietary tea catechins increase fecal energy in rats.

Much attention has been paid to the beneficial health effect of tea catechins as one of the effective strategies to prevent obesity. The current study was carried out to investigate the role of tea catechins on the utilization of dietary energy sources in rats. The addition of 1% (w/w) tea catechins, mostly in gallate forms, to the diet brought about significant reductions in body weight gains and abdominal adipose tissue weights after 4-wk feeding periods compared to the control.

School children's salt intake is correlated with salty taste preference assessed by their mothers.

Salt intake in childhood is a risk factor for developing hypertension later in life. As health education for children to decrease salt intake, it is important for them to know the relationship between salty taste preference and salt intake. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between children's salty taste preference and their salt intake.

IMP-GMP 5'-nucleotidase in reptiles: occurrence and tissue distribution in a crocodile and three species of lizards.

IMP-hydrolyzing activity (which is reactive with goose anti-pig lung IMP-GMP 5'-nucleotidase (c-N-II: EC.3.1.

IMP-GMP 5'-nucleotidase in reptiles: occurrence in a turtle, a tortoise and three species of snakes.

IMP-hydrolyzing activity, which is reactive with goose anti-pig lung IMP-GMP 5'-nucleotidase (c-N-II: EC.3.1.

The yeast ISN1 (YOR155c) gene encodes a new type of IMP-specific 5'-nucleotidase.

Background: The purine salvage enzyme inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP)-specific 5'-nucleotidase catalyzes degradation of IMP to inosine. Although this enzymatic activity has been purified and characterized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the gene encoding IMP 5'-nucleotidase had not been identified.

Results: Mass spectrometry analysis of several peptides of this enzyme purified from yeast allowed identification of the corresponding gene as YOR155c, an open reading frame of unknown function, renamed ISN1.

Occurrence of IMP-GMP 5'-nucleotidase in three fish species: a comparative study on Trachurus japonicus, Oncorhynchus masou masou and Triakis scyllium.

IMP-hydrolyzing activity, which is reactive with goose anti-pig lung IMP-GMP 5'-nucleotidase (EC.3.1.

Dietary sodium, an independent determinant for urinary deoxypyridinoline in elderly women. A cross-sectional study on the effect of dietary factors on deoxypyridinoline excretion in 24-h urine specimens from 763 free-living healthy Japanese.

Objective: To investigate the effect of sodium, protein and calcium in habitual diets on bone resorption.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Setting: A community-based study.

Low-frequency Raman spectra of lysozyme crystals and oriented DNA films: dynamics of crystal water.

We observed low-frequency Raman spectra of tetragonal lysozyme crystals and DNA films, with varying water content of the samples. The spectra are fitted well by sums of relaxation modes and damped harmonic oscillators in the region from approximately 1 cm(-1) to 250 cm(-1). The relaxation modes are due to crystal water, and the distribution of relaxation times is determined.

Dietary protein intake and urinary excretion of calcium: a cross-sectional study in a healthy Japanese population.

To evaluate whether habitual excess protein intake is a significant risk factor for calcium loss, we studied the relation between urinary excretion of calcium and protein intakes, in 349 male and 406 female Japanese aged 20-79 y. The subjects were apparently healthy, free-living, and consuming diets of their own choosing. We divided the subjects into two groups: those aged 20-49 y and those aged 50-79 y.

Sodium excretion in relation to calcium and hydroxyproline excretion in a healthy Japanese population.

To evaluate whether habitual excess sodium intake is a significant risk factor for calcium loss, we studied the relation between calcium excretion and sodium excretion in 410 male and 476 female Japanese aged 20-79 y. They were apparently healthy, free-living, and consuming diets of their own choosing. We divided the subjects into two groups: 20-49 y olds and 50-79 y olds.

Anthropometric characteristics of Japanese aged 0-59 years by analysis of a unified correlation matrix.

The correlation coefficient of each measured item pair for each partial group of similar-age, same-gender subjects is used to produce correlation coefficients for the entire subject group. Manipulation of the resulting equation yields a unified correlation matrix. Principal component analysis using this equation is applied to the anthropometric data of about 40,000 Japanese men and women 0-59 years old.