The niacin required for optimum growth can be synthesized from L-tryptophan in growing mice lacking tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase.

In mammals, nicotinamide (Nam) is biosynthesized from l-tryptophan (l-Trp). The enzymes involved in the initial step of the l-Trp→Nam pathway are l-Trp-2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) and indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). We aimed to determine whether tdo-knockout (tdo(-/-)) mice fed a diet without preformed niacin can synthesize enough Nam to sustain optimum growth.

Changes in B-group vitamin status in adenine-induced chronic renal failure rats.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of chronic renal failure (CRF) on B-group vitamin status using model rats in which adenine-induced CRF. We measured B-groups vitamins in the urine, blood, liver, and kidney. These results showed that renal failure affected the distribution, metabolism, and renal clearance of water-soluble vitamins, and that the effects were different with each vitamin.

Supplementing healthy women with up to 5.0 g/d of L-tryptophan has no adverse effects.

Because of the frequent use of L-tryptophan (L-Trp) in dietary supplements, determination of the no-observed-adverse-effect-level is desirable for public health purposes. We therefore assessed the no-observed-adverse-effect-level for L-Trp and attempted to identify a surrogate biomarker for excess L-Trp in healthy humans. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover intervention study was performed in 17 apparently healthy Japanese women aged 18-26 y with a BMI of ≈ 20 kg/m(2).

Pantothenic acid refeeding diminishes the liver, perinephrical fats, and plasma fats accumulated by pantothenic acid deficiency and/or ethanol consumption.

Objective: Pantothenic acid (PaA) is a vitamin that is an integral part of coenzyme A (CoA). CoA is an essential coenzyme in fat metabolism. The aim of this study was to determine whether PaA deficiency causes the accumulation of tissue fats and, if so, can refeeding of PaA decrease such accumulated fat.

Design and fabrication of an achromatic infrared wave plate with Sb-Ge-Sn-S system chalcogenide glass.

We designed and fabricated an achromatic infrared wave plate. To examine its phase retardation characteristics, the birefringence was calculated using the effective medium theory. A wave plate with a subwavelength grating was fabricated by direct imprint lithography on a low toxic chalcogenide glass (Sb-Ge-Sn-S system) based on calculated results.

Increased conversion of tryptophan to nicotinamide in rats by dietary valproate.

Valproic acid (VPA) is a short-chained, branched fatty acid that is widely used in humans as an anticonvulsant and mood stabilizer, and has been reported to increase the liver NAD concentration. We investigated the effects of VPA on the conversion of tryptophan to nicotinamide. Rats were fed diets containing various amounts of VPA (0, 0.

Glaucoma risk assessment based on clinical data and automated nerve fiber layer defects detection.

Glaucoma is the first leading cause of vision loss in Japan, thus developing a scheme for helping glaucoma diagnosis is important. For this problem, automated nerve fiber layer defects (NFLDs) detection method was proposed, but glaucoma risk assessment using this method was not evaluated. In this paper, computerized risk assessment for having glaucoma was attempted by use of the patients' clinical information, and the performances of the NFLDs detection and the glaucoma risk assessment were compared.

Urinary excretion of B-group vitamins reflects the nutritional status of B-group vitamins in rats.

We have reported previously that the urinary excretion of B-group vitamins reflects recent dietary intakes of these vitamins. We also proposed reference values for the urinary levels of B-group vitamins for human subjects, and used these for evaluating human nutritional status. However, the question arises as to whether the urinary excretion of B-group vitamins in animals or human subjects decreases immediately before they become B-group vitamin insufficient or when fed a diet low in vitamins.

Nutritional Status of Water-soluble Vitamins Did not Differ According to Intake Levels of Wheat and Wheat Alternatives and Rice and Rice Alternatives as a Staple Food in Pregnant Japanese Women.

The objective of this study was to investigate whether the intake level of a staple food influences the nutritional status of water-soluble vitamins in pregnant Japanese women. Urinary excretion of water-soluble vitamins was used as a biomarker for nutritional assessment. Twenty-four-hour urine samples were collected and vitamin intake was surveyed using a validated self-administered comprehensive diet history questionnaire.

Intake and urinary amounts of biotin in Japanese elementary school children, college students, and elderly persons.

Biotin enzymes such as pyruvate carboxylase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase are involved with the most basic metabolism. Thus, it is very important to monitor the biotin nutritional status for maintaining good health. We examined urinary excretion and the intake of biotin in a Japanese sample population of 60 boys and 36 girls (10-12 y), 37 male and 135 female college students (18-27 y), and 35 female elderly persons (70-84 y) living freely.

Fate of dietary tryptophan in young Japanese women.

The purpose of this study was to determine, using the high-performance liquid chromatographic methods recently modified by us, the fate of dietary tryptophan in 17 healthy female Japanese adults who ate self-selected food. The experimental period was 22 days. The habitual intake of tryptophan was 3328.

Establishment of true niacin deficiency in quinolinic acid phosphoribosyltransferase knockout mice.

Pyridine nucleotide coenzymes are involved in >500 enzyme reactions and are biosynthesized from the amino acid L-tryptophan (L-Trp) as well as the vitamin niacin. Hence, "true" niacin-deficient animals cannot be "created" using nutritional techniques. We wanted to establish a truly niacin-deficient model animal using a protocol that did not involve manipulating dietary L-Trp.

The metabolites in the tryptophan degradation pathway might be useful to determine the tolerable upper intake level of tryptophan intake in rats.

L-Tryptophan (L-Trp) is a rate-limiting amino acid for growth in people from underdeveloped countries. Because L-Trp is also a precursor to nicotinamide, administration of the free form of L-Trp is a very good method of preventing pellagra. Furthermore, L-Trp has shown some effectiveness for the treatment of a variety of other conditions typically associated with low serotonin levels in the brain.

Urinary excretion of water-soluble vitamins increases in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats without decreases in liver or blood vitamin content.

It is thought that the contents of water-soluble vitamins in the body are generally low in diabetic patients because large amounts of vitamins are excreted into urine. However, this hypothesis has not been confirmed. To investigate this hypothesis, diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats (6 wk old) by streptozotocin treatment, and they were then given diets containing low, medium or sufficient vitamins for 70 d.

A novel alkaline esterase from Sporosarcina sp. nov. strain eSP04 catalyzing the hydrolysis of a wide variety of aryl-carboxylic acid esters.

A novel esterase showing activity specific for esters of aryl-carboxylic acids was discovered in Sporosarcina sp. nov., which was identified by the 16S rDNA sequencing method in addition to morphological and physiological analyses.

Simultaneous high-performance liquid chromatography determination of coenzyme A, dephospho-coenzyme A, and acetyl-coenzyme A in normal and pantothenic acid-deficient rats.

We describe here a simultaneous high-performance liquid chromatography method for practical and rapid determination of coenzyme A (CoA), dephospho-CoA, and acetyl-CoA in tissues. These coenzymes are biosynthesized from the vitamin pantothenic acid (PaA), which is involved in the metabolism of fatty acids, amino acid catabolism, and several other nutrients. The method employed a Tosoh TSK-GEL ODS-100 V column (250×4.

Binding interactions of 1-naphthol with dissolved organic matter of Lake Biwa and treated sewage wastewater: The role of microbial fulvic acid.

The binding interactions of 1-naphthol with effluent and whole natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) samples were analyzed by using a fluorescence quenching technique. Nonfractionated DOM samples from Lake Biwa (Japan), creek water, treated sewage effluents, and an extracted Lake Biwa fulvic acid (LBFA) standard were used as quenchers and compared at the same 1-naphthol with DOM organic carbon ratios found for low natural dissolved organic carbon (DOC) levels (∼4.5 mg/L).

Taxonomic revision of three species of the genus Genarchopsis (Digenea: Hemiuroidea: Derogenidae) in Japan by molecular phylogenetic analyses.

The taxonomic status of three nominal species of Genarchopsis (G. goppo Ozaki, 1925; G. gigi Yamaguti 1939; and G.

The shoot is important for high-affinity nitrate uptake in Egeria densa, a submerged vascular plant.

To understand the mechanisms of nitrate uptake by submerged vascular plants, a cDNA for a high-affinity nitrate transporter, NRT2, was isolated from Egeria densa, a submerged monocot. The deduced EdNRT2 protein was similar to the proteins of a conserved NRT2 group in higher plants. Real-time reverse transcription-PCR analysis revealed that after feeding whole plants with 0.

A calmodulin inhibitor, W-7 influences the effect of cyclic adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate signaling on ligninolytic enzyme gene expression in Phanerochaete chrysosporium.

The capacity of white-rot fungi to degrade wood lignin may be highly applicable to the development of novel bioreactor systems, but the mechanisms underlying this function are not yet fully understood. Lignin peroxidase (LiP) and manganese peroxidase (MnP), which are thought to be very important for the ligninolytic property, demonstrated increased activity in Phanerochaete chrysosporium RP-78 (FGSC #9002, ATCC MYA-4764™) cultures following exposure to 5 mM cyclic adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate (cAMP) and 500 μM 3'-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis revealed that transcription of most LiP and MnP isozyme genes was statistically significantly upregulated in the presence of the cAMP and IBMX compared to the untreated condition.

Automatic measurement of cup to disc ratio based on line profile analysis in retinal images.

Retinal image examination is useful for early detection of glaucoma, which is a leading cause of permanent blindness. In order to evaluate the presence of glaucoma, ophthalmologists may determine the cup and disc areas and diagnose glaucoma using a vertical cup-to-disc ratio. However, determination of the cup area based on computation algorithm is very difficult, thus we propose a method to measure the cup-to-disc ratio using a vertical profile on the optic disc.

The urinary excretory ratio of nicotinamide catabolites was associated with the conversion ratio of tryptophan to nicotinamide in growing rats fed a niacin-free 20% casein diet.

Weaning rats were fed a niacin-free 20% casein diet. Twenty-four-h-urine samples were collected, and nicotinamide and its catabolites were measured. A correlation was found between the urinary excretory ratio of nicotinamide catabolites (N(1)-methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide + N(1)-methyl-4-pyridone-3-carboxamide)/N(1)-methylnicotinamide and the tryptophan-nicotinamide conversion ratio during growing period of the rats.

Molecular identification of larval bucephalids, Prosorhynchoides ozakii and Parabucephalopsis parasiluri , infecting the golden mussel, Limnoperna fortunei , by PCR-RFLP.

A polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique was developed for the molecular identification of 2 introduced bucephalid trematodes, Prosorhynchoides ozakii and Parabucephalopsis parasiluri . The method was applied for sporocysts and cercariae obtained from the golden mussel Limnoperna fortunei collected in the Uji River, Japan. The PCR-RFLP method showed that L.

Association between 24 hour urinary α-tocopherol catabolite, 2,5,7,8-tetramethyl-2(2'-carboxyethyl)-6-hydroxychroman (α-CEHC) and α-tocopherol intake in intervention and cross-sectional studies.

The objective is to determine the association between the 24 hour urinary α-tocopherol catabolite, 2,5,7,8-tetramethyl-2(2'-carboxyethyl)-6-hydroxychroman (α-CEHC) and α-tocopherol intake in an intervention and a cross-sectional studies. In the 4-weeks intervention study, Japanese men (n = 10) consumed the test diet in week 1, and the test diet plus varying amounts of α-tocopherol in the three subsequent weeks: 21 μmol/d α-tocopherol in week 2, 63 μmol/d in week 3, and 125 μmol/d in week 4. A significant association between α-tocopherol intake and urinary α-CEHC was observed in this strictly controlled experiment (r = 0.