Observation reports of acid rain collected on Mt. Tateyama (2018)

Acid rain observations were done at 10 observation points from Katsuradai (660 m a. s. l.) to Murodo-daira (2450 m a. s. l.) in Mt. Tateyama and Toyama Science Museum in Toyama city. Some rain collectors set at Mt. Tateyama had been turned over by the strong wind of the typhoon during observation periods in 2018. Precipitations were increased with the rise in altitude (altitude effect). Concentrations of nitrate ions were decreased with the rise in altitude (altitude effect). However, it was observed during July to September that concentrations of non-sea salt sulfate ion increased with rise in altitude. Concentrations of ammonium ions at observation points of Mt. Tateyama were fluctuated in July and August though that concentrations showed altitude effect like as nitrate ion in September and October. These phenomena were similar to observations in 2017. Value of pH was the lowest at observation point of Murodou-daira in July and August. It was considered that the lowest pH at Murodou-daira was due to transported acidic constituent from the Asian Continent, because nitrate contribution ratio was the lowest. Number concentrations of suspended particles in precipitation collected at Oiwake (1800 m a. s. l.) from 18 to 29, August were the highest from other observation points, and sample water seemed pale yellow. These particles might be due to the Asian dust

Effects of eicosapentaenoic acid intake on denervation-induced mitochondrial adaptation in mouse skeletal muscle

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid that is abundant in fish oil, and has anti-inflammatory or anti-obesity effects. However, the effects of EPA supplementation on mitochondrial content and dynamics (fusion and fission) in skeletal muscle has not been elucidated. We investigated the effects of EPA intake for 4 weeks on denervation-induced mitochondrial adaptation in mice skeletal muscle. ICR mice (male, 8 weeks old) were daily administrated olive oil (control) or EPA at a dose of 300 mg/kg body weight by gavage for 4 weeks. After 2 weeks of oil intake, mice underwent unilateral sciatic nerve transection surgery. The hindlimb without surgery served as the sham-operated control. Body and skeletal muscle weights did not differ between the control and the EPA groups. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α) and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) proteins were significantly decreased by denervation surgery. Denervation also induced the reduction of mitochondrial fusion molecules and the increase of mitochondrial fission molecules. Expression levels of PGC-1α and mitochondrial respiration protein MTCO1 were higher in the EPA group than in the control (olive oil) group. In addition, the EPA group contained higher levels of mitochondrial fusion protein OPA1. Our results suggest that EPA intake prevents the reduction of mitochondrial content and fusion proteins in denervated skeletal muscle

Effects of eicosapentaenoic acid intake on denervation-induced mitochondrial adaptation in mouse skeletal muscle

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid that is abundant in fish oil, and has anti-inflammatory or anti-obesity effects. However, the effects of EPA supplementation on mitochondrial content and dynamics (fusion and fission) in skeletal muscle has not been elucidated. We investigated the effects of EPA intake for 4 weeks on denervation-induced mitochondrial adaptation in mice skeletal muscle. ICR mice (male, 8 weeks old) were daily administrated olive oil (control) or EPA at a dose of 300 mg/kg body weight by gavage for 4 weeks. After 2 weeks of oil intake, mice underwent unilateral sciatic nerve transection surgery. The hindlimb without surgery served as the sham-operated control. Body and skeletal muscle weights did not differ between the control and the EPA groups. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α) and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) proteins were significantly decreased by denervation surgery. Denervation also induced the reduction of mitochondrial fusion molecules and the increase of mitochondrial fission molecules. Expression levels of PGC-1α and mitochondrial respiration protein MTCO1 were higher in the EPA group than in the control (olive oil) group. In addition, the EPA group contained higher levels of mitochondrial fusion protein OPA1. Our results suggest that EPA intake prevents the reduction of mitochondrial content and fusion proteins in denervated skeletal muscle

Additional file 1: Table S1. of Comprehensive analysis of the fecal microbiota of healthy Japanese adults reveals a new bacterial lineage associated with a phenotype characterized by a high frequency of bowel movements and a lean body type

English translation of the lifestyle questionnaire and the scoring system used for each question. Table S2. Subject characteristics and the results of the Illumina sequencing. Table S3. Operational taxonomic unit table for the whole subjects (% in whole reads). Table S4. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) results and representative sequences for the operational taxonomic units. Table S5. Abundance and prevalence of the 66 identified bacterial families and alpha-diversity scores stratified by area of residence. Table S6. Abundance and prevalence of the 66 identified bacterial families and alpha-diversity scores stratified by gender. Table S7. Abundance and prevalence of the 66 identified bacterial families and alpha-diversity scores in the two clusters identified in the male subjects. Table S8. Raw questionnaire data. Table S9. Questionnaire scores stratified by area of residence. Table S10. Questionnaire scores stratified by gender. Table S11. Questionnaire scores in the two clusters identified in the male subjects. Table S12. Detailed Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) search results for the operational taxonomic units shown in Table 8. Table S13. Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Ecology (QIIME) bioinformatics pipeline scripts used in the present study. (XLSX 8232 kb

Anatomical contribution of the orbicularis oculi (OOc) to the zygomaticus major (Zmj).

(A) Superficial fibers of the orbital OOc extended directly to the Zmj. These muscle fibers (arrowheads) comprised the upper Zmj. (B) Superficial fibers of the orbital OOc extended to the zygomaticus minor (Zmi) and their small portion (arrowheads) joined to the upper Zmj fibers. (C) No connection was observed between the OOc and Zmj. (TIF)</p

Additional file 3: Figure S1. of Comprehensive analysis of the fecal microbiota of healthy Japanese adults reveals a new bacterial lineage associated with a phenotype characterized by a high frequency of bowel movements and a lean body type

Distribution of subjects’ genders stratified by area of residence. Gender ratios of female to male represent in brackets. Among the areas sharing the same letter above their bar graphs, significant difference was not observed (P ≥ 0.05) in the gender ratio. (PPTX 144 kb

Indium for Deep-Ultraviolet Surface-Enhanced Resonance Raman Scattering

The dielectric constant of indium in the deep-ultraviolet (DUV) region satisfies the conditions for localized surface plasmon resonance with low absorption loss. We report that indium acts as an agent of efficient surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) in the DUV. Indium-coated SERRS substrates were prepared by depositing indium on fused silica glass substrates with control of the deposition thickness to tailor the plasmon resonance in the DUV. With excitation at 266 nm, SERRS was observed from thin adenine films deposited on the indium-coated substrates, and the signal intensity was up to 11 times higher than that of a bare fused silica glass substrate. FDTD calculations showed that an enhanced electromagnetic field can be locally generated on the indium-coated substrates. Considering the volume of the enhanced field region in the excitation spot, we estimated the average enhancement factor to be 10² or higher. Our results indicate that indium is a promising and easy-to-use metal for efficiently exciting DUV-SERRS of samples containing a small number of molecules

Details of body donors with regard to cause of death and collection period.

Details of body donors with regard to cause of death and collection period.</p

MRI reveals menstrually-related muscle edema that negatively affects athletic agility in young women

<div><p>Context</p><p>About 10% of Japanese female athletes are afflicted by menstrually-related edema, mainly in the lower limbs, and, with few studies on this problem, the effect on performance remains unclear.</p><p>Objective</p><p>To quantitatively evaluate fluid retention in the calf in female students over their menstrual cycle using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to determine the relationship of MRI changes and athletic performance.</p><p>Design</p><p>The menstrual cycle was divided into 5 phases: menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, early luteal, and late luteal with sampling done in either morning (AM) or afternoon (PM) sessions. At each phase, MRI of the calf (7:00–8:00, 14:00–16:00), body composition and hormones (7:00–8:00), and athletic performance (14:00–16:00) were evaluated.</p><p>Participants</p><p>13 adult healthy Japanese female students with eumenorrhea.</p><p>Results</p><p>Estradiol levels decreased significantly in the menstrual phase and the follicular phase compared to the early luteal phase (<i>P</i> = 0.001, <i>P</i> = 0.024 respectively). Menstrual phase estradiol levels were significantly lower compared to the ovulatory phase (<i>P</i> = 0.015), and the late luteal phase (<i>P</i> = 0.003). Progesterone levels decreased significantly in the menstrual phase and the follicular phase compared to the ovulatory phase (<i>P</i> = 0.012, <i>P</i> = 0.009 respectively), the early luteal phase (both <i>P</i> = 0.007), and the late luteal phase (<i>P</i> = 0.028, <i>P</i> = 0.029 respectively), and it along with a significant decrease in the ovulatory phase compared to the early luteal phase (<i>P</i> = 0.010). AM T2 signals were significantly lower in the menstrual phase compared to the ovulatory phase (<i>P</i> = 0.043) but not other phases. PM T2 signals increased significantly in the menstrual phase compared to the follicular phase (<i>P</i> = 0.003), ovulatory phase (<i>P</i> = 0.009), and the late luteal phase (<i>P</i> = 0.032), and the difference between the AM and PM values increased significantly in the menstrual phase compared to the other 4 phases (<i>P</i><0.01). A negative correlation between fluid retention and agility was observed.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>In female students fluid retention during the menstrual phase could be a factor that influences athletic agility.</p></div

Data_Sheet_1_Lactobacillus plantarum TWK10 Attenuates Aging-Associated Muscle Weakness, Bone Loss, and Cognitive Impairment by Modulating the Gut Microbiome in Mice.PDF

In humans, aging is characterized by the progressive decline in biological, physiological, and psychological functions, and is a major risk factor in the development of chronic diseases. Therefore, the development of strategies aimed at attenuating aging-related disorders and promoting healthy aging is critical. In a previous study, we have demonstrated that Lactobacillus plantarum TWK10 (TWK10), a probiotic strain isolated from Taiwanese pickled cabbage, improved muscle strength, exercise endurance, and overall body composition in healthy humans. In this study, the effect of TWK10 on the progression of age-related impairments was investigated in mice. We found that TWK10 not only enhanced muscle strength in young mice, but also prevented the aging-related loss of muscle strength in aged mice, which was accompanied by elevated muscle glycogen levels. Furthermore, TWK10 attenuated the aging-associated decline in learning and memory abilities, as well as bone mass. Further analyses of gut microbiota using next-generation sequencing (NGS) of the 16S rRNA gene showed that the pattern of gut microbial composition was clearly altered following 8 weeks of TWK10 administration. TWK10-treated mice also experienced an increase in short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria and higher overall levels of gut SCFA. Furthermore, TWK10 administration to some extent reversed the aging-associated accumulation of pathogenic bacterial taxa. In conclusion, TWK10 could be viewed as a potential therapeutic agent that attenuates aging-related disorders and provides health benefits by modulating the imbalance of gut microbiota.</p