The usefulness of circulating adipokine levels for the assessment of obesity-related health problems

Because the prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically in recent years, one of the key targets of public health is obesity and its associated pathological conditions. Obesity occurs as a result of white adipose tissue enlargement, caused by adipocyte hyperplasia and/or hypertrophy. Recently, endocrine aspects of adipose tissue have become an active research area and these adipose tissue-derived factors are referred to as adipokines. These adipokines interact with a range of processes in many different organ systems and influence a various systemic phenomena. Therefore, dysregulated production of adipokines has been found to participate in the development of metabolic and vascular diseases related to obesity. The obese state is also known to be associated with increased local and systemic inflammation. Adipokines influence not only systemic insulin resistance and have pathophysiological roles in the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, but also contribute toward an increase in local and systemic inflammation. Thus, circulating levels of adipokines can be used as high-throughput biomarkers to assess the obesity-related health problems, including low grade inflammation. This review focuses on the usefulness of measuring circulating adipokine levels for the assessment of obesity-related health problems

Maternal dietary intake of fish and child neurodevelopment at 3 years: a nationwide birth cohort—The Japan Environment and Children's Study

BackgroundResults on the association between fish intake during pregnancy and a reduction in neurodevelopmental delays in children have been inconsistent, with some reports finding an association and others finding none. Because neurodevelopmental delays are more pronounced at the age of 3 years, their association needs to be examined at this age.MethodsAfter exclusion and multiple imputation from a dataset comprising 104,057 records from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, logistic regression analysis was conducted in quintiles to evaluate the association between maternal fish intake during pregnancy and child neurodevelopment at age 3 years in 91,909 mother–child pairs. The Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), validated in the Japan Public Health Center-Based Prospective Study for the Next Generation, was used to assess maternal fish intake during pregnancy. The Ages and Stages Questionnaires-3 was used to assess children's neurodevelopment in five domains: communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social.ResultsConsistently lower odds were found for the highest vs. lowest quintile for the domains of communication, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social but not gross motor skills, with adjusted odd ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 0.89 (0.80–0.998), 0.90 (0.83–0.97), 0.86 (0.80–0.94), 0.87 (0.77–0.98), and 1.04 (0.94–1.16), respectively. The trend for lower odds of symptoms of neurodevelopmental delays across quintiles of higher maternal fish intake were significant for fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social but not communication or gross motor.ConclusionsFish consumption during pregnancy may be associated with a reduced risk of neurodevelopmental delay in 3-year-olds, particularly in the fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social domains. Continued investigation after the age of 3 could further clarify the association

Melatonin sensitises shikonin-induced cancer cell death mediated by oxidative stress via inhibition of the SIRT3/SOD2-AKT pathway

Recent research suggests that melatonin (Mel), an endogenous hormone and natural supplement, possesses anti-proliferative effects and can sensitise cells to anti-cancer therapies. Although shikonin (SHK) also possesses potential anti-cancer properties, the poor solubility and severe systemic toxicity of this compound hinders its clinical usage. In this study, we combined Mel and SHK, a potentially promising chemotherapeutic drug combination, with the aim of reducing the toxicity of SHK and enhancing the overall anti-cancer effects. We demonstrate for the first time that Mel potentiates the cytotoxic effects of SHK on cancer cells by inducing oxidative stress via inhibition of the SIRT3/SOD2-AKT pathway. Particularly, Mel-SHK treatment induced oxidative stress, increased mitochondrial calcium accumulation and reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential in various cancer cells, leading to apoptosis. This drug combination also promoted endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, leading to AKT dephosphorylation. In HeLa cells, Mel-SHK treatment reduced SIRT3/SOD2 expression and SOD2 activity, while SIRT3 overexpression dramatically reduced Mel-SHK-induced oxidative stress, ER stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis. Hence, we propose the combination of Mel and SHK as a novel candidate chemotherapeutic regimen that targets the SIRT3/SOD2-AKT pathway in cancer

Impact of longer working hours on fathers’ parenting behavior when their infants are 6 months old: The Japan Environment and Children’s Study

ObjectiveLong working hours have been suggested to affect fathers’ parenting behavior, but previously reported findings have been inconsistent. This study examined the association between the working hours and parenting behavior of fathers while accounting for other factors related to their parenting behavior, using data from the Japan Environment and Children Study (JECS), a large cohort study in Japan.MethodsData from 43,159 father–mother pairs were analyzed. The mother assessed the father’s frequency of seven parenting behaviors at 6 months after delivery. Then, each behavior was classified into a high-engagement group (always and sometimes) or a low-engagement group (rarely and never). The father’s weekly working hours was obtained from his responses and was classified into six levels.ResultsLogistic regression analysis showed that after adjustment for covariates, fathers’ weekly working hours was inversely associated with the frequency of all parenting behaviors examined in this study (p for trend <0.0001). Compared with fathers working ≥0 to ≤40 h per week, those working >65 h per week showed the following adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for low engagement in parenting behaviors: playing at home, 2.38 (2.08–2.72); changing diapers, 2.04 (1.89–2.20); and bathing the child, 2.01 (1.84–2.18).ConclusionThis study suggests that the greater time constraints imposed by longer working hours constitute a major factor that discourages fathers from engaging in childrearing behavior. Intervention targeting long working hours could contribute to measures aimed at promoting high-engagement parenting behaviors among fathers

Effect of preterm birth on growth and cardiovascular disease risk at school age

Background.Low birth weight is associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in later life. However, whether premature birth is also a risk factor for CVD has not been fully determined. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between gestational age and risk factors for CVD at school age. Methods. Using medical checkup data of school children, the relationship between gestational age and height, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, and lipid profiles at ages 9 and 12 years were investigated in children born preterm and admitted to neonatal intensive care unit at birth (n=182; 115 boys and 67 girls). These data were also compared between preterm small for gestational age (SGA) children and preterm appropriate for gestational age (AGA) children.Results.Gestational age was positively associated with height, and inversely associated with systolic blood pressure at school age. Preterm SGA children were significantly shorter and lighter at 9 and 12 years of age compared with preterm AGA children. However, there were no significant differences in any CVD risk factors between the groups.Conclusions.In preterm infants, a shorter duration of gestation is associated with higher systolic blood pressure at school age

活性酸素の過剰生成とMAPKの活性化を介したバイカリンによる温熱誘発アポトーシスの増強

富山大学・富医薬博甲第311号・SHAHBAZ AHMAD ZAKKI・2019/09/27関連論文Zakki S, A, Cui Z, -G, Sun L, Feng Q, -W, Li M, -L, Inadera H: Baicalin Augments Hyperthermia-Induced Apoptosis in U937 Cells and Modulates the MAPK Pathway via ROS Generation. Cell Physiol Biochem 2018;45:2444-2460. doi: 10.1159/000488263The final, published version of this article is available at https://www.karger.com/?doi=10.1159/000488263富山大

Low-calorie sweetener d-psicose promotes hydrogen peroxide-mediated apoptosis in c2c12 myogenic cells favoring skeletal muscle cell injury

Diet and exercise are the most effective approaches used to induce weight loss. D-psicose is a low-calorie sweetener that has been shown to reduce weight in obese individuals. However, the effect of D-psicose on muscle cells under oxidative stress, which is produced during exercise, requires further investigation. The present study aimed to determine the effects of D-psicose on C2C12 myogenic cells in vitro. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was used to stimulate the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in muscle cells to mimic exercise conditions. Cell viability was analyzed using a MTT assay and flow cytometry was used to analyze the levels of apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), the generation of ROS and the cell cycle distribution following treatment. Furthermore, protein expression levels were analyzed using western blotting and cell proliferation was determined using a colony formation assay. The results of the present study revealed that D-psicose alone exerted no toxicity on C2C12 mouse myogenic cells. However, in the presence of low-dose (100 μM) H2O2-induced ROS, D-psicose induced C2C12 cell injury and significantly decreased C2C12 cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the levels of apoptosis and the generation of ROS increased, while the MMP decreased. MAPK family molecules were also activated in a dose-dependent manner following treatment. Notably, the combined treatment induced G2/M phase arrest and reduced the proliferation of C2C12 cells. In conclusion, the findings of the present study suggested that D-psicose may induce toxic effects on muscle cells in a simulated exercise situation by increasing ROS levels, activating the MAPK signaling pathway and disrupting the MMP.</p

産後うつとボンディングの関連の経産による変化: 子どもの健康と環境に関する全国調査からの経時的な結果より

富山大学・富医薬博乙77号・土田 暁子・2020/11/25関連論文Tsuchida A, Hamazaki K, Matsumura K, Miura K, Kasamatsu H, Inadera H; Japan Environment and Children\u27s Study (JECS) Group. Changes in the association between postpartum depression and mother-infant bonding by parity: Longitudinal results from the Japan Environment and Children\u27s Study. J Psychiatr Res. 2019 Mar;110:110-116. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.11.022. Epub 2018 Nov 28. PMID: 30616158.富山大