THE POTENTIAL AND CHALLENGE OF HALAL FOODS IN JAPAN

In preparing for the Tokyo Olympic Games held in 2020, and in aiming to become a “Country Built on Tourism”, many travel facilities in Japan have started to provide halal foods and amenity goods, items that are permissible or lawful in Islamic law, Muslim prayer rooms, etc. in order to accommodate Muslim tourists. Many Japanese companies and municipalities are also interested in exporting their products from the Islamic area, and obtaining the certification of halal from some Islamic organizations. The process for acquiring halal certification is becoming complicated and expensive, so that many of companies and municipalities have abandoned it. There are about 110,000 Muslims in Japan. It is sometimes difficult for them to find halal foods and other goods, and the need for such items is typically addressed by a small halal industry. There is a “dualism” or lack of communication and collaboration between those organizations that are oriented to Muslim tourists and exports, and the small halal industries stated above. The present study also points out that many Japanese people mistakenly assume that halal foods are exclusively for Muslims. Halal foods, however, have potential for meeting the needs of non-Muslim Japanese consumers who are looking for safe and trustworthy foods

MHC class II DQB diversity in the Japanese black bear, Ursus thibetanus japonicus

BackgroundThe major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are one of the most important genetic systems in the vertebrate immune response. The diversity of MHC genes may directly influence the survival of individuals against infectious disease. However, there has been no investigation of MHC diversity in the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus). Here, we analyzed 270-bp nucleotide sequences of the entire exon 2 region of the MHC DQB gene by using 188 samples from the Japanese black bear (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) from 12 local populations. ResultsAmong 185 of 188 samples, we identified 44 MHC variants that encoded 31 different amino acid sequences (allotypes) and one putative. The phylogenetic analysis suggests that MHC variants detected from the Japanese black bear are derived from the DQB locus. One of the 31 DQB allotypes, Urth-DQB*01, was found to be common to all local populations. Moreover, this allotype was shared between the black bear on the Asian continent and the Japanese black bear, suggesting that Urth-DQB*01 might have been maintained in the ancestral black bear population for at least 300,000 years. Our findings, from calculating the ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous substitutions, indicate that balancing selection has maintained genetic variation of peptide-binding residues at the DQB locus of the Japanese black bear. From examination of genotype frequencies among local populations, we observed a considerably lower level of observed heterozygosity than expected. ConclusionsThe low level of observed heterozygosity suggests that genetic drift reduced DQB diversity in the Japanese black bear due to a bottleneck event at the population or species level. The decline of DQB diversity might have been accelerated by the loss of rare variants that have been maintained by negative frequency-dependent selection. Nevertheless, DQB diversity of the black bear appears to be relatively high compared with some other endangered mammalian species. This result suggests that the Japanese black bears may also retain more potential resistance against pathogens than other endangered mammalian species. To prevent further decline of potential resistance against pathogens, a conservation policy for the Japanese black bear should be designed to maintain MHC rare variants in each local population

Blood Rheology and Platelet Function in Untreated Early-Stage Essential Hypertensives Complicated with Metabolic Syndrome

We examined whether hemorheology and platelet function are affected in essential hypertensives (EHTs) of the World Health Organization stage I when complicated with metabolic syndrome (Mets). In 156 untreated EHTs, blood viscosity and platelet surface markers were determined. Blood viscosity was significantly elevated in 54 subjects with Mets compared with 102 subjects without Mets. Hematocrit and plasma viscosity increased in the group with Mets, although red blood cell rigidity index “k” did not differ between groups. As a whole group, blood viscosity correlated positively with hematocrit and plasma viscosity. Additionally, plasma viscosity correlated positively with plasma leptin, triglyceride, homeostasis model assessment index, C-reactive protein, and plasma fibrinogen, but negatively with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. In contrast, no differences were seen in platelet surface markers between groups. In conclusion, EHTs of the early stage complicated with Mets are characterized by increased blood viscosity due to hemoconcentration and increased plasma viscosity

Biological Differences Between. Polypoid and Nonpolypoid Growth Types of Colorectal Cancer

Background- Two distinct morphologic types of colorectal cancer have been described in recent studies: polypoid growth type (PG-type) and nonpolypoid growth type (NPG-type). Materials and Methods- We investigated possible biological and clinical differences between 37 PG-type and 156 NPGtype cancers using both univariate and multivariate analyses (logistic and Cox regression models). Results- Unlike NPG-type cancers, PG-type cancers had a high proportion of well-differentiated adenocarcinoma cells, a high likelihood of being early colorectal cancers (carcinoma in situ and cancer invades submucosa), and a low frequency of lymph node metastasis. On average, such PG-type cancers also carried a better prognosis than NPG-type cancers (P=0.01). In particular, PG-type cancer patients with stage IV tumors had a better prognosis than NPG-type cancer patients (P=0.02). In fact, after performing a Cox regression analysis, we found that colorectal cancer growth type is an independent prognostic variable, separate from histologic type or stage. Conclusions- PG-type colorectal cancer is less aggressive and has a favorable prognosis compared to NPG-type cancer

Prognostic Value of Circulating CA 19-9 in Colorectal Cancer Patients

Aims: We examined the preoperative serum levels of sialyl Lewisa (CA19-9) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in 262 colorectal cancer patients, in order to clarify whether or not the prognostic value of CA19-9 after curative surgery is superior to that of CEA. Patients and Methods: The patients were divided into two groups: low or high antigen groups (higher or lower than a selected diagnostic-based cut-off value). For evaluation of the prognostic value of CA19-9 and CEA, the disease-free interval was studied. Results: The disease-free interval of patients with a high serum levels of CA19-9 or CEA was significantly shorter than for those patients with a low serum level of the particular antigen (P<0.0001 and P=0.0009, respectively). The disease-free interval of patients with stage I/II tumors who had a high CA19-9 level was significantly shorter than in those patients with stage I/II tumors with low CA19-9 levels (P=0.0020). In contrast, the disease-free interval of patients with stage I/II tumors who had a low or high CEA level did not differ. Cox s regression analysis revealed that a high serum level of CA19-9 or CEA was an independent predictor for short disease-free interval after curative surgery, separate from stage (Hazard ratio=2.65 or 1.68, respectively, versus a low serum level of each respective antigen) . Conclusions: These data suggest that the preoperative serum level of CA19-9 was a stronger prognostic factor after curative surgery than CEA. Furthermore, in contrast to CEA, CA19-9 provides more prognostic information than that obtained by conventional staging methods in patients with stage I/II tumors