Association between body mass index and chronic kidney disease: A population-based, cross-sectional study of a Japanese community

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has recently been recognized as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, while the mechanism by which CKD develops remained to be clarified. In the present study, we conducted a cross-sectional, community-based study to identify the factor(s) associated with CKD. We examined 1978 local residents of the Kiyotake area of Japan (697 males and 1281 females; age, 60.8 ± 11.0 years; mean ± SD), who had an annual health check-up. Diagnosis of CKD was made based on dipstick proteinuria of +1 or higher, or on a reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimated from serum creatinine level to less than 60 ml/min/1.73 m2. Body mass index (BMI) and prevalence of obesity in the residents with CKD were found to be higher than in those without CKD in both genders. When compared with the residents without CKD, the ratios of residents taking antihypertensive medicines were higher in both genders, and the blood pressure and fasting blood glucose levels of males and the triglyceride level of females were elevated in those with CKD. These parameters or factors were found to be significant for CKD by a univariate logistic analysis. We further analyzed the data with a multivariate logistic method using age, BMI, antihypertensive and antidyslipidemic medicines, blood pressure, serum lipid and glucose as independent covariates, and found that BMI was a significant parameter independently correlated with CKD in both genders. Thus, increased BMI is associated with CKD independently of blood pressure, serum lipid and glucose levels in the general population

The Effects of Restricting Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Fertilizers on Erianthus (\u3cem\u3eErianthus arundinaceus\u3c/em\u3e) Growth and Nutrient Contents

Low inputs and sustainability are the major concerns in bioenergy crop production (Reijnders 2006). Erianthus spp. is a relative of sugarcane and is a perennial crop with high dry matter production (Matsuo et al. 2003). It is expected to become a cellulosic bioenergy crop. However, its fertilizer requirements are still unknown because erianthus has a highly developed root system (Matsuo et al. 2003), and appears to absorb nutrients from the subsoil layer, which is hardly used by other crops. Therefore, it is necessary to experimentally restrict fertilizer application and maintain the rhizosphere to clarify the fertilizer requirements. In this study, we grew Erianthus (Erianthus arundinaceus) in pots and restricted nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilizer application to evaluate the fertilizer requirements

Small intestinal development in suckling rats after enteral obestatin administration

This study investigated the effect of enteral administration of obestatin on the development of small intestine, as well as oxidative stress markers and trancriptomic profile of gastrointestinal genes. Suckling rats were assigned to 3 groups treated with: C-saline solution; OL-obestatin (125 nmol/kg BW); OH-obestatin (250 nmol/kg BW) administered twice daily, from the 14th to the 21st day of life. Enteral administration of obestatin in both studied doses had no effect neither on the body weight of animals nor the BMI calculated in the day of euthanasia. Compared to the control group (C), treatment with obestatin resulted in significant changes in the histometry of the small intestinal wall as well as intestinal epithelial cell remodeling. The observed changes and their possible implications for intestinal development were dependent on the dosage of peptide. The enteral administration of high dose (OH) of obestatin significantly decreased its expression in the stomach and increased markers of oxidative stress. The gene profile revealed MAPK3 (mitogen-activated protein kinase-3) as the key regulator gene for obestatin action in the gastrointestinal track. In conclusion, we have showed that enteral administration of obestatin influences the gut mucosa remodeling. It is also suggested that the administration of high dose (OH) has inhibitory effect on the intestinal maturation of suckling rats

Neural Correlates of Attitude Change Following Positive and Negative Advertisements

Understanding changes in attitudes towards others is critical to understanding human behaviour. Neuropolitical studies have found that the activation of emotion-related areas in the brain is linked to resilient political preferences, and neuroeconomic research has analysed the neural correlates of social preferences that favour or oppose consideration of intrinsic rewards. This study aims to identify the neural correlates in the prefrontal cortices of changes in political attitudes toward others that are linked to social cognition. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments have presented videos from previous electoral campaigns and television commercials for major cola brands and then used the subjects' self-rated affinity toward political candidates as behavioural indicators. After viewing negative campaign videos, subjects showing stronger fMRI activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex lowered their ratings of the candidate they originally supported more than did those with smaller fMRI signal changes in the same region. Subjects showing stronger activation in the medial prefrontal cortex tended to increase their ratings more than did those with less activation. The same regions were not activated by viewing negative advertisements for cola. Correlations between the self-rated values and the neural signal changes underscore the metric representation of observed decisions (i.e., whether to support or not) in the brain. This indicates that neurometric analysis may contribute to the exploration of the neural correlates of daily social behaviour

Ghrelin, Des-Acyl Ghrelin, and Obestatin: Regulatory Roles on the Gastrointestinal Motility

Ghrelin, des-acyl ghrelin, and obestatin are derived from a common prohormone, preproghrelin by posttranslational processing, originating from endocrine cells in the stomach. To examine the regulatory roles of these peptides, we applied the manometric measurement of gastrointestinal motility in freely moving conscious rat or mouse model. Ghrelin exerts stimulatory effects on the motility of antrum and duodenum in both fed and fasted state of animals. Des-acyl ghrelin exerts inhibitory effects on the motility of antrum but not on the motility of duodenum in the fasted state of animals. Obestatin exerts inhibitory effects on the motility of antrum and duodenum in the fed state but not in the fasted state of animals. NPY Y2 and Y4 receptors in the brain may mediate the action of ghrelin, CRF type 2 receptor in the brain may mediate the action of des-acyl ghrelin, whereas CRF type 1 and type 2 receptors in the brain may mediate the action of obestatin. Vagal afferent pathways might be involved in the action of ghrelin, but not involved in the action of des-acyl ghrelin, whereas vagal afferent pathways might be partially involved in the action of obestatin

A Study on an Evaluation Method of an Investment of a Firm for SDGs using the Balanced Scorecard

The United Nations launched the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets. The SDGs will allow leading companies to demonstrate how their businesses help advance sustainable development, both by minimizing negative impacts and maximizing positive impacts on people and the planet. In general project analysis, the Net Present Value (NPV) is often used. NPV predicts future cash flow for around five years. In contrast, the long-term uncertainty due to global warming must be considered in the time horizons of 50-100 years. Furthermore, analyzing the effects of global warming, qualitative factors such as good corporate image should be evaluated. These factors must be expressed in monetary value. According to the one of the worldʼ s largest pension funds, CalPERS, a pioneer investor and signatory of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), the asset owner can derive benefit by reducing risks (climate change, customs and practices) in sustainability. We can understand theoretically that risk management provides benefits but to evaluate such benefits using the NPV method will not be easy. Therefore, we will examine the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) as an evaluation method model to include SDGs as part of a firmʼs core business. The Model can incorporate action towards SDGs into the BSC using the SDGs investment strategy plan listed in UNCTAD (2014). Since SDGs strategy plans predict long-term events for the company, the model integrates the SDGs with management policy from the outside of the firmʼs short-term action plan. This paper focuses on the gap existing between action plan and investment in SDGs. The study concludes that a companyʼs strategy should integrate long-term strategy and short-term strategic objectives using the BSC to cancel the gap. The evaluation method using the BSC may contribute to the promotion of SDGs investment

HSP70 and HSP90 Differentially Regulate Translocation of Extracellular Antigen to the Cytosol for Cross-Presentation

Antigens (Ag) from cancer or virus-infected cells must be internalized by dendritic cells (DCs) to be presented to CD8+ T cells, which eventually differentiate into Ag-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) that destroy cancer cells and infected cells. This pathway is termed cross-presentation and is also implicated as an essential step in triggering autoimmune diseases such as Type I diabetes. Internalized Ag locates within endosomes, followed by translocation through a putative pore structure spanning endosomal membranes into the cytosol, where it is degraded by the proteasome to generate antigen peptides. During translocation, Ag is believed to be unfolded since the pore size is too narrow to accept native Ag structure. Here, we show that paraformaldehyde-fixed, structurally inflexible Ag is less efficient in cross-presentation because of diminished translocation into the cytosol, supporting the “unfolded Ag” theory. We also show that HSP70 inhibitors block both endogenous and cross-presentation. ImageStream analysis revealed that the inhibition in cross-presentation is not due to blocking of Ag translocation because a HSP70 inhibitor rather facilitates the translocation, which is in marked contrast to the effect of an HSP90 inhibitor that blocks Ag translocation. Our results indicate that Ag translocation to the cytosol in cross-presentation is differentially regulated by HSP70 and HSP90