Relationship between RBC Mercury Levels and Serum n3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Concentrations among Japanese Men and Women

Aims. To evaluate potential health risk and benefits of fish consumption, the association of fish consumption with total mercury levels in red blood cells (RBCs) and serum eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentrations was examined. Subjects and Methods. Study subjects were 269 Japanese (98 men and 171 women) living in a remote island of Kagoshima, and their blood was drawn in 1994. Results. Total mercury levels were related to weekly fish consumption among women (P = 0.035) but not among men (P = 0.643). However, serum EPA levels were not related to fish consumption in both women and men. In contrast, EPA levels in the high-density ipoprotein (HDL) fraction of the sera were significantly related to fish consumption (P values for men and women were 0.014 and 0.073, resp.). Interestingly, mercury levels were related to serum EPA levels and EPA in the HDL fraction of the sera (P = 0.001) among women (P = 0.005) but not among men. Sex differences in fish species consumed may be an explanation for the observed sex difference. Conclusion. Those findings suggest that the health benefit of fish consumption can be maximized by the careful selection of fish species consumed

Thyroid nodule prevalence among young residents in the evacuation area after fukushima daiichi nuclear accident: Results of preliminary analysis using the official data

Introduction: The nuclear accidents at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant released more than 10 EBq (exabecquerel) of the radionuclides into the atmosphere. A primary health concern after the nuclear accident is the internal exposure of children to radioactive iodines, which are known to accumulate in the thyroid, and to cause neoplasm. Fortunately, studies conducted so far have shown that the thyroid doses from internal exposure to 131I were low, and therefore, any excess risk of thyroid cancer among residents is considered unlikely to be detected in the future. Data and Analysis: Approximately half a year after the accident, the Fukushima Health Management Survey was started. It includes the thyroid screening survey using ultrasonography and a program to estimate the individual radiation dose of residents and evacuees. Results and Discussions: The first-round thyroid survey, which was conducted during the period 2011–2013, covered 300,476 young residents, approximately 82% of residents eligible for the survey, and found thyroid nodules in 3990 examinees. The prevalence of nodules in the evacuation zone was similar to that in the nonevacuation zone. The second-round survey, which was conducted during the period 3–6 years after the accident, detected 3788 participants with thyroid nodules among 270,511 examinees (approximately 71% of eligible residents). The prevalence of thyroid nodules in the evacuation zone was significantly higher than that in the rest of area (relative risk = 1.32; 95% confidence interval = 1.19, 1.45). Conclusion: Further studies are necessary to evaluate the scientific significance of present findings

Avaliação antropométrica de crianças de 24-60 meses a partir do uso comparativo das referências de crescimento CDC 2000 e OMS 2005

Knowing the nutritional profile of children up to 60 months of age is essential to diagnose nutritional disorders. The benchmarks CDC/2000 and OMS/2005 are used to measure children's nutritional status. Our goal was to compare results of the evaluation of children 24 to 60 months of age from a Children's Education Center, using as references CDC (2000) and WHO (2005). We assessed sex, age, weight and height or length, and determined the percentiles and the classification of nutritional status for each benchmark. Statistical analysis was obtained for the reference values for each curve, given the statistical summaries and t test comparison of means. We observed a higher percentage of overweight (13.4%) and obesity (14.3%) with the curves of the CDC / OMS/2005, when compared to 2000, 18.7% overweight. There was no significant difference between the average of reference values obtained by CDC/2000 and second grades OMS/2005 for children of both sexes. Considering the above, we show that the curve CDC/2000 can detect children with nutritional disorders related to the curves of OMS/2005, although the comparison between the curves has not shown significant differences between the two standards.Determinar o perfil nutricional de crianças até 60 meses de idade é essencial para diagnosticar distúrbios nutricionais. Os referenciais CDC/2000 e OMS/2005 são utilizados para aferir o estado nutricional infantil. O objetivo do estudo foi comparar os resultados da avaliação de crianças de 24 a 60 meses de idades, de um Centro de Educação Infantil, a partir da utilização das referências CDC (2000) e OMS (2005). Foram obtidos os dados sobre sexo, idade, peso e estatura ou comprimento, e determinados os percentis e a classificação do estado nutricional para cada referencial. As analises estatísticas foram obtidos pelos valores de referência de cada curva, e com base nestes dados, determinados os resumos estatísticos e o teste t de comparação entre médias. Foi observada maior porcentagem de sobrepeso (13,4%) e obesidade (14,3%) pelas curvas da CDC/ 2000 quando comparado a OMS/2005, 18,7% de sobrepeso. Não houve diferença significante entre as médias de valores de referência obtidos pelas classificações segundo CDC/2000 e OMS/2005 para as crianças de ambos os sexos. Diante do exposto acima, mostraram que a curva CDC/2000 é capaz de detectar crianças com distúrbios nutricionais relacionada às curvas da OMS/2005. Apesar da comparação entre as curvas não ter evidenciado diferenças significativas entre os dois padrões

Dieta hiperlipídica com farinha de soja como fonte proteica: utilização na seleção de ratos propensos e resistentes à obesidade

OBJETIVO: Desenvolver uma dieta hiperlipídica de baixo custo, tendo farinha de soja como fonte proteica, que seja eficiente na seleção de ratos propensos e resistentes à obesidade e que permita alcançar fenótipo obeso nos animais propensos. Além desses requisitos, a dieta deve ser palatável e não rejeitada a curto prazo pelo animal. MÉTODOS: A dieta proposta foi obtida misturando-se leite condensado (15,5%), amendoim (18,5%), farinha de soja (20,0%), óleo de milho (6,0%), ração Bio Tec (30,0%) e bolacha wafer de chocolate (10,0%). A mistura foi peletizada e submetida à análise bromatológica. A dieta foi ofertada a ratos Wistar durante uma semana; posteriormente, os animais foram divididos em três grupos, de acordo com o ganho de peso. O terço superior foi considerado propenso à obesidade e o terço inferior, resistente à obesidade. Após 80 dias de oferta da dieta, os animais foram sacrificados e foram quantificados o peso corpóreo, consumo alimentar, gorduras retroperitoneal, periepididimal, de carcaça e gorduras totais. RESULTADOS: Verificou-se que a dieta apresentava 5,31kcal/g, com a seguinte composição: 22,3% de gordura, 22,2% de proteína, 15,9% de fibra, estimando-se 35,7% de carboidrato. Ratos propensos à obesidade, alimentados por 87 dias com a dieta hipercalórica, apresentaram peso corpóreo, gorduras retroperitoneal, periepididimal e totais significativamente maiores do que animais resistentes à obesidade (p<0,05). O consumo de alimentos também foi maior em animais propensos (p<0,05). Verificou-se também que a substituição da caseína pela farinha de soja, como componente proteico da ração, levou à diminuição de 96,0% no custo do estudo. CONCLUSÃO: A dieta formulada com farinha de soja apresentou custo reduzido e foi capaz de desenvolver o fenótipo obeso em ratos propensos, à semelhança do observado na literatura com outras dietas.OBJECTIVE: The objective was to develop a high-fat, low cost diet, using soybean meal as protein source. This diet should effectively discriminate between rats prone and resistant to obesity and allow the obese phenotype to be achieved in the animals that are prone to obesity. Furthermore, the diet must be palatable and not be rejected by the animal in the short run. METHODS: The chow was obtained by mixing the following ingredients: condensed milk (15.5%), peanuts (18.5%), soybean meal (20.0%), corn oil (6.0%), Bio Tec chow (30.0%) and chocolate wafer cookies (10.0%). In order to make it appropriate for rats, the mixture was pelleted and subjected to food analysis. The chow was offered to Wistar rats for a week. The animals were subsequently separated according to weight gained. The upper third group was considered prone to obesity and the lower third group was considered resistant to obesity. The animals were sacrificed 80 days later to determine body weight, food intake, retroperitoneal, periepididymal and carcass fats and total fats. RESULTS: Food analysis found that the chow had an energy density of 5.31 Kcal/g, 22.3% fat, 22.2% protein, 15.9% fiber and 35.7% carbohydrates. After being fed for 87 days with the high-fat diet, obesity-prone rats had higher body weight and retroperitoneal, periepididymal and total fats than obesity-resistant animals (p<0.05). Food intake was also higher among obesity-prone rats (p<0.05). The replacement of casein by soybean meal as protein source reduced the cost of the study by 96.0%. CONCLUSION: The substitution of casein by soybean meal in a high-fat diet allows cost reduction and the identification of obese-prone rats. Continuous use of this high-fat diet resulted in the development of the obese phenotype, as seen with other diets used in the literature

Effects of Lipooligosaccharide Inner Core Truncation on Bile Resistance and Chick Colonization by <em>Campylobacter jejuni</em>

<div><p><i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> is the most common bacterium that causes diarrhea worldwide, and chickens are considered the main reservoir of this pathogen. This study investigated the effects of serial truncation of lipooligosaccharide (LOS), a major component of the outer membrane of <i>C. jejuni</i>, on its bile resistance and intestinal colonization ability in chickens. Genes encoding <i>manno</i>-heptose synthetases or glycosyltransferases were inactivated to generate isogenic mutants. Serial truncation of the LOS core oligosaccharide caused a stepwise increase in susceptibilities of two <i>C. jejuni</i> strains, NCTC 11168 and 81-176, to bile acids. Inactivation of <i>hldE, hldD</i>, or <i>waaC</i> caused severe truncation of the core oligosaccharide, which greatly increased the susceptibility to bile acids. Both wild-type strains grew normally in chicken intestinal extracts, whereas the mutants with severe oligosaccharide truncation were not detected 12 h after inoculation. These mutants attained viable bacterial counts in the bile acid-free extracts 24 h after inoculation. The wild-type strain 11-164 was present in the cecal contents at >10⁷ CFU/g on 5 days after challenge infection and after this time period, whereas its <i>hldD</i> mutant was present at <10³ CFU/g throughout the experimental period. <i>Trans</i>-complementation of the <i>hldD</i> mutant with the wild-type <i>hldD</i> allele completely restored the <i>in vivo</i> colonization level to that of the wild-type strain. Mutants with a shorter LOS had higher hydrophobicities. Thus, the length of the LOS core oligosaccharide affected the surface hydrophobicity and bile resistance of <i>C. jejuni</i> as well as its ability to colonize chicken intestines.</p> </div

Hypothetical pathways of LOS biosynthesis in <i>C. jejuni</i> NCTC 11168 and 81-176.

<p>The enzymes are indicated by arrow boxes. Abbreviations: GalNAc, <i>N</i>-acetylgalactosamine; Neu5Ac, <i>N</i>-acetylneuraminic acid; Gal, galactose; Glc, glucose; Hep, heptose; P/<i>P</i>Etn, phosphate or pyrophosphoethanolamine; Kdo, 2-keto-3-deoxy-d-<i>manno</i>-octulosonic acid.</p