Markers for obese and non-obese Type 2 diabetes identified using whole blood metabolomics

Definitive differences in blood metabolite profiles between obese and non-obese Type 2 diabetes (T2D) have not been established. We performed an LC–MS-based non-targeted metabolomic analysis of whole blood samples collected from subjects classified into 4 types, based on the presence or absence of obesity and T2D. Of the 125 compounds identified, 20, comprising mainly nucleobases and glucose metabolites, showed significant increases or decreases in the T2D group. These included cytidine, UDP-glucuronate, UMP, 6-phosphogluconate, and pentose-phosphate. Among those 20 compounds, 11 enriched in red blood cells (RBCs) have rarely been studied in the context of diabetes, indicating that RBC metabolism is more extensively disrupted than previously known. Correlation analysis revealed that these T2D markers include 15 HbA1c-associated and 5 irrelevant compounds that may reflect diabetic conditions by a different mechanism than that of HbA1c. In the obese group, enhanced protein and fatty acid catabolism causes increases in 13 compounds, including methylated or acetylated amino acids and short-chain carnitines. Our study, which may be considered a pilot investigation, suggests that changes in blood metabolism due to obesity and diabetes are large, but essentially independent.journal articl

Integrated Evaluation of Soil Carbon Budget by Manure Application on Forage Production

Grasslands and forage crop fields produce forages and also have many services and functions such as repositories of biodiversity, climate regulation and soil conservation (Sala and Paruelo, 1997). Carbon budget is one of these important ecosystem services by high levels of carbon sequestration below ground (Hungate et al., 1997). Manure application increases carbon budget and also affects forage production, NO3- leaching to underground water and N2O emission to atmosphere. Integrated evaluation of these various environmental impacts is important to find optimum condition for forage production and environmental impacts. LIME2 (Life-cycle Impact assessment Method based on Endpoint modeling 2, Itsubo and Inaba, 2010) is one of the methods to evaluate environmental impacts and to integrate them into a single index of environmental damages with the unit of Japanese yen. By comparing this index to economic benefit of forage production, integrated evaluation of environmental damages and profit of farmers is achieved. In this study, the effects of manure application to forage production, carbon budget, NO3- leaching and N2O emission were evaluated and optimum level of manure application level was estimated with LIME2 integration factors