Evaluation of Palatability of Cooked Rice

Quality evaluations of rice in Japan are performed by sensory testing and physicochemical measurements. The former is a basic method that requires large amounts of samples and several panelists. The latter is an indirect method that estimates the eating quality based on the chemical composition, cooking quality, gelatinization properties, and physical properties of cooked rice. Satake Co Ltd. developed a taste analyzer in the 1980s that is equipped with a palatability estimation formula that was based on the combination of near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIR) and physicochemical measurements related with sensory test. A novel method to evaluate the quality of the cooked rice is necessary to breed high‐quality rice cultivars and to select the suitable rice for each consumer and each purpose. We try to develop the novel method to evaluate the rice quality using various kinds of apparatus, such as Tensipresser, RVA, NIR, and spectrophotometer. Simple, rapid, and accurate method to evaluate the quality of rice grains is very valuable. We evaluated 16 Japanese and Chinese rice cultivars in terms of their physicochemical properties. Based on these quality evaluations, we concluded that Chinese rice cultivars are characterized by a high protein and that the grain texture after cooking has higher hardness and lower stickiness than Japanese ones reflecting the difference in consumers’ preference. The relationship between the palatability of rice and agronomical condition to preserve the bio‐diversity for Crested Ibis was investigated. Furthermore, the quality of rice grown in Sado Island, Japan, was assayed using rice grains grown in mountainous areas and in the field areas as samples

FMD and eGFR Slope in Males and Females

Aims: It is known that there are sex differences in vascular endothelial function and the development of chronic kidney diseases; however, it remains unclear whether sex differences influence the association between vascular endothelial function and renal prognosis. Methods: To clarify the relationship between vascular endothelial function and longitudinal eGFR changes in male and female patients with cardiovascular risk factors, we retrospectively evaluated 341 patients (176 males and 165 females) with cardiovascular risk factors in whom vascular function was assessed by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and in whom 24-month longitudinal eGFR values were recorded after the vascular function examinations. Associations of values of FMD and baPWV with values of eGFR slope were statistically analyzed. Results: Simple regression analysis showed that the value of FMD was positively associated with eGFR slope in females (p=0.001) and non-smoking males (p=0.033) but not in smoking males. Multiple regression analysis showed that the value of FMD remains a positive contributor for eGFR slope in females (p=0.001) and non-smoking males (p=0.045) but not in smoking males. In contrast, values of baPWV had no significant association with eGFR slope regardless of sex and cigarette smoking. Conclusions: In individuals with cardiovascular risk factors, evaluation of vascular endothelial function enables prediction of renal prognosis in females and non-smoking males

Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Associations between Skin Autofluorescence and Tubular Injury Defined by Urinary Excretion of Liver-Type Fatty Acid-Binding Protein in People with Type 2 Diabetes

It has previously been unclear whether the accumulation of advanced glycation end products, which can be measured using skin autofluorescence (SAF), has a significant role in diabetic kidney disease (DKD), including glomerular injury and tubular injury. This study was therefore carried out to determine whether SAF correlates with the progression of DKD in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). In 350 Japanese people with T2D, SAF values were measured using an AGE Reader®, and both urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR), as a biomarker of glomerular injury, and urine liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (uLFABP)-to-creatinine ratio (uL-FABPCR), as a biomarker of tubular injury, were estimated as indices of the severity of DKD. Significant associations of SAF with uACR (p < 0.01), log-transformed uACR (p < 0.001), uL-FABPCR (p < 0.001), and log-transformed uL-FABPCR (p < 0.001) were found through a simple linear regression analysis. Although SAF was positively associated with increasing uL-FABPCR (p < 0.05) and increasing log-transformed uL-FABPCR (p < 0.05), SAF had no association with increasing uACR or log-transformed uACR after adjusting for clinical confounding factors. In addition, the annual change in SAF showed a significant positive correlation with annual change in uL-FABPCR regardless of confounding factors (p = 0.026). In conclusion, SAF is positively correlated with uL-FABP but not with uACR in people with T2D. Thus, there is a possibility that SAF can serve as a novel predictor for the development of diabetic tubular injury

Phase angle and extracellular water-to-total body water ratio estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis are associated with levels of hemoglobin and hematocrit in patients with diabetes

Background: Anemia is one of the common complications of diabetes and is associated with mortality. Phase angle (PhA), ratio of extracellular water to total body water (ECW/TBW) and skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) have been used as prognostic indicators for various chronic diseases and frailty. We aimed to clarify the clinical significance of PhA, ECW/TBW and SMI for anemia in patients with diabetes. Materials and methods: The values of PhA, ECW/TBW and SMI were estimated by a portable BIA device and blood samples were collected in 371 Japanese patients with diabetes. The relationships of PhA, ECW/TBW and SMI with hemoglobin (Hgb) and hematocrit (Hct) were statistically evaluated. Results: In simple linear regression analysis, PhA and SMI were positively correlated with Hgb and Hct levels in total subjects, male subjects and female subjects. In contrast, ECW/TBW was negatively correlated with Hgb and Hct levels regardless of sex. Multivariate regression analysis showed that both PhA and ECW/TBW but not SMI independently contributed to Hgb and Hct levels after adjustment of clinical confounding factors in both males and females. Conclusions: PhA and ECW/TBW but not SMI were associated with levels of Hgb and Hct in patients with diabetes. Therefore, aberrant values of PhA and ECW/TBW suggest a risk of anemia in diabetic patients

胃癌における免疫チェックポイント阻害薬の副作用と効果の関連性

Recently, immune checkpoint inhibitors（ICI）have been approved for use in advanced gastric cancer（AGC）based on the positive results of ATTRACTION‐２ trial in Japan. There has been accumulating evidence that the development of immune-related adverse events（irAE）may be associated with a response to ICI therapy, particularly in lung cancer, although little is known about these correlations in gastrointestinal cancer. To investigate the efficacy and irAE of ICI treatment and their correlation in AGC, we retrospectively examined ２９ patients with AGC who received nivolumab therapy in our departments. Among them, １５ patients（５２％）developed irAEs including ４ patients（１４％）for grade ３ irAEs ; liver dysfunction（n＝２）, type １ diabetes mellitus（n＝２） and adrenal insufficiency（n＝１）. The median overall survival was１２．０months in the irAE group and ３．２５ months in the non-irAE group（p＝０．１６４）, which suggested the relationship between the effects and irAEs in ICI treatment of AGC. Further research is required to understand the implications of irAE characteristics on ICI response in GCA patients

Current Performance and On-Going Improvements of the 8.2 m Subaru Telescope

An overview of the current status of the 8.2 m Subaru Telescope constructed and operated at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan is presented. The basic design concept and the verified performance of the telescope system are described. Also given are the status of the instrument package offered to the astronomical community, the status of operation, and some of the future plans. The status of the telescope reported in a number of SPIE papers as of the summer of 2002 are incorporated with some updates included as of 2004 February. However, readers are encouraged to check the most updated status of the telescope through the home page, http://subarutelescope.org/index.html, and/or the direct contact with the observatory staff.Comment: 18 pages (17 pages in published version), 29 figures (GIF format), This is the version before the galley proo