Indigo plant improves serum lipid profiles

We investigated the effects of Polygonum tinctorium Lour (PTL), a plant commonly known as indigo, on biological parameters in an animal model of high-fat diet-induced obesity. Wistar rats fed a high-fat diet and treated with PTL showed lower serum levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol levels and a higher serum levels of HDL cholesterol than those in Wistar rats fed a high-fat diet without PTL treatment. The weight of mesenteric fat in PTL-treated rats was decreased compared to that in control rats not treated with PTL. In addition, energy metabolic rate in the dark period, but not in the light period, in PTL-treated rats was higher than that in control rats. Although a significant difference was not observed, body weight in PTL-treated rats tended to be decreased compared to that in control rats. The results show that PTL improves serum lipid profiles in Wistar rats with high-fat diet-induced obesity

Relationship between Visual Acuity and Lifestyle: A Cross-Sectional Study in Japanese Children

Purpose: To evaluate poor visual acuity (PVA) prevalence and factors related to PVA, including parental myopia status and lifestyle, in primary school children. Methods: Of total 220 primary school children from grades 4–6 in Hiroshima, 184 (83.6%) were enrolled in the study. They were divided into non-PVA (both eyes’ acuities ≥ 1.0) and PVA (one or both eyes’ acuity < 1.0 and/or wearing spectacles) groups. Data on lifestyle activities were obtained using self-reported questionnaires regarding daily lifestyle, including the duration of watching TV, playing games, using a computer, studying, number of books read per month, and outdoor activities. Results: The total prevalence of PVA was 66.8%: 50.0% for grade 4, 71.4% for grade 5, and 74.6% for grade 6. In binary logistic regression models, children who had at least one parent with myopia showed greater PVA than those with parents without myopia (OR = 1.89; 95% CI, 1.14 to 3.15). In addition, weekend studying was significantly associated with PVA (OR = 1.48; 95% CI, 1.03 to 2.12), and the number of books read per month was associated with PVA (OR = 1.26, 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.51). Conclusions: This study confirmed a high PVA prevalence in primary school children, and that the rate of PVA increased with advancing grade. Parental myopia was associated with PVA, as were long studying time and a high number of books read per month

Integrated-gut-liver-on-a-chip platform as an in vitro human model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

非アルコール性脂肪性肝疾患を再現した腸・肝連結臓器チップの開発. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-04-07.Two-organ chip to answer fatty liver questions. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-04-07.Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) afflicts a significant percentage of the population; however, no effective treatments have yet been established because of the unsuitability of in vitro assays and animal experimental models. Here, we present an integrated-gut-liver-on-a-chip (iGLC) platform as an in vitro human model of the gut-liver axis (GLA) by co-culturing human gut and liver cell lines interconnected via microfluidics in a closed circulation loop, for the initiation and progression of NAFLD by treatment with free fatty acids (FFAs) for 1 and 7 days, respectively. Co-cultured Caco-2 gut-mimicking cells and HepG2 hepatocyte-like cells demonstrate the protective effects from apoptosis against FFAs treatment, whereas mono-cultured cells exhibit induced apoptosis. Phenotype and gene expression analyses reveal that the FFAs-treated gut and liver cells accumulated intracellular lipid droplets and show an increase in gene expression associated with a cellular response to copper ions and endoplasmic reticulum stress. As an in vitro human GLA model, the iGLC platform may serve as an alternative to animal experiments for investigating the mechanisms of NAFLD

各教科での学習と日常生活を健康増進に結び付けて深く学ばせる健康プログラムの有用性の検討 : 血圧に関する学習を通して

Th is study aimed to examine the depth of learning in health guidance through health guidance on blood pressure associated with each subject area. Health guidance was created in connection with the study of each subject area. Health Guidance I and II were conducted with junior high school students, and students' descriptions after the guidance were qualitatively analyzed. By using the extracted categories, each of the health guidance was evaluated. In Health Guidance I, questions about blood pressure itself and events that occur in daily life were described. In Health Guidance II, there were some description s that connected the content of health guidance to events that occur to them in their daily lives and some description that connected the content of health guidance to what they had already learned in science, home economics, and health and physical education. It was suggested that by relating the content to other subjects, health guidance could become a place to use knowledge of previously studied topics and deepen learning

Platinum-based anticancer drugs-induced downregulation of myosin heavy chain isoforms in skeletal muscle of mouse

Cisplatin, a platinum-based anticancer drug used frequently in cancer treatment, causes skeletal muscle atrophy. It was predicted that the proteolytic pathway is enhanced as the mechanism of this atrophy. Therefore, we investigated whether a platinum-based anticancer drug affects the expression of the major proteins of skeletal muscle, myosin heavy chain (MyHC). Mice were injected with cisplatin or oxaliplatin for four consecutive days. C2C12 myotubes were treated using cisplatin and oxaliplatin. Administration of platinum-based anticancer drug reduced quadriceps mass and muscle strength compared to the control group. Protein levels of all MyHC isoforms were reduced in the platinum-based anticancer drug groups. However, only Myh2 (MyHC-IIa) gene expression in skeletal muscle of mice treated with platinum-based anticancer drugs was found to be reduced. Treatment of C2C12 myotubes with platinum-based anticancer drugs reduced the protein levels of all MyHCs, and treatment with the proteasome inhibitor MG-132 restored this reduction. The expression of Mef2c, which was predicted to act upstream of Myh2, was reduced in the skeletal muscle of mice treated systemically with platinum-based anticancer drug. Degradation of skeletal muscle MyHCs by proteasomes may be a factor that plays an important role in muscle mass loss in platinum-based anticancer drug-induced muscle atrophy

Role of Cutaneous Aquaporins in the Development of Xeroderma in Type 2 Diabetes

Xeroderma is induced by diabetes, reducing patients&rsquo; quality of life. We aimed to clarify the roles of cutaneous water channel aquaporin-3 (AQP3) in diabetic xeroderma using type 2 diabetes model db/db mice. Blood glucose levels were unchanged in 5-week-old db/db mice compared to db/+ mice (control mice), but the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes was confirmed in 12-week-old db/db mice. The dermal water content and AQP3 expression in 5-week-old db/db mice were almost the same as those in the control mice. On the other hand, in 12-week-old db/db mice, the dermal water content and AQP3 expression were significantly decreased. The addition of glucose to HaCaT cells had no effect on AQP3, but tumor necrosis factor-&alpha; (TNF-&alpha;) decreased the AQP3 expression level. Blood TNF-&alpha; levels or skin inflammation markers in the 12-week-old db/db mice were significantly higher than those in control mice. AQP3 levels in the skin were decreased in type 2 diabetes, and this decrease in AQP3 may be one of the causes of xeroderma. Therefore, a substance that increases AQP3 may be useful for improving xeroderma. Additionally, a decrease in skin AQP3 may be triggered by inflammation. Therefore, anti-inflammatory drugs may be effective as new therapeutic agents for diabetic xerosis