Distinct effects of anterior pyriform cortex and the lateral hypothalamus lesions on protein intake in rats

Several specific locations in brain, including pyriform cortex and hypothalamus, are associated with regulation of food intake. Although lesions of these locations significantly alter food intake, their involvement in the selection of macronutrients is not well characterized. In this study, we examined distinct effects of anterior pyriform cortex (APC) and lateral hypothalamus (LH) lesions on protein intake in rats. The APC or LH of male adult rats were lesioned by treatment with kainic acid, and the rats were then given free access to two kinds of casein diets containing high (60%) and low (5%) protein. Total energy content of these diets was kept constant by changing the carbohydrate content. Following the APC lesions, body weight and food intake decreased, but returned to control levels on day 13 and day 4, respectively. APC lesions did not change the ratio of protein intake. In contrast, LH lesions disturbed body weight gain and the selection of a high protein diet for at least two weeks, although food intake returned to control levels by day 2. Our results suggest that LH, but not APC, may play an important role in the selection of protein intake in rats

Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Occupation-Based Occupational Therapy Using the Aid for Decision Making in Occupation Choice (ADOC) for Older Residents: Pilot Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND:Care-home residents are mostly inactive, have little interaction with staff, and are dependent on staff to engage in daily occupations. We recently developed an iPad application called the Aid for Decision-making in Occupation Choice (ADOC) to promote shared decision-making in activities and occupation-based goal setting by choosing from illustrations describing daily activities. This study aimed to evaluate if interventions based on occupation-based goal setting using the ADOC could focus on meaningful activities to improve quality of life and independent activities of daily living, with greater cost-effectiveness than an impairment-based approach as well as to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a large cluster, randomized controlled trial. METHOD:In this single (assessor)-blind pilot cluster randomized controlled trial, the intervention group (ADOC group) received occupational therapy based on occupation-based goal setting using the ADOC, and the interventions were focused on meaningful occupations. The control group underwent an impairment-based approach focused on restoring capacities, without goal setting tools. In both groups, the 20-minute individualized intervention sessions were conducted twice a week for 4 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Short Form-36 (SF-36) score, SF-6D utility score, quality adjusted life years (QALY), Barthel Index, and total care cost. RESULTS:We randomized and analyzed 12 facilities (44 participants, 18.5% drop-out rate), with 6 facilities each allocated to the ADOC (n = 23) and control (n = 21) groups. After the 4-month intervention, the ADOC group had a significantly greater change in the BI score, with improved scores (P = 0.027, 95% CI 0.41 to 6.87, intracluster correlation coefficient = 0.14). No other outcome was significantly different. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, calculated using the change in BI score, was $63.1. CONCLUSION:The results suggest that occupational therapy using the ADOC for older residents might be effective and cost-effective. We also found that conducting an RCT in the occupational therapy setting is feasible. TRIAL REGISTRATION:UMIN Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000012994

Utilization of Akinowasuregusa (Hemerocallis fulva L. var. sempervirona M. Hotta) in Gyozen Honzo Nakagusuku-bon

ハワイ大学マノア校ハミルトン図書館、坂巻・宝玲(ホーレー)文庫にて調査を行い、沖縄の古い食療書『御膳本草』(渡嘉敷親雲上通寛、1832)中城本に記載されている「くわんそう」の効用について調べた。その中で、「黄疸を除ける」「久しく食へば身を軽くして目あきらかなる」という記述に着目し、花のカテロイドを測定したところ、クリプトキサンチンとβ-カロテン高含量が確認された。花16g入りのスープを2週間連続して摂取した1名の被験者の血液において、β-クリプトキサンチンとβ-カロテンの濃度ではなく、ビタミンAと総抗酸化能が増加した

Number and type of goals set in both groups.

<p>Number and type of goals set in both groups.</p

Main outcomes following occupational therapy interventions lasting 4 months in older adults of geriatric health service facilities.

<p>Main outcomes following occupational therapy interventions lasting 4 months in older adults of geriatric health service facilities.</p

Flow diagram of recruitment of geriatric health service facilities and older residents.

<p>MMSE; Mini-Mental State Examination, ADOC; Aid for Decision-making in Occupation Choice.</p

Baseline characteristics of the older residents of geriatric health service facilities.

<p>Baseline characteristics of the older residents of geriatric health service facilities.</p