Association between Hardness (Difficulty of Chewing) of the Habitual Diet and Premenstrual Symptoms in Young Japanese Women

Recent evidence suggests that voluntary rhythmic movements such as chewing may increase blood serotonin and subsequently brain serotonin, which in turn acts to alleviate premenstrual symptoms. In this observational cross-sectional study, we tested the hypothesis that hardness (difficulty of chewing) of the habitual diet (i.e. dietary hardness) is associated with decreased premenstrual symptoms. Subjects were 640 female Japanese dietetic students aged 18–22 years. Dietary hardness was assessed as an estimate of masticatory muscle activity for the habitual diet (i.e. the difficulty of chewing the food). The consumption of a total of 107 foods was estimated by means of a self-administered, comprehensive diet history questionnaire, and masticatory muscle activity during the ingestion of these foods was estimated according to published equations. Menstrual cycle symptoms were assessed using the retrospective version of the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire, from which total score and subscale scores (i.e. pain, concentration, behavioral change, autonomic reactions, water retention, and negative affect) in the premenstrual phase were calculated and expressed as percentages relative to those in the intermenstrual phase. Dietary hardness was not associated with total score in the premenstrual phase (P for trend = 0.48). Further, no association was seen for any subscale score in the premenstrual phase (P for trend = 0.18–0.91). In conclusion, this preliminary study failed to substantiate a hypothesized inverse relationship between hardness of the habitual diet and premenstrual symptoms. Considering the plausibility of the putative mechanism, however, further investigation using more relevant measures of chewing and premenstrual symptoms is warranted

地域在住自立高齢者を対象にした体力測定会への参加希望者における閉じこもりリスクと孤独感との関連

　Purpose：This study was conducted for the purpose of examining the risk of becoming homebound and the correlation of loneliness in the community-dwelling older adults volunteering to participate in a physical f itness measurement program．　Method：The subjects of this study consisted of 638 older adults dwelling in Kameoka City who volunteered to participate in a physical fitness measurement program in 2012 and desired also to participate in a similar program held roughly one year and a half years later．A survey was conducted in the form of a questionnaire survey that was mailed to the subjects．The contents of the survey consisted of questions relating to gender，age，household composition，frequency of meetings with separately dwelling family members，number of neighbors they can rely on，tasks within the home，presence of a hobby，participation in group activities，subjective view of health，subjective physical strength，risk of depression，risk of becoming homebound，assessment using the Japanese language version of the UCLA loneliness scale（ 3rd edition）（ to be simply referred to as ""loneliness""） and assessment using the Life Satisfaction Index K（ to be abbreviated as LSIK）．Analyses consisted of an intergroup comparison of loneliness scores for each parameter．This was followed by an analysis of covariance using those parameters for which there was a correlation with loneliness as covariates in order to examine the correlation between risk of becoming homebound and loneliness．　Results：539 of the subjects submitted valid responses to the survey （response rate：84.5%）．The analysis of the risk of becoming homebound indicated that 20 subjects were homebound（ 3.7%），90 subjects were at risk of becoming homebound （16.7%） and 429 subjects were not homebound （79.6%）． According to the results of an intergroup comparison of loneliness scores for each survey parameter，signif icant differences（ p ＜0.001） were observed for gender，number of neighbors the subjects can rely on，subjective view of health，subjective physical strength，risk of depression， tasks within the home，presence of a hobby，participation in group activities and LSIK score． The average loneliness scores of each risk of becoming homebound were 36.2 ± 8.9 in the nonhomebound group，41.9 ± 9.8 in the group at risk of becoming homebound，and 45.8 ± 8.7 in the homebound group，with scores becoming higher as the tendency to become homebound worsened． The correlation between the two was such that significant differences （ p =0.007） were observed when the above parameters were used as covariates，and loneliness was greater in the group at risk of becoming homebound than in the non-homebound group（ p =0.047）．　Discussion：This study demonstrated that persons at risk of becoming homebound are present even among relatively healthy older adults expressing a strong desire to continue to participate in physical f itness measurement programs like the subjects of this study，and that there is already a strong sense of loneliness among subjects of the group at risk of becoming homebound． Efforts to eliminate this sense of loneliness targeted at older adults at risk of becoming homebound who are already demonstrating a decrease in frequency of leaving their homes are expected to lead to effective countermeasures for preventing these persons from becoming homebound．　目　的：地域在住自立高齢者を対象とした体力測定会への参加希望者における閉じこもりリスクの程度と孤独感との関連を明らかにすることを目的とした。　方　法：亀岡市在住高齢者で2012 年の体力測定会に参加し，その約1 年半後の体力測定会に参加を希望した638 名を対象とした。調査は郵送法による質問紙調査を行った。質問項目は性別，年齢，世帯構成，別居家族と会う頻度，近所に頼れる人の人数，家庭内の仕事，趣味の有無，グループ活動への参加，主観的健康感，主観的体力，うつのリスク，閉じこもりリスク，日本語版UCLA 孤独感尺度（第3 版）（以下，孤独感），生活満足度尺度K（以下，LSIK）である。分析は各調査項目において孤独感得点の群間比較を行った。次に，孤独感と関連のあった項目を共変量とした共変量分散分析を行い，閉じこもりリスクと孤独感の関連を明らかにした。　結　果：有効回答者539 名（有効回答率84.5%）であった。閉じこもりリスクの分布は，閉じこもり群20 名（3.7%），閉じこもり予備群90 名（16.7%），非閉じこもり群429 名（79.6%）であった。調査項目ごとの孤独感得点の群間比較では性別，近所に頼れる人の人数，主観的健康感，主観的体力，うつのリスク，家庭内の仕事，趣味の有無，グループ活動への参加，LSIK に有意差が認められた（ p ＜ 0.001）。閉じこもりリスク別の孤独感得点の平均は，非閉じこもり群36.2 ± 8.9 点，閉じこもり予備群41.9 ± 9.8点，閉じこもり群45.8 ± 8.7 点と閉じこもり傾向に伴い高まった。両者の関連では先の項目を共変量としても有意差があり（ p =0.007），閉じこもり予備群の孤独感が非閉じこもり群に比べて有意に高かった（ p =0.047）。　考　察：体力測定会に継続参加可能な意欲の高い比較的健康な高齢者においても，閉じこもりリスク保有者が存在し閉じこもり予備群で孤独感が高いことが示された。閉じこもり予備群のうちから，孤独感を解消させるような働きかけを行うことが閉じこもり予防対策につながると期待される。原

Complete Genomic Structure of the Bloom-forming Toxic Cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa NIES-843

The nucleotide sequence of the complete genome of a cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa NIES-843, was determined. The genome of M. aeruginosa is a single, circular chromosome of 5 842 795 base pairs (bp) in length, with an average GC content of 42.3%. The chromosome comprises 6312 putative protein-encoding genes, two sets of rRNA genes, 42 tRNA genes representing 41 tRNA species, and genes for tmRNA, the B subunit of RNase P, SRP RNA, and 6Sa RNA. Forty-five percent of the putative protein-encoding sequences showed sequence similarity to genes of known function, 32% were similar to hypothetical genes, and the remaining 23% had no apparent similarity to reported genes. A total of 688 kb of the genome, equivalent to 11.8% of the entire genome, were composed of both insertion sequences and miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements. This is indicative of a plasticity of the M. aeruginosa genome, through a mechanism that involves homologous recombination mediated by repetitive DNA elements. In addition to known gene clusters related to the synthesis of microcystin and cyanopeptolin, novel gene clusters that may be involved in the synthesis and modification of toxic small polypeptides were identified. Compared with other cyanobacteria, a relatively small number of genes for two component systems and a large number of genes for restriction-modification systems were notable characteristics of the M. aeruginosa genome

Is the development of the agro-processing industry pro-poor?: The case of Thailand

We examine how the development of the agro-processing industry contributed to poverty reduction in Thailand. The effects on farmers' income are emphasized because most of the poor in Thailand are farmers. The development of the agro-processing industry could improve farmers' income through two channels: (i) the purchase of agricultural products; and (ii) the employment of the poor farmers at factories. We show that the development of the agro-processing industry, which also played a leading role in the high economic growth of the Thai economy, contributed to poverty reduction through both of the two channels. It was hence pro-poor.Thailand Pro-poor growth Agro-processing industry Poverty reduction

The Relationship of Abdominal Fat Mass Assessed by Helical or Conventional Computed Tomography to Serum Leptin Concentration

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