A newly developed snack effective for enhancing bone volume

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The incidence of primary osteoporosis is higher in Japan than in USA and European countries. Recently, the importance of preventive medicine has been gradually recognized in the field of orthopaedic surgery with a concept that peak bone mass should be increased in childhood as much as possible for the prevention of osteoporosis. Under such background, we have developed a new bean snack with an aim to improve bone volume loss. In this study, we examined the effects of a newly developed snack on bone volume and density in osteoporosis model mice.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Orchiectomy (ORX) and ovariectomy (OVX) were performed for C57BL/6J mice of twelve-week-old (Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbar, ME, USA) were used in this experiment. We prepared and given three types of powder diet <it>e.g.</it>: normal calcium diet (NCD, Ca: 0.9%, Clea Japan Co., Tokyo, Japan), low calcium diet (LCD, Ca: 0.63%, Clea Japan Co.,) and special diet (SCD, Ca: 0.9%). Eighteen weeks after surgery, all the animals were sacrified and prepared for histomorphometric analysis to quantify bone density and bone mineral content.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>As a result of histomorphometric examination, SCD was revealed to enhance bone volume irrespective of age and sex. The bone density was increased significantly in osteoporosis model mice fed the newly developmental snack as compared with the control mice. The bone mineral content was also enhanced significantly. These phenomena were revealed in both sexes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It is shown that the newly developed bean snack is highly effective for the improvement of bone volume loss irrespective of sex. We demonstrated that newly developmental snack supplements may be a useful preventive measure for Japanese whose bone mineral density values are less than the ideal condition.</p

統合失調症患者に対する作業療法における主観経験尺度の作成 : OT治療要素経験尺度の信頼性・妥当性の検討

研究報告Original Paper背景:筆者は、先行研究において統合失調症患者の作業療法における主観経験を調査するために、37項目からなるOT治療要素経験尺度(RSOTE)を作成した。この尺度は、精神科作業療法における作業活動と集団に関する項目で構成されている。本研究では、この尺度の信頼性・妥当性を検討することを目的とした。方法:精神科病院に入院中の統合失調症患者(各54名)の協力を待て、RSOTEによる評価を実施した。得られたデータについて因子分析を行い、先行研究との因子構造を比較した。さらに信頼性を検討するために、Cronbachのα信頼性係数を算出した。全ての統計処理にはStatistical Package for the Social Sciences(SPSS)12.0Jを用いた。結果:各データの因子分析の結果、因子。『試行探索と成功体験』(4項目)、因子「『身体感覚の自覚』(4項目)、因子」『生活の構成』(4項目)の12項目3因子構造が一致し、0.69～0.77のCronbachのα信頼性係数が得られた。結論:以上のことから本尺度の信頼性と妥当性が確認され、競合失調症者を村象とした作業療法において、対象者の主観経験を確認する評価法として利用できることが示された。Background: In our previous study, a rating scale for occupational therapy experiences (RSOTE), which consists of 37 items, was developed and administered to schizophrenic inpatients. This scale consists of items related to activities and group dynamics for occupational therapy in mental health. In this study, we attempted to examine the reliability and validity of the rating scale for occupational therapy experiences (RSOTE). Methods: 54 schizophrenic inpatients consented to participate in writing, and completed the 37-item RSOTE. To assess the validity, we carried out a factor analysis about the provided data, and compared the factor structure with that on our previous study. The reliability of the RSOTE was measured by the Cronbach\u27s alpha coefficient. All of the statistical analyses were performed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) ver. 12.0J for Windows. Results: A factor analysis showed three factors: Factor I- trial search and success experience (4items), Factor II-awareness of a physical sense (4items), Factor III-constitution of life (4items). This factor structure accorded with that on our previous study. The Cronbach\u27s alpha showed 0.69-0.77. Conclusions: These results suggest that the RSOTE is a reliable and valid scale and can be used as an evaluation method to confirm subjectivity experience in occupational therapy for schizophrenic inpatients

Insight into the Regulation of Glycan Synthesis in Drosophila Chaoptin Based on Mass Spectrometry

BACKGROUND: A variety of N-glycans attached to protein are known to involve in many important biological functions. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi localized enzymes are responsible to this template-independent glycan synthesis resulting glycoforms at each asparagine residues. The regulation mechanism such glycan synthesis remains largely unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In order to investigate the relationship between glycan structure and protein conformation, we analyzed a glycoprotein of Drosophila melanogaster, chaoptin (Chp), which is localized in photoreceptor cells and is bound to the cell membrane via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor. Detailed analysis based on mass spectrometry revealed the presence of 13 N-glycosylation sites and the composition of the glycoform at each site. The synthetic pathway of glycans was speculated from the observed glycan structures and the composition at each N-glycosylation site, where the presence of novel routes were suggested. The distribution of glycoforms on a Chp polypeptide suggested that various processing enzymes act on the exterior of Chp in the Golgi apparatus, although virtually no enzyme can gain access to the interior of the horseshoe-shaped scaffold, hence explaining the presence of longer glycans within the interior. Furthermore, analysis of Chp from a mutant (RNAi against dolichyl-phosphate alpha-d-mannosyltransferase), which affects N-glycan synthesis in the ER, revealed that truncated glycan structures were processed. As a result, the distribution of glycoforms was affected for the high-mannose-type glycans only, whereas other types of glycans remained similar to those observed in the control and wild-type. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results indicate that glycan processing depends largely on the backbone structure of the parent polypeptide. The information we obtained can be applied to other members of the LRR family of proteins

植物由来乳酸菌 Lactobacillus sakei 発酵野菜と利用

　Vegetables fermented with lactic acid bacteria have particular flavor and tastes contributed by the bacteria. This report deals with the isolation of a plant origin Lactobacillus sakei HS-１ from a well know fermented food called as Kimchi and the application as a starter culture in the productions of fermented vegetables and typical Japanese tsukemono to determine the improvement in taste and probiotic properties of the strain.　In addition to the known organoleptic properties of the fi ber and umami flavor found in fermented vegetables tsukemono, the　metabolic products from the L. sakei starter culture will make possible the production of low 1.5 % salt fermented vegetables. The lactic acid fermentation will result in a low salt product with improved umami flavor making it possible to consume the product like a fresh salad. The viable L. sakei will also act as a probiotic to reduce the unwanted bacteria in the intestinal tract. This report shows some of the results.（１） L. sakei HS-１ was used to ferment white chinese cabbage kimchi. The microbial growth was rapid and a pH change was seen.　On the ４th day of fermentation the level of coliforms was negative. （ ２） Three types of fermented vegetables; Asazuke cucumber, diced cabbage and diced chinese cabbage kimchi were made with L.sakei and without.（３） The consumption of L. sakei fermented vegetables will improve bowel movement and there was a tendency to lose weight. Stools were tested for viable lactic acid bacteria and found in 88% order. This L. sakei is a homofermentative bacteria so no gas is formed in the intestine

Policies, Political-Economy, and Swidden in Southeast Asia

For centuries swidden was an important farming practice found across the girth of Southeast Asia. Today, however, these systems are changing and sometimes disappearing at a pace never before experienced. In order to explain the demise or transitioning of swidden we need to understand the rapid and massive changes that have and are occurring in the political and economic environment in which these farmers operate. Swidden farming has always been characterized by change, but since the onset of modern independent nation states, governments and markets in Southeast Asia have transformed the terms of swiddeners’ everyday lives to a degree that is significantly different from that ever experienced before. In this paper we identified six factors that have contributed to the demise or transformation of swidden systems, and support these arguments with examples from China (Xishuangbanna), Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. These trends include classifying swiddeners as ethnic minorities within nation-states, dividing the landscape into forest and permanent agriculture, expansion of forest departments and the rise of conservation, resettlement, privatization and commoditization of land and land-based production, and expansion of market infrastructure and the promotion of industrial agriculture. In addition we note a growing trend toward a transition from rural to urban livelihoods and expanding urban-labor markets

Association of Tannins and Related Polyphenols with the Cyclic Peptide Gramicidin S

The association of 10 different tannins and related polyphenols with gramicidin S, a cyclic peptide having a rigid β-turn structure, has been examined using 1H-NMR spectroscopy. In the presence of pentagalloylglucose and epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, the proton signals due to proline and the adjacent phenylalanine moieties selectively shifted to up field, suggesting a regioselective association with the β-turn structure. The association was also supported by the observation of intermolecular nuclear Overhauser effects between epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate and the peptide. In contrast, ellagitannins, biogenetically derived from pentagalloylglucose, showed small and non-selective chemical shift changes, suggesting that interaction with these tannins is relatively weak. The hydrophobicity of the tannin molecules and the steric hindrance of the interaction site are thought to be important in the association

Agrarian Land Use Transformation in Northern Laos: from Swidden to Rubber(<Special Issue>Land Use Changes in the Uplands of Southeast Asia: Proximate and Distant Causes)

Land use and farmers' livelihoods in mountainous regions of northern Laos are rapidly moving away fromsubsistence to market based agricultural systems, changing farmers' relationship with land and naturalresources. The current study examines patterns of land use change in northern Laos, especially focusingon the expansion of agricultural land in upland areas. It also examines factors that influence local farmers'livelihood and their decisions on land use. A series of government policies that were implemented sincethe 1980s restricted upland farmers' access to upland fields and fallow forests, and led to the relocation ofupland communities. The opening of regional borders for trade in the early 1990s, which brought neweconomic opportunities for local farmers, further accelerated the demand for agricultural land and led to aconcentration of population in settlements along the road. A combination of both external and internalfactors are influencing households in rural areas to actively seek new economic opportunities and adapttheir livelihood basis, as well as altering their relationship with land and resources. This rapid transformationalso questions the effectiveness of the government's resource management policy that developedduring the 1990s aiming to control expansion of upland shifting cultivation practices through delineationof resource boundaries