Adipocyte Death and Chronic Inflammation in Obesity

Cell death is closely linked to many diseases including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune diseases, and metabolic disorders. Increased adipocyte death has been reported during the development of obesity. Adipocyte death may be caused by excessive stress during obesity-related adipose tissue remodeling. Adipose tissue macrophages are key players in obesity-related inflammation and systemic insulin resistance. Accumulating evidence suggests that adipocyte death is involved in immune cell function and initiates inflammation through an interaction with macrophages ; however, the precise mechanisms remain largely unknown.This review focuses on the contribution of dead cells (particularly dead adipocytes in adipose tissue) to the pathophysiological conditions associated with obesity

Effects of olive oil in SAMP8 mice

Background : Mediterranean diets have been linked to a reduced risk of cancer, vascular illnesses, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Olive oil is the primary fat source in the Mediterranean diet ; however, only a few studies have investigated the effect of olive oil on aging. In the present study, we aimed to determine whether consumption of olive oil significantly influences aging and memory in senescence-accelerated mouse-prone 8 (SAMP8). Methods : SAMP8 and senescence-accelerated mouse resistant 1 (SAMR1) mice were fed either 7% soy oil or 1% olive oil and 6% soy oil during a six-month study period. Reduction in memory in passive avoidance learning was examined after two months from the initiation of the experiment. Results : The weight of organs including the liver, kidney, spleen, and fat tissue changed significantly and memory performance was reduced in SAMP8 than in SAMR1 mice. There were no significant differences in SAMP8 and SAMR1 mice; however, blood triglyceride level decreased significantly in SAMP8 mice fed on olive oil. Conclusions : These results suggest that consuming olive oil may not have a protective role in aging and memory recall, but beneficial effects may be related to improvement in lipid metabolism

Taste receptor genes and renal function

Dysgeusia is not only associated with zinc deficiency but also with certain drugs or diseases, including diabetes and renal failure. It often lowers the patient’s quality of life and hinders access to proper nutrition. The underlying mechanism is unclear and there is a lack of awareness among patients. Here, we focused on lingual taste receptor gene expression in diabetes and elucidated the relationship between taste receptor gene expression and renal function. Forty-seven patients with diabetes and 10 healthy subjects (control group) were enrolled. Lingual foliate papillae were scraped and the derived cDNA was quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Dysgeusia was assessed using SALSAVE®. All statistical analyses were performed using JMP® software 13. The expression of T1R1 and T1R2 was significantly upregulated in type 2 diabetes patients as compared with that in healthy subjects (P < 0.01) but did not change in type 1 diabetes patients. T1R3 expression positively correlated and Scnn1 expression negatively correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate, suggesting that altered taste receptor gene expression could reflect impaired renal function. Thus, alterations in T1R3 and Scnn1 expression in diabetes correlated with renal function. Taste receptor gene expression dysregulation could indicate dysgeusia associated with impaired renal function in patients with diabetes

Understanding of nutrition problems and managements in the elderly by analyzing its obesity

The shift of Japanese eating habits from salty and grain-based consumption with low animal protein to a diet with a variety of lipids and animal products after Second World War has significantly reduced the rate of infections and cerebral bleeding. On the other hand, the increase in life-style related diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes has become a serious problem in our country. However, it is difficult to discuss the nutrition of the elderly in a stereotype because of the diversity in physical and psychological feature. Although there are many important issues that require discussions encompassing broad aspects in taking high protein diet as a main topic, it may be possible to consider a question in the aspects of body weight or body composition in the elderly. In this section, we discuss the ‘secret key’ in nutrition to health for the aged

Diversity profile of microbes associated with anaerobic sulfur oxidation in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor treating municipal sewage

We herein analyzed the diversity of microbes involved in anaerobic sulfur oxidation in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor used for treating municipal sewage under low-temperature conditions. Anaerobic sulfur oxidation occurred in the absence of oxygen, with nitrite and nitrate as electron acceptors; however, reactor performance parameters demonstrated that anaerobic conditions were maintained. In order to gain insights into the underlying basis of anaerobic sulfur oxidation, the microbial diversity that exists in the UASB sludge was analyzed comprehensively to determine their identities and contribution to sulfur oxidation. Sludge samples were collected from the UASB reactor over a period of 2 years and used for bacterial 16S rRNA gene-based terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and next-generation sequencing analyses. T-RFLP and sequencing results both showed that microbial community patterns changed markedly from day 537 onwards. Bacteria belonging to the genus Desulforhabdus within the phylum Proteobacteria and uncultured bacteria within the phylum Fusobacteria were the main groups observed during the period of anaerobic sulfur oxidation. Their abundance correlated with temperature, suggesting that these bacterial groups played roles in anaerobic sulfur oxidation in UASB reactors