Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Astaxanthin and Sesamin on Daily Fatigue: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Two-Way Crossover Study

Severe fatigue can negatively affect quality of life, and oxidative stress may play a role in its mechanism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation of astaxanthin and sesamin (AS), strong food-derived antioxidants, on fatigue. Twenty-four healthy volunteers were supplemented with AS and placebo, each for four weeks. After each supplementation period, participants underwent tasks inducing mental and physical fatigue (visual display terminal task and ergometer task, respectively). Subjective fatigue was evaluated using a visual analogue scale during and after the mental and physical tasks, and daily subjective fatigue was evaluated by the Chalder fatigue questionnaire. Secondary outcomes included other subjective feelings, work efficiency, autonomic nerve activity, levels of an oxidative stress marker (plasma phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide (PCOOH)) and safety. AS supplementation was associated with significantly improved recovery from mental fatigue compared with placebo. Increased PCOOH levels during mental and physical tasks were attenuated by AS supplementation. No differences between AS and placebo were detected in secondary outcomes, and no adverse effects of AS supplementation were observed. In conclusion, AS supplementation may be a candidate to promote recovery from mental fatigue which is experienced by many healthy people

Hypoxia-Inducible Factors Activate CD133 Promoter through ETS Family Transcription Factors

CD133 is a cellular surface protein that has been reported to be a cancer stem cell marker, and thus it is considered to be a potential target for cancer treatment. However, the mechanism regulating CD133 expression is not yet understood. In this study, we analyzed the activity of five putative promoters (P1-P5) of CD133 in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells and colon cancer cell line WiDr, and found that the activity of promoters, particularly of P5, is elevated by overexpression of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF-1 alpha and HIF-2 alpha). Deletion and mutation analysis identified one of the two E-twenty six (ETS) binding sites (EBSs) in the P5 region as being essential for its promoter activity induced by HIF-1 alpha and HIF-2 alpha. In addition, a chromatin imunoprecipitation assay demonstrated that HIF-1 alpha and HIF-2 alpha bind to the proximal P5 promoter at the EBSs. The immunoprecipitation assay showed that HIF-1 alpha physically interacts with Elk1; however, HIF-2 alpha did not bind to Elk1 or ETS1. Furthermore, knockdown of both HIF-1 alpha and HIF-2 alpha resulted in a reduction of CD133 expression in WiDr. Taken together, our results revealed that HIF-1 alpha and HIF-2 alpha activate CD133 promoter through ETS proteins

Isolation and structure determination of missing fullerenes Gd@C 74 (CF 3 ) n through in situ trifluoromethylation

International audienc

Isolation and structure determination of missing fullerenes Gd@C 74 (CF 3 ) n through in situ trifluoromethylation

International audienc

Ultrasonographic findings of Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense: A case report

A 6-year-old girl was admitted to our hospital due to discharging the strobila of a tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense) from her anus. Before excreting the tapeworm completely with anthelmintics, ultrasonography was performed. The tapeworm was shown as a slightly high echoic strand-like lesion on ultrasonography in the terminal ileum. In this strand-like lesion, some high echoic spots were detected. This finding was considered as a characteristic of Diphylloborthriasis. Keywords: Ultrasonography, Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense, Pediatri