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We investigated the effect of [3-oxidation inhibition on the fat ingestive behavior of BALB/c mice. Intraperitoneal administration to mice of mereaptoacetate, an inhibitor of fatty acid oxidation, significantly suppressed intake of corn oil but not intake of sucrose solution or laboratory chow. To further examine the effect of mercaptoacetate on the acceptability of corn oil in the oral cavity, we examined short-term licking behavior. Mercapto-acetate significantly and specifically decreased the number of licks of corn oil within a 60-s period but did not affect those of a sucrose solution, a monosodium glutamate solution, or mineral oil. In contrast, the administration of 2-deoxyglucose, an inhibitor of glucose metabolism, did not affect the intake or short-term licking counts of any of the tasted solutions. These findings suggest that fat metabolism is involved in the mechanism underlying the oral acceptance of fat as an energy source. licking behavior; fat; palatability

Objectives: To characterise the tackler's head position during one-on-one tackling in rugby and to determine the incidence of head, neck and shoulder injuries through analysis of game videos, injury records and a questionnaire completed by the tacklers themselves.Methods: We randomly selected 28 game videos featuring two university teams in competitions held in 2015 and 2016. Tackles were categorised according to tackler's head position. The 'pre-contact phase' was defined; its duration and the number of steps taken by the ball carrier prior to a tackle were evaluated.Results: In total, 3970 tackles, including 317 (8.0%) with the tackler's head incorrectly positioned (ie, in front of the ball carrier) were examined. Thirty-two head, neck or shoulder injuries occurred for an injury incidence of 0.8% (32/3970). The incidence of injury in tackles with incorrect head positioning was 69.4/1000 tackles; the injury incidence with correct head positioning (ie, behind or to one side of the ball carrier) was 2.7/1000 tackles. Concussions, neck injuries, 'stingers' and nasal fractures occurred significantly more often during tackles with incorrect head positioning than during tackles with correct head positioning. Significantly fewer steps were taken before tackles with incorrect head positioning that resulted in injury than before tackles that did not result in injury.Conclusion: Tackling with incorrect head position relative to the ball carrier resulted in a significantly higher incidence of concussions, neck injuries, stingers and nasal fractures than tackling with correct head position. Tackles with shorter duration and distance before contact resulted in more injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We investigated substances that induce a rewarding effect during the postingestive process using the conditioned place preference (CPP) test. Although mice showed high affinity for a low-energy fat substitute—sorbitol fatty acid esters and low-concentration linoleic acid solution—they did not exhibit a place preference toward a voluntary intake of fat substitute in the CPP test. However, during a conditioning session of CPP that involved intragastric administration of corn oil immediately before the intake of the fat substitute, the test mice displayed a place preference. Similarly, intragastric administration of glucose, galactose, and dextrin also induced CPP; however, fructose, mannose, and a nonmetabolized carbohydrate did not. These results suggest that administration of corn oil and glucose has the same postingestive effect with regard to inducing CPP and that the structural specificity of carbohydrates influences the postingestive effect. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background:It has been reported that a continuous intake of a catechin beverage will reduce body fat. Traditionally, improvement of eating and exercise habits has been the basis for prevention and reduction of obesity. In this study, we conducted a trial involving human subjects who ingested a catechin beverage for 1 year under nutritional guidance.Methods:This study was conducted based on a comprehensive cohort design using a catechin beverage (containing 588 mg of tea catechins) and a control beverage (containing 126 mg of tea catechins). At both the start and the end of the trial, the subjects underwent an annual health check and computer tomography for measurement of their abdominal fat. In addition, a food intake survey was conducted and all subjects were provided nutritional guidance by a registered dietitian every 3 months.Results:Data were analyzed using per protocol samples of 134 subjects (catechin group, n 77; control group, n 57). Body weight and body mass index were reduced significantly in the catechin group compared to the control group. Changes in body weight during the study period were −1.1 kg in the catechin group and 0.2 kg in the control group. In the catechin group, the visceral fat areas at the start of the trial were significantly correlated with the magnitude of fat reduction at the end of the trial. Under the guidance of a registered dietitian, subjects in the catechin group who showed a reduction in their fat-derived energy percentage during the test period tended to reduce more body weight than those with an increase in this percentage, although no difference in total energy intake was noted between the two groups. One-year ad libitumconsumption of a catechin beverage posed no health risks and resulted in a reduction in body weight.Conclusions:An overall improvement in dietary habits might enhance the weight-reduction effect of the beverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Dietary oils such as corn oil, olive oil, and canola oil, which primarily contain triacylglycerol and small quantities of fatty acids, are highly palatable to animals. In a previous study, we examined the short-term (60 s) licking behavior of mice and observed that they exhibited a high licking response to a low concentration of fatty acid (linoleic acid), which is comparable to that observed for pure corn oil. This finding suggests that fatty acids contribute to the palatability of dietary oils. In order to supplement our knowledge of the fundamental features of fatty acid palatability in the oral cavity, we assessed the licking behavior of BALB/c mice to investigate the palatability of various types of long-chain fatty acids. The mice showed high licking responses to 1% unsaturated 16- and 18-carbon fatty acids (palmitoleic acid, 16:1; oleic acid, 18:1; linoleic acid, 18:2; and linolenic acid, 18:3), low licking responses to 16- and 20-carbon fatty acids (palmitic acid, 16:0 and arachidonic acid, 20:4), and no significant response to saturated fatty acids (stearic acid, 18:0 and arachidic acid, 20:0) or fatty acid derivatives (methyl linoleate and linole alcohol). Additionally, there were differences in the palatability of 18-carbon unsaturated fatty acids at very low concentrations. At fatty acid concentrations of 0.04% and 0.0625%, the mice showed significant preference for linoleic acid and linolenic acid, but not oleic acid, when compared with mineral oil. These results suggest that mice show high licking responses to 16- and 18-carbon unsaturated long-chain fatty acids at low concentrations. Further, we suggest that sensitivity to fatty acids is affected by the saturated state of the fatty acid, carbon chain length, and terminal carboxyl group. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We investigated the palatability of a low concentration of linoleic acid (LA) in short-term two-bottle choice tests and licking tests. To examine the contribution of gustation, mice were rendered anosmic with olfactory nerve transection surgery and test solutions were prepared using mineral oil (saturated long-chain hydrocarbon) to minimize textural effects. In the two-bottle choice tests between various pairs of different concentrations of corn oil and LA, both anosmic and the sham-operated mice constantly preferred a higher concentration of corn oil and LA. In the licking tests, the initial licking rate for 1% LA was higher than that for mineral oil in anosmic mice. In accordance with the results of the two-bottle choice test, the initial licking rate for corn oil and LA increased in a concentration-dependent manner in both anosmic and sham-operated mice in the licking test, and reached its peak at 100% corn oil and 1% LA. A preference comparison between 1% LA and 100% corn oil showed that anosmic mice preferred 1% LA over 100% corn oil. These results suggest that mice could recognize dietary fat and fatty acid solutions in the oral cavity without any olfactory or textural cues and the fatty acid recognition on their tongues might provide a pivotal cue to how dietary fat is recognized in the oral cavity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We investigated the effect of β-oxidation inhibition on the fat ingestive behavior of BALB/c mice. Intrapentoneal administration to mice of mercaptoacetate, an inhibitor of fatty acid oxidation, significantly suppressed intake of corn oil but not intake of sucrose solution or laboratory chow. To further examine the effect of mercaptoacetate on the acceptability of corn oil in the oral cavity, we examined short-term licking behavior. Mercaptoacetate significantly and specifically decreased the number of licks of corn oil within a 60-s period but did not affect those of a sucrose solution, a monosodium glutamate solution, or mineral oil. In contrast, the administration of 2-deoxyglucose, an inhibitor of glucose metabolism, did not affect the intake or short-term licking counts of any of the tasted solutions. These findings suggest that fat metabolism is involved in the mechanism underlying the oral acceptance of fat as an energy source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to establish encrypted communications in deployable sensor networks, it is essential that encryption keys be shared between nodes. However, the sharing of keys is not simple given the restricted resources of such devices. In recent years, several random key predistribution schemes have been proposed; in the scheme proposed by Du and colleagues, improved performance is achieved by using information regarding the deployment location when predistributing keys. However, this scheme suffers from the problem that it is possible to apply only for the so-called group deployment model whereby nodes are partitioned into groups and deployed from locations that are arranged systematically. In this paper we propose a random key predistribution scheme that can be applied to arbitrary deployment models by making use of probability distribution information regarding the deployment when the key predistribution is performed. In addition, we confirm from computational experiments that this method is able to construct networks that are more consolidated than those created by Du and colleagues' scheme. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 90(10): 73–83, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.20390 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Free fatty acids (FFAs) were reported to be recognized in the oral cavity and possibly involved in fatty foods recognition. To understand the importance of oil recognition in the oral cavity, we investigated the effect of various concentrations of a fatty acid or corn oil on fluid intake as well as mice''s preferences in a two-bottle choice test and a licking test. Linoleic acid (LA), which is a main component of corn oil, was used as a representative FFA. In the two-bottle choice test between a pair of different concentrations of corn oil, the mice consistently adopted the higher concentration of corn oil. In the licking test for corn oil, the licking rates for the serial concentration of corn oils (0, 1, 5, 10 and 100%) were increased in a concentration-dependent manner. On the other hand, in the two-bottle test for a pair of different concentrations of LA (0, 0.125, 0.25 and 1%), 0.25% and 1% LA were preferred to mineral oil, but 0.25% and 1% LA were preferred equally in mice. In the licking test for LA, the mice showed the largest number of initial lickings for the 1% LA, while the licking rates for the high concentration of LA decreased. These results suggest that mice could discriminate the concentration of corn oil and LA in the oral cavity. We also suggest that pure corn oil is a highly preferable solution, while an optimal concentration of LA according to the preferences of mice is a low-range concentration (0.25–1%). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Not known is whether smoking habit is associated with the risk of developing the metabolic syndrome among men. Study subjects consisted of 7355 Japanese men aged 40 to 55 years without the metabolic syndrome. The metabolic syndrome was defined using modified Adult Treatment Panel III criteria using body mass index in place of waist circumference. Data on smoking habit was obtained from questionnaires. During the 4-year follow-up period, we confirmed 806 cases of the metabolic syndrome. After adjustment for age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, alcohol daily consumption, and physical activity, the odds ratio (OR) of the metabolic syndrome among current smokers was 1.30 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04-1.61) in comparison to never smokers. Men who smoked more than 30 cigarettes a day had a higher risk compared with never smokers (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.16-2.24) (Table 1). To evaluate the chronic effect of cigarettes smoking for the risk of the incidence of the metabolic syndrome, we assessed the relationship between pack-years and the risk of the metabolic syndrome. The value of pack-years is also associated with the increased risk of the metabolic syndrome in a dose-dependent manner. The multiple-adjusted OR for those whose pack-years value is more than 40 is 1.49 (95% CI 1.12-1.98). Furthermore, we assessed the association between cigarettes smoking and the incidence of the components of the metabolic syndrome. Cigarette smoking was associated with the risk of the incidence of hyperglycemia, high triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol but not high blood pressure or high body mass index. In conclusion, cigarette smoking habit is an independent risk factor for the development of the metabolic syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The opioid system plays an important role in ingestive behavior, especially with regard to palatable high-fat or sweetened foods. In the present study, we investigated the role of the opioid system in the regulation of ingestive behavior in mice with regard to dietary fat intake, reinforcement, and particularly the processes involved in development of these behavior types. Subcutaneous administration of the non-selective opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone (0.5 or 2.0 mg/kg body weight [BW]) reduced the spontaneous intake of fat emulsion (Intralipid). We investigated the effect of naltrexone on reinforcement by using an operant behavioral paradigm under a progressive ratio schedule in which the number of lever presses required to obtain a test sample increased progressively. Mice showed stronger reinforcement by Intralipid as a function of concentration. However, naltrexone (0.5 or 2.0 mg/kg BW) did not affect reinforcement at any concentration of Intralipid in mice that had repeatedly ingested Intralipid before testing was carried out. Intralipid ingestion also induced conditioned place preference (CPP), which is another evaluation index of reinforcement. High-dose naltrexone (2.0 mg/kg BW) administration during CPP conditioning suppressed the reinforcement induced by Intralipid ingestion, although the drug administration (0.5 or 2.0 mg/kg BW) during CPP testing did not affect reinforced behavior. These results suggest that the amount of fat ingestion and reinforcement for fat ingestion are separately regulated by the opioid system. Furthermore, our results indicate that the opioid system plays an important role in acquiring reinforcement for fat but is not required for maintenance of learned reinforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To characterise the tackler's head position during one-on-one tackling in rugby and to determine the incidence of head, neck and shoulder injuries through analysis of game videos, injury records and a questionnaire completed by the tacklers themselves., Methods: We randomly selected 28 game videos featuring two university teams in competitions held in 2015 and 2016. Tackles were categorised according to tackler's head position. The 'pre-contact phase' was defined; its duration and the number of steps taken by the ball carrier prior to a tackle were evaluated., Results: In total, 3970 tackles, including 317 (8.0%) with the tackler's head incorrectly positioned (ie, in front of the ball carrier) were examined. Thirty-two head, neck or shoulder injuries occurred for an injury incidence of 0.8% (32/3970). The incidence of injury in tackles with incorrect head positioning was 69.4/1000 tackles; the injury incidence with correct head positioning (ie, behind or to one side of the ball carrier) was 2.7/1000 tackles. Concussions, neck injuries, 'stingers' and nasal fractures occurred significantly more often during tackles with incorrect head positioning than during tackles with correct head positioning. Significantly fewer steps were taken before tackles with incorrect head positioning that resulted in injury than before tackles that did not result in injury., Conclusion: Tackling with incorrect head position relative to the ball carrier resulted in a significantly higher incidence of concussions, neck injuries, stingers and nasal fractures than tackling with correct head position. Tackles with shorter duration and distance before contact resulted in more injuries., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of SE5-OH, a fermented soy product containing S-equol, with purified S-equol on hot flushes in an ovariectomized rat model., Methods: Eleven-week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to either the sham group (vehicle; n = 30) or one of four ovariectomized groups: control (vehicle; n = 30), conjugated equine estrogens (CEE; 6.0 mg kg(-1) d(-1) CEE; n = 10), SE5-OH (2,000 mg kg(-1) d(-1) SE5-OH containing 11.7 mg kg(-1) d(-1) as S-equol; n = 30), and S-equol (11.7 mg kg(-1) d(_1) S-equol; n = 30). Three days after sham operation or ovariectomy, animals were treated once daily for 38 days. Tail skin temperature (TST) was assessed on days 21, 28, and 35 after surgery. Plasma estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone levels and uterine weight and uteri histology were evaluated at the end of treatment., Results: The rise in TST resulting from ovariectomy was inhibited by CEE, SE5-OH, and S-equol. Compared with the control, TST was decreased by 68.9% and 86.2% in SE5-OH group on days 21 and 28, respectively (P = 0.014, 0.020), and by 60.1% and 89.1% in S-equol group, respectively (P = 0.038, 0.016). Unlike in the CEE group, plasma estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone levels, uterine weight, epithelial height, stromal expansion, and myometrial thickness were not affected in SE5-OH and S-equol groups., Conclusions: The results of this animal model of hot flushes suggest that S-equol is one of the primary components of SE5-OH and that both SE5-OH and S-equol represent promising alternatives for the treatment of menopausal symptoms. Clinical research is needed to confirm these findings.

Background: It has been reported that a continuous intake of a catechin beverage will reduce body fat. Traditionally, improvement of eating and exercise habits has been the basis for prevention and reduction of obesity. In this study, we conducted a trial involving human subjects who ingested a catechin beverage for 1 year under nutritional guidance., Methods: This study was conducted based on a comprehensive cohort design using a catechin beverage (containing 588 mg of tea catechins) and a control beverage (containing 126 mg of tea catechins). At both the start and the end of the trial, the subjects underwent an annual health check and computer tomography for measurement of their abdominal fat. In addition, a food intake survey was conducted and all subjects were provided nutritional guidance by a registered dietitian every 3 months., Results: Data were analyzed using per protocol samples of 134 subjects (catechin group, n = 77; control group, n = 57). Body weight and body mass index were reduced significantly in the catechin group compared to the control group. Changes in body weight during the study period were -1.1 kg in the catechin group and 0.2 kg in the control group. In the catechin group, the visceral fat areas at the start of the trial were significantly correlated with the magnitude of fat reduction at the end of the trial. Under the guidance of a registered dietitian, subjects in the catechin group who showed a reduction in their fat-derived energy percentage during the test period tended to reduce more body weight than those with an increase in this percentage, although no difference in total energy intake was noted between the two groups. One-year ad libitum consumption of a catechin beverage posed no health risks and resulted in a reduction in body weight., Conclusions: An overall improvement in dietary habits might enhance the weight-reduction effect of the beverage.

We investigated the expression of G protein-coupled receptor GPR40 and GPR120 in the rat tongue. Using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, we detected a significant expression of GPR120 mRNA in the epithelium of the circumvallate papillae but not in the nonsensory epithelium, while the expression of GPR40 mRNA was undetectable in the sensory papillae. Western blotting analysis of colon and circumvallate papillae for GPR120 showed a protein band with a molecular weight that corresponds to that of GPR120, indicating that this antibody could recognize a native form of GPR120. Immunohistochemistry using anti-GPR120 antibody revealed GPR120 immunoreactivity in the enteroendocrine cells of the colon. Furthermore, some cells in each taste bud were stained positively with more intense labeling in the apical part of the cells. These results suggested that GPR120 is expressed in the taste cells of the circumvallate papillae to sense dietary fat, like the receptor expressed in the enteroendocrine cells.

We investigated the involvement of opioid receptors such as the mu and delta receptors in the predominant elevation of corn oil appetite just after 5-day repeated treatment of corn oil ingestion. Rats were given 5% corn oil emulsified with 0.3% xanthan gum for 20 min at the same hour for 5 consecutive days. A strong appetite for fat was formed after the 5 days presentation, and it was inhibited by naloxonazine, a selective antagonist of the mu-1 receptor, at doses of 3 mg/kg, but not by antagonists of the opioid delta receptor. In days 6, after the formation of a strong appetite for corn oil, an additional injection of naloxonazine suppressed fat intake 0-30, 30-60, 60-90 and 90-150 min after the presentation of the corn oil, but antagonists of the opioid delta receptor did not. These data suggested that the opioid mu receptor is involved in the sharp elevation of corn oil appetite during repeated presentation of corn oil to rats.

We investigated the gene expression dynamics of several hypothalamic neuropeptides associated with appetite regulation when rats are anticipating being fed a corn-oil emulsion. For 5 days at the same hour each day, rats were fed 5% corn oil emulsified with 0.3% xanthan gum or the vehicle for 20 min. On Day 6, the 5% corn oil emulsion or the vehicle (Vehicle) was presented to the rats, some of which (Oil-intake) were allowed to eat it and some of which (Oil-anticipation) were kept from eating it. Despite waiting a corn-oil, the mRNA levels of proopiomelanocortin (POMC), a beta-endorphin precursor, and orexin showed increases, and high levels of mRNAs of POMC and orexin were maintained for 30 min after the corn-oil was placed before the rats, and only gradually decreased through 150 min. However, the mRNA levels of POMC and orexin in the hypothalamus were decreased within 30 min after starting to ingest the corn-oil emulsion. These results suggest that POMC and orexin mRNA expression was induced by the anticipation in rats after learning the palatability of 5% corn oil emulsion, and the induced mRNA expression based on the anticipation was maintained for at least for 30 min as the rats eagerly waited for ingestion.

Background: The Rho/Rho kinase pathway plays an important role in regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell contraction and is involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension. However, little is known about the role of this pathway in the evolution of salt-sensitive hypertension and vascular remodeling. The aim of this study was to examine whether the age-dependent surge of blood pressure after exposure to a high salt-containing diet, which is well-established for Dahl salt-sensitive rats, is primarily regulated by the level of expression of RhoA in arterial vessels., Material/methods: We examined Dahl salt-sensitive rats at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, and 9 weeks of age (n=10, each). In each group, animals were switched to being fed a diet containing 8% NaCl from one containing 0.3% NaCl. After 7 days, mRNA and protein levels of RhoA from the thoracic aorta were quantified., Results: At the time of examination, increases in systolic blood pressure were significantly different depending on the age at which the high salt diet was initiated. The % increases were 34+/-3% (3-weeks), 20+/-2% (6-weeks), and 13+/-2% (9-weeks). Despite these differing changes in blood pressure, mRNA and protein levels of RhoA in the arteries did not differ among the groups., Conclusions: RhoA expression and activity appear not to be the critical determinant of the surge in hypertension when Dahl salt-sensitive rats are exposed to salt-rich diets. Hence, the age-dependent salt-sensitivity must be mediated by alternative pathways.

Background: In ventricular myocardium, the T-type Ca2+ current (ICa,T), which is temporarily observed during fetal and neonatal periods, has been shown to reappear in failing/remodeling hearts. However, its pathophysiological regulation has not been elucidated., Methods and Results: We utilized Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) rats with hypertension at the stage of concentric left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (11 weeks old, LVH) and at the heart failure stage (16 to 18 weeks old, CHF). Some were treated with bosentan (100 mg/kg per day) during the period from LVH to CHF. In LVH, neither the presence of ICa,T (measured in the freshly isolated LV myocytes) nor an increase in alpha-1G mRNA expression were detected. This condition was associated with increases in tissue angiotensin II (AII) but not with endothelin (ET)-1 peptides. In contrast, in CHF, when the tissue AII remained elevated and ET-1 de novo increased, ICa,T was recorded in most of the cells (-0.87+/-0.18 pA/pF at -30 mV, P<0.01 versus LVH). This was associated with a significant increase in the alpha-1G mRNA level. The chronic bosentan treatment eliminated both the elevation of alpha-1G mRNA level and ICa,T from the cells, whereas it did not affect the cell size and membrane capacitance. In addition, 48-hour exposure to ET-1 but not AII induced ICa,T in normal adult myocytes in culture from Sprague-Dawley rats., Conclusions: ICa,T channels reappear in failing but not in hypertrophied LV cardiomyocytes in a manner depending on the tissue ET-1 activation.