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The study explores the relationship between phase angle (PhA), an indicator of cellular health, and metabolic health parameters among junior sumo wrestlers in Japan. Given the demanding lifestyle and high‐energy diets of sumo wrestlers that predispose them to metabolic syndrome post‐retirement, this study focuses on a younger cohort. The primary aim is to evaluate if PhA could serve as an early indicator of metabolic health issues within this unique demographic. A total of 14 sumo wrestlers aged 9–17 years were assessed to determine the relationship between PhA and various metabolic markers, including glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), using a TANITA MC‐780A‐N body composition analyzer and standard blood tests. Bivariate regression analysis and Pearson's correlation revealed a negative relationship between PhA and HbA1c even after adjusting for age and weight (ß = −0.496, r2 = 0.776, r = −0.756, p = 0.004). The results indicate a significant negative relationship between PhA and HbA1c levels, suggesting that lower PhA values, which indicate poorer cellular integrity, are associated with higher HbA1c levels, signifying impaired glycemic control. These findings underscore the potential of PhA as a valuable biomarker for monitoring metabolic health in young sumo wrestlers, with implications for early intervention and management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The westerly wind travelling at high altitudes over eastern Asia transports aerosols from the Asian deserts and urban areas to downwind areas such as Japan. These longrange- transported aerosols include not only mineral particles but also microbial particles (bioaerosols), that impact the ice-cloud formation processes as ice nuclei. However, the detailed relations of airborne bacterial dynamics to ice nucleation in high-elevation aerosols have not been investigated. Here, we used the aerosol particles captured in the snow cover at altitudes of 2450m on Mt Tateyama to investigate sequential changes in the ice-nucleation activities and bacterial communities in aerosols and elucidate the relationships between the two processes. After stratification of the snow layers formed on the walls of a snow pit on Mt Tateyama, snow samples, including aerosol particles, were collected from 70 layers at the lower (winter accumulation) and upper (spring accumulation) parts of the snow wall. The aerosols recorded in the lower parts mainly came from Siberia (Russia), northern Asia and the Sea of Japan, whereas those in the upper parts showed an increase in Asian dust particles originating from the desert regions and industrial coasts of Asia. The snow samples exhibited high levels of ice nucleation corresponding to the increase in Asian dust particles. Amplicon sequencing analysis using 16S rRNA genes revealed that the bacterial communities in the snow samples predominately included plant associated and marine bacteria (phyla Proteobacteria) during winter, whereas during spring, when dust events arrived frequently, the majority were terrestrial bacteria of phyla Actinobacteria and Firmicutes. The relative abundances of Firmicutes (Bacilli) showed a significant positive relationship with the ice nucleation in snow samples. Presumably, Asian dust events change the airborne bacterial communities over Mt Tateyama and carry terrestrial bacterial populations, which possibly induce ice-nucleation activities, thereby indirectly impacting climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements of hydroperoxides (H2O2 and MHP) at ground level were made from 2012 to 2015 in Imizu City, Toyama Prefecture in central Japan. H2O2 and MHP concentrations ranged from 0.01 to 3.5 ppb and from below the level of detection (< 0.01 ppb) to 1.4 ppb, respectively. The concentrations of H2O2 and MHP were high in the summer and low in the winter. The H2O2 concentration was at its maximum in July and August, whereas the concentration of O3 in the daytime was highest in May and June. The ratio of [H2O2]/[SO2] presented clear seasonal variations. Many cases showed the condition of [H2O2] < [SO2], called oxidant limitation especially in the cold months. Hydroperoxide concentrations in the rainwater were also high in the summer. The concentrations of MHP were much lower than those of H2O2 in the rain water. High concentrations of H2O2 (> 2.5 ppb) were detected in the summer during the inflow of air pollution. The concentrations of H2O2 were significantly high in July and August of 2013. The H2O2 was well correlated with the O3 in July and August whereas there was no correlation between O3 and H2O2 in May and June. There was a negative correlation between NOX and H2O2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentrations of hydroperoxides (H 2 O 2 and MHP), O 3 , SO 2 and NO X * over Imizu City, Toyama Prefecture, Japan were measured during summers using a helicopter. The concentrations of hydroperoxides were analyzed by an HPLC system within 5–10 min after the sampling. The H 2 O 2 concentration was lowest at the surface, and the highest concentration was detected at altitudes of 6000 and 8000 ft. The MHP was also higher in the high-altitude atmosphere. Significantly high concentrations of hydroperoxides were observed when air pollutants were transported from China. The concentration of H 2 O 2 was higher than that of SO 2 above 4000 ft where the potential capacity of SO 2 oxidation in the aqueous phase is large. A helicopter is useful for measuring of hydroperoxides in the high-altitude atmosphere using an HPLC system in a laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practical realization of Chu's minimum-sized antenna is investigated using self-complementary antennas. Rigorous bandwidth formulas for broadband antennas are derived for broadband antennas based on Chu's fundamental mode equivalent circuit. By comparing input impedances and radiation patterns, the fabricated self-complementary antenna used for Japan's ultra-wideband higher band (7.25-10.25 GHz) is found approximated by the minimum-sized antenna. Using the rigorous bandwidth formulas above, the fabricated antenna is shown to be smaller than the minimum-sized antenna. This breakthrough is achieved by using a more complicated matching circuit for broadband antennas instead of the single-stage inductor used in bandwidth estimation with the Q factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Measurements of fog and rain water chemistry at the summit of Mt. Fuji, the highest peak in Japan, as well as at Tarobo, the ESE slope of Mt. Fuji in September 2002. The pH of fog and rain water sampled at Mt. Fuji varied over a range of 4.0–6.8. Acidic fogs (pH<5.0) were observed at the summit when the air mass came from the industrial regions on the Asian continent. The ratio of [SO4 2−]/[NO3 −] in the fog water was lower at Tarobo than at the summit. High concentrations of Na+ and Cl− were determined in the rain water sampled at the summit, possibly because of the long-range transport of sea-salt particles raised by a typhoon through the middle troposphere. The vertical transport of sea-salt particles would influence the cloud microphysical properties in the middle troposphere. Significant loss of Mg2+ was seen in the rain water at the summit. The concentrations of peroxides in the fog and rain water were relatively large (10–105 μM). The potential capacity for SO2 oxidation seems to be strong from summer to early autumn at Mt. Fuji. The fog water peroxide concentrations displayed diurnal variability. The peroxide concentrations in the nighttime were significantly higher than those in the daytime. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Wrestlers have a risk of relative energy deficiency in sports because they believe that they can gain an advantage over their opponents by temporarily adopting weight-making strategies even women. However, precise methods of making weight and the effect of manipulating body mass (BM) on health and performance in female wrestlers have not been reported. Our study aimed to report a case of weight making in a world-class female wrestler, who won the world competition seven times in 5-y and had oligomenorrhea. We obtained the BM, blood, urine, and saliva samples, hand grip strength, subjective condition a month before the match (baseline), and 3-d before the match (day-3), and food and physical activity records during baseline and 10 d before the competition. The wrestler lost 4.7% of BM from baseline to day-3 and 7.6% of BM to the match by method to reduce energy intake and enhance dehydration. Hand grip strength did not change by weight loss. After weigh-in, the wrestler took the recovery food containing 4.9 g/kg BM of carbohydrate. Although these weight strategies may at least contribute to the success of wrestlers, the impact on health needs to be clarified in future studies.

This study aimed to investigate the difference in the prevalence, severity, and risk factors of dysmenorrhea between Japanese female athletes and non-athletes in universities. The participants were 18 to 30 years old with no history of a previous pregnancy and/or childbirth. After application of the exclusion criteria, the cohort comprised 605 athletes and 295 non-athletes. An anonymous questionnaire, which included self-reported information on age, height, weight, age at menarche, menstrual cycle days, menstrual duration, dysmenorrhea severity, sleeping hours, dietary habits, exercise habits, training hours, and competition level was administered. Compared with athletes, non-athletes had a higher prevalence of dysmenorrhea (85.6% in athletes, 90.5% in non-athletes, p < 0.05); non-athletes also demonstrated increased severity (none/mild 27.8%, moderate 19.3%, and severe 52.9% in athletes; none/mild 21.2%, moderate 17.2%, and severe 61.6% in non-athletes; p < 0.05). Factors related to severe dysmenorrhea in athletes included long training hours, early menarche, and prolonged menstrual periods. In non-athletes, short menstrual cycle days and extended menstrual periods were related to severe dysmenorrhea. The prevalence and severity of dysmenorrhea were higher among non-athletes than among athletes; different factors were related to severe dysmenorrhea in these two groups. Thus, different strategies are necessary to manage dysmenorrhea for athletes and non-athletes in universities.

The composition of the human gut microbiota is related to host health, and it is thought that dietary habits may play a role in shaping this composition. Here, we examined the population size and prevalence of six predominant bacterial genera and the species compositions of genus Bifidobacterium (g-Bifid) and Bacteroides fragilis group (g-Bfra) in 42 healthy Belgian adults by quantitative PCR (qPCR) over a period of one month. The population sizes and prevalence of these bacteria were basically stable throughout the study period. The predominant g-Bifid species were Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Bifidobacterium longum ss. longum, and the predominant g-Bfra species were Bacteroides vulgatus, Bacteroides uniformis, and Bacteroides ovatus. The Belgian gut microbiota data were then compared with gut microbiota data from 46 Japanese subjects collected according to the same protocol (Matsuki et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70, 167-173, 2004). The population size and prevalence of Bifidobacterium catenulatum group were significantly lower in the Belgian gut microbiota than in the Japanese gut microbiota (P < 0.001); however, the population size and prevalence of g-Bifid did not differ. This species-level qPCR analysis will be helpful for investigating the diversity of gut microbiota among ethnic groups., (Copyright © 2013 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)