Relation of Dietary n-3 and n-6 Fatty Acid Intakes to Metabolic Syndrome in Middle-Aged People Depending on the Level of HbA1c: A Review of National Health and Nutrition Survey Data from 2014 to 2016.

Background and Objectives: The relation of dietary n-6 fatty acid to metabolic syndrome has not been examined and clearly defined. To improve health in the general population, this study was to investigate the role of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids in the reduction in metabolic syndrome and to observe changes in the effects of these fatty acids depending on the level of insulin resistance. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized national health and nutrition survey data from 2014 to 2016. From the data, a relation of n-3 and n-6 fatty acid intakes to metabolic syndrome and Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)'s role in the relation was evaluated and analyzed for 4852 patients between 40 and 64 years old. Intake frequency of 112 nutrition and daily consumption amounts were identified, and intakes of n-3 and n-4 fatty acids were calculated from this data. Metabolic syndrome was determined for each participant using diagnostic standards for the Asian population published by the National Cholesterol Education Program. Results: Among the total 4852 subjects, 1583 (32.6%) had metabolic syndrome; 736 of 1875 (39.3%) males and 847 of 2977 (28.5%) females had the syndrome. In males, when their HbA1c was low (<5.4%), intakes of both n-3 and n-6 fatty acids were related to a 43−63% decreased prevalence of metabolic syndrome with significance, and a similar negative tendency was also observed in females. On the contrary, for both males and females, no statistically significant correlation was present when HbA1c was high. Conclusion: It was considered that consistent and regular dietary intakes of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids may contribute greatly to prevent or treat metabolic syndrome in healthy males with normal insulin sensitivity, but the effect of their dietary intakes was found to be limited in a group with strong insulin resistance. The conclusion of this study presents a valuable reference and knowledge to provide nutritional education to the general population.

Quantification of Choroidal Vascular Hyperpermeability on Ultra-Widefield Indocyanine Green Angiography in Macular Neovascularization.

To obtain a quantitative parameter for the measurement of choroidal vascular hyperpermeability (CVH) on ultra-widefield indocyanine green angiography (UWICGA) using an objective analysis method in macular choroidal neovascularization (CNV). A total of 113 UWICGA images from 113 subjects were obtained, including with 25 neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), 37 with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) (19 with thin-choroid and 18 with thick-choroid), 33 with pachychoroid neovasculopathy (PNV), and 18 age-matched controls. CVH was quantified on a gray image by the subtraction of 2 synchronized UWICGA images of early and late phases. The measured CVH parameter was compared with human graders and among CNV subtypes and correlated with choroidal vascular density (CVD) and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT). The mean CVH values were 28.58 ± 4.97, 33.36 ± 8.40, 33.61 ± 11.50, 42.19 ± 13.25, and 43.59 ± 7.86 in controls and patients with nAMD, thin-choroid PCV, thick-choroid PCV, and PNV, respectively (p < 0.001). CVH was higher in thick-choroid PCV and PNV compared to the other groups (all p ≤ 0.006). The measured CVH value positively correlated with those reported by human graders (p < 0.001), CVD, and SFCT (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). CVH can be measured objectively using quantitative UWICGA analysis. The CVH parameter differs among macular CNV subtypes and correlates with CVD and SFCT.

Patterns of δ15N in forest soils and tree foliage and rings between climate zones in relation to atmospheric nitrogen deposition: A review.

The stable nitrogen (N) isotope ratio (δ15N) of forest samples (soils, tree foliage, and tree rings) has been used as a powerful indicator to explore the responses of forest N cycling to atmospheric N deposition. This review investigated the patterns of δ15N in forest samples between climate zones in relation to N deposition. Forest samples exhibited distinctive δ15N patterns between climate zones due to differences in site conditions (i.e., N availability and retention capacity) and the atmospheric N deposition characteristics (i.e., N deposition rate, N species, and δ15N of deposited N). For example, the δ15N of soil and foliage was higher for tropical forests than for other forests by >1.2 ‰ and 4 ‰, respectively due to the site conditions favoring N losses coupled with relatively low N deposition for tropical forests. This was further supported by the unchanged or increased δ15N of tree rings in tropical forests, which contrasts with other climate zones that exhibited a decreased wood δ15N since the 1920s. Subtropical forests under a high deposition of reduced N (NHy) had a lower δ15N by 2-5 ‰ in the organic layer compared with the other forests, reflecting high retention of 15N-depleted NHy deposition. At severely polluted sites in East Asia, the decreased δ15N in wood also reflected the consistent deposition of 15N-depleted NHy. Though our data analysis represents only a subset of global forest sites where atmospheric N deposition is of interest, the results suggest that the direction and magnitude of the changes in the δ15N of forest samples are related to both atmospheric N and site conditions particularly for tropical vs. subtropical forests. Site-specific information on the atmospheric N deposition characteristics would allow more accurate assessment of the variations in the δ15N of forest samples in relation to N deposition.