Reproducibility of 24-hour dietary recall for vitamin intakes by middle-aged Japanese men and women.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the reproducibility of 24-hour dietary recall for estimating dietary vitamin intakes by middle-aged Japanese men and women. METHODS AND RESULTS: The subjects were 132 men and 130 women aged 40-69 years, selected from participants in cardiovascular risk surveys conducted in 4 communities. The reproducibility of the 24-hour dietary recall was tested by comparing nutrient and food intake for two recalls conducted on the same season 1 year apart, designated as recalls 1 and 2. Differences in mean values between two recalls were tested using analysis of variance, and Spearman rank correlation coefficients for the two recalls were calculated for nutrient and food intakes. Mean values of energy and vitamins for both sexes were generally similar for the two recalls. The reproducibility of recall by men was high for vitamin B2, folate, pantothenic acid, and vitamin C and by women for vitamin B2, moderate by men for vitamins A, E, K, B1, B6 and niacin, and by women for vitamins A, E, K, B1, B6 and niacin, folate, pantothenic acid and vitamin C, and low by both men and women for vitamins D and B12. The reproducibility during 1985-1999 was generally lower than that of 1973-1984, but that for folate, pantothenic acid and vitamin C remained to be moderate in 1984-1999. CONCLUSIONS: Although the reproducibility of 24-hour dietary recall varies among vitamins, moderate and sustained reproducibility was observed for folate, vitamin C and pantothenic acid.

First total synthesis of dragmacidin A via indolylglycines.

The first total synthesis of dragmacidin A has been accomplished using condensation of two indolylglycines followed by cyclization and reduction. The general and practical method for synthesis of indolylglycines via Wittig reaction, azide addition, and reduction from indolin-3-ones is also described.

[Changes in 24-hour urinary excretion of sodium and potassium in a community-based heath education program on salt reduction].

PURPOSE: To examine changes in urinary excretion of sodium, potassium and sodium/potassium ratio in a community-based health education program on salt reduction. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The surveyed community was Kyowa town (census population in 1985 = 16,792) where we have conducted a community-based blood pressure control program since 1981 and health education on reduction of salt intake since 1983 for primary prevention of hypertension. A 24-hour urine collection was conducted for systematically selected samples of the participants aged 40-69 in cardiovascular risk surveys in 1982-86 (early period) and in 1990-94 (later period) to estimate changes in urine excretion of sodium, potassium, and sodium/potassium ratio. RESULTS: A 24-hour urine collection was available for 565 persons (410 men and 155 women) in 1982-86 and 1,461 persons (571 men and 890 women) in 1990-94. A decline in mean sodium excretion was larger in ages 40-49 than in other age groups, and for ages 40-69 combined, the decline was 0.9-1.1 g per day for men and women. Mean sodium excretion declined to 10 g or less per day for men and women aged 60-69. Mean potassium excretion did not change except for men aged 60-69 with an increase in potassium. Sodium/potassium ratio tended to decline for women aged 40-49, and declined significantly for other sex-age groups. A larger reduction in sodium excretion was seen among persons with a history of hypertension compared to those without it. CONCLUSIONS: A significant reduction in urinary excretion of sodium and sodium/potassium ratio was observed in a community-based health education program. Men and women aged 60-69 reached a recommended level of 10 g or less in sodium intake.

[Effectiveness of a health education class to increase fish intake evaluated by serum fatty acid compositions].

For prevention of cardiovascular disease, we recommended increased fish intake for 50 middle-aged women and men of 40-83 years old at a three-month community-based health education program in an inland farming community. The effectiveness of the education program was evaluated by examining changes in serum lipids and serum fatty acid compositions. For comparison, we selected 48 men and women of 38-82 years old did not participated in the program. Before education, there was no significant difference in the dietary frequency of fish, meat, egg and dishes prepared with oil, mean values of serum lipids or serum fatty acid compositions except for saturated fatty acid, gamma-linolenic acid, dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid and alpha-linolenic acid. After three months, the frequency of fish intake of one or more times per day increased from 33% to 43% in the education group while the frequency of fish intake did not change in the control group. In the education group, serum n3 polyunsaturated fatty acid composition increased from 8.8% to 10.6%. This fatty acid increase was primarily observed in eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. The n3/n6 ratio increased from 0.21 to 0.31. In the control group, no change was observed in n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. This study suggests that the community-based dietary education increased fish intake and serum n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in women and men of 40 years old or older.

[A randomized controlled trail of intensive and usual community-based education for blood pressure control].

A 1.5 year community-based hypertension education program was conducted and evaluated for the feasibility and effectiveness as a program for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. The subjects were determined to be hypertensive from cardiovascular examinations and composed of 104 untreated men and women aged 35-69 whose blood pressure levels were between 140 and 179 mmHg for systolic and/or between 90 and 109 mmHg for diastolic and who had no evidence of hypertensive end organ effects in the 1990 examination. They were randomly assigned to either an intensive education (IE) group (n = 53) or a usual education (UE) group (n = 51) and invited to education classes six months later. The IE consisted of four education classes in the first six months and another 4 classes in the next 12 months. For the UE, one class in the first 6 months and another class in the next 12 months were held. Health education was focused on reduction of sodium intake, a 30 minutes of walking, and if necessary, reduction of alcohol and sugar intake. Mean (SD) values of systolic blood pressure at the start of the education program were 144.8 (11.7) mmHg in IE and 144.5 (12.2) mmHg in UE. The respective diastolic means (SD) were 80.6 (7.8) mmHg and 80.3 (8.6) mmHg. The proportion of persons who started to receive antihypertensive medication was 8-9% in both groups at six months, and 13% in IE and 29% in UE at 1.5 years. IE showed a 6 mmHg greater reduction in mean systolic blood pressure than UE at both six months and 1.5 years. No significant difference was found in diastolic blood pressure levels over time between the two groups. Dietary improvements related to reduction of salt intake were more evident in IE than in UE. There was no significant changes in means and distributions of relative weight index and alcohol intake in either group. Subgroup analysis according to antihypertensive medication use indicated that reduction of systolic blood pressure levels was significantly larger in IE than in UE for both no medication and medication subgroups at 6 months and 1.5 years. While it was difficult to evaluate an effect of the program at 1.5 years because of the difference in the proportion of medication use between IE and UE, the results at 6 months suggest that this community-based program was effective in reducing systolic blood pressure levels.

Facial schwannoma spreading into the middle cranial fossa and the cerebellopontine angle--case report.

A 53-year-old male presented with hearing impairment and facial nerve paralysis following tinnitus of the right ear. Neuroimaging revealed a tumor extensively damaging the temporal bone, and extending into the middle cranial fossa and cerebellopontine angle. The tumor was removed in a two-stage operation. The histological diagnosis was facial schwannoma.

[Effectiveness of a community-based education program on blood pressure reduction for cardiovascular disease prevention].

To evaluate the effectiveness of lifestyle modification community-based programs on blood pressure reduction, blood pressure changes were examined according to frequency of attendance at these adult classes. The subjects were 1,017 men and women aged 40-69 who participated in a survey from 1985 to 1987, whose blood pressure was > = 140 mmHg for systolic, and/or > = 90 mmHg for diastolic and/or with antihypertensive medication use in the earlier 1981-1984 surveys. Adult classes were conducted eleven times between 1982 and 1987, emphasizing primarily reduction of salt intake, weight control if necessary, and alcohol modification. Blood pressure changes between 1981-1984 and 1985-1988 were examined in relation to the number of classes attended, stratified by antihypertensive medication use. In the group with no medication use in both surveys (n = 347), there was a significantly larger decline in systolic and diastolic blood pressures with an increase in the number of classes attended (p < 0.001). A similar trend was observed in other groups: a starting medication group (n = 198), a quitting medication group (n = 100) and a continuous medication group (n = 372). The blood pressure trend in the no medication group remained significant after controlling for age, initial blood pressure, follow-up years and the number of follow-up screenings attended. For the no medication group, there was no significant association between the number of classes attended and changes in relative weight index and alcohol intake. The proportion of persons reporting dietary modification of reduction in salt was larger, and mean 24-hour urine sodium excretion was smaller, with increasing number of classes attended in the 1985-1988 surveys. Furthermore, the proportion of persons who were able to reduce salt intake between the two survey periods was higher with an increase in the number of classes attended. Mean urine sodium excretion was smaller in those who reported reduction of salt intake than those who did not. Although this study is not a randomized controlled trial, these results suggest that a community-based education program of adult classes can be effective in reduction of blood pressure levels through modification of diet.

Preparation and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against human myeloperoxidase.

We established 11 hybridomas producing monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs), designated AM, against human myeloperoxidase (MPO), by immunizing mice with the three forms of MPO (I, II, and III) purified from healthy human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and characterized the specificity of the AM MoAbs. Ten of the AM MoAbs reacted similarly to each of the three forms using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. When a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CETAB) extract of human PMN was electrophoresed in a CETAB polyacrylamide gel and transferred to a nitrocellulose filter, IgG1 class AM MoAbs immunostained only the MPO band of the proteins of the extract. In addition, the AM MoAbs reacted to two radioactive bands of 94 and 92 kDa in a HL-60 cell lysate labeled with [35S]methionine for 1 h. After a chase period of 24 h, these bands were replaced by four radioactive bands of 64.5, 43, 16.7, and 13.4 kDa, demonstrating that the MoAbs recognize not only mature MPO but also the MPO precursors of 94 and 92 kDa. The data also indicated that the two major bands of 64.5 and 13.4 kDa corresponded to heavy and light chains of mature MPO, respectively, and the additive intermediate bands of 43 and 16.7 kDa were MPO-related proteins. Moreover, AM MoAbs reacted to a similar extent to the deglycosylated form of MPO III with endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H (Endo-H). Thus, IgG1 class AM MoAbs recognized MPO with high specificity and reacted to the structure which is commonly conserved in the three mature forms of MPO (I, II, and III), MPO precursors, and deglycosylated MPO with Endo-H. AM MoAbs also specifically reacted to PMN and/or monocytes but did not react to lymphocytes when the cell staining method was used.