Orexigenic action of oral zinc: metabolomic analysis in the rat hypothalamus.

We previously reported an orexigenic action of oral zinc administration in male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats during an early stage of feeding with a zinc-deficient diet, without decreased zinc concentrations in tissues. The overall conclusion was that orally but not intraperitoneally administered zinc stimulates food intake in short-term zinc-deficient-diet fed rats. We here investigate the mechanism of the orexigenic action of zinc using GC-MS/MS-targeted metabolomic analysis in the rat hypothalamus. Four-week-old, male SD/Slc rats were used, and after 2 days of feeding with a zinc-deficient diet, 3 mg of ZnSO4 in 5 mL saline solution were administered to each rat either orally or intraperitoneally. Three hours after administration, the rats were sacrificed and the hypothalamus were excised and analyzed. We found that the oral administration group showed increased concentrations of 3-aminopropanoic acid (ß-alanine), hypotaurine, dopamine, and biotin. In light of metabolomic analysis of these results, we indicate directions for further research.

Perception of Cleft Palate Speech by Japanese Listeners-an Assessment of Palatalized Articulations.

To examine how people react to palatalized articulation, we used one cleft palate speech (CPS) sample of palatalized articulation that was purchased in Japan and one recorded sample of speech from a non-cleft palate individual. Study design The two speech samples were rated by 137 native listeners. Each participant rated the set of speech samples for 10 features using a 10-point scale. Alpha factor analysis was performed. Results Two factors were extracted from the entire set of features with alpha factor analysis. Conclusions Although native listeners could not distinguish between CPS and non-CPS using the psychometrical measurements applied in this study, this method of analyzing speech represents a useful technique for planning treatments in cleft disorder patients.