Dietary palmitic acid to oleic acid ratio modulates energy metabolism and biological rhythms in young healthy Japanese males.

The present study investigated the potential role of the composition of dietary fatty acids in the regulation of biological rhythms, such as the sleep architecture, core body temperature and leukocyte clock gene expression, in subjects fed meals rich in palmitic acid (PA) or oleic acid (OA). Eleven males participated in two sessions of indirect calorimetry in a whole-room metabolic chamber. In each session, subjects consumed three meals rich in PA (44·3 % of total fat as PA and 42·3 % as OA) or OA (11·7 % of total fat as PA and 59·3 % as OA) in the metabolic chamber. The ratio of PA to OA in plasma was significantly lower and fat oxidation was significantly higher during 24 h of indirect calorimetry in the session with meals rich in OA than in that with meals rich in PA. The duration of slow wave sleep (SWS) was shorter, the latency of SWS was longer and the nadir of core body temperature after bedtime was later in the session with meals rich in PA than in that with meals rich in OA. The peak in CRY1 gene expression was earlier and its amplitude was higher in the session with meals rich in PA than in that with meals rich in OA. In healthy young males, meals rich in PA decreased fat oxidation and disrupted biological rhythms, particularly the sleep architecture and core body temperature during sleep, more than meals rich in OA.

Molecular and genetic regulation of pig pancreatic islet cell development.

Reliance on rodents for understanding pancreatic genetics, development and islet function could limit progress in developing interventions for human diseases such as diabetes mellitus. Similarities of pancreas morphology and function suggest that porcine and human pancreas developmental biology may have useful homologies. However, little is known about pig pancreas development. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated fetal and neonatal pig pancreas at multiple, crucial developmental stages using modern experimental approaches. Purification of islet ß-, α- and δ-cells followed by transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq) and immunohistology identified cell- and stage-specific regulation, and revealed that pig and human islet cells share characteristic features that are not observed in mice. Morphometric analysis also revealed endocrine cell allocation and architectural similarities between pig and human islets. Our analysis unveiled scores of signaling pathways linked to native islet ß-cell functional maturation, including evidence of fetal α-cell GLP-1 production and signaling to ß-cells. Thus, the findings and resources detailed here show how pig pancreatic islet studies complement other systems for understanding the developmental programs that generate functional islet cells, and that are relevant to human pancreatic diseases.

Distinct effects of orexin receptor antagonist and GABAA agonist on sleep and physical/cognitive functions after forced awakening.

The majority of patients with insomnia are treated with hypnotic agents. In the present study, we evaluated the side-effect profile of an orexin receptor antagonist and γ-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) receptor agonist on physical/cognitive functions upon forced awakening. This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study was conducted on 30 healthy male subjects. Fifteen minutes before bedtime, the subjects took a pill of suvorexant (20 mg), brotizolam (0.25 mg), or placebo and were forced awake 90 min thereafter. Physical- and cognitive-function tests were performed before taking the pill, after forced awakening, and the next morning. Polysomnographic recordings revealed that the efficacies of the hypnotic agents in prolonging total sleep time (∼30 min) and increasing sleep efficiency (∼6%) were comparable. When the subjects were allowed to go back to sleep after the forced awakening, the sleep latency was shorter under the influence of hypnotic agents (∼2 min) compared to the placebo trial (24 min), and the rapid eye movement latency was significantly shorter under suvorexant (98.8, 81.7, and 48.8 min for placebo, brotizolam, and suvorexant, respectively). Although brotizolam significantly impaired the overall physical/cognitive performance (sum of z score) compared with placebo upon forced awakening, there was no significant difference in the total z score of performance between suvorexant and placebo. Notably, the score for static balance with the eyes open was higher under suvorexant compared to brotizolam administration. The energy expenditure was lower under suvorexant and brotizolam compared with the placebo. The effect size of brotizolam (d = 0.24) to reduce the energy expenditure was larger than that of suvorexant (d < 0.01).

Novel Equations to Estimate Resting Energy Expenditure during Sitting and Sleeping.

INTRODUCTION: Young and early middle-aged office workers spend most of the day sitting or sleeping. Few studies have used a metabolic chamber to report sitting resting energy expenditure (REE) or sleeping metabolic rate (SMR) estimation equations. This study aimed to develop novel equations for estimating sitting REE and SMR, and previously published equations for SMR were compared against measured values. METHODS: The relationships among sitting REE, SMR, and body composition measured in clinical trials were analyzed. The body composition (fat-free mass [FFM] and fat mass) and energy metabolism of 85 healthy young and early middle-aged Japanese individuals were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and a metabolic chamber, respectively. Novel estimate equations were developed using stepwise multiple regression analysis. Estimates of SMR using a new equation and 2 published equations were compared against measured SMR. RESULTS: The sitting mREE and mSMR were highly correlated (r = 0.756, p < 0.01). The new FFM-based estimate accounted for 50.4% of the variance in measured sitting REE (mREE) and 82.3% of the variance in measured SMR (mSMR). The new body weight-based estimate accounted for 49.3% of the variance in sitting mREE and 82.2% of the variance in mSMR. Compared with mSMR, the SMR estimate using an FFM-based published equation was slightly underestimated. CONCLUSION: These novel body weight- and FFM-based equations may help estimate sitting REE and SMR in young and early middle-aged adults. Previous SMR estimated FFM-based equations were slightly underestimated against measured SMR; however, we confirmed the previous SMR estimate equations could be useful. This finding suggests that sitting REE and SMR can be easily estimated from individual characteristics and applied in clinical settings.

Effects of subacute ingestion of chlorogenic acids on sleep architecture and energy metabolism through activity of the autonomic nervous system: a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blinded cross-over trial.

Chlorogenic acids (CGA) are the most abundant polyphenols in coffee. Continuous consumption of CGA reduces body fat and body weight. Since energy metabolism and sleep are controlled by common regulatory factors, consumption of CGA might modulate sleep. Lack of sleep has been identified as a risk factor for obesity, hypertension and type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of ingesting CGA over 5 d on energy metabolism and sleep quality in humans. A total of nine healthy subjects (four male and five female) completed a placebo-controlled, double-blinded, cross-over intervention study. Subjects consumed a test beverage containing 0 or 600 mg of CGA for 5 d. On the fifth night, subjects stayed in a whole-room metabolic chamber to measure energy metabolism; sleep was evaluated using polysomnographic recording. It was found that CGA shortened sleep latency (9 (sem 2) v. 16 (sem 4) min, P<0·05) compared with the control, whereas no effect on sleep architecture, such as slow-wave sleep, rapid eye movement or waking after sleep onset, was observed. Indirect calorimetry revealed that consumption of CGA increased fat oxidation (510 (sem 84) kJ/8 h (122 (sem 20) kcal/8 h) v. 331 (sem 79) kJ/8 h (81 (sem 19) kcal/8 h), P<0·05) but did not affect energy expenditure during sleep. Consumption of CGA enhanced parasympathetic activity assessed from heart-rate variability during sleep (999 (sem 77) v. 919 (sem 54), P<0·05). A period of 5-d CGA consumption significantly increased fat oxidation during sleep, suggesting that beverages containing CGA may be beneficial to reduce body fat and prevent obesity. Consumption of CGA shortened sleep latency and did not adversely affect sleep quality.

Endovascular treatment using woven stents for ruptured vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm induced by varicella zoster virus: case report.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage with ruptured cerebral artery dissection caused by varicella zoster (VZ) vasculopathy is rare. We report a rare case of vertebral artery (VA) dissection induced by VZ virus, successfully treated with stent-assisted coil embolization and systemic anti viral medication, on six month follow-up cerebral angiography with the review of literatures.

Dependence of interface charge trapping on channel engineering in pentacene field effect transistors.

We investigate the dependence of charge carrier mobility by trap states at various interface regions through channel engineering. Prior to evaluation of interface trap density, the electrical performance in pentaene field effect transistors (FET) with high-k gate oxide are also investigated depending on four channel engineering. As a channel engineering, gas treatment, coatings of thin polymer layer, and chemical surface modification using small molecules were carried out. After channel engineering, the performance of device as well as interface trap density calculated by conductance method are remarkably improved. It is found that the reduced interface trap density is closely related to decreasing the sub-threshold swing and improving the mobility. Particularly, we also found that performance of device such as mobility, subthreshold swing, and interface trap density after gas same is comparable to those of OTS.

Nanolithography on graphene by using scanning tunneling microscopy in a methanol environment.

Since it was discovered in 2004, graphene has attracted enormous attention as an emerging material for future devices, but it has been found that conventional lithographic processes based on polymer resist degrade its intrinsic performance. Recently, our group studied a resist-free scanning tunneling microscopy-based lithography in various atmospheres by injecting volatile liquids into a chamber. In this study, multilayer graphene was scanned and etched by controlling bias voltage under methanol pressure. We focused on improving patterning results in terms of depth and line width, while the previous study was performed to find an optimum gas environment for patterning on a graphite surface. Specifically, we report patterning outputs depending on conditions of voltage, current, and pressure. The optimum conditions for methanol environment etching were a gas pressure in the range of 41-50 torr, a -4 V tip bias, and a 2 nA tunneling current.

Meal Timing and Sleeping Energy Metabolism.

There is a physiological link between sleep and eating. Insufficient sleep is a risk factor for overeating and excess body weight gain, and molecules such as orexin and insulin play a role in the control of sleep and energy intake. The effects of dietary timing on sleep and energy metabolism were examined in this review. First, we examined sleep energy metabolism and sleep quality under time-restricted eating, including skipping breakfast or dinner. Second, the mechanisms, benefits, and translational potential of the effects of time-restricted diets on sleep were discussed. Time-restricted eating under controlled conditions, in which daily caloric intake was kept constant, affected the time course of energy metabolism but did not affect total energy expenditure over 24 h. In free-living conditions, time-restricted eating for extended durations (4-16 weeks) decreased energy intake and body weight, and the effects of early time-restricted eating were greater than that of midday time-restricted eating. Although assessment of sleep by polysomnographic recording remains to be performed, no negative effects on the subjective quality of sleep have been observed.

Energy metabolism and thermoregulation during sleep in young and old females.

Core body temperature (CBT) shows a diurnal rhythm, and the nocturnal decrease in CBT is blunted in older people. The physiological mechanisms responsible for the blunted nocturnal decrease in CBT in older people remain to be revealed. The aim of this study was to compare heat production and heat dissipation in young and old subjects during sleep, as assessed by indirect calorimetry and the distal-proximal temperature gradient (DPG) of skin temperature. A complete dataset of 9 young (23.3 ± 1.1 years) and 8 old (72.1 ± 2.5 years) females was analyzed. CBT and energy metabolism were monitored during sleep using an ingestible temperature sensor in a metabolic chamber maintained at 25 °C. Skin temperature was measured at proximal and distal parts of the body. CBT, distal skin temperature, and DPG in older subjects were higher than in young subjects. Protein oxidation was similar between the two groups, but fat oxidation was lower and carbohydrate oxidation was higher in old subjects compared to young subjects. On the other hand, energy expenditure was similar between the two age groups. Thus, the elevated CBT in older subjects was not attributed to deteriorated heat dissipation or enhanced heat production, suggesting an alternative explanation such as deteriorated evaporative heat loss in old subjects.

Gender disparity in survival of early porcine fetuses due to altered androgen receptor or associated U2 spliceosome component.

A single locus on the X chromosome codes for androgen receptor (AR) although this gene is subject to alternative splicing. AR is expressed in multiple tissues in males and females and is essential for reproductive success in the male. Since male and female mice are viable following naturally occurring and engineered loss of function with male mice infertile as anticipated, functional deletion of AR in pigs was hypothesized to provide a genetic containment strategy for males with edited genomes. In addition, deletion of AR might be a method to manage boar taint, hence contributing to a perceived improvement in animal welfare. The CRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to edit either exon 2 or exon 5 of the pig AR gene. Although pregnancies were established following embryo transfer of edited embryos, they were not maintained beyond day 25. Furthermore, normal M:F sex ratios were present in edited blastocysts and 19-day fetuses, but all fetuses recovered on day 21 or later were female. The pig AR gene differs from the mouse in having a U2 spliceosome component encoded in the intronic region. Hence, the absence of fetal survival beyond day 25 may be due to interference with the U2 component rather than AR.

[Sleep and Body Temperature].

Mammals and birds seek a warm environment prior to sleep, which triggers vasodilatation and body cooling. Ambient temperatures outside the thermoneutral zone suppress sleep, particularly rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We discuss the neurocircuit interactions associated with thermal and sleep regulation that occur primarily in the hypothalamic areas. An increase in ambient temperature stimulates the median preoptic/medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus, decreases body temperature, and increases non-REM sleep. Similarly, optical stimulation of the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus, which contains galanin (VLPOGAL), results in body cooling and non-REM sleep. A decrease in VLPOGAL disrupts sleep in elderly individuals and may also be associated with reduced decline in core body temperature during sleep. However, stimulation of neurons that synthesize melanin-concentrating hormone in the lateral hypothalamus decreases body temperature and induces REM sleep. We also discussed the acute effect of light on sleep induction and decreased body temperature, implicated with gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic neurons in the preoptic area. Further investigation is needed to determine the mechanisms that induce physiological responses in diurnal and nocturnal species. These studies will contribute to a better understanding of the association between sleep and thermoregulation.

Effects of nocturnal light exposure on circadian rhythm and energy metabolism in healthy adults: A randomized crossover trial.

Exposure to continuous light at night, including night-shift work or a nocturnal lifestyle, is emerging as a novel deleterious factor for weight gain and obesity. Here, we examined whether a single bout of bright light (BL) exposure at night affects energy metabolism via changes in circadian rhythm and nocturnal melatonin production. Ten healthy young men were randomized to a two-way crossover experimental design protocol: control (< 50 lux) and BL (approximately 10000 lux) conditions, with at least seven days of interval. The participants were exposed to each condition for 3 h (21:00-24:00) before sleep (0 lux, 00:00-07:00) in a room-type metabolic chamber. On each experimental night (21:00-07:00), energy expenditure, respiratory quotient (RQ), and substrate oxidation were measured to determine the energy metabolism. BL exposure prior to bedtime altered biological rhythms, disrupted the nocturnal decline in body temperature, and suppressed the melatonin level before sleeping, resulting in an increase in sleep latency. Indirect calorimetry data revealed that BL exposure significantly decreased the fat oxidation and increased the RQ, an indicator of the carbohydrate-to-fat oxidation ratio, throughout the whole period (light exposure and sleep). We revealed that acute BL exposure prior to bedtime exacerbated circadian rhythms and substrate oxidations, suggesting that chronic BL exposure at night may lead to obesity risk due to disturbances in circadian rhythms and macronutrient metabolism.

Bidirectional associations between physical activity and sleep in older adults: a multilevel analysis using polysomnography.

Although recent studies have examined the bidirectional associations between physical activity and sleep parameters, few have focused on older adults utilizing objective assessments, such as polysomnography. This micro-longitudinal observational study included 92 Japanese older adults (aged 65-86 years) who underwent objective evaluations of sleep quality using polysomnography and completed subjective sleep-related questionnaires. Activity levels were assessed using an accelerometer. Polysomnography, subjective sleep-related questionnaires, and accelerometer were administered for 7 consecutive days. Multilevel models (participant-, day-level) were used to examine the temporal associations of objective and subjective sleep parameters with sedentary behavior and physical activity. In the day-level analysis, higher levels of sedentary behavior during daytime were associated with longer rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, shorter REM latency, lower levels of non-REM sleep (stage N3), and reduced delta power during daytime. Higher levels of low-intensity physical activity during daytime were associated with lower levels of REM sleep, longer REM latency, and increased stage N3 sleep in the day-level analysis. Higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were associated with increased REM latency. Longer subjective sleep time was associated with increased next-day moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Thus, low-intensity physical activity may provide objective benefits related to deep sleep parameters in older adults.

Residual effects of low dose of suvorexant, zolpidem, and ramelteon in healthy elderly subjects: A randomized double-blind study.

INTRODUCTION: Current hypnotic agents have next-day residual effects. The new orexin antagonist, suvorexant, has little muscle relaxation effect on the physical and cognitive function in the following morning and daytime. In this study, the effects of suvorexant, zolpidem, ramelteon and placebo in elderly subjects were evaluated. METHODS: Six men and eight women aged 63-75 years received a single tablet and lights were then turned off. Subjects were instructed to sleep from 23:00-6:00 with an interruption from 4:00-4:30 for evaluations. Suvorexant 10 mg, zolpidem 5 mg, ramelteon 4 mg or placebo was administered single time in a randomized, double-blind and crossover design with a one-week drug holiday in between each drug. Measures of objective parameters and subjective ratings were obtained every 2 h from 4:00 to 16:00. RESULT: No subjects showed serious side effects from physical observations and vital sign checks before and after hypnotics were taken. During the first sleep period, the REM sleep time with suvorexant was especially longer than that with zolpidem. During the second sleep period, suvorexant had shorter sleep latency and longer stage2 sleep time than ramelteon and zolpidem, respectively. During the whole entire sleep, the REM sleep time with suvorexant was longer than zolpidem and placebo. For the body sway test with closed eye, the main effects of the medicines and zolpidem were significantly better than suvorexant and ramelteon. CONCLUSION: The changes of physical and cognitive functions in healthy elderly after taking hypnotics were not remarkable. Therefore, these three hypnotics maybe appropriate for the elderly people with insomnia for single-time low dose administration.

Instability of non-REM sleep in older women evaluated by sleep-stage transition and envelope analyses.

Study objective: Traditionally, age-related deterioration of sleep architecture in older individuals has been evaluated by visual scoring of polysomnographic (PSG) recordings with regard to total sleep time and latencies. In the present study, we additionally compared the non-REM sleep (NREM) stage and delta, theta, alpha, and sigma wave stability between young and older subjects to extract features that may explain age-related changes in sleep. Methods: Polysomnographic recordings were performed in 11 healthy older (72.6 ± 2.4 years) and 9 healthy young (23.3 ± 1.1 years) females. In addition to total sleep time, the sleep stage, delta power amplitude, and delta, theta, alpha, and sigma wave stability were evaluated by sleep stage transition analysis and a novel computational method based on a coefficient of variation of the envelope (CVE) analysis, respectively. Results: In older subjects, total sleep time and slow-wave sleep (SWS) time were shorter whereas wake after sleep onset was longer. The number of SWS episodes was similar between age groups, however, sleep stage transition analysis revealed that SWS was less stable in older individuals. NREM sleep stages in descending order of delta power were: SWS, N2, and N1, and delta power during NREM sleep in older subjects was lower than in young subjects. The CVE of the delta-band is an index of delta wave stability and showed significant differences between age groups. When separately analyzed for each NREM stage, different CVE clusters in NREM were clearly observed between young and older subjects. A lower delta CVE and amplitude were also observed in older subjects compared with young subjects in N2 and SWS. Additionally, lower CVE values in the theta, alpha and sigma bands were also characteristic of older participants. Conclusion: The present study shows a decrease of SWS stability in older subjects together with a decrease in delta wave amplitude. Interestingly, the decrease in SWS stability coincided with an increase in short-term delta, theta, sigma, and alpha power stability revealed by lower CVE. Loss of electroencephalograms (EEG) variability might be a useful marker of brain age.

Microstructures of HfOx Films Prepared via Atomic Layer Deposition Using La(NO3)3·6H2O Oxidants.

Hafnium oxide (HfOx) films have a wide range of applications in solid-state devices, including metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). The growth of HfOx films from the metal precursor tetrakis(ethylmethylamino) hafnium with La(NO3)3·6H2O solution (LNS) as an oxidant was investigated. The atomic layer deposition (ALD) conditions were optimized, and the chemical state, surface morphology, and microstructure of the prepared films were characterized. Furthermore, to better understand the effects of LNS on the deposition process, HfOx films deposited using a conventional oxidant (H2O) were also prepared. The ALD process using LNS was observed to be self-limiting, with an ALD temperature window of 200-350 °C and a growth rate of 1.6 Å per cycle, two times faster than that with H2O. HfOx films deposited using the LNS oxidant had smaller crystallites than those deposited using H2O, as well as more suboxides or defects because of the higher number of grain boundaries. In addition, there was a difference in the preferred orientations of the HfOx films deposited using LNS and H2O, and consequently, a difference in surface energy. Finally, a film growth model based on the surface energy difference was proposed to explain the observed growth rate and crystallite size trends.

Metabolic responses to polychromatic LED and OLED light at night.

Light exposure at night has various implications for human health, but little is known about its effects on energy metabolism during subsequent sleep. We investigated the effects of polychromatic white light using conventional light-emitting diodes (LED) and an alternative light source, organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), producing reduced spectral content in the short wavelength of blue light (455 nm). Ten male participants were exposed to either LED, OLED (1000 lx), or dim (< 10 lx) light for 4 h before sleep in a metabolic chamber. Following OLED exposure, energy expenditure and core body temperature during sleep were significantly decreased (p < 0.001). Fat oxidation during sleep was significantly reduced (p = 0.001) after the exposure to LED compared with OLED. Following exposure to OLED, fat oxidation positively correlated with the 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels, suggesting that the role of melatonin in lipolysis differs depending on the light. These findings advance our knowledge regarding the role of light in energy metabolism during sleep and provide a potential alternative to mitigate the negative consequences of light exposure at night.

Distinct effects of low-intensity physical activity in the evening on sleep quality in older women: A comparison of exercise and housework.

BACKGROUND: The effects of intensity, type, and time of day of physical activity on sleep are not well understood. An appropriate increase in core body temperature, due to physical activity during daytime, aids sleep in older adults. Our previous study showed that evening exercise has more positive effects on sleep quality in older adults when compared with morning exercise. However, older adults who do not exercise form a large part of the population. This study aimed to examine the distinct effects of low-intensity exercise and housework during the evening on sleep quality in older women. METHODS: This randomized crossover study included 10 healthy older women aged 65-79 years. The participants engaged in low-intensity physical activity for 30 min, either aerobic exercise (70 steps per minute), housework (at the same intensity), or remained sedentary (control) 3 h before bedtime. Sleep was recorded polysomnographically, and self-reported sleep quality was assessed the next morning using the Oguri-Shirakawa-Azumi sleep inventory, Middle-Aged and Aged version (OSA-MA) questionnaire. RESULTS: Compared with the control trial, core body temperature was significantly elevated in participants after each activity trial (0.5 ± 0.4 and 0.4 ± 0.4 °C for housework and aerobic exercise, respectively). There was a significant difference in sleep latency (14.2 ± 19.1, 9.9 ± 15.6, and 4.2 ± 3.5 min for control, housework, and aerobic exercise, respectively; ANOVA P = 0.011) among the trials. The delta power density after aerobic exercise was significantly higher than that after the control trial. We observed an increase of 53% and 15% in delta power during the 1st hour of sleep as a result of aerobic exercise and housework, respectively. The total score on OSA-MA was significantly higher after aerobic exercise (91.0 ± 5.4, 88.1 ± 6.9, and 108.6 ± 5.9 points for control, housework, and exercise, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Engaging in low-intensity aerobic exercise in the evening improved polysomnographic and self-reported sleep quality. Although housework increased core body temperature to the same level as that observed after aerobic exercise, self-reported sleep quality after housework was lower than that after aerobic exercise.