Validation of Self-Monitoring Devices Supporting Sodium Intake Reduction: An Experimental Feeding Study Using Standardized Low-Salt and High-Salt Meals among Healthy Japanese Volunteers.

INTRODUCTION: Although several approaches for approximating daily Na intake and the Na/K ratio using casual urine are available, the most useful method remains unclear during daily practice and at home. METHODS: Twenty-seven participants measured their casual urinary Na/K ratio repeatedly using a Na/K ratio monitor and also measured overnight urine once daily using a monitoring device which delivers on-site feedback to estimate their salt intake under unrestricted, low-salt (LS) (6 g/day), and high-salt (HS) (12 g/day) diets. RESULTS: The monitoring method utilizing overnight urine to estimate daily Na remained insensitive, resulting in significant overestimation during the LS diet and underestimation during the HS diet periods; estimated salt intake during the LS and HS diet periods plateaued at 7-8 g/day and 9-10 g/day within 3 day; mean estimated salt intake was 11.3 g/day, 7.9 g/day, and 9.8 g/day on the last day of the unrestricted, LS, and HS diets; the coefficient of variation (CV) of the estimated Na intake was 0.23 and 0.17 in the latter half of the low- and high-salt diet periods, respectively. The mean urinary Na/K molar ratio was 5.6, 2.5, and 5.3 on the last day of the unrestricted, LS, and HS diets; the CV of the daily mean Na/K ratio was 0.41 and 0.36 in the latter half of the LS and HS diet periods, respectively. The urinary Na/K ratio during the LS and HS diet periods plateaued within 2 days. The monitoring method based on the daily mean of the casual urinary Na/K ratio reflected the actual change in Na intake, and the estimated value tracked the actual changes in salt intake with smaller difference than the overnight urine estimates when using the estimation coefficient set at 2; estimated salt intake during the LS and HS diet periods plateaued at 5-6 g/day and 10-12 g/day within 2-3 day; mean estimated salt intake was 11.0 g/day, 5.7 g/day, and 10.7 g/day on the last day of the unrestricted, LS, and HS diets, respectively. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Estimates of daily Na intake derived from overnight urine may remain insensitive during dietary interventions. The urinary Na/K ratio reflects the actual change in Na intake during dietary modification and may serve as a practical marker, particularly during short-term interventions. Conversion from the urinary Na/K ratio to estimated salt intake may be useful, if the coefficient was set appropriate by further investigations.

Effects of thermal treatments on the recovery of adsorbed water and photocatalytic activities of TiO2 photocatalytic systems.

The effects of thermal treatments on the rehydration process and photocatalytic activity were investigated by 1H NMR spectroscopy for six anatase abundant TiO2 photocatalysts with different properties. Acetic acid and benzoic acid were employed for photodecomposition in aqueous suspension. After the calcinations at 973 K, physisorbed water layers recovered relatively fast for P25, F4, and AMT-600 (shorter than 24 h) with no significant enhancement of the photocatalytic decomposition. On the other hand, for ST-01, UV-100, and AMT-100, the recovery was very slow (longer than 1 week) and only partially reversible, and the photocatalytic decomposition was considerably enhanced but retarded with rehydration. In the presence of adsorbed water, the binding of a carboxyl group of the molecules with adsorbed water is considered to compete with the direct adsorption on the surface, which reduces the amount of the direct adsorption and results in the reduction in the photocatalytic efficiency. In addition, the photocatalytic decomposition of benzoic acid with an aromatic ring was much faster in all of the TiO2 aqueous suspensions and more enhanced for the fully dehydroxylated TiO2 than that of acetic acid. These results suggest that the most efficient photocatalytic sites should be the hydrophobic sites on the TiO2 surface. The difference among the rehydration rates of different TiO2 is discussed in terms of thermally induced changes of surface morphology.

Ethnic sensitivity assessment - pharmacokinetic comparability between Japanese and non-Japanese healthy subjects on selected mAbs.

OBJECTIVE: Ethnic sensitivity studies (ESSs), where safety and pharmacokinetics (PK) are assessed in Japanese subjects, are routinely conducted according to Japanese regulatory requirement before the subsequent clinical studies. The necessity of ESSs is questionable in case of mAbs, where inherent IgG characteristics are considered ethnically insensitive. This report investigated PK profiles and immunogenicity (IG) following a single administration of mAbs in Japanese and non-Japanese healthy subjects. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: PK and IG comparison between Japanese and non-Japanese healthy subjects was made on mAbs data available from public domain and unpublished internal reports. PK comparison was made based on statistical approach as well as assumed typical IgG profile using modeling and simulation. RESULTS: When compared directly, most mAbs showed no difference between ethnic groups. When profiles of various mAbs were fit to an assumed typical IgG PK model, the majority of mAbs follow the expected behavior regardless of ethnicities. Deviations from this behavior did not appear to be due to inherent ethnic differences. When the incidence of IG was assessed, only Adalimumab showed apparent ethnic difference. CONCLUSIONS: The overall lack of observational difference may facilitate discussion of mAbs' early clinical development in Japan, including the utility of dedicated ESSs.

Novel method for linking CdS nanoparticles at liquid-liquid interface.

Liquid-liquid interface of water-hexane provides a unique reaction environment in which CdS nanoparticles capped with mercaptoethylamine could be linked together to form a homodimer with a divalent acid chloride, sebacoyl chloride. Prior to the reaction, mercaptoethylamine-capped CdS in aqueous solution was purified by dialysis and freeze-drying. The observation with a transmission electron microscope suggested the formation of a homodimer of CdS nanoparticles.

Fabrication of stable, highly flat gold film electrodes with an effective thickness on the order of 10 nm.

Stable gold film electrodes were fabricated by a combination of sputtered gold and an epoxy adhesion layer on a glass substrate using the template-stripped technique. An XRR scan analysis indicated the thickness and roughness of the gold layer to be on the order of 10 nm and subnanometer, respectively. In spite of their small thickness, the electrode had sufficient conductivity and stuck to the subject during the electrochemical measurements as did the usual gold working electrodes.