Roles of the ALDH2 and ADH1B genotypes on the association between alcohol intake and serum adiponectin levels among Japanese male workers.

BACKGROUND: Adiponectin secreted from adipose tissue is assumed to mediate protective effects on development of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and MetS-related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Relationship between alcohol intake and circulating adiponectin levels is not consistent among the several previous studies. In the present study, we investigated effects of alcohol intake and the alcohol-related polymorphisms on serum adiponectin levels among Japanese male workers. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional design study with 541 male workers aged 51.5 ± 5.9 (mean ± SD) years in a Japanese plant. Information on alcohol intake and other lifestyles was obtained by a self-administered questionnaire. Serum total adiponectin (T-Ad), high-molecular-weight adiponectin (HMW-Ad), medium-molecular-weight adiponectin (MMW-Ad), and low-molecular-weight adiponectin (LMW-Ad) levels were measured by the enzyme-linked immune assay system kit. Two genotypes in the alcohol dehydrogenase-1B (ADH1B) and aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) genes were determined using blood sample. In multivariate regression analyses, we adjusted for age, body mass index, smoking, and physical exercise. RESULTS: Among all subjects, high alcohol consumption of 12 units (1 unit contains 22.9 g of ethanol) a week or more was negatively associated with T-Ad levels in the multivariate model, although not significant. When we performed analyses separately for each genotype, high alcohol consumption was negatively associated with T-Ad, HMW-Ad, and LMW-Ad levels only in those with ADH1B *2/*2. Such relationships were not observed in each ALDH2 genotype group. CONCLUSIONS: High alcohol consumption was inversely associated with T-Ad, HMW-Ad, and LMW-Ad levels in those with ADH1B *2/*2 genotype, but not in those with the other ADH1B genotypes. To our knowledge, this is the first study that reports combined effects of the alcohol-related polymorphisms and alcohol intake on serum adiponectin levels. Additional studies are required to confirm the present finding.

Green Synthesis of Hollow Structures through the Decomposition of Azo Compounds Incorporated inside Polystyrene Particles.

Hollow polymer particles are applied in various fields owing to their high specific surface area and inner volume. The hollow regions in such particles are generally synthesized using a template. However, chemical agents must be used to remove the templates, which is associated with a high environmental load. To address this problem, we previously established a method for synthesizing hollow polymer particles without a template. However, the mechanism underlying this synthesis was unclear, which this study aimed to rectify. First, azo compounds were dissolved in a styrene monomer phase, and soap-free emulsion polymerization was performed to produce polystyrene particles. The azo compounds were incorporated into the polystyrene particles from the monomer phase at a polymerization temperature greater than the melting point of the azo compounds. Finally, the polystyrene particles were heated at a temperature greater than the 10 h half-life temperature of the azo compounds to emit nitrogen gas, and the azo compounds were decomposed to prepare the hollow regions in the polystyrene particles. However, the resulting particles were not hollow when the azo compound was not incorporated into the polystyrene particles. By comparing the melting behavior of different azo compounds, this study elucidates the mechanism underlying our template-free method for synthesizing hollow polystyrene particles.

Extraction of Phytochemicals from Maypole Apple by Subcritical Water.

The Maypole apple is a new, promising species of small apples with a prominent flavor and deep red flesh and peel. This study divided Maypole apples into outer flesh, inner flesh, and peel, and used subcritical water at 100-175 °C for 10-30 min to extract various phytochemicals (procyanidin B2 (PB2), 5-caffeoylquinic acid (5CQA), and epicatechin). The obtained Maypole apple extracts and extraction residues in this work were analyzed using a SEM, HPLC, FT-IR, and UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Under different subcritical water extraction conditions, this work found the highest extraction rate: to be PB2 from the peel (4.167 mg/mL), 5CQA (2.296 mg/mL) and epicatechin (1.044 mg/mL) from the inner flesh. In addition, this work regressed the quadratic equations of the specific yield through ANOVA and found that temperature is a more significant affecting factor than extraction time. This aspect of the study suggests that phytochemicals could be obtained from the Maypole apple using the new extraction method of subcritical water.

Habitual coffee consumption inversely associated with metabolic syndrome-related biomarkers involving adiponectin.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this cross-sectional study was to assess whether habitual coffee consumption shows beneficial association with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adults. METHODS: The association of coffee consumption and MetS-related biomarkers including visceral fat area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area (SFA), total serum adiponectin (T-Ad), low-molecular-weight serum adiponectin (LMW-AD), medium-molecular-weight serum adiponectin (MMW-Ad), and high-molecular-weight serum adiponectin (HMW-Ad) levels were analyzed among 364 Japanese men (36-61 y old) using two models of multivariate regression analyses; model 1 (adjusted for age, alcohol drinking, smoking, and walking status) and model 2 (adjusted for body mass index in addition to model 1 analysis). Participants were categorized into two groups according to their MetS risk score (raised blood pressure and hemoglobin A1c levels, and reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels). RESULTS: Both light (1-3 cups/d) and moderate (≥4 cups/d) coffee consumption showed significant inverse associations with VFA and VFA/SFA ratio (P < 0.0001). Moderate coffee consumption showed a favorable tendency toward these associations with T-Ad (P = 0.06) and HMW-Ad (P = 0.07) levels in model 1 analysis. In participants with lower MetS risk score (≤1), moderate coffee consumption showed significant associations with T-Ad and HMW-Ad levels (P < 0.05) in both analyses, whereas no significant associations of coffee consumption with adiponectin levels were seen in the men with higher MetS risk scores (≥2). CONCLUSIONS: Habitual moderate coffee consumption shows significant inverse associations with MetS-related biomarkers possibly involving adiponectin, which is inversely related to visceral fat accumulation.