Associations between family factors and body weight gain from 20 years old.

BACKGROUND: Although family factors can greatly impact adult health, little is known about the extent to which family factors are related to body weight gain (BWG) in adulthood. This study aimed to examine the associations between family factors and BWG from 20 years old. METHODS: Among the 6395 possible participants aged 35 to 79 years, 2884 men and 2171 women were eligible for the study. Present body mass indexes (BMI) were measured, and family factors and body weight from 20 years old (i.e., BMI_20yr) were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The differences between BMI and BMI_20yr were calculated, and those with increases of BMI ≥2.5 kg/m2 (i.e., ≥7.5 and 6.0 kg in men and women, respectively) were defined as 'cases' of BWG. Using a multiple logistic regression analysis, the odds ratios (ORs, 95% confidence intervals [CIs] and p for trend) were estimated. RESULTS: In the men, no association was found. In the women, the ORs were 0.31, 1.00 and 0.77 (0.17-0.58, [reference], and (0.52-1.29), p < 0.001) as per their marital status: unmarried, married, and bereaved/divorced, respectively. Although no association was found with family structure (i.e., single, couple, and two and three generations living together), for familial relationships, the ORs were 1.00, 1.11 and 1.86 ([reference], 0.85-1.46, and 1.25-2.79, p < 0.01) for 'good', 'somewhat good', and 'not so good/not good', respectively. Even if a 'case' of BWG was ≥3.5 kg/m2, nearly the same risks remained. CONCLUSION: Marital status and family relationships were associated with decreased and increased risks of BWG only in the female participants. Family factors should be considered when advising women on body weight control.

Plant growth-promoting bacterium Acinetobacter calcoaceticus P23 increases the chlorophyll content of the monocot Lemna minor (duckweed) and the dicot Lactuca sativa (lettuce).

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus P23 is a plant growth-promoting bacterium that was isolated from the surface of duckweed (Lemna aoukikusa). The bacterium was observed to colonize on the plant surfaces and increase the chlorophyll content of not only the monocotyledon Lemna minor but also the dicotyledon Lactuca sativa in a hydroponic culture. This effect on the Lactuca sativa was significant in nutrient-poor (×1/100 dilution of H2 medium) and not nutrient-rich (×1 or ×1/10 dilutions of H2 medium) conditions. Strain P23 has the potential to play a part in the future development of fertilizers and energy-saving hydroponic agricultural technologies.

Cerebrospinal fluid/blood glucose ratio as an indicator for bacterial meningitis.

BACKGROUND: Bacterial meningitis is an emergent disease requiring prompt diagnosis and treatment with appropriate antimicrobials. Although the lumbar puncture is widely used as a diagnostic tool for bacterial meningitis, it remains unclear which value in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis in emergency laboratory tests precisely predicts the presence of bacterial meningitis. METHODS: This is a single-center, retrospective review of medical records to determine which emergency laboratory CSF test results are useful for predicting bacterial meningitis. The diagnosis of meningitis is made when the white blood cell count in CSF exceeds 5 cells/µL, while the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis additionally requires the growth of a pathogen from a CSF culture or the identification of a pathogen in Gram staining of CSF specimen. RESULTS: We identified 15 patients with bacterial meningitis and 129 patients with aseptic meningitis. While neutrophil-predominant pleocytosis and a decreased glucose level in CSF can predict the presence of bacterial meningitis, the CSF/blood glucose ratio is more precise (optimal cut-off=0.36, sensitivity=92.9%, specificity=92.9%, area under the curve=.97) even after administration of antimicrobials prior to examination in the emergency department. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the CSF/blood glucose ratio may be a better single indicator for bacterial meningitis. Since the CSF glucose and blood glucose values are promptly and easily obtained from a lumbar puncture, the CSF/blood glucose ratio should be considered as a timely diagnostic indicator of bacterial meningitis. It may also help exclude the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis especially in cases in which no microorganisms can be cultured.

Absence of jolt accentuation of headache cannot accurately rule out meningitis in adults.

BACKGROUND: Meningitis is a common emergency disease. Signs and symptoms easily observed at the bedside are needed because early recognition of the possibility of meningitis is necessary for the decision to perform lumbar puncture. Jolt accentuation of headache has been reported to be the most sensitive diagnostic test; however, limited articles have reproduced its sensitivity. METHODS: This is a single-center retrospective medical record review between 2007 and 2012. We diagnosed meningitis based on the criterion standard that cerebrospinal fluid total cells is more than 5/mm(3), in accordance with previous studies. All diagnostic and management decisions including Kernig sign, nuchal rigidity, and jolt accentuation of headache were at the physician's discretion. We calculated the sensitivity and specificity of well-known signs and symptoms of meningitis and, especially, compared the efficacy of jolt accentuation of headache with previous studies. RESULTS: We investigated 531 adult patients who were suspected of meningitis and had lumbar puncture performed. Of these patients, 139 had meningitis. Background characteristics and vital signs were not clinically different between the 2 groups, although classic tetralogy of bacterial meningitis (fever, nuchal rigidity, mental disturbance, and headache) was worth investigated. The sensitivity and specificity of jolt accentuation of headache were 63.9% (95% confidence interval, 51.9%-76.0%) and 43.2% (34.7%-51.6%), respectively. CONCLUSION: The absence of jolt accentuation of headache test cannot, on its own, accurately rule out meningitis in adults. Further studies are warranted to reproduce this result and to discover better bedside diagnostic tests.

Development of a fibrous DNA chip for cost-effective ß-thalassemia genotyping.

ß-thalassemia is one of the most common genetic disorders worldwide. Concerted efforts are being made to prevent the disease, as the medical and economic burden of thalassemia represents a major public health problem. The molecular diagnosis of the ß-globin mutations that cause the disease currently involves a combination of classic methodologies. A microarray-based assay for parallel one-shot detection of mutations has been developed, but the assay remains too expensive for routine application. We developed a cost-effective plastic fiber-based DNA chip for the fast and reliable detection of 25 types of ß-thalassemia mutations. Assay conditions were established and genotyping was successfully performed on a genomic sample from a ß-thalassemia patient. Our data show that this ß-thalassemia genotyping chip is an advantageous platform for mass genotyping because of its low cost, rapid results, and reliability.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates production from cellulose hydrolysate in Escherichia coli LS5218 with superior resistance to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural.

Poly[3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate(3HV)] was produced in recombinant Escherichia coli LS5218 from ruthenium-catalyzed cellulose hydrolysate and propionate. The strain was found to be resistant to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), which is a major inhibitory byproduct generated in the cellulose hydrolysis reaction. The 3HV fraction was successfully regulated in the range of 5.6-40 mol%.

Infrared electronic absorption in a single-component molecular metal.

The infrared spectra of the crystal of transition metal complex molecules with extended-TTF ligands, Ni(tmdt)2, which is the first single-component molecular metal that has a stable metallic state even at low temperatures, exhibited an extremely low-energy electronic absorption around 2200 cm-1 (tmdt = trimethylenetetrathiafulvalenedithiolate). The systematic shift of the absorption peaks for molecules similar to Ni(tmdt)2, which range from metallic to semiconducting crystals, shows that the single-component molecular conductors are composed of molecules with unprecedentedly small HOMO-LUMO gaps.

Highly conducting crystals based on single-component gold complexes with extended-TTF dithiolate ligands.

Highly conducting crystals based on single-component gold complexes with extended-TTF dithiolate ligands [Au(dmdt)(2)](0+) (1) and [Au(tmdt)(2)](0+) (2) were prepared (dmdt = dimethyltetrathiafulvalenedithiolate and tmdt = trimethylenetetrathiafulvalenedithiolate). On the basis of the synchrotron radiation powder diffraction data, the MEM electron density of 2 was successfully obtained. The conductivities of compacted powder samples of 1 and 2 at room temperature were 12 and 15 S cm(-1), respectively. Pauli-like susceptibility of 1 suggested the system to be essentially metallic at least above 50 K, while 2 showed a magnetic transition around 100 K without loss of its high conductivity.