Prospective study of dietary energy density and weight gain in a Japanese adult population.

High dietary energy density (ED) has been associated with weight gain. However, little is known about the long-term effects of ED on weight changes among free-living subjects, particularly in Japanese and other Asian populations. In this study, we assessed dietary habits and weight changes in participants (5778 males and 7440 females, 35-69 years old) of the Takayama study. ED was estimated using a validated FFQ at baseline only. Information on body weight (BW) was obtained by self-administered questionnaires at baseline and follow-up. Mean BW difference in 9·8 years was 17 (se 4221) g for men and -210 (se 3889) g for women. In men, ED was positively associated with BW at follow-up after controlling for age, BW, height, physical activity score, alcohol consumption, energy intake, years of education at the baseline and change of smoking status during the follow-up. On average, men in the highest quartile of ED (>5·322 kJ/g (>1·272 kcal/g)) gained 138 (se 111) g, whereas men in the lowest ED (<1·057) lost 22 (se 111) g (P for trend=0·01). The association between ED and BW gain was stronger in men with normal weight. In women, the association between ED and weight change was not statistically significant. In conclusion, contrary to some studies that report an association between ED and weight gain in the overweight only, our data suggest that high-ED diets may be associated with weight gain in the lean population as well, at least in male subjects.

High-intensity laser for acupuncture-like stimulation.

The insertion of needles into specific parts of the body was shown to provide analgesic and therapeutic effects. In this study, we tested the analgesic effects of high-intensity infrared laser for acupuncture-like stimulation. Twelve adult Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 230 to 250 g were randomly assigned to laser, needle, or restraint groups. Stimulation was directed to the meridian point Taixi (KI 3) for 10 min. For laser stimulation, a pulsed Er:YAG system was used. The laser settings were adjusted to provide a focal raise in the skin temperature to about 45 degrees C. The anti-nociceptive effect was evaluated by the tail-flick test. Both needling and laser stimulation significantly increased the tail-flick latency. Peak needling effect was observed immediately after treatment, while laser stimulation was effective both immediately and 45 min after treatment. High-intensity laser stimulation may be used alternatively or in combination with conventional acupuncture needling for pain relief.

Compositional analysis of root cementum and dentin after Er:YAG laser irradiation compared with CO2 lased and intact roots using Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy.

The present study examines the dental root after Er:YAG laser irradiation, compared with CO2 lased and non-treated surfaces, using Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Freshly extracted human teeth were irradiated by Er:YAG laser at an energy output of 40 mJ/pulse, 10 Hz (0.4 watts), with or without water coolant, and by CO2 laser at an energy output of 0.5 watts in continuous wave mode without coolant. The surfaces were chalky and smooth after irradiation by Er:YAG laser with water coolant, were charred and irregular after irradiation by Er:YAG laser without water coolant, and were completely carbonized after CO2 laser irradiation. The FTIR profiles from samples of the surfaces that were irradiated by Er:YAG laser with water coolant were similar to those from non-treated samples, except for a slight decrease on the OH and amide bands, which are mainly related to organic components. This decrease was observed to be extreme after CO2 laser irradiation and moderate after Er:YAG laser irradiation without coolant. The formation of new bands showing toxic substances was observed to a large extent after CO2 laser irradiation and to a smaller extent after Er:YAG laser irradiation without water coolant. In contrast, no such bands were detected after Er:YAG laser irradiation with water coolant. The present results show that these laser treatments selectively ablated more organic components than inorganic components and that Er:YAG laser irradiation with water coolant did not cause major compositional changes or chemically deleterious changes in either root cementum or dentin.