AbstractsThe objective of the present research was to compare the availability of zinc in the form of organic zinc, zinc amino acid chelate, with in the form of sulfate in growing pigs. Twenty-five pigs of 25 d-old were divided into 5 groups. Five pigs of each group were fed a basal diet which was a commercial ration without supplying zinc or diets added 25, 50 or 100mg/kg dry matter zinc in the form of amino acid chelate, or 100mg/kg dry matter zinc in the form of sulfate for 30d. The basal diet contained 47mg/kg of zinc and did not satisfy its requirement for the pigs. The diets contained twice more calcium and 15 times more copper than the requirements for the pigs. Femoral and serum zinc concentrations were increased with supplying zinc amino acid chelate and were significantly higher in pigs given the organic zinc than in those given the inorganic zinc at the level of 100mg/kg diet. Zinc solubility in ileal digesta was gradually increased with supplying the organic zinc. Additionally, zinc solubility tended to be higher in the pigs given organic zinc than in those given the same amount of inorganic zinc. These results suggested that the availability of organic zinc was higher than inorganic zinc in the pigs fed a high calcium and copper diet, which , at least partly, resulted from the higher solubility of organic zinc in the ileum.

How the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria communicate with each other and how they regulate plasmalemmal Ca(2+) entry were studied in cultured rat brown adipocytes. Cytoplasmic Ca(2+) or Mg(2+) and mitochondrial membrane potential were measured by fluorometry. The sustained component of rises in cytoplasmic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) produced by thapsigargin was abolished by removing extracellular Ca(2+), depressed by depleting extracellular Na(+), and enhanced by raising extracellular pH. FCCP, dinitrophenol, and rotenone caused bi- or triphasic rises in [Ca(2+)](i), in which the first phase was accompanied by mitochondrial depolarization. The FCCP-induced first phase was partially inhibited by oligomycin but not by ruthenium red, cyclosporine A, U-73122, a Ca(2+)-free EGTA solution, and an Na(+)-free solution. The FCCP-induced second phase paralleling mitochondrial repolarization was partially blocked by removing extracellular Ca(2+) and fully blocked by oligomycin but not by thapsigargin or an Na(+)-deficient solution, was accompanied by a rise in cytoplasmic Mg(2+) concentration, and was summated with a high pH-induced rise in [Ca(2+)](i), whereas the extracellular Ca(2+)-independent component was blocked by U-73122 and cyclopiazonic acid. The FCCP-induced third phase was blocked by removing Ca(2+) but not by thapsigargin, depressed by decreasing Na(+), and enhanced by raising pH. Cyclopiazonic acid-evoked rises in [Ca(2+)](i) in a Ca(2+)-free solution were depressed after FCCP actions. Thus mitochondrial uncoupling causes Ca(2+) release, activating Ca(2+) release from the ER and store-operated Ca(2+) entry, and directly elicits a novel plasmalemmal Ca(2+) entry, whereas Ca(2+) release from the ER activates Ca(2+) accumulation in, or release from, mitochondria, indicating bidirectional mitochondria-ER couplings in rat brown adipocytes.

SummaryIn recent years the occurrence of thiamin deficiency diseases has increased particularly among elderly people and there has been some speculation about whether or not any particular factors exist. In this study, we focused on elderly people requiring constant care in nursing homes and we conducted an accurate condition survey of total thiamin concentration in whole blood as a means of nutritional assessment. The total number of participants was 14 males and 60 females who were residing in a nursing home; they were aged between 65 and 105 y old. All of the subjects agreed to take part in our research. We conducted the following tests: anthropometric measurements, blood examination including total thiamin levels, and also physical functions such as in the level of nursing care required and tests of other physical conditions. The average Ϯ standard deviation of thiamin concentration was 22.4 Ϯ 8.9 ng/mL and the number of people with a deficient condition (less than 20 ng/mL) was 42, which was 56.8% of the total. From these results, the existence of thiamin deficiency is validated in more than half of the elderly people who require nursing care. On the other hand, the method of meal intake for all participants who have a thiamin deficiency was oral intake and for those who were non-deficient in thiamin, the percentage of tube feeding or nutritional supplementation intravenously was 37.5%, which was a significantly high value.

The efficacy of fermentation on zinc bioavailability in soybean meal was studied in growing pigs. Fifteen growing pigs, average initial body weight and age of 20kg and 8 weeks, were fed a soybean meal based-diet (SBM diet), a soybean meal based diet added with monosodium phosphate at 7.5g/kg of air dry matter (SBM + P diet), or a fermented soybean meal-based diet (FSBM diet) for 30 days. Zinc concentration in each diet was almost the lower limit of its requirement in the growing pigs. The FSBM group showed higher zinc concentrations in the femoral cortex and serum than did the other groups. These results suggested that fermentation of soybean meal improved zinc bioavailability in growing pigs.

and Sciences Objective: Gender differences in the usage of supplements by working adults and their awareness of them. Methods: Full-time employees of Company A in the Tokai region of Japan and their spouses were given cross-sectional questionnaires (response rate: 61.3%), and 658 responses from full-time employees and their spouses were analyzed. Results: Supplements were used by 23.7% of the participants. They were used by significantly more women than men, and women also had a greater tendency to seek advice regarding supplement use (advice sought by: women, 44.9%; men, 24.1%; p=0.01). Advice was only rarely sought from professionals. The greatest number of respondents stated that they were unsure whether they were satisfied with their supplement use. Conclusions: Few participants sought out professional advice when taking supplements and many participants appeared to continue using supplements without noticing any improvement. This suggests both the need for further training of professionals to give more appropriate advice regarding necessary supplement use as well as the need to encourage education aimed at creating eating behavior that does not rely simply on supplements.