No abstract

Ghrelin, an endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, was recently identified in the rat stomach. Previous studies have shown that ghrelin potently increases growth hormone release and food intake. We examined the effects of the gastric peptide ghrelin on anxiety-like behavior in association with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in mice. Both intra-third cerebroventricular and intraperitoneal administration of ghrelin potently and significantly induced anxiogenic activities in the elevated plus maze test. Ghrelin gene expression in the stomach was increased by tail pinch stress as well as by starvation stress. Administration of a corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) receptor antagonist significantly inhibited ghrelin-induced anxiogenic effects. Peripherally administered ghrelin significantly increased CRH mRNA, but not urocortin mRNA expression in the hypothalamus. Furthermore, intraperitoneal injection of ghrelin produced a significant dose- dependent increase in serum corticosterone levels. These findings suggest that ghrelin may have a role in mediating neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to stressors and that the stomach could play an important role, not only in the regulation of appetite, but also in the regulation of anxiety.

KAATSU training is a novel training, which is performed under conditions of restricted blood flow. It can induce a variety of beneficial effects such as increased muscle strength, and it has been adopted by a number of facilities in recent times. The purpose of the present study is to know the present state of KAATSU training in Japan and examine the incidence of adverse events in the field. The data were obtained from KAATSU leaders or instructors in a total of 105 out of 195 facilities where KAATSU training has been adopted. Based on survey results, 12,642 persons have received KAATSU training (male 45.4%, female 54.6%). KAATSU training has been applied to all generations of people including the young (<20 years old) and the elderly (>80 years old). The most popular purpose of KAATSU training is to strengthen muscle in athletes and to promote the health of subjects, including the elderly. It has been also applied to various kinds of physical conditions, cerebrovascular diseases, orthopedic diseases, obesity, cardiac diseases, neuromuscular diseases, diabetes, hypertension and respiratory diseases. In KAATSU training, various types of exercise modalities (physical exercise, walking, cycling, and weight training) are used. Most facilities have used 5-30 min KAATSU training each time, and performed it 1-3 times a week. Approximately 80% of the facilities are satisfied with the results of KAATSU training with only small numbers of complications reported. The incidence of side effects was as follows; venous thrombus (0.055%), pulmonary embolism (0.008%) and rhabdomyolysis (0.008%). These results indicate that the KAATSU training is a safe and promising method for training athletes and healthy persons, and can also be applied to persons with various physical conditions.

Cerium oxide cluster ions, Ce(n)O(2n+x)(+) (n = 2-9, x = -1 to +2), were prepared in the gas phase by laser ablation of a cerium oxide rod in the presence of oxygen diluted in He as the carrier gas. The stable stoichiometry of the cluster ions was investigated using a mass spectrometer in combination with a newly developed post heating device. The oxygen-rich clusters, Ce(n)O(2n+x)(+) (x = 1, 2), were found to release oxygen molecules, and Ce(n)O(2n+x)(+) (x = -1, 0) were exclusively formed by post heating treatment at 573 K. The Ce(n)O(2n-1)(+) and Ce(n)O(2n)(+) clusters were found to be thermally stable, and the oxygen-rich clusters consisted of robust Ce(n)O(2n-1)(+) and Ce(n)O(2n)(+) and weakly bound oxygen atoms. Evaluation of the reactivity of Ce(n)O(2n+x)(+) with CO molecules demonstrated that Ce(n)O(2n)(+) oxidized CO to form Ce(n)O(2n-1)(+) and CO2, and the rate constants of the reaction were in the range of 10(-12)-10(-16) cm(3) s(-1). The CO oxidation reaction was distinct for n = 5, which occurred in parallel with the CO attachment reaction.

Voltage-gated Na þ channel (I Na ) is expressed under culture conditions in human smooth muscle cells (hSMCs) such as coronary myocytes. The aim of this study is to clarify the physiological, pharmacological and molecular characteristics of I Na expressed in cultured hSMCs obtained from bronchus, main pulmonary and coronary artery. I Na , was recorded in these hSMCs and inhibited by tetrodotoxin (TTX) with an IC 50 value of approximately 10 nM. Reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of mRNA showed the prominent expression of transcripts for SCN9A, which was consistent with the results of real-time quantitative RT-PCR. These results provide novel evidence that TTX-sensitive Na þ channel expressed in cultured hSMCs is mainly composed of Na v 1.7.