Health Effects of Drinking Water Produced from Deep Sea Water: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial

Global trends focus on a balanced intake of foods and beverages to maintain health. Drinking water (MIU; hardness = 88) produced from deep sea water (DSW) collected offshore of Muroto, Japan, is considered healthy. We previously reported that the DSW-based drinking water (RDSW; hardness = 1000) improved human gut health. The aim of this randomized double-blind controlled trial was to assess the effects of MIU on human health. Volunteers were assigned to MIU (n = 41) or mineral water (control) groups (n = 41). Participants consumed 1 L of either water type daily for 12 weeks. A self-administered questionnaire was administered, and stool and urine samples were collected throughout the intervention. We measured the fecal biomarkers of nine short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), as well as urinary isoflavones. In the MIU group, concentrations of three major SCFAs and sIgA increased postintervention. MIU intake significantly affected one SCFA (butyric acid). The metabolic efficiency of daidzein-to-equol conversion was significantly higher in the MIU group than in the control group throughout the intervention. MIU intake reflected the intestinal environment through increased production of three major SCFAs and sIgA, and accelerated daidzein-to-equol metabolic conversion, suggesting the beneficial health effects of MIU.     

Neurotoxicity of petroleum benzine compared with n-hexane

Summary Petroleum benzine is one of the mixtures of organic solvents containing n-hexane. The occurrence of polyneuropathy in the workers using petroleum benzines is attributed mainly to n-hexane, though other hydrocarbons present are also suspected of having some neurotoxicity or some potential which could modify the neurotoxicity of n-hexane. The present experiment was performed in order to clarify the toxicity of petroleum benzine to the peripheral nerve and compare it with that of n-hexane.Forty rats were randomly divided into five groups. The groups were exposed to 200 ppm n-hexane, 500 ppm n-hexane, and petroleum benzine vapor containing 200 ppm n-hexane or 500 ppm n-hexane, together with aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons for 12 h a day for 24 weeks. The body weight, motor nerve conduction velocity, motor distal latency, and mixed nerve conduction velocities were measured before exposure and every 4 weeks of exposure. A rat from each exposed group was histopathologically examined after 24 weeks' exposure.The function of the peripheral nerve was conspicuously impaired by 500 ppm n-hexane, slightly impaired by 200 ppm n-hexane and petroleum benzine containing 500 ppm n-hexane, and even less impaired by petroleum benzine containing 200 ppm n-hexane. Degenerations of the myelin sheaths and axons were demonstrated in all exposed groups upon examination of the raveled tail nerves. Thus, the experiment revealed that petroleum benzine could impair the peripheral nerves, while some components of petroleum benzine were considered to inhibit the neurotoxicity of n-hexane.This investigation was partly supported by a grant for scientific research from the Chiyoda Mutual Life Foundation in 1980–1981     

REM sleep latency during nocturnal sleep in mentally retarded infants

REM sleep latency observed in 61 mentally retarded infants (4-13 months of age) was studied throughout nocturnal sleep. Mentally retarded infants revealed a J distribution of short (less than 8 min) and long (more than 8 min) REM sleep latencies. This feature of distribution was similar to that obtained by other authors from normal infants under 3 months of age. REM sleep latency did not depend on the duration of prior wakefulness. Long REM sleep latencies were no more often preceded by long episodes of wakefulness than were short REM sleep latencies. No correlation was found between REM sleep latency and age, developmental quotient or daytime clinical EEG abnormalities.     

Effects of Diastolic Blood Pressure on Brain Structures and Cognitive Functions in Middle and Old Ages: Longitudinal Analyses

Hypertension is a pervasive public health concern due to strong associations with cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Alternatively, the associations between hypertension and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease are complex and recent large sample studies reported positive associations. In this paper, we examine the associations between diastolic blood pressure (BP) and subsequent changes in brain structure and cognitive function over several years by multiple regression analyses (with adjustment for a wide range of potential confounding variables) among a large cohort from the UK Biobank. Higher baseline diastolic BP was associated with a slightly smaller relative increase (relative improvements) in reaction time and a slightly greater reduction in depression scores. Higher baseline diastolic BP was also associated with a greater total gray matter volume (GMV) retention, while aging alone was associated with GMV reduction. White matter microstructural analyses revealed that a greater diastolic BP was associated with reduced longitudinal mean and regional fractional anisotropy, greater increases in mean and regional mean diffusivity, radial diffusivity, and axial diffusivity, a greater decline in mean intracellular volume fraction, and greater increases in mean and regional isotropic volume fraction. These white matter microstructural changes were consistent with those seen in the aging process. Additional analyses revealed a greater cheese intake level at baseline, which is associated with a subsequent decline in diastolic BP and a relative subsequent increase in depressive tendency together with a relative increase in fluid intelligence and visuospatial memory performance. These results are congruent with the view that a higher BP in the aging brain has a complex role.     

Sensory Ataxic Guillain-Barré Syndrome with Dysgeusia after mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has occasionally occurred in people who have received coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines. Dysgeusia is rare symptom of GBS. We herein report a rare case of sensory ataxic GBS with dysgeusia just after the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Although autoantibodies against glycolipids were not detected, immunotherapy with intravenous immunoglobulin and methylprednisolone pulse therapy effectively ameliorated the symptoms. Our report suggests that the COVID-19 vaccine may induce various clinical subtypes of GBS, including a rare variant with sensory ataxia and dysgeusia.     

Prediction of response to repeat utilization of anthracycline in recurrent breast cancer patients previously administered anthracycline-containing chemotherapeutic regimens as neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy

Summary Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the predictors of the response to doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide in patients with recurrent breast cancer (RBC) previously treated with anthracycline-containing regimens in a neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting. Method: Between December 1993 and October 2005, 664 patients had received combined doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide chemotherapy (doxorubicin, 40 mg/m², iv on day 1; cyclophosphamide, 500 mg/m², iv on day 1, every 21 days) for RBC at our institution. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the efficacy of doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide in 99 of these 664 RBC patients who had also previously been administered an anthracycline-based chemotherapy in a neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting. Results: The median cumulative dose of the previously administered anthracycline was 156 mg/m². The median disease-free interval (DFI) and median anthracycline-free interval were 33.8 and 43.7 months, respectively. The overall response rate to doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide therapy was 38.4% (95% CI; range, 28.8–48.0%). The median time to progression and overall survival were 6.2 and 17.5 months, respectively. The results of a multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association of the response to doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide therapy with the DFI (P = 0.02); human epidermal receptor type 2 (HER2) status also tended to affect the response rate, however the association was not statistically significant (P = 0.06). Conclusion: DFI and HER2 status may be associated with the response to repeat utilization of anthracycline-containing regimens in RBC patients also treated previously with anthracycline-containing chemotherapeutic regimens in a neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting.     

Involvement of DNase II-like acid DNase in the cataract formation of the UPL rat and the Shumiya cataract rat

The loss of organelles and DNA is important to ensure transparency of the lenses, and DNase II-like acid DNase (also called DNase IIbeta, DLAD) is related to the loss of organelles and DNA in the lenses. We investigated the relation between the degradation of DNA and DLAD mRNA expression in the lenses of two hereditary cataract rats, the UPL rat (UPLR) and the Shumiya cataract rat (SCR), during cataract development. Undigested DNA was detected in the lens cortexes of normal UPLRs and SCRs, and undigested DNA was degraded in the lens nuclei of normal UPLRs and SCRs. DLAD does not affect common cataract formation, since DLAD mRNA expression levels in the lenses of cataractous SCRs were not changed with an increase in age, and undigested DNA was degraded in the lens nuclei of cataractous SCRs. On the other hand, an accumulation of undigested DNA was found in the lens nuclei of cataractous UPLRs at 46 and 53 d of age with opaque lenses, and the decrease in DLAD mRNA expression levels occurred prior to the accumulation of undigested DNA in the lens nuclei. It is possible that UPLRs are a good model for cataract caused by a decrease of DNA degradation in the lenses.