Sample records for taisaku doko chosa

  1. Partial prevention of long-term femoral bone loss in aged ovariectomized rats supplemented with choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid.

    PubMed

    Calomme, M; Geusens, P; Demeester, N; Behets, G J; D'Haese, P; Sindambiwe, J B; Van Hoof, V; Vanden Berghe, D

    2006-04-01

    Silicon (Si) deficiency in animals results in bone defects. Choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid (ch-OSA) was found to have a high bioavailability compared to other Si supplements. The effect of ch-OSA supplementation was investigated on bone loss in aged ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Female Wistar rats (n = 58, age 9 months) were randomized in three groups. One group was sham-operated (sham, n = 21), and bilateral OVX was performed in the other two groups. OVX rats were supplemented orally with ch-OSA over 30 weeks (OVX1, n = 20; 1 mg Si/kg body weight daily) or used as controls (OVX0, n = 17). The serum Si concentration and the 24-hour urinary Si excretion of supplemented OVX rats was significantly higher compared to sham and OVX controls. Supplementation with ch-OSA significantly but partially reversed the decrease in Ca excretion, which was observed after OVX. The increase in bone turnover in OVX rats tended to be reduced by ch-OSA supplementation. ch-OSA supplementation increased significantly the femoral bone mineral content (BMC) in the distal region and total femoral BMC in OVX rats, whereas lumbar BMC was marginally increased. Femoral BMD was significantly increased at two sites in the distal region in OVX rats supplemented with ch-OSA compared to OVX controls. Total lumbar bone mineral density was marginally increased by ch-OSA supplementation. In conclusion, ch-OSA supplementation partially prevents femoral bone loss in the aged OVX rat model.

  2. Effect of oral intake of choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid on hair tensile strength and morphology in women with fine hair.

    PubMed

    Wickett, R R; Kossmann, E; Barel, A; Demeester, N; Clarys, P; Vanden Berghe, D; Calomme, M

    2007-12-01

    The appearance of hair plays an important role in people's overall physical appearance and self-perception. Silicon (Si) has been suggested to have a role in the formation of connective tissue and is present at 1-10 ppm in hair. Choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid ("ch-OSA") is a bioavailable form of silicon which was found to improve skin microrelief and skin mechanical properties in women with photoaged skin. The effect of ch-OSA on hair was investigated in a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study. Forty-eight women with fine hair were given 10 mg Si/day in the form of ch-OSA beadlets (n = 24) or a placebo (n = 24), orally for 9 months. Hair morphology and tensile properties were evaluated before and after treatment. Urinary silicon concentration increased significantly in the ch-OSA supplemented group but not in the placebo group. The elastic gradient decreased in both groups but the change was significantly smaller in the ch-OSA group (-4.52%) compared to placebo group (-11.9%). Break load changed significantly in the placebo group (-10.8%) but not in the ch-OSA supplemented group (-2.20%). Break stress and elastic modulus decreased in both groups but the change was smaller in the ch-OSA group. The cross sectional area increased significantly after 9 months compared to baseline in ch-OSA supplemented subjects but not in the placebo group. The change in urinary silicon excretion was significantly correlated with the change in cross sectional area. Oral intake of ch-OSA had a positive effect on tensile strength including elasticity and break load and resulted in thicker hair.

  3. Effect of oral intake of choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid on skin, nails and hair in women with photodamaged skin.

    PubMed

    Barel, A; Calomme, M; Timchenko, A; De Paepe, K; Paepe, K De; Demeester, N; Rogiers, V; Clarys, P; Vanden Berghe, D

    2005-10-01

    Chronic exposure of the skin to sunlight causes damage to the underlying connective tissue with a loss of elasticity and firmness. Silicon (Si) was suggested to have an important function in the formation and maintenance of connective tissue. Choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid ("ch-OSA") is a bioavailable form of silicon which was found to increase the hydroxyproline concentration in the dermis of animals. The effect of ch-OSA on skin, nails and hair was investigated in a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study. Fifty women with photodamaged facial skin were administered orally during 20 weeks, 10 mg Si/day in the form of ch-OSA pellets (n=25) or a placebo (n=25). Noninvasive methods were used to evaluate skin microrelief (forearm), hydration (forearm) and mechanical anisotropy (forehead). Volunteers evaluated on a virtual analog scale (VAS, "none=0, severe=3") brittleness of hair and nails. The serum Si concentration was significantly higher after a 20-week supplementation in subjects with ch-OSA compared to the placebo group. Skin roughness parameters increased in the placebo group (Rt:+8%; Rm: +11%; Rz: +6%) but decreased in the ch-OSA group (Rt: -16%; Rm: -19%; Rz: -8%). The change in roughness from baseline was significantly different between ch-OSA and placebo groups for Rt and Rm. The difference in longitudinal and lateral shear propagation time increased after 20 weeks in the placebo group but decreased in the ch-OSA group suggesting improvement in isotropy of the skin. VAS scores for nail and hair brittleness were significantly lower after 20 weeks in the ch-OSA group compared to baseline scores. Oral intake of ch-OSA during the 20 weeks results in a significant positive effect on skin surface and skin mechanical properties, and on brittleness of hair and nails.

  4. A 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter study of choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid in patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.

    PubMed

    Geusens, Piet; Pavelka, Karel; Rovensky, Jozef; Vanhoof, Johan; Demeester, Nathalie; Calomme, Mario; Vanden Berghe, Dirk

    2017-01-05

    The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid (ch-OSA) in patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA). In a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 211 patients with knee OA (Kellgren and Lawrence grade II or III) and moderate to moderately severe pain were randomly allocated to ch-OSA or placebo for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was the change in the WOMAC pain subscale from baseline to week 12. Secondary outcomes were changes from baseline to week 12 in WOMAC total, WOMAC stiffness, WOMAC physical function, Subject Global Assessment and levels of cartilage degradation biomarkers C-terminal telopeptide of collagen type II (CTX-II) and cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP). Pre-specified subgroup analyses included the effect of gender. A total of 166 (120 women, 46 men) patients were included in the analysis (87 and 79 in the ch-OSA and placebo group, respectively). In the total study population, no differences were observed between the two treatment groups for the different outcomes but significant treatment x gender interactions were found. In men taking ch-OSA, a significant improvement in WOMAC total, WOMAC stiffness and WOMAC physical function as well as a lower increase in biomarker levels of cartilage degradation was observed, but not in women. The change in WOMAC pain showed a similar positive trend in men taking ch-OSA. After 12 weeks of treatment, no effect was found of ch-OSA in the total study population on clinical parameters and biomarkers, but a gender interaction was observed. In men, ch-OSA was found effective in reducing symptoms of knee OA, which was associated with a slight but significant reduction of biomarkers that are related to cartilage degradation. The study was registered retrospectively: ISRCTN88583133 . Registration date: 2015-10-07.

  5. Choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid supplementation as an adjunct to Calcium/Vitamin D3 stimulates markers of bone formation in osteopenic females: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial

    PubMed Central

    Spector, Tim D; Calomme, Mario R; Anderson, Simon H; Clement, Gail; Bevan, Liisa; Demeester, Nathalie; Swaminathan, Rami; Jugdaohsingh, Ravin; Berghe, Dirk A Vanden; Powell, Jonathan J

    2008-01-01

    Background Mounting evidence supports a physiological role for silicon (Si) as orthosilicic acid (OSA, Si(OH)4) in bone formation. The effect of oral choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid (ch-OSA) on markers of bone turnover and bone mineral density (BMD) was investigated in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Methods Over 12-months, 136 women out of 184 randomized (T-score spine < -1.5) completed the study and received, daily, 1000 mg Ca and 20 μg cholecalciferol (Vit D3) and three different ch-OSA doses (3, 6 and 12 mg Si) or placebo. Bone formation markers in serum and urinary resorption markers were measured at baseline, and after 6 and 12 months. Femoral and lumbar BMD were measured at baseline and after 12 months by DEXA. Results Overall, there was a trend for ch-OSA to confer some additional benefit to Ca and Vit D3 treatment, especially for markers of bone formation, but only the marker for type I collagen formation (PINP) was significant at 12 months for the 6 and 12 mg Si dose (vs. placebo) without a clear dose response effect. A trend for a dose-corresponding increase was observed in the bone resorption marker, collagen type I C-terminal telopeptide (CTX-I). Lumbar spine BMD did not change significantly. Post-hoc subgroup analysis (baseline T-score femur < -1) however was significant for the 6 mg dose at the femoral neck (T-test). There were no ch-OSA related adverse events observed and biochemical safety parameters remained within the normal range. Conclusion Combined therapy of ch-OSA and Ca/Vit D3 had a potential beneficial effect on bone collagen compared to Ca/Vit D3 alone which suggests that this treatment is of potential use in osteoporosis. NTR 1029 PMID:18547426

  6. Physcomitrella patens auxin conjugate synthetase (GH3) double knockout mutants are more resistant to Pythium infection than wild type.

    PubMed

    Mittag, Jennifer; Šola, Ivana; Rusak, Gordana; Ludwig-Müller, Jutta

    2015-07-01

    Auxin homeostasis is involved in many different plant developmental and stress responses. The auxin amino acid conjugate synthetases belonging to the GH3 family play major roles in the regulation of free indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) levels and the moss Physcomitrella patens has two GH3 genes in its genome. A role for IAA in several angiosperm--pathogen interactions was reported, however, in a moss--oomycete pathosystem it had not been published so far. Using GH3 double knockout lines we have investigated the role of auxin homeostasis during the infection of P. patens with the two oomycete species, Pythium debaryanum and Pythium irregulare. We show that infection with P. debaryanum caused stronger disease symptoms than with P. irregulare. Also, P. patens lines harboring fusion constructs of an auxin-inducible promoter from soybean (GmGH3) with a reporter (ß-glucuronidase) showed higher promoter induction after P. debaryanum infection than after P. irregulare, indicating a differential induction of the auxin response. Free IAA was induced upon P. debaryanum infection in wild type by 1.6-fold and in two GH3 double knockout (GH3-doKO) mutants by 4- to 5-fold. All GH3-doKO lines showed a reduced disease symptom progression compared to wild type. Since P. debaryanum can be inhibited in growth on medium containing IAA, these data might indicate that endogenous high auxin levels in P. patens GH3-doKO mutants lead to higher resistance against the oomycete. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  7. Innovation Expo

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-10-31

    U.S. Patent plaques were awarded to, second from left, Robert Mueller, Adam Dokos and Ivan Townsend III, for their invention, Self-Cleaning Filament Connector, during the 2017 Innovation Expo at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At left is Kelvin Manning, Kennedy's associate director. At far right is Dave Makufka, Kennedy's Technology Transfer Program manager. The purpose of the annual two-day expo is to help foster innovation and creativity among the Kennedy workforce. The event included several keynote speakers, training opportunities, an innovation showcase and the KSC Kickstart competition.

  8. Innovation Expo

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-10-31

    U.S. Patent plaques were awarded to, second from left, Adam Dokos, Mark Lewis, Jeffrey Carlson and Ivan Townsend III, for their invention, Dust and Debris Tolerant Retractable Cover, during the 2017 Innovation Expo at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Not pictured: Gary Basin and Kevin Murtland. At left is Kelvin Manning, Kennedy's associate director. At far right is Dave Makufka, Kennedy's Technology Transfer Program manager. The purpose of the annual two-day expo is to help foster innovation and creativity among the Kennedy workforce. The event included several keynote speakers, training opportunities, an innovation showcase and the KSC Kickstart competition.

  9. EM-1 Countdown Simulation with Charlie Blackwell-Thompson

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2018-03-29

    NASA Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, center, stands next to her console in Firing Room 1 at the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Control Center. With her, from the left, are NASA intern Justin Connolly, NASA Engineering Project Manager Dan Tran, Blackwell-Thompson, Shawn Reverter, Project Manager for Red Canyon Software, Inc., and NASA Structures and Mechanisms Design Branch Chief Adam Dokos, during a countdown simulation for Exploration Mission 1. It was the agency's first simulation of a portion of the countdown for the first launch of a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

  10. Innovation Expo

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-10-31

    U.S. Patent plaques were awarded to, second from left, Mark Lewis, Adam Dokos, Robert Mueller, Jeffrey Carlson and Ivan Townsend III, for their invention, Dust Tolerant Connectors, during the 2017 Innovation Expo at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Not pictured: Gary Basin, Matthew Branch, Kevin Murtland, Matthew Nugent and Gabor Tamasy. At left is Kelvin Manning, Kennedy's associate director. At far right is Dave Makufka, Kennedy's Technology Transfer Program manager. The purpose of the annual two-day expo is to help foster innovation and creativity among the Kennedy workforce. The event included several keynote speakers, training opportunities, an innovation showcase and the KSC Kickstart competition.

  11. Albanians accuse Serbs of waging demographic war, flock to secret birth clinics.

    PubMed

    1992-06-21

    Even giving birth has become a political issue in the tense Yugoslav province of Kosovo. Although ethnic Albanians in the province outnumber Serbs by nearly 10-to-1, they live 2nd-class lives. One ethnic Albanian midwife who lives near the capital of Pristina says that 1500 babies have been born in her spare room during the past 20 months to women who preferred to take risks rather than go to Serb-run clinics. Women who come to the midwife--she did not want her name used or even the name of her town mentioned--give birth on a narrow cot covered with 2 soiled plastic sheets. They clench their teeth to stifle the pain--the midwife saves her meager supply of anesthetic for severe cases only. Next to the cot is a small cradle, but otherwise there is no sign that the room with its sofas and cabinets is a maternity clinic. Albanians have a birth rate of 34/1000 residents--Europe's highest. In Kosovo, about 200,000 Serbs are outnumbered by 1.8 million albanians, in the land Serbia cherishes as the cradle of it civilization. The Serbs say they are being swamped by Albanians, and in the past 10 years, waves of Serbs have left Kosovo, Yugoslavia's poorest province. At least 2000 have left in the past 12 months. But ethnic Albanians say it is the Serbs who practice demographic warfare. After a period of unrest in mid-1990. Serbian forces clamped down on an Albanian independence drive. Albanian doctors and nurses were fired. The gynecological clinic in Pristina lost some top specialists. "They did it to change the demographic map of Kosovo--to discourage Albanian births," said Dr. Flora Doko, president of the health committee of the Democratic League--the main Albanian opposition party, which has formed a government-in-exile and seeks independence for the province. Unconfirmed reports of Albanian babies being positioned in hospitals further inflamed the atmosphere in the suspicious society. There is no law discriminating against Albanians in medical care, but they claim

  12. Importance of Interaction between Integrin and Actin Cytoskeleton in Suspension Adaptation of CHO cells.

    PubMed

    Walther, Christa G; Whitfield, Robert; James, David C

    2016-04-01

    The biopharmaceutical production process relies upon mammalian cell technology where single cells proliferate in suspension in a chemically defined synthetic environment. This environment lacks exogenous growth factors, usually contributing to proliferation of fibroblastic cell types such as Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Use of CHO cells for production hence requires a lengthy 'adaptation' process to select clones capable of proliferation as single cells in suspension. The underlying molecular changes permitting proliferation in suspension are not known. Comparison of the non-suspension-adapted clone CHO-AD and a suspension-adapted propriety cell line CHO-SA by flow cytometric analysis revealed a highly variable bi-modal expression pattern for cell-to-cell contact proteins in contrast to the expression pattern seen for integrins. Those have a uni-modal expression on suspension and adherent cells. Integrins showed a conformation distinguished by regularly distributed clusters forming a sphere on the cell membrane of suspension-adapted cells. Actin cytoskeleton analysis revealed reorganisation from the typical fibrillar morphology found in adherent cells to an enforced spherical subcortical actin sheath in suspension cells. The uni-modal expression and specific clustering of integrins could be confirmed for CHO-S, another suspension cell line. Cytochalasin D treatment resulted in breakdown of the actin sheath and the sphere-like integrin conformation demonstrating the link between integrins and actin in suspension-adapted CHO cells. The data demonstrates the importance of signalling changes, leading to an integrin rearrangement on the cell surface, and the necessity of the reinforcement of the actin cytoskeleton for proliferation in suspension conditions.

  13. Baseline Profile of Participants in the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).

    PubMed

    Michikawa, Takehiro; Nitta, Hiroshi; Nakayama, Shoji F; Yamazaki, Shin; Isobe, Tomohiko; Tamura, Kenji; Suda, Eiko; Ono, Masaji; Yonemoto, Junzo; Iwai-Shimada, Miyuki; Kobayashi, Yayoi; Suzuki, Go; Kawamoto, Toshihiro

    2018-02-05

    The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS), known as Ecochil-Chosa in Japan, is a nationwide birth cohort study investigating the environmental factors that might affect children's health and development. We report the baseline profiles of the participating mothers, fathers, and their children. Fifteen Regional Centres located throughout Japan were responsible for recruiting women in early pregnancy living in their respective recruitment areas. Self-administered questionnaires and medical records were used to obtain such information as demographic factors, lifestyle, socioeconomic status, environmental exposure, medical history, and delivery information. In the period up to delivery, we collected bio-specimens, including blood, urine, hair, and umbilical cord blood. Fathers were also recruited, when accessible, and asked to fill in a questionnaire and to provide blood samples. The total number of pregnancies resulting in delivery was 100,778, of which 51,402 (51.0%) involved program participation by male partners. Discounting pregnancies by the same woman, the study included 95,248 unique mothers and 49,189 unique fathers. The 100,778 pregnancies involved a total of 101,779 fetuses and resulted in 100,148 live births. The coverage of children in 2013 (the number of live births registered in JECS divided by the number of all live births within the study areas) was approximately 45%. Nevertheless, the data on the characteristics of the mothers and children we studied showed marked similarity to those obtained from Japan's 2013 Vital Statistics Survey. Between 2011 and 2014, we established one of the largest birth cohorts in the world.

  14. Baseline Profile of Participants in the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS)

    PubMed Central

    Nitta, Hiroshi; Nakayama, Shoji F.; Yamazaki, Shin; Isobe, Tomohiko; Tamura, Kenji; Suda, Eiko; Ono, Masaji; Yonemoto, Junzo; Iwai-Shimada, Miyuki; Kobayashi, Yayoi; Suzuki, Go; Kawamoto, Toshihiro

    2018-01-01

    Background The Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS), known as Ecochil-Chosa in Japan, is a nationwide birth cohort study investigating the environmental factors that might affect children’s health and development. We report the baseline profiles of the participating mothers, fathers, and their children. Methods Fifteen Regional Centres located throughout Japan were responsible for recruiting women in early pregnancy living in their respective recruitment areas. Self-administered questionnaires and medical records were used to obtain such information as demographic factors, lifestyle, socioeconomic status, environmental exposure, medical history, and delivery information. In the period up to delivery, we collected bio-specimens, including blood, urine, hair, and umbilical cord blood. Fathers were also recruited, when accessible, and asked to fill in a questionnaire and to provide blood samples. Results The total number of pregnancies resulting in delivery was 100,778, of which 51,402 (51.0%) involved program participation by male partners. Discounting pregnancies by the same woman, the study included 95,248 unique mothers and 49,189 unique fathers. The 100,778 pregnancies involved a total of 101,779 fetuses and resulted in 100,148 live births. The coverage of children in 2013 (the number of live births registered in JECS divided by the number of all live births within the study areas) was approximately 45%. Nevertheless, the data on the characteristics of the mothers and children we studied showed marked similarity to those obtained from Japan’s 2013 Vital Statistics Survey. Conclusions Between 2011 and 2014, we established one of the largest birth cohorts in the world. PMID:29093304

  15. The Modernization of the Energy Sector in Poland vs. Poland's Energy Security / Modernizacja sektora energii w polsce a bezpieczeństwo energetyczne Polski

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frączek, Paweł; Kaliski, Maciej; Siemek, Paweł

    2013-06-01

    The paper discusses the essence of Poland's energy security, decisive factors for its attainment and the structure of primary energy sources of the country. It describes the main problem areas in functioning of the energy sector in Poland, as well as the conditions for its modernization. The issues of increasing the natural gas share in the country's structure of primary energy sources and a construction of the first nuclear power plant in Poland have been particularly emphasised. The paper stresses that without modernizing actions it will be impossible for Poland to fulfil international obligations concerning changes in the functioning of the energy sector. The study, analysing the conditions for increasing the role of natural gas in Poland, points at the necessity to expand the gas infrastructure, to increase a scale of gas production from domestic deposits and to complete liberalization of the energy industry. It also emphasises that a potential delay in the construction of the country's first nuclear power plant may limit competitiveness of the economy. W artykule omówiono istotę bezpieczeństwa energetycznego Polski, czynniki decydujące o jego osiągnięciu oraz strukturę źródeł energii pierwotnej w kraju. Przedstawiono główne problemy funkcjonowania sektora energii w Polsce oraz uwarunkowania jego modernizacji. Szczególny nacisk położono na kwestie zwiększenia udziału gazu ziemnego w krajowej strukturze źródeł energii pierwotnej oraz budowy pierwszej elektrownii atomowej w Polsce. Podkreślono, że bez podjęcia działań modernizacyjnych niemożliwe będzie wypełnienie zobowiązań międzynarodowych Polski dotyczących zmian w sposobie funkcjonowania sektora energii. Analizując uwarunkowania zwiększenia znaczenia gazu ziemnego w Polsce, wskazano na konieczność rozbudowy infrastruktury gazowniczej, zwiększenia skali wydobycia gazu ziemnego z krajowych złóż oraz na kwestię dokończenia liberalizacji branży. Podkreślono, że dla zwi

  16. Eastern Ionian Sea paleoceanographic conditions during the Plio - Pleistocene as revealed through the study of fish otoliths

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Agiadi, K.; Triantaphyllou, M. V.; Girone, A.; Karakitsios, V.; Dermitzakis, M. D.

    2009-04-01

    conditions, to produce a rather compex palaeoceanographic setting in the central part of the basin. In this respect, fish otoliths offer a unique opportunity to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental conditions in the entire water column and through time. D'Onghia, G., Lloris, D., Politou, C.-Y., Sion, L., Dokos, L. (2004) New records of deep-water teleost fishes in the Balearic Sea and Ionian Sea (Mediterranean Sea). Scientia Marina, 68(3): 171-183. Malanotte - Rizzoli, P., Manca, B.B., d'Alcala, M.R., Theocharis, A., Bergamasco, A., Bregant, D., Budillon, G., Civitarese, G., Georgopoulos, D., Michelato, A., Snsone, E., Scarazzato, P., Souvermezoglou, E. (1997). A synthesis of the Ionian Sea hydrography, circulation and water mass pathways during POEM-Phase I, Progress in Oceanography, 39: 153-204. Mytilineou, C., Politou, C.-Y., Papaconstantinou, C., Kavadas, S., D'Onghia, G., Sion, L. (2005) Deep-water fish fauna in the Eastern Ionian Sea. Belgian Journal of Zoology, 135 (2): 229-233. Whitehead, P.J.P., Bauchot, M.L., Hureau, J.C., Nielsen, J., Tortonese, E. (1984) Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Unesco, I: 510pp.