objective: This study compared the effect of alternating shift work and day work on weight gain in Japanese male workers. Methods and Procedures: A longitudinal cohort study was conducted in day workers (n = 4,328) and alternating shift workers (n = 2,926) of a steel company who received annual health checkups over a 14-year period between 1991 and 2005. The association between the type of job schedule and weight gain was investigated using multivariate pooled logistic regression analyses. The endpoints in the study were either a 5, 7.5, or 10% increase in BMI during the period of observation, compared to the BMI at entry. Results: The type of job schedule was significantly associated with all three BMI endpoints (5% increase in BMI; odds ratio (OR) for comparison between alternating shift workers and regular day workers, 1.14; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06-1.23): (7.5% increase in BMI; OR, 1.13; 95%CI, 1.03-1.24: 10% increase in BMI; OR, 1.13; 95%CI, 1.00-1.28). BMI at study entry was also positively associated with the 5, 7.5, and 10% increases in BMI during the study. On the other hand, age and drinking habits were negatively associated with 5, 7.5, and 10% increases in BMI. Discussion: Our study revealed that alternating shift work was an independent risk factor for weight gain in male Japanese workers. Efficient health screening and regular checkups, combined with support to control unhealthy lifestyle factors, would be of considerable benefit for maintaining the health of Japanese shift workers.

The Eker rat hereditary renal carcinoma (RC) is an excellent example of a mendelian dominant predisposition to a specific cancer in an experimental animal. We have previously established a new conserved linkage group on rat chromosome 10q and human chromosome 16p13.3, and shown that the Eker mutation is tightly linked to the tuberous sclerosis (Tsc2) gene. We now describe a germline mutation in the gene encoding Tsc2 caused by the insertion of an approximately 5 kilobase DNA fragment in the Eker rat, resulting in aberrant RNA expression from the mutant allele. The phenotype of tuberous sclerosis in humans differs from that of the Eker rat, except for the occurrence of renal tumours. The Eker rat may therefore provide insights into species-specific differences in tumourigenesis and/or phenotype-specific mutations.

Tuberous sclerosis (TS) is characterized by the development of hamartomas in various organs and is caused by a germ-line mutation in either TSC1 or TSC2 tumor suppressor genes. From the symptomatic resemblance among TS patients, involvement of TSC1 and TSC2 products in a common pathway has been suggested. Here, to analyze the function of the Tsc1 product, we established a line of Tsc1 (TSC1 homologue) knockout mouse by gene targeting. Heterozygous Tsc1 mutant (Tsc1 ؉/؊ ) mice developed renal and extra-renal tumors such as hepatic hemangiomas. In these tumors, loss of wild-type Tsc1 allele was observed. Homozygous Tsc1 mutants died around embryonic days 10.5-11.5, frequently associated with neural tube unclosure. As a whole, phenotypes of Tsc1 knockout mice resembled those of Tsc2 knockout mice previously reported, suggesting that the presumptive common pathway for Tsc1 and Tsc2 products may also exist in mice. Notably, however, development of renal tumors in Tsc1 ؉/؊ mice was apparently slower than that in Tsc2 ؉/؊ mice. The Tsc1 knockout mouse described here will be a useful model to elucidate the function of Tsc1 and Tsc2 products as well as pathogenesis of TS.T uberous sclerosis (TS) is an autosomal dominantly inherited disease characterized by the development of hamartomas and benign tumors in various organs such as brain, kidney, and heart (1). A germ-line mutation in either TSC1 or TSC2 genes (2, 3), both of which act as tumor suppressors (4, 5), is a genetic factor responsible for pathogenesis of TS. The similar symptoms of TS patients associated with TSC1 or TSC2 mutations suggest that the products of TSC1 and TSC2 are involved in a common physiological pathway (1, 6). TSC1 encodes a protein with a molecular mass of Ϸ130 kDa, hamartin, which contains a coiled-coil domain in the carboxyl-terminal half (3). TSC2 encodes tuberin, a rap1-GTPase activating protein homology domain-containing protein with a molecular mass of Ϸ180 kDa (2). Although several studies concerned with functions of these products have been reported, in vivo functions of them remain to be elucidated (1,7,8).The tumor suppressor function of TSC2 became evident by studies of rodents with a germ-line Tsc2 mutation such as the Eker rat (9-13) and Tsc2 knockout mice (14, 15). Both heterozygous Tsc2 mutant rats and mice develop hereditary renal tumors and extra-renal tumors carrying a second hit of Tsc2 gene (14-17). Homozygosity of Tsc2 mutation leads to the embryonic lethality both in rats (9, 18) and mice (15,16), indicating that the function of tuberin is essential for mammalian development.We also isolated a rat homologue of TSC1 (Tsc1) and analyzed its mutation in chemically induced renal tumors in wild-type rats, in which Tsc2 mutations were found with high frequency (Ϸ50%) (19). In those tumors, we found Tsc1 mutations in a case with no Tsc2 mutation (19). These results suggest that mutations of Tsc1 and Tsc2 are involved in the development of chemically induced renal tumors in rats, although the latter is more common. These systems o...

The significance of this work lies in its simplicity in clinical setting and the seamless integration into the current medical procedure with satisfactory response time and overlay accuracy. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Uniaxial stress-strain data were obtained from in vitro experiments on 20 porcine livers for compressions, elongations and cycles of compression and then elongation. There were about 70 cylindrical samples, with diameter 7mm and varying height (4-11 mm). The combined compression and elongation test provide a unified framework for both compression and elongation for applications such as computer-aided surgical simulation. It enable the zero stress state of the experimental liver sample to be precisely determined. A new equation that combined both logarithmic and polynomial strain energy forms was proposed in modelling these experimental data. The assumption of incompressibility was justified from a preliminary Poisson's ratio for elongation and compression at 0.43+/-0.16 and 0.47+/-0.15, respectively. This equation provided a good fit for the observed mechanical properties of liver during compression-elongation cycles and for separate compressions or elongations. The root mean square errors were 91.92+/-17.43 Pa, 57.55+/-13.23 Pa and 29.78+/-17.67 Pa, respectively. In comparison with existing strain energy functions, this combined model was the better constitutive equation. Application of this theoretical model to small liver samples and other tissues demonstrated its suitability as the material model of choice for soft tissue.

Our study revealed that the ASW is an independent risk factor for the onset of diabetes mellitus.

To clarify the prevalence of dietary supplement use among college students, we conducted Internet-based nationwide questionnaire surveys with 157,595 Japanese college students aged between 18 to 24 years old who were registrants of Macromill Inc. (Tokyo, Japan). Among the 9066 respondents (response rate 5.8%), 16.8% were currently using dietary supplements. The prevalence of dietary supplement use did not differ significantly between males (17.1%) and females (16.7%). However, it increased according to their grade (13.1% to 20.5%), and it was higher in medical and pharmaceutical college students (22.0%) compared to others (16.7%). The main purpose of dietary supplement use was for the health benefits in both males and females. Other reasons were to build muscle in males, and as a beauty supplement and for weight loss in females. According to the purpose of dietary supplement use, the most commonly-used dietary supplements were vitamin/mineral supplements in both males and females, then protein and weight loss supplements in males and females, respectively. Although most students obtained information about dietary supplements via the Internet, they typically purchased the supplements from drug stores. Of the students surveyed, 7.5% who were currently using or used to use dietary supplements experienced adverse effects, with no significant difference between genders (8.8% in male, 7.0% in female). In conclusion, the prevalence of dietary supplement use increased with grade among college students in Japan. Some of them experienced adverse effects. Education may be important to prevent adverse effects resulting from supplement use in college.