Objective: To validate reported energy intake (rEI) with a self-administered diet history questionnaire (DHQ) against total energy expenditure (TEE) by the doubly labeled water (DLW) method. Subjects: A total of 140 healthy Japanese adults (67 men and 73 women) aged 20-59 years living in four areas in Japan. Methods: Energy intake was assessed twice with DHQ over a 1-month period before and after TEE measurement (rEI DHQ1 and rEI DHQ2 , respectively). TEE was measured by DLW during 2 weeks (TEE DLW ). Results: Mean rEI DHQ1 was lower than those of TEE DLW by 1.972.4 MJ/day (16.4%, Po0.001) for men and 0.671.9 MJ/day (6.0%, Po0.01) for women. In men and women together, 62 subjects (44%) were defined as underreporters (rEI DHQ1 /TEE DLW o0.84), 58 (41%) as acceptable reporters (0.84-1.16) and 20 (14%) as over-reporters (41.16). Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.34 for men and 0.22 for women. After adjustment for the dietary and non-dietary factors related to rEI DHQ1 /TEE DLW , the correlation coefficient improved to 0.42 and 0.37, respectively. Conclusion: The energy intake assessed with DHQ correlated low to modestly with TEE measured by DLW. In addition, DHQ underestimated energy intake at a group level. Caution is needed when energy intake was evaluated by DHQ at both individual and group levels.

Objective: To measure total energy expenditure (TEE) for normal healthy Japanese by the doubly labelled water (DLW), and to compare the physical activity level (PAL) among categories classified by the categories used in daily reference intake (DRI), Japan and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Subjects and methods: A total of 150 healthy Japanese men and women aged 20-to 59-year-old living in four districts of Japan. TEE was measured by the DLW method, and the PAL was calculated from TEE divided by basal metabolic rate. Simultaneously with TEE measurement, the PAL was assessed employing the categories used in DRI, Japan and IPAQ. Results: The average TEE and PAL were 10.7871.67 MJ/day and 1.7270.22 for males and 8.3771.30 MJ/day and 1.7270.27 for females, respectively. The subjects in the highly active categories assessed by both DRI and IPAQ showed significantly higher PAL compared with less active categories. However, PALs among light and moderate categories by DRI, and insufficient and sufficiently active by IPAQ were not significantly different. Conclusions: In developed countries, highly active subjects could be assessed by a simple questionnaire. However, the questionnaire should be improved to clarify the sedentary to moderately active subjects by assessing carefully very light to moderate physical activity.

The traditional Japanese medicine rikkunshito ameliorates the nitric oxide-associated delay in gastric emptying. Whether rikkunshito affects gastric motility associated with 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin: 5-HT) receptors or dopamine receptors is unknown. We examined the effects of rikkunshito on the delay in gastric emptying induced by 5-HT or dopamine using the phenol red method in male Wistar rats. 5-HT (0.01–1.0 mg kg−1, i.p.) dose dependently delayed gastric emptying, similar to the effect of the 5-HT3 receptor agonist 1-(3-chlorophenyl) biguanide (0.01–1.0 mg kg−1, i.p.). Dopamine also dose dependently delayed gastric emptying. The 5-HT3 receptor antagonist ondansetron (0.04–4.0 mg kg−1) and rikkunshito (125–500 mg kg−1) significantly suppressed the delay in gastric emptying caused by 5-HT or 1-(3-chlorophenyl) biguanide. Hesperidin (the most active ingredient in rikkunshito) suppressed the 5-HT-induced delayed gastric emptying in a dose-dependent manner, the maximum effect of which was similar to that of ondansetron (0.4 mg kg−1). The improvement obtained by rikkunshito or ondansetron in delaying gastric emptying was completely blocked by pretreatment with atropine. Rikkunshito appears to improve delay in gastric emptying via the antagonistic action of the 5-HT3 receptor pathway.

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at a particularly high risk for cardiovascular disease. Vascular calcification (VC) is considered a cardiovascular risk marker, so in CKD patients screening for the presence of VC is suggested in current guidelines. VC is the result of both passive and active processes that involve a variety of proteins and factors. In the CKD population, numerous studies have identified circulating biomarkers potentially responsible for VC and have evaluated their link with this process. This narrative review, and an accompanying analysis performed on the Amiens CKD database, focuses on selected VC biomarkers-namely phosphate, fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), osteopontin (OPN), osteoprotegerin (OPG), matrix Gla protein and fetuin A-all of which have been implicated as major players in VC in experimental studies in vitro or in animal models. None of the VC biomarkers considered in this review have qualified as a reliable predictor of meaningful clinical events or as a valid indicator of the risk of having VC. In the analysis based on the Amiens-CKD database, no biomarker outperformed age and the classical risk factors as a predictor of VC either in the aorta or in the coronaries. Well-designed clinical trials are now urgently needed to test the potential value of these biomarkers as a guide for interventions targeting VC.