Yogurt containing Bifidobacterium longum BB536 (designated as Bifidus yogurt) was administered to adult volunteers and its effects on the intestinal environment with reference to fecal microflora, ammonia levels , fecal characteristics (color, consistency) and defecation frequency were examined. Bifidus yogurt was manufactured by fermenting milk with B. longum BB536, Streptococcus thermophilus STH-450 and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp . bulgaricus LBU-108. Standard yogurt manufactured using only S. thermophilus STH-450 and L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus LBU-108 was used as the control diet. Eleven women volunteers were assigned as subjects to test the effects of Bifidus yogurt on the intestinal environment. Thirty-nine women volunteers were assigned as subjects to test the effects on fecal characteristics and defecation frequency. The volunteers were each administered 100 g of standard yogurt per day for two weeks. After a two-week interval period, each subject was administered 100 g of Bifidus yogurt per day for the subsequent test period. The period of administration of Bifidus yogurt was 2 weeks for testing effects on the intestinal environment and 3 weeks for testing effects on fecal characteristics and defecation frequency. The administration of Bifidus yogurt was effective to increase the number and relative percentage of fecal bifidobacteria significantly. The fecal ammonia concentration tended to decrease and fecal organic acid content tended to increase. The defecation frequency was significantly increased by Bifidus yogurt. The color of the feces changed to yellow and the consistency changed to soft. The administration of Bifidus yogurt was effective to improve the intestinal environment, fecal characteristics and defecation frequency.

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Left ventricular hypertrophy is considered to be a major cardiovascular risk factor in hemodialysis patients.Not only high blood pressure but also humoral factors such as angiotensin II and aldosterone are thought to contribute to the increase in left ventricular mass. We examined the effects of an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, imidapril, on left ventricular mass in patients with end-stage renal diseases on maintenance hemodialysis. Thirty patients on chronic hemodialysis were randomly divided into 2 groups of 15 patients each and given placebo or 2.5 mg imidapril once daily for 6 months. Before and after the 6-month period, left ventricular mass was evaluated by echocardiography, and circulating factors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system were measured. Background characteristics such as age, gender ratio, causes of renal failure, duration of hemodialysis, body mass index and pre-dialysis blood pressure were comparable between the placebo and the imidapril groups. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were not significantly changed in either group during the study period. In the imidapril group, serum ACE was reduced (12±1 to 5 ± 2 U/l, p <0.01) and plasma renin activity was increased (3.3 ± 0.8 to 8.1 ± 3.2 ng/ml/h, p <0.01), but plasma angiotensin II and aldosterone were not significantly changed after 6 months (13 ± 3 to 17 ± 3 pg/ml and 365 ± 125 to 312 ± 132 pg/ml, respectively). On the other hand, left ventricular mass index was signifi-

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The cDNA sequence of troponin I (TnI), one of the subunits of the skeletal muscle regulatory protein, differs between slow-twitch muscle and fast-twitch muscle. We prepared monoclonal antibodies to the slow and fast isoforms of human TnI for the purpose of differentiating muscle fiber types in human neuromuscular disorders. Slow TnI antibody was labeled with tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate while fast TnI antibody was labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate; then these two antibodies were mixed. This mixture was then used to stain biopsied muscle from patients with neuromuscular disorders. It was possible to differentiate muscle fibers into slow, fast and intermediate fibers having various contents of slow and fast TnI. In tissue composed of small muscle fibers, this method facilitated differentiation of types of muscle fibers by allowing staining of only a single section. The usefulness of our technique using slow and fast TnI antibodies is discussed in comparison with ATPase staining. Because our staining method can distinguish slow and fast fiber components, it is useful for clinical application.

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