Background and Aim: Delayed gastric emptying is one of the reasons why functional dyspepsia (FD) occurs. The ¹³C-acetate breath test is widely used to evaluate gastric emptying. Nevertheless, the standard value of ¹³C-acetate breath test has not taken into account the gender difference of gastric emptying among healthy individuals. The main aim of this study was to readjust the standard value of ¹³C-acetate breath test in the light of gender differences. In addition, we clarified the prevalence and clinical characteristics of delayed gastric emptying in patients with FD using the modified standard values of ¹³C-acetate breath test. Methods: Fifty-two healthy individuals and 126 patients with patients with FD were enrolled. Gastric emptying was evaluated by the ¹³C-acetate breath test. The cut-off points of T_max for the diagnosis of delayed gastric emptying were determined on the basis of results from healthy individuals making a distinction of genders. Gastroesophageal reflux symptoms, dyspeptic symptoms, scores of anxiety and depression, age, body mass index (BMI), smoking and alcohol consumption were compared between the delayed gastric emptying group and the non-delayed gastric emptying group. Results: Since gastric emptying was delayed in healthy women compared with that in healthy men (T_max, 53.6 ± 19.3 vs. 42.7 ± 16.9 min, p = 0.04), we set the cut-off points of T_max at 60 min in men and at 75 min in women. In patients with FD, the prevalence of delayed gastric emptying was not different between men and women with the modified standard values of ¹³C-acetate breath test. (31.0 vs. 27.4%, p = 0.68). BMI was lower in the delayed gastric emptying group than in the non-delayed group among the male patients. Reflux symptoms were more severe in delayed gastric emptying group than in the non-delayed group among the female patients. Conclusion: The standard values of ¹³C-acetate breath test should be modified bearing the gender difference in mind. It provides us more appropriate information to understand the mechanisms of FD.

The isotropic-cholesteric phase boundary concentrations and interfacial tension were measured for tetrahydrofuran (THF) solutions of fractionated cellulose tris(phenyl carbamate) (CTC) samples. The phase boundary concentrations are compared with the scaled particle theory for the hard wormlike spherocylinder model as favorably as those for other stiffer polymer systems, though the theory does not consider effects of the intramolecular excluded-volume and intermolecular multiple contacts, both of which are appreciable for high molecular weight CTC samples. This may be due to cancellation of the two effects in the isotropic-cholesteric phase equilibrium. The interfacial tension γ between the coexisting isotropic and cholesteric phases for the CTC-THF system slightly decreases with molecular weight, and the asymptotic value is higher than those of other stiffer polymer systems. The dependence of the asymptotic γ on the persistence length is consistent with Cui et al.'s theory based on the second virial approximation, but its magnitude is much larger than the prediction of the theory, indicating that higher virial terms in thermodynamic quantities play a significant role in γ.

IntroductionBrain‐imaging techniques have begun to be popular in evaluating the effectiveness of cognitive intervention training. Although gamma activities are rarely used as an index of training effects, they have several characteristics that suggest their potential suitability for this purpose. This pilot study examined whether cognitive training in elderly people affected the high‐gamma activity associated with attentional processing and whether high‐gamma power changes were related to changes in behavioral performance.MethodsWe analyzed (MEG) magnetoencephalography data obtained from 35 healthy elderly subjects (60–75 years old) who had participated in our previous intervention study in which the subjects were randomly assigned to one of the three types of intervention groups: Group V trained in a vehicle with a newly developed onboard cognitive training program, Group P trained with a similar program but on a personal computer, and Group C was trained to solve a crossword puzzle as an active control group. High‐gamma (52–100 Hz) activity during a three‐stimulus visual oddball task was measured before and after training. As a result of exclusion in the MEG data analysis stage, the final sample consisted of five subjects in Group V, nine subjects in Group P, and seven subjects in Group C.ResultsResults showed that high‐gamma activities were differently altered between groups after cognitive intervention. In particular, members of Group V, who showed significant improvements in cognitive function after training, exhibited increased high‐gamma power in the left middle frontal gyrus during top‐down anticipatory target processing. High‐gamma power changes in this region were also associated with changes in behavioral performance.ConclusionsOur preliminary results suggest the usefulness of high‐gamma activities as an index of the effectiveness of cognitive training in elderly subjects.

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