Bag Carrying Method during Level Walking Affects Perceived Exertion Ratings without Altering Energy Cost, Oxygen Consumption, and Heart Rate in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Crossover Trial

Hiroto Honda(Hiroto Honda ),Reina Maeda(Reina Maeda ),Suguru Ando(Suguru Ando ),Kenji Shinbo(Kenji Shinbo ),Wataru Nanikawa(Wataru Nanikawa ),Masaki Iwamura(Masaki Iwamura ),Yoshihiro Yamashina(Yoshih 사피엔시아 2020 Exercise Medicine Vol.4 No.-

Objectives: Little is known regarding the associations between Borg’s rating of perceived exertion (RPE), cardiopulmonary responses, and carrying bags while level walking. We investigated the changes in RPE and cardiopulmonary responses, including energy cost (EC), oxygen consumption (VdotO₂), and heart rate (HR), when walking with a bag. Methods: This randomized crossover study included 10 healthy adults (aged 21–22 years). Four days of experiments were performed at intervals of 1–2 weeks. The participants walked on a level treadmill while carrying a bag with a strap weighting 5 kg, placed diagonally on their shoulders (DS), vertically on their shoulders (VS), vertically in one hand (VH), and on their backs using both shoulders (BS) for 20 min. Walking speed was stable among all experiments, and was set to the participants’ preferred speed. Results: No significant differences between bag carrying methods regarding EC, VdotO₂, and %HRreserve (based on HR) were observed, whereas RPE respiratory (RPE-resp) and RPE leg muscle (RPE-leg) scores varied based on bag carrying method used. RPE-resp score was significantly lower for DS and BS than VH (both p < 0.0083); however, no significant difference was observed when each RPE-leg score was compared. Conclusions: We found that RPE-resp score varied, whereas no changes in EC, VdotO₂, and HR were observed in healthy adults while walking with different bag carrying methods. Additionally, of all bag carrying methods assessed, the highest RPE-resp score was observed when individuals carried a bag with one-hand at their side.

Keratinocytes in culture accumulate phagocytosed melanosomes in the perinuclear area

Ando, Hideya,Niki, Yoko,Yoshida, Masaki,Ito, Masaaki,Akiyama, Kaoru,Kim, Jin‐,Hwa,Yoon, Tae‐,Jin,Lee, Jeung‐,Hoon,Matsui, Mary S.,Ichihashi, Masamitsu Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2010 Pigment cell & melanoma research Vol.23 No.1

<P><B>Summary</B></P><P>There are many techniques for evaluating melanosome transfer to keratinocytes but the spectrophotometric quantification of melanosomes incorporated by keratinocyte phagocytosis has not been previously reported. Here we describe a new method that allows the spectrophotometric visualization of melanosome uptake by normal human keratinocytes in culture. Fontana‐Masson staining of keratinocytes incubated with isolated melanosomes showed the accumulation of incorporated melanosomes in the perinuclear areas of keratinocytes within 48 h. Electron microscopic observations of melanosomes ingested by keratinocytes revealed that many phagosomes containing clusters of melanosomes or their fragments were localized in the perinuclear area. A known inhibitor of keratinocyte phagocytosis which inhibits protease‐activated receptor‐2, i.e., soybean trypsin inhibitor, decreased melanosome uptake by keratinocytes in a dose‐dependent manner. These data suggest that our method is a useful model to quantitate keratinocyte phagocytosis of melanosomes visually in vitro.</P>

Genetic association of swine leukocyte antigen class II haplotypes and body weight in Microminipigs

Tatsuya Matsubara,Masaki Takasu,Noriaki Imaeda,Naohito Nishii,Satoshi Takashima,Takashi Nishimura,Toshiaki Nishimura,Takashi Shiina,Asako Ando,Hitoshi Kitagawa 아세아·태평양축산학회 2018 Animal Bioscience Vol.31 No.2

Objective: Microminipigs are a novel animal model with extensive applications in laboratory studies owing, in part, to their extremely small body sizes. In this study, the relationship between swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) class II haplotype and body weight was evaluated in the Microminipig population. Methods: A total of 1,900 haplotypes, covering SLA class II haplotypes Lr-0.7, Lr-0.23, Lr-0.17, Lr-0.37, Lr-0.16, Lr-0.11, Lr-0.13, and Lr-0.18, were analyzed in 950 piglets. Birth weights and weights on postnatal day 50 were examined in piglets with eight different SLA class II haplotypes. Results: The mean birth weight of piglets with the Lr-0.23 haplotype (0.415 kg, n = 702) was significantly lower than that of piglets with Lr-0.17 (0.445 kg, n = 328) and Lr-0.37 (0.438 kg, n = 383) haplotypes. At postnatal day 50, the mean body weight of piglets with the Lr-0.23 haplotype (3.14 kg) was significantly lower than that of piglets with the Lr-0.13 haplotype (3.46 kg, p<0.01). There were no significant differences in daily gains (DGs) among the eight haplotypes. However, piglets with the Lr-0.11 and -0.18 haplotype combination or any heterozygous haplotype combinations containing Lr-0.23 had significantly lower DGs than those of piglets with the Lr-0.18, 0.37 haplotype combination. Conclusion: Piglets with the Lr-0.23 haplotype had relatively low body weights at birth and on postnatal day 50 and slightly lower DGs than those of piglets with other haplotypes. Therefore, the Lr-0.23 SLA class II haplotype may be a suitable marker for the selective breeding of Microminipigs with small body sizes.

Stillbirth rates and their association with swine leucocyte antigen class II haplotypes in Microminipigs

Imaeda, Noriaki,Ando, Asako,Matsubara, Tatsuya,Takasu, Masaki,Nishii, Naohito,Miyamoto, Asuka,Ohshima, Shino,Kametani, Yoshie,Suzuki, Shingo,Shiina, Takashi,Ono, Tetsushi,Kulski, Jerzy K.,Kitagawa, Hi Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2021 Animal Bioscience Vol.34 No.11

Objective: Microminipig (MMP) is a miniature pig with an extra small body size for experimental use. In the present study, the occurrence of stillbirths and their genetic association with swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) class II haplotypes were evaluated in a population of MMPs. Methods: The occurrences of stillbirth and genetic association with SLA class II haplotypes using 483 stillborn and 2,246 live piglets, and their parents were compared among the three groups of newborn piglet litters; an all stillborn (AS) group consisting of only stillborn piglet litters, a partial stillborn (PS) group consisting of stillborn and live piglet litters, and an all alive (AA) group consisting of only live piglet litters. Results: The incidence of stillborn piglets was 483/2,729 (17.7%). Distributions of litter sizes, numbers of stillborn piglets in a litter, parities, and gestation periods were distinct among the three groups. The frequencies of low resolution haplotype (Lr)-0.7 or Lr-0.23 were higher in the AS group than in the PS or AA groups. In sires, the frequency of Lr-0.7 associated with the AS group was significantly higher in the AS group than with the AA group. In dams, the frequency of Lr-0.23 was significantly higher in the AS group than in the PS or AA groups, whereas the frequency of Lr-0.7 was not significantly different. Conclusion: The incidence of stillborn piglets in MMPs appears to be higher than those in other pig breeds. Several traits related with stillbirths such as the number of stillborn piglets and parities of the AS group were different from those of the PS and AA groups. Specific SLA class II haplotypes were associated significantly with a high incidence of stillbirths and could be used as genetic markers to adopt breeding strategies to lower the rate of stillbirth in MMPs.

Detecting Nonculturable Bacteria in the Active Mycorrhizal Zone of the Pine Mushroom Tricholoma matsutake

Ryota Kataoka,Zaki Anwar Siddiqui,Junichi Kikuchi,Masaki Ando,Rina Sriwati,Ai Nozaki,Kazuyoshi Futai 한국미생물학회 2012 The journal of microbiology Vol.50 No.2

The fungus Tricholoma matsutake forms an ectomycorrhizal relationship with pine trees. Its sporocarps often develop in a circle, which is commonly known as a fairy ring. The fungus produces a solid, compact, white aggregate of mycelia and mycorrhizae beneath the fairy ring, which in Japanese is called a ‘shiro’. In the present study, we used soil dilution plating and molecular techniques to analyze the bacterial communities within, beneath, and outside the T. matsutake fairy ring. Soil dilution plating confirmed previous reports that bacteria and actinomycetes are seldom present in the soil of the active mycorrhizal zone of the T. matsutake shiro. In addition, the results showed that the absence of bacteria was strongly correlated with the presence of T. matsutake mycorrhizae. The results demonstrate that bacteria, especially aerobic and heterotrophic forms, and actinomycetes,are strongly inhibited by T. matsutake. Indeed, neither bacteria nor actinomycetes were detected in 11.3% of 213 soil samples from the entire shiro area by culture-dependent methods. However, molecular techniques demonstrated that some bacteria, such as individual genera of Sphingomonas and Acidobacterium, were present in the active mycorrhizal zone, even though they were not detected in soil assays using the dilution plating technique.

Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of DyMnO3 Nanoparticles in Mesoporous Silica

Takayuki Tajiri,Atsushi Kohno,Kenta Hamamoto,Yuhki Ando,Hiroyuki Deguchi,Masaki Mito 한국물리학회 2013 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.63 No.3

We synthesized nanoparticles of the perovskite manganite DyMnO3 in pores of mesoporous silicaSBA-15 and investigated their magnetic properties. X-ray diffraction patterns of the nanoparticlesindicated successful synthesis of the DyMnO3 nanoparticles with a particle size of about 10 nmin the pores of SBA-15. The temperature dependence of the DC magnetic susceptibility for theDyMnO3 nanoparticles exhibited a pronounced magnetic irreversibility between the field-coolingand the zero-field-cooling susceptibility due to the blocking phenomena and indicated a change ofthe magnetic exchange interactions from those for the bulk crystal. The in-phase susceptibility χ" and the out-of-phase susceptibility χ" of the AC susceptibility for the nanoparticles exhibited apeak at the blocking temperature, and that peak shifted toward higher temperature with increasingfrequency. Magnetization curves for the nanoparticles were reproduced by using a Langevin functionand exhibited a hysteresis loop at temperatures below the blocking temperature. Magnetic sizeeffects and superparamagnetic behaviors were observed in the DyMnO3 nanoparticles.