Protective effect of green tea polyphenols on bone loss in middle-aged female rats

Recent studies have suggested that green tea polyphenols (GTP) are promising agents for preventing bone loss in women. Findings that GTP supplementation resulted in increased urinary GTP concentrations and bone mass via an increase of antioxidant capacity and/or a decrease of oxidative stress damage suggest a significant role of GTP in bone health of women.

INTRODUCTION

Recent studies suggested that green tea polyphenols (GTP) are promising agents for preventing bone loss in women. However, the mechanism related to the possible protective role of GTP in bone loss is not well understood.

METHODS

This study evaluated bioavailability, mechanisms, bone mass, and safety of GTP in preventing bone loss in middle-aged rats without (sham, SH) and with ovariectomy (OVX). A 16-week study of 2 (SH vs. OVX) x 3 (no GTP, 0.1% GTP, and 0.5% GTP in drinking water) factorial design using 14-month-old female rats (n = 10/group) was performed. An additional 10 rats in baseline group were euthanized at the beginning of study to provide baseline parameters.

RESULTS

There was no difference in femur bone mineral density between baseline and the SH+0.5% GTP group. Ovariectomy resulted in lower values for liver glutathione peroxidase activity, serum estradiol, and bone mineral density. GTP supplementation resulted in increased urinary epigallocatechin and epicatechin concentrations, liver glutathione peroxidase activity and femur bone mineral density, decreased urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and urinary calcium levels, but no effect on serum estradiol and blood chemistry levels.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that a bone-protective role of GTP may contribute to an increase of antioxidant capacity and/or a decrease of oxidative stress damage.

Observation of B{0}-->ppK*0 with a large K*0 polarization

Using a 492 fb{-1} data sample collected near the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e{+}e{-} collider, we observe the decay B{0}-->ppK*0 with a branching fraction of (1.18{-0.25}{+0.29}(stat)+/-0.11(syst))x10{-6}. We study the decay dynamics of B{0}-->ppK*0 and compare with B{+}-->ppK*+. The K*0 meson is found to be almost 100% polarized (with a fraction of (101+/-13+/-3)% in the helicity zero state), while the K*+ meson has a (32+/-17+/-9)% fraction in the helicity zero state. The direct CP asymmetries for B{0}-->ppK*0 and B{+}-->ppK*+ are measured to be -0.08+/-0.20+/-0.02 and -0.01+/-0.19+/-0.02, respectively. In addition, we report improved measurements of the branching fractions B(B{+}-->ppK*+)=(3.38{-0.60}{+0.73}+/-0.39)x10{-6} and B(B{0}-->ppK{0})=(2.51{-0.29}{+0.35}+/-0.21)x10{-6}, which supersede our previous measurements.

Optimization of fermentation medium and conditions for mycelial growth and water-soluble exo-polysaccharides production by Isaria farinosa B05

The optimal fermentation medium and conditions for mycelial growth and water-soluble exo-polysaccharides production by Isaria farinosa B05 were investigated. The medium components and fermentation conditions were optimized according to the one at a time method, while the concentration of medium components was determined by the orthogonal matrix method. The results showed that the optimal fermentation medium was as follows: sucrose 3.5% (w/v), peptone 0.5%, yeast extract 0.2%, K(2)HPO(4) 0.1%, and MgSO(4) 0.05%. The suitable fermentation conditions were as follows: initial pH 7.0, temperature 25 degrees C, medium volume 75 mL/250 mL, inoculum volume 5% (v/v), time 5d. In such optimal nutrition and environmental conditions, the maximal mycelial yield was 2.124 g/100 mL after 4 day's fermentation, while maximal water-soluble exo-polysaccharides production reached 2.144 g/L after 5 day's fermentation.

High-power linearly-polarized operation of a cladding-pumped Yb fibre laser using a volume Bragg grating for wavelength selection

In this work a volume Bragg grating is used as a wavelength selective element in a high-power cladding-pumped Yb-doped silica fiber laser. The laser produced 138 W of linearly-polarized single-spatial-mode output at 1066 nm with a relatively narrow linewidth of 0.2 nm for approximately 202 W of launched pump power at 976 nm. The beam propagation factor (M(2)) for the output beam was determined to be 1.07. Thermal limitations of volume Bragg gratings are discussed in the context of power scaling for fiber lasers.

Measurement of B(Ds{+}-->mu+nu(mu))

We present a measurement of the branching fraction B(D{s}{+}-->mu{+}nu{mu}) using a 548 fb{-1} data sample collected by the Belle experiment at the KEKB e{+}e{-} collider. The D{s} momentum is determined by reconstruction of the system recoiling against DKgammaX in events of the type e{+}e{-}-->D{s}{*}DKX, D{s}{*}-->D{s}gamma, where X represents additional pions or photons from fragmentation. This full-reconstruction method provides high resolution in the neutrino momentum and thus good background separation, equivalent to that achieved by experiments at the tau-charm factories. We obtain the branching fraction B(D{s}{+}-->mu{+}nu{mu})=[6.44+/-0.76(stat)+/-0.57(syst)]x10{-3}, implying a D{s} decay constant of f{D{s}}=[275+/-16(stat)+/-12(syst)] MeV.

Pattern of seat belt wearing in Nanjing, China

OBJECTIVE

To describe the patterns of seat belt wearing in Nanjing, China for drivers, front seat passengers, and rear occupants of motor vehicles.

DESIGN

Roadside observational study.

SETTING

Four sites in central and northern Nanjing during daylight hours over 1 week in April 2005.

SUBJECTS

Drivers and passengers of 17 147 cars, taxis, goods vans, and pickups, which traveled in the inside traffic lane.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Percentage seat belt wearing for each of seating position, age/sex, time of day, vehicle type, day of week.

RESULTS

The rate of seat belt wearing was significantly higher in drivers (67.3%, 95% CI 66.6 to 68.0) than front seat passengers (18.9%, 95% CI, 18.0 to 19.8). It was negligible for second front seat passengers (2.6%, 95% CI 0.3 to 4.9) and rear seat passengers (0.5%, 95% CI 0.3 to 0.7). Belt tampering, such that protection would be reduced in the event of a crash, was observed for 18.5% of taxi drivers. Drivers were most likely to wear seat belts in cars and vans and at a city roundabout; front seat passengers were most likely to wear seat belts in non-taxi vehicles, during the evening rush hour, if the driver was wearing a belt, and on the local north road. Drivers were least likely to wear a belt in the early morning, in pickups and taxis, on Tuesday (or the following week), and on the local north road; front seat passengers were least likely to wear a belt in taxis and if the driver was not wearing a belt.

CONCLUSIONS

Rates of seat belt wearing by passengers were low despite national legislation and provincial regulations coming into effect several months before the survey. Combined education and enforcement are necessary accompaniments to legislation.

Elderly patients with dementia-related symptoms of severe agitation and aggression: consensus statement on treatment options, clinical trials methodology, and policy

OBJECTIVE

Atypical antipsychotic drugs have been used off label in clinical practice for treatment of serious dementia-associated agitation and aggression. Following reports of cerebrovascular adverse events associated with the use of atypical antipsychotics in elderly patients with dementia, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued black box warnings for several atypical antipsychotics titled "Cerebrovascular Adverse Events, Including Stroke, in Elderly Patients With Dementia." Subsequently, the FDA initiated a metaanalysis of safety data from 17 registration trials across 6 antipsychotic drugs (5 atypical antipsychotics and haloperidol). In 2005, the FDA issued a black box warning regarding increased risk of mortality associated with the use of atypical antipsychotic drugs in this patient population.

PARTICIPANTS

Geriatric mental health experts participating in a 2006 consensus conference (Bethesda, Md., June 28-29) reviewed evidence on the safety and efficacy of antipsychotics, as well as nonpharmacologic approaches, in treating dementia-related symptoms of agitation and aggression. EVIDENCE/CONSENSUS PROCESS: The participants concluded that, while problems in clinical trial designs may have been one of the contributors to the failure to find a signal of drug efficacy, the findings related to drug safety should be taken seriously by clinicians in assessing the potential risks and benefits of treatment in a frail population, and in advising families about treatment. Information provided to patients and family members should be documented in the patient's chart. Drugs should be used only when nonpharmacologic approaches have failed to adequately control behavioral disruption. Participants also agreed that there is a need for an FDA-approved medication for the treatment of severe, persistent, or recurrent dementia-related symptoms of agitation and aggression (even in the absence of psychosis) that are unresponsive to nonpharmacologic intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

This article outlines methodological enhancements to better evaluate treatment approaches in future registration trials and provides an algorithm for improving the treatment of these patients in nursing home and non-nursing home settings.

Production of new charmoniumlike states in e+e- -->J/psiD*D[over](*) at sqrt[s] approximately 10.6 GeV

We report a study of the processes e+e- -->J/psiD*D[over](*). In J/psiD*D[over]* we observe a significant enhancement in the D*D[over]* invariant mass spectrum, which we interpret as a new charmoniumlike state and denote X(4160). The X(4160) parameters are M=(4156(-20)+25+/-15) MeV/c2 and Gamma=(139(-61)+111+/-21) MeV. We also report a new measurement of the X(3940) mass and width: M=(3942(-6)+7+/-6) MeV/c2 and Gamma=(37(-15)+26+/-8) MeV. The analysis is based on a 693 fb(-1) data sample recorded near the Upsilon(4S) resonance by the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy collider.

Search for the invisible decay of J/psi in psi(2S) --> pi(+)pi(-) J/psi

Using psi(2S) --> pi(+)pi(-) J/psi events in a sample of 14.0 x 10(6) psi(2S) decays collected with the BES-II detector, a search for the decay of the J/psi to invisible final states is performed. No signal is found, and an upper limit at the 90% confidence level is determined to be 1.2 x 10(-2) for the ratio B(J/psi --> invisible)/B(J/psi-->mu(+)mu(-)). This is the first search for J/psi decays to invisible final states.

Neonatal vaccination with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin elicits long-term protection in mouse-allergic responses

BACKGROUND

Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination has been shown to inhibit allergic airway inflammation in animal models, associated with the regulation of allergen-specific T-cell immunity. However, little is known about whether neonatal BCG treatment could inhibit allergic inflammation by regulating allergen-specific T-cell response in aged mice. This study was aimed to investigate the impact of neonatal BCG treatment on allergic asthma and possible mechanism(s) underlying the action of BCG in different ages of mice.

METHODS

C57BL/6 neonates were vaccinated with BCG on days 1, 7 and 14, sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) at 5 and 7 weeks of age, and then challenged with allergen at 9 or 45 weeks of age for early- or late-challenged asthma. Their airway inflammation and allergen-specific T-cell responses were characterized.

RESULTS

Following early-challenge, BCG vaccination inhibited airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR), infiltration of eosinophils and mucous overproduction (P < 0.05), and shifted OVA-specific predominant Th2- to Th1-type cytokine responses in both the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and the splenocyte supernatants (P < 0.05). In late-challenged mice, neonatal BCG treatment attenuated AHR and eosinophilia (P < 0.05), but failed to modulate allergen-specific cytokine responses.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that neonatal BCG vaccination has a long-term effect on inhibiting AHR and eosinophilia, which is associated with the modulation of Th1/Th2 cytokine production in early-, but not in late-challenged mice. Thus, different mechanisms may mediate the long-term protective effect of BCG neonatal vaccination differently in younger adult and aged mice.

Chronic treatment with simvastatin upregulates muscarinic M1/4 receptor binding in the rat brain

Statins are increasingly being used for the treatment of a variety of conditions beyond their original indication for cholesterol lowering. We previously reported that simvastatin affected the dopaminergic system in the rat brain. This study aims to investigate regional changes of muscarinic M1/4 receptors in the rat brain after 4-week administration of simvastatin (1 or 10 mg/kg/day). M1/4 receptor distribution and alterations in the post-mortem rat brain were detected by [(3)H]pirenzepine binding autoradiography. Simvastatin (1 mg/kg/day) increased [(3)H]pirenzepine binding, predominantly in the prefrontal cortex (171%, P<0.001), primary motor cortex (153%, P=0.001), cingulate cortex (109%, P<0.001), hippocampus (138%, P<0.001), caudate putamen (122%, P=0.002) and nucleus accumbens (170%, P<0.001) compared with controls; while lower but still significant increases of [(3)H]pirenzepine binding were observed in the examined regions following simvastatin (10 mg/kg/day) treatment. Our results also provide strong evidence that chronic simvastatin administration, especially at a low dosage, up-regulates M1/4 receptor binding, which is likely to be independent of its muscarinic agonist-like effect. Alterations in [(3)H]pirenzepine binding in the examined brain areas may represent the specific regions that mediate the clinical effects of simvastatin treatment on cognition and memory via the muscarinic cholinergic system. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the critical roles of simvastatin in treating neurodegenerative disorders, via muscarinic receptors.

Observation of a resonancelike structure in the pi +- psi' mass distribution in exclusive B-->Kpi +- psi' decays

A distinct peak is observed in the pi +/- psi' invariant mass distribution near 4.43 GeV in B-->K pi +/- psi' decays. A fit using a Breit-Wigner resonance shape yields a peak mass and width of M=4433+/-4(stat)+/-2(syst) MeV and Gamma=45-13+18(stat)-13+30(syst) MeV. The product branching fraction is determined to be B(B 0-->K -/+Z+/-(4430)) x B(Z+/-(4430)-->pi+/-psi')=(4.1+/-1.0(stat)+/-1.4(syst)) x 10(-5), where Z+/-(4430) is used to denote the observed structure. The statistical significance of the observed peak is 6.5 sigma. These results are obtained from a 605 fb(-1) data sample that contains 657 x 10(6) BB pairs collected near the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric energy e+ e- collider.

Generation of 3.5W high efficiency blue-violet laser by intracavity frequency-doubling of an all-solid-state tunable Ti:sapphire laser

In this paper, we report a high power, high efficiency blue-violet laser obtained by intracavity frequency-doubling of an all-solid-state Q-switched tunable Ti:sapphire laser, which was pumped by a 532 nm intracavity frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser. A beta-BaB2O4 (BBO) crystal was used for frequency-doubling of the Ti:sapphire laser and a V-shape folded three-mirror cavity was optimized to obtain high power high efficiency second harmonic generation (SHG). At an incident pump power of 22 W, the tunable output from 355 nm to 475 nm was achieved, involving the maximum average output of 3.5 W at 400 nm with an optical conversion efficiency of 16% from the 532 nm pump laser to the blue-violet output. The beam quality factor M(2) was measured to be Mx(2)=2.15, My(2)=2.38 for characterizing the tunable blue laser.

Observation of B_(s)(0)-->phigamma and search for B_(s)(0)-->gammagamma decays at Belle

We search for the radiative penguin decays B_{s}{0}-->varphigamma and B_{s}{0}-->gammagamma in a 23.6 fb{-1} data sample collected at the Upsilon(5S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB e{+}e{-} asymmetric-energy collider. We observe for the first time a radiative penguin decay of the B_{s}{0} meson in the B_{s}{0}-->varphigamma mode and we measure B(B_{s}{0}-->varphigamma)=(57_{-15}{+18}(stat)-11+12(syst))x10{-6}. No significant B_{s}{0}-->gammagamma signal is observed and we set a 90% confidence level upper limit of B(B_{s}{0}-->gammagamma)<8.7x10{-6}.

Measurement of time-dependent CP-violating parameters in B(0)-->K_(S)(0)K_(S)(0) decays

We report a measurement of the CP-violating parameters in B;{0}-->K_{S}{0}K_{S}{0} decays based on a data sample of 657x10{6} BB[over ] pairs collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e;{+}e{-} collider. In this Letter, one neutral B meson is fully reconstructed in the B;{0}-->K_{S}{0}K_{S}{0} decay mode, and the flavor of the accompanying B meson is identified by its decay products. The CP-violating parameters are measured from the asymmetry in the distributions of the proper-time interval between the two B decays: S_K_{S}{0}K_{S}{0}}=-0.38_{-0.77}{+0.69}(stat)+/-0.09(syst) and A_{K_{S}{0}K_{S}{0}}=-0.38+/-0.38(stat)+/-0.05(syst).