A new method for the preparation of a purified glucosylceramide and ceramide from shiitake mushroom.

Ingestion of plant and fungal glucosylceramides is known to reduce colon carcinogenesis and skin barrier damage in mice and humans. However, such effects in animal experiments have not been revealed for plant and fungal ceramides because the content of ceramides contained in plants and fungi is so low that the large amount required for animal experiments is difficult to obtain. Noting that the fungus shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) is rich in a glucosylceramide, (4E,8E)-N-d-2'-hydroxypalmitoyl-1-O-ß-d-glucopyranosyl-9-methyl-4,8-sphingadienine [Glc-d19:2(4E,8E,9Me)-h16:0], we developed a new method to purify this fungal glucosylceramide using ethanol precipitation and high-performance liquid chromatography. We also developed a new method to produce large amounts of a ceramide [d19:2(4E,8E,9Me)-h16:0] from this purified glucosylceramide using human glycoside hydrolase family 30 glucocerebrosidase (imiglucerase). These methods will be useful for elucidating the physiological function by ingestion of fungal ceramides in animal experiments.

Family support for women's health-seeking behavior: a qualitative study in rural southern Egypt (Upper Egypt).

This qualitative study investigated the influence of family support on women's health-seeking behavior in rural southern Egypt (Upper Egypt). We carried out separate focus group discussions (FGDs) with 3 groups (6 women with children under 5 years old, 6 men, and 4 elderly women, respectively) in a village in Assiut Governorate, an underprivileged region in Upper Egypt. The FGDs aimed to identify how different types of family support affected women's health-seeking behavior in areas including maternal health and common illnesses of women and children. Our results showed that maternal health issues were often discussed by husbands and wives, while mothers-in-law had little apparent influence. We also found that women could access support resources more easily than expected through their extended families. Our study showed that husbands had an important role in encouraging women's health in the family, while the effect of mothers-in-law on women's health-seeking behavior was not substantial. The study indicated that women received considerable support from co-resident family members, their natal family, and their neighbors, which helped women in seeking health services.