Relationship of masked obesity to self-reported lifestyle habits, ideal body image, and anthropometric measures in Japanese university students: A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Masked obesity (MO) is defined as a normal body mass index (BMI) with a high body fat percentage (%BF), and is associated with the onset of lifestyle-related diseases. However, little is known about the current status of MO. Therefore, we investigated the relationship of MO to physical characteristics and lifestyle habits among Japanese university students. METHODS: Between 2011 and 2019, we conducted a survey of 10,168 males and 4,954 females with BMI within the normal range (18.5 ≤ BMI < 25 kg/m2). MO was defined as %BF ≥ 20% in males and %BF ≥ 30% in females. Students completed a questionnaire containing items about lifestyle habits. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured, and hypertension was defined as systolic above 140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure above 90 mmHg. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationships as follows: the relationship of masked obesity to self-reported lifestyle habits, ideal body image, and anthropometric measures; the relationship between hypertension and body indices. RESULTS: The proportion of students with MO in 2019 was 13.4% in males and 25.8% in females, and the proportion of females increased over time. MO was associated with desire for weight loss (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval: 1.76, 1.53-2.02), intake of five macronutrients (0.79, 0.67-0.93), rice and wheat intakes (1.22, 1.01-1.47), sleep duration of < 7hr (0.85, 0.74-0.98), and exercise habit (0.71, 0.63-0.81) in males; and with balanced diet intake (0.79, 0.64-0.99) and exercise habit (0.65, 0.51-0.82) in females. There was a significant association of MO with hypertension in males (1.29, 1.09-1.53). CONCLUSION: The percentage of female students with MO increased during the study period, and in males, MO may be a risk factor for hypertension. These results suggest that intervention for MO is needed in Japanese university students.

[Survey of relationship between measurement of abdominal circumference and metabolic syndrome on new health check in university].

In April 2008, a system of special health checks and health guidance was initiated with the aim of identifying people with metabolic syndrome (visceral fat syndrome) and pre-metabolic syndrome. In this study, we investigated the relationship between health check results and abdominal circumference in 632 university faculty members. The standard value for abdominal circumference in women (> or =90) is set higher than that for men (> or =85). When this standard value is used, only 7.4% of women may be able to receive special health guidance. In the future, a follow-up survey of female subjects focusing on the difference in the standard value and an evaluation of its relationship with lifestyle-related diseases will probably be necessary. In the present study, significant positive correlations were seen between abdominal circumference and GPT and gamma-GTP, which are related to hepatic function, and between abdominal circumference and uric acid levels in males. These results indicate the possibility that abdominal circumference is related to alcohol intake. In addition, white blood cell count, red blood cell count, hemoglobin level, and hematocrit level were significantly higher in subjects with large abdominal circumference, and there were differences in hematopoietic function. There have been virtually no studies on the relationship between visceral fat and hepatic and hematopoietic functions, and a follow-up study of the present subjects in the future may shed new light on risk factors for various diseases with abdominal circumference as an indicator.

Transcriptional readthrough of Hox genes Ubx and Antp and their divergent post-transcriptional control during crustacean evolution.

Hox genes are in principle tandemly arranged in an order colinear with their order of expression along the anterior-posterior axis. Combinations of Hox proteins encode information that specifies the unique characteristics of axial regions in the metazoan body plan. The independent regulation of Hox genes achieved by differential promoter activity is essential for the expression of Hox proteins in distinct territories and thereby creating a full repertoire of Hox codes. Here we report the abundant expression of transcriptional readthrough products of two adjacent Hox genes, Ubx, and Antp, in five crustacean species of Branchiopoda and Malacostraca. Bicistronic mRNA places Antp under the control of the Ubx promoter, which is active in the posterior segments of two branchiopodans Daphnia and Artemia, and would normally reduce the complexity of Hox codes if translated. This does not occur, however, as the translational capability of the bicistronic mRNA is limited. In Daphnia, bicistronic Ubx/Antp mRNA produced no significant level of either UBX or ANTP. In Artemia, on the other hand, the bicistronic mRNA produced only UBX, and replaced the role of monocistronic Ubx mRNA. In this way, multiple post-transcriptional control mechanisms in two extant branchiopodans can be seen as preventing the potentially deleterious consequences of Hox gene fusion.

Exploring embryonic germ line development in the water flea, Daphnia magna, by zinc-finger-containing VASA as a marker.

VASA is an ATP-dependent RNA helicase belonging to the DEAD-box family that, in many organisms, is specifically expressed in germ line cells throughout the life cycle, making it a powerful molecular marker to study germ line development. To obtain further information on germ line development in crustaceans, we cloned VASA cDNAs from three branchiopod species: water fleas Daphnia magna and Moina macrocopa, and brine shrimp Artemia franciscana. RNA helicase domains in branchiopod VASA were highly conserved among arthropod classes. However, N-terminal RNA-binding domains in branchiopod VASA were highly diverged and, unlike other arthropod VASA reported so far, possessed repeats of retroviral-type zinc finger (CCHC) motifs. Raising specific antibodies against Daphnia VASA revealed that the primordial germ cells (PGCs) in this organism segregate at a very early cleavage stage of embryogenesis in parthenogenetic and sexual eggs. Clusters of PGCs then start to migrate inside the embryo and finally settle at both sides of the intestine, the site of future gonad development. RNA analyses suggested that maternally supplied vasa mRNA was responsible for early VASA expression, while zygotic expression started during blastodermal stage of development.

Blood group A glycosphingolipid accumulation in the hair of patients with alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase deficiency.

In the hair of individuals with blood group AB, the level of blood group A glycosphingolipids is much lower than that of blood group B. We hypothesized that in hair, blood group A determinants are converted by alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase (alpha-NAGA, E.C.3.2.1.49) to H determinants. To address our hypothesis, the relative amount of ABH glycosphingolipids in hairs and nails of normal subjects, patients with Kanzaki disease, and heterozygous carriers of alpha-NAGA deficiency were analyzed by dot-blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In hair from normal subjects with blood group B, ABH glycosphingolipids consisted of 88% blood group B- and 12% blood group H glycosphingolipids. In blood group A subjects, 14% were group A- and 86% were group H glycosphingolipids. In Kanzaki patients, 81% were blood group A- and 19% were blood group H glycosphingolipids. In 2 alpha-NAGA deficiency carriers, the ABH glycosphingolipids consisted of 67% blood group A- and 33% blood group H glycosphingolipids. These results indicate that blood group A glycosphingolipids are catabolized to H glycosphingolipids by alpha-NAGA, resulting in lower levels of blood group A glycosphingolipids in the hair of normal subjects, and alpha-NAGA deficiency causes accumulation of blood group A glycosphingolipids in the hair of Kanzaki patients. This finding is of clinical relevance because it suggests that hair may be used to diagnose and assess the alpha-NAGA status of individuals.

Production and characterization of a monoclonal antibody for sweat-specific protein and its application for sweat identification.

Identification of body fluids is a common task in medico-legal practice, but specific markers for sweat have not been identified to date. To develop a method for identification of sweat, we identified a sweat-specific protein and produced monoclonal antibodies by immunizing mice with sweat proteins fractionated by anion-exchange chromatography. Among many sweat-reactive monoclonal antibodies obtained, one monoclonal antibody (G-81) was selected because of its unique specificity. G-81 reacted to sweat but not to other body fluids (e.g. serum, saliva, semen, milk, urine and tears) in ELISA. G-81 specifically stained the eccrine sweat gland and did not stain any other tissue including the apocrine sweat gland. In western blotting, G-81 reacted strongly to a 7 kDa band and faintly to 20, 27 and 33 kDa bands of sweat protein. The N-terminal amino acid sequence (18 amino acids) of G-81-reactive peptides was determined, and an identical sequence was found in an antibiotic peptide dermcidin (110 amino acids) reported recently, suggesting that G-81 recognized a fragment of dermcidin. The G-81-reactive peptide could be detected in 8,192-fold dilutions of sweat by ELISA and could be detected in 200-fold diluted sweat samples ( n=26) independent of the protein concentration. The G-81-reactive peptide was very stable and was able to detect sweat stains left for at least 11 weeks at room temperature without substantial loss of reactivity. These facts suggest that G-81 is a very useful tool for sweat identification in medico-legal practice.