Nutrient intake of highly competitive male and female collegiate karate players.

Nutrient intake of 29 male (M Group) and 16 female (F Group) highly competitive collegiate karate players were compared. The results were also compared with the daily energy expenditure (DEE), Japanese recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) or adequate dietary intakes (ADIs). Dietary information was collected using a 3-weekday diet record. Although the M Group showed significantly higher mean %RDAs or %ADIs in iron, vitamin B1, phosphorus, magnesium, and sodium than the F Group, many of the mean %RDAs or %ADIs were below RDAs or ADIs in both groups. The subjects who skipped meals tended to show lower mean %DEE, Japanese %RDAs or %ADIs in minerals and vitamins than the subjects who did not skip in both M and F Groups. The consumption of green and other vegetables and milk and dairy products in both M and F Groups were low. It is concluded that the male and female highly competitive karate players studied in the present study may be at risk of sub-optimal nutrient intake, which increases the potential for nutrient deficiency. The subjects were advised not to skip meals, and to consume a balanced high-carbohydrate, moderate-protein, low-fat diet with increasing green and other vegetables and milk and dairy products to increase mineral, vitamin and dietary fiber intakes.

Cigarette smoking, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol subfractions, and lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase in young women.

Much of the published data on the relationship of cigarette smoking (CS) with serum lipids and lipoproteins is based on studies of middle-aged individuals. Data on young women are scarce. This study examined the relationship of CS with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) subfractions and lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity in Japanese collegiate women. Twenty-three current smokers were individually matched for physical activity scores, age, and body mass index (BMI) with 23 nonsmokers. There were no significant differences between smokers and nonsmokers in the mean nutrient intakes. Smokers had significantly lower mean HDL-C, HDL2-C, total cholesterol, and LCAT activity than nonsmokers. In univariate analyses, BMI significantly negatively correlated with HDL-C and HDL2-C. LCAT activity significantly positively correlated with HDL3-C, LDL-C, total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG). In multiple regression analyses, the number of CS was positively related to TG. BMI was negatively related to TC. LCAT activity was positively related to LDL-C, TC, and TG. These results suggest that the known associations in older adults of CS with HDL-C subfractions and LCAT activity are already apparent in young women.

Relative amounts of basic nuclear proteins SP4 and SP5 in Xenopus laevis sperm correlate with gene copy number.

Mature sperm of an anuran amphibian Xenopus laevis contain six sperm-specific basic nuclear proteins (SP 1-6). In an attempt to understand how the amounts of SP produced are regulated during transcription and translation, the relative amounts of proteins and messenger RNA (mRNA), and the gene number in nuclei were compared between SP4 and SP5. Measurements of the peak areas of proteins separated by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) indicated that SP4 is present in about a five times greater amount than SP5. Nuclease S1 protection assays showed the existence of SP4 mRNA in about a five times greater amount than SP5 mRNA. Southern hybridization analyses of restriction enzyme-digested genomic DNA indicated a single copy of SP5 gene in the haploid genome, as contrasted with the five SP4 genes found in our previous study. Thus the deposition of different amounts of SP4 and SP5 in sperm nuclei reflects the relative number of these genes in the genome.