大和健康资讯 第60期（2008年8月）

Greetings

Hello. I'm Kawakami, in charge of the email newsletter.

On our website, the long-awaited new series by Mr. Ichisugi has started this month.

You can also find the latest health advice and health trivia.

Please take a look.

I look forward to your continued support.

Please check out the series health information on the Daiwa Pharmaceutical website~

■ Health advice from doctors

◎ Forensic Medicine Doctor Health Information

metabolic syndrome

1) Background of Metabolic Syndrome Attracting Attention

(Dr. Masahito Ichisugi, Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Dokkyo Medical University)

■ World Hells Report

◎ NCCAM (U.S. Center for Alternative Medicine Research),

Promoting information exchange between patients and doctors

■ Health Tips

◎ Horticultural Therapy ~ Touching the soil, watching plants grow, and feeling fulfilled

This Month's Menu

■ Latest Information Related to Daiwa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

◎ At the 3rd FFF Healthy Food Forum, there was a report on the quality standards for health foods.

◎ Bioblanc/MGN-3 papers published in the United States

◎ [Announcement] The Health Forum 2008 will be held under the sponsorship of JAFRA.

■ Latest Integrated Medicine News [30] Beware of Economy Class Syndrome

■Editor's Note ~Beware of Extreme Heat~

■ Latest Information Related to Daiwa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

◎ At the 3rd FFF Healthy Food Forum, there was a report on the quality standards for health foods.

On Friday, June 13, 2008, the 3rd FFF Health Food Forum, organized by the NPO Japan Health Food Certification Organization, was held at Ochanomizu University in Tokyo.

While the organization has traditionally focused on evaluating health foods with an emphasis on safety, this forum focused on the theme of "Enhancing Quality Evaluation of Health Foods" and introduced many programs.

Our company was recommended and joined as a company engaged in the development of health foods.

I gave a presentation titled "Quality Evaluation from the Perspective of Food Development Sites" (R&D Department Manager Hisayoshi Kato). Here, I explained three key points regarding the quality of functional foods.

Specification Involved and Index Ingredients

Safety: Food Experience & Animal Testing

Efficacy Academic Reports and Papers

Next, we explained the origins and functions of three functional food ingredients: Biobran (derived from rice bran and shiitake mushroom culture solution, immune regulation function), NKCP (derived from natto bacteria culture, blood flow improvement function), and rice kefiran (derived from rice flour and lactic acid bacteria, anti-arteriosclerotic and anti-allergy functions). After explaining their origins and functions, we emphasized that the entire company is focusing especially on quality control, and that we have been among the first to obtain ISO9001 and HACCP certifications.

At this forum, the keynote speech featured a keynote speech by Professor Kazuo Kondo of Ochanomizu University Graduate School titled "New Perspectives on the Evaluation of Health Foods," as well as lively exchanges of opinions by university professors researching health foods.

Furthermore, the NPO Japan Health Food Evaluation and Certification Organization aims to expand its activities to include certification for efficacy evaluation of health foods going forward.

◎ Bioblanc/MGN-3 papers published in the United States

Recently, a paper on our Biobran / MGN-3, which is expanding sales channels in the United States, was published in three specialized journals in the United States.

Both were led by Dr. M. Gornum, one of the developers of the product and a professor at UCLA/Drew Medical School, who has continued clinical trials. The results have attracted attention from various fields as evidence of new utility of the products.

A paper titled "Biobran/MGN-3, a modified arabinoxylan derived from rice bran, increases the sensitivity of the chemotherapy drug dunorbicin in human breast cancer cells" was published in the journal Cancer Detection and Prevention (2007).

The abstract of the paper is as follows.

Regarding MGN-3, it was announced that it is a potent bioreactive substance (BRM), and previous studies demonstrated that human leukemia cells can be sensitized to the apoptosis-inducing cell death receptor (CD95). However, this time, we evaluated in vitro chemosensitization of breast cancer cells (BCC), judged cancer cell viability by MTT analysis, and examined drug accumulation by flow cytometry.

As a result, MGN-3 administration increased BCC sensitivity to DNR compared to BCC treated with DNR alone. For MCF-7 cells, it was 5.5 times higher; for HCC70, 2.5 times higher. The sensitization of MGN-3 was associated with increased accumulation of DNR in cancer cells.

These data have demonstrated that MGN-3 is an effective chemosensitizer and has the potential to be a powerful new adjuvant in breast cancer treatment.

A paper published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer (2008) titled "In vivo Antitumor Effects of Rice Bran Supplement Biobran / MGN-3 on Ehrlich Cancer-Bearing Mice"

Here is the main point.

Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells were injected intramuscularly into the right thigh of Swiss albino mice.

In solid Ehrlich carcinoma (SEC) tumor-bearing mice, MGN-3 was administered intraperitoneally on day 8 to investigate tumor growth, cytokine production, and apoptosis effects of MGN-3.

In the MGN-3 group, tumor volume (63.27%) and tumor mass (45.2%) were significantly smaller than controls (P<0.01). The mechanism by which MGN-3 exerts antitumor effects appears to be related to apoptosis and immunomodulatory induction ability. Flow cytometry and histopathological examinations showed that MGN-3 increased the proportion of apoptosis SEC cells by 1.8 times. No side effects were observed from MGN-3 administration, and all mice exhibited normal feeding/drinking and vital activity patterns. These data suggest the potential use of MGN-3 for the treatment of solid tumors.

"Arabinoxylane derivative derived from rice bran (Biobrann/MGN-3) enhances the intracellular rupture capacity of pathogens by human phagocytic cells in vitro," was published in the INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMMUNOPATHOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY (2008).

Previous studies confirmed that Biobran / MGN-3 activates macrophages and macrophage cell lines in the mouse peritoneum, but this time, the results are as follows:

We investigated whether MGN-3 enhances phagocytic capacity of human phagocytic cells that phagocytosis E. coli in peripheral blood, as well as cytokine production associated with oxidative destruction induction. Phagocytic cells were pre-stained with dichlorofluorescein diacetate staining and cultured with E. coli stained with phycoerythrin in the presence of MGN-3 and absent. Phagocytosis and oxidative destruction were measured by flow cytometry.

As a result, the MGN-3-treated group showed enhanced oxidative destruction, and furthermore, neutrophils and monocytes enhanced the phagocytic capacity of E. coli. Furthermore, significant induction of cytokines (TNF-α, IL-8, IL-10) was also demonstrated. This was observed in the presence of 1 μg/ml of biobran and was dose-dependent. In particular, MGN-3 alone showed no effect on the growth of 31 strains, suggesting MGN-3's phagocytosic regulatory activity.

These results suggest potential applications of Biobran in treating infectious diseases in the elderly and in immunocompromised patients.

◎ [Announcement] The Health Forum 2008 will be held under the sponsorship of JAFRA.

On Sunday, September 21, the "Health Forum 2008" will be held under the sponsorship of the NPO JAFRA.

This year's Health Forum 2008 will be titled "Metabolic Syndrome: A Correct Understanding and Its Countermeasures," featuring lectures by pioneering experts in research on this condition.

The lecture will cover topics such as what metabolic syndrome is currently a hot topic, what it actually is, diseases caused by metabolic syndrome, and countermeasures and prevention. You will be invited to listen to the following content.

(1) Lifestyle-related diseases and metabolic syndrome

Dr. Yoshio Ikeda, Chairman of the Japan Lifestyle Disease Prevention Association and Dr. Doctor of Medicine

(2) Dietary therapy for metabolic syndrome

Dr. Takaho Saiyo, Director of Twarm Koedo Hospital, Doctor of Medicine

(3) Metabolic Syndrome from the Perspective of Stomach and Intestine Physiognomy

Dr. Kazutoshi Kaketani, Chairman of Hanzomon Clinic and Doctor of Medicine

(4) To prevent thrombosis

Dr. Masahito Ichisugi, Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Dokkyo Medical University, Dr. Ichisugi

◇ Venue: Tosho Hall 4F

3-2-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry Building

◇ Date & Time: September 21 (Sun) 13:30~17:00 (Doors open at 13:00)

◇ Organizer: NPO Japan Food Function Research Association (JAFRA)

◇ Supported by: NPO Self-Medication Promotion Council

Japan Lifestyle Disease Prevention Association

CMP Japan Co., Ltd. Medical Nutrition

◇ Attendance fee: 2,000 yen (per person) / Shipping 300 yen

◇ Contact: NPO Japan Food Function Research Association (JAFRA)

Secretariat Contact: Shirakawa

Phone: 03-3356-3461

Email address: info@jafra.gr.jp

■ Latest Information on Integrated Medicine

[30] Beware of Economy Class Syndrome

It's the height of summer vacation. Many people have plans to travel or return home, but when traveling for long periods by plane, train, or car, one thing to be careful about is 'Economy Class Syndrome.' In medical terminology, it's called 'venous thromboembolism (Joumyaku Kessen Sokusensho = VTE).'

It is a condition where blood clots (clots of blood) form in the blood vessels of the feet, especially below the knees, which travel through the bloodstream to the lungs and block them. When the blood vessels in the lungs become blocked, it is life-threatening.

Even if you're not in economy class, it can happen if you maintain the same posture for a long time, and it even made news during evacuation during disasters. The risk of occurrence is even higher after certain types of surgery.

Therefore, medical institutions have begun implementing preventive measures such as administering medications to prevent blood clotting for patients at high risk of developing VTE.

If you're traveling, you probably won't need to use such medication, so try to do things you can do besides medication. For example, moving your ankles or toes is also a good preventive measure.

In food, the protein secreted by Nut bacteria helps prevent blood stagnation and maintain healthy blood condition, which is useful not only for travel but also for maintaining health in daily life. This functional food "NKCP" will be a more efficient and convenient preventive measure.

■Editor's Note

The hot days continue.

Please be very careful to avoid dehydration and heatstroke.

This year, it seems that the consecutive midsummer days have lasted longer than usual.

So, what exactly is the midsummer day you often hear about?

A midsummer day refers to a day when the daytime maximum temperature is 30°C or higher. A day when the daytime maximum temperature is 25°C or higher but below 30°C is called a summer day, and a day when the daytime maximum is 35°C or higher is called a heatwave day (extremely hot day).

Since the Industrial Revolution, humanity has produced numerous by-products alongside scientific advancements.

One such example is carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas produced from exhaust gases.

Greenhouse gases trap heat sent by the sun to the ground, leaving no escape route for heat and resulting in rising temperatures in major urban areas.

This phenomenon is called the "heat island effect."

The heat island effect ultimately raises the global temperature, causing abnormal weather events that were previously unimaginable. Recent heavy rains and floods around the world are also said to be one of the reasons. Each individual should strive to reduce carbon dioxide emissions as much as possible, set the air conditioning to 28°C, and strive to be eco-friendly, thereby changing the global environment.

Next month, we will continue to deliver information and columns on domestic and international exhibitions.

We look forward to your continued support.

We look forward to receiving your opinions and feedback.

The next issue of "e-Kenko Kawaraban" is scheduled to be delivered on September 10.

We kindly ask for your continued support of Yamato Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.