Atsushi Sekiya

Eating fast leads to obesity: findings based on self-administered questionnaires among middle-aged Japanese men and women.

BACKGROUND Few epidemiologic studies have examined the association between the rate of eating and obesity. In this study, we cross-sectionally examined the association of the self-reported rate of eating with current Body Mass Index (BMI), and BMI-change from 20 years of age to the current age. METHODS Subjects were 3737 male (mean age ± standard deviation and mean BMI ± standard deviation: 48.2 ± 7.1 years and 23.3 ± 2.7 kg/m2) and 1005 female (46.3 ± 7.0 years and 21.8 ± 2.8 kg/m2) Japanese civil servants. We measured self-reported categorical rate of eating, current BMI, BMI at age 20, and BMI-change from age 20. Energy intake was assessed over a 1-month period with a brief-type diet history questionnaire. RESULTS The multiple regression analysis in which the current BMI was regressed by categorical rate of eating, energy intake, age, and lifestyle factors showed that current BMI steadily increased by -0.99, -0.67, 0.81, and 1.47 kg/m2 along with the progress of categorical rate of eating from the ‘medium’ group to ‘very slow’, ‘relatively slow’, ‘relatively fast’, and ‘very fast’ groups, respectively, in men. In women, the corresponding values were -1.06, -0.35, 0.50, and 1.34 kg/m2. When the BMI increment from age 20 to current age was regressed in the same manner, the increment was -0.63, -0.34, 0.57, and 1.05 kg/m2 in men and -0.71, -0.32, 0.34, and 1.14 kg/m2 in women, respectively. Additionally, both BMI at age 20 and current height were positively associated with rate of eating. CONCLUSIONS Our results among middle-aged men and women suggest that eating fast would lead to obesity.

Action of bradykinin on the heart and the effects of several drugs on its mechanism

The actions of bradykinin and the influences of several drugs on them were investigated on the isolated spontaneous beating and electrically driven atria of guinea pigs.Results : (1) Bradykinin produced an increase of heart rate and myocardial contractile force. These actions were dose dependent. 2) The positive chronotropic and inotropic actions of bradykinin were not influenced by reserpinization or by administering α- and β-adrenergic blocking agents. Therefore, bradykinin was considered to possess a direc cardiac stimulating action. 3) Homochlorcyclizine, pyridinolcarbamate and diphenhydramine depressed the positive chronotropic action significantly, but did not affect the positive inotropic action of bradykinin. 4) Histamine did not relate to the cardiac action of bradykinin.

[Vascular action of bradykinin--observation of rabbit ear vessels by means of plethysmography].

In the intact rabbit, 0.1 μg of bradykinin administered into the saphenous vein caused a constriction of both artery and vein and a decrease of venous flow in the ear with a depression of blood pressure. In these experiments the vasoconstriction following bradykinin may have had a variety of causes other than direct action. 0.1 μg of bradykinin administered into the central artery of the ear caused a vasodilatation and an increase of venous flow.In the isolated rabbit ear preparations and guinea pig hindguarters, the perfusion pressure influenced venous outflow responses to bradykinin. Venous outflow was also influenced by the concentrations of bradykinin. Lower concentrations of bradykinin and higher perfusion pressure induced an increase in outflow and higher concentrations of bradykinin and lower perfusion pressure induced a decrease. The arterio-dilatation and venoconstriction were observed in isolated rabbit ear.The direct action of bradykinin on the vessels is considered to be arterio-dilatation and venoconstriction. However, in certain preparations and under certain circumstances, bradykinin causes diverse action on the vessels. It is suggested that in the experiments in which the direct action is not observed, this action may be latent.

Investigation of the Cardiovascular Action of Sympathetic Amines Using Two Kinds of Strain Gauge Instrument

Ventricular responses of a few catecholamines in rabbits were studied with the use of various parameters: blood pressure, systemic output or stroke volume, heart rate, ventricular contractile force and change of segment length of ventricular muscle. In recording ventricular contraction, two kinds of apparatus, strain gauge compass and arch, which we devised, were used. Simultaneous recordings of these various factors permit characterization and direct comparison of the nature and sequence of left ventricular responses by infusion of catecholamines. Epinephrine or norepinephrine, in smaller dose produced almost the same changes in ventricular contractile force and segment length of ventricular muscle. However, in the course of a short time after the administration of the large dose of these drugs, the change of coutractile force by means of strain gauge arch was significant, but the change of muscle segment length measused by means of strain gauge compass was more complicated and gave us much information of cardiac function. Namely, there were a decrease of stroke deflection with a decrease of stroke volume and a downward displacement of systolic and diastolic excursion curve which meant heart dilatation. By the administration of methoxamine, the changes of muscle segment length were more marked than the changes of contractile force. By the administration of isoproterenol, the changes of contractile force were more marked than the changes of muscle segment length changes. The use of such two kinds of strain gauge apparatus may be valuable for observing the cardiac performance more precisely.