Mie Morimoto

Effects of Midstream Collection and the Menstrual Cycle on Urine Particles and Dipstick Urinalysis among Healthy Females

For urinalysis, midstream collection is recommended (1)(2)(3). Health-associated reference limits for leukocyte and erythrocyte counts in female urine are important for detecting hematuria, pyuria, and urinary tract infection (3). To understand the effects of urinary collection and the menstrual cycle on urinalysis, we examined first-stream and midstream urine samples from healthy female students with use of an automated dipstick reader and the fully automated urine cell analyzer, UF-100. Specimens were obtained from 64 healthy female students (age range, 18–20 years) at the College of Medical Technology. All were asymptomatic and had no extant urologic disease. They were instructed to collect only first and midstream urine samples in sterile containers at the same time and not to wipe or spread the labia. The volume of the first urine was measured, and the specimen was analyzed within 2 h. The students provided written, informed consent to participate in the study as well as information about their menstrual cycles. Specimens were classified into four groups according to the number of days after menstruation as follows: menstrual (1–7 days after menstruation; n = 15), follicular (8–15 days after menstruation; n = 21), ovulatory (16–19 days after menstruation; n = 6), and luteal (20–31 days after menstruation; n = 22). Particles in the urine were analyzed by use of a fully automated urine cell analyzer, UF-100 (Sysmex Corporation). We used the manufacturer-defined review …

Human CD36 deficiency is associated with elevation in low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.

To find out whether CD36 plays a role in the human lipoprotein metabolism, we studied lipoprotein profiles in subjects with CD36 deficiency. Apparently healthy Japanese volunteers (n = 790) were classified by flow cytometry into three groups of normal (platelet and monocyte CD36+, n = 741, 93.8%), type-II deficiency (platelet CD36- and monocyte CD36+, n = 45, 5.7%), and type-I deficiency (platelet and monocyte CD36-, n = 4, 0.5%). At least one of reported mutations in the CD36 gene was found in all four subjects with type-I deficiency and in 23 of the 45 subjects with type II. Among 779 subjects (731 normals, 44 type II, and four type I) with serum triglyceride levels of <400 mg/dL, serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were significantly elevated in type-II deficiency (P = 0.0095 and 0.0382 versus normal, respectively, Scheffes F-test), while differences were not significant in triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. Similar tendency was observed in type-I deficiency, although the differences were not statistically significant because of small sample size. We conclude that CD36 deficiency elevates LDL cholesterol, indicating a contribution of CD36 to LDL metabolism.

Effect of ascorbate on serum lipids and urate metabolism during exhaustive training.

Physical activity is associated with beneficial changes in serum lipids, but exhaustive exercise has been suggested to increase oxidative stress. To test the effect of ascorbate (vitamin C) on serum lipids and the metabolism of urate, which is the most important intrinsic antioxidant, during exhaustive exercise, we performed a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled study on eight male well-trained athletes. Subjects were randomly allocated to either a group given 1000 mg of ascorbate daily (n=4) or a placebo group (n=4). Fasting serum lipids and urate concentrations were measured before and after 3 weeks of training. Although serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels decreased and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels increased significantly in the ascorbate group after the 3 weeks of training, serum LDL-cholesterol levels increased and HDL-cholesterol levels decreased significantly in the placebo group. Furthermore, serum urate levels were elevated significantly in the placebo group; however, these levels did not change in the ascorbate group. When compared with the placebo group, significantly higher serum HDL-cholesterol and lower serum LDL-cholesterol and urate levels were observed in the ascorbate group after training. In conclusion, our results suggested that ascorbate may contribute to the desirable changes in serum lipids during exhaustive training and suggest the significant association between ascorbate and urate under intense training.

Attenuated aerobic exercise capacity in CD36 deficiency

Background: An important role of CD36 in muscle fatty acid (FA) uptake has been shown in CD36-knockout or CD36-overexpressed mice. FA is a predominant substrate in energy production during light exercise below the anaerobic threshold (AT). We studied whether aerobic exercise capacity in humans could be affected by CD36 deficiency. Methods: We investigated the ventilatory threshold (VT) and serum FA changes in normal participants (n = 22) and participants with CD36 deficiency (n = 12) during pedalling on a cycle ergometer. Results: In participants with CD36 deficiency, FA levels were not reduced at peak work rate, whereas FA levels decreased by about 50% in normal participants. Participants with CD36 deficiency showed significantly lower VT than normal participants. A significant correlation was observed between VT and percentage changes in FA at peak work rate. Conclusion: This study found reduced FA utilisation and an attenuated aerobic exercise capacity in CD36 deficiency, indicating that CD36-mediated FA oxidation is an important determinant for aerobic exercise capacity in humans.