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When hairless NCN24 mice with atopic dermatitis (AD) were sprayed with a petroleum-containing alkaline salt spring water rich in metaboric acid and sodium bicarbonate, AD symptoms diminished. Reversed-phase HPLC with fluorescence detection (HPLC/FD) and online MS revealed that fatty acid (FA) composition of the skin surface lipids was similar to that in non-AD mice compared with that in AD mice. Strong negative correlations were noted between the levels of total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) and palmitoleic acid and between the levels of total serum IgE and branched-hexadecanoic acid. Conversely, a strong positive correlation was noted between the levels of total serum IgE and linoleic acid. The present study demonstrates that the petroleum-containing spring water alters the FA composition of skin surface lipids in AD mice, which can be used as an index to evaluate inflammation.

Study region Beppu City, Oita Prefecture, Japan was selected as a site of this study. Study focus This study aims to provide quantitative guidelines necessary for capacity building among various stakeholders to minimize water-energy conflicts in developing mini/micro hydropower (MHP), a baseload renewable energy that is socially necessary, not only to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also to vitalize local economies by creating jobs related to MHP operations. Using three different methods to calculate river water levels and discharges, the potential power generation by MHP was estimated for six rivers in Beppu City. New hydrological insights Our results show that installation of MHP facilities can provide stable electricity for tens to hundreds of residents in local communities along the rivers. However, the results are based on the existing infrastructure, such as roads and electric lines. This means that greater potential is expected if additional infrastructures are built to develop further MHP facilities. On the other hand, in Japan, river laws and irrigation right regulations currently restrict new entry by actors to rivers. Therefore, to further develop MHP, deregulation of the existing laws relevant to rivers and further incentives for business owners of MHP facilities, along with the current feed-in tariffs, are required. Meanwhile, possible influences to riverine ecosystems when installing new MHP facilities should also be taken into account.

Background: Empirical evidences for efficacy of hot spring (HS) water in inflammatory skin disorders have not been substantiated with sufficient, immunological “hard evidence”. Mageumsan HS water, characterized by its weakly-alkaline properties and low total dissolved solids content, has been known to alleviate various immune-inflammatory skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis (AD). Objective: The trial attempted to quantitatively analyze in vitro expression levels of chemical mediators in cutaneous inflammation from HaCaT cell line treated with Mageumsan HS, and suggest the likely mode of action through which it exerts the apparent anti-inflammatory effects in AD. Methods: Using membranebased human antibody array kit, customized to include 30 different, keratinocyte-derived mediator proteins, their expression levels (including interleukin [IL]-1, IL-6, IL-8, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, thymus and activation-regulated chemokine, and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor) were assessed in vitro. Selected key proteins were further quantified with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: There was a clear pattern of overall suppression of the mediators, especially those noted for their pro-inflammatory role in AD (monocyte chemoattractant protein [MCP]-1, regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted, cutaneous T-cell-attracting chemokine, Eotaxin, and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α, etc.). Also, reduced expression of involucrin and cytokeratin 1 was also reduced in the HS-treated group. Conclusion: The present study has shown that Mageumsan HS water may exert its effects on inflammatory skin disorders through regulation of proinflammatory cytokines. These evidences are to be supported with further future investigations to elucidate immunological mechanism behind these beneficial effects of HS water in the chronically inflamed skin of AD. (Ann Dermatol 30(3) 322∼330, 2018)

金鱗湖には温泉水が流入し,水温が年中約30℃に保たれている場所がある。そこに生息するオイカワ(Zacco platypus)と年間を通して水温が変化する大分県内の河川に生息する個体の形態学特徴を調べた。雄性個体の性成熟を示す婚姻色や追星の発現が,大分県内の河川では体長106mm以上で現れるのに対し,金鱗湖ではより小型(体長 100mm 以下)の個体にも見られた。鱗隆起線間隔では有為な差は見られなかったが,金鱗湖の個体に均一な鱗隆起線間隔を持つ鱗が多く観察された。これらのことから,暖かく変化の少ない水域に生息するオイカワは,成長が一定で,早期に性成熟を示すことが示唆された。### Morphological characteristics ware investigated in Zacco platypus collected from the Lake Kinrin where was kept at about 30℃ flowing hot spring water, compared from the individuals from the other rivers in the Oita Prefecture. Mature males from the Lake Kinrin were seen at less than 100mm in body length. On the other hand, mature males from the other rivers were recognized at more than 106mm in body length. Distance between circuli was constant in some cyprinids from the Lake Kinrin. It suggested that individuals growing up at warm water condition in the Lake Kinrin were shown early maturation.

A simple, economic and sensitive method for selective determination of As(III) and As(V) in water samples is described. The method is based on selective coprecipitation of As(III) with Ce(IV) hydroxide in presence of an ammonia/ammonium buffer at pH 9. The coprecipitant was collected on a 0.45 µm membrane filter, dissolved with 0.5 mL of conc. nitric acid and the solution was completed to 2 or 5 mL with distilled water. As(III) in the final solutions was determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). Under the working condition, As(V) was not coprecipitated. Total inorganic arsenic was determined after the reduction of As(V) to As(III) with NaI. The concentration of As(V) was calculated by the difference of the concentrations obtained by the above determinations. Both the determination of arsenic with GF-AAS in presence of cerium and the coprecipitation of arsenic with Ce(IV) hydroxide were optimised. The suitability of the method for determining inorganic arsenic species was checked by analysis of water samples spiked with 4-20 µg L-1 each of As(III) and As(V). The preconcentration factor was found to be 75 with quantitative recovery (?95%). The accuracy of the present method was controlled with a reference method based on TXRF. The relative error was under 5%. The relative standard deviations for the replicate analysis (n = 5) ranged from 4.3 to 8.0% for both As(III) and As(V) in the water samples. The limit of detection (3?) for both As (III) and As(V) were 0.05 µg L-1. The proposed method produced satisfactory results for the analysis of inorganic arsenic species in drinking water, wastewater and hot spring water samples. © 2008 Taylor & Francis.