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The effect of chlorogenic acid-enriched green coffee bean extract (cGCE) intake on arterial stiffness was investigated using the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) as a novel surrogate marker for predicting arteriosclerosis. A placebo-controlled double-blind pilot study was conducted with 16 healthy Japanese men. Subjects were divided into two groups and consumed beverages containing either cGCE or placebo daily for 2 weeks. The CAVI, the primary endpoint of the study, was evaluated at the beginning of the study and 2 weeks later. Endothelium-dependent flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and sympathetic nervous activity (SNA), which are thought to be related to the CAVI, were also measured. The CAVI change was significantly greater in the cGCE group than in the placebo group. In addition, FMD increased and SNA decreased in the cGCE group. These findings suggest that 2-week ingestion of cGCE may improve arterial stiffness as assessed by the CAVI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the case of the peeling of adhesive tapes from soft adherends, the contributions of the compressive force at the adhered portion as well as the larger deformation of adherend have essential roles in determining the peeling properties. In this paper, the peel force of an adhesive tape from a soft adherend has been measured to understand the peeling mechanism, which is greatly affected by the peel angle. A commercially available pressure-sensitive adhesive was used as the tape, and a cross-linked polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was used as the soft adherend. The purpose of this study is to clarify the effects of the peel angle on the peel behavior of this system at room temperature under different material specifications and different experimental conditions. The factors that affect the peel force of the PDMS adherend included the degree of cross-linking in PDMS, the thickness of PDMS, peel angle, and peel velocity. Two characteristic peel patterns were observed, which depended on the material specifications and different experimental conditions. The peel mechanism was discussed in terms of the deformation of the adherend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effect of combined high pressure and sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3) treatment on the physical properties and color of silverside Australian beef. Meat samples were pressurized at 100–500 MPa and the water content, weight reduction, rupture stress, and meat color were determined. The water content of meat treated with NaHCO3and high pressure (300 MPa) reached a maximum of 70.1%. Weight reduction tended to decrease with high pressure treatment at 300 MPa. Meats treated with NaHCO3and high pressure at 400 MPa showed a>50% decrease in hardness. Whitening of the meat was reduced by the combined high pressure and NaHCO3treatment. Therefore, the combined high pressure and NaHCO3treatment is effective for improvement of beef quality. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

High pressure processing is able to tenderize not only meat but also intramuscular connective tissue, which is mainly composed of collagen. Decorin, one of the proteoglycans, binds to and stabilizes collagen fibrils. It has been suggested that structural weakening of intramuscular connective tissue may result from the disappearance of the decorin–collagen interaction. In this study, the fluorescence spectra and the surface hydrophobicity of decorin molecules were measured under high pressure in order to examine the resulting change in the tertiary structure. The fluorescence intensity and the surface hydrophobicity of decorin molecules both decreased with increasing applied pressure and with applied time at the constant applied pressure, respectively. The observations indicate that the native structure of decorin is maintained during 200 MPa pressurization for less than 30 min. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this study, the combined effects of high pressure and sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3) treatment on the physical and chemical properties, and palatability of pork ham, a tough and under-utilized meat, were investigated. Assessment of meat properties with heat treatment, after exposure to NaHCO3and high pressure treatment, revealed an increase in water content, and decreased weight reduction and rupture stress. The free amino acid content of meat samples increased with NaHCO3and high pressure treatment. The effect of high pressure processing was especially notable at a pressure of 300 MPa. Sensory evaluation showed that meat subjected to high pressure processing after NaHCO3treatment was tender and juicy. In addition, the sample produced minimal residue in the mouth and was characterized by a good taste. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Chicken breast is not preferred in Japan because it is not juicy. In this study, the effect of combined high pressure and sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3) treatment on the texture and palatability of chicken breast was investigated. The sample used was broiler chicken breast. Meat samples were soaked in.0–.4 M NaHCO3solution and then pressurized at 100–400 MPa. After pressurization, the samples were heated for 30 min at 80°C and cooled down in ice-cold water. High pressure and NaHCO3treatment of broiler chicken breast resulted in increased water content, and decreased weight reduction and rupture stress. Moreover, meat exposed to 200 MPa pressurization and.3 M NaHCO3treatment was judged tender, juicy and of good taste by sensory evaluation. The combination of high pressure and NaHCO3treatment can be effectively used for broiler chicken breast production. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses a study on the localization of the cell polarity-regulating serine/threonine kinase, partitioning defective 1 (PAR-1) in the dendrites of mouse hippocampal neurons and its novel function in the maintenance of mature spine morphology by regulating microtubule (MT) dynamics. It was noted that the morphology of dendritic spines changes depending on sensory experiences. It also shown that PAR-1 has significant roles in various contexts of developing neurons.

Telomerase (TA) activity is known to be present in malignant tumor cells, but not in most somatic differentiated cells. TA shows relatively high activity in thyroid cancer cells, but reports vary. This fact prompted us to elucidate whether cell component inhibitors of TA in the thyroid follicles can modulate its activity. The activity of TA extracted from Hela cells was inhibited by mixing with the supernatant fraction of human thyroid tissue extract. To examine the effect of iodine, thyroid hormones (ℓ-T3 and ℓ-T4) and human thyroglobulin (hTg) contained in the thyroid follicles, ℓ-T3, ℓ-T4 and hTg were added to the TRAP assay system in vitro, using TA from Hela cells. Iodine, ℓ-T3 and ℓ-T4 did not affect TA activity, but hTg inhibited the TA activity in a dose-dependent manner (IC50 of hTg: ca 0.45 μM: inhibiting concentration of hTg was from 0.15 μM to 3.0 μM). The hTg inhibition was not evident in the RT-PCR system, suggesting no effect of hTg on Taq DNA polymerase activity. The hTg inhibition of TA activity was attenuated by dNTP but not significantly by TS primer. These data suggest that hTg contained in thyroid follicular cells of various thyroid diseases may affect the TA activity measured in biopsied thyroid specimens, and that the reduction of the TA activity by hTg may induce slow progression and growth, and low grade malignancy of thyroid cancer, particularly differentiated carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose : To determine the role played by keratinocyte transglutaminase (TG1, TG K ) in the abnormal keratinization of the cornea. Methods : Vitamin A–deficient rats were produced as a model of severe dry eyes, and the expression of the mRNA and the enzyme activity of TG1 were examined in the corneas. The envelope proteins and keratins of cornified cells were also examined immunohistochemically. Results : The expression and enzyme activity of TG1 mRNA on the ocular surface were significantly upregulated as the vitamin A deficiency developed. As the TG1 expression was upregulated, involucrin, loricrin, and keratin 10 began to be expressed on the epithelial cells of the cornea. Conclusions : Upregulation of TG1 expression followed by the appearance of the envelope proteins and keratin10 in cornified cells indicated that TG1 is involved in the abnormal keratinization of the cornea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first purpose of this study is to obtain effectively the graft copolymer of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc). Polymerization of VAc in the presence of PVA in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was investigated. The second purpose of the study is to obtain a PVA having a long branch whose properties have not been clarified yet. By hydrolyzing the PVAc portion in the graft copolymer, the PVA having a long branch might be obtained. The polymerization system was thought to be homogeneous since DMSO is a common solvent for PVA and PVAc at 60°C. Prior to the experiment, solution polymerization of VAc in DMSO was carried out in the absence of PVA to know the chain transfer constant (CS) to DMSO. The CS value was determined to be 0.7×10-4. Then the chain transfer constant to PVA (CP) on the basis of monomer unit was measured to be 9.9×10-4. The CP value was much smaller than the value we had expected, since the CS to isopropanol, whose structure resembles that of the vinyl alcohol unit in PVA, had been reported to be about 5-times larger than this. The reason of the rather smaller value of CP appeared arise from the substantial decrease in concentration of the reactive sites that are buried in the polymer coil. The aimed graft copolymer of PVA and PVAc, as well as the PVA having a long branch, was proved to be rather difficult to obtain, since the reactivity of PVA molecule in the chain-transfer reaction is much lower than that of isopropanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AMP-activated protein kinases (AMPKs) are a class of serine/threonine protein kinases that are activated by an increase in intracellular AMP concentration. They are a sensitive indicator of cellular energy status and have been found to promote tumor cell survival during nutrient starvation. We recently identified a novel AMPK catalytic subunit family member, ARKS, whose activation is directly regulated by Akt, which, in turn, has been reported to be a key player in tumor malignancy. In this study, we attempted to determine whether ARKS is involved in tumor malignancy under regulation by Akt. Matrigel invasion assays demonstrated that both overexpressed and endogenous ARK5 showed strong activity dependent on Akt. In addition, ARK5 expression induced activation of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 following new expression of membrane type 1 MMP (MT1-MMP), and the MT1-MMP expression induced by ARK5 was initiated by rapamycin-sensitive signaling. In nude mice, ARK5 expression was associated with a significant increase in tumor growth and significant suppression of necrosis in tumor tissue. Interestingly, only the ARK5-overexpressing PANC-1 cell line (P/ARK) tumor showed invasion and metastasis in nude mice, although Akt was activated in tumors derived from both P/ARK and its parental cell line. We report that a novel AMPK catalytic subunit family member, ARKS, plays a key role in tumor malignancy downstream of Akt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the expression and distribution of tissue transglutaminase (TG[subc]) and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in rat cornea during epithelial wound healing. Methods. Corneal epithelial defects were created in rat corneas, and TG[subc] expression was examined by Northern blot analysis, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemical staining after the injury. The presence of fibrinogen, laminin-l, nidogen/entactin, and type collagen was also determined immunohistochemically. Results. TG[subc], was expressed in normal corneas. During the early wound healing process, TG[subc] mRNA expression was up-regulated and TG[subc] immunoreactivity was predominantly expressed in the migrating epithelial cells. ECM proteins were also expressed in a similar pattern as TG[subc]. Conclusions. The sites and lime course of TG[subc] expression indicate that TG[subc] probably plays a role in maintaining the homeostasis of the cornea and in promoting epithelial wound healing. The simultaneous expression of TG[subc] and ECM proteins suggests that the ECM proteins probably operate in concert with TG[subc] in corneal wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain abscesses caused by group A Streptococcus (GAS) are rare infectious diseases. In this report we present a case of brain abscess due to GAS infection occurring after milk tooth extraction in a healthy child. A literature review of previously reported cases is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leptin stimulates fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle through the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and the induction of gene expression, such as that for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPAR α). We now show that leptin stimulates fatty acid oxidation and PPAR α gene expression in the C2C12 muscle cell line through the activation of AMPK containing the α 2 subunit (α 2AMPK) and through changes in the subcellular localization of this enzyme. Activated α 2AMPK containing the β1 subunit was shown to be retained in the cytoplasm, where it phosphorylated acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase and thereby stimulated fatty acid oxidation. In contrast, α 2AMPK containing the β2 subunit transiently increased fatty acid oxidation but underwent rapid translocation to the nucleus, where it induced PPAR α gene transcription. A nuclear localization signal and Thr172 phosphorylation of α 2 were found to be essential for nuclear translocation of α 2AMPK, whereas the myristoylation of β1 anchors α 2AMPK in the cytoplasm. The prevention of α 2AMPK activation and the change in its subcellular localization inhibited the metabolic effects of leptin. Our data thus suggest that the activation of and changes in the subcellular localization of α 2AMPK are required for leptin-induced stimulation of fatty acid oxidation and PPAR α gene expression in muscle cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]