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Daidai (bitter orange, Citrus aurantium) is characterized by its fresh citrus scent. In Japanese cuisine, its juice is an important ingredient. As tons of industrial waste is obtained while processing the daidai juice, additional utilization of this waste has great social value. In our study, we prepared the essential oil from the waste obtained during daidai juice processing and demonstrated that the oil activates human TRPA1 (hTRPA1). This oil contains 10 types of terpenes, all of which activated hTRPA1 with an EC50 value of 6–167 µM. To our knowledge, this study is the first to show a hTRPA1 activation by five terpenes: linalyl acetate, geranyl acetate, osthole, geranyl propionate, and neryl acetate. Because physiological benefits of TRPA1 agonists, such as enhancement of energy metabolism and promotion of skin barrier recovery, have been reported, the oil could be a promising ingredient for anti-obesity food products and cosmetics. Graphical Abstract Human TRPA1 activation by terpenes contained in the peel of daidai.

AIM To investigate the effects of Mycoplasma/Ureaplasma cultured in amniotic fluid on perinatal characteristics in preterm delivery between 22 and 33 weeks of gestation. METHODS The study was conducted in a tertiary perinatal center and involved 38 pregnant women who had undergone amniocentesis to evaluate intrauterine infection due to preterm labor or premature rupture of membranes. The subjects were divided into three groups based on the culture results: negative (Negative Group, n = 24), positive for Mycoplasma/Ureaplasma (M/U Group, n = 6), and positive for other pathogens (Other Pathogens Group, n = 8). One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the three groups. RESULTS The incidence of histological chorioamnionitis and neonatal sepsis was significantly different among the three groups (the Negative Group and the Other Pathogens Group, P

The aim of this study was to collect data on immunological parameters from Wistar Hannover rats at 8, 10, 19, and 32 weeks of age. Low leukocyte parameter cell counts, serum globulin concentration, and T, B, and NK lymphocyte counts in peripheral blood at each time point; low T, B, and NK splenocyte counts; and high, or tendencies toward high, thymocyte counts at 10 weeks of age were noted in females when compared with males. KLH-specific antibody production increased gradually with age in both sexes. The immunological data noted for leukocyte parameters, the serum globulin concentration, and immunophenotyping (peripheral blood, spleen, and thymus) relating to chronological changes and sex differences may be useful in assessing drug-related immunotoxicity in this strain.

The aim of this study was to collect data on chronological changes in clinical laboratory tests, pathological examinations, and hepatic drug-metabolizing enzymes from Wistar Hannover rats at 8, 10, 19, and 32 weeks of age. The serum triglyceride concentration and the serum LDL cholesterol level were higher in males than in females at all ages. In contrast, serum total protein and creatinine concentrations and cholinesterase activity were lower in males than in females. In addition, sex differences were confirmed in pituitary weight and hepatic CYP3A2 and CYP2C11 activities. In conclusion, the general toxicological data noted in clinical laboratory tests, pathological examinations, and hepatic drug-metabolizing enzymes relating to chronological changes and sex differences may be useful in assessing drug-related toxicity in this strain.

The objectives of this study were to clarify the influences of nitrogen (N) load on the growth and photosynthetic responses of Quercus serrata seedlings to O3 and to obtain basic data for evaluating the critical levels of O3 for protecting Q. serrata forests in Japan. The effects of O3 and/or N load on growth and photosynthetic activity of Q. serrata seedlings were investigated during the two growing seasons. Two-year-old seedlings were assigned to 12 experimental treatments, which were comprised of the combination of four gas treatments (charcoal-filtered air and three levels of O3 at 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 times ambient concentration) and three N treatments (0, 20 and 50 kg ha−1 year−1). During the second growing season, no significant interactive effects of O3 and N load on the growth and net photosynthetic rate of the seedlings were detected. Threrfore, we concluded that N supply to the soil at ≤50 kg ha−1 year−1 does not significantly influence the growth and photosynthetic responses of Q. serrata seedlings to O3. Based on the O3 exposure-response relationships for the whole-plant growth of the seedlings, the critical level of O3 for Q. serrata was estimated to be approximately 36 nmol mol−1 as the average 15-h O3 concentration during the one growing season.

Catalase from bovine liver was lyophilized from an aqueous solution containing chitin-graft-poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) (3), which was synthesized by the reaction of 52% deacetylated chitin (1) with living poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) (2). The rate of consumption of H2O2 in chloroform catalyzed by the lyophilized catalase with 3 was enhanced more than 10 times that by catalase without 3. The dispersibility and solubility of lyophilized catalase with 3 in chloroform were improved in comparison with catalase itself.

To develop an automatic device for the preparation of fibronectin eyedrops a basic study was performed to establish the optimum conditions for the preparation procedures. Fibronectin eyedrops were prepared according to the method of Nishida et al. In the first step with gelatinsepharose 4B (GS4B), the optimum conditions were as follows:(1) At least five and 15 ml of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) containing citrate were needed to wash the GS4B before and after plasma treatment, respectively;(2) The economical optimum ratio of GS4B vs. human plsama was 1: 10;(3) Preparations at either low or high temperatures should be avoided (optimum temperature 22°C); and (4) Higher yields of fibronectin were obtained with slower plasma flow rates. In the second step with sephadex-G25 (PD-10):(1) 20 ml of PBS were needed for pre-washing of PD-10; and (2) A high concentration and high yield fraction of fibronectin could be obtained when the eluate of 4 M urea from GS4B containing fibronectin was directly infused into PD-10. These results are considered important for the effective preparation of fibronectin eyedrops either automatically or manually.

Peptide-containing block copolymers poly(N-acetyliminoethylene)-block-poly(L-phenylalanine)s (1) form water-soluble large aggregates in water due to the hydrophobic and hydrogen-bonding nature of the poly(L-phenylalanine) block. The solution properties were studied by size exclusion chromatography, dynamic light scattering, 1 H NMR spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The results were compared with those of the block copolymers poly(N-acetyliminoethylene)-block-poly(N-benzoyliminoethylene)s (2) as analogous structures of poly(L-phenylalanine). The peptide-containing block copolymers 1 form aggregates in water even though only short segments of poly(phenylalanine) are provided. The hydrogen-bonding character of the amide bond in the poly(phenylalanine) segment may induce strong interactions with each polymer chain in water. The interaction of Lipase P with the polymer aggregates in water was studied by means of size exclusion chromatography. The aggregates have a strong capability of incorporating Lipase P and largely increase the hydrolysis activity of Lipase P against p-nitrophenyl propionate compared with free Lipase. The guest-binding ability of 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid for the polymer aggregates was also studied.

The peptide-containing block copolymer poly(N-acetyliminoethylene)-block-poly(L-phenylalanine) (1) formed large water-soluble aggregates in water due to the hydrophobic and hydrogen-bonding character of the poly(L-phenylalanine) block. The solution properties of 1 were compared with those of the block copolymer poly(N-acetyliminoethylene)-block-poly(N-benzoyliminoethylene) (2) with an analogous structure. 1 formed aggregates even though the poly(phenylalanine) segment was short as compared with 2 in which hydrophobic interaction may be the only driving force to form aggregates. The aggregates have strong capability of incorporating Lipase P and largely increase the hydrolysis activity against p-nitrophenyl propionate as compared with that of free Lipase P.