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This study examined olfactory dysfunction in LATY136F knock-in mice and its pathogenic mechanism.The olfactory function of LATY136F knock-in mice was assessed by a behavioral test using cycloheximide solution, which has been used as a mice repellant because of its peculiar smell and unpleasant taste. The tests were administered to each group of LATY136F knock-in mice and WT mice at 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 weeks of age. After the behavioral tests to evaluate olfactory function, the mice were sacrificed for evaluations by immunohistochemistry.Behavioral tests to evaluate olfactory function showed that the LATY136F knock-in mice had a statistically significant level of olfactory dysfunction (P0.05). Histological analysis showed that the thickness of the olfactory epithelium in these mice was thinner than that in the age-matched wild type mice. There was no IgG4-RD like lesion in the olfactory epithelium of LATY136F knock-in mice. Olfactory marker protein and growth-associated protein 43 expressions in the olfactory epithelium of the LATY136F knock-in mice were markedly lesser than those in the wild type mice (P0.05).The present study demonstrated that olfactory disturbances occurred in LATY136F knock-in mice. Furthermore, the mechanism was suggested to be reduced regeneration of the olfactory epithelium.

A new polymeric adsorbent for Cr(VI) ions based on an expanded poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (ePTFE) film was prepared by the combined use of the pretreatment with oxygen plasma and photografting of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA). The grafting of DMAEMA was characterized by XPS and FT-IR spectroscopic measurements. The adsorption behaviour of DMAEMA-grafted ePTFE (ePTFE-g-PDMAEMA) films was investigated as a function of the experimental parameters, such as the initial pH value, temperature, and grafted amount. The adsorption capacity and initial adsorption rate had the maximum values at the initial pH value of 3.0. On the other hand, the adsorption capacity became almost constant at temperatures higher than 30°C, although the adsorption rate increased over the temperature. The adsorption behaviour obeyed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and well expressed by the Langmuir isotherm equation with higher correlation coefficients. These results indicate that the adsorption of Cr(VI) ions occurs through the electrostatic interaction between protonated dimethylamino groups on a grafted PDMAEMA chain and

Styrene oligomers (SOs), of styrene (styrene monomer, SM), 1,3-diphenylpropane (styrene dimer, SD1), 2,4-diphenyl-1-butene (styrene dimer, SD2) and 2,4,6-triphenyl-1-hexene (styrene trimer, ST), had been detected in the natural environments far from industrial area. To confirm SOs formation through thermal decomposition of polystyrene (PS) wastes in the nature, purified polystyrene (SO-free PS) has been shown to decompose at 30 to 150 &deg, C. The SO ratio of SM:SD:ST was about 1:1:5 with ST as the main product. Mass spectrometry with selected ion monitoring was used for the quantitative analysis of the trace amounts of SOs. The rate of PS decomposition was obtained as k ( year &minus, 1 ) = 5.177 &nbsp, e x p ( &minus, 5029 / T ( K ) ) based on the amount of ST. Decomposition kinetics indicated that not only does drifting lump PS break up into micro/nano pieces in the ocean, but that it also subsequently undergoes degradation into basic structure units SO. According to the simulation at 30 &deg, C, the amounts of SOs in the ocean will be over 400 MT in 2050.

A 73-year-old Japanese woman was diagnosed with type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) without kidney lesions. She was treated with prednisolone (PSL) 30 mg/day, and her AIP symptoms promptly improved, after which the PSL dose was gradually tapered to 5 mg/day. Her renal function had remained normal (serum creatinine 0.7 mg/dL) until 1 year before the current admission without any imaging abnormalities in the kidney. However, during this past year her renal function gradually declined (serum creatinine 1.1 mg/dL). Follow-up computed tomography incidentally revealed unilateral renal atrophy, which rapidly progressed during the subsequent 10-month period without left kidney atrophy. A diagnosis of IgG4-RKD probably due to TIN was made, and we increased the dose of prednisolone to 30 mg/day. 1 month after administration, multiple low-density lesions on both kidneys were improved slightly but almost all lesions persisted as atrophic scars. Our case suggested that unilateral renal atrophy can develop in patients with IgG4-related tubulointerstitial nephritis without hydronephrosis caused by retroperitoneal fibrosis, and that monitoring the serum creatinine levels is not always sufficient, thereby highlighting the importance of regular imaging monitoring to detect newly developing kidney lesions.

Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is a widely used marker of glycemic control but can be affected by hemolytic anemia. Glycated albumin (GA) is also affected in patients with liver cirrhosis. We herein report the assessment of glycemic control in a 41-year-old man with dehydrated hereditary stomatocytosis and a PIEZO1 gene mutation complicated by diabetes mellitus and liver cirrhosis due to hemochromatosis. The estimated HbA1c calculated from the average glucose level obtained by continuous glucose monitoring or by self-monitoring of blood glucose was useful for evaluating the glycemic control in this patient, as HbA1c and GA were unreliable due to the coexisting conditions.

We aimed to evaluate the association between the change in serum IL-6 during the clinical course of tocilizumab (TCZ) therapy and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity or occurrence of adverse events.General laboratory data including serum IL-6 levels and physical findings were obtained every 4 weeks, and, in addition, at the time when any adverse events occurred.The proportion achieving Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) remission at 52 weeks was significantly lower in 20 patients with serum IL-6 ≥ 30 pg/ml at 12 weeks than 24 patients with serum IL-6 30 pg/ml. In 17 patients with serum IL-6 ≥ 30 pg/ml at 24 weeks, the proportion achieving CDAI remission was also significantly lower than 27 patients with serum IL-6 30 pg/ml then. In these 17 patients, Disease Activity Score (DAS) 28-ESR and CDAI at 52 weeks were significantly higher than those with serum IL-6 30 pg/ml. Age- and sex-adjusted logistic regression analysis showed logIL-6 at 12 weeks to be a predictive factor for DAS28-ESR remission at 52 weeks.Serum IL-6 levels from 12 to 24 weeks after TCZ initiation better reflect the efficacy of TCZ at 52 weeks.

Removal of linear and branched alkylphenols with different alkyl chain lengths or different branchings (normal, secondary, and tertiary), some of which are suspected as endocrine disrupting chemicals, from an aqueous medium were investigated through quinone oxidation by polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and subsequent quinone adsorption on chitosan beads or powders at pH 7.0 and 40 &deg, C. PPO-catalyzed quinone oxidation increased with an increase in alkyl chain length of the alkylphenols used. Although a higher PPO dose was required for quinone oxidation of branched alkylphenols, they were completely or mostly removed by quinone adsorption on chitosan beads or powders. The apparent activity of PPO increased by a decrease in quinone concentration. On the other hand, in the homogeneous systems with solutions of chitosan and PPO at pH 6.0, longer reaction times were required to generate insoluble aggregates, and a small amount of quinone derivatives were left in the solution even under optimum conditions. These results support that the two-step reaction, that is, PPO-catalyzed quinone oxidation and subsequent quinone adsorption on chitosan beads or powders, in the heterogeneous system is a good procedure for removing linear and branched alkylphenols from aqueous medium.

Background Although a postprandial increment in triglyceride (TG) levels is considered to be a risk factor for atherogenesis, tests (e.g., fat load) to assess postprandial changes in TG levels cannot be easily applied to clinical practice. Therefore, fasting markers that predict postprandial TG states are needed to be developed. One current candidate is lipoprotein lipase (LPL) protein, a molecule that hydrides TGs. This study investigated whether fasting LPL levels could predict postprandial TG levels. Methods A total of 17 subjects (11 men, 6 women, mean age 52 ± 11 years) with normotriglyceridemia during fasting underwent the meal test. Several fasting parameters, including LPL, were measured for the area under the curve of postprandial TGs (AUC-TG). Results The subjects’ mean fasting TG level was 1.30 mmol/l, and their mean LPL level was 41.6 ng/ml. The subjects’ TG levels increased after loading (they peaked after two postprandial hours). Stepwise multiple regression analysis demonstrated that fasting TG levels were a predictor of the AUC-TG. In addition, fasting LPL mass levels were found to be a predictor of the AUC-TG (β = 0.65, P < 0.01), and this relationship was independent of fasting TG levels. Conclusion Fasting LPL levels may be useful to predict postprandial TG increment in this population.

In this study, the combined use of a biopolymer chitosan and an oxidoreductase polyphenol oxidase (PPO) was systematically investigated for the removal of bisphenol derivatives from aqueous medium. The process parameters, such as the pH value, temperature, and PPO concentration, were estimated to conduct the enzymatic quinone oxidation of bisphenol derivatives by as little enzyme as possible. Bisphenol derivatives effectively underwent PPO-catalysed quinone oxidation without H2O2 unlike other oxidoreductases, such as peroxidase and tyrosinase, and the optimum conditions were determined to be pH 7.0 and 40°C for bisphenol B, bisphenol E, bisphenol O, and bisphenol Z; pH 7.0 and 30°C for bisphenol C and bisphenol F; and pH 8.0 and 40°C for bisphenol T. They were completely removed through adsorption of enzymatically generated quinone derivatives on chitosan beads or chitosan powders. Quinone adsorption on chitosan beads or chitosan powders in the heterogeneous system was found to be a more effective procedure than generation of aggregates in the homogeneous system with chitosan solution. The removal time was shortened by increasing the amount of chitosan beads or decreasing the size of the chitosan powders.

Polyethylene (PE) plates grafted with a neutral monomer, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and a cationic monomer, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), (PE-g-PHEMA)-g-PDMAEMA plates were prepared by the two-step photografting. The Cr(VI) ion adsorption behavior of the (PE-g-PHEMA)-g-PDMAEMA plates was investigated as a function of the amounts of grafted HEMA, amount of grafted DMAEMA, initial pH value, and temperature. The adsorption capacity of the DMAEMA-grafted PE (PE-g-PDMAEMA) and (PE-g-PHEMA)-g-PDMAEMA plates had the maximum value at the initial pH value of 3.0, independent of the temperature. The adsorption capacity of (PE-g-PHEMA)-g-PDMAEMA plates increased with the amount of grafted HEMA (G

Background IgG4-related kidney disease (IgG4-RKD) is a comprehensive term for renal lesions associated with IgG4-related disease [1]. IgG4-RKD is frequently complicated by hypocomplementemia [1, 2, 3], but its clinical significance and mechanisms have not been clarified. Objectives This study aimed to investigate clinical features of IgG4-RKD patients with hypocomplementemia compared with those without it, leading to clarification of the clinical significance and mechanisms of hypocomplementemia. Methods We extracted 25 patients with IgG4-RKD between September 2005 and December 2016 in our hospital. Based on the presence/absence of hypocomplementemia at diagnosis, we divided them into a hypocomplementemia group (n=11) and normal complement group (n=14), and retrospectively analyzed various clinical features (age, sex, serum IgG levels, serum IgG4 levels, gaps between serum IgG and IgG4 level, ratio of serum IgG to serum IgG4, serum IgG subclasses, serum IgE levels, serum creatinine levels, urinary protein and urinary occult blood, urinary β2-microglobulin, urinary N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase, initial dose of prednisolone, serum IL-2R levels, multiple organ lesion) during the clinical course in the two groups. Results The patients comprised 18 men and 7 women with an average age of 67.5 years (range, 44 to 81 years). Serum IgG levels (3971±729 mg/dL vs. 2157±598 mg/dL; p Conclusions Hypocomplementemia may be associated with multiple organ involvement and elevation of IgG subclasses other than IgG4 including IgG1 in IgG4-RKD. In patients who initially show hypocomplementemia, a decline in serum complement levels implies renal lesion relapse. References Kawano M et al. Proposal for diagnostic criteria for IgG4-related kidney disease. Clin Exp Nephrol. 2011 Oct;15(5):615–26. Saeki T et al. Clinicopathological characteristics of patients with IgG4-related tubulointerstitial nephritis. Kidney Int. 2010 Nov;78(10):1016–23. Raissian Y et al. Diagnosis of IgG4-related tubulointerstitial nephritis. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2011 Jul;22(7):1343–52. Disclosure of Interest None declared

In this study, hydrophilic monomers were photografted onto the PP plates at different monomer concentrations and temperatures, and grafted PP plates were bonded with enzymatically modified chitosan solutions. Their adhesive strength properties were discussed in relation to the grafting conditions and hydrophilic properties such as wettability and water-absorptivity. In addition, the location of failure was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of failed surfaces. Wettability of the grafted PP plates except for the PP grafted with acrylic acid (PP-g-PAA) plates remained constant above the grafted amounts at which the PP surfaces were fully covered with grafted polymer chains. On the other hand, wettability of the PP-g-PAA plates passed through the maximum value and then gradually decreased with the grafted amount probably because of the aggregation of grafted PAA chains. Water-absorptivity of the grafted layers formed at lower monomer concentrations or temperatures sharply increased at lower grafted amounts. The adhesive strength increased with an increase in the grafted amount and substrate breaking was observed for PP-g-PAA plates because enzymatically modified chitosan solutions were successfully penetrated in the grafted layers and quinone derivatives reacted with carboxy groups of grafted PAA chains. Failure occurred in the layers composed of grafted PAA chains and components containing in enzymatically modified chitosan solutions and the location was shifted to the inside of grafted layer, as the grafted amount increased. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 1369-1376, 2013

In this study, the combined use of chitosan and mushroom tyrosinase was applied to remove 1-naphthol and 2-naphthol from aqueous solutions. In particular, the process parameters, such as the pH value, temperature, and enzyme dose, were discussed for tyrosinase-catalyzed quinone oxidation of 1-naphthol. The optimum conditions of enzymatic quinone oxidation of 1-naphthol were determined to be pH 8.0 and 40°C. Under the optimum conditions, quinone oxidation of 1-naphthol increased with an increase in the enzyme dose. Quinone derivatives enzymatically generated were chemisorbed on chitosan bead sand. The initial velocity of enzymatic quinone oxidation increased with an increase in the amount of added chitosan beads, since unfavorable interactions between quinone derivatives and tyrosinase in the solutions were restrained by quinone adsorption. 1-Naphthol was completely removed for 8 h by quinone adsorption on chitosan beads (0.10 cm3/cm3) at 20 U/cm3. The removal time was shortened by increasing the enzyme dose or the amount of added chitosan beads. 2-Naphthol was also completely removed by increasing the enzyme concentration and reaction time, since enzymatic quinone oxidation of 2-naphthol was much slower than that of 1-naphthol. The above results reveal that the procedure constructed in this study was an effective technique to remove naphthols. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

An investigation was carried out on estimation of hydrophilicity, wettability and water-absorptivity, and surface analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the low- and high-density polyethylene (LDPE and HDPE) plates photografted with methacrylic acid (MAA) and acrylic acid (AA) at different monomer concentrations or temperatures. Wettability of the MAA-grafted LDPE and HDPE plates increased with grafted amounts, and became constant when the substrate surfaces were fully covered with the grafted polymer chains. On the other hand, for the AA-grafted LDPE and HDPE plates, wettability had the maximum value, and then gradually decreased against the grafted amount probably due to aggregation of grafted PAA chains, although the surfaces were covered with grafted PAA chains at lower grafted amounts compared with grafted PMAA chains. Water-absorptivity sharply increased at lower grafted amounts due to formation of shorter grafted polymer chains for photografting at lower monomer concentrations or due to restriction of the location of grafting to the outer surface region for photografting at lower temperatures. Therefore, for photograftings of AA or onto the HDPE plates, the substrate surfaces were covered with grafted polymer chains and the grafted layers formed possessed higher water-absorptivity at lower grafted amounts. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

In this study, a combined use of biopolymer chitosan and oxidoreductase polyphenol oxidase (PPO) was applied to the removal of bisphenol A (BPA) as an endocrine disrupting chemical from aqueous solutions. The optimum conditions for the enzymatic quinone oxidation of BPA were determined to be pH 7.0 and 40°C. Quinone derivatives generated were chemisorbed on chitosan beads, and BPA was completely removed at 4–7 h. The removal time was shortened with an increase in the amount of dispersed chitosan beads or the PPO concentration. In addition, the initial velocity of quinone oxidation increased with an increase in the amount of chitosan beads. The use of chitosan in the form of porous beads was more effective than the use of chitosan in the form of solutions or powder. It was found that an important factor for this procedure was a high-specific surface area of chitosan beads and heterogeneous reaction of quinone derivatives enzymatically generated with chitosan. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

The systematic studies were carried out to determine the optimum process parameters, such as the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentration, concentration and molar mass of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as an additive, pH value, temperature, and enzyme dose for treatment of bisphenol A (BPA) with soybean peroxidase (SBP). The SBP-catalyzed treatment of BPA was effectively enhanced by adding PEG in the presence of H2O2. BPA was completely treated by SBP of 0.50 U/cm3 and water-insoluble oligomers were generated. The optimum conditions for SBP-catalyzed treatment of BPA at 0.3 mM were determined to be 0.3 mM of H2O2 and 0.10 mg/cm3 of PEG with molar mass of 1.0 × 104 g/mol in a pH 7.0 buffer at 30°C. A variety of bisphenol derivatives were completely or effectively treated by SBP under the optimum conditions determined for treatment of BPA, although the SBP dose was further increased as necessary for some of them. The aggregation of water-insoluble oligomers generated was enhanced by decreasing the pH values of the solutions to 4.0 with HCl after the enzymatic treatment, and BPA and bisphenol derivatives were removed from aqueous solutions by filtering off the oligomer precipitates. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2011

An investigation was carried out on the application of dilute chitosan solutions modified by a tyrosinase-catalyzed reaction with 3,4-dihydroxyphenetylamine (dopamine) to the adhesion of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plates photografted with carboxyl-group-containing hydrophilic monomers, such as methacrylic acid (MAA) and acrylic acid (AA). In the case where photografting was carried out at lower monomer concentrations or at lower temperatures, the adhesive strength sharply increased with lower grafted amounts. A sharp increase in the adhesive strength was found to be due to the formation of shorter grafted polymer chains at lower monomer concentrations and/or the restriction of the location of grafting to the outer surface region at lower temperatures. In addition, the adhesive strength also sharply increased at even lower grafted amounts for photografting onto the HDPE plates and/or that of AA because the location of grafting was restricted to the outer surface region. For the AA-grafted LDPE and HDPE plates, substrate breaking was observed. This was attributed to the coverage of the substrate surfaces with grafted poly(acrylic acid) chains at lower grafted amounts and a high water absorptivity of the grafted layer. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of the grafted LDPE plates incubated in a dopamine solution containing tyrosinase suggested that the increase in the adhesive strength was caused by the penetration of enzymatically modified chitosan solutions in the grafted layers and the subsequent reaction of quinone derivatives enzymatically generated with grafted polymer chains. In addition, the surface analysis of the failed surfaces by XPS showed that as the adhesive strength increased, the location of failure was shifted from the interface between the layers mixed with enzymatically modified chitosan materials and grafted polymer chains to the inside the grafted layer containing enzymatically modified chitosan materials. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011

Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) films grafted with P(NIPAAm-co-HIPAAm) have been prepared by the combined use of the Ar plasma treatment and photografting. By the Ar plasma treatment the hydrophilicity of PTFE film surface was achieved by irradiation of the short time. The surface compositions of the grafted PTFE films were analyzed by ESCA and the thermo-responsive properties were investigated by contact angle measurements toward water. The composition of HIPAAm in the monomer mixture was controlled to aim for increasing the phase transition temperature of PNIPAAm, 32°C. The phase transition temperature of ePTFE-g-P(NIPAAm-co-HIPAAm) film increased with the ratio of HIPAAm in the monomer solution. The transition temperatures of ePTFE-g-P(NIPAAm-co-HIPAAm) (N:H=70:30, 50:50 and 20:80) films were about 40°C , 52 and 83°C, respectively. It is thought that the Ttr of the ePTFE-g-P(NIPAAm-co- HIPAAm) film can be set more minute by regulating the composition of HIPAAm. Therefore, many applications in wide fields will be developed in future.

Mushroom tyrosinase was covalently immobilized on a poly(acrylic acid)-type, weakly acidic cation-exchange resin (Daiaion WK10, Mitsubishi Chemical Corp., Tokyo, Japan) with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride salt as a water-soluble carbodiimide. Ion-exchange resins immobilized with tyrosinase were packed in one column, and crosslinked chitosan beads prepared with epichlorohydrin were packed in another column. The enzymatic activity was modified by covalent immobilization, and the immobilized tyrosinase had a high activity in the temperature range of 30–45°C and in the pH range of 7–10. When solutions of various alkylphenols were circulated through the two columns packed with tyrosinase-immobilized ion-exchange resins and crosslinked chitosan beads at 45°C and pH 7 (the optimum conditions determined for p-cresol), alkylphenols were effectively removed through quinone oxidation with immobilized tyrosinase and subsequent quinone adsorption on chitosan beads. The use of chemically crosslinked chitosan beads in place of commercially available chitosan beads was effective in removing alkylphenols from aqueous solutions in shorter treatment times. The removal efficiency increased with an increase in the amount of crosslinked chitosan beads packed in the column because the rate of quinone adsorption became higher than the rate of enzymatic quinone generation. The activity of tyrosinase was iteratively used by covalent immobilization on ion-exchange resins. One of the most important findings obtained in this study is the fact that linear and branched alkylphenols suspected of weak endocrine-disrupting effects were effectively removed from aqueous solutions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010

Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) plates grafted with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and 2-hydroxy-N-isopropylacrylamide (HIPAAm) as hydrophilic monomers have been prepared by the combined use of the oxygen plasma treatment and photografting. The investigation of the surface compositions of the grafted PTFE plates was analyzed by ESCA and thermo-responsive property was investigated by contact angle measurements toward water. Estimating the introduction of P(NIPAAm-co-HIPAAm) onto the PTFE surface, the polymer in the reaction vessel was followed by 1H-NMR. ESCA spectra revealed the introduction of oxygen containing functional groups and PNIPAAm onto the PTFE plate. The phase transition temperature of the PTFE-g-P(NIPAAm-co-HIPAAm) rose with the ratio of PHIPAAm to PNIPAAm in the monomer solution. The temperatures for the ratio of PTFE-g-P(NIPAAm-co-HIPAAm) (N:H=70:30 and 50:50) were about 4°C and 55°C, respectively

An investigation was undertaken on application of dilute chitosan solutions modified by tyrosinase-catalyzed reaction with 3,4-dihydroxyphenetylamine (dopamine) to adhesion of the low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plates surface-grafted with hydrophilic monomers. Tensile shear adhesive strength effectively increased with an increase in the grafted amount for methacrylic acid-grafted and acrylic acid-grafted LDPE (LDPE-g-PMAA and LDPE-g-PAA) plates. In particular, substrate breaking was observed at higher grafted amounts for LDPE-g-PAA plates. The increase in the amino group concentration of the chitosan solutions and molecular mass of the chitosan samples led to the increase in adhesive strength. Adhesive strength of the PE-g-PMAA plates prepared at lower monomer concentrations sharply increased at lower grafted amounts, which indicates that the formation of shorter grafted PMAA chains is an effective procedure to increase adhesive strength at lower grafted amounts. Infrared measurements showed that the reaction of quinone derivatives enzymatically generated from dopamine with carboxyl groups was an important factor to increase adhesive strength in addition to the formation of the grafted layers with a high water absorptivity. The above-mentioned results suggested that enzymatically modified dilute chitosan solutions can be applied to an adhesive to bond polymer substrates. The emphasis is on the fact that water is used as a solvent for preparation of chitosan solutions and photografting without any organic solvents.

Background The putative association between the novel oxidized low-density lipoprotein markers, serum amyloid A-LDL (SAA-LDL) and α1-antitrypsin-LDL (AT-LDL), and obesity and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) has not been previously studied. In the present report, we investigated the levels of SAA-LDL and AT-LDL in relation to the components of the MetS. We also assessed the effect of weight reduction therapy on serum SAA-LDL and AT-LDL levels among obese subjects. Methods The study population included 421 obese Japanese outpatients (185 men and 236 women, mean age: 51.1 years) enrolled in the multicenter Japan Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome Study (JOMS). The novel oxidized low-density lipoprotein markers, serum SAA-LDL and AT-LDL, were measured in all participants. Results Circulating SAA-LDL levels were independently associated with the presence and the number of components of the MetS. SAA-LDL levels were also significantly and independently correlated with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Notably, successful weight reduction resulted in a significant decrease in circulating SAA-LDL concentrations. Levels of AT-LDL were not associated with the MetS. Conclusions We documented, for the first time, that serum SAA-LDL levels correlate positively with the number of components of the MetS and weight reduction. Whether SAA-LDL may be involved in the pathophysiology of MetS and atherosclerosis deserves further investigation.

In this study, melB tyrosinase was applied for enzymatic removal of linear and branched p-alkylphenols from aqueous solutions. First, systematic studies were carried out to estimate the effects of the process parameters such as the temperature, pH value, and enzyme dose on quinone conversion of p-cresol as a model phenol compound. A variety of p-alkylphenols were removed from aqueous solutions through the tyrosinase-catalyzed quinone conversion and subsequent nonenzymatic adsorption of quinone derivatives on chitosan beads at pH 6.0 and 30 °C under the optimum conditions determined for p-cresol. The % removal values of 98–100 were obtained for p-n-alkylphenols. Branched p-alkylphenols with a weak estrogenic activity containing 4-tert-butylphenol and 4-tert-pentylphenol, which underwent no quinone conversion by commercially available mushroom tyrosinase in the absence of H2O2, were also effectively removed by further increasing either the melB tyrosinase concentration or the amount of added chitosan beads. The present technique is much effective in the fact that a series of reactions rapidly progress under mild conditions and the chitosan beads can be readily separated from the reaction medium after the enzymatic treatment.

Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) plates grafted with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) as a hydrophilic monomer have been prepared by the combined use of the plasma treatment and photografting. The surface compositions of the grafted PTFE plates were analyzed by ESCA and the thermo-responsive properties followed by contact angle measurements. To obtain a high grafted amount of PNIPAAm, we cured oxygen-plasma-treated PTFE plates in oxygen atmosphere or after being dipped in acetone and methanol. Alternatively, we prepared the PTFE plates through the method of discontinuous and continuous irradiation of oxygen-plasma treatment. Then, the plasma treated PTFE plates were photografted in an aqueous 1.5 mol/dm3 NIPAAm solution. The ESCA spectra revealed introduction of groups containing oxygen and NIPAAm onto PTFE plates. The grafted amount of PNIPAAm onto PTFE increased over continuous oxygen plasma irradiation. Further, the grafted amount of PNIPAAm was proportionally effective to the thermosensitivities of the PTFE-g-PNIPAAm plate.

To prevent the development of atherosclerotic diseases, the Japanese guideline for prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (released from Japan Atherosclerosis Society in 2007) is clinically referred. In addition, the importance of evaluating not only the level but also the quality of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) has been advocated. Small dense LDL (sdLDL) is regarded as representation of the quality of LDL. With the LipoprintTM LDL subfraction system, utilizing non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis method which can evaluate several sdLDL-related parameters such as the area percentage of sdLDL, mean LDL particle size (mean LDL-PS), relative mobility in the form of the relative flotation rate (Rf), and LDL size-based phenotypic patterns. We attempted to assess the Japanese guideline for prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases in terms of sdLDL-related parameters. We studied with 46 asymptomatic and cardiovascular disease-free dyslipidemic subjects (23 men, aged 30-58 years olds; 23 women, 31-58 years olds), who were within the primary prevention level. From the increased number of categories in the guideline, the following trends were observed; the smaller LDL-PS (p=0.002), the larger of area percentage of sdLDL (p=0.042), an increase in Rf (p=0.068), and an increase in the presence of pattern B (atherogenic phenotype) (p=0.031). These results suggested that, with the LipoprintTM system, the usage of Japanese guideline may clinically reflect well the sdLDL-related parameters, in particular the mean LDL-PS, the area percentage of sdLDL and the pattern B.

Alkylphenols were effectively treated with horseradish peroxidase at pH 7.0 and 30 degrees C in the presence of H(2)O(2) and poly(ethylene glycol) irrespective of the relative position or isomeric form of the alkyl chains. Water-insoluble oligomer precipitates were readily filtered out after enzymatic treatment, and transparent and colorless solutions were obtained for all p- and m-alkylphenols used.

We investigated the covalent immobilization of mushroom tyrosinase on an anion-exchange resin with a water-soluble carbodiimide and removal of a phenol compound, p-cresol, by using two columns packed with immobilized tyrosinase and chitosan beads. An increase in the immobilization time led to an increase in the amount of immobilized tyrosinase. Tyrosinase molecules were covalently immobilized on chitosan beads through the covalent multipoint attachment. Tyrosinase immobilized on anion-exchange resins for 72 h had an almost constant activity for 5-time repetitive p-cresol removal experiments. p-Cresol was also effectively removed by use of chitosan beads prepared with epichlorohydrin in a shortened treatment time. These results made clear that the stability and reusability of tyrosinase was improved by covalent immobilization on the resins and that p-cresol was effectively removed by using two columns packed with tyrosinase-immobilized resins and chitosan beads.

The ePTFE-g-PAAc films that were able to supply the insulin of the diabetic medicine near the human blood pH value were prepared by the combined use of oxygen plasma treatment and AAc photografting at lowered photo-polymerization temperatures compared with the previous report [1-3].Two enzymes, GOD and Catalase, were immobilized in the ePTFE-g-PAAc films with the same condensation method as before [1-3]. Although the ePTFE-g-PAAc-i-GOD&Catalase films prepared from AAc-grafting at 60°C were permeable to insulin molecules in a buffer solution of pH 7.40, the ePTFE-g- PAAc-i-GOD&Catalase films prepared at 40 °C considerably obstructed the passage of the insulin molecules. Addition of glucose to the solution leading to the lowering pH level facilitated the permeation of the insulin molecules through the ePTFE-g-PAAc-i- GOD&Catalase films. The immobilization of the enzymes was also confirmed by IR-ATR and SEM.

A new polymeric adsorbent material based on polyethylene (PE) was prepared by photografting of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) as a positively chargeable monomer to a PE film. The effects of the experimental parameters, such as the pH value, temperature, and grafted amount on adsorption of chromium(VI) (Cr(VI)) ions were investigated for the DMAEMA-grafted PE (PE-g-PDAMEMA) films. The maximum adsorption capacity was obtained at the initial pH value of 3.0 for a PE-g-PDMAEMA film with 1.8 mmol/g and the maximum adsorption capacity obtained was higher than or compatible to those of many of the other polymeric adsorbents prepared for Cr(VI) ions. The adsorption kinetics obeyed the mechanism of the pseudo-second order kinetic model and adsorption of Cr(VI) ions on PE-g-PDMAEMA films was well expressed by the Langmuir isotherm model. A high Langmuir adsorption constant suggests that the adsorption of Cr(VI) ions occurs between protonated dimethylamino groups and HCrO4− ions mainly through the electrostatic interaction. Cr(VI) ions adsorbed were successfully desorbed from a PE-g-PDMAEMA film in solutions of NaCl, NH4Cl, NH4Cl containing NaOH, and NaOH and a PE-g-PDMAEMA film was regenerated and repeatedly used for adsorption of Cr(VI) ions without appreciable loss in the adsorption capacity. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43360.

An investigation was undertaken on the adsorption and desorption properties of the expanded poly (tetrafluoroethylene) (ePTFE) films grafted with 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) to anionic dye anions with one to three sulfonic groups in response to temperature changes. The amount of adsorbed metanil yellow (MY) anions increased with the grafted amount and most of the dimethylamino groups appended to the grafted PDMAEMA chains worked as an adsorption site to MY anions for the DMAEMA-grafted ePTFE (ePTFE-g-PDMAEMA) films with the grafted amounts of higher than 1.1 mmol/g. When the dye-anion-adsorbed ePTFE-g-PDMAEMA films were alternately immersed in water at two different temperatures, dye anions were desorbed from the ePTFE-g-PDMAEMA films at higher temperatures without any chemical agents. The amount of desorbed dye anions increased with an increase in the temperature of water from 40 to 80°C. Desorption of dye anions is caused by either deprotonation of dimethylamino groups appended to the grafted PDMAEMA chains or thermosensitive contraction of the grafted PDMAEMA chains. These results indicate that the ePTFE-g-PDMAEMA films can be applied as a regenerative ion-exchange membrane for adsorption and desorption processes of anionic compounds in response to the temperature change. The thermally regenerative ion-exchange properties of the ePTFE-g-PDMAEMA films was superior to that of the PE-g-PDMAEMA films reported in our previous article in the fact that the total degree of desorption was higher for the ePTFE-g-PDMAEMA films. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007

An investigation was undertaken on the application of dilute chitosan solutions gelled by tyrosinase-catalyzed reaction with 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine (dopamine). The tyrosinase-catalyzed reaction with dopamine conferred water-resistant adhesive properties to the semidilute chitosan solutions. The viscosity of the chitosan solutions increased highly by the tyrosinase-catalyzed reaction and the subsequent reactions between o-quinone compounds and chitosan. These highly viscous, gel-like modified chitosan materials were allowed to spread onto the surfaces of the glass slides, which were tightly lapped together and held them in water. Tensile shear adhesive strength of over 400 kPa was observed for the modified chitosan samples. The increase in the amino group concentration of the chitosan solutions and the molecular mass of the chitosan used effectively led to the increase in adhesive strength of the glass slides. In addition, in the case where the chitosan solution was gelled by the enzymatic reaction with dopamine in the presence of poly(ethylene glycol), adhesive strength sharply increased at shorter reaction times concomitantly with the increase in the viscosity of the chitosan solutions because the tyrosinase activity effectively was retained by poly(ethylene glycol). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 1818–1827, 2007

Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) plates grafted with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) as a thermosensitive monomer have been prepared by the combined use of the plasma treatment and photografting. In addition to the surface compositions of the grafted PTFE plates analyzed by ESCA and thermosensitive properties observed by contact angle measurements and the ellipsometry, -CONH groups attributed to PNIPAAm and even grafted layers of PNIPAAm prepared on plasma-treated PTFE plates are confirmed by an IR-ER method and by SEM, respectively.

An investigation was undertaken on the application of dilute chitosan solutions gelled by melB tyrosinase-catalyzed reaction with 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine (dopamine). The tyrosinase-catalyzed reaction with dopamine conferred water-resistant adhesive properties to the semi-dilute chitosan solutions. The viscosity of the chitosan solutions highly increased by the tyrosinase-catalyzed quinone conversion and the subsequent nonenzymatic reactions of o-quinones with amino groups of the chitosan chains. The viscosity of chitosan solutions highly increased in shorter reaction times by addition of melB tyrosinase. Therefore, in this study, the gelation of a chitosan solution was carried out without poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), which was added for the gelation of chitosan solutions using mushroom tyrosinase. The highly viscous, gel-like modified chitosan materials were allowed to spread onto the surfaces of the glass slides, which were tightly lapped together and were held under water. Tensile shear adhesive strength of over 400 kPa was observed for the modified chitosan samples. An increase in either amino group concentration of the chitosan solutions or molecular mass of the chitosan samples used effectively led to an increase in adhesive strength of the glass slides. Adhesive strength obtained by chitosan materials gelled enzymatically was higher than that obtained by a chitosan gel prepared with glutaraldehyde as a chemical crosslinking agent. In addition, the use of melB tyrosinase led to a sharp increase in adhesive strength in shorter reaction times without other additives such as PEG. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008

In this study, enzymatic removal of bisphenol A (BPA) from the aqueous medium was investigated through the generation of water-insoluble oligomers, and this procedure was applied to removal of bisphenol derivatives. The experimental parameters, such as the temperature, pH value, enzyme concentration, and concentration and molecular weight of polyethylene glycol (PEG), were determined for the laccase-catalyzed treatment of BPA. The optimum conditions were determined to be pH 7.0 and 40°C in the absence of PEG. Water-insoluble oligomers generated under these conditions were readily removed by filtration or centrifugation. The optimum pH value was decreased to 5.0 in the presence of PEG and the laccase dose was reduced to one-fiftieth of that in the absence of PEG. This indicates that the addition of PEG protects the enzymatic activity and prevents capture of laccase molecules in the oligomers. The oligomers generated in the presence of PEG were removed from the aqueous medium by filtration with a membrane filter or by centrifugation. The oligomers were completely filtrated out with a filter paper by decreasing the pH value to 3.0. In addition, several bisphenol derivatives were also treated and subsequently removed by adjusting the laccase dose in the presence of PEG using the above procedure.

Multicentric Castleman disease is a benign lymphoproliferative disorder with heterogenous clinical symptoms and involves systemic organs in addition to lymph nodes. Elevated serum IgG4 levels and IgG4-positive plasma cell (IgG4+PC) infiltrates have been reported in lymph nodes, lung and skin in some multicentric Castleman disease cases, resembling IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) histologically. However, no report has been available regarding IgG4+PC infiltration in the kidneys of multicentric Castleman disease. Here, we report 2 cases of multicentric Castleman disease complicated by IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) histologically. However, there has been no report published on PC-rich tubulointerstitial nephritis, lymphadenopathy, with numerous IgG4+PC infiltration, and elevated serum IgG4 levels, mimicking IgG4-RD. The blood examinations revealed systemic inflammation and elevated C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 levels. Corticosteroid therapy was partially effective in both cases, and combination therapy of corticosteroid and tocilizumab was needed in both cases. Moreover, after triple therapy with corticosteroid, rituximab and cyclophosphamide were used in 1 case to tame the severe inflammation. The present cases suggest that if continuously elevated serum C-reactive protein levels and partial corticosteroid responsiveness are encountered, multicentric Castleman disease should be considered rather than IgG4-RD as a differential diagnosis even if serum IgG4 is elevated and IgG4+PCs infiltrate systemic organs.

Expanded PTFE films with pH-responsive acrylic acid grafted chains were prepared by the combined use of the oxygen plasma treatment and the photo-polymerization. GOD immobilized onto ePTFE-g-PAAc films responded to glucose, and so permeation of insulin through the films was clearly observed. To enhance the reaction of GOD with glucose, a Catalase-immobilized ePTFE-g-PAAc film was jointly employed with a GOD-immobilized ePTFE-g-PAAc film.

Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) was photografted with the low- and high-density polyethylene (LDPE and HDPE) plates to provide their surfaces with autohesive and adhesive properties. The chemical composition and wettability of the GMA-grafted LDPE and HDPE (LDPE-g-PGMA and HDPE-g-PGMA) plates remained constant above full coverage of the surfaces with grafted PGMA chains. Autohesive strength obtained with 1,4-dioxane as a good solvent of PGMA increased with an increase in the grafted amount and substrate breaking was observed at the grafted amount of 117 μmol/cm2. The grafted amount at substrate breaking was decreased by increasing the temperature and load during heat pressing. Adhesive strength was effectively enhanced by use of multi-functional amine compounds because of the increase in the reaction between primary or secondary amine groups and epoxy groups appended to the grafted PGMA chains. In addition, the decrease in the amine compound concentration and the increase in the number of amino groups in the amine compounds used led to the decrease in the grafted amounts at substrate breaking. Substrate breaking occurred at lower grafted amounts for the HDPE-g-PGMA plates than for the LDPE-g-PGMA plates because the location of the photografting was restricted to the outer surface region for the HDPE plate. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 493–500, 2007

The complete microbial degradation of Phthalic Acid (PA) is described. PA was thought to be an endocrine-disrupting chemical. A pure culture (strain No. A-1) from soil sample capable of utilizing PA as the sole source of carbon and energy was identified as Flavobacterium sp. Degradation patterns of PA were observed on the high-performance liquid chromatogram (HPLC) of the culture filtrates of this strain, and growth of bacteria was measured as protein by the Kennedy and Fewson method. The growth yield of this strain was about 6.1 g of protein per mole of carbon source of PA, and was similar to that in the case of glucose as a carbon source. Complete degradation of PA has been achieved (1660 mg/l) in less than 2 days using Flavobacterium sp. strain No. A-1. The transient intermediates of PA were not detectable on the high-performance liquid chromatogram of the culture filtrates of this strain. This strain could not degrade dimethyl, diethyl phthalate ester and phthalic anhydride.

Expanded poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (ePTFE) films grafted with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) were applied to a polymer support for urease immobilization. The HEMA- and HEA-grafted ePTFE (ePTFE-g-PHEMA and ePTFE-g-PHEA) films prepared by the combined use of the plasma treatment and photografting possessed high water-absorptivities. Imidazole groups were introduced to grafted PHEMA and PHEA chains with 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) in acetonitrile. The activity of urease covalently immobilized to the ePTFE-g-PHEMA and ePTFE-g-PHEA films in a pH 7.0 buffer at 4°C had the maximum value at the optimum pH value of 7.5 for native urease. Urease immobilized on the ePTFE-g-PHEMA films with the extent of CDI bonding of about 20% had the maximum activity, and the repeatedly measured activity was kept almost constant. The relative activity of immobilized urease stayed almost constant in the range of the immobilized amounts between 10 and 30 mg/g for both grafted ePTFE films, and decreased at higher immobilized amounts because of the crowding of immobilized urease molecules in the grafted layers. The relative activity of immobilized urease had the maximum values at the grafted amounts of 1.2 and 1.7 mmol/g for the ePTFE-g-PHEMA and ePTFE-g-PHEA films, respectively, and the further increase in the grafted amount resulted in the decrease in the relative activity. The optimum temperature of the activity for immobilized urease was shifted from 30 to 50°C for native urease by the covalent immobilization on both grafted ePTFE films and immobilized urease was repeatedly usable without a considerable decrease in the activity in the regions of the pH 6.0–9.0 and 10–60°C. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 4886–4896, 2006

The tensile shear adhesive-free adhesion properties induced by electrostatic interactions between poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) chains grafted onto polyethylene (PE) with low-density (LDPE) or high-density (HDPE) plates were studied. PAA- or PDMAEMA-grafted PE plates were immersed in a HCl or NaOH solution or water for 24 h, and their electrostatic properties were changed before they were overlapped with each other and heat-pressed. The breaking of the substrate between the two plates with water-swollen grafted layers was observed in the low range of grafted amounts in comparison with immersion in the acidic and basic solutions. The ability of the two plates with grafted polymer chains swollen in water to strongly bond with each other was a result of electrostatic interactions formed by positively charged PDMAEMA and negatively charged PAA chains. The breaking of the substrate in the case of adhesive-free adhesion between quaternized PDMAEMA-grafted and PAA-grafted PE plates immersed in the basic solution occurred with lower grafted amounts of PAA. This came from the strong attractive force between dissociated anionic PAA chains and quaternized cationic PDMAEMA chains in the basic solution. In addition, the adhesive-free adhesion strength of HDPE plates with the same grafted polymer chains encountered the breaking of the substrate with lower grafted amounts than that of LDPE plates. It was concluded that the grafting of polymer chains onto HDPE plates with high crystallinity was considerably restricted to the outer surface regions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 2632–2638, 2006

Gas sorption and desorption properties of plasma-polymerized acrylic acid film (PPAAF) and cast poly(acrylic acid) film (CPAAF) were determined by QCM technique. The gas sorption properties of PPAAF are almost the same as those of CPAAF. PPAAF showed an excellent stability in repeated usage of the gas sorption and desorption cycles.

An investigation was undertaken on the adsorption and desorption properties of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate grafted polyethylene (PE-g-PDMAEMA) films to anionic dye anions with one to three sulfonic groups in response to pH and temperature changes. The amounts of dye anions adsorbed on the PE-g-PDMAEMA films passed through the maximum values at about pH 3 because of an increase in the protonation of dimethylamino groups caused by a decrease in the pH value. The amounts of adsorbed dye anions decreased below pH 3 because the ionic strength increased with the addition of HCl to adjust the initial pH values of the aqueous dye solutions. The amounts of adsorbed dye anions decreased with an increase in the number of sulfonic groups in the dye molecules at the same pH value because electrostatic repulsion was generated between free sulfonic groups of the dye anions adsorbed onto the PE-g-PDMAEMA films and free dye anions in the medium. A large number of dye anions adsorbed were desorbed from the PE-g-PDMAEMA film with initial pH values above 11.0. The cyclic processes of adsorption at pH 3.0 and desorption at pH 11.0 were repeated without considerable fatigue. The PE-g-PDMAEMA films showed practically regenerative adsorption and desorption behavior in response to the pH changes. In addition, when the dye-anion-adsorbed PE-g-PDMAEMA films were alternately immersed in water at two different temperatures, dye anions were desorbed in water at higher temperatures without any chemical agents because of the deprotonation of dimethylamino groups and thermosensitive contraction of grafted PDMAEMA chains. These results indicate that PE-g-PDMAEMA films can be applied as regenerative ion-exchange membranes for adsorption and desorption processes of anionic compounds in response to the pH and temperature. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 381–391, 2006

The chelating membranes for adsorption of metal ions were prepared by the photografting of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto a polyethylene (PE) film and the subsequent modification of the resultant GMA-grafted PE (PE-g-PGMA) films with disodium iminodiacetate in an aqueous solution of 55% DMSO at 80°C. The adsorption and desorption properties of the iminodiacetate (IDA) group-appended PE-g-PGMA (IDA-(PE-g-PGMA)) films to Cu2+ ions were investigated as functions of the grafted amount, pH value, Cu2+ ion concentration, and temperature. The amount of adsorbed Cu2+ ions increased with an increase in the pH value in the range of 1.0–5.0. The time required to reach the equilibrium adsorption decreased with an increase in the temperature, although the degree of adsorption stayed almost constant. The amount of Cu2+ ions desorbed from the (IDA-(PE-g-PGMA)) films increased and the time required to reach the equilibrium desorption decreased with an increase in the HCl concentration. About 100% of Cu2+ ions were desorbed in the aqueous HCl solutions of more than 0.5M. The amounts of adsorbed and desorbed Cu2+ ions were almost the same in each cyclic process of adsorption in a CuCl2 buffer at pH 5.0 and desorption in an aqueous 1.0M HCl solution. These results indicate that the IDA-(PE-g-PGMA) films can be applied to a repeatedly generative chelating membrane for adsorption and desorption of metal ions. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99:1895–1902, 2006

This study investigated the activity of trypsin that had been covalently immobilized onto acrylic acid (AA)– and methacrylic acid (MAA)–grafted polyethylene (PE) plates—PE–g–PAA and PE–g–PMAA—using a water-soluble carbodiimide as a coupling agent, as a function of the immobilized amount, the grafted amount, the pH value on immobilization, and the pH value and temperature at the activity measurement. The activity of trypsin immobilized on the PE–g–PAA plates at pH 6.0 decreased with an increase in the immobilized amount because of the crowding of trypsin molecules in the vicinity of the surfaces of the grafted PAA layers. The increase in the grafted amount resulted in a decrease in the activity of immobilized trypsin because of a decrease in the diffusivity of BANA molecules caused by the formation of dense grafted PAA layers for the PE–g–PAA plates and led to the increased activity because of the increase in the hydrophilicity of the whole grafted layers for the PE–g–PMAA plates. The activity of trypsin immobilized on the PE–g–PAA and PE–g–PMAA plates at pH 6 increased with an increase in the pH value, probably because of the expansion of trypsin-carrying grafted PAA and PMAA chains and the increased diffusivity of Nα-benzoyl-DL-arginine-nitroanilide hydrochloride molecules in the grafted layers. The optimum temperature of the activity of immobilized trypsin shifted to 50°C from 30°C for native trypsin. Immobilized trypsin was reusable without any denaturation and isolation at temperatures ranging from 20°C to 60°C and pH values ranging from 6 to 10. Trypsin immobilized on a PE–g–PAA plate had 95% of the remaining activity in relation to native trypsin at 30°C after preservation in a pH 7.8 buffer at 4°C over 6 months. These results made clear that alkaline and thermal stability, reusability, and storage stability can be much improved by the covalent coupling of trypsin on PE–g–PAA and PE–g–PMAA plates. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 3574–3581, 2003

Organic electrolytes with negatively chargeable functional groups such as benzoic acid (BA, weak acid), benzenesulfonic acid (BSA, strong acid), and p-aminobenzoic acid (p-ABA, ampholyte) were concentrated through polyethylene (PE) films photografted with 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) by electrotransport. The permeabilities of DMAEMA-grafted PE (PE-g-PDMAEMA) films to BA and BSA were considerably increased by the application of direct current at pH 6. BA and BSA could be selectively permeated from the respective binary BA/phenyl-1,2-ethandiol (PhED, neutral) and BSA/PhED mixtures by making use of the difference in their permeabilities. In addition, BSA was selectively permeated from the binary BSA/BA mixtures. The organic electrolytes mentioned above were transported against their concentration gradient toward the anode side and their degrees of concentration went up to 90% by the continuous application of direct current. The degrees of concentration for organic electrolytes obtained by electrotransport in this study were slightly higher than those obtained by the uphill transport using the pH difference across the PE-g-PDMAEMA film, and the concentration time was considerably shortened. It was made clear that the electrotransport through the PE-g-PDMAEMA films is one of the effective techniques to selectively separate or concentrate organic electrolytes with negatively chargeable functional groups. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 2535–2544, 2003