Glucooligosaccharides (GOS) were produced by using an acceptor reaction with two types of glucansucrase (GTF-S and GTF-I) from Streptococcus sobrinus. Acceptor reactions of GTF-S with maltose ...acceptor, gave a great number of GOS ranging from DP(degree of polymerization) 2 to DP15. At the both acceptor reactions with GTF-S or GTF-I, as the sucrose/maltose ratio was decreased, the amount of dextran and DP of oligosaccharides was decreased. A maximum GOS yield of 69% was achieved at the acceptor reaction with GTF-I and when the molar ratio of sucrose/maltose is 2:1, in which GOS of DP6~DP9 were major oligosaccharides and 17% of dextran. The polymeric size of GOS could be controlled by varying the ratio of sucrose to the acceptor (maltose in this work).PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
Hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films were deposited on glass in a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system using methane as a source gas. The characteristics of the films were ...studied by electron spin resonance (ESR), Raman, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. In particular, the relationship between the variation of ESR spin density and the structural change in the a-C:H films has been investigated. It was observed that the ESR spin density of the a-C:H films increased with increasing radio frequency (r.f.) powers in the PECVD deposition. However, for the films deposited on a grounded substrate and a substrate temperature of 320 °C, both the spin density and the Raman
I(D)/
I(G) ratio increased with increasing r.f. power; while, for the films deposited at a negative bias voltage (−100 V) and at room temperature (not exceeding ∼80 °C), the
I(D)/
I(G) ratio decreased with the increasing r.f. power. The FT-IR measurements were also consistent with the analysis of the Raman spectra. The results were attributed to different originations for the increase of spin densities: predominantly increase in number of sp
2 graphitic clusters of aromatic rings for the non-bias case; while, mainly sp
2 sites in distorted graphitic rings with less ordering, and few if any sp
3 sites for the biased case. This could also explain the origin of the spin density depending on the substrate bias voltage.
Background: Biofilms were the third-dimensional structure in the solid surface of bacteria. Bacterial biofilms were difficult to control by host defenses and antibiotic therapies. Escherichia coli ...(E. coli) and Salmonella were popular pathogenic bacteria that live in human and animal intestines. Essential oils are aromatic oily liquids from plant materials and well known for their antibacterial activities. Method: This study was conducted to determine effect of essential oil on anti-biological biofilm formation of E. coli and Salmonella strains in in vitro experiment. Two kinds of bacterial strains were separated from 0.2 g pig feces. Bacterial strains were distributed in 24 plates per treatment and each plates as a replication. The sample was coated with a Bacterial biofilm formation was. Result: Photographic result, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella bacteria colony surface were thick smooth surface in control. However, colony surface in blended and single essential oil treatment has shown crack surface layer compared with colony surfaces in control. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study could confirm that essential oils have some interesting effect on anti-biofilm formation of E. coli and Salmonella strains from pig feces.
Activation of astrocytes has been known to be associated with amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposit and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines that lead to neuronal cell death in the ...pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease (AD). In the present study, we investigated whether the absence of CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) results in activation of astrocytes, Aβ deposit and memory dysfunction in CCR5 knock (CCR5
−/−) out mice. We found that long-term and spatial memory functions were impaired in CCR5
−/− mice. There was a significant increased expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the brain of CCR5
−/− mice as compared with that of wild type of CCR5 (CCR5
+/+) mice. The expression of CCR5 was observed in CCR5
+/+ astrocytes, but was reduced in the CCR5
−/− astrocytes even though the expression of GFAP was much higher. Paralleling with the activation of astorcytes, the Aβ
1−42 level was higher in the brains of CCR5
−/− mice than that of CCR5
+/+ mice. Expression of β-secretase (BACE1) and its product C99 was significantly elevated in CCR5
−/− mice. The activation of CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) causes activation of astrocytes that leads to Aβ deposit and memory dysfunction in CCR5
−/− mice. In CCR5
−/− mice, CCR2 expression was high and co-localized with GFAP. These findings suggest that the absence of CCR5 increases expression of CCR2, which leads to the activation of astrocytes causing Aβ deposit, and thereby impairs memory function. These results suggest that CCR5 may be a critical suppressor of the development and progression of AD pathology.
Recently the use of glycolic-acid-containing cosmetics has received increased public interest in their supposed ability to reduce wrinkles, roughness, age spots and other skin damage. However, the ...safety of such products when used excessively or chronically, especially by photosensitive people, is being questioned. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of glycolic acid alone or in combination with UVB on skin damage and inflammatory response.
Guinea pigs were treated with glycolic acid (from 1 to 7 mg/cm(2)) alone or in combination with UVB (0.4 or 3 J/cm(2)) for 14 days. Skin damage was evaluated by scoring the skin irritation value by the method of Draize and by histopathological observations. Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expression and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) production were also assessed.
Glycolic acid caused an increase in the level of skin damage in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Lower doses (1 and 3 mg/cm(2)) of glycolic acid mostly caused erythema and eschar, and these consequently formed scales, whereas higher doses (5 and 7 mg/cm(2)) of glycolic acid caused redness, edema and necrotic ulceration. Glycolic acid also increased the thickness of the epidermal layer, reduced the organization of the stratum corneum and eventually destroyed some parts of the epidermal layer at 7 mg/cm(2). UVB (0.4 and 3 J/cm(2)) caused redness and edema as well as reduced the integrity of the stratum corneum. Glycolic acid enhanced the UVB-induced skin damage. The magnitude of the damage caused by combined UVB and glycolic acid treatment was much greater than that caused by glycolic acid or UVB alone. Moreover, partial destruction of the epidermal layer was observed in skin treated with 3 J/cm(2) UVB and 3 mg/cm(2) glycolic acid. However, glycolic acid did not change the basal and UVB-induced PGE(2) production and COX-2 protein expression.
These results show that glycolic acid causes skin damage in a dose- and time-dependent manner and that it enhances UVB-induced skin damage without accompanying PGE(2) production or COX-2 protein expression. Therefore, caution should be exercised by those using glycolic acid on a chronic basis or excessively. Moreover, those with photosensitive skins and those more exposed to the sun should be particularly careful.
Pedestrian safety is of keen interest because the vulnerability of pedestrians leads to severe injuries in pedestrian–vehicle crashes. Various countermeasures for protecting pedestrians have been ...developed in the field of traffic and vehicular safety engineering. The pedestrian protection airbag system (PPAS) is one of the recently developed vehicular technologies for pedestrian protection. PPAS is a promising, passive safety technology for reducing the severity of pedestrian injury. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety benefits of PPAS. A probabilistic pedestrian fatality model and a set of linear regression models were employed to estimate the effectiveness of PPAS in reducing the severity of pedestrian injury. Head injury criteria data, which represented the level of severity of pedestrian head injury, were obtained from indoor experimental collisions. The number of pedestrian fatalities was estimated for two cases on the basis of the pedestrian fatality model: one with PPAS and one without PPAS. In addition, market penetration rates (MPRs) were applied in analyzing the safety benefits in various scenarios. Approximately 30.30% to 68.94% of pedestrian fatalities would be saved with 100% MPR of PPAS. The outcomes of this study could be used to enhance the functionality of PPAS for reducing fatalities and establishing relevant traffic safety policies.
The effect of medium components (carbon, nitrogen, and mineral sources) and environmental factors (initial pH and temperature) for mycelial growth and exopolysaccharide (EPS) production in Sarcodon ...aspratus(Berk) S.lto TG-3 was investigated. The optimal temperature (25°C) and initial pH (5.0) for the EPS production in shake flask cultures of S. aspratus were determined using the two-dimensional contour plot. The most suitable carbon, nitrogen, and mineral sources for EPS production were glucose, yeast extract, CaCl^sub 2^ and KH^sub 2^PO^sub 4^, respectively. Notably, the EPS production was significantly enhanced by supplementation of calcium ion. Subsequently, the optimum concentration of glucose (30gl^sup -1^), yeast extract (15gl^sup -1^), CaCl^sub 2^ (1.1gl^sup -1^), and KH^sub 2^PO^sub 4^ (1.2gl^sup -1^) were determined using the orthogonal matrix method. The effects of nutritional requirement on the mycelial growth of S.aspratuswere in regular sequence of glucose>KH^sub 2^PO^sub 4^>yeast extract>CaCl^sub 2^, and those on EPS production were in the order of glucose>yeast extract>CaCl^sub 2^>KH^sub 2^PO^sub 4^. Under the optimal culture conditions, the maximum EPS concentration in a 5-l stirred-tank reactor was 2.68gl^sup -1^ after 4days of fermentation, which was 6-fold higher than that at a basal medium. The two-dimensional contour plot and orthogonal matrix method allowed us to find the relationship between environmental factors and nutritional requirement by determining optimal operating conditions for maximum EPS production in S.asparatus. The statistical experiments used in this work can be useful strategies for optimization of submerged culture processes for other mushrooms.PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
► Novel effects of capsaicin in kainic acid (KA)-induced status epilepticus mice model. ► Capsaicin diminishes the KA-induced seizure activities and hyperthermia. ► Capsaicin enhances antioxidant ...capacity in KA-treated mice. ► Capsaicin reduces the IL-1β and TNF-α levels and apoptotic cell death induced by KA. ► Capsaicin is preventative for the epileptogenesis induced by KA in mice.
Epilepsy is a neurodegenerative disease with periodic occurrences of spontaneous seizures as the main symptom. The aim of this study was to investigate the neuroprotective effects of capsaicin, the major ingredient of hot peppers, in a kainic acid (KA)-induced status epilepticus model. After intraperitoneal injections of KA (30
mg/kg) in 8-week-old male ICR mice, the animals were treated subcutaneously with capsaicin (0.33
mg/kg or 1
mg/kg) and then examined for any anti-ictogenic, hypothermic, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic effects of the capsaicin treatment 3 days after KA treatment. KA injections significantly enhanced neurodegenerative conditions but co-injection with capsaicin reduced the detrimental effects of KA in a dose-dependent manner in mice. The co-administered group that received KA and 1
mg/kg of capsaicin showed significantly decreased behavioral seizure activity and body temperature for 3
h and also remarkably blocked intense and high-frequency seizure discharges in the parietal cortex for 3 days compared with those that received KA alone. Capsaicin treatment significantly diminished the levels of oxidant activity and malondialdehyde concentration and increased the antioxidant activity in the blood and brain of KA-treated mice. In addition, capsaicin significantly lowered the KA-induced increase in the concentration of the cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α in the brain. Furthermore, co-treatment of KA and capsaicin (1
mg/kg) resulted in considerably decreased apoptotic cell death in the cornu ammonis sections of the hippocampus compared with that seen in the KA-alone group. These findings indicate that capsaicin is preventative for the epileptogenesis induced by KA in mice.
Ochratoxin A (OTA) induces microcephaly in animals and in vitro cultured whole embryos. Inhibition of neuronal cell differentiation was proposed as underlying mechanisms responsible for OTA-induced ...microcephaly. Previously it was found that OTA inhibited differentiation of cultured rat embryonic midbrain cells into neurons. In this study, the influence of OTA on differentiation in PC-12 cells, a widely accepted model cells for study of neuronal differentiation was examined. Cell differentiation was assessed by measurement of neurite extension and quantified by the number of neurites extended. OTA decreased serum and nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced neurite extension in a concentration-dependent manner. Since MAP kinase and transcription factors have been implicated in cell differentiation of neuronal cells, and our previous study demonstrated that p38 MAP kinase and AP-1 are activated during PC 12 cell differentiation, the effect of OTA on NGF-induced p38 MAP kinase and transcription factor activation was examined. Co-treatment of OTA with NGF resulted in inhibition of NGF-induced p38 MAP kinase and AP-1 activation. Moreover, SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38 MAP kinase blocked p38 MAP kinase and AP-1 activation accompanied by further inhibition of neurite extension. The present study shows that OTA inhibited cell differentiation of PC-12 cells, and this inhibitory effect may be related to inhibition of the activation of the p38 MAP kinase in conjunction with transcription factors AP-1. This finding suggests that the inhibitory effect on neuronal cell differentiation by OTA might be a mechanism responsible for OTA-induced microcephaly.
