An isomer of the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) produced from linoleic acid by Lactobacillus plantarum was identified as cis-9,trans-11-octadecadienoic acid by proton nuclear magnetic resonance ...spectroscopy. Together with earlier results, we concluded that the bacterium produces two CLA isomers, cis-9,trans-11- and trans-9,trans-11-octadecadienoic acid from linoleic acid. The addition of L-serine, glucose, AgNO
3
, or NaCl to the reaction mixture reduced production of the latter.
Micafungin, the first candin antifungal drug developed in Japan, has a significant therapeutic effect against deep-seated mycoses caused by
Candida or
Aspergillus. Little is known, however, about the ...optimal dosage or disposition of micafungin in patients with severe hepatic impairment. Nine liver transplant recipients (5 males and 4 females) were enrolled in this study. In 1 recipient with a markedly small-for-size graft (ratio of graft volume to standard liver volume at the time of transplantation: 25.9%), the areas under the plasma concentration–time curves up to 12 hours postdose (AUC
0–12h) at doses of 50 and 100 mg/d were 79.38 and 601.17 μg
·
h/mL, respectively. The corresponding elimination half-life (T
1/2) values were 16.01 and 75.75 hours, and saturated elimination was observed only at the dose of 100 mg/d. The mean urinary ratio of 6β-hydroxycortisol to cortisol (6β-OHF/F) in the small-for-size graft recipient was significantly (
P < .05) lower than that in the other recipients.
In conclusion, graft size was an important factor affecting disposition of micafungin. For liver transplant recipients with markedly small-for-size grafts, the optimal dosage of micafungin to reach and maintain therapeutic plasma levels is estimated to be 50 mg/d.
Melt growth of BaSi2 by the vertical Bridgman (VB) growth method was initiated from barium metal (3 N grade) and semiconductor-grade silicon. Because Ba is highly reactive at the growth temperature ...(~1500 K), the crucible materials were chosen to avoid chemical reactions and sticking between the crucibles and the molten and vapor Ba. Crucibles made of molybdenum, quartz, alumina, SiNx-coated quartz, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) pyrolytic graphite (PG), and chemical vapor deposition SiC-coated graphite were examined, and the semiconductor orthorhombic BaSi2 was obtained in quartz, alumina, and molybdenum crucibles. The crystalline forms of the grown crystals depend on the crucible materials and growth conditions.
Electrical resistivity, magnetoresistance, and specific heat measurements have been performed for the binary icosahedral Cd5.7Yb and its cubic approximant Cd6Yb. The resistivity of both the ...icosahedral phase (i-phase) and the approximant is found to show a rather metallic behavior with a large positive temperature coefficient of the resistivity (TCR) below 200–300K followed by leveling-off at low temperatures below 10K. For the approximant, we observe a stepwise change of the resistivity at 110K which is due to a phase transition. Giant magnetoresistance as high as 200% at 9T below 4.2K is observed for the i-phase and the electronic specific heat coefficient γ is found to be extraordinary large in both alloys, i.e., 2.87mJ/(moleK2) for the i-phase and 7.60mJ/(moleK2) for the approximant. Such large γ values may be attributed to the Yb-derived states at the Fermi level. Furthermore, the Debye temperatures (ΘD) are very low and almost the same for both alloys, i.e., 142 and 144K, respectively, which are indeed the lowest values ever reported in i-phases and approximants. The metallic character of the binary i-phase implies that the negative TCR is not necessarily a consequence of the quasiperiodicity.
Conjugated fatty acids have attracted much attention as a novel type of biologically beneficial functional lipid. Some isomers of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) reduce carcinogenesis, ...atherosclerosis, and body fat. Considering the use of CLA for medicinal and nutraceutical purposes, a safe isomer-selective process is required. The introduction of biological reactions for CLA production could be an answer. We screened microbial reactions useful for CLA production, and found several unique reactions in lactic acid bacteria. Lactic acid bacteria produced CLA from linoleic acid. The produced CLA comprised a mixture of
cis-9,
trans-11-octadecadienoic acid (18:2) and
trans-9,
trans-11-18:2.
Lactobacillus plantarum AKU 1009a was selected as a potential CLA producer. Using washed cells of
L. plantarum AKU 1009a as a catalyst, CLA production from linoleic acid reached 40 mg/ml under the optimized conditions. The CLA-producing reaction was found to consist of two successive reactions,
i.e., hydration of linoleic acid to 10-hydroxy-12-octadecenoic acid and dehydrating isomerization of the hydroxy fatty acid to CLA. On the basis of these results, the transformation of hydroxy fatty acids by lactic acid bacteria was investigated. Lactic acid bacteria transformed ricinoleic acid (12-hydroxy-
cis-9-octadecenoic acid) to CLA (a mixture of
cis-9,
trans-11-18:2 and
trans-9,
trans-11-18:2). Castor oil, which is rich in the triacylglycerol form of ricinoleic acid, was also found to act as a substrate for CLA production by lactic acid bacteria with the aid of lipase-catalyzed triacylglycerol hydrolysis.
L. plantarum AKU 1009a produced conjugated trienoic fatty acids from α- and γ-linolenic acid. The trienoic fatty acids produced from α-linolenic acid were identified as
cis-9,
trans-11,
cis-15-octadecatrienoic acid (18:3) and
trans-9,
trans-11,
cis-15-18:3. Those produced from γ-linolenic were
cis-6,
cis-9,
trans-11-18:3 and
cis-6,
trans-9,
trans-11-18:3. The conjugated trienoic fatty acids produced from α- and γ-linolenic acid were further saturated by
L. plantarum AKU 1009a to
trans-10,
cis-15-18:2 and
cis-6,
trans-10-18:2, respectively.
Aims This study aims to produce hydroxy fatty acids efficiently. Methods and Results Escherichia coli overexpressing linoleic acid Delta 9 hydratase from Lactobacillus plantarum AKU 1009a was ...employed to produce hydroxy fatty acids with industrial potential. We found that 280 g l super(-1) of linoleic acid (1 mol l super(-1)) was converted into (S)-10-hydoxy-cis-12-octadecenoic acid (HYA) with a high conversion rate of 98% (mol/mol) and more than 99.9% enantiomeric excess (e.e.) by recombinant E. coli cells in the presence of FAD and NADH. In the same way, many kinds of C18 unsaturated fatty acids with Delta 9 carbon double bond (280 g l super(-1)) were converted into corresponding 10-hydroxy fatty acids with the conversion rates over 95% (mol/mol). We also produced HYA at a high rate of accumulation (289 g l super(-1)) with a high yield (97 mol%) in a reaction mixture that contained glucose instead of NADH. Conclusions We developed a process for producing several types of hydroxy fatty acids with high accumulation rates and high yields. Significance and Impact of the Study Hydroxy fatty acids are important materials for the chemical, food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, and thus they have recently attracted much interest in a variety of research fields. However, the mass production of hydroxy fatty acids has been limited. This method of hydroxy fatty acids production will facilitate the widespread application of hydroxy fatty acids in various industries.
After screening 14 genera of lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus plantarum AKU 1009a was selected as a potential strain for CLA production from linoleic acid. Washed cells of L. plantarum with high ...levels of CLA production were obtained by cultivation in a nutrient medium with 0.06% (wt/vol) linoleic acid (cis‐9,cis‐12‐octadecadienoic acid). Under the optimal reaction conditions with the free form of linoleic acid as the substrate, washed cells of L. plantarum produced 40 mg CLA/mL reaction mixture (33% molar yield) from 12% (wt/vol) linoleic acid in 108 h. The resulting CLA was a mixture of two CLA isomers, cis‐9,trans‐11 (or trans‐9,cis‐11)‐octadecadienoic acid (CLA1, 38% of total CLA) and trans‐9,trans‐11‐octadecadienoic acid (CLA2, 62% of total CLA), and accounted for 50% of the total FA obtained. A higher yield (80% molar yield to linoleic acid) was attained with 2.6% (wt/vol) linoleic acid as the substrate in 96 h, resulting in CLA production of 20 mg/mL reaction mixture consisting of CLA1 (2%) and CLA2 (98%) and accounting for 80% of total FA obtained. Most of the CLA produced was associated with the cells (ca. 380 mg CLA/g dry cells), mainly as FFA.
The detection sensitivity of contactless transient spectroscopy (COLTS) to localized states was investigated in detail. We first point out that the detection sensitivity of conventional capacitance ...transient spectroscopy to interface traps is greatly degraded as oxide thickness is very thin. This is a serious problem for the electrical characterization of recent MOS devices with an ultra-thin gate oxide. In this study, we found that COLTS measurements could overcome this problem: we determined that high detection sensitivity to the interface traps could be maintained using an optimal air gap in the COLTS measurements even when the oxide film is very thin. This is because maximal sensitivity is obtained at the optimal oxide thickness of around 300
nm in conventional capacitance transient spectroscopy. This shows that COLTS can become a highly sensitive tool for interface traps in advanced MOS devices with an ultra-thin gate oxide. In addition, actual COLTS measurements were performed using an oxidized n-type Si wafer doped with gold impurity. Experimental results support the dependence of the detection sensitivity on an air gap which is predicted by theoretical calculation.
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