Assessment of radical scavenging capacity and lipid peroxidation inhibiting capacity of antioxidant

The role of radical scavenging antioxidants against oxidative stress has received much attention, and the antioxidant capacity has been assessed by various methods. Among them, a method that measures the effect of antioxidant on decay of the probe is one of the most widely used methods. The present study was performed to compare the two methods to assess the antioxidant capacity, one to follow the decay of the probe and the other to measure lipid peroxidation products in human plasma. It was shown that the method following probe decay was suitable for assessment of radical scavenging capacity of antioxidant, but not for the capacity to inhibit lipid peroxidation in plasma. This is true whether a hydrophilic or lipophilic probe is used. Such different results arise from the fact that the efficacy of inhibition of lipid peroxidation by antioxidants depends on the fate of antioxidant-derived radical and interaction between antioxidants as well as the capacity of free radical scavenging. Thus, the capacity of antioxidants for inhibition of lipid peroxidation should be assessed from the effect on the extent of oxidation, not from the effect on probe decay.     

Three‐dimensional CT examination of the forefoot and hindfoot of the hippopotamus and tapir during a semiaquatic walking

Semiaquatic walking has resulted in the evolution of functional and morphological changes in various hoofed mammals, such as hippopotamus and Brazilian tapir. The biomechanics of skilful walking in wetlands or at the bottom of a waterbody involve the medio‐lateral opening and closing of the feet to effectively support and stabilize the body on soft ground and to reduce the water resistance during recovery stroke, respectively. We demonstrate that the opening and closing of the feet in hippopotamus and Brazilian tapir are mediated by the adduction and abduction of the most medial and lateral phalanges from the CT examination. The axial toes, metacarpals and metatarsals do not contribute to changes in the width and shape of the feet, unlike the medial and lateral toes. We suggest that this semiaquatic walking motion is derived from the original terrestrial mode of locomotion, in contrast to the highly functional swimming motion using webs or fins in morphologically modified feet and tail. From the present data we demonstrate that semiaquatic locomotion evolved due to the acquisition of adductor–abductor mobility in the phalanges of the most medial and lateral digits, as shown in hippopotamus and Brazilian tapir.     

Inheritance of gramine content in barley

The inheritance of gramine indole alkaloid was studied in F1 and F2 generations derived from crosses between wild ( Hordeum vulgare subsp. spontaneum) and cultivated ( H. vulgare subsp. vulgare) barley at adult stage in the field. The means of gramine content were very low in F1s and F2s in April and May. The ratio of progeny containing gramine to those without gramine (near zero or undetectable) fit a mono-genic or di-genic model in F2 generation. However, the content of gramine might be controlled by minor genes in the gramine-containing plants. The direction of dominance was toward lower gramine content. The averages of dominance ( h/d) in F1 and F2 ranged from partial to complete. Broad-sense heritabilities were high (0.70 to 0.77). The usefulness of hybrids for breeding aphid resistance and possibility increasing palatability of grazing pasture for sheep and cattle is discussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

An epidemic of parapoxvirus infection among cattle: isolation and antibody survey.

A disease characterized by papules, nodules, vesicles and, rarely, pustules and ulcers on teats was seen among cattle on a farm in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. A virus was isolated by inoculation of fetal bovine lung cell cultures from a vesicle on a teat of an infected cow. The virus was subsequently passaged in fetal bovine lung and muscle cells in which it produced complete cytopathic changes. The virus was identified by physicochemical examinations and electromicroscopic observation as a parapoxvirus. A seroepidemiological survey was performed on antibody to the isolated virus by the agar gel immunodiffusion test. The isolated virus formed a precipitation line which cross reacted with other parapoxviruses isolated previously in Japan. The positive rate was more than 50% among cattle in the Kanto district. The positive rate increased with age. It was suggested that parapoxvirus infection might have already been prevalent among cattle in Japan.     

Characteristics of a self-assembled fibrillar gel prepared from red stingray collagen

A translucent collagen gel was formed from a transparent acidic solution of red stingray collagen by adjusting to physiological ionic strength and pH in phosphate buffer and then incubating at 25–37°C. During fibril formation from red stingray collagen, the turbidity increased when the NaCl concentration was increased at constant pH and the rate of fibril formation was accelerated by higher pH or lower NaCl concentration. The T _m of red stingray collagen fibrillar gel was estimated as 44.3 ± 3.5°C, which was higher than that of the collagen solution, 33.2°C. In addition, red stingray collagen gel maintained its shape without melting and was suitable for culture of mouse stromal cells at 37°C.     

Phenolic constituents in the fruits of Cinnamomum zeylanicum and their antioxidant activity

Defatted cinnamon fruit powder was successively extracted with benzene ethyl acetate, acetone, MeOH, and water. The concentrated water extract contained the maximum amount of phenolics and showed the highest antioxidant activities. Hence, it was fractionated by Diaion HP-20SS, Diaion HP-20, and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatographies. It gave five purified compounds, the purities of which were analyzed by HPLC. Compounds 1-5 were identified as 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (protocatechuic acid), epicatechin-(2beta-->O-7,4beta-->8)-epicatechin-(4beta-->8)-epicatechin (cinnamtannin B-1), 4-[2,3-dihydro-3-(hydroxymethyl)-5-(3-hydroxypropyl)-7-(methoxy)benzofuranyl]-2-methoxyphenyl beta-d-glucopyranoside (urolignoside), quercetin-3-O-(6-O-alpha-l-rhamnopyranosyl)-beta-d-glucopyranoside (rutin), and quercetin-3-O-alpha-l-rhamnopyranoside by using extensive spectral studies. The antioxidant activities of purified compounds were screened for their antioxidative potential using beta-carotene-linoleate and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl model systems. All of the compounds showed antioxidant and radical scavenging activities. This is the first report of the isolation and identification of nonvolatile constituents and as well as antioxidant activities from cinnamon fruits.     

Evaluation of combustion properties of wood pellets using a cone calorimeter

In this study, the combustion properties of wood pellets were evaluated using a cone calorimeter, which is usually used to verify the fireproof performance of architectural materials. In contrast to the conventional methods including combustion calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis, a cone calorimeter can estimate various combustion parameters, e.g., changes of heat release rate (HRR), weight decrease during burning process, ignition time, and flame-out and burn-out time as well as combustion heat, in a single experimental run with no pretreatment for sample size reduction. The following results were obtained by the combustion test of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) and larch (Larix kaempferi) wood pellets having various volume densities. Ignition time of wood pellet became slower with increasing volume density of the pellets. However, burn-out time was not clearly correlated to volume density. The heat release values measured by cone calorimeter could be comparable to those from the conventional combustion calorimeters, and flaming heat values of the bark pellets were always lower in comparison with pellets made of xylem, although total heat release was almost the same.