Total Polyphenols,Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of Different Extracts in Mungbean Seeds and Sprouts

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the biological, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and antiproliferative activities of different extracts of mungbean seeds and sprouts. All extracts from the sprouts showed higher contents of total phenolics (TP), total flavonoids (TF), and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity than from seeds. The highest DPPH and tyrosinase inhibition activities were registered in ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract. ADH activity of methanol (MeOH), n-hexane (n-hexane) and n-butanol (n-BuOH) extracts from sprouts was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than from seeds. However, the highest ADH activity was found in water extract of seeds. According to 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol -2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) (MTT) assay, extracts from sprouts were more effective against Calu-6 (human pulmonary carcinoma) and SNU-601 (human gastric carcinoma) cells than from seeds. EtOAc extract showed the highest antiproliferative activity in both sprouts and seeds, followed by n-hexane extraction. During sprouting of mungbean, all the studied components significantly increased. In conclusion, the extracts of sprouts are more effective than from seeds and could be a potential source of antioxidants linked with health benefits.     

Electronic control of friction in silicon pn junctions

A remarkable dependence of the friction force on carrier concentration was found on doped silicon substrates. The sample was a nearly intrinsic n-type Si(100) wafer patterned with 2-micrometer-wide stripes of highly B-doped p-type material. The counter surface was the tip of an atomic force microscope coated with conductive titanium nitride. The local carrier concentration was controlled through application of forward or reverse bias voltages between the tip and the sample in the p and the n regions. Charge depletion or accumulation resulted in substantial differences in friction force. The results demonstrate the capability to electronically control friction in semiconductor devices, with potential applications in nanoscale machines containing moving parts.     

Salinity changes in the anadromous river pufferfish,Takifugu obscurus,mediate gene regulation

This study aimed to better understand the hydromineral regulatory response of the anadromous river pufferfish, Takifugu obscurus, to salinity changes through real-time RT-PCR. After abrupt transfer from 30 or 5 psu to 5 or 30 psu, respectively, we analyzed the mRNA expression of Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase, prolactin receptor, and aquaporin from osmoregulatory organs of the river pufferfish such as gills, kidney, and intestine. Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase showed notable changes in the gills and kidney when salinity was increased. In the gills, the expression level of Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase suddenly increased within a day after abrupt transfer from 5 to 30 psu and then slightly declined within 2 days after exposure. In the kidney, Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase has shown consistently high mRNA expression after the increase in salinity. Expression levels of the prolactin receptor gene increased when environmental salinity decreased. In the intestine, gene expression of the prolactin receptor remained high, even when salinity decreased. To the contrary, there was a steady increase or decrease in mRNA expression in the kidney in response to salinity decrease or increase, respectively. As for aquaporins, aquaporin 1 was mainly expressed in the intestine and kidney, and aquaporin 3 was mainly expressed in the gills and intestine. In the gills, increased expression of aquaporin 3 was found after transfer to lower salinity and in the intestine and kidney, a decrease in salinity followed by an abrupt decrease in aquaporin 1 and aquaporin 3. Contrastingly, the expression of these genes increased in the intestine after transfer to 30 psu. Osmoregulatory genes were expressed in diverse organs, apparently to overcome an influx or exhaust of water or ions. A superior adaptation ability of the river pufferfish to a wide range of salinities is most reasonably due to active osmoregulatory processes mediated by the genes monitored here.     

Lipid content and fatty acid composition of freshwater eels Anguilla japonica caught in different seasons and locations in South Korea

Fisheries Science - The objective of this study is to determine the lipid content and fatty acid composition of Anguilla japonica caught in South Korea. Seventy-nine eels caught at four different...     

Effect of far-infrared radiation on the antioxidant activity of rice hulls

After far-infrared (FIR) radiation onto rice hull, a methanolic extract was prepared for the determination of antioxidant ability. After 30 min of FIR treatment, the radical scavenging activity and total phenol contents of rice hull extracts increased from 47.74 to 79.63% and from 0.12 to 0.19 mM, respectively, compared to control. Inhibition of lipid peroxidation in extracts was also increased from 41.07 to 47.96%. According to the GC-MS analysis, more phenolic compounds (p-coumaric acid, 3-vinyl-1-oxybenzene, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, vanillin, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and 4,7-dihydroxyvanillic acid) were detected in FIR-irradiated rice hull extract. These results indicated that FIR radiation onto rice hull could liberate and activate covalently bound phenolic compounds that have antioxidant activities.     

Transcrytalline structures and crystallization kinetics of Polyarylate/Nylon6 Islands-in-a-Sea conjugate fibers for high performance thermoplastic composite applications

We report the isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization kinetics and associated transcrystalline morphological features of polyarylate(PAR)/nylon6 islands-in-a-sea fibers, where 74 PAR islands serve as reinforcing fibers and nylon6 sea component acts as a semicrystalline matrix in final thermoplastic composites. The temperature-dependent polarized optical microscopic images obtained during a cooling process exhibit that the melt-crystallization is dominated by the interfacial crystallization of nylon6 on the surface of PAR fibers, leading to developing a transcrystalline structure. From the isothermal and non-isothermal melt-crystallization analyses of the islands-in-a sea fiber by using differential scanning calorimetry and the Avrami equation, the overall crystallization rates of the nylon6 sea component in the islands-in-a-sea fiber are found to be highly accelerated by the heterogeneous nucleating effect of the PAR island fibers. In addition, it is revealed that the isothermal and non-isothermal melt-crystallization kinetics of the nylon6 in the islands-in-a-sea fibers consists of two different mechanisms of the primary crystallization owing to the interfacial crystallization and the secondary crystallization due to the bulk crystallization.     

Comparison of the rebound tonometer (TonoVet) with the applanation tonometer (TonoPen XL) in normal Eurasian Eagle owls (Bubo bubo)

OBJECTIVE: To examine the feasibility and accuracy of a handheld rebound tonometer, TonoVet, and to compare the intraocular pressure (IOP) readings of the TonoVet with those of an applanation tonometer, TonoPen XL, in normal Eurasian Eagle owls. ANIMALS STUDIED: Ten clinically normal Eurasian Eagle owls (20 eyes). PROCEDURES: Complete ocular examinations, using slit-lamp biomicroscopy and indirect ophthalmoscopy, were conducted on each raptor. The IOP was measured bilaterally using a rebound tonometer followed by a topical anesthetic agent after 1 min. The TonoPen XL tonometer was applied in both eyes 30 s following topical anesthesia. RESULTS: The mean +/- SD IOP obtained by rebound tonometer was 10.45 +/- 1.64 mmHg (range 7-14 mmHg), and by applanation tonometer was 9.35 +/- 1.81 mmHg (range 6-12 mmHg). There was a significant difference (P = 0.001) in the IOP obtained from both tonometers. The linear regression equation describing the relationship between both devices was y = 0.669x + 4.194 (x = TonoPen XL and y = TonoVet). The determination coefficient (r(2)) was r(2) = 0.550. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that readings from the rebound tonometer significantly overestimated those from the applanation tonometer and that the rebound tonometer was tolerated well because of the rapid and minimal stress-inducing method of tonometry in the Eurasian Eagle owls, even without topical anesthesia. Further studies comparing TonoVet with manometric measurements may be necessary to employ rebound tonometer for routine clinical use in Eurasian Eagle owls.     

The fabrication and characterization of the photovoltaic cells composed of polydiacetylene and fullerene

Propargyl alcohol was coupled to 2,4-hexadiyne-1,6-diol (HDD) and crystallized in the process of ultraviolet irradiation-induced topochemical polymerization. The HDD polymer crystals were used as one component in the fabrication of organic photovoltaic cells, in combination with fullerene as the electron acceptor. The various structures of the produced photovoltaic cells included bilayer, trilayer, and bulk heterojunction structures. Their photovoltaic properties were analyzed in relation to crystal structure, electrochemical properties, and band structure of the HDD polydiacetylene polymers.     

Antihypertensive Effects of IGTGIPGIW Peptide Purified from Hippocampus abdominalis: p-eNOS and p-AKT Stimulation in EA.hy926 Cells and Lowering of Blood Pressure in SHR Model

The aim of this study was to assess the potential hypertensive effects of the IGTGIPGIW peptide purified from Hippocampus abdominalis alcalase hydrolysate (HA) for application in the functional food industry. We investigated the antihypertensive effects of IGTGIPGIW in vitro by assessing nitric oxide production in EA.hy926 endothelial cells, which is a major factor affecting vasorelaxation. The potential vasorelaxation effect was evaluated using 4-amino-5-methylamino-2′,7′-difluorofluorescein diacetate, a fluorescent stain. IGTGIPGIW significantly increased the expression of endothelial-derived relaxing factors, including endothelial nitric oxide synthase and protein kinase B, in EA.hy926 cells. Furthermore, oral administration of IGTGIPGIW significantly lowered the systolic blood pressure (183.60 ± 1.34 mmHg) and rapidly recovered the diastolic blood pressure (143.50 ± 5.55 mmHg) in the spontaneously hypertensive rat model in vivo. Our results demonstrate the antihypertensive activity of the IGTGIPGIW peptide purified from H. abdominalis and indicate its suitability for application in the functional food industry.     

Isolation and Characterization of Efficient Active Compounds Using High-Performance Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC) from Anti-Inflammatory Activity Fraction of Ecklonia maxima in South Africa

Ecklonia maxima is a brown seaweed, which is abundantly distributed in South Africa. This study investigated an efficient approach using high-performance centrifugal partition chromatography (HPCPC), which has been successfully developed for the isolation and purification of phlorotannins, eckmaxol, and dieckol from the ethyl acetate fraction of E. maxima (EEM). We evaluated EEM for its inhibitory effect against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses in zebrafish embryos. The separation of eckmaxol and dieckol from samples of EEM using HPCPC was found to be of high purity and yield under an optimal solvent system composed of n-hexane:ethyl acetate:methanol:water (2:7:3:7, v/v/v/v). To evaluate the anti-inflammatory efficacy of EEM containing active compounds, zebrafish embryos exposed to LPS were compared with and without EEM treatment for nitric oxide (NO) production, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and cell death two days after fertilization. These evaluations indicate that EEM alleviated inflammation by inhibiting cell death, ROS, and NO generation induced by LPS treatment. According to these results, eckmaxol and dieckol isolated from brown seaweed E. maxima could be considered effective anti-inflammatory agents as pharmaceutical and functional food ingredients.