Root parameters of forest trees as sensitive indicators of acidifying pollutants: a review of research of Japanese forest trees

The root parameters of forest trees can be indicators of a changing environment. We summarize the results of root studies with regard to the effects of acidifying pollutants, especially soil acidification and aluminum toxicity, on various root parameters of Japanese forest trees under experimentally controlled conditions. All root parameters such as biomass, morphology, nutritional status, and physiology can be regarded as indicators, because, under laboratory conditions, root responses occur prior to the responses in the aboveground parts. However, considering the conditions of forest sites, the nutritional status and physiological changes are better indicators of soil acidification and Al stress than the biomass and morphological response. The currently available data suggest that the most important indicator is the Ca/Al molar ratio in roots of Japanese tree species. In order to predict and detect the initial effects of soil acidification, we postulate that the specific root response to the Ca/Al molar ratio of tree roots should be considered as a parameter for use in long-term forest monitoring sites.     

Increase in plasma total antioxidant capacity of grazing Japanese Black heifers and cows in forestland in Japan

Blood total antioxidant capacity (TAC) has become a key bio‐marker for animal health. Forest‐grazing cattle are known to forage various native plants that have high TAC. This study evaluated differences of plasma TAC between forest‐grazing (FG) and pasture‐grazing cattle (PG). Experiment 1 monitored the plasma TAC levels of 32 Japanese Black cattle. The level in PG did not change throughout the grazing period. However, that in FG, which increased from summer, was significantly higher than that in PG through fall (P < 0.05). In experiment 2, we used nine Japanese Black heifers and investigated their blood antioxidant parameters and the TAC in plants that the cattle consumed in late June and September. The plasma TAC levels in FG were significantly higher than those in PG in both periods (P < 0.05). Plasma levels of lipid peroxidation in FG tended to be lower than that in PG (P = 0.098). Furthermore, the TAC levels in various species of shrubs and trees consumed by FG were higher than those in pasture grasses. Results of this study show that plasma TAC of grazing Japanese Black cattle in forestland increase from summer through fall.     

Electroencephalographic observation on sheep and cattle with experimental cerebrocortical necrosis

Nine Suffolk sheep and 4 Holstein cattle were employed to observe electroencephalographic changes in experimental cerebrocortical necrosis. Amprolium (600 mg/kg/day) alone was given intraruminally 6 sheep and 4 cattle, all of which showed neurological signs and abnormal electroencephalograms. Both amprolium and thiamine (200 mg/day) and thiamine (50 mg/day) alone were given 2 and 1 sheep, respectively, as controls, which did not show any abnormal signs. Abnormal electroencephalograms included continuous slow waves and long-lasting spindles, both of which appeared diffusely and were seen subclinically or with neurological signs. The spindles consisted of slow waves or sharp- (or spike-) and-slow-wave complexes with or without convulsive seizures even during the convulsion stage. Conversely, the seizures occurred with the spindles or slow waves.     

Inheritance of peroxidase isozymes in mulberry (Morus spp.)

Summary Electrophoretic variants of peroxidase in mulberry (Morus spp.) were demonstrated by thin-layer gel isoelectric focusing. Of these variants, three isozyme band groups were found to be controlled by codominant alleles at a single locus. The gene symbol Px ₁ was given to this locus, with alleles Px ₁ ¹ and Px ₁ ² assigned to the A6-A7-A8 and A7-A8-A9 band groups, respectively. The A6-A7-A8-A9 band group proved to be controlled by the Px ₁ ¹ and Px ₁ ² heterozygote.Additional experiments showed that among the three banding types, there were no statistically significant differences in leaf blade length, leaf blade width, length-width ratio of leaf blade, internode length, phyllotaxis, leaf shape, tree vigor and resistance to powdery mildew, but there were significant differences in leafstalk length.     

High-density electron anions in a nanoporous single crystal: [Ca24Al28O64]4+(4e-)

We removed approximately 100% of clathrated oxygen ions from the crystallographic cages in a single crystal of 12CaO.7Al2O3, leading to the formation of high-density (approximately 2 x 10(21) cm-3) electrons highly localized in the cages. The resulting electron forms a structure that we interpret as an F+ center and migrates throughout the crystal by hopping to a neighboring cage with conductivity approximately 100 siemens per centimeter, demonstrating that the encaged electron behaves as an anion. The electron anions couple antiferromagnetically with each other, forming a diamagnetic pair or singlet bipolaron. The resulting [Ca24Al28O64]4+(4e-) may be regarded as a thermally and chemically stable single crystalline "electride."     

Food-drug interaction between ferulic acid and nateglinide involving the fluorescein/H+ cotransport system

In clinical, patients usually take many kinds of drugs at the same time. Thus, drug-drug interactions involving transporters can often directly affect the therapeutic safety and efficacy of many drugs. However, there have been few studies on food-drug interactions involving transporters. Dietary polyphenols have been widely assumed to be beneficial to human health. Polyphenols are commercially prepared and used as functional foods. We report here for the first time that ferulic acid, which is widely used as a functional food, affects the transport of clinical agents. It is important to be aware of the potential of food-drug interactions and to act in order to prevent undesirable and harmful clinical consequences.     

Reduced immunogenicity of beta-lactoglobulin by conjugation with carboxymethyl dextran differing in molecular weight

To reduce the immunogenicity of beta-lactoglobulin (beta-LG), two beta-LG-carboxymethyl dextran (CMD) conjugates (Conj. 40 and Conj. 162) were prepared by using water-soluble carbodiimide (EDC). The molar ratios of beta-LG to CMD in Conj. 40 and Conj. 162 were 8:1 and 7:1, respectively. Each conjugate maintained approximately 50% of the retinol binding activity of beta-LG. Structural analyses by intrinsic fluorescence, CD spectra, and ELISA with monoclonal antibodies indicated that the surface of beta-LG in each conjugate was covered by CMD without great disruption of native conformation. By conjugation with CMD, the antibody response to beta-LG was reduced in BALB/c, C3H/He, and C57BL/6 mice, which was eminent in Conj. 162. The results of B cell epitope scanning using overlapping synthesized peptides showed that the linear epitope profiles of the conjugates were similar to those of beta-LG, whereas the antibody response to each epitope was reduced, which was eminent in Conj. 162. It was concluded that conjugation with CMD of higher molecular weight is effective in reducing the immunogenicity of beta-LG and that masking of epitopes by CMD is responsible for the reduced immunogenicity.