Removal of endocrine disruptors in milk by circulation through polydimethylsiloxane tubing

A simple circulating system was developed, in which an aqueous solution, cow milk, or human milk was circulated through hydrophobic polymeric tubing to remove the endocrine disruptors from the solution by sorption into the tubing. The effect of circulating parameters, such as tube length, circulating time, and flow rate, against the removal ratio (R) of endocrine disruptors was investigated. R of 1,2,3,4,5,6‐hexachlorocyclohexane (γ‐HCH, lindane) increased with the length of the hydrophobic polymeric tubing, circulating time, and flow rate when cow milk containing 1 ppm γ‐HCH was circulated through polydimethylsiloxane tubing. The R values of several endocrine disruptors with different octanol–water distribution coefficients (log P_ow) was investigated for γ‐HCH and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in an aqueous solution, cow milk, and human milk. A similar trend for R versus log P_ow of the human milk to that of the aqueous solution and cow milk was observed. The R values of the endocrine disruptors decreased in the following order: Aqueous solution > Human milk > Cow milk. Stable micelles in cow milk disturbed the shift of the endocrine disruptors from the milk micelles into the hydrophobic tubing. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102:3634–3640, 2006     

Preventive effects of diclofenac ophthalmic solution on post-cataract-surgical cystoid macular edema

Using eyes undergoing phacoemulsification followed by implantation of a foldable acrylic intraocular lens (IOL) designed for small-incision cataract surgery, a multi-center study was performed to compare a non-steroidal ophthalmic solution (0.1% diclofenac) to a steroidal ophthalmic solution (0.1% fluorometholone) in preventing cystoid macular edema (CME) and inducing disruption of the blood-aqueous barrier determined by laser flare cellmetry. The incidence of CME, noted in 3 out of 53 eyes (5.7%) receiving diclofenac and in 29 out of 53 eyes (54.7%) receiving fluorometholone, was significantly lower in the diclofenac group. The flare in the anterior chamber was also significantly lower in the diclofenac group; when compared between eyes with and without CME, the amount of flare was significantly higher in the former group. These findings suggest that diclofenac effectively prevents CME following cataract surgery and that CME is closely related to the breakdown of the blood-aqueous barrier.     

Interleukin-2-collagen chimeric protein which liberates interleukin-2 upon collagenolysis

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a potent activator of cellular immunityand has been utilized as an immunotherapeutic agent. We stablyimmobilized human IL-2 to collagen by covalently binding itto the N-terminus of human type III collagen (3A1) as IL2-3A1chimeric protein using recombinant technology. The present studywas aimed at liberating IL-2 from the immobilized chimeric proteinby treating the chimera with bacterial collagenase. These IL2-3A1chimeras were synthesized in insect cells which had been infectedwith baculovirus vectors carrying IL2-3A1 cDNA. The IL2-3A1protein produced was shown to be in a pepsin-resistant triplehelical structure and exhibited IL-2 activity to a similar extentas IL-2 itself. IL2-3A1 could be immobilized on the surfaceof plastic dishes by incubating it in the dishes. The IL-2 regionof the immobilized IL2-3A1 was liberated to culture media bycollagenase treatment and this freed IL-2 stimulated the growthof lined T cells. Thus, IL2-3A1 chimeric protein could be utilizedas an IL-2 deliverer whose T cell mitogenic activity can beliberated by a collagenolytic environment.     

A Mini-Based Banking System

In Japan, on-line banking systems were the first systems to offer computerized services on a full scale. Indeed, together with seat reservation systems, banking systems led the technological development of on-line data processing systems in this country. The reasons for this were much the same as those that prompted the same phenomenon in the US:     

Confidence Limits for Redundant-System Availability

s-Confidence limits are established for the Availability of a standby redundant system (1-out-of-N:G system) for both hot and cold spares consisting of several identical units and repair facilities. The failure and repair rates of the units are s-independent, constant, and estimated from test data.     

Man-machine interactive guidance for urban railway networks

A passenger requires precise and timely guidance information about his path from origin to destination on an urban railway network, e.g. the shortest time path and the minimal cost path. Such two paths are not easy to estimate because the former path is dynamically varied in time-dependent fashion by the ununiformity of train traffic density on time and by the mixture of different train traffic scheduling systems of several companies and the latter path may be composed of one or more lines operated by several companies with their different fare systems. This paper clarifies smooth and effective interaction steps for the guidance for urban railway networks, enumerates I/O devices suitable for the effective guidance, enumerates data items to be required for the effective guidance, clarifies the relationships among them, describes the problems in solving the shortest time path and the minimal cost path, shows our newly devised two analysis algorithms, and shows the overview of the pilot system of our man-machine guidance system in terms of a graphic display.     

Synthesis and conformation studies of copolypeptides composed of γ-methyl-l-glutamate and ε-N-carbobenzyloxy-l-lysine

Copolypeptides (PMGCL) composed of γ-methyl-l-glutamate(MLG) and $\text{?-N-}\text{carbobenzyloxy-}\text{l}\text{-lysine(CBL)}$ covering the whole range of copolymer composition were synthesized by the N-carboxyanhydride (NCA) method. The experimentally obtained monomer reactivity ratios were r₁(MLG)=2·0±0·4 and r₂(CBL)=0·5±0·1, from which the fractions of monomer dyads and triads in copolymer were plotted against the initial comonomer composition. From experimental results on thermally induced coil-to-helix transition of the copolypeptides in dichloroacetic acid/1,2-dichloroethane (DCA-DCE) systems, it has been found that these copolypeptides can exist in the α-helix conformation in the same manner as homopolypeptides PMLG and PCBL. The van't Hoff heat of transition ΔH showed a minimum against the initial monomer composition. The enthalpy ΔH_res of formation of intramolecular hydrogen bonds per peptide bond also showed a minimum against copolymer composition. Such behaviour on ΔH and ΔH_res was also found for copolypeptide (PBGCL) composed of γ-benzyl-l-glutamate(BLG) and $\text{?-N-}\text{carbobenzyloxy-}\text{l}\text{-lysine(CBL)}$ in DCA-DCE systems reported in a previous paper. The presence of a minimum in these relationships may be attributed to specific interactions between the side chain of one comonomer and that of the other comonomer in a two component copolymer. It is also pointed out that these copolymer molecules can exist in the α-helix conformation in the solid state.