Tetrodotoxin poisoning due to smooth-backed blowfish Lagocephalus inermis and toxicity of L. inermis caught off the Kyushu coast, Japan

Food poisoning due to ingestion of a puffer fish occurred in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, in October 2008, causing neurotoxic symptoms similar to those of tetrodotoxin (TTX) poisoning. In the present study, we identified the species, toxicity, and toxins using the remaining samples of the causative puffer fish. The puffer fish was identified as smooth-backed blowfish Lagocephalus inermis by nucleotide sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA and cytochrome b gene fragments of muscle mitochondrial DNA. The residual liver sample showed toxicity as high as 1,230 mouse unit (MU)/g by bioassay and TTX was detected by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis. We therefore concluded that the food poisoning was due to TTX caused by consumption of the toxic liver of L. inermis. This is the first report that the liver of L. inermis caught in Japanese waters is strongly toxic, with levels exceeding 1,000 MU/g. In this context, we re-examined the toxicity of L. inermis collected off the coast of Japan. Of 13 specimens assayed, 12 were toxic, although the toxicity varied markedly among individuals and tissues. Because the intestine and ovary of L. inermis have been considered non-toxic, it is particularly noteworthy that these organs were determined to be toxic, with a maximum toxicity of 43.6 MU/g and 10.0 MU/g, respectively. Furthermore, kidney, gallbladder, and spleen, whose toxicity has been unknown, were frequently found to be weakly toxic with levels ranging from 10 to 99 MU/g. Therefore, further study is needed to re-examine the toxicity of smooth-backed blowfish L. inermis in the coastal waters of Japan.     

Average structure of coal: Structural analysis of pyridine extract of zinc-water-coal reaction product

Six coals, of 67.5–91.5 wt%C (daf), were hydrogenated with zinc and water under 8 MPa of nitrogen for 30–60 min at 445 °C. This reaction utilizes the hydrogen generated in situ by the reaction Zn+H₂0 = ZnO + 2H₂. The influence of reaction time was examined using the lowest-rank coal and 30 min was found to be the optimum for this coal. The conversion of the various coals was 80.7–100% with the exception of the highest-rank coal, which gave only 36.5% conversion. Structural analysis, carried out for the pyridine-soluble fractions using the Brown—Ladner equations, showed that the aromatic ring size increased from 1 for the lower-rank coals to 4 for the higher-rank coals.     

Infrared spectra of poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) and some related polyesters

Infrared spectra of some poly(methylene terephthalates) and some poly(methylene 2,6-naphthalates) were compared. To interpret the spectral changes during drawing and heat treatment, the concept of rotational isomerism of the ? O-(CH₂)_M-O? part, which was fairly successful in poly(ethylene terephthalate) (C₂T), was tried to apply to the polyesters other than C₂T. Also, the bands originated from a benzene ring and from a naphthalene ring were distinguished. Poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) (C₂N) has some bands behaving differently from those of other polyesters. This would be due to the existence of certain intermolecular interactions arised from tight packing of the molecules in the crystal of C₂N.     

Correlation of aromaticity and molecular weight of oil,asphaltene and preasphaltene

There is a linear relationship between aromaticity (f_a) or H/C and the molecular weight of oil, asphaltene and preasphaltene. The molecular weight of preasphaltene depends most strongly on f_a or H/C and that of oil the least. The molecular weight increases with decrease of f_a or increase of H/C, because the increase of aliphatic structure is favourable to the solubility of each fraction and the larger molecules can be dissolved in the same solvent.     

A rapid determination of allantoin by high-performance liquid chromatography using tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane-HCl buffer as a mobile phase

A rapid and simple method for the determination of allantoin in pharmaceuticals by reversed-phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography using an ODS column was presented. In general, it is difficult to retain allantoin to the ODS column owing to its very low hydrophobicity. We solved these problems by the use of a Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.5) containing tetra-n-hexyl-ammonium bromide (THAB) as an ion-pair reagent for the mobile phase. Comparatively low concentrations of Tris-HCl buffer (0.9 mM) and THAB (0.5 mM) gave a high capacity factor (k'). As a results of the examination of the chromatographic behavior, it is confirmed that the retention mechanism of allantoin to the ODS column on the present method was not the ion-pair mode, but the ion-exchange mode. Calibration curves for allantoin showed a good linearity in the range of 10 to 400 micrograms/ml (r = 0.9999). The reproducibility (R.S.D., n = 6) was invariably good (0.37%). The lowest concentration of allantoin for the determination was 200 ng per 20 microliters of injection. The present method was successfully applied to the determination of allantoin in commercial eyedrops with good recovery (99.4%). It was found that allantoin in pharmaceuticals could be determined by the present method in short time and without any complicated derivatization.     

Photoisomerization of the azobenzenes included in Langmuir-Blodgett films of cyclodextrins

A new type of photochemical Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) film containing azobenzenes (p-phenylazobenzoic acid (PAB), methyl red (MR) and methyl orange (MO)) without long alkyl chains was prepared by the host-guest interaction with an amphiphilic cyclodextrin derivative. The azobenzenes in the LB film of the host- guest complex exhibited an excellent cis-trans photoisomerization, while trans-to- cis photoisomerization was restricted for LB films of long chain azobenzene derivatives alone. The cavity of cyclodextrin provides a favourable environment for the photochemical reaction leading to an increase in the molecular area in the rigid LB film. The half-life times of cis isomers of PAB, MR and MO in the host-guest complex LB films were 35 h, 55 s and 13 min respectively at 20°C.     

Chlamydia pneumoniae in coronary and iliac arteries of Japanese patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases

OBJECTIVE: This pilot study was undertaken to assess the need and acceptability of a theoretically based audit model to assist GPs improve their asthma care. METHOD: Seventeen GPs from two GP divisions conducted a chart audit and patient survey of asthma patients presenting during the 8 week audit period. Audit results were discussed at a workshop providing a forum for GP peer groups to review their asthma care against current guidelines. This workshop allowed the GPs to develop strategies to improve their asthma care in the context of the resources of their individual practice, GP division, local community and health services. RESULTS: Of the 243 asthma patients audited 177 (72.8%) had a review of their asthma recorded in the past 12 months, 138 (56.8%) were prescribed regular preventive therapy and 118 (48.2%) had been given an asthma action plan. Despite the time commitment required to participate in the activity, 16 respondents who answered the audit evaluation questionnaire reported that the audit was a useful process and 15 (93.8%) stated that it had motivated them to change their practice. CONCLUSION: The results confirmed the need for improved asthma care in general practice and demonstrated the feasibility of the GP-peer led, regionally coordinated, audit-workshop model.     

Heavily carbon-doped InGaP/GaAs HBT's with buried polycrystallineGaAs under the base electrode

This paper describes a new approach to fabricating InGaP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT's) with a high cutoff frequency (f_T), high maximum oscillation frequency (f_max), and low external collector capacitance (C_bc). To attain a high f_T and f_max, a heavy carbon-doping (1.3×10²⁰ cm^-3) technique was used with a thin (30-nm-thick) GaAs base layer, while for low C_bc, low-temperature gas-source molecular-beam epitaxial growth on SiO₂ -patterned substrates was used to bury high-resistance polycrystalline GaAs under the base electrode. An f_T of 120 GHz and an f_max of 230 GHz were achieved for three parallel 0.7×8.5 μm HBT's with an undoped-collector structure, and an f _T of 170 GHz and an f_max of 160 GHz were obtained for a single 0.9×10 μm HBT with a ballistic-collection-transistor structure. Compared to HBT's without buried poly-GaAs, the maximum stable gain was improved by 1.2 dB in the 0.7×8.5 μm HBT and by 2.3 dB in the 0.9×10 μm HBT due to the reduction in C_bc. These results show the high potential of the proposed HBT's for high-speed digital and broadband-amplifier applications     

Pressure and temperature effect on the mean chemical structure of coal hydrogenolysis product

The hydrogenolysis reaction of coal using red-mud and sulphur as catalyst has been carried out at 400 and 450 °C, 10 MPa or 3 MPa of hydrogen, and 3 MPa of hydrogen plus 7 MPa of nitrogen. The mean chemical structures of the asphaltenes and oils produced show that at first the portion with relatively fewer aromatic rings and more aliphatic structures becomes soluble because of the saturation of the aromatic rings, and then gradually that having more aromatic rings and less of the aliphatic structures does likewise. The higher pressure contributes more to the saturation of aromatic rings and yields more extract. The higher temperature causes thermal decomposition of the aliphatic structures without changing the aromatic structures. When only the total reaction pressure is high, though the hydrogen density is unchanged, the chemical structure of the product is the same, but the reaction rate is accelerated because the reaction proceeds to a greater extent in the liquid state by the suppression of vaporization of low-molecular-weight matter under the higher pressure.