Hijiki seaweed consumption elevates levels of inorganic arsenic intake in Japanese children and pregnant women

Although exposure to inorganic arsenic is a health concern, especially in developing foetuses and children, dietary exposure levels among pregnant women and children have not been extensively studied in Japan. To address this shortcoming, we completed a 3-day duplicate diet study for 104 children and 101 pregnant women in two cities, Shimotsuke, Tochigi and Asahikawa, Hokkaido. The levels of intake of total and inorganic arsenic were estimated using the concentrations of total and inorganic arsenic in food and drinking water measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Estimated intakes of total and inorganic arsenic were 8.46 ± 3.02 [µg/kg BW/week] and 1.74 ± 1.07 [µg/kg BW/week] in pregnant women and 20.07 ± 3.53 [µg/kg BW/week] and 8.46 ± 3.02 [µg/kg BW/week] in children, respectively. Weekly arsenic exposure per kg body weight was significantly higher in children than in pregnant women. Concentrations of total arsenic were generally very low in collected drinking water samples with a small number of exceptions, and drinking water was not considered as a major source of inorganic arsenic exposure in Japan. We found that total and inorganic arsenic intake were higher among frequent consumers of hijiki seaweed, in both pregnant women and children. Although rice and rice products that are staple foods of the Japanese have been reported to be major sources of inorganic arsenic exposure in Japan, our results indicate that hijiki consumption elevates levels of inorganic arsenic in Japanese children and pregnant women. More efforts are necessary to reduce the risk of exposure to inorganic arsenic in populations highly sensitive to environmental pollutants.     

Properties of milk protein gels formed by phosphates

We investigated the properties of gels that were formed by adding emulsifying salts, such as tetrasodium pyrophosphate (TSPP), to reconstituted milk protein concentrate solution. The pH of a 51 g/L milk protein concentrate solution was adjusted to 5.8 after adding TSPP. Milk protein concentrate solutions were placed in glass jars and allowed to stand at 25°C for 24 h. Gels with the highest breaking force were formed when TSPP was added at a concentration of 6.7 mM, whereas no gel was formed when TSPP was added at concentrations of ≤2.9 or ≥10.5 mM. Several other phosphate-based emulsifying salts were tested but for these emulsifying salts, gelation only occurred after several days or at greater gelation temperatures. No gelation was observed for trisodium citrate. Gelation induced by TSPP was dependent on pH, and the breaking force of gel was greatest at pH 6.0. Furthermore, when the concentration of milk protein concentrate in solution was increased to 103 g/L, the breaking force of the gel increased, and a clearly defined network between caseins could be observed by using confocal scanning laser microscopy. These results suggest that TSPP-induced gelation occurs when the added TSPP acts with calcium as a cross-linking agent between dispersed caseins and when the balance between (a reduced) electrostatic repulsion and (enhanced) attractive (hydrophobic) interactions becomes suitable for aggregation and eventual gelation of casein molecules.     

Cytochrome c-552 from gram-negative alkaliphilic Pseudomonas alcaliphila AL15-21T alters the redox properties at high pH

A soluble class I cytochrome c of an alkaliphile was purified and characterized, and its primary structure was determined. This is the first example of a soluble class I cytochrome c in alkaliphiles. Cells the alkaliphilic gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas alcaliphila AL15-21(T) grown at pH 10 had a soluble cytochrome c content that was more than twofold that of strain AL15-21(T) cells grown at pH 7 under air-limited conditions. Cytochrome c-552, a soluble cytochrome c with a low molecular weight, was purified from strain AL15-21(T) cells grown at pH 10 under air-limited conditions. Cytochrome c-552 had a molecular mass of 7.5 kDa and exhibited an almost fully reduced state in the resting form, which exhibited absorption maxima at wavelengths of 552, 523 and 417 nm. In the oxidized state, it exhibited an absorption maximum at 412 nm when it was oxidized by ferricyanide, its isoelectric point (pI) was 4.3 and it contained one heme c as a prosthetic group. Cytochrome c-552 was autoreduced at pH 10, and the autoreduction was reproducible. On the other hand, the autoreduction of cytochrome c-552 was not observed at pH 7.0. When pH was increased from 7.0 to 8.3, its midpoint redox potentials (E(m) values) increased from +228 mV to +276 mV as determined by redox titrations, and from +217 mV to +275 mV as determined by cyclic voltammetric measurements. The amino acid sequence deduced by cytochrome c-552 gene analysis revealed that the sequence consists of 96 residues, including 19 residues as an amino-terminal signal peptide. A phylogenetic tree based on amino acid sequence indicated that the protein belongs to group 4, cytochrome c(5) in class I cytochrome c.     

Xylanase from Marine Filamentous Fungus Pestalotiopsis sp. AN-7 Was Activated with Diluted Salt Solution Like Brackish Water

The genus Pestalotiopsis are endophytic fungi that have recently been identified as cellulolytic system producers. We herein cloned a gene coding for a xylanase belonging to glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 10 (PesXyn10A) from Pestalotiopsis sp. AN-7, which was isolated from the soil of a mangrove forest. This protein was heterologously expressed by Pichia pastoris as a host, and its enzymatic properties were characterized. PesXyn10A was produced as a glycosylated protein and coincident to theoretical molecular weight (35.3 kDa) after deglycosylation by peptide-NfF-glycosidase F. Purified recombinant PesXyn10A exhibited maximal activity at pH 6.0 and 50 °C, and activity was maintained at 90 % at pH 5.0 and temperatures lower than 30 °C for 24 h. The substrate specificity of PesXyn10A was limited and it hydrolyzed glucuronoxylan and arabinoxylan, but not β-glucan. The final hydrolysis products from birchwood xylan were xylose, xylobiose, and 1,2³-α-D-(4-O-methyl-glucuronyl)-1,4-β-D-xylotriose. The addition of metallic salts (NaCl, KCl, MgCl₂, and CaCl₂) activated PesXyn10A for xylan degradation, and maximal activation by these divalent cations was approximately 160 % at a concentration of 5 mM. The thermostability of PesXyn10A significantly increased in the presence of 50 mM NaCl or 5 mM MgCl₂. The present results suggest that the presence of metallic salts at a low concentration, similar to brackish water, exerts positive effects on the enzyme activity and thermal stability of PesXyn10A.     

Purification and identification of proteolytic enzymes from Aspergillus oryzae capable of producing the antihypertensive peptide Ile-Pro-Pro

Two proteolytic enzymes capable of releasing the angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor Ile-Pro-Pro from casein were identified by purification of an Aspergillus oryzae extract by three-step column chromatography. First, proteins capable of producing Ile-Pro-Pro from β-casein were eluted using a DEAE-sepharose FF column with a linear sodium chloride gradient. An endopeptidase capable of releasing Pro-Ile-Pro-Gln-Ser-Leu-Pro-Gln-Asn-Ile-Pro-Pro from Pro-Ile-Pro-Gln-Ser-Leu-Pro-Gln-Asn-Ile-Pro-Pro-Leu-Thr-Gln and an aminopeptidase producing Ile-Pro-Pro from Gln-Asn-Ile-Pro-Pro were separated from the resultant fraction using a hydroxyapatite column. Each active enzyme was then loaded onto a Develosil 300Diol gel filtration column for high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and purified to homogeneity.The endopeptidase had a molecular mass of approximately 46,000 Da and exhibited an N-terminal amino acid sequence identical to that of neutral protease I (NP I) of A. oryzae. Meanwhile, the aminopeptidase had a molecular mass of 36,000 Da and an N-terminal amino acid sequence similar to that of Leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), as reported in Aspergillus sojae and A. oryzae. The eluted endopeptidase and aminopeptidase were thus identified as NP I and LAP, respectively.Analysis of peptide production using synthetic proteins containing an Ile-Pro-Pro sequence showed that NP I processed the C-terminal end and LAP processed the N terminus to produce Ile-Pro-Pro. While Ile-Pro-Pro was successfully produced from casein by the addition of these two purified enzymes, it was not generated with the addition of only a single enzyme. Based on our experimental findings, we suggest that NP I and LAP are key proteolytic enzymes in the release of Ile-Pro-Pro from casein in A. oryzae.     

A study of thermal performance with frosting under forced convection on a flat plate: Prediction of frost growth using nonhomogeneous property

The purpose of this study is the evaluation of thermal performance of a heat exchanger with frosting and decision of optimal defrosting cycle. Because the increase of flow resistance is the principal factor of a drop of heat transfer performance with frosting, thermal performance characteristics were examined. Based on those experimental results, we proposed a one‐dimensional nonhomogeneous frost growth model, and compared it with the experimental data in time and space. In a nonhomogeneous model with the frost property distribution taken into account, density distribution similar to the experimental result can be predicted. It is possible to make prediction closer to the experimental result compared with the conventional homogeneous model with respect to the temporal variation of frost height. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 32(8): 674–689, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.10122     

Prediction of vortex penetration depth at thermal stratification by cavity flow in a branch pipe with closed end (effect of heat radiation condition on temperature fluctuations)

In a branch pipe with one closed end, the cavity flow penetrates into the branch pipe from the main loop and a thermal boundary layer occurs because the cavity flow is a hot fluid, but heat removal causes a colder fluid in the branch pipe. This thermal stratification may affect the structural integrity. Therefore, a pipe design standard to suppress thermal fatigue should be established. The pipe design standard consists of the maximum penetration depth L_sv and the minimum penetration depth L_sh. In order to establish an evaluation method for L_sh, a visualization test and a temperature fluctuation test were carried out. A theoretical formula for thermal stratification was introduced from the heat balance model. Then the model was used to obtain an empirical equation from the map of fluid temperature fluctuation. This method can predict the vortex penetration depth by cavity flow in horizontal branch pipes. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 36(1):38–55, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20135     

A NEW HIGH ORDER SCHEME FOR CONVECTION EQUATION AND ITS APPLICATION

1. INTRODUCTIONThe choice of computational scheme for the convection term is the most difficult problem in numerical simulation of flow. Due to the development of modern numerical methods and practical needs for more efficient simulation, higher order sch…     

[{W(O)(O2)2(H2O)}2(μ‐O)]2–‐Catalyzed Epoxidation of Allylic Alcohols in Water with High Selectivity and Utilization of Hydrogen Peroxide

A dinuclear peroxotungstate, K₂[{W(O)(O₂)₂(H₂O)}₂(μ‐O)]⋅2 H₂O, exhibits high catalytic performance for the epoxidation of various allylic alcohols with only one equivalent of hydrogen peroxide at 305 K in water solvent. The effectiveness of this system is evidenced by high chemo‐, regio‐, and diastereoselectivity, and stereospecificity for the epoxidation of allylic alcohols. Furthermore, products/catalyst separation can be easily carried out by simple extraction and the catalyst recovered can be reused with the maintenance of the catalytic performance.