Inhibitory Effects of Pomegranate Extracts on Recombinant Human Maltase–Glucoamylase

α‐Glucosidase inhibitors are currently used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory activities of aril and pericarp extracts from pomegranates obtained various regions against recombinant human maltase–glucoamylase (MGAM). The inhibitory activities of the aril extracts tended to be stronger than those of the pericarp extracts. The Iranian aril extract was the most effective inhibitor. We investigated the polyphenol content of the pomegranate extracts using the Folin–Ciocalteu method. Among the aril extracts, the Iranian aril extract showed the highest polyphenol content. We further evaluated inhibitory activity against α‐glucosidase from the rat small intestine. Pomegranate extract used in this study showed slightly different inhibitory activities according to α‐glucosidase origin. Iranian aril extract was the most effective inhibitor of α‐glucosidases, especially recombinant human MGAM. Bioassay‐guided fractionation of the pomegranate arils led to identification of punicalagin and oenothein B as potent inhibitors of α‐glucosidase. Oenothein B showed inhibitory activity with a half‐maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value of 174 μM. Its potency was comparable to that of the α‐glucosidase inhibitor acarbose with an IC₅₀ value of 170 μM. Dixon plot kinetic analysis of oenothein B showed a noncompetitive inhibition with a K_i value of 102 μM. These results suggest that pomegranate arils would be useful for suppressing postprandial hyperglycemia.     

Effect of amylose content and rice type on dynamic viscoelasticity of a composite rice starch gel

Amylose content is an important indicator to determine the utility of raw milled rice. Indica type rice with high amylose content is usually used for manufacturing rice noodles, while Japonica rice may be mixed partially to adjust the noodle texture. The effect of amylose and rice type on dynamic viscoelasticity of rice starch gel was investigated using a model starch composite in this study. The information will be helpful to control and obtain the required noodle texture by combination of different rice types. The results show that nonwaxy Indica and waxy Japonica rice starches in a composite mixture were incompatible and demonstrated their individual gelatinization behavior during heating. High amylose starch showed higher moduli and lower loss tangent values, as well as higher retrogradation rate. The starch gel made from Japonica rice starch showed a slow retrogradation rate even containing a similar amount of amylose to Indica starch. The storage modulus of the gel made from higher amylose rice was shown to be more independent of frequency. Not only amylose content but also chain length distribution in amylopectin affected the dynamic viscoelasticity of rice gel. Japonica rice starch, with fewer super-long chains in amylopectin, retrograded slower after gelatinization than Indica rice, thus the paste is too sticky for production of rice noodles.     

Generalized peritonitis caused by spontaneous intraperitoneal rupture of the urinary bladder

We report a case of generalized peritonitis caused by spontaneous intraperitoneal rupture of the urinary bladder. A 74-year-old female was admitted with abdominal pain and biochemical findings of acute renal failure (ARF). She had recently complained of macrohematuria. She had a past history of radiotherapy for uterine cervical cancer and Parkinson's disease treated with levodopa and amantadine. We diagnosed this case as intraperitoneal rupture of the bladder by cystogram. Biochemical findings of ARF might have resulted from urine reabsorption. Intraperitoneal rupture of the bladder should be considered in all cases of peritonitis, especially in patients with urological symptoms and features of ARF.     

Low temperature,defect-free silicon epitaxy using a low kinetic energy particle process

Concurrent bombardment of a growing film surface by Ar ions having low kinetic energies comparable to typical inter-atomic binding energies has been utilized to activate the film surface. It has been shown that such activation is quite effective and can be substituted for substrate heating during crystal growth. As a result, high quality, device grade epitaxial silicon films have been successfully grown at very low temperatures of 250°–300° C. In this epitaxial growth process, dopant impurities in the target are fully incorporated into the grown film and 100% electrically activated at such low temperatures. The direction for further reducing the epitaxial silicon growth temperature has been examined experimentally, and it is shown that the establishment of anultra clean processing environment andultra clean wafer surface as well asperfect process parameter control are quite essential for very low temperature silicon epitaxy.     

Increased plasma catecholamines in high renin hypertension

Plasma catecholamines, indexes of sympathetic nervous tonicity, were measured simultaneously with renin both supine and after standing plus furosemide in patients with primary hypertension and normotensive volunteers. Seventy percent of hypertensive patients with high renin levels had increased catecholamines compared with a 14% incidence in the combined group with low and normal renin (P less than 0.001). Basal catecholamines were related directly to renin in the hypertensive patients and to blood pressure in the normal (P less than 0.05), but not in the high and low renin subgroups, and inversely to percent increase of catecholamines after standing plus furosemide in hypertensive and normotensive patients (P less than 0.01). Sympathetic nervous hypertonicity may be responsible for the elevation of blood pressure and for the activation of the renin-angiotensin system in patients with high renin hypertension.     

Installation of the first bulk power 380 kV undergroundtransmission cable system in Saudi Arabia

The design, manufacture, testing and installation of the 380 kV long-distance bulk power underground transmission line installed in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, are discussed. The line consists of two routes with a length of 14.2 km and 12.6 km, respectively. It has a double circuit of 380 kV, 1600-mm², self-contained oil-filled cable directly buried in the ground. It is expected that some of the techniques developed for this project will be applicable to other, similar projects in the Middle East region