Electromigration of sodium ions and electro-osmotic flow in water-saturated, compacted Na-montmorillonite

Sodium ions spiked with ²²Na as a tracer were migrated by electromigration and electro-osmosis in the water-saturated compacted Na-montmorillonite at dry densities 1.0×10³ kg m⁻³, under an electric potential gradient. Dissolved helium was also migrated by electro-osmosis in the montmorillonite. After migration, concentration profiles of the sodium ions and helium were obtained by γ-spectrometry and mass-spectrometric methods, respectively. From the profiles of both chemical species, not only migration due to electrokinetic phenomena but also mechanical dispersion was observed in the montmorillonite. The dispersion coefficients, D_i, and apparent migration rates, U_i^a, of ²²Na and helium were found in the compacted Na-montmorillonite at 1.0×10³ kg m⁻³. The migration of helium in the montmorillonite under an electric potential gradient reflects that of water because helium migrates as an electrically neutral species. The parameters D_He^m, U_He^a, and α_He correspond to those of water. The mechanical dispersion coefficients, D_Na^m, of ²²Na⁺ ions are much smaller than those of water obtained by helium. The dispersivity parameters, α_Na, for ²²Na⁺ obtained from these D_Na and U_Na^a values are 10⁻⁵ m and those for water (α_He) are 10⁻³ m. This indicates that ²²Na⁺ ions migrate in different spaces than water in the compacted montmorillonite under a potential gradient. This finding suggests that the migration of Na⁺ ions occurs in the interlayer and/or on the outer surfaces of the montmorillonite; whereas dissolved helium migrates in the pore water.     

Characterization of Pseudomonas paucimobilis FP2001 which forms flagella depending upon the presence of rhamnose in liquid medium

A bacterial strain FP2001 isolated from the exudate of land reclaimed for municipal waste was identified as Pseudomonas paucimobilis. Cells of strain FP2001 were mobile by means of polar monotrichous flagellum, only when rhamnose was added as a carbon source in the liquid medium. The replacement of rhamnose by arabinose, galactose, glucose or xylose did not lead to the formation of flagella.     

Effect of Time-Dependent Humidity Profiles from Air to Superheated Steam on Drying of a Wetted Starch Sphere

The effects of air humidity when drying with superheated steam (SHS) were examined considering displacement by SHS. A wetted raw starch sphere (ball) was used as the model material. It was found that the humidity profile strongly affects the mass change and properties of the products. The material became porous when it was dried with pure SHS from start to finish, which differs both from products dried with high-humidity air alone, and from products dried with air followed by SHS within a few minutes. A prediction method for adiabatic saturation temperature over a wide range of humidity is also proposed.     

Highly hydrogenated dietary soybean oil modifies the responses to polychlorinated biphenyls in rats

The effects of dietary highly hydrogenated soybean oil (HSO) upon the changes caused by dietary polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were examined in rats. Six groups of rats were fed the following diets for 30 d: a 20% soybean oil-containing diet (control diet), a diet in which a half of soybean oil was substituted with HSO (HSO-A diet), a diet in which cellulose powder was replaced with HSO (HSO-B diet) and these diets supplemented with 100 ppm PCBs (control+PCBs, HSO-A+PCBs and HSO-B+PCBs diets). Hepatic concentration of PCBs and relative liver weight were markedly decreased in rats fed with the HSO-A+PCBs diet compared with those fed with the other diets containing PCBs. Liver lipids and liver cholesterol were considerably decreased with a reciprocal increase in fecal sterol excretion by rats fed the HSO-A+PCBs and the HSO-B+PCBs diets compared with those fed with the control+PCBs diet. The fatty acid composition in hepatic phospholipids showed an independent increase of the saturated fatty acid content induced by dietary HSO and PCBs. Dietary PCBs also caused decreases in the amounts of monounsaturated and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. These results suggest that dietary HSO prevents accumulation of PCBs in the liver and promotes the excretion of lipids stimulated by PCBs, accompanied by a change in fatty acid metabolism.     

Isolated third nerve palsy due to sarcoidosis

We present a 28-year-old man with isolated third nerve palsy as the initial manifestation of sarcoidosis. MRI demonstrated abnormal enhancement of the cisternal portion of the right third nerve. One month after steroid therapy, he showed almost complete recovery with resolution of the contrast enhancement on MRI. This patient illustrates the usefulness of enhanced MRI for detection of cranial nerve lesions of sarcoidosis.     

Effect of oral administration of prostaglandin E1 on erectile dysfunction

Collagen-related peptides, Gly-Pro-Arg and its analogues, were examined for their inhibitory effects on platelet aggregation induced by the addition of ADP. Human platelet aggregation was suppressed by more than 50% with each of Gly-Pro-Arg and such Gly-Pro-Arg-containing peptides as Gly-Pro-Arg-Gly, Gly-Pro-Arg-Gly-Pro, Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro-Pro, and Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro-Pro-Pro at a concentration of 0.3 mM. The inhibitory effects of these peptides were about 10 times higher in human PRP than in rat PRP. Other Gly-Pro-Arg analogues such as Sar-Pro-Arg, Gly-Pro-Lys, Gly-Ala-Arg, and Ala-Gly-Pro-Arg had no inhibitory effect at a concentration from 0.1 to 0.8 mM even in human PRP. Intravenous and oral administrations of Gly-Pro-Arg and enzymatic hydrolysates of collagen suppressed the decrease in platelet count for endotoxin-induced DIC in rats. Collagen itself has been regarded as a potent inducer of platelet aggregation, but these findings suggest that collagen-related peptides and enzymatic hydrolysates of collagen prevent platelet aggregation.     

Study on local immune response in diabetic mice, in which bactericidal capacity of the neutrophils had been damaged--Escherichia coli induced experimental urinary tract infection

An experimental ascending urinary tract infection was induced by transurethral instillation of Escherichia coli in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice, in which bactericidal capacity of the perineal exudating neutrophils had been damaged. The local immune response in uninfected diabetic mice and the response time fluctuation of local immune responses in diabetic mice following infection were compared with those in normal mice, and the nature of induced changes in the local immune response was determined. The diabetic model was prepared by a single administration of 280 mg/kg of STZ after it had been fasted for 15 hours. The mouse was then fasted an additional 2 hours to induce the diabetic state. Compared with the normal mice, the diabetic mice prepared using this method were found to have a significant suppression of the bactericidal capacity of the perineal exudating neutrophils, 3 weeks after induction of diabetes. The study of the cellular distribution in uninfected urinary tract tissue demonstrated a reduction in CD4-positive T cell distribution in bladder submucosa of diabetic mice at 3 weeks after induction of diabetes (diabetic group), compared with that in the normal mice (control group). In the diabetic group, probably in order to compensate for the reduction in CD4-positive T cell distribution in the bladder submucosa, the distribution of macrophages was increased in the bladder epithelium, compared with the control group. This finding suggested that diabetic mice are thought to have protective mechanisms against infection different from those of normal mice in the uninfected state. The study of the response time fluctuation of local immune response at the infected sites demonstrated infiltration of macrophages was the same grade as that of neutrophils in the control and the diabetic group. However, in the diabetic group, a marked infiltration of macrophages was recognized when compared with the control group in the early phase of infection. These findings suggested that macrophages aid in protection against infection when damage to the bactericidal capacity of neutrophils results in insufficient elimination of microorganisms. On the other hand, infiltration of T and B cells was weaker in the diabetic group, than in the control group.     

An early recrudescent case of Stanford type A closing aortic dissection

A 81-year-old female was hospitalized with chest discomfort. Findings of CT scan revealed Stanford type A acute aortic dissection, but the dissecting lumen had already closed with thrombus. Aortogram showed no intimal tear, intimal flap or ulcer like projection. Under the diagnosis of "closing aortic dissection", conservative treatment was selected. The dissecting lumen was disappearing gradually, but she had a sudden chest pain on hospital day 4 and CT scan demonstrated an enlarged and enhanced dissecting lumen. She underwent an emergency operation and a hemiarch replacement was performed successfully. Her postoperative course was uneventful and she was discharged from the hospital in good health.     

Cell interaction study of amyloid by using luminescent conjugated polythiophene: implication that amyloid cytotoxicity is correlated with prolonged cellular binding

Needles and noodles: Studying amyloid toxicity is important for understanding protein misfolding diseases. Using a luminescent conjugated polythiophene, we found that cell binding of nontoxic filamentous amyloids of insulin and β2-microglobulin was less efficient than that of toxic fibrillar amyloids; this suggests a correlation between amyloid toxicity and cell binding.     

Preparation and properties of nanosized biodegradable polymer capsules

This article reports the preparation and properties of nanosized biodegradable polymer capsules synthesized using the electrocapillary emulsification method. The biodegradable polymers used were poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), which is a highly biodegradable and biocompatible polymer, and poly(lactide-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). While the size of the capsules prepared using PCL alone was in the micrometer range, it decreased with an increase in the amount of PLGA added to PCL and eventually reached the nanometer level. When the electrocapillary emulsification applied potential was 2000 V, the sizes of the capsules (PCL:PLGA = 5:5) ranged from 50 to 80 nm. The percentage of glucose trapped in the PCL/PLGA nanocapsules was higher than 80% and the duration of glucose release from the nanocapsules was about two times longer than that from PCL capsules.