Intake of different eicosapentaenoic acid-containing lipids and fatty acid pattern of plasma lipids in the rats

The ethyl ester of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is the only pure EPA-containing lipid available in bulk for oral administration. However, there is doubt as to whether EPA ethyl ester can efficiently increase the plasma levels of EPA in comparison with the ability of other kinds of EPA-containing lipids to do so. Therefore, two other kinds of EPA-containing lipids were prepared to study the efficiency of oral administration of those lipids for increasing the EPA content in plasma phospholipids and cholesteryl esters. EPA-containing lipids which were investigated were [A], 1,2,3-trieicosapentaenoyl-glycerol, [B] 2-eicosapentaenoyl-phosphatidylcholine and [C] ethyl ester of EPA. An adjusted amount of lipids [A], [B] and [C] was administered to rats through a gastric tube for 4 days (the first experiment) or for 10 days (the second experiment), and the fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids and cholesteryl esters was determined. In the first experiment, there were no significant differences in the efficiency for increasing EPA levels in either phospholipids or cholesteryl esters among the lipids. In the second experiment, the EPA levels of both plasma phospholipids and cholesteryl esters of rats administered ethyl ester of EPA were significantly higher than those of rats administered 2-eicosapentaenoyl-phosphatidylcholine. The EPA levels of the rats administered 1,2,3-trieicosapentaenoylglycerol were between the levels of the two groups mentioned above, but the differences in the EPA levels were not significant. Although an ethyl ester-type molecule is not a naturally occurring lipid, ethyl ester of EPA is equal to 1,2,3-trieicosapentaenoyl-glycerol and appears to be superior to 2-eicosapentaenoyl-phosphatidylcholine as to the efficiency for increasing EPA levels in total plasma phospholipids and plasma cholesteryl esters.     

Estimating leaf carotenoid contents of shade-grown tea using hyperspectral indices and PROSPECT–D inversion

Quantifying carotenoid contents has many applications in agriculture, ecology, and health science. Hyperspectral reflectance has been one of the promising tools for this purpose. However, previous studies were based on measurements under relatively low light–stress conditions. Therefore, assessing its robustness by using measurements under various levels of stress is required. In this study, the measurements of reflectance and carotenoid contents were carried out with four shading treatments including open–0%, 35%, 75%, and 90% shading to generate various chlorophyll/carotenoid ratios. Then the performances of 15 published hyperspectral indices and PROSPECT–D inversion were evaluated based on our data set for estimating leaf carotenoid contents. According to the ratio of performance to deviation, R_NIR/R₅₁₀, R₇₂₀/R₅₂₁–1, and PROSPECT–D inversion were applicable for this purpose, although calibration of the absorption coefficients was required for PROSPECT–D. Using them, root mean square percentage errors of 4.53–5.46% were achieved. Given that total chlorophyll/carotenoid ratios could be a good indicator for evaluating environmental stress in plants, PROSPECT–D, which also estimates total chlorophyll and anthocyanin contents, could be a strong tool for controlling the qualities of shade-grown tea.     

Reduction in microalbuminuria in diabetics by eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ethyl ester (1.8 g/d) was administered to 16 diabetic patients (5 insulin-dependent and 11 noninsulin-dependent diabetics) for 6 mon. EPA in total plasma fatty acids increased from 4.0±2.4 mol% (mean±SD) to 7.5±3.1 mol% (p<0.001). Albumin excretion, measured with spot urine, was significantly reduced from 65 to 36 mg/g creatinine (geometric means, p<0.001). Fasting blood sugar levels, glycohemoglobin, body weight and blood pressure did not change significantly during the study. There were also no significant changes in serum levels of creatinine, urea nitrogen, total cholesterol and triglycerides. Although no overt hemorrhage was observed in the patients, hematocrit was reduced from 42.6±2.8% to 41.0±3.9% (p<0.02). Ten other similar diabetic patients (4 insulin-dependent and 6 non-insulin-dependent diabetics) were followed as a reference group, not concomitantly, for 6 mon with neither EPA ethyl ester nor placebo. The parameters mentioned above were not changed significantly in this group during 6 mon. EPA administration might retard the appearance of overt diabetic nephropathy.     

Evaluation of performance of a commercial monoclonal antibody-based fenitrothion immunoassay and application to residual analysis in fruit samples

The performance of a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit containing highly sensitive monoclonal antibodies against fenitrothion was assessed. The experimentally estimated dynamic range (0.087 to 2 ng/g) agreed with that established by the kit manufacturer (0.075 to 1 ng/g). The linearity of the standard curve produced for the kit-assembled standard solutions (slope = -0.3829) agreed with that of the curve produced for the self-made standard solutions (slope = -0.3619). The sensitivity (I50 value) and the limit of detection for the kit were 0.23 and 0.033 ng/g, respectively. Selectivity of the ELISA indicates that the monoclonal antibody can readily distinguish the target pesticide from other structurally related analogs and some metabolites (oxon forms), with the exception of ethyl O-(p-nitrophenyl) phenyl phosphonothionate (EPN), parathion-methyl, and parathion. Methanol was the best organic solvent for the kit, with optimal sensitivity observed at a final concentration in the well of 10% (vol/vol) or less. Matrix interferences were minimized by direct dilution with water (60-fold) of the methanolic extracts fromapple and peach samples. To extract fenitrothion from these two agricultural products as simply and rapidly as possible, three extraction methods were used. The extraction method that involved shaking by hand for 3 min was the best among the three methods. High recovery percentages (116.6% for apple and 110.8% for peach) were obtained. Validation of the ELISA method was carried out using the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method, resulting in high recovery and close correlation of results (r > 0.95). These findings strongly suggest that the ELISA kit may be routinely employed for on-site fenitrothion screening of fruit samples.     

Effect of intercalated aromatic sulfonates on uptake of aromatic compounds from aqueous solutions by modified Mg-Al layered double hydroxide

In this study, we utilized Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (Mg-Al LDH) modified by intercalation with three aromatic sulfonates—2,7-naphthalene disulfonate (2,7-NDS²⁻), benzenesulfonate (BS⁻), and benzenedisulfonate (BDS²⁻)—for the uptake of two aromatics—1,3-dinitrobenzene (DNB) and anisole (AS)—from aqueous solution and determined the effect of the aromatic sulfonates on the uptake of these aromatics. We found that the electron-rich aromatic ring of the intercalated aromatic sulfonates such as 2,7-NDS²⁻ undergoes strong π-π stacking interactions with the electron-poorer benzene ring of DNB in aqueous solution, and these interactions result in a higher uptake of DNB by the modified Mg-Al LDHs. In contrast, the electron-poor aromatic ring of the aromatic sulfonates such as BDS²⁻ undergoes weak π-π stacking interactions with the electron-poorer benzene ring of DNB, and these interactions result in a lower uptake of DNB by the modified Mg-Al LDHs.     

Immunochromatography for the rapid determination of cadmium concentrations in wheat grain and eggplant

BACKGROUND: A simple and quick on‐site test for trace levels of cadmium (Cd) in food is needed because of the human toxicity of this heavy metal. We developed an immunochromatography kit which uses the antigen‐antibody complex reaction between the Cd–ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Cd–EDTA) complex and an anti‐Cd–EDTA antibody. We previously reported the successful use of this kit to determine Cd concentrations in brown rice with respect to the international standard: 0.4 mg kg^?1. Here, we measured, using this immunochromatography kit, Cd concentrations in crops with lower international standards than rice. RESULTS: Cadmium extracted with 0.1 mol L^?1 HCl from wheat grain and fresh eggplant was purified sufficiently using an ion‐exchange column treatment. Appropriate HCl extraction rates and dilution rates for the column eluate were selected; Cd concentrations in wheat grain and fresh eggplant were determined successfully by immunochromatography with respect to the international standards of 0.2 mg kg^?1 and 0.05 mg kg^?1 fresh weight, respectively. CONCLUSION: Approximate Cd concentrations in wheat grain and fresh eggplant can be monitored easily and quickly by this method at locations where facilities for acid digestion and precision analysis are not available. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Antibacterial effect of thiocyanate substituted poly(vinyl chloride)

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) modified in different solvents by nucleophilic substitution with thiocyanate was exposed to Gram-negative bacteria of the strain Staphylococcus capitis. All modified pieces reduced the adhesion of bacteria by between 67 and 79%. More important for the bacteria suppression than the substitution rate was the ratio between thiocyanate and isothiocyanate groups. The best result was obtained with PVC modified in tetrahydrofuran/dimethylsulfoxide, containing only antibacterial active isothiocyanate groups, while inactive thiocyanate groups were absent.     

Thermal and electrical conduction properties of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes produced by water-assisted chemical vapor deposition

We present both thermal and electrical conduction properties of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs), synthesized by the water-assisted chemical vapor deposition method using Fe–Ti–O nanoparticles as catalyst. Thermal diffusivity and electrical resistance of VACNTs have been measured by the laser flash method and direct-current four-terminal method, respectively. The VACNTs are found to have thermal diffusivities of the same order as isotropic graphite and the electrical characteristics of semiconductors. The electrical resistance shows a T^−1/4 temperature dependence, which implies that the conduction of electrons is dominated by 3D Mott variable range hopping.