Cytochrome P450 1B1 mRNA levels in peripheral blood cells and exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Chinese coke oven workers

Cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) is induced through the Ah receptor and is involved in the activation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). To determine the validity of a quantitative analysis of CYP1B1 mRNA in peripheral human blood cells for the estimation of PAH exposure, a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction method was used to measure the relative levels of CYP1B1 mRNA in 37 Chinese coke oven workers and 13 control workers. A large inter-individual difference in the levels was observed. The average level of the CYP1B1 mRNA in workers at the top work site, where the PAH exposure level from the coke ovens was highest, was significantly higher than in workers at the middle site (P<0.01) or the controls (P=0.02). A non-significant positive correlation was found between the CYP1B1 mRNA levels and urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (R=0.22, P=0.13), and a significant correlation between these mRNA levels and urinary cotinine (R=0.33, P=0.02). It was interesting that a significant positive correlation between CYP1B1 mRNA and 1-hydroxypyrene was observed in subjects with the Leu/Leu type of CYP1B1 Leu432Val polymorphism (R=0.33, P=0.02, n=38) and a non-significant correlation in subjects with the Leu/Val and Val/Val types (R=-0.36, P=0.25, n=12), although the number of subjects in this strata analysis was small. Our preliminary study suggests that PAH exposure in coke ovens and smoking maybe associated with CYP1B1 mRNA levels in peripheral blood cells although mRNA is generally unstable and could be expressed following exposure to other agents.     

Elastic anisotropy of zirconium alloy fuel cladding

Some methods to determine the anisotropic elasticity coefficients of zirconium alloy fuel cladding are discussed together with the conventional elastic constants.A simplified method, which uses the f parameters, was proposed, and the validity and applicability of the method were also investigated. The integration method, which was originally proposed by Rosenbaum et al., was found to be in excellent agreement with the experimental values of our own twisting test from room temperature to 800°C. The proposed f parameter method was also found to agree well with the values obtained by the integration method or experiment, especially at high temperatures near 700°C. It became evident that the elastic property of the typical fuel cladding was roughly isotropic at room temperature, and that the elastic anisotropy monotonically increased with temperature. Some stress or strain distributions of the fuel cladding were also obtained using anisotropic elasticity constants. The stress induced in the fuel cladding with simulated ridge deformation was very little affected by the difference in texture, but was more influenced by the elastic constants employed.     

Absorption of NO in the lattice of an oxygen-deficient perovskite SrFeO3−x and the infrared spectroscopic study of the system NO - SrFeO3−x

An oxygen-deficient perovskite of composition SrFeO_3?x selectively absorbs NO gas above approximately 100°C, and the analysis of the infrared spectrum of the system ${}^{14}\text{NO}\text{-}{}^{15}\text{NO}\text{-}\text{SrFeO}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>3?</mtext><mtext>x</mtext>}}$ has revealed that the absorbed species in SrFeO_3?x is possibly the nitrosyl ion (NO^?) bound to the iron ion accomodating some oxygen vacancies.     

Hygroscopic setting expansion of gypsum-bonded investment under restrictive stress in dental casting

The phenomenon of hygroscopic setting expansion of gypsum-bonded investment under restrictive stress for dental casting was studied. The analysing method for normal setting expansion proposed in previous studies was also applied to hygroscopic setting expansion under uniaxial stress and within an acrylic ring. Furthermore, hygroscopic setting expansion within a stainless steel ring with an asbestos liner was analysed under dental casting conditions in relation to the calculation method proposed by the authors.     

High solubility of random-sequence proteins consisting of five kinds of primitive amino acids

Searching for functional proteins among random-sequence librariesis a major challenge of protein engineering; the difficultiesinclude the poor solubility of many random-sequence proteins.A library in which most of the polypeptides are soluble andstable would therefore be of great benefit. Although modernproteins consist of 20 amino acids, it has been suggested thatearly proteins evolved from a reduced alphabet. Here, we haveconstructed a library of random-sequence proteins consistingof only five amino acids, Ala, Gly, Val, Asp and Glu, whichare believed to have been the most abundant in the prebioticenvironment. Expression and characterization of arbitrarilychosen proteins in the library indicated that five-alphabetrandom-sequence proteins have higher solubility than do 20-alphabetrandom-sequence proteins with a similar level of hydrophobicity.The results support the reduced-alphabet hypothesis of the primordialgenetic code and should also be helpful in constructing optimizedprotein libraries for evolutionary protein engineering.     

Combined use of photocatalyst and adsorbent for the removal of inorganic arsenic(III) and organoarsenic compounds from aqueous media

A novel method for the removal of inorganic arsenic(III) (As(III)), monomethylarsonate (MMA), and dimethylarsinate (DMA) from aqueous media, was proposed and investigated. This method involves the combined use of TiO₂-photocatalyst and an adsorbent, which has a high ability of As(V) adsorption, under photo-irradiation. When an aqueous solution of As(III) was stirred and irradiated by sunlight or xenon lamp in the presence of TiO₂ suspension, the oxidation of As(III) into As(V) was effectively attained. By use of the same photocatalytic reaction, MMA and DMA were also degraded into As(V), while the total organic carbon (TOC) in the aqueous phase was decreased. When an aqueous solution of As(III) was stirred with a mixed suspension of TiO₂ and an adsorbent for As(V) (activated alumina) under sunlight irradiation, the arsenic removal reached 89% after 24 h. By use of the same photocatalyst–adsorbent system, 98% of MMA and 97% of DMA were removed. The mechanism of the removal of arsenic species by the photocatalyst–adsorbent system was discussed.     

Gymnema sylvestre leaf extract: a 52-week dietary toxicity study in Wistar rats

A 52-week study of oral-repeated-dose toxicity for the extraction powder of Gymnema sylvestre (GS), Indian-native genus, Metaplexis japonica, was conducted in both genders of Wistar rats. The rats were administered a graded dose of GS at 0.01, 0.10 and 1.00% of basal powder diet, along with a group fed solely with the basal powder diet without GS, for 52 weeks. General conditions were recorded daily. Body weights and food consumptions were recorded weekly up to 12 weeks, and thereafter at longer intervals. At 26 weeks, for an intermediate examination, and 52 weeks, for the final examination, animals were subjected to hematology, serum chemistry, and pathological examination. None of the animals died in the period up to 52 weeks. No exposure-related changes in body-weight, in the food consumption, in the hematological examinations, or in the serum biochemical examinations were recognized. No histopathological alterations were seen. Thus, it was concluded that there was no toxic effect in rats treated with GS at up to 1.00% in the diet for 52 weeks. The no-observable-effect level from this study is 1.00% GS, i.e., 504 mg/kg/day for male and 563 mg/kg/day for female as mean daily intake, for 52 weeks.