A case of xanthogranuloma of the urinary bladder following herniorrhaphy]

We report a case of xanthogranuloma of the bladder following herniorrhaphy. The patient complained of urinary frequency, residual feeling, and presented with a solid mass located on the dome of the bladder. He had undergone previous inguinal herniorrhaphy. Transurethral biopsy revealed an inflammatory change. Partial cystectomy was carried out for en bloc removal of the tumor. The histological diagnosis was xanthogranuloma of the bladder. Postoperatively, the symptoms disappeared. This is the sixth case report of xanthogranuloma of the urinary bladder and the first case following herniorrhaphy in the Japanese literature.     

Determining basic variables of optimal solutions in Karmarkar's new LP algorithm

This paper establishes a sufficient condition for a variable of a linear program to be positive at all optimal solutions. A numerical test using the condition is incorporated into Karmarkar's new LP algorithm to determine columns of optimal basis. Experimental results on the test are also reported.     

High‐speed analysis of the major components of fatty acid methyl esters by capillary gas chromatography

We tested different column temperatures and carrier gas linear velocities in a capillary GC system with a high‐resolution column, DB‐23, to determine the shortest run time for analyzing the major components of a fatty acid methyl ester sample from any lipid source. Depending on the sample, the run time is 2 min or less. Commercially‐available high‐resolution columns can be used without modification.     

Determination of nitrofurazone in livestock products and seafoods by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive and selective method using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the determination of nitrofurazone (NFZ) in swine muscle, swine liver, chicken muscle, chicken liver, egg, eel, yellowtail and shrimp has been developed. The drug was extracted with 0.2% metaphosphoric acid-methanol (6 : 4), and the extracts were cleaned up on an Oasis HLB cartridge (200 mg). The extracts were analyzed by LC-MS/MS using electrospray ionizationin the negative ion mode. The LC separation was performed on a Hypersil Gold C18 column (15 cmx2.1 mm i.d.) with a gradient system of 0.01% formic acid-acetonitrile as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. The quantitative and confirmatory determination of NFZ was performed by selected reaction monitoring (SRM). The calibration graph for NFZ was rectilinear from 0.2 to 100 ng/mL with SRM. The recoveries of NFZ from samples fortified at 1 and 10 ng/g were 79.6-106.8%, and quantification limit was 0.2 ng/g for the drug. This is well below the detection limit (1 ng/g) set by the Japanese Food Sanitation Law.     

Targeted proteome analysis of microalgae under high-light conditions by optimized protein extraction of photosynthetic organisms

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Practical non-targeted gas chromatography/mass spectrometry-based metabolomics platform for metabolic phenotype analysis

Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is a core analytical method for metabolomics and has been used as a platform in non-targeted analysis, especially for hydrophilic metabolites. Non-targeted GC/MS-based metabolomics generally requires a high-throughput technology to handle a large volume of samples and an accumulated database (reference library) of the retention times and mass spectra of standard compounds for accurate peak identification. In this study, we provide a practical GC/MS platform and an auto peak identification technique that is not restricted to certain types of mass spectrometers. The platform utilizes a quadrupole mass spectrometer capable of high-speed scanning, resulting in greater output compared with Pegasus GC-time of flight (TOF)/MS, which has been an essential instrument for high-throughput experiments. Moreover, we show that our reference library is broadly applicable to other instruments; peak identification can be readily performed using the library without constructing a reference resource. The usefulness and versatility of our system are demonstrated by the analyses of three experimental metabolomics data sets, including standard mixtures and real biological samples.     

Occurrence, profiles, and photostabilities of chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons associated with particulates in urban air

The atmospheric levels of 12 chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (ClPAHs) associated with particulates at an urban site in Japan were investigated. Only 7 of the 12 species studied were detected in air samples collected monthly during 2002. 1-Chloropyrene (1-ClPy) was detected at the highest concentration (7.5 pg m(-3) (annual mean)), followed by 6-chlorobenzo[a]pyrene (6-ClBaP; 5.6 pg m(-3)) and 9,10-dichlorophenanthrene (5.1 pg m(-3)). The concentrations of the ClPAHs tended to be higher in winter than in summer, with the exception of the 6-ClBaP concentration, which was high in both summer and winter. Correlation analysis also indicated that the behavior of 6-CIBaP differed significantly from that of the other ClPAHs. Comparison of the atmospheric ClPAH concentration profile normalized to 1-CIPy concentration with that for a traffic air sample revealed significant differences between the profiles. The behavior of the atmospheric ClPAHs was also influenced by the origin of the associated particulates, which varied according to season. The positions of chlorination in the detected ClPAHs were consistent with those where the frontier electron density was high. This means that the atmospheric ClPAHs were formed by secondary reactions with chlorine atoms. The photostabilities of the ClPAHs were also investigated in laboratory experiments using a chemical model system. The ClPAHs decayed according to first-order reaction rate kinetics, with photostabilities increasing in the order 6-ClBaP < 1-ClPy < 7-ClBaA < ClPhe < ClFluor, consistent with the trend for the parent PAHs. The photolyses of chlorophenanthrenes and 7-chlorobenz[a]anthracene were confirmed to proceed by initial abstraction of chlorine, followed by oxidative degradation.     

Biochemical and genetic characterization of a D(-)-3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase from Acidovorax sp. strain SA1

D(-)-3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (BDH; EC 1.1.1.30) from a poly(D(-)-3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) degrading bacterium, Acidovorax sp. SA1, was purified using Toyopearl DEAE-650M, red-Sepharose CL-4B, and Q Sepharose FF. The molecular mass of the enzyme was estimated as 27 kDa by SDS-PAGE and 110 kDa by gel filtration. The gene encoding BDH was cloned and sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. The gene product was purified in two steps with a high yield. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the enzyme purified from E. coli agreed with that of the purified enzyme from strain SA1. The BDH of strain SA1 had high amino acid sequence homology to that of Ralstonia eutropha H16. The Km values for D(-)-3-hydroxybutyrate and NAD+ in the oxidation reaction were 4.5 x 10(-4) M and 8.9 x 10(-5) M, respectively. The Km values for acetoacetate and NADH in the reduction reaction were 2.4 x 10(-4) M and 2.9 x 10(-5) M, respectively.     

Thermo-fluid dynamics of several film boiling modes in He II in the pressure range between atmospheric pressure and saturated vapor pressure

Four film boiling modes including the silent film boiling and the noisy film boiling were discriminated experimentally. Each mode was classified through visual observation and transient pressure and temperature measurements near the heater. It was found that in subcooled He II there were two film boiling modes, which are the strongly subcooled and weakly subcooled film boiling modes. The variation of boiling state between these two modes could be visually observed well by use of a transparent heater. All mode of film boiling is clearly mapped in diagrams as a function of pressure, temperature and heat flux. It is elucidated that the existence of He I layer influences the development of the vapor layer.