Simple assay method for endocrine disrupters by in vitro quail embryo culture: nonylphenol acts as a weak estrogen in quail embryos

Many chemicals that are not structurally related to estrogen have estrogen-like activity. In this study, we tried to apply a quail embryo culture system for assessing the in vivo effects of such chemicals on the development of quail embryos. Beta-estradiol induced feminization of the gonads of genetically male embryos, which was confirmed by the increase in the size of the left gonad and female-specific aromatase expression, while male-specific SOX9 expression was not affected. Nonylphenol, which has a weak estrogenic activity, reduced the viability and body weight of embryos. Simultaneously, several genetically male embryos were feminized in terms of gonadal size and aromatase expression. These results indicate that the avian embryo culture system was useful for evaluating endocrine disrupters.     

Effect of Water Hardness on the Taste of Alkaline Electrolyzed Water

ABSTRACT: The effect of water hardness on the taste of alkaline electrolyzed water (AEW) was examined by sensory evaluation. Sensory test 1 of commercial bottled mineral water to which calcium and/or magnesium salts had been added was performed by panelists who evaluated the effect of hardness on the taste of water using a scoring method (hedonic scaling test) and a 1-pair comparison method. The water, in which the calcium concentration and the magnesium concentration was 20 mg/L and 2 mg/L, respectively, was found to taste better than any water containing other concentrations of calcium and magnesium. Sensory test 2 of bottled mineral waters having hardnesses of 30 mg/L to 290 mg/L, of activated carbon filtration water having a hardness of 50 mg/L, and of AEWs was performed by panelists using a scoring method (hedonic scaling test) and a pair test, and their preferences for the taste of AEWs was surveyed. The taste of AEW made by electrolyzing activated carbon filtration water did not differ from that of the water before it was electrolyzed. The same was true of AEW made by electrolyzing bottled mineral water having a hardness of 80 mg/L. However, 3 kinds of AEWs made by electrolyzing bottled mineral waters having hardnesses of 30 mg/L, 170 mg/L, and 290 mg/L were found to taste less pleasant than each bottled mineral water before being electrolyzed. The results of sensory tests 1 and 2 show that good-tasting AEW could be produced by an alkaline water electrolyzed from most tap water of Japan because its hardness varies from approximately 50 mg/L to 80 mg/L.     

Mathematical simulation of liquid food pasteurization using far infrared radiation heating equipment

In this study, pasteurization equipment using far-infrared radiation (FIR) was developed for liquid food. The temperature was measured at various conditions to investigate the heating effect. With the liquid food passing down an angled trough and FIR applied from above, the temperature changed with the radiation intensity (electricity supplied), the angle of the incline, and the flow rate. As the liquid film became thinner, the temperature could be heated to nearly 80 °C. The pasteurization effect was verified using lactic acid bacteria as the target microorganism; the heat resistance of the bacteria was measured, the death of bacteria was confirmed, and the effectiveness of the equipment was verified. Furthermore, a mathematical model for FIR pasteurization was developed using a heat transfer equation and thermal death equation. The simulation could make predictions about temperature and the viable count of bacteria that compared very well with the experimental results. Moreover, the model simulated the change of temperature and viable count of bacteria at different flow rates, and showed that it is possible to sterilize at low temperatures with this equipment.     

Characterization of transient expression system for retroviral vector production

The production of retroviral vectors using a transient expression system has been improved to obtain a high-titer virus preparation that is difficult to produce using packaging cell lines due to the cytotoxic or cytostatic effect of transgenes. Here, we used one such production method, the so-called Q-vector system, and examined its potential for virus production. The Q-vector system could produce a similar level of viral vectors compared with the packaging cell system but the production seemed to depend on the size and nature of transgenes. In the process of investigation of the quantitative difference in viral components between the transient expression system and the packaging cell system, we found that the Q-vector system could express higher amounts of viral RNA and proteins compared with the packaging cell system. However, this did not lead to a higher virus titer compared with that produced by the packaging cell system. This suggests that retroviral RNA transcribed from the plasmid in the transient system seemed to be used mainly for translation and only some of the RNA molecules were packaged in viral particles.     

Production of anti-prion scFv-Fc fusion proteins by recombinant animal cells

We constructed a replication-defective retroviral vector plasmid for the expression of a single-chain antibody fragment (scFv), derived from a chicken anti-human prion protein monoclonal antibody, fused with the Fc region of human IgG1. CHO-K1 and NS-1 cells were transformed with the viral vector pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus G protein (VSV-G), and scFv-Fc producer clones were established. Among the established clones, CHO-2A9 cells produced a large amount of the product with an antibody-like dimerized structure in serum-free culture that facilitated the purification of scFv-Fc. The scFv-Fc specifically recognized the epitope sequence of prion protein in solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot analysis. The injection test into quails revealed that the scFv became more stable in vivo by fusion with the Fc region. The scFv-Fc will be a useful tool for the detection of mammalian prion proteins.     

Effects of different triggering systems and external PEEP on trigger capability of the ventilator

OBJECTIVE: The triggering capability of both the pressure and flow triggering systems of the Servo 300 ventilator (Siemens-Elema, Sweden) was compared at various levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), airway resistance (R(aw)), inspiratory effort and air leak, using a mechanical lung model. DESIGN: The ventilator was connected to a two bellows-in-series-type lung model with various mechanical properties. Lung compliance and chest wall compliance were 0.03 and 0.121/cmH2O, respectively. R(aw) was 5, 20 and 50 cmH2O/l/s. Respiratory rate was 15 breaths/min. To compare the triggering capability of both systems, the sensitivity of pressure and flow triggered pressure support ventilation (PSV) was adjusted to be equal by observing the triggering time at 0 cmH2O PEEP and 16 cmH2O of pressure support (PS) with no air leak. No auto-PEEP was developed. In the measurement of trigger delay, the PS level ranged from 16 to 22 cmH2O to attain a set tidal volume (V(T)) of 470 ml at a R(aw) of 5, 20 and 50 cmH2O/l/s. The PEEP level was then changed from 0, 5 and 10 cmH2O at a PS level of 17 cmH2O and R(aw) of 5 and 20 cmH2O/l/s, and the trigger delay was determined. The effect of various levels of air leak and inspiratory effort on triggering capability was also evaluated. Inspiratory effort during triggering delay was estimated by measurements of pressure differentials of airway pressure (Paw) and driving pressure in the diaphragm bellows (Pdriv) in both systems. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: There were no significant differences in trigger delay between the two triggering systems at the various PEEP and R(aw) levels. At the matched sensitivity level, air leak decreased trigger delay in both systems, and additional PEEP caused auto-cycling. A low inspiratory drive increased trigger delay in the pressure sensing system, while trigger delay was not affected in the flow sensing system. The Paw and Pdriv differentials were lower in flow triggering than in pressure triggering. CONCLUSIONS: With respect to triggering delay, the triggering capabilities of the pressure and flow sensing systems were comparable with and without PEEP and/or high airway resistance at the same sensitivity level, unless low inspiratory drive and air leak were present. In terms of pressure differentials, the flow triggering system may require less inspiratory effort to trigger the ventilator than that of the pressure triggering system with a comparable triggering time. However, this difference may be extremely small.     

Self-Assembling Properties and Recovery Effects on Damaged Skin Cells of Chemically Synthesized Mannosylerythritol Lipids

Mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs), which are one of the representative sugar-based biosurfactants (BSs) produced by microorganisms, have attracted much attention in various fields in the sustainable development goals (SDGs) era. However, they are inseparable mixtures with respect to the chain length of the fatty acids. In this study, self-assembling properties and structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies of recovery effects on damaged skin cells using chemically synthesized MELs were investigated. It was revealed, for the first time, that synthetic and homogeneous MELs exhibited significant self-assembling properties to form droplets or giant vesicles. In addition, a small difference in the length of the fatty acid chains of the MELs significantly affected their recovery effects on the damaged skin cells. MELs with medium or longer length alkyl chains exhibited much higher recovery effects than that of C18-ceramide NP.     

CFD analysis of the convection flow in the pan during induction heating and gas range heating

One difference between induction heating (IH) and gas range heating (GRH) is that, because the heating location of the pan is different, the convection in the pan is different. In particular, in cooking situations in which solids are mixed with liquids, such as the boiling of soup containing solid foods, the natural convection flow in the pan may affect food quality. The convection in the pan during IH and GRH was analyzed by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and the temperature distribution and the flow velocity distribution in the pan were obtained. These results were then compared with the measurement results. In GRH, the heat flux at the wall of the pan was obtained by experiment, and it was used for the analysis as a boundary condition. In IH, the heat generation distribution obtained by electromagnetic field analysis was used for the analysis as the boundary condition. Differences in convection flow in the pan during IH and GRH were observed by CFD modeling especially at the initial stage of heating. The simulated convection in the pan showed the same tendency as the captured movement of the tracer particle using flow visualization.