Contractile events during inflammation

Contractile events during wound healing. During granulation tissue contraction, fibroblasts develop characteristics typical of smooth muscle; (1) they contain an extensive cytoplasmic fibrillar system, (2) they show immunofluorescent labeling of anti-actin antibodies, (3) there are cell and cell to stroma attachments, (4) strips of granulation tissue, when tested pharmacologically in vitro, behave similarly to smooth muscle. These data support the view that under certain conditions, fibroblasts can differentiate into a cell type structurally and functionally similar to smooth muscle and this cell, the 'myofibroblast', plays an important role in connective tissue contraction. During epithelialization, epidermal cells develop an extensive cytoplasmic contractile apparatus which has morphological and immunological characteristics similar to those of myofibroblasts. Such apparatus disappears as soon as epithelialization is completed. It is proposed that such a contractile apparatus plays a role in cell motility enabeling individual cells to rearrange themselves in an appropriate pattern. In conclusion, significant amounts of contractile proteins may be synthetized by fibroblasts and epithelial cells during wound healing and may play an important role in this process.     

4-aminobiphenyl, 2-naphthylamine, and analogs: analytical properties and trace analysis in five substrates

Methods for monitoring trace levels of 4-aminobiphenyl, 2-naphthylamine, and their hydrochloride salts in waste water, microbiological growth media, potable water, human urine, and mouse blood utilizing spectrophotofluorometry (SPF) are described. The salient elements of the methods are extraction of the residues as the free amine with benzene, rapid cleanup on an alumina column, and quantification of the free amine in methanol via SPF. Potable water solutions of the salts are diluted with 0.01 N aqueous HCL and quantified directly by SPF. Ancillary analytical information concerning gas chromatography of the free amines, partitioning properties of the compounds between solvent pairs, their solubility and stability in water, and thin-layer chromatographic data is presented. The compositions of various admixtures of 1- and 2-naphthylamine or their salts were determined by using SPF with calculations based on simultaneous equations.     

Tracheobronchiomegaly (Mounier-Kuhn syndrome)

Tracheobronchiomegaly is a rare congenital disorder due to defective development of elastic and muscle tissues in the upper airways. The characteristic radiologic features shown by bronchography include marked dilatation of the tracheobronchial system and diffuse saccular bronchiectasis. These findings and recurrent episodes of pneumonia lead to a progressive loss of pulmonary function. Even with vigorous medical therapy the prognosis is poor and severe respiratory failure eventually develops.     

Relationship of senescence of corn (Zea mays L.) stalk pith, cob parenchyma and first developed leaf tissues to RNA content and synthesis

In stalk parenchyma tissue of WF9 X 38-11 single corn (Zea mays L.), there was a per cell increase in RNA synthesis and a slight increase in total RNA as cells became older. In cob parenchyma tissue of WF9 X 38-11 single cross corn, both total RNA content and RNA synthesis per cell decreased with the age of cells. In first developed leaf tissue of FR43 X FR14A single cross corn, RNA synthesis increased steadily but only slightly over its life span. The pattern of RNA synthesis and destruction in senescing leaf tissue of seedlings and two sources of parenchyma tissue of maturing plants appeared to differ.     

Bioinformatics and its role in the study of the evolution and probiotic potential of lactic acid bacteria

Food Science and Biotechnology - Due to their numerous well-established applications in the food industry, there have been many studies regarding the adaptation and evolution of lactic acid...     

Antagonistic and antioxidant effect of probiotic Weissella cibaria JW15

Food Science and Biotechnology - The objective of this study was to evaluate the functional properties of Weissella cibaria JW15 (JW15) by investigating its antagonistic and antioxidant activities....     

Antioxidant and antigenotoxic effect of dairy products supplemented with red ginseng extract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant and antigenotoxic effect of dairy products milk (M) and yogurt (Y) after the addition of 2% red ginseng extract to milk (RM) and to yogurt (RY). Total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity, oxygen radical absorbance capacity, and total radical trapping antioxidant potential were determined in the samples. Furthermore, antigenotoxic effect of samples was measured, using comet assay in human leukocytes. Total phenolic content and total flavonoid content of RM [38.3 ± 0.8 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 g, 23.6 ± 0.1 mg of quercetin equivalents (QE)/100 g] and RY (41.1 ± 0.9 mg of GAE/100 g, 18.7 ± 0.1 mg of QE/100 g), respectively, were higher than those of M (6.31 ± 0.2 mg of GAE/100 g, 10.4 ± 0.1 mg of QE/100 g) and Y (8.1 ± 0.9 mg of GAE/100 g, 8.4 ± 0.2 mg of QE/100 g), respectively. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity and oxygen radical absorbance capacity values increased significantly after the addition of 2% red ginseng in both. Additionally, the total radical trapping antioxidant potential in RM (787.7 ± 7.0 μg/mL) was lower than in M (2074.0 ± 28.4 μg/mL). The H₂O₂-induced DNA damage in RY (0.1 ± 0.0 mg/mL) was less than the damage in Y (0.4 ± 0.0 mg/mL), but we found no significant difference between M and RM. This study indicates that supplementation with red ginseng can fortify the antioxidant and antigenotoxic effects of dairy products effectively.     

Antimicrobial activity of acid-hydrolyzed Citrus unshiu peel extract in milk

Citrus fruit (Citrus unshiu) peels were extracted with hot water and then acid-hydrolyzed using hydrochloric acid. Antimicrobial activities of acid-hydrolyzed Citrus unshiu peel extract were evaluated against pathogenic bacteria, including Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes. Antilisterial effect was also determined by adding extracts at 1, 2, and 4% to whole, low-fat, and skim milk. The cell numbers of B. cereus, Staph. aureus, and L. monocytogenes cultures treated with acid-hydrolyzed extract for 12 h at 35°C were reduced from about 8 log cfu/mL to <1 log cfu/mL. Bacillus cereus was more sensitive to acid-hydrolyzed Citrus unshiu peel extract than were the other bacteria. The addition of 4% acid-hydrolyzed Citrus unshiu extracts to all types of milk inhibited the growth of L. monocytogenes within 1 d of storage at 4°C. The results indicated that Citrus unshiu peel extracts, after acid hydrolysis, effectively inhibited the growth of pathogenic bacteria. These findings indicate that acid hydrolysis of Citrus unshiu peel facilitates its use as a natural antimicrobial agent for food products.     

Short communication: Antioxidative and antibacterial activities on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli O157:H4 in milk with added ginseng marc extract fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum KCCM 11613P

Ginseng marc, a by-product of the extraction of fresh ginseng, is known to have bioactive compounds, but is frequently discarded as agriculture waste. The objectives of our study were to assess the antioxidative activity of fermented ginseng marc extract using Lactobacillus plantarum KCCM 11613P and to evaluate antibacterial activity of fermented milk with added ginseng marc extract during fermentation. After 24 h of fermentation of ginseng marc extract, the viable cell number was increased to 7.7 ± 0.1 log cfu/mL, and the pH and total titratable acidity were 4.2 ± 0.4 and 0.6% lactic acid, respectively. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of fermented ginseng marc extract increased by 32.4 and 23.3%, respectively. Higher antioxidative activity of fermented ginseng marc extract was obtained in the β-carotene bleaching, ferric-reducing ability of plasma, and ferric thiocyanate assays than the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazy assay. However, the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazy scavenging effect decreased due to lowered pH. During production of fermented milk with ginseng, inhibition rate of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were 9.7 and 2.3%, respectively. The present study shows the possibilities of Lactobacillus plantarum KCCM 11613P used as a fermentation strain and ginseng marc used as a functional supplement in milk.