Characterization of a specific polyclonal antibody against 13-hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic acid-modified protein: formation of lipid hydroperoxide-modified apoB-100 in oxidized LDL

Lipid hydroperoxide may react with protein or amino phospholipid without secondary decomposition. We prepared a polyclonal antibody to lipid hydroperoxide-modified proteins using 13S-hydroperoxy-9Z, 11E-octadecadienoic acid-modified keyhole limpet hemocyanin (13-HPODE-KLH) as immunogen. The antibody recognized 13-HPODE-modified bovine serum albumin (BSA), but not aldehyde-modified proteins, such as malondialdehyde-modified BSA. The antibody also recognized adducts derived from 13-HPODE and 13S-hydroperoxy-9Z, 11E, 15Z-octadecatrienoic acid (13-HPOTRE(alpha)). The oxidized alpha-linolenic acid- and linoleate-protein adducts were recognized by the antibody. Oxidized phospholipid-protein adducts were scarcely recognized by the antibody. However, when ester bonds of phospholipids containing linoleic acid were hydrolyzed by alkaline treatment, the cross-reactivities appeared. The result suggests that a phospholipid hydroperoxide can react with a protein directly or indirectly, and a carboxyl terminal (COOH) of the lipid in an adduct was needed as an epitope. Oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) was prepared by the incubation of LDL with copper ion or 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane)dihydrochloride (AAPH), and the formation of lipid hydroperoxide-modified apolipoprotein was confirmed using the antibody. A slight immunoreactivity was observed in ox-LDL without alkaline treatment. When the ox-LDL was treated with alkali to hydrolyze the ester bonds of the lipid, enhanced antigenicity appeared with time-dependency. The results suggest that lipid hydroperoxide-modified apolipoprotein was formed during the oxidation of LDL.     

Metallic Glass as a Mechanical Material for Microscanners

Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) actuators essentially have movable silicon structures where the mechanical motion can be activated electronically. The microscanner is one of the most successfully commercialized MEMS devices which are widely used for collecting optical information, manipulating light, and displaying images. While silicon is abundant, it is also brittle and stiff and when microprocessed, defects are not uncommon. These defects result in weakness under torsional stress and this has been the key factor limiting the scanning performance of the microscanner. Here a metallic glass (MG)‐based microscanner is reported with MG as the material for the moving torsion bars. The low elastic modulus, high fracture toughness, and high strength of MG offers, for the first time, an ultralarge rotating angle of 146° with power consumption lowered to the microwatt range, and a smaller driving force and better actuation performance, than conventional single crystal silicon and polycrystalline silicon. The high spatial resolution and large scanning field of the MG‐based microscanner are demonstrated in the tomographic imaging of a human finger. This development of an MG‐based MEMS possibly opens a new field of low‐powered MEMS devices with extreme actuation and enhanced sensing.     

Characterization of electrode/electrolyte interface for lithium batteries using in situ synchrotron X-ray reflectometry—A new experimental technique for LiCoO2 model electrode

A new experimental technique was developed for detecting structure changes at electrode/electrolyte interface of lithium cell using X-ray reflectometry and two-dimensional model electrodes with a restricted lattice-plane. The electrodes were constructed with an epitaxial film of LiCoO₂ synthesized by pulsed laser deposition method. The orientation of the epitaxial film depends on the substrate plane; the 2D layer of LiCoO₂ is parallel to the SrTiO₃ (1 1 1) substrate (_(0 0 3)LiCoO₂//_(1 1 1)SrTiO₃)$({(003)}_{\text{LiCo}{\text{O}}_2}//{(111)}_{\text{SrTi}{\text{O}}_3})$, while the 2D layer is perpendicular to the SrTiO₃ (1 1 0) substrate (_(1 1 0)LiCoO₂//_(1 1 0)SrTiO₃)$({(110)}_{\text{LiCo}{\text{O}}_2}//{(110)}_{\text{SrTi}{\text{O}}_3})$. The anisotropic properties were confirmed by electrochemical measurements. Ex situ X-ray reflectivity measurements indicated that the impurity layer existed on the as-grown LiCoO₂ was dissolved and a new SEI layer with lower density was formed after soaking into the electrolyte. In situ X-ray reflectivity measurements indicated that the surface roughness of the intercalation (1 1 0) plane increased with applying voltages, while no significant changes in surface morphology were observed for the intercalation non-active (0 0 3) plane during the pristine stage of the charge–discharge process.     

Local electrical modification of a conductivity-switching polyimide film formed by molecular layer deposition

The electrical modification of a conductivity-switching polyimide film via molecular layer deposition (MLD) is studied for ultrahigh density data storage based on a scanning probe microscope (SPM). A PMDA-ODA (PMDA = 1, 2, 3, 5-benzenetetracarboxylic anhydride, ODA = 4, 4-oxydianiline) film as a recording medium is uniformly formed from a self-assembled monolayer on a Au surface by MLD. It is demonstrated that the conductivity of the film can be changed by applying a voltage between a SPM probe and the film. This conductivity-switching phenomenon is discussed by the molecular orbital approach and considered to be caused by the charge transfer effect or carrier trapping effect of PMDA-ODA.     

Inhibition of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin by an amino carbonyl product, lactose-alpha-lactalbumin

The inhibition by lactose-alpha-lactalbumin amino carbonyl product of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin was studied by GM1-ELISA and by assay with CHO-K1 cells. The product dose-dependently inhibited the binding of the enterotoxin to GM1 ganglioside and decreased the morphological change of CHO-K1 cells caused by this toxin. The results suggest that this product may be a receptor analogue in the intestine.     

Clinical analysis of internal carotid artery aneurysms with reference to classification and clipping techniques

OBJECTIVE: To determine the differential effects of parental major depression (MDD) on psychopathology of childhood, adolescent, and early-adult onset in offspring. METHOD: One hundred eighty-two offspring from 91 families in which one or more parents or neither parent had MDD were followed for more than 10 years and blindly reassessed by means of a structured diagnostic instrument. RESULTS: Parental MDD is associated with increased risk in offspring of childhood-onset MDD (eightfold), anxiety disorder (threefold), conduct disorder (fivefold), and early-adult-onset MDD (fivefold) but not adolescent-onset MDD, where there is a marked increase in risk, particularly in girls, regardless of parental diagnosis. These findings were not explained by parental comorbidity, but the association with MDD was explained by parental age at onset of MDD--there was a 13-fold increase in childhood-onset MDD and a 7-fold increase in adult-onset MDD in offspring of parents with MDD of early (before age 30 years) onset. CONCLUSION: Childhood- and early-adult-onset MDD may be etiologically homogeneous and familial subtypes. The reason for the high incidence of adolescent-onset MDD, particularly in girls, regardless of parental diagnosis, needs to be determined. The childhood offspring of depressed parents are a potential target for evaluation, especially when the parent had an early-onset depression.     

Operation control of internally conductor cooled cable system

The development of 275 kV internally-conductor-cooled cable systems is under way for application to long-distance large-capacity (1500 MVA/cct) underground transmission systems. From the viewpoint of the reliability and the energy economy of these systems, the operational control system for the cooling facilities is especially important, because the facilities require large cooling capacity due to the large heat loss of the cable conductor. The cooling device characteristics are described, and the effects of operation control on energy savings are examined. A long-term field test has shown that the computer-controlled operation system is very useful. Simulation results for the operational control system confirm that calculated values are in good agreement with measurement results     

Contribution of lignan analogues to antioxidative activity of refined unroasted sesame seed oil

A lignan compound, P3, having strong antioxidative activity was found to be formed in high concentration during the industrial bleaching process of unroasted sesame seed oil. P3 (named sesaminol) was identical to a minor constituent previously isolated from acetone extract of sesame seed. It was shown that sesamolin in unprocessed sesame oil is the source of seaseminol, and the formation of seasaminol was confirmed by the model experiment with corn oil to which sesamolin had been added. Sesaminol was not so greatly removed by the deodorization process that follows bleaching as was sesamol, and it was shown to be at a concentration of ca. 100 mg/100g in commercial refined unroasted seed oil. The antioxidative activity of sesaminol was foughly equal to those of sesamol and γ-tocopherol by the thiocyanate method. Therefore, it seems that the antionxidative activity of refined unroasted seed oil is mainly attributed to sesaminol.     

Oxidation products of cyanidin 3-O-β-d-glucoside with a free radical initiator

Recently, we have reported that anthocyanins show strong antioxidative activity, but no attention has been paid to anthocyanins from the viewpoint of the reaction mechanism of alkylperoxyl radicals; therefore, we investigated the reaction products of antioxidative anthocyanins (cyanidin 3-O-β-d-glucoside). Cyanidin 3-O-β-d-glucoside was reacted with 2,2′-azobis(2,4-dimet hylvaleronitrile) to generate the alkylperoxyl radicals, and the reaction products were isolated by high-performance liquid chromatography. The products were identified as 4,6-dihydroxy-2-O-β-d-glucosyl-3-oxo-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran and protocatechuic acid. Based on reaction products, the antioxidative mechanism of cyanidin 3-O-β-d-glucoside may be different from that of α-tocopherol; cyanidin 3-O-β-d-glucoside would produce another radical scavenger, as it would break down the structure and scavenge the radicals.