Neuroprotective Effects of Germinated Brown Rice against Hydrogen Peroxide Induced Cell Death in Human SH-SY5Y Cells

The neuroprotective and antioxidative effects of germinated brown rice (GBR), brown rice (BR) and commercially available γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) against cell death induced by hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells have been investigated. Results show that GBR suppressed H(2)O(2)-mediated cytotoxicity and induced G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest in SH-SY5Y cells. Moreover, GBR reduced mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and prevented phosphatidylserine (PS) translocation in SH-SY5Y cells, key features of apoptosis, and subsequent cell death. GBR exhibited better neuroprotective and antioxidative activities as compared to BR and GABA. These results indicate that GBR possesses high antioxidative activities and suppressed cell death in SH-SY5Y cells by blocking the cell cycle re-entry and apoptotic mechanisms. Therefore, GBR could be developed as a value added functional food to prevent neurodegenerative diseases caused by oxidative stress and apoptosis.     

Self-catalyzed growth of GaAs nanowires on cleaved Si by molecular beam epitaxy

Self-assembled GaAs nanowires have been grown on Si by molecular beam epitaxy without the use of any outside metal catalyst. The growth occurs on Si facets obtained by the cleavage of Si(100) substrates. The growth has been obtained with or without Ga pre-deposition. In both cases two kinds of nanowires have been obtained. The wires of the first type clearly present a Ga droplet at their free end and have a lattice structure that is wurtzite for wide regions beneath the Ga droplet. The second type, in contrast, ends with pyramidally shaped GaAs and has a crystal lattice that is mainly zincblende with only a few and small wurtzite regions, if any. The Ga-ended nanowires are longer than the others and thinner on average. The experimental findings suggest that the two types of nanowires grow after different growth processes.     

Analysis of Surface Parameters and Vibration of Roller Bearing

The surface of the inner race of a detachable roller bearing is monitored periodically to determine the deterioration pattern under normal conditions together with the vibration level. The surface of the inner race is scanned using an infinite focus microscope to evaluate surface properties utilizing the 2D and 3D parameters. Both parameters successfully assess the surface degradation and wear of the bearing surface. Using the Dowson-Higginson equation on elastohydrodynamic lubrication, the theoretical lubrication film was calculated and the lubrication regimes identified. A high vibration level can be associated with surface roughness properties and relative lubrication regime. This work highlights the relationship between the bearing vibration level and the bearing inner race surface parameters. The two surface parameters with the highest Pearson correlation coefficient with the vibration level are the areal surface roughness S_a (0.997) and the average roughness R_a (0.936).     

Monoclonal antibodies to 2,4-dichlorophenol hydroxylase as probes for the 2,4-D-degradative phenotype

Two different monoclonal antibodies (MAb) were raised against 2,4-dichlorophenol hydroxylase (DCP-hydroxylase) of Ralstonia eutropha JMP134 (pJP4), the second enzyme in the 2,4-D-degradative pathway of this bacterium. The utility of these antibodies in detecting and characterizing 2,4-D-degrading soil bacteria was investigated. One MAb (F6) reacted with DCP-hydroxylase from 27 out of 36 strains tested, while the other (MAb C3) reacted with only 17 isolates. When used with the colony blot technique, MAb F6 was useful for detecting cross-reacting strains on plates of pure cultures or of mixtures containing nondegraders even when 2,4-D degraders were outnumbered 60 to 1. 2,4-D-degrading strains could also be detected from plates spread with enrichment cultures but not from primary isolation plates spread from soil dilutions, presumably because the ratio of degraders to nondegraders was too low. Colonies of some strains that were very distantly related genetically, but produced functionally similar DCP-hydroxlase enzymes, were detected by MAb F6. This result suggests that MAbs could be useful for detecting functionally similar proteins expressed from tfdB analogs, even in the absence of detectable DNA homology between the genes encoding them.     

The 2,4-dichlorophenol hydroxylase of Alcaligenes eutrophus JMP134 is a homotetramer

Several epitopes in the human melanoma antigens recognized by HLA-A2-restricted CTLs have a relatively low MHC-binding affinity and as a result may be expressed at very low densities on the cell surface, indicating that these epitopes may not be efficient immunogens. To express these epitopes at higher densities on the surface of antigen-presenting cells and therefore improve their immunogenicity, a DNA construct in which a cDNA fragment encoding the melanoma epitope MART-1(27-35) or gp100(280-288) was inserted between sequences encoding the leader and the HLA-A*0201 protein. Cells transfected with these epitope-HLA fusion constructs were recognized by HLA-A2-restricted melanoma-reactive CTLs specific for the MART-1 or gp100 epitope. In addition, tumor-reactive CTLs could be induced from PBMCs of patients with metastatic melanoma by in vitro stimulation with HMY-C1R B-cell lines expressing the MART-1 or gp100 epitope-HLA-A*0201 fusion protein. These epitope-HLA fusion constructs may be useful for the development of immunotherapies for patients with melanoma.