Evidence for trail-pheromone precursor in termiteReticulitermes speratus (Kolbe) (Rhinotermitidae: Isoptera)

Whole body extracts of the termite,Reticulitermes speratus, were subjected to various chemical operations and bioassays to examine the presence of trail-pheromone precursor. Fractions that mainly contained fatty acid esters were obtained from hexane extracts by means of silica gel column chromatography. Trail-following activity of the fractions was activated by alkaline hydrolysis, while the original fractions did not show any conspicuous activity. Bioassay showed that the activity of hydrolyzed product was approximately 20 times as high as the original hexane extract. This suggests that the precursor candidate could be stored in termite bodies as an esterified form. Chemical analyses revealed that the complete structure of the hydrolyzed product was coincident with that of the native pheromone ((Z,Z,E)-3,6,8-dodecatrien-1-ol).     

Prognostic implications of the response of arterial ketone body ratio and insulin secretion to glucose load in major hepatectomy

Impaired glucose tolerance is a serious obstacle to major hepatic resection. To assess the predictability of surgical risk in major hepatectomy for patients with chronic liver diseases from the viewpoint of glucose metabolism, we evaluated the insulinogenic index (II) and redox tolerance index (RTI) in 48 patients who underwent major hepatectomy at our university hospital due to hepatocellular carcinoma. Patients with low II and low RTI fell into the high risk group. Based on this finding, the Z score was developed as an index of patient risk for major hepatectomy: Z = 3.11 x [II] + 1.43 x [RTI] - 2.27. When the Z score was negative, mortality reached 33.3%, but when it was positive the mortality was only 3.2%. Intraportal insulin supplementation after hepatectomy to patients with a negative Z score could reduce mortality. Preoperative evaluation of surgical risk by Z score seems to be useful for predicting patient prognosis after hepatectomy.     

Tocopherols of oil palm leaf1

Tocopherols of oil palm leaves were determined by high perfor-mance liquid chomatography. Each tocopherol was identified by a combination of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and thin layer chromatography. The extracts of the leaves contained α- tocopherol (11,229-14,805 μg/g) and β-tocopherol (30-44 μg/g). Tocopherol composition and content of the leaves was compared to those of oil palm fruits. Presented at the JOCS meeting, Tokyo, November 1982.     

Induction of protective immunity against Japanese encephalitis in mice by immunization with a plasmid encoding Japanese encephalitis virus premembrane and envelope genes

A DNA vaccine plasmid containing the Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus premembrane (prM) and envelope (E) genes (designated pcDNA3JEME) was evaluated for immunogenicity and protective efficacy in mice. Two immunizations of 4-week-old female ICR mice with pcDNA3JEME by intramuscular or intradermal injections at a dose of 10 or 100 microg per mouse elicited neutralizing (NEUT) antibodies at titers of 1:10 to 1:20 (90% plaque reduction), and all immunized mice survived a challenge with 10,000 50% lethal doses of the P3 strain of JE virus. A single immunization with 100 microg of pcDNA3JEME did not elicit detectable NEUT antibodies but induced protective immunity. Spleen cells obtained from BALB/c mice immunized once with 10 or 100 microg of pcDNA3JEME contained JE virus-specific memory cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). BALB/c mice maintained detectable levels of memory B cells and CTLs for at least 6 months after one immunization with pcDNA3JEME at a dose of 100 microg. The CTLs induced in BALB/c mice immunized twice with 100 microg of pcDNA3JEME were CD8 positive and recognized mainly the envelope protein. These results indicate that pcDNA3JEME has the ability to induce a protective immune response which includes JE virus-specific antibodies and CTLs.     

Primary biliary cirrhosis complicated by severe hypoxemia

The case reported here is of a 61-year-old woman diagnosed with hepatopulmonary syndrome. She had had severe hypoxemia for 5 years. In room air, her arterial oxygen tension was low, and although we anticipated that treatment with oxygen would increase it, the treatment failed to do so. Pulmonary perfusion imaging with Tc-99m-labelled macroaggregated albumin showed an arterio-venous shunt in the lungs. Blood tests and liver scanning with Tc-99m-labelled galactosyl human serum albumin showed abnormalities of liver function, and per-rectal portal scintigraphy with Tc-99m pertechnetate showed severe portal hypertension. Inspection of a biopsy specimen taken under ultrasonographic guidance showed primary biliary cirrhosis of Scheuer stage I. The causes of hepatopulmonary syndrome are unknown, but seem to include a decrease in hepatic functional reserve, portal hypertension, or other factors. The development of hepatopulmonary syndrome due to portal hypertension in this patient is of interest.     

Dissolution inhibition mechanisms of naphthoquinone diazides

Dissolution inhibition mechanisms of naphthoquinone diazides in novolak based positive photoresists were investigated from three different aspects:

• ? Dipolar interaction.
• ? Interfacial chemical reactions.
• ? Chemical structures of naphthoquinone diazides.

The results suggest that there exists a hydrogen bonding interaction between the compounds with the matrix novolak resin and that naphthoquinone diazides would crosslink the resin in contact with an alkaline developer, both of which contribute to dissolution inhibition mechanisms. However, there seems to exist another dissolution inhibition mechanism; namely, 1,2-naphthoquinone diazide does not inhibit dissolution of the matrix novolak resin at all while a clear dissolution inhibition effect Is observed for its derivatives containing sulfonyl groups. In the present paper, three dissolution inhibition mechanisms of naphthoquinone diazides will be proposed.     

Morphologies and mechanical properties of polylactide blends with medium chain length poly(3‐hydroxyalkanoate) and chemically modified poly(3‐hydroxyalkanoate)

Blends of bacterial poly(3‐hydoroxyalkanoate) (PHA) with a medium‐length side chain and polylactide (PLA), and blends of the chemically modified PHA (ePHA) with PLA, were prepared. The morphologies, some physical properties, and thermal behavior of the blends based on PLA were investigated by electron microscopies, testing machines, and a differential scanning calorimeter, respectively. A blend of uncrystallized rubbery second components, PHA and ePHA, produced an increase in the impact toughness of the PLA blends in contrast to a decrease in the tensile strength value. PHA, especially, with an inserted epoxy group side chain was more effective in improving the morphology and the physical properties than PHA. The ePHA particles existed in the PLA domain as a dispersed phase having a size of 0.1–1 μm. The results of the biodegradation test demonstrated that the PLA blends still maintained their biodegradability and were more accessible to hydrolysis and microbial attack, resulting in a greater weight loss than the pure PLA. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 2363–2369, 2004     

Proteomic and functional characterization of the outer membrane vesicles from the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori

The gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori causes a spectrum of gastro-duodenal diseases, which may be mediated in part by the outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) constitutively shed by the pathogen. We aimed to determine the proteome of H. pylori OMV to help evaluate the mechanisms whereby these structures confer their known immuno-modulatory and cytotoxic activities to host cells, as such disease-associated activities are also conferred by the bacterium from which the vesicles are derived. We also evaluated the effect of the OMV on gastric/colonic epithelial cells, duodenal explants and neutrophils. A proteomic analysis of the OMV proteins separated by SDS-PAGE from two strains of H. pylori (J99 and NCTC 11637) was undertaken and 162 OMV-associated proteins were identified in J99 and 91 in NCTC 11637 by LC-MS/MS. The vesicles are rich in membrane proteins, porins, adhesins and several molecules known to modulate chemokine secretion, cell proliferation and other host cellular processes. Further, the OMVs are also vehicles for the carriage of the cytotoxin-associated gene A cytotoxin in addition to the previously documented toxin, vacuolating cytotoxin. Taken together, it is evident from the proteome of H. pylori OMV that these structures are equipped with the molecules required to interact with host cells in a manner not dissimilar from the intact pathogen.