Reaction of 3-methyl phenol with tung oil

The aromatic ring substitution reaction of 3-methyl phenol with tung oil under acidic conditions was carried out. The product was analyzed to find out if 3-methyl phenol was subjected to the ring substitution reaction with tung oil at its conjugated double bonds. Up to two molecules of 3-methyl phenol were addition-reacted with the conjugated triene of one eleostearyl group of triglyceride of α-eleostearic acid which is the major component of tung oil. The 4-position of 3-methyl phenol was preferentially subjected to the cresol's ring substitution. Therefore, up to 6 mol of 3-methyl phenol was added to 1 mol of tung oil, most of which was bonded to 3-methyl phenol at its 4-position. When 3-methyl phenol was reacted with a relatively large amount of tung oil, the substitution reaction occurred at the 6-as well as 4-position of 3-methyl phenol to yield a tung oil dimer having 3-methyl phenol units in its molecule. The above results were confirmed by infrared (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and high-speed liquid chromatographic (HLC) analyses.     

Serum concentrations of polyfluoroalkyl compounds in Faroese whale meat consumers

To learn the extent of human exposure to polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) in a remote fishing population, we measured, in Faroese children and pregnant women, the serum concentrations of nine PFCs, including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and perfluorononanoate (PFNA), by using online solid-phase extraction coupled to isotope dilution high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The serum samples analyzed had been collected between 1993 and 2005 from 103 children 7 years of age, 79 of these children at 14 years of age, and from 12 pregnant women and their children 5 years later. PFOS was detected in all samples analyzed, and both PFOA and PFNA were detected in all but one of the samples. The concentrations found are comparable tothose reported elsewhere. Correlations between paired concentrations were poor. However, PFOS and PFNA concentrations correlated well with the frequency of pilotwhale dinners and with concentrations of mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls. One whale meal every two weeks increased the PFOS concentration in 14-year-olds by about 25% and PFNA by 50%. The high frequency of detection of most PFCs suggests widespread exposure in the Faroe Islands already by the early 1990s, with whale meat being an important source.     

Lipid-Lowering Effect of Eriocitrin, the Main Flavonoid in Lemon Fruit, in Rats on a High-Fat and High-Cholesterol Diet

ABSTRACT:  Eriocitrin (eriodictyol 7- O -β-rutinoside) is the main flavonoid in lemon fruit. In this study, eriocitrin was investigated for its lowering effect on serum and hepatic lipids in high-fat and high-cholesterol fed rats. Rats in the control group ( N = 6) were fed a 20% lard and 1% cholesterol diet for 21 d, and rats in the 0.35% eriocitrin group ( N = 6) and 0.70% eriocitrin group ( N = 6) were fed a diet supplemented with eriocitrin 0.35% and 0.70%, respectively. The content of hepatic total cholesterol and triglyceride in the eriocitrin group was no different from that of the control group. The total cholesterol, VLDL+LDL, triglyceride, and phospholipid in the serum of the 0.35% eriocitrin group showed significantly lower concentrations than the control group ( P < 0.05), although there was no difference in the HDL concentrations among the groups. The lowering effect of eriocitrin for serum total cholesterol was thought to be caused by a decrease in VLDL+LDL. The 0.35% eriocitrin group was shown to have a significant increase in excretion of fecal bile acid ( P < 0.05) and a tendency for enhanced hepatic m-RNA levels of LDL receptor in comparison with the control group.     

Essential oil extracted from peach (Prunus persica) kernel and its physicochemical and antioxidant properties

Peach kernel oil was extracted using Soxhlet extraction with different solvents (petroleum ether, ethyl ether, chloroform and hexane). The physicochemical properties (acid value, iodine value, peroxide value and saponification value), the fatty acid composition, phenolic constituents and contents, and antioxidant activities of peach kernel oil were examined. As per our results, oil extracted with hexane has better overall quality. Its acid, peroxide, iodine and saponification values were 0.895 mg KOH/g oil, 0.916 mg/g oil, 36.328 mg/100 g oil and 101.836 mg KOH/g oil, respectively. Large proportions of unsaturated fatty acid (91.27%) and high content of phenolic compounds (4.1593 mg GAE/g), which contribute to considerably strong antioxidant activity, were found in oil. The main fatty acids found in the peach kernel oil were oleic acid (61.87 g/100 g oil) and linoleic acid (29.07 g/100 g oil). The HPLC analysis of phenolic compounds showed that rutin, (-)-epicatechin gallate, hydrocinnamic acid, sinopinic acid, dithiothreitol and caffeic acid were major constituents. The results suggested that peach kernel oil is a good source of the unsaturated fatty acid, phenolic compounds with strong antioxidant activity, and has the potential to be used as nutrient rich food oil. The results also verified that peach kernel meals contained higher amounts of total phenolic and stronger antioxidant activities than oils, enabling their application as ingredients for functional or enriched foods.     

Mutants of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans that are defective specifically in their attraction to cycloheximide

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans exhibits chemotaxis toward a wide variety of chemicals including water-soluble molecules and volatile organic compounds. We have previously discovered that C. elegans wild-type strain N2 is strongly attracted by cycloheximide which has long been known as a bitter tastant for humans and other mammals. We describe here the isolation and initial characterization of the first mutants which were defective specifically in their attraction to cycloheximide. In our screenings, we selected two mutants that were defective in chemotaxis to cycloheximide but normal in their attraction to NH4Cl and histidine. These mutants also avoided quinine hydrochloride, CuSO4 and high concentrations of NaCl similar to the wild-type strain N2. Furthermore, no observable defect was detected in their attraction to volatile odorants such as isoamyl alcohol and diacetyl. Dye-filling experiments suggested that they have no morphological defect in the sensory endings of the amphid neurons.     

New type of pressurized cultivation method providing oxygen for piezotolerant yeast

For efficient oxygen supply to pressurized culture, we developed a method using a highly pressurized membrane reactor with an air-saturated medium circulation system. The new method increased the cell growth of aerobic yeast approximately 20 folds larger than that in the case of using a conventional method.     

Severe ethanol stress induces assembly of stress granules in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Stress granules (SGs) and processing bodies (P bodies) are cytoplasmic domains and play a role in the control of translation and mRNA turnover in mammalian cells subjected to environmental stress. Recent studies have revealed that SGs also form in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in response to glucose depletion and robust heat shock. However, information about the types of stress that cause budding yeast SGs is quite limited. Here we demonstrate that severe ethanol stress generates budding yeast SGs in a manner independent of the phosphorylation of eIF2α. The concentration that generated budding yeast SGs (>10%) was higher than that causing P bodies (>6%), and P bodies were assembled prior to SGs. As well as mammalian SGs, the assembly of budding yeast SGs under ethanol stress was blocked by cycloheximide. On the other hand, the budding yeast SGs caused by ethanol stress contained eIF3c but not eIF3a and eIF3b, although the eIF3 complex is a core constituent of mammalian SGs. Moreover, null mutants (pbp1Δ, pub1Δ and tif4632Δ) with a strong reduction in SG formation did not resume proliferation after the elimination of ethanol stress, indicating that the formation of budding yeast SGs might play a role in sufficient recovery from ethanol stress.     

Preparation of microporous polypropylene sheets containing CaCO3 filler: Effect of draft ratio

Microporous polypropylene sheets were prepared as follows. First, polypropylene pellet-containing CaCO₃ filler was extruded to prepare base sheets, which were then biaxially stretched. The draft effect at the extrusion process was studied in relation to some properties of the resultant microporous polypropylene sheets. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Superabsorbent poly(acrylic acid) complex

Acrylic acid and crosslinking agent [poly(ethylene glycol)-diacrylate or divinylbenzene] were copolymerized in benzene in the presence of layered sodium silicate (δ-Na₂Si₂O₅) powder. The resultant poly(acrylic acid) complex shows large water absorbability, for which dependency on crosslinking degree was investigated. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.