Estimation and comparison of nitrogen loads and attenuation in agricultural catchments of Japan and Korea.

To help in clarifying the relationship between the time lag and attenuation of nitrogen (N) loads generated in agricultural catchments, long-term trends in activities that generate N loads and in environmental N loads were estimated in catchments in Japan and Korea dominated by non-point-source emissions. Our approach used statistical data and geographical information system software to analyze pollutant loads. The method was successful in both countries because of the availability of well-developed statistics, geographical information, and weather and water quality monitoring systems, and the accumulation of research data concerning the generation of N loads and the fate of N in soils. Comparison of environmental loads with the loads observed in river water at the outlet of each catchment revealed that: (1) the effect of changes in the environmental load in a catchment appeared almost immediately in the river water quality in Korea, but did not appear clearly even 10 years later in Japan; and (2) the strength of the attenuation appeared to be much lower in Korea than in Japan. These findings suggest that regional characteristics play important roles in the sensitivity of water quality to load-generating activities.     

Indicators for choosing an optimal mix of major working postures

North American workers usually stand while working, and prolonged standing is associated with discomfort and cardiovascular problems. Since prolonged sitting is also associated with health problems, and standing postures differ as to mobility and access to seating, it is desirable to identify an optimal mix of postures. As a step towards this identification, it is desirable to develop indicators of potential health effects that respond to changes in work requirements. We observed 65 subjects who usually stood at work, in four types of workplaces. Pressure-pain threshold (PPT) recorded on the plantar surface was used as an indicator of discomfort and arterial blood pressure was used as an indicator of cardiovascular effects. PPT after work was significantly lower than that before work. Sitting for even a small part of the day appeared to be protective. The effects of static vs. dynamic work on PPT and arterial blood pressure may differ.     

Antioxidative and anti-inflammatory protection of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid in PC12 cells

PC12 cells were used to examine the in vitro antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of oleanolic acid (OA) and ursolic acid (UA). PC12 cells were pretreated with OA or UA at 20 and 40 microM and followed by exposure of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) or 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP(+)) to induce cell injury. Results showed that H(2)O(2)- or MPP(+)-treatment significantly decreased cell viability and increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release (P < 0.05). The pretreatment from OA or UA significantly and concentration-dependently reduced subsequent H(2)O(2)- or MPP(+)-induced cell death and LDH release (P < 0.05). Either H(2)O(2)- or MPP(+)-treatment significantly increased malonyldialdehyde (MDA) formation, decreased glutathione (GSH) content, and diminished glutathione peroxidase (GPX), catalase, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities (P < 0.05). The pretreatment from OA or UA significantly retained GSH, and reversed H(2)O(2)- and MPP(+)-induced impairment in catalase and SOD activities (P < 0.05), and decreased MDA formation (P < 0.05). Either H(2)O(2)- or MPP(+)-treatment significantly elevated interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha levels (P < 0.05). The pretreatments from OA or UA significantly attenuated subsequent H(2)O(2)- or MPP(+)-induced release of IL-6 and TNF-alpha (P < 0.05). Based on the observed antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities from OA and UA, these 2 compounds were potent agents against neurodegenerative disorder.     

Relationship between seasonal changes in spermatogenesis in the juvenile ostrich (Stuthio camelus) and the presence of the LH receptor and 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase

The immunohistochemical localization of the LH receptor and 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3beta-HSD) was studied in the testis of the juvenile ostrich (Stuthio camelus) throughout a 1 year period. Spermatogenic activity of juvenile birds changed throughout the year, as has been reported previously for sexually mature birds. During the active stage of the testicular cycle, from September to January, spermatogenesis progressed up to the stage of formation of spermatozoa, although spermatozoa could not be detected in the epididymis. Leydig cells stained intensely with antibodies against the LH receptor and 3beta-HSD during the quiescent, recrudescent and active phases of the testicular cycle. During the regressive phase, there was a slight decrease in immunostaining for 3beta-HSD in these cells. These results indicate that Leydig cells in the testis of the juvenile ostrich are able to respond to LH and are capable of steroid synthesis. Furthermore, in juvenile (prepubertal) ostriches, spermatogeneic activity can be observed and, as in mature birds, spermatogenesis undergoes seasonal changes.     

Isolation of Lysozyme from Hen Egg Albumen by Alcohol-Insoluble Cross-Linked Pea Pod Solid Ion-Exchange Chromatography

ABSTRACT: Albumen from hen eggs was diluted 3-fold with 0.05 M NaCl solution at pH 4.0 and was further treated with 30% ethanol for 8 h. The supernatant (77900 U/mg protein) thus obtained was further diluted (2.5-fold) with distilled water and its pH value was adjusted to 8.0 before being subjected to alcohol-insoluble cross-linked pea pod solid (AICLPPS) ion-exchange chromatography for lysozyme isolation. Results showed that AI-CLPPS ion-exchange chromatography increased the purification to 68-fold with a 72% lysozyme recovery from the starting albumen.     

Length of the linking domain of human pro-tumor necrosis factor determines the cleavage processing

Several studies have indicated that only one cleavage site (Ala-1/Val+1) is involved in the release of mature TNF from human pro-TNF, whereas others have suggested that the linking sequence (residues -20 to -1) may be important. We previously demonstrated that a pro-TNF deletion mutant, delta -20- -1, was able to form a trimeric structure and mediate TNF cytotoxicity in a juxtacrine fashion without releasing mature TNF. We constructed seven mutants with smaller deletions within this region. Three 15-residue deletion mutants, delta -20- -6, delta -15- -1 and delta -20- -16, -10- -1, were noncleavable, although able to form a trimer and to mediate cytotoxicity through cell-to-cell contact. Three five- or ten-residue deletion mutants, delta -20- -16, delta -10- -1, and delta -5-, -1, behaved like the wild-type TNF; all formed a trimer and released mature TNF. These results suggested that in pro-TNF (1) the number of residues between the base of the trimer and the plasma membrane determines accessibility of the cleavage site to the pro-TNF processing enzyme(s) since small deletions did not block cleavage whereas large ones did regardless of the presence of the native cleavage site (-1/+1), (2) the native cleavage site is not sufficient for releasing mature TNF because mutant delta -20- -6, in which the native cleavage site was intact, was noncleavable, and (3) alternative cleavage site(s) may exist since mutants delta -10- -1 and delta -5- -1, which lack the native cleavage site, were cleavable.     

Multicentre comparison of skin hydration in terms of physical-, physiological- and product-dependent parameters by the capacitive method (Corneometer CM 825)

A multicentre study for measuring skin hydration with 349 volunteers was carried out in six different laboratories. The purpose of the study was to investigate physical-, physiological- and product-dependent parameters of three test emulsions (base, base + moisturizer and base + moisturizer + lipids) in a double-blind study. A comparison between analogous and digital sensor technology of the Corneometer CM825 was examined. Here, a clear relationship between both sensor types could be highlighted. A vital point of the study was the division of the test subjects according to their skin type. To get more objective limits for three different skin types - very dry, dry and normal skin - visual expert evaluation, self-assessment and hydration measurements were analysed by means of statistical methods. The moisture-related skin types were determined as follows: very dry skin was characterized with corneometer units below 30, dry skin between 30 and 40 and normal skin higher than 40 a.u. (arbitrary units). The efficacy of the three test emulsions was examined in relation to the mentioned skin types. Analysing the measured data of all test centres, a clear dependency of skin physiology (skin type) and product efficacy became evident. The drier the skin, the higher the increase of hydration. The product performance of the three test emulsions compared to the untreated control resulted in a significant increase of skin hydration in all measuring centres. The evaluation of a product ranking showed a good differentiation between the basic emulsion and the two other products. An increase of efficacy by adding lipids could be observed in four of six centres. The important influence of the skin type of the volunteers on the degree of product performance, as demonstrated in this study, should be especially considered when drawing up guidelines for efficacy testing.