Sesamin is a potent and specific inhibitor of Δ5 desaturase in polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis

Incubation with sesame oil increases the mycelial dihomo-γ-linolenic acid content of an arachidonic acid-producing fungus,Mortierella alpina, but decreases its arachidonic acid content [Shimizu, S., K. Akimoto, H. Kawashima, Y. Shinmen and H. Yamada (1989)J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 66, 237–241]. The factor causing these effects was isolated and identified to be (+)-sesamin. The results obtained in experiments with both a cell-free extract of the fungus and with rat liver microsomes demonstrated that (+)-sesamin specifically inhibits Δ5 desaturase at low concentrations, but does not inhibit Δ6, Δ9 and Δ12 desaturases. Kinetic analysis showed that (+)-sesamin is a noncompetitive inhibitor (K_i for rat liver Δ5 desaturase, 155 μM). (+)-Sesamolin, (+)-sesaminol and (+)-episesamin, also inhibited only Δ5 desaturases of the fungus and liver. These results demonstrate that (+)-sesamin and related lignan compounds present in sesame seeds or its oil are specific inhibitors of Δ5 desaturase in polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis in both microorganisms and animals. On leave from Suntory Ltd.     

Effect of medium-chain fatty acid positional distribution in dietary triacylglycerol on lymphatic lipid transport and chylomicron composition in rats

The present study was carried out to examine if the positional distribution of medium-chain fatty acid (MCF) in dietary synthetic fat influences lymphatic transport of dietary fat and the chemical composition of chylomicrons in rats with permanent cannulation of thoracic duct. Four types of synthetic triacylglycerol were prepared: (i) sn-1(3) MCF-sn 2 linoleic acid, (ii) interesterified sn-1(3) MCF-sn 2 linoleic acid, (iii) sn-2 MCF-sn-1(3) linoleic acid, and (iv) interesterified sn-2 MCF-sn-1(3) linoleic acid. A purified diet composed of equal amounts of the synthetic fat and cocoa butter was given to rats with permanent lymph duct cannulation. The positional distribution of MCF in the dietary fat had no significant effect on the lymph flow, triacylglycerol output, phospholipid output, lipid composition of chylomicrons, or the particle size. The positional distribution of MCF in the synthetic triacylglycerol was maintained in the chylomicron triacylglycerol. These results showed that MCF in the dietary triacylglycerol is transported into lymphatics and the positional distribution is well preserved in chylomicron triacylglycerol.     

Development of a high‐resolution RGBW flexible display using a white organic light‐emitting diode with microcavity structure and that of a side‐roll touch panel

In this study, white organic electroluminescent devices with microcavity structures were developed. A flexible high‐resolution active‐matrix organic light‐emitting diode display with low power consumption using red, green, blue, and white sub‐pixels formed by a color‐filter method was fabricated. In addition, a side‐roll touch display was developed in combination with a capacitive flexible touch screen.     

A novel shaft-less double suction mini pump

A novel double suction shaft-less mini pump was developed for heat control of small energy systems in this study.The mini pump impeller with an exit diameter of 40 mm was combined with the motor rotor supported by the hybrid dynamic bearing.The specific speed of the pump was 125 min-1 m3 min-1 m.The hydraulic performance of the pump was investigated experimen-tally under four rotational speeds.From the test results,it was recognized that the pump could provide a flow discharge of 5 L/min and head of 1.5 m,w...     

Fine two-phase routing over shortest paths with traffic matrix

This paper presents an IP finely-distributed load-balanced routing scheme based on two-phase routing over shortest paths, where the traffic matrix is given. It is called the fine two-phase routing (F-TPR) scheme. F-TPR more finely distributes traffic from a source node to intermediate nodes than the original TPR. F-TPR determines the distribution ratios to intermediate nodes for each source–destination node pair independently. To determine an optimum set of distribution ratios, a linear programming (LP) formulation is derived. We compare the F-TPR scheme against the TPR scheme and the sophisticated traffic engineering (TE) scheme of Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS-TE). Numerical results show that F-TPR greatly reduces the network congestion ratio compared to TPR. In addition, F-TPR provides almost the same network congestion ratios as MPLS-TE, the difference is surprisingly less than 0.1% for the various network topologies examined. In addition, considering the practical implementation of F-TPR for routers, we also investigate the case that traffic from a source node to a destination node is not allowed to be split over multiple routes. The non-split problem is formulated as an integer linear programming (ILP) problem. As it is difficult to solve the ILP problem within practical time, two heuristic algorithms are presented: Largest Traffic Demand First (LTDF) and a Random Selection (RS). The applicability of LTDF and RS are presented in terms of network size. We find that non-split F-TPR also matches the routing performance of MPLS-TE within an error of 1%, when network size is large enough.     

The effect of lutein supplementation on visual fatigue: A psychophysiological analysis

We used psychophysiological technology to examine the effect of an oral supplement, a combination of lutein, zeaxanthin and blackcurrant extract (LUT), on visual fatigue, within the context of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial. The LUT supplement and placebo samples were randomly assigned to thirteen participants, who took the samples for two LUT (and vice versa) for another 2 week. Each participant completed visual proof reading tasks for 2 h during each of four testing sessions. Saccade tests were administered before and after the proof reading task, during which the participants moved their eyes back and forth between two targets positioned in the center of two checkerboards. We recorded EEG, EOG, heart rate, and facial muscle potential/performance during the saccade tests. Blood pressure was measured and subjective fatigue and stress scores were collected before and after the proof reading task. We averaged EEG starting at saccade offset in order to analyze eye fixation related potentials (EFRP). Our results suggested that the proof reading task induced visual fatigue. An analysis of EFRP and other psychophysiological data revealed significant differences between the LUT and placebo conditions. These results suggest that supplementation with LUT could help to reduce symptoms of visual fatigue.     

Correlations of Hepatic Hemodynamics,Liver Function,and Fibrosis Markers in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Comparison with Chronic Hepatitis Related to Hepatitis C Virus

The progression of chronic liver disease differs by etiology. The aim of this study was to elucidate the difference in disease progression between chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by means of fibrosis markers, liver function, and hepatic tissue blood flow (TBF). Xenon computed tomography (Xe-CT) was performed in 139 patients with NAFLD and 152 patients with CHC (including liver cirrhosis (LC)). The cutoff values for fibrosis markers were compared between NAFLD and CHC, and correlations between hepatic TBF and liver function tests were examined at each fibrosis stage. The cutoff values for detection of the advanced fibrosis stage were lower in NAFLD than in CHC. Although portal venous TBF (PVTBF) correlated with liver function tests, PVTBF in initial LC caused by nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH-LC) was significantly lower than that in hepatitis C virus (C-LC) (p = 0.014). Conversely, the liver function tests in NASH-LC were higher than those in C-LC (p < 0.05). It is important to recognize the difference between NAFLD and CHC. We concluded that changes in hepatic blood flow occurred during the earliest stage of hepatic fibrosis in patients with NAFLD; therefore, patients with NAFLD need to be followed carefully.     

Fabrication of bilayered YSZ/SDC electrolyte film by electrophoretic deposition for reduced-temperature operating anode-supported SOFC

Bilayered Y₂O₃-stabilized ZrO₂ (YSZ)/Sm₂O₃-doped CeO₂ (SDC) electrolyte films were successfully fabricated on porous NiO–YSZ composite substrates by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) based on electrophoretic filtration followed by co-firing with the substrates. In EPD, positively charged YSZ and SDC powders were deposited directly on the substrates, layer by layer from ethanol-based suspensions. Delamination between YSZ and SDC films was avoided by reducing the SDC films’ thickness to ca. 1 μm. A single cell was constructed on the bilayered electrolyte films composed of ca. 4 μm-thick YSZ and ca. 1 μm-thick SDC films. As a cathode in the cell, La_0.6Sr_0.4Co_0.2Fe_0.8O_3−x (LSCF) was used. Maximum output power densities greater than 0.6 W cm⁻² were obtained at 700 °C for the bilayered YSZ/SDC electrolyte cells thus constructed.     

Effects of dressing containing plant sterol on serum cholesterol concentration and the safety evaluation in borderline or mildly hypercholesterolemic Japanese subjects

In a placebo-controlled double-blind study, we examined the effects of dressing containing plant sterol (PS) on blood lipids and the safety in Japanese borderline or mildly hypercholesterolemic subjects. Fifty-nine subjects [total cholesterol (TC) concentration > or = 200 mg/dL] were randomly divided into two groups and were given daily 15 g of dressing containing 800 mg of PS [PS(+)-group] or without PS [PS(-)-group] for 12 weeks. Every 4 weeks, fasting blood was examined and subjective symptoms were analyzed. Serum TC, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and apolipoprotein B (ApoB) concentrations did not change in the PS(-)-group, while TC and ApoB significantly decreased in the PS(+)-group at 8 and 12 weeks and LDL-C at 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Moreover, serum TC, LDL-C and ApoB concentrations were significantly lower than those of PS(-)-group at 8 and 12 weeks. Other laboratory tests were all in normal ranges and no adverse events were observed. The results indicated that PS-containing dressing decreased serum TC, LDL-C and ApoB concentrations in borderline or mildly hypercholesterolemic subjects. It is therefore proved that the dressing containing PS is helpful in maintaining blood cholesterol level normal and hence, the health of Japanese.