Neurite Outgrowth-Promoting Activity of Compounds in PC12 Cells from Sunflower Seeds

In the current super-aging society, the establishment of methods for prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an urgent task. One of the causes of AD is thought to be a decrease in the revel of nerve growth factor (NGF) in the brain. Compounds showing NGF-mimicking activity and NGF-enhancing activity have been examined as possible agents for improving symptoms. In the present study, sunflower seed extract was found to have neurite outgrowth-promoting activity, which is an NGF-enhancing activity, in PC12 cells. To investigate neurite outgrowth-promoting compounds from sunflower seed extract, bioassay-guided purification was carried out. The purified active fraction was obtained by liquid-liquid partition followed by some column chromatographies. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses of the purified active fraction indicated that the fraction was a mixture of β-sitosterol, stigmasterol and campesterol, with β-sitosterol being the main component. Neurite outgrowth-promoting activities of β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol and cholesterol were evaluated in PC12 cells. β-Sitosterol and stigmasterol showed the strongest activity of the four sterol compounds (β-sitosterol ≈ stigmasterol > campesterol > cholesterol), and cholesterol did not show any activity. The results indicated that β-sitosterol was the major component responsible for the neurite outgrowth-promoting activity of sunflower seeds. Results of immunostaining also showed that promotion by β-sitosterol of neurite formation induced by NGF was accompanied by neurofilament expression. β-Sitosterol, which showed NGF-enhancing activity, might be a candidate ingredient in food for prevention of AD

A new crystal plasticity constitutive equation based on crystallographic misorientation theory

Since plastic deformation of polycrystal sheet metal is greatly affected by its initial and plastic deformed textures, multi-scale finite element (FE) analysis based on homogenization with considering micro-polycrystal morphology is required [1]. We formulated a new crystal plasticity constitutive equation to introduce not only the effect of crystal orientation distribution, but also the size of crystal grain and/or the effect of crystal grain boundary for the micro-FE analysis. The hardening evolution equation based on strain gradient theory [2], [3] was modified to introduce curvature of crystal orientation based on crystallographic misorientation theory. We employed two-scale structure, such as a microscopic polycrystal structure and a macroscopic elastic/plastic continuum. Our analysis code predicts the plastic deformation of polycrystal metal in the macro-scale, and simultaneously the crystal texture and misorientation evolutions in the micro-scale. In this study, we try to reveal the relationship between the plastic deformation and the microscopic crystal misorientation evolution by using the homogenized FE procedure with the proposed crystal plasticity constitutive equation. The crystallographic misorientation evolution, which affects on the plastic deformation of FCC polycrystal metal, was investigated by using the multi-scale FE analysis. We confirmed the availability of our analysis code employing the new constitutive equation through the comparison of a uniaxial tensile problem with the numerical result and the experimental one

Totally Laparoscopic Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer Associated with Recklinghausen's Disease

This paper documents the first case of gastric cancer associated with Recklinghausen's disease, which was successfully treated by a totally laparoscopic operation. A 67-year-old woman with Recklinghausen's disease was referred to this department to undergo surgical treatment for early gastric cancer. The physical examination showed multiple cutaneous neurofibromas throughout the body surface, which made an upper abdominal incision impossible. Laparoscopic surgery requiring only small incisions was well indicated, and a totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy with lymph node dissection was performed. Billroth I reconstruction was done intra-abdominally using a delta-shaped anastomosis. The patient followed a satisfactory postoperative course with no complications. Since the totally laparoscopic gastrectomy has many advantages over open surgery, it should therefore be preferentially used as a less invasive treatment in the field of gastric cancer

Mechanistic Insights into Indigo Reduction in Indigo Fermentation : A Voltammetric Study

Indigo is one of the oldest natural blue dyes. Microorganisms and their enzymatic activities are deeply involved in the traditional indigo staining procedure. To elucidate the mechanism of the microbial indigo reduction, we directly performed cyclic voltammetry on alkaline fermenting dye suspensions. A pair of characteristic redox peaks of leuco-indigo was observed in a supernatant fluid of the fermenting dye suspension. On the other hand, it was found that the indigo/leuco-indigo redox couple mediated two-way microbially catalyzed oxidation and reduction in a sediment-rich suspension of the fermenting suspension. Acetaldehyde was supposed to be the electron donor and acceptor of the catalytic reactions. In order to verify the bioelectrocatalytic reaction, we isolated indigo-reducing bacterium K2-3′ from the fermenting suspension, and the two-way bioelectrocatalysis was successfully restaged in a model system containing K2-3′ and methyl viologen (as a soluble mediator instead of indigo) as well as acetaldehyde at pH 10

Children with unilateral aural atresia

The effects of FM system fitted into the normal hearing ear (NHE) or a cartilage conduction hearing aid (CCHA) fitted into the affected ear (AE) on the speech recognition ability in noise were examined in children with unilateral congenital aural atresia (UCAA). In children with bilateral normal hearing (BNH), speech recognition score (SRS) was significantly decreased in the noisy environment of -5 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), compared with those in quiet. In children with UCAA, SRS was significantly decreased in noisy environments of 0 and -5 dB SNR, compared with those in quiet. In noisy environments of 0 and -5 dB SNR, SRS in children with UCAA was significantly decreased, compared those in children with BNH. In the noisy environment of -5 dB SNR, SRS in UCAA children aided by FM system fitted into NHE was significantly better than those in unaided children in the same group. In the noisy environment of 0 dB SNR, SRS in UCAA children aided by CCHA into AE tended to be higher than those in unaided children in the same group. FM system and CCHA can be recommended as an audiological management for the improvement of speech recognition in children with UCHL in classrooms

Skype オ カツヨウ シタ ハワイ ノ ショウガッコウ トノ コウリュウ ジュギョウ

Students at Nanasato Elementary School in Shimanto, Kochi, and students at KalihiUka Elementary School in Honolulu, Hawaii, held a cross-cultural exchange session using Skype. The Japanese students performed a play of their own creation in English and the students in Hawaii performed Hawaiian songs. They also exchanged questions regarding their own cultures. It has been shown that cross-cultural exchange sessions using information-communication technology can have a strong impact on facilitating students to actively communicate with people from a different culture