Effect of Static Extraction TIME on Extraction Efficiencies Using On-line Supercritical Fluid Extraction-High Performance Liquid Chromatography for Lipoquinone Analysis in Activated Sludge

Analysis of microbial community is important for monitoring the performance of biological processes. One of the most simple, quantitative and high reproducible method for analysis of the microbial community is lipoquinone profile method. Lipoquinone is constituent of bacterial plasma membrane that is essential for electron transporter. Lipoquinone could be used as a biomarker to analyze the microbial community because in general one species or genus of bacteria has one dominant type of lipoquinone, thus any changes in the lipoquinone profile would reflect the changes in the microbial community. The method for lipoquinone determination in environmental sample is direct extraction using organic solvent and analysis using chromatography system. Since the method is tedious and uses a large amount of organic solvent, the on-line supercritical fluid extraction-high performance liquid chromatography (on-line SFE-HPLC) has been developed to simplify the method, and was successful determine lipoquinone compounds in activated sludges. The effect of static extraction time on extraction efficiencies of the lipoquinone was investigated in order to eliminate the water pump and methanol pump in the previous system. The CO2 was used as an extraction solvent. The 0.1 g of freeze dried activated sludge was placed into a 1 mL stainless steel extraction vessel and methanol was spiked into the sludge as a modifier. The SFE was connected to HPLC by using trapping column as an interface for collecting lipoquinone extracted from the sludge. The static extraction time was conducted by allowed the matrix to immersed in CO2 and methanol. When the static extraction time finished, the dynamic extraction time was carried out. The extracted and trapped lipoquinone then directly transferred to HPLC system for determination. In this study, the effect of static, dynamic extraction time and volume of spiked methanol were optimized using simplified on-line SFEHPLC for lipoquinone analysis. The best results in terms of extraction yield were obtained at 25 MPa, 45°C, 10 min static extraction time with 500 µL methanol spiked, and 25 min dynamic extraction time with 0.9 mL min-1 CO2 flow rate. It was concluded that the developed method could simplify the online SFE-HPLC system of lipoquinone determination which is useful for a rapid and routine analysis of microbial community in activated sludge

Ozone decomposition in four types of spouted beds, with or without a draft-tube

ArticleJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING OF JAPAN. 40(9): 761-764 (2007)journal articl

Full-field fluorescence lifetime dual-comb microscopy using spectral mapping and frequency multiplexing of dual-comb optical beats

Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) is a powerful tool for quantitative fluorescence imaging because fluorescence lifetime is independent of concentration of fluorescent molecules or excitation/detection efficiency and is robust to photobleaching. However, since most FLIMs are based on point-to-point measurements, mechanical scanning of a focal spot is needed for forming an image, which hampers rapid imaging. Here, we demonstrate scan-less full-field FLIM based on a one-to-one correspondence between two-dimensional (2D) image pixels and frequency-multiplexed radio frequency (RF) signals. A vast number of dual-comb optical beats between dual optical frequency combs are effectively adopted for 2D spectral mapping and high-density frequency multiplexing in the RF region. Bimodal images of fluorescence amplitude and lifetime are obtained with high quantitativeness from amplitude and phase spectra of fluorescence RF comb modes without the need for mechanical scanning. The parallelized FLIM will be useful for rapid quantitative fluorescence imaging in life science

P4‐426: Waist Circumference And Domain‐Specific Cognitive Function Among The Non‐Demented Japanese Elderly: Results From The Takashima Study

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152729/1/alzjjalz2019064098.pd

Impairments in Activities of Daily Living in Older Japanese Men in Hawaii and Japan

Introduction. Hypertension and cigarette smoking are dominant risk factors for cardiovascular disease in Japan while in westernized countries, broader effects encompass obesity, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia. This paper examines whether different associations also appear important in the manifestation of activities of daily living (ADL) in older Japanese men in Hawaii and Japan. Methods. Measures of ADL (feeding, toileting, dressing, bathing, and walking around the house) were assessed from 1995 to 1999 in 1,893 men in Hawaii and 543 men in Japan. Concomitant risk factors were measured from 1990 to 1993. Results. In Hawaii, diabetes increased the odds of ≥1 ADL impairment nearly 1.5-fold (P = .020). A similar association was absent in Japan. In contrast, the odds of an ADL impairment in Japan was increased more than 5-fold in the presence of stroke (P < .001). The association in Hawaii was significantly weaker (P = .007). In both cohorts, past alcohol use was associated with a greater likelihood of ADL impairment. Conclusion. In this comparison of genetically similar samples, findings suggest that different strengths in risk factor associations with cardiovascular disease in Japan and westernized countries may also include different strengths in associations with impaired ADL

Impact of cigarette smoking on the relationship between body mass index and coronary heart disease: a pooled analysis of 3264 stroke and 2706 CHD events in 378579 individuals in the Asia Pacific region

BACKGROUND: Elevated levels of body mass index (BMI) and smoking are well established lifestyle risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. If these two risk factors have a synergistic relationship, rigorous lifestyle modification may contribute to greater reduction in cardiovascular burden than previously expected. METHODS: A pooled analysis of individual participant data from 38 cohorts, involving 378,579 participants. Hazards ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for BMI by cigarette smoking status were estimated using Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 3.8 years, 2706 CHD and 3264 strokes were recorded. There was a log-linear, positive relationship of BMI with CHD and stroke in both smokers and non-smokers with evidence of a synergistic effect of smoking on the association between BMI and CHD only: HRs (95% CIs) associated with a 2 kg/m2 higher BMI were 1.13 (1.10-1.17) in current smokers and 1.09 (1.06-1.11) in non-smokers (p-value for interaction=0.04). CONCLUSION: Smoking amplifies the positive association between BMI and CHD but not stroke. If confirmed, these results suggest that effective strategies that target smoking cessation and weight loss are likely to have a greater impact than anticipated on reducing the burden of CHD.published_or_final_versio

Mitochondrial Localization of ABC Transporter ABCG2 and Its Function in 5-Aminolevulinic Acid-Mediated Protoporphyrin IX Accumulation

Accumulation of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) in malignant cells is the basis of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-mediated photodynamic therapy. We studied the expression of proteins that possibly affect ALA-mediated PpIX accumulation, namely oligopeptide transporter-1 and -2, ferrochelatase and ATP-binding cassette transporter G2 (ABCG2), in several tumor cell lines. Among these proteins, only ABCG2 correlated negatively with ALA-mediated PpIX accumulation. Both a subcellular fractionation study and confocal laser microscopic analysis revealed that ABCG2 was distributed not only in the plasma membrane but also intracellular organelles, including mitochondria. In addition, mitochondrial ABCG2 regulated the content of ALA-mediated PpIX in mitochondria, and Ko143, a specific inhibitor of ABCG2, enhanced mitochondrial PpIX accumulation. To clarify the possible roles of mitochondrial ABCG2, we characterized stably transfected-HEK (ST-HEK) cells overexpressing ABCG2. In these ST-HEK cells, functionally active ABCG2 was detected in mitochondria, and treatment with Ko143 increased ALA-mediated mitochondrial PpIX accumulation. Moreover, the mitochondria isolated from ST-HEK cells exported doxorubicin probably through ABCG2, because the export of doxorubicin was inhibited by Ko143. The susceptibility of ABCG2 distributed in mitochondria to proteinase K, endoglycosidase H and peptide-N-glycosidase F suggested that ABCG2 in mitochondrial fraction is modified by N-glycans and trafficked through the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus and finally localizes within the mitochondria. Thus, it was found that ABCG2 distributed in mitochondria is a functional transporter and that the mitochondrial ABCG2 regulates ALA-mediated PpIX level through PpIX export from mitochondria to the cytosol

Population Attributable Fraction of Smoking and Metabolic Syndrome on Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in Japan: a 15-Year Follow Up of NIPPON DATA90

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Smoking and metabolic syndrome are known to be related to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk. In Asian countries, prevalence of obesity has increased and smoking rate in men is still high. We investigated the attribution of the combination of smoking and metabolic syndrome (or obesity) to excess CVD deaths in Japan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cohort of nationwide representative Japanese samples, a total of 6650 men and women aged 30-70 at baseline without history of CVD was followed for 15 years. Multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio for CVD death according to the combination of smoking status and metabolic syndrome (or obesity) was calculated using Cox proportional hazard model. Population attributable fraction (PAF) of CVD deaths was calculated using the hazard ratios.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During the follow-up period, 87 men and 61 women died due to CVD. The PAF component of CVD deaths in non-obese smokers was 36.8% in men and 11.3% in women, which were higher than those in obese smokers (9.1% in men and 5.2% in women). The PAF component of CVD deaths in smokers without metabolic syndrome was 40.9% in men and 11.9% in women, which were also higher than those in smokers with metabolic syndrome (7.1% in men and 3.9% in women).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results indicated that a large proportion of excess CVD deaths was observed in smokers without metabolic syndrome or obesity, especially in men. These findings suggest that intervention targeting on smokers, irrespective of the presence of metabolic syndrome, is still important for the prevention of CVD in Asian countries.</p

Mapping Marginality Hotspots: Geographical Targeting for Poverty Reduction

This mapping approach aims to make the marginalized and poor visible by identifying areas with difficult biophysical and socio-economic conditions. Mapping using different data sources and data types gives deeper insight into possible causal interlinkages and offers the opportunity for comprehensive analysis. The maps highlight areas where different dimensions of marginality overlap - the marginality hotspots - based on proxies for marginality dimensions representing different spheres of life. Furthermore, overlaying the marginality hotspots with the number of poor shows where most of the poor could be reached to help them to escape the spiral of poverty. Marginality hotspots can be found in particular in India and Nepal as well as in several countries in Central and Eastern Africa, such as Eritrea, Mozambique, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Northern Sudan and large parts of Niger. Maps showing the overlap between marginality and poverty highlight that the largest number of marginalized poor are located in India and Bangladesh, as well as in Ethiopia, Southeastern Africa and some parts of Western Africa