Apoptotic properties of polysaccharide isolated from fruiting bodies of medicinal mushroom Fomes fomentarius in human lung carcinoma cell line

AbstractMushrooms are known to complement chemotherapy and radiation therapy by countering the side effects of cancer. Recently, there has been great interest in isolation of novel bioactive compounds from mushrooms due to their numerous health beneficial effects. Chemically water-extractable polysaccharide (MFKF-AP1β), with a molecular weight of 12kDa, was isolated from fruiting bodies of mushroom Fomes fomentarius. In this research, we investigated the anti-tumor effects of MFKF-AP1β on human lung carcinoma A549 cells. Results showed that MFKF-AP1β markedly inhibited A549 cell growth in a dose-dependent manner based on the amount of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) released and morphological alterations. In addition, MFKF-AP1β induced cellular apoptosis by causing single-stranded DNA breakage, as evidenced by apoptosis assay. Furthermore, MFKF-AP1β (25–100μg/ml) significantly induced single-stranded DNA breakage in A549 cells, as shown by comet assay.Taken together, our results demonstrate that MFKF-AP1β has strong anti-tumor effects mediated through induction of apoptosis. Therefore, MFKF-AP1β could be useful in lung chemotherapy

Analysis of the Market Structure and Shift-effects in North China Ports

ABSTRACTThis study divides the foreign trade traffic of major North China ports into export and import cargoes for the past 10 years. Then, the concentration ratios and shift effects are analyzed in order to determine their relationships with the ports’ competition structures. Here, the HHI, a BCG matrix analysis, and the shift effects are applied as study methods. The results indicate that the oligopoly market structure of major North China ports has gradually decreased. Furthermore, the concentration ratios of import cargoes are higher than those of export cargoes, indicating that competition to attract import cargoes will intensify. Therefore, the effects of the South Korea–China FTA mean that the competition structures of these ports with regard to export and import cargoes are highly likely to be differentiated further over time

Nearly Massless Electrons in the Silicon Interface with a Metal Film

We demonstrate the realization of nearly massless electrons in the most widely used device material, silicon, at the interface with a metal film. Using angle-resolved photoemission, we found that the surface band of a monolayer lead film drives a hole band of the Si inversion layer formed at the interface with the film to have nearly linear dispersion with an effective mass about 20 times lighter than bulk Si and comparable to graphene. The reduction of mass can be accounted for by repulsive interaction between neighboring bands of the metal film and Si substrate. Our result suggests a promising way to take advantage of massless carriers in silicon-based thin-film devices, which can also be applied for various other semiconductor devices.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter

Catalytic Performance for Hydrocarbon Production from Syngas on the Promoted Co-Based Hybrid Catalysts; Influence of Pt Contents

Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) reaction from syngas was investigated on the Pt-promoted cobalt-based hybrid catalysts prepared by co-precipitation method in a slurry of ZSM-5 (Si/Al=25). The hybrid catalysts were compared with each other for the different content of Pt as a promoter and are characterized using BET, XRD, H2-TPR and NH3-TPD. Their physicochemical properties were correlated with the activity and selectivity of the catalysts. As results, all hybrid catalysts show the C5-C9 yield (%) higher than that of Co-Al2O3/ZSM-5 catalyst. The Pt-promoted hybrid catalysts were found to be more promising towards production of the hydrocarbons of gasoline range and over C10.

Excessive Exercise Habits in Marathoners as Novel Indicators of Masked Hypertension

Background. Excessive exercise such as marathon running increases the risk of cardiovascular events that may be related to myocardial infarction and sudden death. We aimed to investigate that the exercise characteristics can be used as a novel indicator of masked hypertension. Methods. A total of 571 middle-aged recreational male marathoners were assigned to a high blood pressure group (HBPG; = 214) or a normal blood pressure group (NBPG; = 357). A graded exercise test was used to examine the hemodynamic response and cardiac events, and the personal exercise characteristics were recorded. Results. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were higher in the HBPG than in the NBPG ( < 0.05, all). The marathon history, exercise intensity, and time were longer and higher, whereas the marathon completion duration was shorter in the HBPG than in NBPG ( < 0.05, all). HBPG showed a higher frequency of alcohol consumption than NBPG ( < 0.05). Conclusion. More excessive exercise characteristics than the normative individuals. If the individuals exhibit high blood pressure during rest as well as exercise, the exercise characteristics could be used as a novel indicator for masked hypertension

Development of a Solid-Phase Colorimetric Assay for the Screening of Transglutaminase Activities

A solid-phase colorimetric assay method for transglutaminase activities has been developed. The principle of the assay is to monitor cross-linking activities between casein bound to microtiter plates and free biotinylated casein by the sample. Quantitation of immobilized biotin-labeled casein formation through the enzymatic reaction was conducted by avidin or streptavidin conjugated enzymes. For this purpose, the efficiency of four different reporter enzymes (streptavidin or avidin conjugated alkaline phosphatase, streptavidin or avidin conjugated horseradish peroxidase) was compared, especially focusing on the sensitivity and specificity of the respective methods. The newly developed assay method was applied to the procedure of transglutaminase C purification from human erythrocytes and proven to have good correlation with conventional C14 putrescine method (r = 0.85, p(0.05). Moreover, since this new method can detect enzymatic activity without use of radioisotope and can process a number of samples simultaneously, it is possible to screen a mass population for transglutaminase deficiency, such as factor XIII, in routine clinical laboratories