Synthetic Studies Toward B-Alkylthiolanthionines

Synthetic routes toward a B-alkylthiolanthionine derivative, as found in the quinomycin depsipeptide antibiotics, have been studied through a sequence involving as the key intermediates and steps (a) (S) - Z-[(benzyloxycarbonyl)amino]-3,3-dimethoxy-l-propanol (2), prepared from N-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-serine in 3 or 4 steps, (b) N-benzyloxycarbonyl- 0 - tetrahydropyranyl-B,B-(ethylsulfinylethylthio)-alaninol (4a), converted from 2, and (c) attempted Lewis acid catalyzed replacement of alkylsulfinyl function by thiol moiety of cysteine, which gave undesired products. Stability of protecting groups used in this study, which are N,0-isopropylidenyl and tetrahydropyranyl functions in N-protected-L-serinol 20 or 26, under acidic conditions was found to play an important role in determining the optical purity obtained in 2. Jone\u27s oxidation and methylation of 2 led to the formation of N-benzyloxycarbonyl-B,B-(dimethoxy)alanine methyl ester (3) in low yield. Swern oxidation or Moffat oxidation of Z-L-Ser-Val-OMe dipeptide (5), which was expected to be converted to aldehyde 34, were carried out with unsuccessful results. Swern oxidation was applied to various N-protected amino alcohols derived from a-amino acids to give the corresponding aldehydes with excellent yields and optical purities

A Study on the Influence on Mental Health of Participants of the Job Creation Project for the Japanese Elderly

This research aims to analyze the effects on the Subject’s mental health of the Job Creation Project for the elderly in Japan. The subjects of this survey in 2007 were about 1500 participants in the Job Creation Project of Silver Manpower Center in Japan, 970 cases of whom were dataanalyzed.The results of this research are as follows:First, as a result of descriptive statistics of mental health, it was unders food that the average of total mental health is 2.91. As a result of verification of mental health difference, the score of mental health showed significant difference statistically according to job type or motivation of participation, and no significant difference statistically according to satisfaction with job project or duration of participation. With respect to job types, mental health is higher in desk job ormanagement/inspection or technical work than in simple work. Also among the motivations of participation mental health is highest for participation in society than for income.Second, a hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed by including populationsociological properties variables and four subordinate variables of actual conditions of participation in the Job Creation Project for the Elderly in order to analyze the variables which influence the participant mental health. According to the result of analyzing the effects on total mental health, male gender and better physical health condition were seen to have positive effects on total mental health.It is noted that among the motivations of participation, participation in society, and satisfaction with the Job Project, had positive influence

A Study on the Korean Senior Employment Promotion Project that Influence on the Quality of Participants --Focused on gender difference--

This study analyzes the Korean senior employment promotion projects influence on the quality of elderly peoples lives. This study is focused on the gender differences, and based on their identification it provides policy implications to use for senior job creation initiatives as a way to promote improved quality of their lives.For this study, university students who were trained about interview techniques from October, 2007 to January, 2008 visited 33 organizations in each of Seoul’s administrative districts including social welfare centers, senior centers, senior employment support centers and community senior clubs. Ten to thirty older people of each organization had face-to-face interviews with the interviewers, resulting in 595 questionnaires collected. After data cleaning, a total of 574 questionnaires were used for this study.SPSS 14.0 was used to conduct data analysis, and many analysis techniques were employed for the analysis: frequency analysis, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, correlation analysis, hierarchical multiple regression analysis.The study uses regression analysis to find out the influence of variables on quality of life, and found that older men felt happier when they were early on in their retirement years, healthier and they participated in the project for an extended time. On the other hand, older women said they were happier when they were healthier and their job gave them more satisfaction when their job was not for public service or human resource dispatch

Carcinoma Mixed within Milk of Calcium in a Breast: a Case Report

Milk of calcium located in the breast is typically a benign entity. However, carcinoma may incidentally arise adjacent to or even within milk of calcium. Consequently, the characteristics of all observed calcific particles should be carefully analyzed. In this study, we report a case of carcinoma presented as malignant microcalcifications mixed within milk of calcium in a breast

PDbase: a database of Parkinson's Disease-related genes and genetic variation using substantia nigra ESTs

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders, clinically characterized by impaired motor function. Since the etiology of PD is diverse and complex, many researchers have created PD-related research resources. However, resources for brain and PD studies are still lacking. Therefore, we have constructed a database of PD-related gene and genetic variations using the substantia nigra (SN) in PD and normal tissues. In addition, we integrated PD-related information from several resources. Results: We collected the 6,130 SN expressed sequenced tags (ESTs) from brain SN normal tissues and PD patients SN tissues using full-cDNA library and normalized cDNA library construction methods from our previous study. The SN ESTs were clustered in 2,951 unigene clusters and assigned in 2,678 genes. We then found up-regulated 57 genes and down-regulated 48 genes by comparing normal and PD SN ESTs frequencies with over 0.9 cut-off probability of differential expression based on the Audic and Claverie method. In addition, we integrated disease-related information from public resources. To examine the characteristics of these PD-related genes, we analyzed alternative splicing events, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers located in the gene regions, repeat elements, gene regulation elements, and pathways and protein-protein interaction networks. Conclusion: We constructed the PDbase database to capture the PD-related gene, genetic variation, and functional elements. This database contains 2,698 PD-related genes through ESTs discovered from human normal and PD patients SN tissues, and through integrating several public resources. PDbase provides the mitochondrion proteins, microRNA gene regulation elements, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) markers within PD-related gene structures, repeat elements, and pathways and networks with protein-protein interaction information. The PDbase information can aid in understanding the causation of PD. It is available at http://bioportal.kobic.re.kr/PDbase/. Supplementary data is available at http://bioportal.kobic.re.kr/PDbase/suppl.jsp. © 2009 Yang et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltdclose

Pilot-Scale Lactic Acid Production via Batch Culturing of Lactobacillus sp. RKY2 Using Corn Steep Liquor As a Nitrogen Source

U ovom se istraživanju pokušala odrediti učinkovitost proizvodnje mliječne kiseline uzgojem soja Lactobacillus sp. RKY2 u pilot-postrojenju uporabom kukuruznog ekstrakta kao izvora dušika. Količina mliječne kiseline nakon fermentacije, rast stanica, prinos i produktivnost nisu se bitno promijenili dodatkom čiste glukoze pri povećanju obujma procesa s 2,5 na 30 i 300 L. U svim pokusima udio mliječne kiseline linearno se povećavao s porastom početne koncentracije glukoze. U pokusu s hidrolizatom drva smanjili su se produktivnost mliječne kiseline i rast stanica s povećanjem obujma procesne opreme, zbog toksičnih kemikalija iz hidrolizata. Međutim, u svim je pokusima prinos mliječne kiseline bio veci od 90 % bez obzira na utrošak glukoze. Zaključeno je da je mliječna kiselina uspješno proizvedena u pilot-postrojenju upotrijebljenom u ovom istraživanju.In this study, the determination of the efficiency of a pilot-scale fermentation process using corn steep liquor as a nitrogen source was attempted in order to produce lactic acid via batch culturing of Lactobacillus sp. RKY2. Using pure glucose, fermentation efficiency characteristics, such as final lactic acid, cell growth, yield, and productivity were not substantially influenced by the scale-up of the laboratory-scale fermentation from 2.5- to 30- and 300-litre scale fermentations. In all experiments, the content of lactic acid produced increased in a linear fashion with increases in the initial glucose concentration. In the experiments using wood hydrolyzate, both lactic acid productivity and cell growth were decreased as a result of the scaling-up of the fermentation. This might be attributed to the toxic chemicals contained in the wood hydrolyzates. However, in all experiments, lactic acid yields remained higher than 90 % with regard to the amount of glucose consumed. Therefore, lactic acid was successfully produced by the pilot-scale bioreactor scheme adopted in this study

Pilot-Scale Lactic Acid Production via Batch Culturing of Lactobacillus sp. RKY2 Using Corn Steep Liquor As a Nitrogen Source

U ovom se istraživanju pokušala odrediti učinkovitost proizvodnje mliječne kiseline uzgojem soja Lactobacillus sp. RKY2 u pilot-postrojenju uporabom kukuruznog ekstrakta kao izvora dušika. Količina mliječne kiseline nakon fermentacije, rast stanica, prinos i produktivnost nisu se bitno promijenili dodatkom čiste glukoze pri povećanju obujma procesa s 2,5 na 30 i 300 L. U svim pokusima udio mliječne kiseline linearno se povećavao s porastom početne koncentracije glukoze. U pokusu s hidrolizatom drva smanjili su se produktivnost mliječne kiseline i rast stanica s povećanjem obujma procesne opreme, zbog toksičnih kemikalija iz hidrolizata. Međutim, u svim je pokusima prinos mliječne kiseline bio veci od 90 % bez obzira na utrošak glukoze. Zaključeno je da je mliječna kiselina uspješno proizvedena u pilot-postrojenju upotrijebljenom u ovom istraživanju.In this study, the determination of the efficiency of a pilot-scale fermentation process using corn steep liquor as a nitrogen source was attempted in order to produce lactic acid via batch culturing of Lactobacillus sp. RKY2. Using pure glucose, fermentation efficiency characteristics, such as final lactic acid, cell growth, yield, and productivity were not substantially influenced by the scale-up of the laboratory-scale fermentation from 2.5- to 30- and 300-litre scale fermentations. In all experiments, the content of lactic acid produced increased in a linear fashion with increases in the initial glucose concentration. In the experiments using wood hydrolyzate, both lactic acid productivity and cell growth were decreased as a result of the scaling-up of the fermentation. This might be attributed to the toxic chemicals contained in the wood hydrolyzates. However, in all experiments, lactic acid yields remained higher than 90 % with regard to the amount of glucose consumed. Therefore, lactic acid was successfully produced by the pilot-scale bioreactor scheme adopted in this study

Meal skipping children in low-income families and community practice implications

We examined dietary habits, food intakes, health status, and school and community life of meal skipping children, and investigated factors predicting meal skipping of children. A sample was composed of 944 children in low-income families who were provided with public meal service. The sample was obtained from the Survey of Meal Service for Poor Children conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs in 2007. Meal skipping was significantly associated with a lower nutrition and health status, and poor school performance of children, as hypothesized. The school age of child, family structure, region, job of caretaker, concern about diet, and the child's visit to welfare center significantly predicted frequency of meal skipping. We suggested a few implications for community practice to reduce meal skipping of children

Alcohol induces cell proliferation via hypermethylation of ADHFE1 in colorectal cancer cells

BACKGROUND: The hypermethylation of Alcohol dehydrogenase iron containing 1 (ADHFE1) was recently reported to be associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) differentiation. However, the effect of alcohol on ADHFE1 hypermethylation in CRC is still unclear. METHODS: The methylation status and expression levels of ADHFE1 were investigated in primary tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues of 73 patients with CRC, one normal colon cell line, and 4 CRC cell lines (HT-29, SW480, DLD-1, and LoVo) by quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (QMSP) and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (real time PCR), respectively. The effect of alcohol on the methylation status of ADHFE1 was analyzed in HT-29, SW480, DLD-1, and CCD18Co cells using QMSP, real-time PCR, immunoblot, and cell proliferation assay. RESULTS: ADHFE1 was hypermethylated in 69 of 73 CRC tissues (95%) compared to adjacent normal tissues (p < 0.05). The mRNA expression of ADHFE1 was significantly reduced in CRC compared to adjacent normal tissues (p < 0.05) and its expression was decreased in the alcohol consumption group (p < 0.05). ADHFE1 was hypermethylated and its expression was decreased in 4 CRC cell lines compared with normal colon cell line. Alcohol induced hypermethylation of ADHFE1, decreased its expression, and stimulated cell proliferation of HT-29, SW480, and DLD-1cells. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that the promoter hypermethylation of ADHFE1 is frequently present in CRC and alcohol induces methylation-mediated down expression of ADHFE1 and proliferation of CRC cells