The Effect of the Dried-Bonito Broth on Blood Pressure, 8-Hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), an Oxidative Stress Marker, and Emotional States in Elderly Subjects

Dried-bonito broth (DBB, katsuo-bushi dashi) is commonly used in Japanese cuisine, and is also used as a traditional remedy for recovery from fatigue and improvement of blood circulation. To clarify the effect of DBB on blood pressure, oxidative stress and emotional states, a randomized crossover human trial was performed. Twenty-seven elderly Japanese subjects ingested DBB or water for one month. Measurement of blood pressure and urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and evaluation of emotional states were performed before and after the ingestion periods. The changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP) during DBB ingestion was significantly lower than that during water ingestion (p = 0.037). Urinary 8-OHdG significantly decreased during DBB ingestion (p = 0.0002). Evaluation of emotional states indicated that composure significantly improved during DBB ingestion (p = 0.034). These results suggest that the daily ingestion of DBB lower SBP, reduce urinary 8-OHdG and might improve emotional states in elderly subjects

threo-2-(2,6-Dimethoxy­phen­oxy)-1-(4-eth­oxy-3-methoxy­phen­yl)propane-1,3-diol

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C20H26O7, a lignin model compound, the asymmetric unit contains two mol­ecules which adopt almost identical overall conformations with some deviation in the region of the terminal hydroxyl groups. The two mol­ecules are linked by an inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond. They also develop intra­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

A novel approach to measuring pore fluid sediment concentrations of debris flows in a volcanic torrent

Pore fluid in a debris flow is not fully understood, despite its contribution to the fluidity of the debris flow. To observe sediment concentrations of the pore fluids in debris flows, we established a novel monitoring system in a volcanic catchment, in southern Japan. An observation culvert, 1.0 m in width, 1.5 m in height and 2.0 m in length, was placed along the stream bank. An intake covered by a grating was equipped on the side of the culvert so that only pore fluid of debris flows was led inside. Measurements of dielectric permittivities were conducted within the culvert and used for the calculation of sediment concentrations of the fluid. The sediment concentrations of the pore fluid were successfully measured for natural debris flows. The preliminary observation revealed that the volumetric sediment concentration of pore fluid varied from approximately 5 to 69 %, which were slightly smaller or similar to those of the entire debris flows. Successive occurrences of debris flow caused decreases in the sediment concentration of the pore fluids with each surge

Direct visualization of avian influenza H5N1 hemagglutinin precursor and its conformational change by high-speed atomic force microscopy

Hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza A is one of the key virulence factors that mediates the release of viral components in host cells. HA is initially synthesized as a trimeric precursor (HA0) and then it is cleaved by proteases to become a functional HA. Low pH induces irreversible conformational changes in both HA0 and HA but only HA is fusion compatible. Here, we used high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) to record conformational changes in HA0 trimers (H5N1) from neutral to acidic conditions at a millisecond scale. Methods: Purified HA0 protein was diluted with either neutral Tris-HCl (pH 7.4) or acetic acid-titrated Tris-HCl(pH 5.0) and then loaded onto bare mica. Neutral or acidic Tris-HCl was used as the scanning buffer. HS-AFM movies were recorded and processed using Image J software. Results: The conformation of HA0neutral visualized using HS-AFM was comparable to the HA trimer structures depicted in the PDB data and the AFM simulator. HA0 underwent rapid conformational changes under low pH condition. The circularity and area of HA0acid were significantly higher than in HA0neutral. In contrast, the height of HA0acid was significantly lower than in HA0neutral. Conclusions: We have captured real-time images of the native HA0 trimer structure under physiological conditions using HS-AFM. By analyzing the images, we confirm that HA0 trimer is sensitive to acidic conditions. General significance: The dynamic nature of the HA structure, particularly in the host endosome, is essential for H5N1 infectivity. Understanding this acidic behavior is imperative for designing therapeutic strategies against H5N1. This article reports a sophisticated new tool for studying the spatiotemporal dynamics of the HA precursor protein

Nitrogen doping and thermal stability in HfSiOxNy studied by photoemission and x-ray absorption spectroscopy

We have investigated nitrogen-doping effects into HfSiOx films on Si and their thermal stability using synchrotron-radiation photoemission and x-ray absorption spectroscopy. N 1s core-level photoemission and N K-edge absorption spectra have revealed that chemical-bonding states of N-Si3-xOx and interstitial N2-gas-like features are clearly observed in as-grown HfSiOxNy film and they decrease upon ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) annealing due to a thermal instability, which can be related to the device performance. Annealing-temperature dependence in Hf 4f and Si 2p photoemission spectra suggests that the Hf-silicidation temperature is effectively increased by nitrogen doping into the HfSiOx although the interfacial SiO2 layer is selectively reduced. No change in valence-band spectra upon UHV annealing suggests that crystallization of the HfSiOxNy films is also hindered by nitrogen doping into the HfSiOx. *Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; electronic mail