Promoting Methane Gasification in Anaerobic Scum Degradation Using Microbial Community Adapted to Scum

Poster Session

Difference in Plasma Metabolite Concentration after Ingestion of Lemon Flavonoids and Their Aglycones in Humans

The concentrations of metabolites in human plasma after ingestion of flavanone glycosides (FG) and their aglycones (FA) in lemon were examined. FG consisting abundantly of eriocitrin were prepared from lemon peel and FA consisting abundantly of eriodictyol were prepared from FG by treatment with β-glucosidase. Eriodictyol, homoeriodictyol, and hesperetin in plasma up to 4 h after ingestion of FG with water or FA with water by subjects were not detected in plasma of non-enzyme treatment but in plasma after treatment with β-glucronidase and sulfatase. Metabolites in plasma after ingestion of FG and FA in humans were shown to exist as the glucuro- and/or sulfo-conjugates of eriodictyol, homoeriodictyol, and hesperetin. After ingestion of FA, the concentration of metabolites in plasma exhibited a high maximum peak at 1 h. The AUC (area under the blood concentration time curve) level of metabolites of FA was higher than that of FG. FA were suggested to be absorbed faster and in higher amounts than FG. The AUC of metabolites in subject plasma after ingestion of FG with flavonoid-depleted lemon juice was shown to change to a low level in comparison with that of FG with water. The maximum concentration peak of metabolites in plasma was faster at 0.5 h than FA with water but the AUC level was similar to FA with water, when subjects ingested FA with vodka (40% ethanol). The absorption hour of FG and FA was shown to be affected by the co-existing solution

Paget’s disease derived in situ from reserve cell hyperplasia, squamous metaplasia, and squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagogastric junction: a case report

Abstract Background Extramammary Paget’s disease (EMPD) of the esophagus is a rare tumor, with most cases originating from invasive adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. Pure esophageal Paget’s disease, in which no underlying invasive carcinoma component is present, is extremely rare. In this report, we describe a case of EMPD of the esophagogastric junction with no evidence of invasive carcinoma. Case presentation An 81-year-old Japanese woman with a 2-week history of abdominal distension presented to our hospital for assessment. Endoscopic examination revealed a mild elevated granular lesion, with a slightly depressed irregular mucosa, in the distal esophagus, with EMPD confirmed by biopsy. Thoracoscopic esophagectomy with lymph node dissection was performed, with Paget cells observed on microscopic examination in the lower part of the esophageal epithelium. Only a few Paget cells stained positively for PAS/Alcian blue. Immunohistochemically, negative staining for CK5 and p63 were identified in the Paget cells, with positive staining for CK7. Furthermore, an intraepithelial squamous cell carcinoma, with squamous metaplasia and reserve cell hyperplasia, was observed in the gastric mucosa of the esophagogastric junction, adjacent to the Paget cells. Conclusions EMPD of the esophagus is a rare disease. We report a case of EMPD that was probably derived from a gastric squamous cell carcinoma, with squamous cell metaplasia and reserve cell hyperplasia, in the esophagogastric junction, which, to our knowledge, is the first report of this type of EMPD in the clinical literature

The Effect of Cholesterol Content on the Adjuvant Activity of Nucleic-Acid-Free Lipid Nanoparticles

RNA vaccines are applicable to the treatment of various infectious diseases via the inducement of robust immune responses against target antigens by expressing antigen proteins in the human body. The delivery of messenger RNA by lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) has become a versatile drug delivery system used in the administration of RNA vaccines. LNPs are widely considered to possess adjuvant activity that induces a strong immune response. However, the properties of LNPs that contribute to their adjuvant activity continue to require clarification. To characterize the relationships between the lipid composition, particle morphology, and adjuvant activity of LNPs, the nanostructures of LNPs and their antibody production were evaluated. To simply compare the adjuvant activity of LNPs, empty LNPs were subcutaneously injected with recombinant proteins. Consistent with previous research, the presence of ionizable lipids was one of the determinant factors. Adjuvant activity was induced when a tiny cholesterol assembly (cholesterol-induced phase, ChiP) was formed according to the amount of cholesterol present. Moreover, adjuvant activity was diminished when the content of cholesterol was excessive. Thus, it is plausible that an intermediate structure of cholesterol (not in a crystalline-like state) in an intra-particle space could be closely related to the immunogenicity of LNPs

Involvement of Propionate Side Chains of the Heme in Circular Dichroism of Myoglobin: Experimental and Theoretical Analyses

Incorporation of the heme into globin induces a prominent circular dichroism (CD) band in the Soret region. The appearance of heme optical activity is widely believed to arise from the interaction between the heme and aromatic residues of the globin. However, hemoglobin (Hb) containing the reversed heme exhibits a CD spectrum obviously different from that of native Hb, indicating that the interactions of heme side chains with globin contribute to the appearance of heme optical activity. We examined this possibility by comparing CD spectra of native myoglobin (Mb) and those of Mb reconstituted with synthetic hemes lacking vinyl and/or propionate. Replacement of 2,4-vinyl groups with methyl induced moderate changes. In contrast, replacement of 6,7-propionate groups with carboxylate resulted in complete disappearance of the positive Soret CD band. To get theoretical basis for the contributions of 6,7-side chains on the band, we investigated the CD spectra at a time-dependent density functional theory level. In the antiparallel conformation of the 6,7-side chains, the rotational strengths were calculated to be positive, on the other hand in the parallel conformation to be negative. We also found that the weak Soret CD band in 2,4-dimethyl-6,7-dicarboxyheme can be explained by canceling between different carboxyl conformers

Usefulness of PET-guided surgery with 64Cu-labeled cetuximab for resection of intrapancreatic residual tumors in a xenograft mouse model of resectable pancreatic cancer

In pancreatic cancer surgery, accurate identification and resection of intrapancreatic residual tumors are quite difficult. We have developed a novel open-typed PET system (called \u27OpenPET\u27), which enables high-resolution PET-guided surgery in real time, and demonstrated that OpenPET-guided surgery with intraperitoneally administered 64Cu-labeled anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibody cetuximab is useful to detect and resect primary pancreatic cancer. Here, we investigated applicability of OpenPET-guided surgery for unexpected residual intrapancreatic tumors and examined its survival benefit over conventional surgery