Efficacy of Using Aroma Mouthwash in Recoverying from Short-term Cognitive Stressor

Mouthwash prevents bad breath and sterilizes bacteria that cause dental caries and periodontal disease, so it provides important means for improving oral hygiene in our daily life. Along with active ingredients such as bactericides, mouthwash contains a variety of aromas to mask the bitterness of base ingredients and increase palatability. However, given that numerous aroma studies have demonstrated various physiological efficacies of aromas on autonomic/central nervous systems, it is no wonder that aroma mouthwash has some sort of physiological impact when it is used. In this study, we investigated the effect of aroma in mouthwash on peripheral and cardiac autonomic nervous system activity. The experiment was carried out in a within-subject design wherein 20 healthy women under 5 conditions, which are 4 types of mouthwashes: peppermint, peppermint + bergamot, peppermint + orange, and peppermint + lavender, and water as a control. Participants performed a 20-minute calculation task as a cognitive stressor, and then rinsing by a mouthwash or water. We evaluated the recovery period from acute stress response for 20 minutes after the task. As a result, it was observed that a mouthwash with citrus flavor had a relaxing effect in terms of subjective scores and recovering from physiological stress response. The results may illustrate a potential benefit of using aroma mouthwash

Measurement and correlation of solubilities for trifluoromethylbenzoic acid isomers in supercritical carbon dioxide

金沢大学大学院自然科学研究科生産プロセスThe solubilities of 2-, 3- and 4-trifluoromethylbenzoic acids in supercritical carbon dioxide were measured at 308.2, 313.2 and 323.2 K by a flow-type apparatus. The pressure range of the measurement was from 9 to 23 MPa. The enhancements of solubility by fluorination were markedly observed for 2- and 3-trifluoromethylbenzoic acids. The solubilities of 4-trifluoromethylbenzoic acids are almost the same as those of 4-methylbenzoic acid. The experimental data were correlated by the Peng-Robinson equation of state. The correlated results show good agreement with the experimental data by adjusting binary interaction parameters. The results can represent the tendency of solubility enhancement. The interaction parameter between carbon dioxide and 3-trifluoromethylbenzoic acid is smaller than that between carbon dioxide and 2-trifluoromethylbenzoic acid or methylbenzoic acid isomers. While the estimated sublimation pressure for 4-trifluoromethylbenzoic acid is smaller than those for the other compounds, the solubilities of 4-trifluoromethylbenzoic acids are almost the same as those of 4-methylbenzoic acid. The interaction parameter between carbon dioxide and 4-trifluoromethylbenzoic acid show the negative values. This fact indicates that the interaction between carbon dioxide and 4-trifluoromethylbenzoic acid is stronger than those between carbon dioxide and the other compounds. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Synthesis of cc-axis textured CaKFe4_4As4_4 superconducting bulk via spark plasma texturing technique

Grain alignment is a key factor that determines the performance of a superconducting bulk. In this study, the spark plasma texturing (SPT) technique was used to fabricate a CaKFe$_4$As$_4$ superconducting bulk. X-ray diffraction and electron backscatter diffraction revealed that the $c$-axes of the CaKFe$_4$As$_4$ grains in the SPT bulk are aligned, demonstrating that the SPT technique is effective in achieving $c$-axis texture. In addition, chemical composition analysis showed that oxide impurities, which affect the grain boundary characteristics that determine the inter-grain critical current density ($J_c$), are randomly distributed in the SPT bulk. Magnetization measurements showed high $J_c$ values of the SPT bulk, reaching 127 kA cm$^{-2}$ and 26 kA cm$^{-2}$ at 4.2 K under a self-field and magnetic field of 5 T, respectively. These results suggest that the SPT technique is a promising approach for obtaining a high-performance superconducting bulk material for high-field applications

Synthesis of CaKFe4_4As4_4 bulk samples with high critical current density using a spark plasma sintering technique

A high density CaKFe$_4$As$_4$ bulk sample was successfully synthesized using a spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. The density of the synthesized sample was 5.02 g cm$^{-3}$, corresponding to 96.2% of the theoretical density of CaKFe$_4$As$_4$. Moreover, a reasonably high Vickers hardness of 1 GPa was measured. The electrical resistivity of the SPS bulk sample was as low as approximately 600 $\mu\Omega$ cm at 300 K, which is smaller than that of the ordinary sintered polycrystalline sample by nearly one order of magnitude, and exhibited a sharp superconducting transition, with the transition width $\Delta\textit{T}_c$ less than 2 K, indicating an improved grain connectivity. The critical current density of the SPS bulk sample, as calculated from the magnetization hysteresis loops (magnetic $\textit{J}_c$), reached 18 kA cm$^{-2}$ at 4.2 K under 5 T, which is the highest among the iron-based superconductor polycrystalline samples reported thus far.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl

Erythropoietin Receptor Signaling Mitigates Renal Dysfunction-Associated Heart Failure by Mechanisms Unrelated to Relief of Anemia

ObjectivesWe examined the effect of asialoerythropoietin (asialoEPO), a nonerythrogenic derivative of erythropoietin (EPO), on renal dysfunction-associated heart failure.BackgroundAlthough EPO is known to exert beneficial effects on cardiac function, the clinical benefits in patients with chronic kidney disease are controversial. It remains to be addressed whether previously reported outcomes were the result of relief of the anemia, adverse effects of EPO, or direct cardiovascular effects.MethodsMice underwent 5/6 nephrectomy to cause renal dysfunction. Eight weeks later, when renal dysfunction was established, anemia and cardiac dysfunction and remodeling were apparent. Mice were then assigned to receive saline (control), recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) at 5,000 IU (714 pmol)/kg, or asialoEPO at 714 pmol/kg, twice/week for 4 weeks.ResultsAlthough only rhEPO relieved the nephrectomy-induced anemia, both rhEPO and asialoEPO significantly and similarly mitigated left ventricular dilation and dysfunction. The hearts of rhEPO- or asialoEPO-treated mice showed less hypertrophy, reflecting decreases in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and degenerative subcellular changes, as well as significant attenuation of fibrosis, leukocyte infiltration, and oxidative deoxyribonucleic acid damage. These phenotypes were accompanied by restored expression of GATA-4, sarcomeric proteins, and vascular endothelial growth factor and decreased inflammatory cytokines and lipid peroxidation. Finally, myocardial activation was observed of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase and signal transducer and activator of transcription pathways in the treated mice.ConclusionsEPO receptor signaling exerts direct cardioprotection in an animal model of renal dysfunction-associated heart failure, probably by mitigating degenerative, pro-fibrosis, inflammatory, and oxidative processes but not through relief of anemia