Search

We performed the experiment of p–$^{3}$He scattering at 65 MeV by using polarized proton beams and the newly constructed polarized $^{3}$He target. The proton analyzing power $A_{y}$, the 3He analyzing power $A^{T}_{y}$, and the spin correlation coefficient $C_{yy}$ were measured. In the conference, the experimental data were compared with the rigorous numerical calculations based on various nuclear potentials. Large discrepancies between the experimental data and the calculations were found in the $A^{T}_{y}$ and the $C_{yy}$ at the backward angles.

Proton–3He scattering is one of the good probes to study the T = 3/2 channel of three– nucleon forces. We have measured 3He analyzing powers for p−3He elastic scattering with the polarized 3He target at 70 and 100 MeV. In the conference the data were com- pared with the theoretical predictions based on the modern nucleon–nucleon potentials. Large discrepancies were found between the data and the calculations at the angles where the 3He analyzing power takes the minimum and maximum values.

The metabolism of bile acids in 30 pregnant women was evaluated by analyzing the urinary composition of bile acids during late gestation (weeks 30-41) and again in these women and their newborn infants during the first week after delivery. The levels of individual bile acids were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after solvolysis and hydrolysis of bile acid conjugates. The mean total bile acid/creatinine ratio in pregnant women decreased from 1.22 micromol/mmol creatinine at 30-32 weeks of gestation to 0.15 micromol/mmol creatinine at 6-7 days after delivery. The mean percentage of 1beta-hydroxylated bile acids peaked at 27﹪ at 3-4 days after delivery. In newborn infants, the mean total bile acid/creatinine ratio rapidly increased from 3.39 micromol/mmol creatinine at birth to 54.33 micromol/mmol creatinine at 7 days. During this period, large amounts (40-50﹪) of unsaturated ketonic bile acids, especially 7alpha,12alpha-dihydroxy-3-oxo-5beta-chol-1-en-24-oic acid and 7alpha,12alpha-dihydroxy-3-oxo-4-cholen-24-oic acid, were observed in the infants' urine. These data suggest that, during the perinatal period, the formation of polyhydroxylated and unsaturated ketonic bile acids probably represents a mechanism for the excretion of bile salts, and that the metabolism of bile acids in both the mother and the infant changes significantly after birth.

The effects of sesamin, a lignan from sesame oil, on various aspects of cholesterol metabolism were examined in rats maintained on various dietary regimens. When given at a dietary level of 0.5% for 4 weeks, sesamin reduced the concentration of serum and liver cholesterol significantly irrespective of the presence or absence of cholesterol in the diet, except for one experiment in which the purified diet free of cholesterol was given. On feeding sesamin, there was a decrease in lymphatic absorption of cholesterol accompanying an increase in fecal excretion of neutral, but not acidic, steroids, particularly when the cholesterol-enriched diet was given. Sesamin inhibited micellar solubility of cholesterol, but not bile acids, whereas it neither bound taurocholate nor affected the absorption of fatty acids. Only a marginal proportion (ca. 0.15%) of sesamin administered intragastrically was recovered in the lymph. There was a significant reduction in the activity of liver microsomal 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase after feeding sesamin, although the activity of hepatic cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase, drug metabolizing enzymes, and alcohol dehydrogenase remained uninfluenced. Although the weight and phospholipid concentration of the liver increased unequivocally on feeding sesamin, the histological examination by microscopy showed no abnormality, and the activity of serum GOT and GPT remained unchanged. Since sesamin lowered both serum and liver cholesterol levels by inhibiting absorption and synthesis of cholesterol simultaneously, it deserves further study as a possible hypocholesterolemic agent of natural origin.

Alfalfa protein is relatively low in the sulfur-containing amino acids, and the alfalfa's nutritive value may thereby be limited. This has been indicated at several laboratories in biological assays—feeding tests with small animals. Increasing the sulfur content of alfalfa, therefore, may improve its value as a feed.