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Yamahai-brewed sake, a Japanese alcoholic beverage brewed from rice and produced via natural lactic acid fermentation, has a complex and rich flavor compared with Sokujo-brewed sake, brewed with a general method using pure lactic acid. This study aimed to characterize the aroma compounds in Yamahai-brewed sake using solvent-assisted stir bar sorptive extraction (SA-SBSE) with gas chromatography-olfactometry/mass spectrometry (GC-O/MS) and to confirm the enhanced sensitivity of GC-O/MS with SA-SBSE compared with SBSE alone. SA-SBSE with GC-O/MS increased the number of detected odor-active compounds and improved the FD factor sensitivity of Yamahai-brewed sake. SA-SBSE-GC-MS analysis of three pairs of Yamahai-brewed and Sokujo-brewed sake showed higher polar aroma compound content in Yamahai-brewed sake with a low rice polishing ratio. Quantification of 11 characteristic aroma compounds with a wide range of log K

Background Left atrial dissection is a rare complication of cardiac surgery, most commonly associated with mitral valve surgery. Herein, we report on the successful conservative treatment of left atrial dissection while avoiding anticoagulation therapy. Case presentation A 64-year-old man developed left atrial dissection during operation for acute type A aortic dissection, most likely due to retrograde cardioplegia cannulation. As there was no connection between the left atrial dissection cavity and the left atrium on enhanced computed tomography, we did not administer anticoagulants to prevent expansion of the left atrial dissection cavity. However, the patient developed atrial fibrillation, which was successfully managed by beta-blocker and amiodarone administration. Follow-up imaging showed gradual left atrial dissection reduction, and the patient was started on anticoagulation therapy. Conclusion We were able to resolve left atrial dissection by preventing the use of anticoagulation therapy in the acute stage by managing the atrial fibrillation with antiarrhythmic drugs.

Background & Aim: Traumatic aortic injury (TAI) is a life-threatening condition. We present cases of 7 patients with TAI limited at the isthmus. Case description: Seven patients with TAI were treated between January 2015 and December 2018; TAI was caused by motor vehicle crashes in all cases. The patient characteristics and the post-operation data were collected and analyzed. We performed thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for five patients during their first hospitalization using Relay Plus® (Japan Lifeline, Japan). While patient 6 underwent TEVAR 5 years after the injury, patient 7 was recommended conservative care because she had dementia. Since most of these patients did not have a history of hypertension, they were not on antihypertensive medications after TEVAR. Conclusions: In cases of TAI, intervention by TEVAR in the acute phase improves the patient’s quality of life. Additionally, TEVAR is expected to prevent TAI from enlarging to form an aortic aneurysm.

Euphausia pacifica is a good candidate for a resource of marine n-3 PUFA. However, few reports exist of the lipid and fatty acid composition of E. pacifica. To examine the potential of E. pacifica as a resource of marine n-3 PUFA, we analyzed E. pacifica oil. We extracted lipids from E. pacifica harvested from the Pacific Ocean near Sanriku, Japan. Lipid classes of E. pacifica oil were analyzed by TLC-FID and the fatty acid composition of the oil was analyzed by GC/MS. Free fatty acids and hydroxy-fatty acids were analyzed by LC/QTOFMS. The lipid content of E. pacifica ranged from 1.30% to 3.57%. The ratios of triacylglycerols, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and free fatty acids in E. pacifica lipids were 5.3–23.0%, 32.6–53.4%, 8.5–25.4% and 2.5–7.0%, respectively. The content of n-3 PUFA in E. pacifica lipids was 38.6–46.5%. We also showed that E. pacifica contains unusual fatty acids and derivatives: C16-PUFAs (9,12-hexadecadienoic acid, 6,9,12-hexadecatrienoic acid and 6,9,12,15-hexadecatetraenoic acid) and hydroxy-PUFAs (8-HETE and 10-HDoHE). E. pacifica is a good resource of marine n-3 PUFA. Moreover, E. pacifica can provide C16-PUFA and hydroxy-PUFAs.

Monoacylglycerol (MAG) and diacylglycerol (DAG) are minor components of edible fats and oils, and they relate to the quality of these foods. The AOCS official method Cd 11b-91 has been used to determine MAG and DAG contents in fats and oils. There are, however, difficulties in the determination of MAG and DAG using this analytical procedure. Therefore, we improved this method by modifying the trimethylsilyl derivatization procedure and replacing the internal standard (IS) material. In our modified method, TMS-HT (mixture of hexamethyldisilazane and trimethylchlorosilane) was used for derivatization of MAG and DAG, which was followed by liquid-liquid extraction with water and n-hexane solution containing the IS, tricaprin. Using the modified method, we demonstrated superior repeatability in comparison with that of the AOCS method by reducing procedural difficulties. The relative standard deviation of distearin peak areas was 1.8% or 2.9% in the modified method, while it was 5.6% in the AOCS method. In addition, capillary columns, such as DB-1ht and DB-5ht could be used in this method.

Plasmalogen (Pls) is a glycerophospholipid derived from alkyl phospholipid (Alk) with antioxidant functions in vivo. The present study investigated the effects of ether phospholipids, such as Pls and Alk, on intercellular lipid barriers in the skin of NC/Nga mice, a model of atopic dermatitis (AD). NC/Nga mice fed Alk showed increased plasma levels of Alk and Pls. The AD-related changes in ceramide composition in the skin were abrogated by oral administration of Alk. Moreover, Alk suppressed skin inflammation in AD mice. These results indicate that Alk partially fortifies the stratum corneum lipid barrier and may be an effective treatment for AD. Abbreviations: Pls: plasmalogen; PlsCho: choline plasmalogen; PlsEtn: ethanolamine plasmalogen; Alk: alkyl phospholipid; TJ: tight junction; FA: fatty acid; AD: atopic dermatitis; SO: soybean oil; FO: fish oil; DHA: docosahexaenoic acid; EPA: eicosapentaenoic acid; TG: triglyceride; PL: phospholipid; RF: retention factor; AlkCho: choline-type alkyl phospholipid; AlkEtn: ethanolamine-type alkyl phospholipid; LC-MS/MS: liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry; FAR1: fatty acyl-coenzyme (Co)A reductase 1

Aortic and arterial calcification is a complication of advanced atherosclerosis and is a critical intraoperative issue that can reduce the ability to achieve safe and adequate access for stent graft introduction. Different vascular access sites are used to deliver stent grafts when a standard transfemoral or iliac access is not feasible. We report a challenging case of a direct transabdominal aortic thoracic endovascular aortic repair for a thoracic aortic aneurysm complicated with severe aortic and arterial calcification, in which the noncalcified area of the infrarenal abdominal aorta was extremely limited. This may be a reasonable access site, especially for patients with severe aortic and arterial calcification.

Minimally invasive imaging using weak illumination is required in the biomedical field. Computational ghost imaging (CGI) achieves imaging under illumination. However, CGI requires a large number of measurements to obtain an image. The number of measurements increases as illumination weakens. In this paper, decreasing the number of measurements of CGI with designed low spatial frequency masks is proposed. The proposed method allows us to image an object with a smaller number of measurements than with the conventional method. Numerical simulations and experiments confirm the feasibility of the proposed method.

Computational ghost imaging (CGI) is expected to be applied to noninvasive biomedical imaging because of its characteristic which allows us to obtain the object's image under a low signal to noise ratio (SNR) condition. However only an amplitude distribution can be obtained by the CGI. Therefore the imaging of the pure phase objects is difficult. Although the phase shifting digital holography has been used for reconstruction of the complex amplitude in the CGI, its experimental setup is cumbersome and sensitive to vibrations. Furthermore four holograms are required for the reconstruction of the complex amplitude because of the phase shifting algorithm, rendering the acquisition time of the phase image slow. Therefore the method is difficult to be applied to the biomedical imaging. An alternative non-interferometric method is proposed in this study. The proposed method uses the transport of intensity equation for the phase retrieval of the pure phase objects, termed transport-of-intensity CGI (TI-CGI). In the TI-CGI, the phase distribution is retrieved from a single defocused image obtained by a modulated optical setup of the CGI, achieving the fast and robust imaging compared with the conventional phase shifting method. Therefore the TI-CGI may be more suitable for the biomedical imaging than the phase shifting method. The TI-CGI is demonstrated by an optical experiment under the low SNR condition generated by the neutral density filters with 1% and 0.1% transmittance. The experimental results conform the effectiveness of the TI-CGI.

Computational ghost imaging (CGI) allows us to obtain a sample image under a low signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) condition. However, phase information cannot be obtained by CGI; therefore, observation of transparent objects such as living cells is difficult. Although interferometry has been applied to CGI for phase retrieval, its optical setup is cumbersome. In this paper, an alternative approach, which is based on a transport-of-intensity equation, is proposed. Compared with conventional interferometric methods, the optical setup of the proposed method is robust because it does not require additional optical elements. The proposed method achieves phase retrieval by slight modification of the standard CGI setup. Numerical and optical experiments with low SNR confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.

The expression of immediate early genes (IEGs) is thought to be an essential molecular basis of neuronal plasticity for higher brain function. Many IEGs contain serum response element in their transcriptional regulatory regions and their expression is controlled by serum response factor (SRF). SRF is known to play a role in concert with transcriptional cofactors. However, little is known about how SRF cofactors regulate IEG expression during the process of neuronal plasticity. We hypothesized that one of the SRF-regulated neuronal IEGs, activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc; also termed Arg3.1), is regulated by an SRF coactivator, megakaryoblastic leukemia (MKL). To test this hypothesis, we initially investigated which binding site of the transcription factor or SRF cofactor contributes to brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-induced Arc gene transcription in cultured cortical neurons using transfection and reporter assays. We found that BDNF caused robust induction of Arc gene transcription through a cAMP response element, binding site of myocyte enhancer factor 2, and binding site of SRF in an Arc enhancer, the synaptic activity-responsive element (SARE). Regardless of the requirement for the SRF-binding site, the binding site of a ternary complex factor, another SRF cofactor, did not affect BDNF-mediated Arc gene transcription. In contrast, chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed occupation of MKL at the SARE. Furthermore, knockdown of MKL2, but not MKL1, significantly decreased BDNF-mediated activation of the SARE. Taken together, these findings suggest a novel mechanism by which MKL2 controls the Arc SARE in response to BDNF stimulation.

An increase in serum plasmalogens (1-O-alk-1-enyl-2-acyl glycerophospholipids), which are endogenous anti-oxidative phospholipids, can potentially prevent age-related diseases such as atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome (MetS). Very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) in plasma may supply the materials for plasmalogen biosynthesis through peroxisomal beta-oxidation. On the other hand, elevated levels of saturated and monounsaturated VLCFAs in plasma appear to be associated with decreased peroxisomal function, and are a symptom of age-related diseases. To reconcile these contradictory findings, we attempted to investigate the relationship between the serum levels of saturated and monounsaturated VLCFAs, clinical and biochemical parameters, and serum levels of plasmalogens in subjects with MetS (n = 117), who were asymptomatic Japanese males over 40 years of age. Fatty acids in serum lipids were quantified using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Serum plasmalogen levels were determined by liquid chromatography using radioactive iodine (¹²⁵I-HPLC), and the molecular composition of serum plasmalogens was analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). We found that MetS subjects showed a significant reduction in the proportion of specific saturated and monounsaturated VLCFAs such as behenic acid (C22:0), lignoceric acid (C24:0), and nervonic acid (C24:1) in serum lipids compared to non-MetS subjects. These VLCFAs were positively associated with serum levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) as well as plasmalogen-related parameters, and inversely with serum levels of triglyceride (TG) and small dense low density lipoprotein cholesterol (sdLDL-C). In conclusion, the proportion of nervonic acid in serum lipids is associated with serum levels of plasmalogens and with MetS, and probably reflects the peroxisomal dysfunction and enhancement of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress seen in common age-related diseases.

Background Serum plasmalogens (Pls) have gained interest in several clinical symptoms such as metabolic syndrome/atherosclerosis or Alzheimer's disease possibly because of their antioxidant properties. We have developed a highly sensitive and simple method to determine plasmenylcholine (PlsCho; choline plasmalogen) and plasmenylethanolamine (PlsEtn; ethanolamine plasmalogen) separately, using a radioactive iodine and high-performance liquid chromatography (125I-HPLC method). The present study reports the improvement and validation of 125I-HPLC method by introducing a quantitative standard (QS) and online detection with a flow γ-counter. Methods 1-Alkenyl 2,3-cyclic glycerophosphate was prepared as QS from l- α-lyso plasmenylcholine by enzymatic treatment with phospholipase D. Online detection with a flow γ-counter was investigated to be available to quantify Pls. The method validation was carried out in terms of selectivity, sensitivity, linearity, precision, accuracy and recovery. Results Linearity was established over the concentration range 5–300 μmol/L for Pls and QS with regression coefficients >0.99. The accuracy and reliability were satisfactory. The method has been applied to the determination of human serum Pls from healthy subjects and the elderly with dementia or artery stenoses. Conclusions The improved 125I-HPLC method is useful as an autoanalytical system for a routine diagnostic test of human serum Pls.

The demagnetizing field in a micromagnetic simulation is studied under periodic boundary conditions. To evaluate the influence of the periodic structure, macroscopic demagnetizing factors are defined. A large demagnetizing field yields a linear magnetization where the susceptibility is given by the inverse of the macroscopic demagnetizing factor. The shape anisotropy induces rectangular hysteresis loops for which the coercive force is evaluated by the macroscopic demagnetizing factors.

We investigated the reaction process in magnetite nanoparticle (MNP) synthesis by glow-discharge electrolysis in atmospheric air combined with iron electrolysis using NaCl aqueous solution as electrolyte. The iron electrolysis supplies Fe2+ in the solution, and electrons from the glow discharge induce liquid-phase reactions. We found experimentally that the concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the solution is a key parameter in MNP synthesis. The excess oxidation of ferrous iron species at a high DO concentration causes the generation of hematite nanoparticles, while MNPs are mainly synthesized at a low DO concentration. Simple rate equations were solved to investigate the liquid-phase reaction process. The calculated results showed that the DO concentration reasonably changed the ratio between ferrous and ferric iron species, which will be important for the chemical composition of synthesized nanoparticles. The solution pH, which is locally increased by the glow discharge, affects the liquid-phase reaction process, especially through the hydroxylation of ferrous iron species.

A virus that caused a distinct yellow mosaic was isolated in Okayama, Japan from Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L., Pekinensis group). The virus, with spherical particles ca. 28 nm in diameter, was mechanically transmissible only to cruciferous species. From the host range, characteristic morphology of virus particles, serology and sequence analysis of coat protein gene, the causal virus was identified as Turnip yellow mosaic virus (TYMV). Seed transmission of TYMV at 0–2.2% in Chinese cabbage was confirmed. This report is the first of TYMV from Chinese cabbage and in Japan.

We present a theoretical description and computer simulations for the overtone NMR of half-integer quadrupolar nuclei in solids. It is shown that the overtone NMR has the ability to produce high-resolution solid NMR spectra for the quadrupolar nuclei under magic angle spinning conditions. We demonstrate that when polycrystalline 23 Na 2 MoO 4 is placed in the static magnetic field of 7.05 T, the direct detection of the overtone NMR is possible. It becomes, however, apparent that indirect detection schemes are required to obtain the usual NMR spectra that have separated resonance lines corresponding to chemically non-equivalent sites.

The growth and characterization of a BaZrO3 buffer layer for controlling the in-plane orientation of YBa2Cu3O7?? films grown on MgO substrates is described. BaZrO3 buffer layers and YBa2Cu3O7?? films are grown by pulsed laser deposition. 45? grain boundaries typically exist in YBa2Cu3O7?? films grown on MgO(001) substrates; these are fatal defects for microwave device applications and are eliminated using the BaZrO3 buffer layer. The preferred orientation and in-plane orientation with respect to the MgO substrates are estimated for MgO lattice-matched BaZrO3 buffer layers grown on MgO substrates. YBa2Cu3O7?? films grown at an optimum growth temperature of 710??C on BaZrO3 buffer layers on MgO(001) substrates show a lower surface resistance (RS) than those on MgO(001) substrates without BaZrO3 buffer layers.

Serum plasmalogens (Pls) (1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl glycerophospholipids) are of particular interest for studies on metabolic disorders associated with oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Serum levels of Pls are known to correlate positively with HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C); however, few studies have examined serum Pls molecular species in association with pathophysiological conditions and their clinical significance. To clarify these, we determined serum levels of individual ether glycerophospholipids in Japanese asymptomatic cohorts (n = 428; 362 male and 66 female subjects) by LC/MS/MS, and examined their correlations with clinical parameters. We found that the proportion of choline Pls (PlsCho) among total serum phospholipids was significantly lower in the male group over 40 years old and was associated with multiple risk parameters more strongly than HDL-C. The abundance of serum PlsCho with oleic acid (18:1) in sn-2 exhibited the strongest positive correlation with serum concentrations of adiponectin and HDL-C, while being inversely associated with waist circumference and the serum levels of TG and small dense LDL-cholesterol. The characterization of serum ether glycerophospholipids verified the specificity of PlsCho, particularly the ones with 18:1 in sn-2, as a sensitive biomarker for the atherogenic state.

Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) are pharmaceutically important compounds. We have previously devised a reticuline (BIA) production method from dopamine by using Escherichia coli; however, its productivity was relatively low (33 µM, 11 mg/L). We report here, by fine-tuning the method, higher reticuline productivity of 165 µM (54 mg/L), increasing the conversion efficiency by 8-fold. These results are important for developing an efficient route to fermentative reticuline production.

Serum plasmalogens (Pls) have gained interest in several clinical symptoms such as metabolic syndrome/atherosclerosis or Alzheimer's disease possibly because of their antioxidant properties. We have developed a highly sensitive and simple method to determine plasmenylcholine (PlsCho; choline plasmalogen) and plasmenylethanolamine (PlsEtn; ethanolamine plasmalogen) separately, using a radioactive iodine and high-performance liquid chromatography ((125)I-HPLC method). The present study reports the improvement and validation of (125)I-HPLC method by introducing a quantitative standard (QS) and online detection with a flow γ-counter.1-Alkenyl 2,3-cyclic glycerophosphate was prepared as QS from l-α-lyso plasmenylcholine by enzymatic treatment with phospholipase D. Online detection with a flow γ-counter was investigated to be available to quantify Pls. The method validation was carried out in terms of selectivity, sensitivity, linearity, precision, accuracy and recovery.Linearity was established over the concentration range 5-300 μmol/L for Pls and QS with regression coefficients0.99. The accuracy and reliability were satisfactory. The method has been applied to the determination of human serum Pls from healthy subjects and the elderly with dementia or artery stenoses.The improved (125)I-HPLC method is useful as an autoanalytical system for a routine diagnostic test of human serum Pls.

We present a simple NMR method for microscopically exploring the local environment in carbon fibers. The method utilizes n-alkanes as probe molecules, where the n-alkanes penetrate carbon fibers of interest. The high-resolution (1)H NMR spectra for a mixture of a carbon fiber and n-alkanes acquired by this method show a shift of the resonance line, which is due to the local structure of the fiber. The utility of this method is discussed on the basis of the (1)H NMR spectra obtained. In addition, the (1)H distribution and the local motion in the structure of the carbon fiber are revealed in view of the (1)H NMR spectra.

Cytochrome P450foxy (P450foxy) is a fatty acid (FA) monooxygenase that is characterized by self-sufficient catalysis and high turnover numbers due to the fused structure of cytochrome P450 and its reductase. Here we found that resting recombinant Escherichia coli cells producing P450foxy converted saturated FA with a chain length of 7-16 carbon atoms to their omega-1 to omega-3 hydroxy derivatives. Most products were recovered from the culture supernatant. Decanoic acid was most efficiently converted to omega-1 to omega-3 hydroxy decanoic acids in the order of omega-1omega-2omega-3, with a total product yield of 47%. We also found that P450foxy was more active against physiological fatty acyl esters such as monopalmitoyl glycerol, monopalmitoyl phospholipid, and palmitoyl CoA than free palmitic acid. The bacteria producing P450foxy were applicable as biocatalysts in the production of omega-1 hydroxy palmitic acid from lard, vegetable, and soy sauce oil wastes from the food industry.

Wautersia eutropha H16 (formerly Ralstonia eutropha ) mobilizes intracellularly accumulated poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) with intracellular poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) depolymerases. In this study, a novel intracellular 3-hydroxybutyrate-oligomer hydrolase (PhaZc) gene was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli . Then PhaZc was purified and characterized. Immunoblot analysis with polyclonal antiserum against PhaZc revealed that most PhaZc is present in the cytosolic fraction and a small amount is present in the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) inclusion bodies of W. eutropha . PhaZc degraded various 3-hydroxybutyrate oligomers at a high specific activity and artificial amorphous poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) at a lower specific activity. Native PHB granules and semicrystalline PHB were not degraded by PhaZc. A PhaZ deletion mutation enhanced the deposition of PHB in the logarithmic phase in nutrient-rich medium. PhaZc differs from the hydrolases of W. eutropha previously reported and is a novel type of intracellular 3-hydroxybutyrate-oligomer hydrolase, and it participates in the mobilization of PHB along with other hydrolases.

s / Chemistry and Physics of Lipids 163S (2010) S34–S43 S43 11,12and 14,15-dihydroxieicosatrienoic acids (DHETs) on cul- tured cell supernatants. Thus, we performed a simultaneous analysis of arachidonic acid metabolites from the three pathways. Deuterium labeled PGE2-d4, LTB4-d4, 5-HETE-d8, 12-HETE-d8, 15- HETE-d8, 13-HODE-d11, 5,6-EET-d11, 14,15-EET-d11were used as internal standards. Solid phase extraction was used for sample preparation. The recoveries were from 25% to 100% depending of the metabolites. The LC/MS/MS method used gradient on a C18 column, electrospray ionization in negative ion detection mode. The method was optimized for the best sensitivity and separa- tion within 20min. The linear ranges of the calibration curves were 0.1–200ng/ml for PGE2, LTB4, 5-HETE, 12-HETE, 15-HETE, 13- HODE, 11,12-EET, 11,12-DHET and 14,15-DHET and 1–200ng/ml for LTD4, 20-HETE, 5,6-EET, 8,9-EET and 14,15-EET. The advan- tages of this method include minimal sample preparation, high sensitivity and elimination of the problem associated with thermal instability for gas chromatography analysis. doi:10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2010.05.129