Oxidation of d-Limonene with Selenium Dioxide-hydrogen Peroxide

Oxidation of d-Iimonene with selenium dioxide-hydrogen peroxide affords (+)-l-hydroxyneodihydrocarveol as the major product formed via cis- and trans-limonene epoxide. Hydrolysis of the former epoxide is much faster than that of the latter, which can therefore be obtained in almost quantitative yield on acid hydrolysis of a mixture of cis- and trans-limonene epoxide (1:1) under mild condition.

Minor significance of oxygenation in an allylic position to a trisubstituted double bond and the difference of accessibility of an allylic position to di- and trisubstituted double bond toward the oxidant were also observed.     

Bifunctional properties and characterization of a novel sialidase with esterase activity from Bifidobacterium bifidum

ABSTRACT

Sialidases catalyze the removal of terminal sialic acid from various complex carbohydrates. In the gastrointestinal tract, sialic acid is commonly found in the sugar chain of mucin, and many enteric commensals use mucin as a nutrient source. We previously identified two different sialidase genes in Bifidobacterium bifidum, and one was cloned and expressed as an extracellular protein designated as exo-α-sialidase SiaBb2. The other exo-α-sialidase gene (siabb1) from the same bifidobacterium encodes an extracellular protein (SiaBb1) consisting of 1795 amino acids with a molecular mass of 189 kDa. SiaBb1 possesses a catalytic domain that classifies this enzyme as a glycoside hydrolase family 33 member. SiaBb1 preferentially hydrolyzes α2,3-linked sialic acid over α2,6-linked sialic acid from sialoglycan, which is the same as SiaBb2. However, SiaBb1 has an SGNH hydrolase domain with sialate-O-acetylesterase activity and an N-terminal signal sequence and C-terminal transmembrane region. SiaBb1 is the first bifunctional sialidase identified with esterase activity.

Abbreviations: GalNAc: N-acetyl-D-galactosamine; Fuc: L-fucose; Gal: D-galactose     

Change in biomass of symbiotic ants throughout the ontogeny of a myrmecophyte, Macaranga beccariana (Euphorbiaceae)

Macaranga myrmecophytes (ant-plants) provide their partner symbiotic ants (plant-ants) with food bodies as their main food, and they are protected by the plant-ants from herbivores. The amount of resource allocated to food bodies determines the plant-ant colony size and consequently determines the intensity of ant defense (anti-herbivore defense by plant-ants). As constraints in resource allocation change as plants grow, the plant-ant colony size is hypothesized to change with the ontogenesis of Macaranga myrmecophyte. To determine the ontogenetic change in the relative size of the plant-ant colony, we measured the dry weights of the whole plant-ant colony and all of the aboveground parts of trees at various ontogenetic stages for a myrmecophytic species (Macaranga beccariana) in a Bornean lowland tropical rain forest. Ant biomass increased as plant biomass increased. However, the rate of increase gradually declined, and the ant biomass appeared to reach a ceiling once trees began to branch. The ant/plant biomass ratio consistently decreased as plant biomass increased, with the rate of decrease gradually accelerating. We infer that the ontogenetic reduction in ant/plant biomass ratio is caused by an ontogenetic change in resource allocation to food rewards for ants related to the physiological changes accompanying the beginning of branching.     

No Association of Coffee Consumption with Gastric Ulcer,Duodenal Ulcer,Reflux Esophagitis,and Non-Erosive Reflux Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study of 8,013 Healthy Subjects in Japan

Probably due to caffeine-induced gastric acid secretion, negative effects of coffee upon various upper-gastrointestinal diseases have been precariously accepted, despite the inadequate epidemiological evidence. Our aim is to evaluate the effect of coffee consumption on four major acid-related diseases: gastric ulcer (GU), duodenal ulcer (DU), reflux esophagitis (RE), and non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) based on the large-scale multivariate analysis. Of the 9,517 healthy adults, GU, DU, and RE were diagnosed by endoscopy, and NERD was diagnosed by the symptoms of heartburn and regurgitation without esophageal erosion. Associations between coffee consumption and the four disorders were evaluated, together with age, gender, body mass index (BMI), Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection status, pepsinogen I/II ratio, smoking, and alcohol. We further performed meta-analysis using the random effects model to redefine the relationship between coffee intake and peptic ulcer disease. The eligible 8,013 study subjects comprised of 5,451 coffee drinkers and 2,562 non-coffee drinkers. By univariate analysis, age, BMI, pepsinogen I/II ratio, smoking, and alcohol showed significant associations with coffee consumption. By multiple logistic regression analysis, positively correlated factors with significance were HP infection, current smoking, BMI, and pepsinogen I/II ratio for GU; HP infection, pepsinogen I/II ratio, and current smoking for DU; HP non-infection, male, BMI, pepsinogen I/II ratio, smoking, age, and alcohol for RE; younger age, smoking, and female for NERD. The meta-analyses could detect any association of coffee consumption with neither GU nor DU. In conclusion, there are no significant relationship between coffee consumption and the four major acid-related upper gastrointestinal disorders.     

Dynamic Changes of CD44 Expression from Progenitors to Subpopulations of Astrocytes and Neurons in Developing Cerebellum

We previously reported that CD44-positive cells were candidates for astrocyte precursor cells in the developing cerebellum, because cells expressing high levels of CD44 selected by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) gave rise only to astrocytes in vitro. However, whether CD44 is a specific cell marker for cerebellar astrocyte precursor cells in vivo is unknown. In this study, we used immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, and FACS to analyze the spatial and temporal expression of CD44 and characterize the CD44-positive cells in the mouse cerebellum during development. CD44 expression was observed not only in astrocyte precursor cells but also in neural stem cells and oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) at early postnatal stages. CD44 expression in OPCs was shut off during oligodendrocyte differentiation. Interestingly, during development, CD44 expression was limited specifically to Bergmann glia and fibrous astrocytes among three types of astrocytes in cerebellum, and expression in astrocytes was shut off during postnatal development. CD44 expression was also detected in developing Purkinje and granule neurons but was limited to granule neurons in the adult cerebellum. Thus, at early developmental stages of the cerebellum, CD44 was widely expressed in several types of precursor cells, and over the course of development, the expression of CD44 became restricted to granule neurons in the adult.     

Clinical Course and Changes in High-Resolution Computed Tomography Findings in Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis without Honeycombing

Some patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) do not have honeycombing on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) at their initial evaluation. The clinical course and sequential changes in HRCT findings in these patients are not fully understood. We reviewed the cases of 43 patients with IPF without honeycombing on initial HRCT from institutions throughout Japan. All patients were diagnosed with IPF based on a surgical lung biopsy. Multidisciplinary discussions were held five times between 2011 and 2014, to exclude alternative etiologies. We evaluated the sequential changes in HRCT findings in 30 patients with IPF. We classified these 30 patients into three groups based on their HRCT patterns and clarified the clinical characteristics and prognosis among the groups. The patterns of all 30 patients on initial HRCT corresponded to a possible usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern which was described in the 2011 International Statement. On long-term follow-up (71.0±38.7 standard deviation [SD] months), honeycombing was seen in 16 patients (53%, the HoneyCo group); traction bronchiectasis or cysts without honeycombing was observed in 12 patients (40%, the NoHoneyCo group), and two patients showed no interval change (7%, the NoChange group) on HRCT. The mean survival periods of the HoneyCo and NoHoneyCo groups were 67.1 and 61.2 months, respectively (p = 0.76). There are some patients with IPF whose conditions chronically progress without honeycombing on HRCT. The appearance of honeycombing on HRCT during the follow-up might not be related to prognosis.     

Efficacy of Dietary Lipid Control in Healing High-Fat and High-Cholesterol Diet-Induced Fibrotic Steatohepatitis in Rats

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is related to lifestyle, particularly to dietary habits. We developed diet-induced fibrotic steatohepatitis model stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive 5/Dmcr (SHRSP5/Dmcr) rats showing steatosis, hepatic inflammation, and severe fibrosis induced by high-fat and -cholesterol (HFC) diet feeding. We aimed to clarify the efficacy of dietary intervention on the disease before and after the appearance of fibrosis. Male SHRSP5/Dmcr rats were divided into 9 groups; of these, 6 groups were fed control or HFC diet for several weeks and the remaining 3 groups represented the dietary intervention groups, which were fed the control diet after HFC diet feeding for 2 (before the appearance of fibrosis) or 8 (after the appearance of fibrosis) weeks. Dietary intervention before the appearance of fibrosis significantly improved the steatosis and reset the increased serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and serum total cholesterol (TC) levels. However, dietary intervention after the appearance of fibrosis was unable to reset the levels of hepatic TC, serum ALT, and fibrogenesis-related markers and had only a minor influence on hepatic fibrosis, although it reset the increased expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and α-smooth muscle actin (SMA). It was noted that dietary intervention improved the increased AST levels; however, aggregated CD68-positive cells were still observed around the fibrosis area, which may be related to the findings of inflammatory cytokine mRNAs. Taken together, dietary intervention for fibrotic steatohepatitis improved steatosis, although it could not completely improve fibrosis.     

Depression of Complement Regulatory Factors in Rat and Human Renal Grafts Is Associated with the Progress of Acute T-Cell Mediated Rejection

Background

The association of complement with the progression of acute T cell mediated rejection (ATCMR) is not well understood. We investigated the production of complement components and the expression of complement regulatory proteins (Cregs) in acute T-cell mediated rejection using rat and human renal allografts.

Methods

We prepared rat allograft and syngeneic graft models of renal transplantation. The expression of Complement components and Cregs was assessed in the rat grafts using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunofluorescent staining. We also administered anti-Crry and anti-CD59 antibodies to the rat allograft model. Further, we assessed the relationship between the expression of membrane cofactor protein (MCP) by immunohistochemical staining in human renal grafts and their clinical course.

Results

qRT-PCR results showed that the expression of Cregs, CD59 and rodent-specific complement regulator complement receptor 1-related gene/protein-y (Crry), was diminished in the rat allograft model especially on day 5 after transplantation in comparison with the syngeneic model. In contrast, the expression of complement components and receptors: C3, C3a receptor, C5a receptor, Factor B, C9, C1q, was increased, but not the expression of C4 and C5, indicating a possible activation of the alternative pathway. When anti-Crry and anti-CD59 mAbs were administered to the allograft, the survival period for each group was shortened. In the human ATCMR cases, the group with higher MCP expression in the grafts showed improved serum creatinine levels after the ATCMR treatment as well as a better 5-year graft survival rate.

Conclusions

We conclude that the expression of Cregs in allografts is connected with ATCMR. Our results suggest that controlling complement activation in renal grafts can be a new strategy for the treatment of ATCMR.