Inhibitory Effect of Glycerin on Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Salmonella

In a study of the effect of glycerin in transport media on Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Salmonella, it was found that a concentration of 30% glycerin was highly inhibitory for V. parahaemolyticus and to a lesser degree for Salmonella. The incorporation of peptone or human feces in media did not reduce the inhibitory effect of glycerin. In media with 15% glycerin, viable counts of V. parahaemolyticus and Salmonella increased after 24 hr of incubation both in the presence and absence of feces. Due to the concurrent increase in the total bacterial count in the media containing feces, no enrichment effect was noted.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In vitro</Emphasis> Enhancement of Lactate Esters on the Percutaneous Penetration of Drugs with Different Lipophilicity

Lactate esters are widely used as food additives, perfume materials, medicine additives, and personal care products. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of a series of lactate esters as penetration enhancers on the in vitro skin permeation of four drugs with different physicochemical properties, including ibuprofen, salicylic acid, dexamethasone and 5-fluorouracil. The saturated donor solutions of the evaluated drugs in propylene glycol were used in order to keep a constant driving force with maximum thermodynamic activity. The permeability coefficient (K _p), skin concentration of drugs (SC), and lag time (T), as well as the enhancement ratios for K _p and SC were recorded. All results indicated that lactate esters can exert a significant influence on the transdermal delivery of the model drugs and there is a structure-activity relationship between the tested lactate esters and their enhancement effects. The results also suggested that the lactate esters with the chain length of fatty alcohol moieties of 10–12 are more effective enhancers. Furthermore, the enhancement effect of lactate esters increases with a decrease of the drug lipophilicity, which suggests that they may be more efficient at enhancing the penetration of hydrophilic drugs than lipophilic drugs. The influence of the concentration of lactate esters was evaluated and the optimal concentration is in the range of 5∼10 wt.%. In sum, lactate esters as a penetration enhancer for some drugs are of interest for transdermal administration when the safety of penetration enhancers is a prime consideration.     

Heritability of Eating Behavior Assessed Using the DEBQ (Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire) and Weight‐related Traits: The Healthy Twin Study

The heritability of eating behavior and body weight–related traits in Asian populations has not been reported. The purpose of this study was to estimate the heritability of eating behavior and the body weight–related traits of current weight and self‐reported past weight among twins and their families. Study subjects were 2,144 Korean, adult, same‐sex twins and their families at the ages between 20 and 65 years (443 monozygotic (MZ) and 124 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs, and 1,010 individuals of their family). The Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) was used to assess three eating behavior subscales measuring restraint, emotional eating, and external eating. A variance component approach was used to estimate heritability. After consideration of shared environmental effects and adjustment for age and sex effects, the heritability estimates ± s.e. among twins and their family members were 0.31 ± 0.036 for restraint, 0.25 ± 0.098 for emotional eating, 0.25 ± 0.060 for external eating, 0.77 ± 0.032 for measured current body weight, and 0.70 ± 0.051 for self‐reported weight at 20 years old. The three DEBQ subscales were associated with all weight related traits after adjustment for age and sex. These results suggest eating behaviors and weight‐related traits have a genetic influence, and eating behaviors are associated with obesity indexes. Our findings from Korean twin family were similar to those reported in Western populations.     

Selection for High Oridonin Yield in the Chinese Medicinal Plant Isodon (Lamiaceae) Using a Combined Phylogenetics and Population Genetics Approach

Oridonin is a diterpenoid with anti-cancer activity that occurs in the Chinese medicinal plant Isodon rubescens and some related species. While the bioactivity of oridonin has been well studied, the extent of natural variation in the production of this compound is poorly known. This study characterizes natural variation in oridonin production in order to guide selection of populations of Isodon with highest oridonin yield. Different populations of I. rubescens and related species were collected in China, and their offspring were grown in a greenhouse. Samples were examined for oridonin content, genotyped using 11 microsatellites, and representatives were sequenced for three phylogenetic markers (ITS, rps16, trnL-trnF). Oridonin production was mapped on a molecular phylogeny of the genus Isodon using samples from each population as well as previously published Genbank sequences. Oridonin has been reported in 12 out of 74 species of Isodon examined for diterpenoids, and the phylogeny indicates that oridonin production has arisen at least three times in the genus. Oridonin production was surprisingly consistent between wild-collected parents and greenhouse-grown offspring, despite evidence of gene flow between oridonin-producing and non-producing populations of Isodon. Additionally, microsatellite genetic distance between individuals was significantly correlated with chemical distance in both parents and offspring. Neither heritability nor correlation with genetic distance were significant when the comparison was restricted to only populations of I. rubescens, but this result should be corroborated using additional samples. Based on these results, future screening of Isodon populations for oridonin yield should initially prioritize a broad survey of all species known to produce oridonin, rather than focusing on multiple populations of one species, such as I. rubescens. Of the samples examined here, I. rubescens or I. japonicus from Henan province would provide the best source of oridonin.     

Effect of adenovirus and influenza virus infection on obesity

The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the effects of adenovirus and influenza virus infections on obesity in various experimental models. We reviewed studies that were conducted within the past 10 years and were related to virus infection and obesity prevalence. Here, we discuss a different causal relationship between adenovirus and influenza infections with obesity. Adenovirus infection can cause obesity, whereas obesity can be a risk factor for increasing influenza virus infection and increases the risk of morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of obesity due to adenovirus infections may be due to an increase in glucose uptake and reduction in lipolysis caused by an increase in corticosterone secretion. Adenovirus infections may lead to increases in appetite by decreasing norepinephrine and leptin levels and also cause immune dysfunction. The relationship between obesity and influenza virus infection could be summarized by the following features: decreases in memory T-cell functionality and interferon (IFN)-α, IFN-β, and IFN-γ mRNA expression, increases in viral titer and infiltration, and impaired dendritic cell function in obese individuals. Moreover, leptin resistance may play an important role in increasing influenza virus infections in obese individuals. In conclusion, prevention of adenovirus infections could be a good approach for reducing obesity prevalence, and prevention of obesity could reduce influenza virus infections from the point of view of viral infections and obesity.     

Mechanism of How Salt-Gradient-Induced Charges Affect the Translocation of DNA Molecules through a Nanopore

Experiments using nanopores demonstrated that a salt gradient enhances the capture rate of DNA and reduces its translocation speed. These two effects can help to enable electrical DNA sequencing with nanopores. Here, we provide a quantitative theoretical evaluation that shows the positive net charges, which accumulate around the pore entrance due to the salt gradient, are responsible for the two observed effects: they reinforce the electric capture field, resulting in promoted molecule capture rate; and they induce cationic electroosmotic flow through the nanopore, thus significantly retarding the motion of the anionic DNA through the nanopore. Our multiphysical simulation results show that, during the polymer trapping stage, the former effect plays the major role, thus resulting in promoted DNA capture rate, while during the nanopore-penetrating stage the latter effect dominates and consequently reduces the DNA translocation speed significantly. Quantitative agreement with experimental results has been reached by further taking nanopore wall surface charges into account.     

PYCNOGENOL chewing gum minimizes gingival bleeding and plaque formation.

PYCNOGENOL is an antioxidant phytochemical shown to have antiinflammatory activity in both the in vitro and in vivo models. This study compared the effects of chewing gums with and without PYCNOGENOL on gingival bleeding and plaque formation in 40 human subjects. In this double-blind study, subjects were assigned randomly to receive either control gums without PYCNOGENOL or experimental gums containng 5 mg PYCNOGENOL. Subjects used chewing gums for 14 days. Gingival bleeding and plaque scores were taken before and after the experiment. PYCNOGENOL chewing gums significantly reduced gingival bleeding, while no changes were noted in bleeding indexes in control subjects who used regular chewing gums. Subjects using regular control gums had significant increases of dental plaque accumulation during the two-week period. No increases in plaque accumulation were noted in subjects using PYCNOGENOL chewing gums. The data of this study suggest that the use of Pycnogenol chewing gums can minimize gingival bleeding and plaque accumulation.