Impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak on Activity and Exercise Levels among Older Patients.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to clarify the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak on the levels of activity among older patients with frailty or underlying diseases. A total of 175 patients (79.0±7.0 years) undergoing outpatient or home-based rehabilitation, stratified into groups, based on frailty status. The percentage of patients who went out at least once a week decreased after the outbreak from 91% to 87%, from 65% to 46%, and from 47% to 36% in the non-frail, frail, and nursing care requirement groups, respectively. The proportion of older patients participating in exercise during the outbreak was 75%, 51%, and 41% in the non-frail, frail, and nursing care requirement groups, respectively. The proportion of older patients participating in voluntary exercise after instruction was lowest in the frail group (35%). Older patients with frailty are susceptible to the negative effects of refraining from physical activity and require careful management.

Anesthesia cutoff phenomenon: interfacial hydrogen bonding.

Anesthesia "cutoff" refers to the phenomenon of loss of anesthetic potency in a homologous series of alkanes and their derivatives when their sizes become too large. In this study, hydrogen bonding of 1-alkanol series (ethanol to eicosanol) to dipalmitoyl-L-alpha-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) was studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in DPPC-D2O-in-CCl4 reversed micelles. The alkanols formed hydrogen bonds with the phosphate moiety of DPPC and released the DPPC-bound deuterated water, evidenced by increases in the bound O-H stretching signal of the alkanol-DPPC complex and also in the free O-D stretching band of unbound D2O. These effects increased according to the elongation of the carbon chain of 1-alkanols from ethanol (C2) to 1-decanol (C10), but suddenly almost disappeared at 1-tetradecanol (C14). Anesthetic potencies of these alkanols, estimated by the activity of brine shrimps, were linearly related to hydrogen bond-breaking activities below C10 and agreed with the FTIR data in the cutoff at C10.

Mechanical rotation of the c subunit oligomer in ATP synthase (F0F1): direct observation.

F0F1, found in mitochondria or bacterial membranes, synthesizes adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) coupling with an electrochemical proton gradient and also reversibly hydrolyzes ATP to form the gradient. An actin filament connected to a c subunit oligomer of F0 was able to rotate by using the energy of ATP hydrolysis. The rotary torque produced by the c subunit oligomer reached about 40 piconewton-nanometers, which is similar to that generated by the gamma subunit in the F1 motor. These results suggest that the gamma and c subunits rotate together during ATP hydrolysis and synthesis. Thus, coupled rotation may be essential for energy coupling between proton transport through F0 and ATP hydrolysis or synthesis in F1.

Genotype-phenotype study of familial haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis due to perforin mutations.

BACKGROUND: PRF1 gene mutations are associated with familial haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis type 2 (FHL2). Genotype-phenotype analysis, previously hampered by limited numbers of patients, was for the first time performed by data pooling from five large centres worldwide. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Members of the Histiocyte Society were asked to report cases of FHL2 on specific forms. Data were pooled in a common database and analysed. RESULTS: The 124 patients had 63 different mutations (including 15 novel mutations): 11 nonsense, 10 frameshift, 38 missense and 4 in-frame deletions. Some mutations were found more commonly: 1122 G-->A (W374X), associated with Turkish origin, in 32 patients; 50delT (L17fsX22) associated with African/African American origin, in 21 patients; and 1090-91delCT (L364fsX), in 7 Japanese patients. Flow cytometry showed that perforin expression was absent in 40, reduced in 6 and normal in 4 patients. Patients presented at a median age of 3 months (quartiles: 2, 3 and 13 months), always with fever, splenomegaly and thrombocytopenia. NK activity was absent in 36 (51%), 5% in 4 (6%), "reduced" in 2 (3%) (not reported, n = 54). Nonsense mutations were significantly associated with younger age at onset (p<0.001) and absent natural killer activity (p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: PRF1 mutations are spread over the functional domains. Specific mutations are strongly associated with Turkish, African American and Japanese ethnic groups. Later onset and residual cytotoxic function are observed in patients with at least one missense mutation.

Comparability and reproducibility of the carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity measurements using a multi-element carotid tonometry sensor.

To evaluate the comparability and reproducibility of the carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) measured by the newly developed device compared to that measured by the standard device and the validity of brachial-ankle PWV as a substitute of carotid-femoral PWV. We measured aortic PWV twice in 21 normotensive males by using the standard devices and the newly developed device. We also measured brachial-ankle PWV in the same subjects. There was a strong, significant correlation between aortic (carotid-femoral) PWV measured by using two different devices (r = 0.741, P = 0.00012). Interquartile range of the differences of carotid-femoral PWV measured by Form (0.75 m/s (-0.36, 0.39)) was smaller than that by Complior (1.67 m/s (-1.03, 0.63)). There was no correlation between carotid-femoral PWV, measured by either device, and brachial ankle PWV. Our present results suggest that carotid-femoral PWV measured by using Form was comparable to, and may be more reproducible than, that measured by Complior that has been widely used as a predictable marker for cardiovascular events. Our results also suggest brachial-ankle PWV may not be a substitute for carotid-femoral PWV.

The requirement of heat shock cognate 70 protein for mitochondrial import varies among precursor proteins and depends on precursor length.

The cytosolic heat shock cognate 70-kDa protein (hsc70) is required for efficient import of ornithine transcarbamylase precursor (pOTC) into rat liver mitochondria (K. Terada, K. Ohtsuka, N. Imamoto, Y. Yoneda, and M. Mori, Mol. Cell. Biol. 15:3708-3713, 1995). The requirement of hsc70 for mitochondrial import of various precursor proteins and truncated pOTCs was studied by using an in vitro translation import system in which hsc70 was completely depleted. hsc70-dependent import of pOTC was about 60% of the total import, while import of the aspartate aminotransferase precursor, the serine:pyruvate aminotransferase precursor, and 3-oxoacyl coenzyme A thiolase was about 50, 30, and 0%, respectively. The subunit sizes of these four precursor proteins were 40 to 47 kDa. When pOTC was serially truncated from the COOH terminal, the hsc70 requirement decreased gradually and was not evident for the shortest truncated pOTCs of 90 and 72 residues. These truncated pOTCs were imported and proteolytically processed rapidly in 0.5 to 2 min at 25 degrees C, and the processed mature portions and the presequence portion were rapidly degraded. Sucrose gradient centrifugation analysis followed by import assay showed that pOTC synthesized in rabbit reticulocyte lysate forms an import-competent complex of about 11S in an hsc70-dependent manner. S values of import-competent forms of aspartate aminotransferase precursor, serine:pyruvate aminotransferase precursor, and 3-oxoacyl coenzyme A thiolase were 9S, 9S, and 4S, respectively. Thus, the S value decreased as the hsc70 dependency decreased. Precursor proteins were coimmunoprecipitated from the reticulocyte lysate containing the newly synthesized precursor proteins with an hsc70 antibody. The amount of coimmunoprecipitated proteins was much larger in the absence of ATP than in its presence. Among the four precursor proteins, the amount of coimmunoprecipitated protein decreased as the hsc70 dependency decreased.

Structural studies of the carbohydrate moieties of carcinoembryonic antigens.

Three samples of carcinoembryonic antigens were purified from liver metastases of primary colon cancer. The asparagine-linked sugar chains of carcinoembryonic antigens (CEA) were released as oligosaccharides by hydrazinolysis and the structures of oligosaccharides, thus obtained, was studied in combination with methylation analysis and several limited exoglycosidase digestions. All three CEAs contain approximately 25 asparagine-linked sugar chains in one molecule and about 10% of them was high mannose type. However, structural features of the outer chain moieties of the remaining complex-type sugar chains were different by CEA samples. The complex-type sugar chains were mono-, bi-, tri-, and tetraantennary with Man alpha 1----6(+/- GlcNAc beta 1----4)(Man alpha 1----3)Man beta 1----4GlcNAc beta 1----4(+/- Fuc alpha 1----6)GlcNAc as their cores, half of which were bisected; 86% of their proximal N-acetylglucosamine was fucosylated. The major outer chains in two samples were N-acetyllactosamine and Gal beta 1----4(Fuc alpha 1----3)GlcNAc (X-antigenic determinant) and the remaining one sample contained Fuc alpha 1----2Gal beta 1----4(Fuc alpha 1----3)GlcNAc (Y-antigenic determinant) as an additional major outer chain. Furthermore, small amounts of type 1 chain and Lea antigenic determinant were found in some samples. Acidic oligosaccharides consisted of sialic acid containing fractions and sialidase-resistant fractions, and their contents seemed to be in a reciprocal relationship. Sialic acid was linked at the C-3 and C-6 positions of the nonreducing terminal galactose residues of the outer chains.

Irreversible phase transition of firefly luciferase: contrasting effects of volatile anesthetics and myristic acid.

Firefly luciferase (FFL) has been used as a lipid-free protein model to study direct interaction of anesthetics with proteins. FFL emits a burst of light when luciferin and ATP are added in the presence of oxygen. Volatile anesthetics inhibited FFL at mM ranges, while myristic acid inhibited it at microM range. Despite the large difference, octanol/water partition coefficients of both myristic acid and halothane are 199. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that thermal transition occurred at 38.5 degreesC with excess enthalpy of denaturation of 91.9 kcal mol-1. The transition, however, was irreversible. According to the irreversible transition kinetics, the anesthetic effects were evaluated by the temperature where the irreversible transition is half completed (T1/2). Volatile anesthetics decreased T1/2 at mM ranges, while myristic acid and oxyluciferyladenylate (luciferin competitor) increased it at microM ranges. Luciferin is a heterocyclic carboxylate and acylates AMP. Carboxyl group of myristic acid appears to make a high affinity contact to the luciferin-recognition sites. The induced-fit theory states that binding of substrates induces the enzyme into high-energy transition state. Myristic acid stabilized FFL at the transition state, which resisted thermal denaturation. Anesthetics destabilized FFL by reversibly unfolding the protein into less active intermediate states and promoted irreversible transition when the temperature is elevated.

Stopped-flow study of anesthetic effect on water-transport kinetics through phospholipid membranes. Interfacial versus lipid core ligands.

We have compared ligand effects between polar and apolar anesthetic molecules upon water transport across phospholipid membranes by kinetic analysis of the osmotic swelling rate, using a stopped-flow technique. Chloroform and 1-hexanol were used as interfacial ligands, and carbon tetrachloride and n-hexane were used as their counterparts, representing lipid core action. Because anesthetics transform the solid-gel membrane into a liquid-crystalline state, and because phospholipid membranes display an anomaly in permeability at the phase transition, dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles were studied at temperatures above the main phase transition to avoid this anomaly. All these molecules increased the osmotic swelling rate. However, a significant difference was observed in the activation energy, delta Ep, between polar and apolar molecules; delta Ep was almost unaltered by the addition of polar molecules (chloroform and 1-hexanol), whereas it was decreased by apolar molecules (carbon tetrachloride and n-hexane). The obtained results were analyzed in terms of the dissolution-diffusion mechanism for water permeation across the lipid membrane. It is suggested that polar molecules affect water permeability by altering the partition of water between the membrane interior and water phase, and apolar molecules affect it by altering both the partition and the diffusion of water within the membrane interior.

Alcohol effects on rapid kinetics of water transport through lipid membranes and location of the main barrier.

The effect of 1-alkanols (from 1-butanol up to 1-dodecanol) on the water permeability of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine vesicle membranes was studied by measuring the osmotic swelling rate as functions of 1-alkanol concentrations and temperatures above the gel-to-liquid-crystalline phase transition. For 1-butanol and 1-hexanol, the activation energy for water permeation was invariant with the addition of alkanols, whereas for 1-octanol, 1-decanol and 1-dodecanol, the activation energy decreased depending on the alkanol concentration, and the extent of the decrease was larger for alkanol with a longer hydrocarbon chain. These results suggests that hydrocarbon moiety beyond seven or eight carbon atoms from the head group in phospholipid molecules constitutes the main barrier for water permeation through the dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine vesicle membrane. The relative volume change of the vesicle due to osmotic swelling increased with the addition of 1-alkanols. Presumably, the membrane structural strength is weakened by the presence of 1-alkanols in the membrane. Contrary to the dependence of the swelling rate upon the alkanol carbon-chain length, no significant difference in the effect on the relative volume changes was seen among the 1-alkanols. This result suggests that weakening of the membrane structure is caused by perturbation of the membrane/water interface induced by incorporation of 1-alkanols into the membrane.

Partition equilibrium of inhalation anesthetics and alcohols between water and membranes of phospholipids with varying acyl chain-lengths.

From the depression of the phase-transition temperature of phospholipid membranes, the partition coefficients of inhalation anesthetics (methoxyflurane, halothane, enflurane, chloroform and diethyl ether) and alcohols (benzyl alcohol and homologous n-alcohols up to C = 7) between phospholipid vesicle membranes and water were determined. The phospholipids used were dimyristoyl-, dipalmitoyl- and distearoylphosphatidylcholines. It was found that the difference in the acyl chain length of the three phospholipids did not affect the partition coefficients of the inhalation anesthetics and benzyl alcohol. The actions of these drugs are apparently directed mainly to the interfacial region. In contrast, n-alcohols tend to bind more tightly to the phospholipid vesicles with longer acyl chains. The absolute values of the transfer free energies of n-alcohols increased with the increase of the length of the alkyl chain of the alcohols. The increment was 3.43 kJ per each carbon atom. The numerical values of the partition coefficients are not identical when different expressions for solute concentrations (mole fraction, molality and molarity) are employed. The conversion factors among these values were estimated from the molecular weights and the partial molal volumes of the phospholipids in aqueous solution determined by oscillation densimetry.

Interfacial adsorption of an inhalation anesthetic onto ionic surfactant micelles and its desorption by high pressure.

The effects of pressure and temperature on the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) wer measured in the presence of various concentrations of an inhalation anesthetic, methoxyflurane. The change in the partial molal volume of SDS on micellization delta Vm, increased with the increase in the concentration of methoxyflurane. The CMC-decreasing power, which is defined as the slope of the linear plot between In(CMC) vs. mole fraction of anesthetic, was determined as a function of pressure and temperature. Since the CMC-decreasing power is correlated to the micelle/water partition coefficient of anesthetic, the volume change of the transfer (delta Vop) of methoxyflurane from water to the micelle can be determined from the pressure dependence of the CMC-decreasing power. The value of delta Vop amounts 6.5 +/- 1.8 cm3.mol-1, which is in reasonable agreement with the volume change determined directly from the density data, 5.5+/-0.6 cm3.mol-1. Under the convention of thermodynamics, this indicates that the application of pressure squeezes out anesthetic molecules from the micelle. The transfer enthalpy of anesthetic from water to the micelle is slightly endothermic. The partial molal volume of methoxyflurane in the micelle (112.0 cm3.mol-1) is smaller than that in decane (120.5 cm3.mol-1) and is larger than that in water (108.0 cm3. mol-1. This indicates that the anesthetic molecules are incorporated into the micellar surfaces region, i.e., the palisade layer of the micelle in contact with water molecules, rather than into the micelle core.

Molecular orientation of volatile anesthetics at the binding surface: 1H- and 19F-NMR studies of submolecular affinity.

The shift of 1H- and 19F-NMR peaks in the frequency domain was used to resolve the solubilization of volatile anesthetics into sodium dodecylsulfate micelles to submolecular level. Enflurane has protons at both ends of the molecule, and the solubilization parameters (partition coefficients in a broad sense) of each end were estimated by 1H-NMR. The values were: 2130 for the hydrophobic end and 1980 for the hydrophilic end. The hydrophobic end of halothane is CF3, hence 19F-NMR was used: 4330 for the hydrophobic end and 2670 for the hydrophilic end. The ratios of the solubilization parameters between hydrophobic and hydrophilic ends were methoxyflurane 1.9 (Kaneshina et al. (1981) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 647, 223-226), enflurane 1.1, and halothane 1.6. The results indicate that methoxyflurane and halothane adsorb perpendicular to the membrane surface, whereas enflurane molecules stay parallel to the interface. The averaged solubilization parameters of both ends of these anesthetics were in good agreement with their conventional partition coefficients between dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) membranes and water. The solubilization parameter of chloroform (1H-NMR) was 1580 in agreement with the reported values of DPPC-water partition coefficient.

Differential affinity of charged local anesthetics to solid-gel and liquid-crystalline states of dimyristoylphosphatidic acid vesicle membranes.

Cationic local anesthetics decreased the transition temperature of the anionic phospholipid (dimyristoylphosphatidic acid, DMPA) vesicles. The counterion concentration changes the electrical double layer effect, and affects the magnitude of temperature depression caused by anesthetics. From the counterion effect on the transition-temperature depression, the partition coefficients of cationic local anesthetics to liquid-crystalline and solid-gel DMPA membranes were separately estimated. The differences in the partition coefficients between solid-gel and liquid-crystalline membranes correlated to the nerve blocking potencies. There are at least two states in the nerve membranes: resting state at higher temperature and excited state at lower temperature. We speculate that the resting state corresponds to the liquid-crystalline state, and the excited state to the solid-gel state. The difference in the partition coefficients to the resting and excited states is the cause of local anesthesia.

Benzyl alcohol penetration into micelles, dielectric constant of the binding site, partition coefficient and high-pressure squeeze-out.

The absorbance maximum, lambda max, of a local anesthetic, benzyl alcohol, is shifted to longer wavelengths when solvent polarity is decreased. The shift was approximately a linear function of the dielectric constant of the solvent. This transition in electronic spectra according to the microenvironmental polarity is used to analyze benzyl alcohol binding to surfactant micelles. A facile method is devised to estimate the micelle/water partition coefficient from the dependence of lambda max of benzyl alcohol on surfactant concentrations. The effective dielectric constants of the sodium decyl sulfate, dodecyl sulfate and tetradecyl sulfate micelles were 29, 31 and 33, respectively. The partition coefficient of benzyl alcohol between the micelles and the aqueous phase was 417, 610 and 1089, respectively, in the mole fraction unit. The pressure dependence of the partition coefficient was estimated from the depression of the critical micelle concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate by benzyl alcohol under high pressure up to 200 MPa. High pressure squeezed out benzyl alcohol molecules from the micelle until about 120 MPa, then started to squeeze in when the pressure was further increased. The volume change of benzyl alcohol by transfer from the aqueous to the micellar phase was calculated from the pressure dependence of the partition coefficient. The volume change, estimated from the thermodynamic argument, was 3.5 +/- 1.1 cm3.mol-1 at 298.15 K, which was in reasonable agreement with the partial molal volume change determined directly from the solution density measurements, 3.1 +/- 0.2 cm3.mol-1. Benzyl alcohol apparently solvates into the micelles close to surface without losing contact with the aqueous phase.

Molecular origin of biphasic response of main phase-transition temperature of phospholipid membranes to long-chain alcohols.

A statistical mechanical theory is proposed which explains the molecular mechanism of the nonlinear response of the phase-transition temperature of phospholipid vesicle membranes to added 1-alkanols. By assuming that the free energy of transfer of 1-alkanols from the aqueous phase to the membrane and the interaction energy between 1-alkanol molecules are linear functions of alkanol alkyl chain-length, the nonlinear behavior is explained in the Bragg-Williams approximation. For dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine vesicle membranes, the theory reveals a larger free energy of transfer of 1-alkanols from the aqueous phase to the solid-gel membrane than to the liquid-crystalline membrane when the number of carbon atoms of 1-alkanol exceeds 12. When the intermolecular interaction force between 1-alkanol molecules residing in the gel phase is stronger than the interaction force between those residing in the liquid-crystalline phase, the ligand effect is to tighten the lipid matrix structure, causing the transition temperature to rise. The interaction force is a quadratic function of 1-alkanol concentration; hence, the response of the transition temperature to the 1-alkanol concentration is nonlinear. At low concentrations of the long-chain 1-alkanols that predominantly elevate the transition temperature, this intermolecular interaction force is negligible. In this case, the entropic effect of the incorporated ligand molecules, which loosens the lipid matrix, predominates, and the transition temperature decreases. The biphasic action of long-chain 1-alkanols originates from the balance of these two opposing effects: entropy and intermolecular interaction.

High pressure antagonism of alcohol effects on the main phase-transition temperature of phospholipid membranes: biphasic response.

The combined effects of high pressure (up to 300 bar) and a homologous series of 1-alkanols (ethanol C2 to 1-tridecanol C13) were studied on the main phase-transition temperature of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) vesicle membranes. It is known that short-chain alkanols depress and long-chain alkanols elevate the main transition temperature. The crossover from depression to elevation occurs at the carbon-chain length about C10-C12 in DPPC vesicle membranes coinciding with the cutoff chain-length where anesthetic potency suddenly disappears. Alkanols shorter than C8 linearly decreased the transition temperature and high pressure antagonized the temperature depression. Alkanols longer than C10 showed biphasic dose-response curves. High pressure enhanced the biphasic response. In addition, alkanols longer than the cutoff length depressed the transition temperature under high pressure at the low concentration range. These non-anesthetic alkanols may manifest anesthetic potency under high pressure. At higher concentrations, the temperature elevatory effect was accentuated by pressure. This biphasic effect of long-chain alkanols is not related to the 'interdigitation' associated with short-chain alkanols. The increment of the transition temperature by pressure was 0.0242 K bar-1 in the absence of alkanols. The volume change of the transition was estimated to be 27.7 cm3 mol-1. This value stayed constant to the limit of the present study of 300 bar.

Interfacial preference of anesthetic action upon the phase transition of phospholipid bilayers and partition equilibrium of inhalation anesthetics between membrane and deuterium oxide.

The half-height linewidth (v 1/2) of the 1H-NMR spectra of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles changes abruptly at the phase transition temperature. In the absence of inhalation anesthetics, proton signals from the choline head group (hydrophilic interface) and acyl-chain tails (lipid core) change at the same temperature of 39.6 degrees C. The present study compared the effect of four inhalation anesthetics, i.e., methoxyflurane, chloroform, halothane and enflurane, upon the ligand-induced phase transition of phosphatidylcholine vesicle membranes at 37 degrees C. The anesthetics showed differential action upon the phase transition of the phospholipid vesicle membranes between the lipid core and the hydrophilic interface. The concentrations of anesthetics which induced the phase transition of the lipid core were about 2-fold greater than those required for the phase transition of the interfacial choline head groups. From the area under the proton signals of inhalation anesthetics in the NMR spectra, the maximum solubilities of methoxyflurane, chloroform and halothane in 2H2O at 37 degrees C were determined to be 0.671 . 10(-4), 2.637 . 10(-4) and 1.398 . 10(-4) (expressed as mole fractions), or 3.35, 13.17 and 6.98 mmol/1000 g 2H2O, respectively. The solubilities of the anesthetic vapor in 2H2O expressed as mole fractions according to Henry's law ere 9.586 . 10(-4), 6.432 . 10(-4) and 2.311 10(-4)/atm (1.013 . 10(5) Pa) partial pressure, respectively. The presence of phospholipid vesicles in 2H2O increased the solubility of the inhalation anesthetics. From difference between solubility in 2H2O and a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine vesicle suspension, the partition coefficients of methoxyflurane, chloroform and halothane between the phospholipid vesicle membranes and 2H2O were estimated. These values, calculated from the mole fractions, were 3364, 1660 and 3850, respectively at 37 degrees C.

Pressure-anesthetic antagonism on the phase separation of non-ionic surfactant micelles.

An aqueous solution of non-ionic surfactants becomes suddenly turbid when heated to a critical temperature, known as the cloud point, and concomitantly expands the volume. The volume expansion is caused by release of structured water molecules from the hydrophilic polyoxyethyelene moieties. Inhalation anesthetics decreased the cloud-point temperature of hexaoxyethylene dodecyl ether micelles. The concentrations of methoxyflurane, halothane and enflurane causing a 1 degree C depression of the cloud-point temperature were 0.51, 0.71 and 0.78 mmolal, respectively. Hydrostatic pressure increased the cloud-point temperature in the absence and presence of the anesthetics. The change of the apparent molal volume at the cloud point was estimated to be 2.2 cm3/mol in the absence of anesthetics. This value decreased in the presence of the anesthetics, dose dependently. The results indicate that the anesthetics favor dehydration of the hydrophilic surface of the non-ionic surfactant micelles.

Stopped-flow rapid kinetics of anesthetic-induced phase transition in phospholipid vesicle membranes: nonlocalized fluctuation.

Kinetics of the gel to liquid-crystalline phase transition of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine vesicle membrane was studied by the stopped-flow technique with turbidity detection. The observed change in turbidity was well characterized by a single-exponential decay curve with relaxation time in the millisecond range, although the existence of a faster process than the dead-time of the stopped-flow apparatus was inferred from the amplitude analysis. Relaxation times were determined as functions of 1-hexanol concentration and temperature just below phase transition. From the analysis based on the theories of nonequilibrium relaxation, it is concluded that the phase transition induced by 1-hexanol is governed by a nonlocalized fluctuation mechanism. The anesthetic-induced nonequilibrium state is unstable rather than metastable.