Combined Ingestion of Tea Catechin and Citrus ß-Cryptoxanthin Improves Liver Function via Adipokines in Chronic Obesity.

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of obese individuals, which has elevated the risk of related diseases. Although several studies have been performed to develop a definitive treatment for obesity, no solution has yet been achieved. Recent evidence suggests that tea catechins possess antiobesity effects; however, an impractical amount of catechin may be required to achieve antiobesity effects in humans. Moreover, studies are yet to elucidate the effects of the combined treatment of tea catechins with other substances. Here, we investigated the synergistic effects of catechins and ß-cryptoxanthin in high-calorie diet-induced mice. Combined treatment with catechins and ß-cryptoxanthin significantly suppressed obesity-induced weight gain and adipocyte size and area, restoring serum parameters to normal. Additionally, combined treatment with catechins and ß-cryptoxanthin suppressed inflammatory responses in adipocytes, restored adiponectin levels to normal, protected the liver against obesity-induced damage, and restored normal liver function. Moreover, activin E level was restored to normal, possibly affecting the energy metabolism of brown adipocytes. Overall, these results suggest that the combined ingestion of tea catechins and ß-cryptoxanthin was not only effective against obesity but may also help to prevent obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Anti-Obesity and Anti-Inflammatory Synergistic Effects of Green Tea Catechins and Citrus ß-Cryptoxanthin Ingestion in Obese Mice.

Chronic obesity causes various diseases, leading to an urgent need for its treatment and prevention. Using monosodium-glutamate-induced obesity mice, the present study investigated the synergistic obesity-reducing effects of tea catechins and the antioxidant ß-cryptoxanthin present in mandarin oranges. The results show that the obese mice that ingested both tea catechin and ß-cryptoxanthin for 4 weeks had a significantly decreased body weight, with no difference in body weight compared with control mice. Moreover, the blood biochemical test results were normal, and the body fat percentage was significantly decreased according to the histopathological analysis. Additionally, the abundance of M1 macrophages, which release pro-inflammatories, was significantly reduced in adipose tissue. Indeed, a significant decrease was detected in M1-macrophage-secreted tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels. Meanwhile, M2 macrophage levels were recovered, and adiponectin, which is released from adipocytes and involved in suppressing metabolic syndrome, was increased. Collectively, these results suggest that the combination of tea catechins and antioxidant foods can alleviate chronic obesity, indicating that a combination of various ingredients in foods might contribute to reducing chronic obesity.

Visualizing interface-specific chemical bonds in adhesive bonding of carbon fiber structural composites using soft X-ray microscopy.

Adhesion is a technology for assembling carbon fiber (CF) reinforced polymer (CFRP), enabling them to maintain their lightweight and high-stiffness properties. Despite the importance of adhesion, the lack of a molecular-level understanding of the adhesion mechanisms has limited the reliability of adhesion for use in next-generation aircraft and automobiles. Here, we focused on the chemical-state distribution at a practical adhesive interface composed of an epoxy-based adhesive film bonded to an epoxy-based CF matrix. By fluorinating the OH group, we succeeded in visualizing the chemical state at the CF-matrix/adhesive interface using soft X-ray microscopy. The soft X-ray images exhibited a decrease in OH-related signals at the interface due to the local chemical interaction at the epoxy-epoxy adhesive interface. We also found that the N and O Kα signals were observable at the CF's surface, indicating the presence of nitrogen- and oxygen-containing functional groups. Based on these observations, we discuss the molecular-level adhesion mechanism at the CF-matrix/adhesive interface.

Development of On-Site Medical System for Mass-Gathering Events During TOKYO 2020: Vulnerability Analysis Using Healthcare Failure Mode and Effect Analysis.

At mass-gathering events of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, a well-organized, on-site medical system is essential. This study evaluated the vulnerabilities of the prehospital medical system of the TOKYO 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOKYO2020) to propose corrections that can be generalized to other mass gatherings. The healthcare failure mode and effect analysis (HFMEA) was adopted to analyze vulnerabilities of the on-site medical system proposed by the organizing committee of TOKYO2020. Processes from detecting a patient on the scene to completing transport to a hospital were analyzed. Ten processes with 47 sub-processes and 122 possible failure modes were identified. HFMEA revealed 9 failure modes as vulnerabilities: misidentification of patient, delayed immediate care at the scene, misjudgment of disposition from the on-site medical suite, and inappropriate care during transportation to hospital. Proposed corrections included surveillance to decrease blind spots, first aid brochures for spectators, and uniform protocol for health care providers at the scene. The on-site medical system amended by HFMEA seemed to work appropriately in TOKYO2020.

Simulation Study of the Effects of Interfacial Bonds on Adhesion and Fracture Behavior of Epoxy Resin Layers.

The adhesion and fracture behavior of tetraglycidyl-4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane (TGDDM)/4,4'-diaminodiphenyl sulfone (44DDS)-bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (DGEBA)/44DDS layer interfaces were investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, mainly focusing on the role of covalent and noncovalent interactions. To accurately investigate the bond dissociation processes, the force field parameters of several bond potentials of the epoxy resin polymers were optimized by density functional theory calculations. In the MD simulations under a tensile load, small voids gradually developed without covalent bond dissociation in the plateau region. In the final large strain region, the stress rapidly increased with bond breaking, leading to failure. When the chemical bonds across the interface between the two layers were removed, the stress-strain curve in the initial elastic region was almost the same as that with interfacial bonds. This showed that the nonbonded interactions governed adhesion strength in the initial elastic region. In contrast, the bonded interactions at interfaces played important roles in the hardening regions because the bonded interactions made the major contribution to the fracture energies. We also investigated the effect of the etherification reaction in cross-linking. It was found that the etherification reaction mainly contributed to the behavior in the late region with large strain. These simulation results revealed that the nonbonded interactions, especially, van der Waals interactions, are important factors for adhesion of the different polymer layers in the small strain region up to the yield point.

Hydration structure of CO2-absorbed 2-aminoethanol studied by neutron diffraction with the 14N/15N isotopic substitution method.

Neutron diffraction measurements were carried out for CO2-absorbed aqueous 11 mol % 2-aminoethanol (MEA) D2O solutions (corresponding to 30 wt % MEA solution) in order to obtain information on both the intramolecular structure and intermolecular hydration structure of the MEA carbamate molecule in the aqueous solution. Neutron scattering cross sections observed for (MEA)0.11(D2O)0.89, (MEA)0.11(D2O)0.89(CO2)0.06, and (MEA)0.11(D2O)0.89(DCl)0.11 solutions with different (14)N/(15)N ratios were used to derive the first-order difference function, ΔN(Q), which involves environmental structural information around the nitrogen atom of the MEA molecule. Intramolecular geometry and intermolecular hydration structure of MEA, protonated MEA (MEAD(+)), and MEA carbamate (MEA-CO2) molecules were obtained through the least-squares fitting of the observed Δ(N)(Q) in the high-Q region and the intermolecular difference function, Δ(N)(inter)(Q), respectively. In the aqueous solution, the MEA molecule takes the gauche conformation (dihedral angle, ∠NCCO = 45 ± 3°), suggesting that an intramolecular hydrogen bond is formed. On the other hand, values of the dihedral angle ∠NCCO determined for MEAD(+) and MEA-CO2 molecules were 193 ± 4° and 214 ± 8°, respectively. These results imply that the intermolecular hydrogen bonds are dominated for MEAD(+) and MEA-CO2 molecules. The intermolecular nearest neighbor N···O(D2O) distance for the MEA molecule was determined to be 3.13 ± 0.01 Å, which suggests weak intermolecular interaction between the amino-nitrogen atom of MEA and water molecules in the first hydration shell. The nearest-neighbor N···O(D2O) distances for MEAD(+) and MEA-CO2 molecules, 2.79 ± 0.03 and 2.87 ± 0.04 Å, clearly indicate strong hydrogen bonds are formed among the amino group of these molecules and neighboring water molecules.

Adsorption of various antimicrobial agents to endotoxin removal polymyxin-B immobilized fiber (Toraymyxin®). Part 2: Adsorption of two drugs to Toraymyxin PMX-20R cartridges.

In our previous study, the degree of adsorption of 9 representative antimicrobial agents to Toraymyxin(®) PMX-F sheets was quantitatively evaluated. As a result, the adsorption rate was 22.1% for Linezolid in the presence of serum. Therefore, we investigated whether two types of antimicrobial agents (Ciprofroxacin and Linezolid) can be better adsorbed on PMX-F sheets. When the number of PMX-F sheets was increased in a step wise manner, specifically 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12, the adsorption rate increased linearly. In addition, the adsorption to polymyxin-B immobilized fiber (Toraymyxin(®) PMX-20R) cartridges, widely used to remove endotoxins from circulating blood in the treatment of sepsis, was quantitatively evaluated. As a result, in the presence of serum, Linezolid showed adsorption to PMX-20R, and the adsorption rate after 2h was 54.5%, and that after 4h was 65.8%. The results of this study suggest the necessity of monitoring blood antimicrobial concentration during treatment for sepsis with Linezolid, which showed adsorption to PMX-20R in an environment close to a clinical environment.

Adsorption of various antimicrobial agents to endotoxin removal polymyxin-B immobilized fiber (Toraymyxin®).

The presence/absence of adsorption of 9 representative types of antimicrobial agent used in combination with a polymyxin-B immobilized fiber (PMX-F) were determined and the degree of adsorption to PMX-F was quantitatively evaluated. Various antimicrobial agents were dissolved at appropriate concentrations, and PMX-F was added to each solution and incubated at 37°C. Antimicrobial solutions without PMX-F were also similarly incubated as controls. After 2 and 4h, the concentration of each antimicrobial agent was determined using HPLC. To produce an environment closer to the in vivo state, albumin or serum was added, and similar evaluation was performed. In the presence of albumin, the rate of adsorption to PMX-F was relatively high for Cefmetazon(®), Pentcillin(®), Ciproxan(®) and Zyvox(®). In the presence of serum, the adsorption rate was 4.02±2.83% for Pentcillin(®), 5.59±1.00% for Ciproxan(®), and 22.12±3.23% for Zyvox(®). The results of this study suggest that adequate caution is necessary on the clinical use of Zyvox(®), which was adsorbed in the presence of serum as an environment close to the in vivo environment, but the use of other antimicrobial agents in combination with PMX-F may have only slight influences on adsorption to PMX-F.

Corrigendum to "The most appropriate storage method in unit-dose package and correlation between color change and decomposition rate of aspirin tablets".

The most appropriate method to preserve Bufferin 81-mg tablets dispensed for unit-dose packaging in the hospital pharmacy was examined. The surface color change of the tablets was investigated over time by spectrophotometry, and the decomposition rate of aspirin was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). To overcome these, it was found that we can effectively prevent color changes and preserve the quality by maintaining the humidity as 55% or less, storage with drying agent in a plastic or aluminum pack. It was revealed that the color changes became greater and the decomposition rate became higher as time passed. Color changes markedly affect the patients' compliance, and are found to be a very important factor. It was considered that the clarity of the correlation between the color change and decomposition rate may contribute to a decrease in the number of tablets discarded before the expiration date.

The most appropriate storage method in unit-dose package and correlation between color change and decomposition rate of aspirin tablets.

The most appropriate method to preserve Bufferin 81-mg tablets dispensed for unit-dose packaging in the hospital pharmacy was examined. The surface color change of the tablets was investigated over time by spectrophotometry, and the decomposition rate of aspirin was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). To overcome these, it was found that we can effectively prevent color changes and preserve the quality by maintaining the humidity as 55% or less, storage with drying agent in a plastic or aluminum pack. It was revealed that the color changes became greater and the decomposition rate became higher as time passed. Color changes markedly affect the patients' compliance, and are found to be a very important factor. It was considered that the clarity of the correlation between the color change and decomposition rate may contribute to a decrease in the number of tablets discarded before the expiration date.

Comparison of Elisa- and LC-MS-Based Methodologies for the Exposure Assessment of Bisphenol A.

Several types of methods, mainly liquid chromatography (LC), have been used for the analysis and assessment of bisphenol A (BPA) in human biological samples. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is also being used for BPA measurement. In this study, we verified whether ELISA is suitable for measuring human samples, namely, serum and urine, by comparing the ELISA results with those obtained by liquid chromatography with multichannel colometric electrochemical detection (LC/ECD) and liquid chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer (LC/MS/MS). Results of the measurement with LC/ECD showed urinary BPA concentrations to be 1.92 [1.45] +/- 1.99 (mean [median] +/- standard deviation) ng BPA/mL without the correction of urine volume and 1.20 [0.90] +/- 1.10 mug BPA/g creatinine; however, in serum, free and total BPA were not detected. In both samples, a good correlation of the values with the methods was not found. ELISA is one of the powerful measurement methods, since it is convenient and useful for screening bulk quantities. At this point, however, ELISA is not suitable for BPA measurement in human samples because of low levels of BPA in human samples, matrix effect, and specificity of anti-BPA antibody.