Country and Gender Differences in the Color Association with Energy Drinks: A Survey in Taiwanese and Japanese Students.

This study investigated differences in the color association with energy drinks between two populations in different cultures, i.e., Taiwanese and Japanese. An anonymous, self-administered paper questionnaire was administered to first- and second-year students at National Taiwan Normal University (Taiwan) and Naragakuen University (Japan). In our inter-country, gender-stratified comparison, the color selected most often in response to the question, "What color comes to your mind for energy drink label?" was red for the Taiwanese and blue for the Japanese. The color associations with energy drinks selected by 20% or more participants in at least one population and showing statistical difference were extracted as noticeable difference. The present study demonstrates that the color and energy drink functions are closely associated. Specifically, yellow and nourishment, black and stimulant, yellow and vitamin supplement, green and dietary fiber supplement, and red and iron supplement are tightly associated regardless of the country. The strong tie between cosmetic and white is specific to the Taiwanese consumers. This suggests that careful color selection based on consumers' environmental and cultural backgrounds is important in communicating information regarding energy drink functions. It would be worth for energy drink manufacturers to consider those associations in designing labels for products.

Sonodynamically-induced Anticancer Effects of Polyethylene Glycol-Modified Carbon Nano Tubes.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Sonodynamic cancer therapy is based on the preferential uptake and/or retention of a sonosensitizing drug (sonosensitizer) in tumor tissues and the subsequent activation of the drug by ultrasound irradiation. In the present study, we investigated the sonodynamically-induced antitumoral effect with functionalized carbon nanotubes, such as poly-ethylene glycol-modified carbon nanotubes (PEG-modified CNTs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Antitumor effects were evaluated using histological observation and assessing tumor growth following sonodynamic exposure to PEG-modified CNTs. RESULTS: The combined treatment of 100 µM PEG-modified CNT and ultrasound induced a 2-fold cytotoxicity. Sodium azide, which quenches singlet oxygen, significantly inhibited ultrasonication induced cell damage in the presence of PEG-modified CNTs. This suggests that singlet oxygen produced by the combined use of PEG-modified CNTs and ultrasound is involved in the induction of antitumoral effects. The destruction of tumor tissue was observed with the ultrasonic treatment in combination with PEG-modified CNTs, while neither the treatment with PEG-modified CNTs alone nor ultrasound alone caused any necrosis. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that PEG-modified CNT functions as a sonosensitizer and is effective for sonochemical treatment of solid tumors.

Induction of Apoptosis by Functionalized Fullerene-based Sonodynamic Therapy in HL-60 cells.

Ultrasound has been widely utilized for medical diagnosis and therapy due to its ability to penetrate deep-seated tissue with less attenuation of energy and minimal undesirable side-effects. Functionalized fullerenes, such as polyhydroxy fullerene (PHF), have attracted particular attention due to their water solubility and potential application in tumor imaging and therapy as carbon nanomaterials. The present study investigated sonodynamically-induced apoptosis using PHF. Cell suspensions were treated with 2-MHz continuous ultrasound in the presence of PHF for 3 min and apoptosis was assessed by cell morphology using confocal microscopy, fragmentation of DNA (ladder pattern after agarose-gel electrophoresis) and caspase-3 activation. Cells were ultrasound-irradiated from the bottom of the culture dishes under the following condition: frequency, 2 MHz; output power, 3 W/cm(2) Electron spin resonance was used to measure reactive oxygen species. The number of apoptotic cells after sonodynamic exposure (ultrasound and PHF) was significantly higher than produced from other treatments, such as ultrasound alone and PHF alone. Furthermore, DNA fragmentation, caspase-3 activation and enhanced 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyloxy (4oxoTEMPO) formation were observed in the sonodynamically-treated cells. Histidine, a well-known reactive oxygen scavenger, significantly inhibited sonodynamically-induced apoptosis, caspase-3 activation and 4oxoTEMPO formation. Sonodynamic therapy with PHF induced apoptosis that was characterized by a series of typical morphological features, such as shrinkage of the cell and fragmentation into membrane-bound apoptotic bodies, in HL-60 cells. The significant inhibition of sonodynamically-induced apoptosis, caspase-3 activation, and 4oxoTEMPO formation due to histidine and tryptophan suggests that reactive oxygen species, such as singlet oxygen, are involved in the sonodynamic induction of apoptosis. These findings indicate that PHF-mediated sonodynamic therapy can trigger caspase-dependent apoptosis and oxidative injury, thus possibly playing a vital role in apoptotic signaling cascades.

Sonodynamically-induced anticancer effects by functionalized fullerenes.

BACKGROUND: Functionalized fullerenes, such as polyhydroxy fullerenes (PHF), have attracted particular attention due to their water solubility and their potential application in tumor imaging and therapy as carbon nanomaterials. In this study, the sonodynamically-induced antitumor effect of PHF was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sonodynamically-induced antitumor effects of PHF in combination with ultrasound were investigated using isolated sarcoma 180 cells and solid tumor from colon 26 carcinoma cells. RESULTS: The cell damage induced by sonication was enhanced by two-fold in the presence of 80 µM PHF. Histidine significantly inhibited this enhancement. This inhibitory effect suggests that the sonodynamically-induced antitumor effect was mediated by sonodynamically-generated reactive oxygen species. The combined treatment of ultrasonic exposure with PHF suppressed the growth of implanted colon 26 tumors. The destruction of tumor tissue was observed with the ultrasonic treatment in combination with PHF, while neither the treatment with PHF alone nor that with ultrasound alone caused necrosis. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that PHF is a potential sonosensitizer for sonodynamic treatment of solid tumors.

Effects of acetaldehyde on action potentials and Ca2+ currents in single atrial myocytes from the bullfrog.

AIM: The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of acetaldehyde on the contractile force and membrane potentials and currents in the bullfrog heart. METHODS: Contractile force was recorded using right atrial tissues, and membrane potentials and currents were measured by using whole cell patch clamp methods in right atrial myocytes. RESULTS: Acetaldehyde at 500 µmol/l and 1 mmol/l increased the contractile force significantly. Acetaldehyde at 300 and 500 µmol/l increased the overshoot and the plateau of electrically induced action potentials in a concentration-dependent and reversible manner, while the resting membrane potential did not change. The duration of the action potential (APD(90)) measured at the 90% repolarization level was shortened. The L-type Ca(2+) current (I(Ca)) increased significantly when 300 and 500 µmol/l were applied. The fast transient inward current, the inward rectifying potassium current and the outward delayed-rectifier potassium current were not changed following acetaldehyde application (500 µmol/l or 1 mmol/l). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that acetaldehyde increased the I(Ca), thereby increased the contractile force, the overshoot and the plateau of action potentials. The shortening of APD(90) may be due to the acceleration of the current decay during the I(Ca) inactivation phase.

Potential of D-cycloserine in the treatment of behavioral and neuroinflammatory disorders in Parkinson's disease and studies that need to be performed before clinical trials.

Hyperactivation of glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors has been implicated in the excitotoxicity and pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). NMDA receptor blockers have been used clinically to treat dementia, but their efficacy is controversial. Modulation of NMDA receptors might improve neuroinflammation and cognitive deficits in PD. D-cycloserine (DCS), a partial agonist binding to the glycine binding site of NMDA receptors, has been demonstrated to improve cognitive function in primates and rodents. Our previous study showed that DCS can reduce motor, emotional, and cognitive dysfunctions, as well as neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in a PD animal model and may therefore have potential for the treatment of neuroinflammation and cognitive dysfunction in patients with PD. In addition, increased expression of cyclooxygenase type-2 (COX-2) has been observed in dopaminergic neurons and activated microglia in the brain of both PD patients and PD animal models. COX-2 inhibitors can suppress activation of microglia and protect dopaminergic neurons from degeneration. Thus, a combination of DCS and COX-2 inhibitors might prove useful in suppressing neuroinflammation and cognitive deficits in PD.