Changes in the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fecal pellets of Marphysa sp. E and reduced mud in the Yoro tidal flat, Japan.

Marphysa sp. E (Annelida, Eunicidae), inhabiting the Yoro tidal flat (inner part of Tokyo Bay, Japan), ingests reduced mud comprising black and high viscosity sediments that contain high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); these PAHs are excreted within the fecal pellets. PAH concentration in the fecal pellets rapidly decrease to half its quantity 2 h after its excretion.

The effect of pioneer carrion beetles on the emission of volatile organic compounds and carrion insect community assembly.

Mechanisms of carrion insect succession have been interpreted separately from interspecific interactions between early and later colonists or from changes in volatile organic compounds perceived by insects resulting from the progression of decomposition. To link these perspectives, we examined through laboratory and field experiments whether the modification of volatile organic compounds by early colonists could be a mechanism of succession. In the laboratory experiment, we used (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) as an early colonist and examined its effects on the emissions of important volatile attractants for carrion insects, dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) and dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS) from carcasses.

Sources of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Fecal Pellets of a Species (Annelida: Eunicidae) in the Yoro Tidal Flat, Japan.

The fecal pellets of sp. E sensu Abe et al. (2019) (Annelida, Eunicidae) living in the Yoro tidal flat (Ichihara, Chiba, Japan) contain high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and the concentrations rapidly decrease over time.

Fluorescence Enhancement of Ethanolic Solution of Nitroarenes and Its Analytical Application.

When ethanolic solutions of 1-nitropyrene (1-NP) and 3-nitrobenzanthorone (3-NBA) were irradiated with intense light, which they absorb, for several minutes, the fluorescence characteristics of the solutions were significantly changed. After such preliminary irradiation, the fluorescence intensity of 1-NP increased immediately by a factor of 10 with a blue shift of 100 nm and that of 3-NBA 700 with a red shift of 10 nm. The findings were applied to high performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector so that the two nitroarenes could be quantitatively analyzed by preliminary irradiation of their solutions before measurements.

Valproic acid and ASK1 deficiency ameliorate optic neuritis and neurodegeneration in an animal model of multiple sclerosis.

Optic neuritis, which is an acute inflammatory demyelinating syndrome of the central nervous system, is one of the major complications in multiple sclerosis (MS). Herein, we investigated the therapeutic potential of valproic acid (VPA) on optic neuritis in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model of MS. EAE was induced in C57BL/6 mice by immunization with MOG and VPA (300mg/kg) was administered via intraperitoneal injection once daily from day 3 postimmunization until the end of the experimental period (day 28).

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Sediments and Bivalves on the Pacific Coast of Japan: Influence of Tsunami and Fire.

Surface sediments and at least one edible bivalve species (Ruditapes philippinarum, Mytilus galloprovincialis, and Crassostrea gigas) were collected from each of seven intertidal sites in Japan in 2013. The sites had experienced varying levels of tsunami and fire disturbance following the major earthquake of 2011. Eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were identified and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Separation of parabens on a zirconia-based stationary phase in superheated water chromatography.

A superheated water chromatography (SWC) method for the separation of alkyl esters of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (parabens) using a zirconia-based stationary phase was developed and applied to real sample analysis. First, the SWC system was optimized in terms of the proper length of the preheating coil for establishing thermal equilibration of the mobile phase entering the column at the oven temperature. Next, the effect of the column temperature on the retention was investigated at 100-180°C.

Destruxin E decreases Beta-amyloid generation by reducing colocalization of beta-amyloid-cleaving enzyme 1 and beta-amyloid protein precursor.

Alzheimer-disease-associated beta-amyloid (Abeta) is produced by sequential endoproteolysis of beta-amyloid protein precursor (betaAPP): the extracellular portion is shed by cleavage in the juxtamembrane region by beta-amyloid-cleaving enzyme (BACE)/beta-secretase, after which it is cleaved by presenilin (PS)/gamma-secretase near the middle of the transmembrane domain. Thus, inhibition of either of the secretases reduces Abeta generation and is a fundamental strategy for the development of drugs to prevent Alzheimer disease. However, it is not clear how small compounds reduce Abeta production without inhibition of the secretases.

Characterization and determination of linear alkylbenzenesulfonates in environmental water samples by high-performance liquid chromatography with a hydrophilic polymer column and electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detection.

A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) method was developed for the separation and determination of linear alkylbenzenesulfonates (C10-C14 LAS) in environmental water samples using a hydrophilic polymer column (Shodex Mspak GF-310 4D). This method involves a solid-phase extraction of the LAS samples with a Sep-Pak PS-2 cartridge. The LAS components were separated on the column with a mobile phase of 29% (w/v) acetonitrile-water containing 0.