Structural characterization of strawberry pomace.

Strawberries are a nutrient dense food rich in vitamins, minerals, non-nutrient antioxidant phenolics, and fibers. Strawberry fiber bioactive structures are not well characterized and limited information is available about the interaction between strawberry fiber and phenolics. Therefore, we analyzed commercial strawberry pomace in order to provide a detailed carbohydrate structural characterization, and to associate structures with functions.

Effects of a Pleasant Natural Odor on Mood: No Influence of Age.

Certain fragrances significantly influence affective and cognitive states in humans as shown not only in the laboratory but also in natural outdoor settings. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of age on the relationship between a complex, natural odor and affective states, i.e.

Do ambient urban odors evoke basic emotions?

Fragrances, such as plant odors, have been shown to evoke autonomic response patterns associated with Ekman's (Ekman et al., 1983) basic emotions happiness, surprise, anger, fear, sadness, and disgust. Inducing positive emotions by odors in highly frequented public spaces could serve to improve the quality of life in urban environments.

Comparison of liquid-liquid partition, HS-SPME and static HS GC/MS analysis for the quantification of (-)-linalool in human whole blood samples.

The aim of this investigation was to develop a fast and convenient method for the determination of (-)-linalool in human whole blood to facilitate pharmacokinetic studies. Analytical protocols were elaborated for three different GC/MS sampling techniques, i.e.

The influence of essential oils on human vigilance.

Olfactory stimuli are used in aromatherapy to enhance mood, well-being and work efficiency. Nevertheless, the impact of fragrances on cognitive performance in humans is not well understood. The present investigation aimed to evaluate the effects of 1,8-cineol, jasmine absolute ether, linalyl acetate and peppermint essential oil on human vigilance performance.

The impact of natural odors on affective states in humans.

Laboratory studies have shown a significant influence of certain fragrances on affective as well as cognitive states in humans. The aim of the current study was to measure the relationship between complex, natural odors and affective states, that is, calmness, alertness, and mood, in the field. In 4 experiments, the emotional impact, intensity, and hedonics of complex, natural plant odors were assessed in 32 healthy human subjects and compared with control conditions involving a similar outdoor environment without the tested fragrant plants.

East Indian Sandalwood and alpha-santalol odor increase physiological and self-rated arousal in humans.

In Ayurvedic medicine, East Indian Sandalwood is an important remedy for the treatment of both somatic and mental disorders. In this investigation, the effects of inhalation of East Indian Sandalwood essential oil and its main compound, alpha-santalol, on human physiological parameters (blood oxygen saturation, respiration rate, eye-blink rate, pulse rate, skin conductance, skin temperature, surface electromyogram, and blood pressure) and self-ratings of arousal (alertness, attentiveness, calmness, mood, relaxation and vigor) were studied in healthy volunteers. Compared to either an odorless placebo or alpha-santalol, Sandalwood oil elevated pulse rate, skin conductance level, and systolic blood pressure.

Transdermal absorption of (-)-linalool induces autonomic deactivation but has no impact on ratings of well-being in humans.

Essential lavender oil has a long tradition as a mild sedative in herbal medicine. Relaxing effects after inhalation have also been demonstrated for one of its main constituents, (-)-linalool. The aim of the present investigation was to determine the effects of this monoterpenoid alcohol on human physiological parameters (blood oxygen saturation, breathing rate, eye-blink rate, pulse rate, skin conductance, skin temperature, surface electromyogram as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressure) and assessments of subjective well-being.

Evaluation of the effects of East Indian sandalwood oil and alpha-santalol on humans after transdermal absorption.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of East Indian sandalwood oil ( Santalum album, Santalaceae) and alpha-santalol on physiological parameters as well as on mental and emotional conditions in healthy human subjects after transdermal absorption. In order to exclude any olfactory stimulation, the inhalation of the fragrances was prevented by breathing masks. Eight physiological parameters, i.

Quaternary structure and function of transport proteins.

Membranes are important sites for the regulation of metabolic functions because they contain transport molecules, which often catalyze the first step in a pathway, and signal-transduction components, which allow the cell to communicate with the environment. Given the catalytic importance of transport proteins and their role in membrane stability, it is possible that oligomerization is used to regulate their function. This review evaluates knowledge of the functions that are associated with the oligomeric organization of secondary transport proteins, which are a major class of solute-translocation systems in all living species.

Oligomeric state of membrane transport proteins analyzed with blue native electrophoresis and analytical ultracentrifugation.

Blue native electrophoresis is used widely for the analysis of non-dissociated protein complexes with respect to composition, oligomeric state and molecular mass. However, the effects of detergent or dye binding on the mass and stability of the integral membrane proteins have not been studied. By comparison with analytical ultracentrifugation, we have evaluated whether the oligomeric state of membrane transport proteins is reflected reliably with blue native electrophoresis.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging of human olfaction.

Olfaction is our basic sense phylogenetically and embryologically. Little is known, however, about how the human brain encodes the quality of odors, odor-associated memories, and emotions. Olfactory information is projected from the olfactory bulb to the primary olfactory cortex, which is composed of the anterior olfactory nucleus, the olfactory tubercle, the piriform cortex, the amygdala, the periamygdaloid region, and the entorhinal cortex.

The lactose transport protein is a cooperative dimer with two sugar translocation pathways.

The Major Facilitator Superfamily lactose transport protein (LacS) undergoes reversible self-association in the detergent-solubilized state, and is present in the membrane as a dimer. We determined the functional unit for proton motive force (Deltap)-driven lactose uptake and lactose/methyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside equilibrium exchange in a proteoliposomal system in which a single cysteine mutant, LacS-C67, defective in Deltap-driven uptake, was co-reconstituted with fully functional cysteine-less protein, LacS-cl. From the quadratic relationship between the uptake activity and the ratio of LacS-C67/LacS-cl, we conclude that the dimeric state of LacS is required for Deltap-driven uptake.

Xyloside transport by XylP, a member of the galactoside-pentoside-hexuronide family.

This paper describes the functional characterization of the xyloside transporter, XylP, of Lactobacillus pentosus with the aid of a spectroscopy-based assay system. In order to monitor the transport reaction, the natural xyloside isoprimeverose, a building block of hemicellulose, and the analogue methyl-isoprimeverose were chemically synthesized by a new and efficient procedure. The XylP protein was purified by metal affinity chromatography, following high level expression in Lactococcus lactis from the nisin-inducible promoter.

Hierarchical control versus autoregulation of carbohydrate utilization in bacteria.

The involvement of phosphoeno/pyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase (PTS) proteins, like HPr and IIA(Glc), in the regulation of carbohydrate utilization has been well established in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The majority of the studies of PTS-mediated regulation have been concerned with the hierarchical control of carbohydrate utilization, which results in the preferential utilization of a particular carbohydrate from a mixture of substrates. The underlying mechanisms of PTS-mediated hierarchical control involve the inhibition of expression of other catabolic enzymes and transporters and/or the allosteric regulation of their activity, which prevents the transcriptional inducer to be formed or taken up into the cell.

Effects of chiral fragrances on human autonomic nervous system parameters and self-evaluation.

The effects of chiral fragrances (enantiomers of limonene and carvone) on the human autonomic nervous system (ANS) and on self-evaluation were studied in 20 healthy volunteers. Each fragrance was administered to each subject by inhalation using an A-A-B design. Individuals were tested in four separate sessions; in one session one fragrance was administered.

The influence of essential oils on human attention. I: alertness.

Scientific research on the effects of essential oils on human behavior lags behind the promises made by popular aromatherapy. Nearly all aspects of human behavior are closely linked to processes of attention, the basic level being that of alertness, which ranges from sleep to wakefulness. In our study we measured the influence of essential oils and components of essential oils [peppermint, jasmine, ylang-ylang, 1,8-cineole (in two different dosages) and menthol] on this core attentional function, which can be experimentally defined as speed of information processing.

A spectroscopic assay for the analysis of carbohydrate transport reactions.

A carbohydrate-transport assay was developed that does not require isotopically labelled substrates, but allows transport reactions to be followed spectrophotometrically. It makes use of a membrane system (hybrid membranes or proteoliposomes) bearing the transport system of interest, and a pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent aldose dehydrogenase [soluble glucose dehydrogenase (sGDH)] and the electron acceptor 2,6-dichloroindophenol (Cl2Ind) enclosed in the vesicle lumen. After transport across the vesicular membrane, the sugar is oxidized by sGDH.

Azide reduces the hydrophobic barrier of the bacteriorhodopsin proton channel.

The sensitivity of a nitroxide spin label to the polarity of its environment has been used to estimate the hydrophobic barrier of the proton channel of the transmembrane proton pump bacteriorhodopsin. By means of site-specific mutagenesis, single cysteine residues were introduced at 10 positions located at the protein surface, in the protein interior, and along the proton pathway. After reaction with a methanethiosulfonate spin label, the principle values of the hyperfine tensor A and the g-tensor were determined from electron paramagnetic resonance spectra measured at 170 K.

Mechanism of osmotic activation of the quaternary ammonium compound transporter (QacT) of Lactobacillus plantarum.

The accumulation of quaternary ammonium compounds in Lactobacillus plantarum is mediated via a single transport system with a high affinity for glycine betaine (apparent Km of 18 microM) and carnitine and a low affinity for proline (apparent Km of 950 microM) and other analogues. Mutants defective in the uptake of glycine betaine were generated by UV irradiation and selected on the basis of resistance to dehydroproline (DHP), a toxic proline analogue. Three independent DHP-resistant mutants showed reduced glycine betaine uptake rates and accumulation levels but behaved similarly to the wild type in terms of direct activation of uptake by high-osmolality conditions.