A new secoiridoid glucoside from .

A new phenolic glucoside (), olerikaside, and other known secoiridoid glucosides [oleuropein (), demethyl oleuropein (), oleoside 11-methyl ester (), oleoside 7, 11-dimethyl ester (), 7-β-D-glucopyranosyl 11-methyl oleoside (), secoxyloganin (), ilicifolioside B (), hydroxytyrosol (), and hydroxytyrosol glucosides ()] were isolated from unprocessed olive fruits of cv. "Lucca". The chemical structure of olerikaside () was clarified based on spectroscopy and chemical analysis data.

Hypericum perforatum extract and hyperforin inhibit the growth of neurotropic parasite Toxoplasma gondii and infection-induced inflammatory responses of glial cells in vitro.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Hypericum perforatum L. has been widely used as a natural antidepressant. However, it is unknown whether it is effective in treating infection-induced neuropsychiatric disorders.

Hypericum erectum alcoholic extract inhibits Toxoplasma growth and Entamoeba encystation: an exploratory study on the anti-protozoan potential.

Hypericum erectum is an important ethnobotanical medicine in East Asian tradition. To explore the anti-parasitic potential of H. erectum, inhibitory effects on the growth of intracellular parasite Toxoplasma and on the encystation of intestinal parasite Entamoeba were examined.

Ferulic-Acid Esters of Oligo-glucose from A-ilium macrostemon.

Two new ferulic acid esters of oligo-glucose, 1-Ο-(E)-feruloyl-β--D-gentiobioside (1) and 1-Ο-(E)feruloyl-{β-D-glucopyranosy (1->6)-[β-D-glucopyranosyl (I--2)]}-β-D-glucopyranoside.(allimacronoid D, 2) were isolated together with 1-Ο-(E)-feruloyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (3) and trans-ferulic acid (4) from the leaves of Allium macrostemon Bunge. The chemical structures were elucidated based on the analyses of the spectroscopic and chemical data.

Red/Far Red Light Controls Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Colonization via Jasmonic Acid and Strigolactone Signaling.

Establishment of a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis between legumes and rhizobia not only requires sufficient photosynthate, but also the sensing of the ratio of red to far red (R/FR) light. Here, we show that R/FR light sensing also positively influences the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis of a legume and a non-legume through jasmonic acid (JA) and strigolactone (SL) signaling. The level of AM colonization in high R/FR light-grown tomato and Lotus japonicus significantly increased compared with that determined for low R/FR light-grown plants.

Structural relaxation of vapor-deposited molecular glasses and supercooled liquids.

Molecular glasses prepared by vapor deposition have been revealed in recent years to have properties which the glasses prepared by ordinary liquid-quenching methods do not have. Thus the vapor-deposition method of material preparation has attracted increasing attention in the context of its possible application in manufacturing functional organic devices. The remarkable nature of vapor-deposited molecular glasses is that their properties depend very much on the deposition temperature and deposition rate.

Molar volumes of ethylcyclohexane and butyronitrile glasses resulting from vapor deposition: dependence on deposition temperature and comparison to alkylbenzenes.

Molar volumes (Vm) of vapor-deposited ethylcyclohexane (ECH) and butyronitrile (BN, sometimes called butanenitrile) glasses were studied as a function of deposition temperature (Td). ECH glasses deposited at Td sufficiently below their glass-transition temperature (Tg) exhibited changes in Vm on heating similarly to alkylbenzenes. At Td close to Tg, ECH formed dense glasses as alkylbenzenes do, although these glasses were only slightly more dense than its supercooled liquid (SCL) states at the same temperatures.

New phenolic compounds from Camellia sinensis L. fermented leaves.

Two new phenolic compounds (1 and 2, named as teasperol and teasperin, respectively) were isolated from fermented tea (Camellia sinensis L.) products, together with known phenolic compounds. Teasperol (1) was isolated from Chinese traditional post-fermented tea leaves (Liu-pao tea) and teasperin (2) was from a Japanese tea product which was selectively fermented with Aspergillus sp.

Nonequilibrium and relaxation in deeply supercooled liquid of isopropylbenzene obtained through glass transition from vapor-deposited glass.

Change in the light interference in film samples of isopropylbenzene was studied in the supercooled liquid (SCL) state. Samples were originally formed as glass by vapor deposition on a cold substrate and the intensity of laser light reflection from them was monitored as the temperature was raised with a constant rate up to the region of the SCL state above the glass-transition temperature. Two types of periodic changes in the light intensity were observed in the SCL state.

Character of devitrification, viewed from enthalpic paths, of the vapor-deposited ethylbenzene glasses.

Enthalpic path and enthalpy-relaxation rates of ethylbenzene glasses prepared by vapor deposition at various temperatures, T(D), were examined on heating intermittently with a high-precision adiabatic calorimeter. It was confirmed that when T(D) is in the range 0.79-0.

Protective effects of fractional extracts from Panellus serotinus on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in obese, diabetic db/db mice.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is emerging as the most common liver disease in industrialised countries. Various mushrooms have been used in Eastern folk medicine for the treatment of lifestyle diseases. We previously found that the dietary intake of powdered whole Panellus serotinus (Mukitake) alleviates NAFLD in obese, diabetic db/db mice.

Enhancement of Structural fluctuation in the region connecting two kinds of critical points in temperature-pressure-composition three-dimensional phase diagram: Raman studies of benzene/CO2 binary systems up to supercritical region.

Pressure dependence of Raman spectra of benzene/CO2 two-component systems was systematically studied at different temperatures and compositions. We estimated the magnitude of inhomogeneous component in Raman bandwidth to get information on the structural fluctuation in the system. It was found that the inhomogeneous bandwidth attains a maximum on an isothermal plane in the temperature-pressure-composition three-dimensional phase diagram when the state point crosses the line connecting the region where the density fluctuation is large (the vicinity of the critical point of neat CO2) and the region where the concentration fluctuation in a binary system is enhanced (the vicinity of the critical solution point).