Anti-obesity and other health benefits of bioprocessed black rice bran in combination with green tea extract in 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cells and in mice on a high-fat diet.

Black rice bran, a waste product from the commercial milling of black rice that removes the bran and germ leaving the starchy endosperm, contains bioactive anthocyanin, phenolic, and phytosteroid compounds that may have health benefits. This study determined the effect of a polysaccharide-rich bioprocessed (fermented) black rice bran and a green tea extract individually and in combination on weight loss in orally fed mice on a high-fat diet and on concurrent changes in blood glucose and insulin as well as in cholesterol, triglyceride, and high-density and low-density lipoproteins (HDL and LDL). At the end of the eight-week feeding study, the combination diet resulted in a 67% lower weight gain than mice on a high-fat diet alone, a greater effect than that of bioprocessed black rice bran or green tea extract individually.

Edible algae (Ecklonia cava) bioprocessed with mycelia of shiitake (Lentinula edodes) mushrooms in liquid culture and its isolated fractions protect mice against allergic asthma.

Background: Ecklonia cava is an edible marine brown alga harvested from the ocean that is widely consumed in Asian countries as a health-promoting medicinal food The objective of the present study is to evaluate the anti-asthma mechanism of a new functional food produced by bioprocessing edible algae Ecklonia cava and shiitake Lentinula edodes mushroom mycelia and isolated fractions.

Methods: We used as series of methods, including high performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, cell assays, and an in vivo mouse assay to evaluate the asthma-inhibitory effect of Ecklonia cava bioprocessed (fermented) with Lentinula edodes shiitake mushroom mycelium and its isolated fractions in mast cells and in orally fed mice.

Results: The treatments inhibited the degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells and immunoglobulin E (IgE) production, suggesting anti-asthma effects in vitro.

Association of gene polymorphisms with rheumatoid arthritis.

The ultraviolet radiation resistance-associated gene (UVRAG) protein binds to the Beclin 1/PI3-kinase III complex and promotes autophagy. Autophagy may be upregulated by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Persistent and excessive ER stress may alter synovial fibroblast apoptosis and this alteration may affect the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Fabrication of hollow palladium spheres and their successful application to the recyclable heterogeneous catalyst for suzuki coupling reactions.

Novel palladium hollow spheres were synthesized using silica spheres as a template, and they were successfully applied as recyclable heterogeneous catalysts for Suzuki cross coupling reactions.