Host selection and potential predation in the host-parasite interaction between the isopod and freshwater host species.

is an ectoparasite commonly found on diverse ecologically and commercially valuable freshwater shrimps and prawns. Previous studies on this parasite have focused on its distribution and taxonomical identification, while its host preference and/or the potential predation in this host-parasite interaction remained poorly understood. In this study, we investigate the host preference and potential predation of the isopod using manipulative choice and predation experiments under laboratory settings.

Enzyme systems involved in glucosinolate metabolism in Companilactobacillus farciminis KB1089.

Cruciferous vegetables are rich sources of glucosinolates (GSLs). GSLs are degraded into isothiocyanates, which are potent anticarcinogens, by human gut bacteria. However, the mechanisms and enzymes involved in gut bacteria-mediated GSL metabolism are currently unclear.

Glucoraphanin Ameliorates Obesity and Insulin Resistance Through Adipose Tissue Browning and Reduction of Metabolic Endotoxemia in Mice.

Low-grade sustained inflammation links obesity to insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, therapeutic approaches to improve systemic energy balance and chronic inflammation in obesity are limited. Pharmacological activation of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) alleviates obesity and insulin resistance in mice; however, Nrf2 inducers are not clinically available owing to safety concerns.

Sulforaphane-rich broccoli sprout extract improves hepatic abnormalities in male subjects.

Aim: To evaluate effects of dietary supplementation of sulforaphane (SF)-rich broccoli sprout (BS) extract on hepatic abnormalities in Japanese male participants.

Methods: In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind trial, male participants with fatty liver received either BS capsules containing glucoraphanin [GR; a precursor of SF (n = 24)] or placebo (n = 28) for 2 mo. Liver function markers, serum levels of aspartate and alanine aminotransferases (AST and ALT, respectively) and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GTP) and an oxidative stress marker, urinary levels of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), were measured and compared in participants before and after the trial period.

Active zone protein Bassoon co-localizes with presynaptic calcium channel, modifies channel function, and recovers from aging related loss by exercise.

The P/Q-type voltage-dependent calcium channels (VDCCs) are essential for synaptic transmission at adult mammalian neuromuscular junctions (NMJs); however, the subsynaptic location of VDCCs relative to active zones in rodent NMJs, and the functional modification of VDCCs by the interaction with active zone protein Bassoon remain unknown. Here, we show that P/Q-type VDCCs distribute in a punctate pattern within the NMJ presynaptic terminals and align in three dimensions with Bassoon. This distribution pattern of P/Q-type VDCCs and Bassoon in NMJs is consistent with our previous study demonstrating the binding of VDCCs and Bassoon.