Effect of Powdered Morus australis Leaves on Arterial Stiffness Response after Sucrose Ingestion in Healthy Young Men: A Pilot Study.

Acute arterial stiffening occurs during postprandial hyperglycemia. Such vascular responses are suggested to be averted by suppressing the postprandial glycemic response. We previously developed an α-glucosidase-inhibiting tea powder from the leaves of Morus australis (M.

Expression of Recombinant Human α-Glucosidase in HEK293 Cells.

In mammals, intestinal α-glucosidase exists as a maltase-glucoamylase complex (MGAM) and a sucrase-isomaltase complex (SI). In this study, we transiently expressed human MGAM and SI in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells. At pH 6.

Asymmetric genetic population structures at the range edges of a mangrove whelk.

Many marine species are distributed across incredibly wide geographical ranges spanning thousands of kilometers often due to movement along prevailing ocean currents. However, data are lacking on genetic connectivity among populations of such widespread species within or among ecoregions, possibly due to the lack of appropriate datasets. In this study, we investigated the genetic structure of populations of the mangrove whelk, Terebralia palustris, using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences.

Use of human Caco-2 cells and HPAE-PAD for α-glucosidase assay.

To measure α-glucosidase activity, rat intestinal acetone powder is commonly used as a source of α-glucosidase, and the mutarotase-glucose oxidase (GOD) methods commonly used to quantitate glucose produced by enzymatic hydrolysis of the substrates. In this study, we compared human Caco-2 cell extracts with rat intestinal acetone powder extracts. We also compared high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAE-PAD) with the mutarotase-GOD method.

Fecal DNA analysis coupled with the sighting records re-expanded a known distribution of dugongs in Ryukyu Islands after half a century.

DNA analysis of large herbivore feces samples collected from seagrass beds at two distant sites (Irabu Island in Miyako Islands and Kushi in Okinawa Island) in the Ryukyu Islands proved that some of these feces were from dugongs, which had been treated in recent studies as extinct in this region since the last stranding of a deceased individual in 2019. In addition, local knowledge of sightings of animals thought to be dugongs and confirmed cases of dugong feeding trails since 2010 were compiled to estimate its recent distribution. This is the first scientific report on the presence of this mammal in the Ryukyu Islands within the last four years, and particularly in the Miyako Islands within the last half-century.

A Basic Study of the Effects of Mulberry Leaf Administration to Healthy C57BL/6 Mice on Gut Microbiota and Metabolites.

Mulberry leaves contain α-glucosidase inhibitors, which have hypoglycemic effects and are considered functional foods. However, few reports have covered the effects of mulberry leaf components on normal gut microbiota and gut metabolites. Herein, gut microbiota analysis and NMR-based metabolomics were performed on the feces of mulberry leaf powder (MLP)-treated mice to determine the effects of long-term MLP consumption.

Molecular Phylogeny and Taxonomy of the Coral Genus (Cnidaria, Scleractinia, Merulinidae) in Japan, With the First Records of Two Species.

The scleractinian coral genus is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific region and is common from the subtropical to the warm-temperate regions in Japan. Three new species in this genus have recently been reported from south-eastern Australia or the Red Sea. However, taxonomic and species diversity have been little studied so far in Japan.

Sequential chiral induction between organic and inorganic supramolecular helical assemblies for the formation of chiral carbon dots.

Self-organised helical bilayers of dicationic gemini surfactants confined in helical silica nanospace were transformed to carbon dots (CDots) pyrolysis. These water-dispersible CDots exhibit electronic absorption spanning the UV and visible range and possess symmetrical circular dichroism (CD) signals, the sign of which depends on the handedness of the helices.

Automatic feature selection for performing Unit 2 of vault in wheel gymnastics.

We propose a framework to analyze the relationship between the movement features of a wheel gymnast around the mounting phase of Unit 2 of the vault event and execution (E-score) deductions from a machine-learning perspective. We first developed an automation system from a video of a wheel gymnast performing a tuck-front somersault to extract the four frames highlighting its Unit 2 performance of the vault event, such as take-off, pike-mount, the starting point of time on the wheel, and final position before the thrust. We implemented this automation using recurrent all-pairs field transforms (RAFT) and XMem, i.

Separate and combined effects of elevated pCO and temperature on the branching reef corals Acropora digitifera and Montipora digitata.

Ocean acidification (OA) and warming (OW) are major global threats to coral reef ecosystems; however, studies on their combined effects (OA + OW) are scarce. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of OA, OW, and OA + OW in the branching reef corals Acropora digitifera and Montipora digitata, which have been found to respond differently to environmental changes. Our results indicate that OW has a greater impact on A.

Intelligent Eye-Controlled Electric Wheelchair Based on Estimating Visual Intentions Using One-Dimensional Convolutional Neural Network and Long Short-Term Memory.

When an electric wheelchair is operated using gaze motion, eye movements such as checking the environment and observing objects are also incorrectly recognized as input operations. This phenomenon is called the "Midas touch problem", and classifying visual intentions is extremely important. In this paper, we develop a deep learning model that estimates the user's visual intention in real time and an electric wheelchair control system that combines intention estimation and the gaze dwell time method.

Microbial mat compositions and localization patterns explain the virulence of black band disease in corals.

Black band disease (BBD) in corals is characterized by a distinctive, band-like microbial mat, which spreads across the tissues and often kills infected colonies. The microbial mat is dominated by cyanobacteria but also commonly contains sulfide-oxidizing bacteria (SOB), sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), and other microbes. The migration rate in BBD varies across different environmental conditions, including temperature, light, and pH.

Cytoprotective Effect of Pteryxin on Insulinoma MIN6 Cells Due to Antioxidant Enzymes Expression via Nrf2/ARE Activation.

The low-level antioxidant activity of pancreatic islets causes type 1 diabetes due to oxidative stress, which is also the cause of failure in the pancreatic islets' isolation and cell transplantation. In our previous study, pteryxin was found to be a natural product as a nuclear factor-erythroid-2-related factor (Nrf2) activator. This study focused on elucidation that the potentiality of pteryxin can activate the antioxidant enzymes, even under oxidative stress, by hydrogen peroxide (HO).

Chiral H-aggregation-induced large stokes shift with CPL generation assisted by α-helical poly(L-lysine) substructure.

Fluorescent materials with large Stokes shifts have significant potential for use in optical applications. Typically, a synthetic design strategy is utilized for this purpose. In this study, we demonstrated a novel method by binding a chiral template to a nonchiral fluorescent agent without chemical modification.

Zwitterionic polymer-terminated porous silica stationary phases for highly selective separation in hydrophilic interaction chromatography.

We described two novel zwitterionic polymer-terminated porous silica stationary phases containing the same pyridinium cation and anions of different side chains (carboxylate and phosphonate groups) for use in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC). These two novel columns were prepared by polymerizing 4-vinylpyridine and grafting it onto a silica surface, followed by quaternization reaction with 3-bromopropionic acid (Sil-VPC) and (3-bromopropyl) phosphonic acid (Sil-VPP), which possess positively charged pyridinium groups, and negatively charged carboxylate and phosphonate groups, respectively. The products obtained were verified through relevant characterization techniques such as elemental analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Zeta potential analysis, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis.

Mite secretions from three traditional mite-ripened cheese types: are ripened French cheeses flavored by the mites (Acari: Astigmata)?

The opisthonotal glands of Astigmata contain monoterpenes, aromatics, aliphatics, and other volatile compounds; some of these compounds act as pheromones and have antifungal effects. This study analyzed volatile compounds secreted by mites on three traditional mite-ripened cheeses from producers (Milbenkäse from Germany, Mimolette and Artisou from France). The mites obtained from various traditional ripened French cheeses (Mimolette, Laguiole, Salers, and Cantal vieux) from stores were also investigated.

Do 'cheese factory-specific' mites (Acari: Astigmata) exist in the cheese-ripening cabinet?

To determine whether the mites used in the ripening process of traditional cheeses are genetically unique to cheese factories, we investigated mites from three types of traditional cheeses, that use mites in the ripening process: 'Würchwitzer Milbenkäse' from Germany and 'Mimolette' and 'Artisou' from France. In addition, traditional ripened cheeses were purchased from cheese specialty stores in France (Mimolette) and Japan ('Laguiole' from France) as well as stores in temporary markets in France ('Salers' and 'Cantal vieux') and the mites obtained from those cheeses were analyzed in this study. Partial sequences of the 28S rRNA gene (28S) were determined and used to reconstruct a phylogenetic tree.

Calcification rates of a massive and a branching coral species were unrelated to diversity of endosymbiotic dinoflagellates.

Background: To explore the possibility that endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (Symbiodiniaceae) are associated with coral calcification rates, we investigated the diversity of symbiotic algae in coral colonies with different calcification rates within massive and branching corals (Porites australiensis and Acropora digitifera).

Methods And Results: Genotyping symbiotic algae from colonies with different calcification rates revealed that all the colonies of both species harbored mainly Cladocopium (previously clade C of Symbiodinium). The Cladocopium symbionts in P.

Chemical redox-induced chiroptical switching of supramolecular assemblies of viologens.

A chiral supramolecular assembly exhibiting redox-induced changes in its chiroptical properties was prepared using viologen-modified glutamide (-V) derivatives. Achiral viologen moieties in the -V assembly were chirally orientated by glutamide groups, affording a unique orange-colored solution, with a visible absorption band at around 470 nm, having electronic circular dichroism (CD) signals (molar ellipticity [] = 0.58 × 10 deg cm dmol: absorption dissymmetry factors () = 5.

First evidence for backcrossing of F hybrids in Acropora corals under sperm competition.

Acropora is a species-rich genus of reef-building corals with highly diverse morphologies. Hybridization among intercrossing species potentially influences species diversity within Acropora. However, the mechanisms that allow hybridization/backcrossing remain unknown.

Polygamous breeding system identified in the distylous genus : in the Ryukyu archipelago, Japan.

Distyly is a genetic polymorphism composed of long-and short-styled flowers in a population. The evolutionary breakdown of distyly has been reported in many taxa, and mainly involves a shift toward monomorphism or dioecism. However, a shift toward monoecism has not been reported in distylous species.

Neuronal XRN1 is required for maintenance of whole-body metabolic homeostasis.

Control of mRNA stability and degradation is essential for appropriate gene expression, and its dysregulation causes various disorders, including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, and obesity. The 5'-3' exoribonuclease XRN1 executes the last step of RNA decay, but its physiological impact is not well understood. To address this, forebrain-specific conditional knockout mice (-cKO) were generated, as 1 null mice were embryonic lethal.

Screening of novel Midkine binding protein by BioID2-based proximity labeling.

Midkine (MK), a heparin-binding growth factor, is associated with the poor prognosis of the pediatric tumor, neuroblastoma. MK would be a druggable target as many studies showed inhibition of its function in various cancers suppressed tumor developments. To establish the therapy targeting MK, identification of its binding partners, and elucidation of its intracellular signaling are needed.

Juvenile morphology of seven intertidal mite species (Acari, Oribatida, Ameronothroidea) from the East Asian region.

The present paper provides information on juvenile stages of seven intertidal oribatid mite species from the East Asian region. Larva and nymphs of the fortuyniid species and are described and details about juvenile morphology of the selenoribatid species, and are given. Juveniles of the genus are reported for the first time and strong ventral femoral carinae are supposed to be diagnostic characters.