RNA and a cell wall component of Enterococcus faecalis IC-1 are required for phagocytosis and interleukin 12 production by the mouse macrophage cell line J774.1.

Enterococcus faecalis is a resident lactic acid bacterium in the human intestine. Its immunostimulatory action was reported to be enhanced by heat sterilization. To investigate its beneficial actions, we evaluated the ability of 10 E.

Endocrine stress responses and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

This study was carried to ascertain whether stress responses are associated with abnormalities in glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity and pancreatic beta cell function and risk of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Salivary cortisol, a marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and salivary α-amylase, a marker of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) were compared in 125 subjects of newly detected diabetes mellitus (NDDM) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT) subjects who were diagnosed on the basis of oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Assessment of stress in them was done through stress scales - presumptive stressful life events scale (PSLES), perceived stress scale (PSS) and sense of coherence (SOC) and correlated with these and other stress response markers.

Absorption and plasma kinetics of collagen tripeptide after peroral or intraperitoneal administration in rats.

Collagen tripeptide (CTP) is a collagen-derived compound containing a high concentration of tripeptides with a Gly-X-Y sequence. In this study, the concentrations and metabolites of CTP were monitored in rat plasma after its administration. We performed a quantitative analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry according to the isotopic dilution method with stable isotopes.

Improvement of the Off-flavor of Soy Protein Isolate by Removing Oil-body Associated Proteins and Polar Lipids.

The precipitate formed by ultracentrifuging a defatted soybean extract at 200,000×g for 50 min at pH 7.5 was composed of particles of 100-200 nm in diameter and enriched with 34-kDa, 24-kDa and 18-kDa proteins. An SDS-PAGE analysis showed these proteins to migrate to a position identical to that of oil-body-associated proteins (OBAPs; Herman, Planta, 172, 336-345, 1987).

Substantially Complete Removal of Three Major Allergenic Soybean Proteins (Gly m Bd 30K, Gly m Bd 28K, and the α-Subunit of Conglycinin) from Soy Protein by Using a Mutant Soybean, Tohoku 124.

A wild-type soybean contains three major allergenic proteins, Gly m Bd 30K, the α-subunit of conglycinin, and Gly m Bd 28K. A genetically mutated soybean (Tohoku 124), which was originally developed as a cultivar lacking the α- and α'-subunits of conglycinin, was also found to lack Gly m Bd 28K from immunoblot analysis using monoclonal antibodies specific to Gly m Bd 28K. This finding indicates the possibility to prepare soy milk and soy proteins containing none of the three major allergenic soybean proteins from this cultivar.

Antioxidative Activity of Water Extracts of Lagerstroemia speciosa Leaves.

In order to develop naturally occurring antioxidants from edible plants, the antioxidative effect of hot water extracts of Lagerstroemia speciosa leaves, known by the Tagalog name of banaba in the Phillipines, was studied. The content of tannin in banaba extract was 36.8% in dry weight.