Peroxotungstate immobilized on ionic liquid-modified SiO2 is capable of heterogeneously epoxidizing a wide range of olefins with the maintenance of the catalytic activity of homogeneous analogue. The epoxidation was immediately stopped by the removal of the catalyst, and no tungsten species could be found in the filtrate after the removal of the catalyst. These results can rule out any contribution to the observed catalysis from the tungsten species that leached into the reaction solution, and the observed catalysis is truly heterogeneous in nature. Furthermore, the catalyst was reusable without the loss of the catalytic performance.

The interaction of legumes with N2-fixing bacteria collectively called rhizobia results in root nodule development. The number of nodules formed is tightly restricted through the systemic negative feedback control by the host called autoregulation of nodulation (AON). Here, we report the characterization and gene identification of TOO MUCH LOVE (TML), a root factor that acts during AON in a model legume Lotus japonicus. In our genetic analyses using another root-regulated hypernodulation mutant, plenty, the tml-1 plenty double mutant showed additive effects on the nodule number, whereas the tml-1 har1-7 double mutant did not, suggesting that TML and PLENTY act in different genetic pathways and that TML and HAR1 act in the same genetic pathway. The systemic suppression of nodule formation by CLE-RS1/RS2 overexpression was not observed in the tml mutant background, indicating that TML acts downstream of CLE-RS1/RS2. The tml-1 Snf2 double mutant developed an excessive number of spontaneous nodules, indicating that TML inhibits nodule organogenesis. Together with the determination of the deleted regions in tml-1/-2/-3, the fine mapping of tml-4 and the next-generation sequencing analysis, we identified a nonsense mutation in the Kelch repeat-containing F-box protein. As the gene knockdown of the candidate drastically increased the number of nodules, we concluded that it should be the causative gene. An expression analysis revealed that TML is a root-specific gene. In addition, the activity of ProTML-GUS was constitutively detected in the root tip and in the nodules/nodule primordia upon rhizobial infection. In conclusion, TML is a root factor acting at the final stage of AON.

We have shown that Protease N treated Royal Jelly (ProRJ) and peptides from ProRJ (Ile-Tyr (IY), Val-Tyr (VY), Ile-Val-Tyr (IVY)) inhibited angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) activity and they have an antihypertensive effect in repeated oral administration for 28 d on spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). We investigated the contributive ratio of these peptides in ProRJ for antihypertensive effect in single oral administration on SHR. In single oral administration of each peptide and peptides mixture (MIX; IY, VY and IVY) at doses of 0.5, 1 and 10 mg/kg, systolic blood pressure (SBP) of SHR was reduced dose-dependently. This antihypertensive effect was held for 8 h. These results suggest that peptides contributed to the antihypertensive effect of ProRJ. And the contributive ratio of MIX in ProRJ for antihypertensive effect was computed to be about 38%. Therefore it is considered that intake of peptides, as a functional food would be beneficial for improving blood pressure in people with hypertension.

Recently increases in life-style related diseases like hypertension, arteriosclerosis, heart disease, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and cancers have become a great social problem.1) As regards diseases of circulatory system such as hypertension, arteriosclerosis and heart disease, increasing numbers of people are showing symptoms of hypertension or pre-hypertension stage. Causes leading to hypertension include increase in the volume of body fluid, increase of the resistivity of the blood vessels, increases in factors leading to elevation of the blood pressure or decreases in factors bringing about lowering of the blood pressure.2) These factors induce abnormal increase of blood pressure, either singly or in combination. Clinically, various drugs such as inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzymes, calcium antagonists, b-blockers, angiotensin II receptor antagonists, and hypotensive diuretics have been used for management of hypertension to improve the symptoms.3) In addition, antihypertensive effects have been noted with various food and natural products.4) Recently, various foods with differing hypotensive mechanisms have been specified for use as health foods. These foods have various activities such as the inhibitory activity of peptides derived from milk, 5) fish, 6) or plants, 7) on angiotensin converting enzymes, vasodilatory action by parasympathetic stimulation, 8) or inhibitory effects on release of noradrenaline from sympathetic nerves, 9) respectively. Furthermore, some flavonoids and polyphenol derivatives from natural products have been reported to have vasodilating and hypotensive effects. [10][11][12] In these points, we focused on propolis which has been shown to comprise more than 150 constituents, including cinnamic acid derivatives, flavonoids, and benzoic acids. 13)Propolis is called "bee resin", which is a yellow to dark brown-colored adhesive substance collected from sprouts of plants by honeybees and thought to serve a protective role against potential predators. Propolis has been reported to possess some pharmacological functions in humans such as antibacterial, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and immunostimulatory activities and has been used in folk medicine.14-24) The composition of propolis primarily depends upon the vegetation of the area from where it was collected and secondarily upon the solvents used for its extraction. 25) Although pharmacological activities of propolis could be related to its chemical composition, 26) water or 90-99.5% ethanol extract of propolis is commonly used for health food and beverages in recent years. Since Baccharis dracunculifolia is an important source of propolis collected from Minas Gerais state, Brazil,27) which is of good quality to provide experimental reproducibility, we have used this Brazilian propolis in the current study.In the course of studies on diverse pharmaceutical activities of propolis, we examined hypotensive effects of Brazilian propolis extracts. Recent study reported that caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), which is...

The diversity of microbial community during the decomposition of waste in a field-scale composter (Hazaka system) was investigated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The composter operates at a high temperature through a self-heating system, creating a thermophilic (60-76 degrees C) stage during the initial phase and a mesophilic (45 degrees C) stage towards the later phase of the composting period. The pH of the system (pH 7.75-8.10) did not vary significantly during the process while moisture content was reduced from 48.8% to 25.1%. DGGE and 16S rDNA analyses showed that the following genera were found throughout the process: Propionibacterium sp., Methylobacterium sp., Pseudomonas sp., and Bradyrhizobium sp. Different Bacillus spp. thrive at the thermophilic or the mesophilic stage while Clostridium sp. was only found at the initial phase of the process. Staphylococcus sp. and Caulobacter sp. or Brevundimonas sp. existed during the later phase of the composting period.

The ACA index has the ability to stratify the prognosis, tolerability to cytotoxic drugs, and adherence to treatment of elderly patients with DLBCL treated with R-CHOP. 2017;22:554-560 IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Currently, little is known regarding how to identify elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who may tolerate a full dose of chemotherapy or to what extent cytotoxic drugs should be reduced in some specific conditions. The Society of Lymphoma Treatment in Japan developed a host-dependent prognostic model consisting of higher age (>75 years), hypoalbuminemia (<3.7 g/dL), and higher Charlson Comorbidity Index score (≥3) for such elderly patients. This model can stratify the prognosis, tolerability to cytotoxic drugs, and adherence to treatment of these patients and thus help clinicians in formulating personalized treatment strategies for this growing patient population.

Nitrogen fixation in nodules that contain symbiotic rhizobial bacteria enables legumes to thrive in nitrogen-poor soils. However, this symbiosis is energy consuming. Therefore, legumes strictly control nodulation at both local and systemic levels. Mutants deficient in such controls exhibit a range of phenotypes from non-nodulation to hypernodulation. Here, we isolated a novel hypernodulation mutant from the M(2) progeny derived from Lotus japonicus MG-20 seeds mutagenized by irradiation with a carbon ion beam. We named the mutant 'plenty' because it formed more nodules than the wild-type MG-20. The nodulation zone in the plenty mutant was wider than that in the wild type, but not as enhanced as those in other previously reported hypernodulation mutants such as har1, klv or tml of L. japonicus. Unlike these hypernodulation mutants, the plenty mutant developed nodules of the same size as MG-20. Overall, the plenty mutant exhibited a unique phenotype of moderate hypernodulation. However, a biomass assay indicated that this unique pattern of hypernodulation was a hindrance to host plant growth. The plenty mutant displayed some tolerance to external nitrates and a normal triple response to ethylene. Grafting experiments demonstrated that the root of plenty was responsible for its hypernodulation phenotype. Genetic mapping indicated that the PLENTY gene was located on chromosome 2.

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