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We performed small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering (SANS and SAXS) measurements on an elongated blend of low molecular weight deuterated polyethylene (PE) and high molecular weight hydrogenated one (97.2/2.8) in a very wide range of scattering vector of 1 × 10-4−3 Å-1 to elucidate hierarchic structure of the so-called shish-kebab. Comparing the SANS and SAXS data, we found that the hydrogenated high molecular weight PE formed a large and long object aligned along the elongation direction. The SANS data were analyzed in terms of the multicore−shell cylinder model, and we found that the long oriented structure had radius of ∼1 μm and length of ∼12 μm and included about three extended chain crystals with radius of ∼45 Å. We believe that this oriented long object with a relatively low aspect ratio of about 12:1, which is called the row structure in this paper, is a precursor formed from deformation of network of high molecular weight components due to entanglements.

The small-angle neutron scattering instrument, SANS-U, owned by the Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo, has been upgraded. The SANS-U is a 32 m SANS instrument installed in 1991 at the guide hall of the JRR-3M research reactor of the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, and has been serving for inter-university cooperative research use since 1993. The major upgrades include (i) replacement of the two-dimensional area detector by a multi-wire type position-sensitive proportional counter, (ii) renewal of the operating system from a VAX and sequencers to an integrated PXI system controlled by LabVIEW-RT software, (iii) a focusing collimation system, and (iv) a variety of accessory equipment. These upgrades provide a wide dynamic range of neutron counting, user-friendly operation and real-time circular averaging of two-dimensional data. laboratory notes J. Appl. Cryst. (2005). 38, 1035-1037 Satoshi Okabe et al. Upgrade of SANS-U 1037 Figure 3The centre beam profiles with (filled symbols with solid line) and without (open symbols with dashed line) the focusing collimation system. (a) 5 mm and (b) 16 mm sample aperture (diameter).

ABSTRACT. Lactoferrin (LF) is a ubiquitous protein which exists in milk, plasma, synovial fluids, cerebrospinal fluid and other biological fluids. LF is also well known as a natural immunomodulator. Recently, we found that bovine milk-derived LF (BLF) produced µ-opioid receptor-mediated analgesia. In this study, we examined whether oral administration of BLF causes anti-nociceptive and anti-inf lammatory effects, and also whether it modulates LPS-induced TNF-α and IL-10 production in rat model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), rat adjuvant arthritis. BLF was administrated once daily, starting 3 hr before (preventive experiment) or 19 days after (therapeutic experiment) adjuvant injection. In both experiments, BLF suppressed the development of arthritis and the hyperalgesia in the adjuvant-injec ted paw. The single-administered BLF produced a dose-dependent analgesia, which was reversed by naloxone, in the adjuvant arthritis rats. Both repeated and single administration of BLF suppressed TNF-α production and increased IL-10 production in the LPS-stimulated adjuvant arthritis rats. These results suggest that orally administered BLF has both preventive and therapeutic effects on the developme nt of adjuvant-induced inflammation and pain. Moreover, the immunomodulatory properties of BLF, such as down-regulation of TNF-α and upregulation of IL-10, could be beneficial in the treatment of RA. Thus, we concluded that LF can be safely used as a natural drug for RA patients suffering from joint pain.