Piceatannol is a phytochemical that is present in large amounts in passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) seeds, and is an analog of resveratrol. Recently, the absorption and metabolism of piceatannol were investigated in rats, and isorhapontigenin, O-methyl piceatannol, was detected as a piceatannol metabolite in rat plasma. To elucidate the function of piceatannol and its metabolites, we investigated the expression of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) in THP-1 monocytic cells after treatment with piceatannol and its metabolites, and compared their effects with those of resveratrol and its metabolites. Piceatannol and resveratrol upregulated the expression levels of SIRT1 mRNA and SIRT1 protein. An extract of passion fruit seeds, which contained high levels of piceatannol, also upregulated SIRT1 mRNA expression. As for the metabolites, isorhapontigenin upregulated SIRT1 mRNA expression, whereas resveratrol glucuronides and sulfate did not affect SIRT1 expression. These findings indicate that after intake of piceatannol, not only piceatannol itself, but also its metabolite, isorhapontigenin, contributed to the upregulation of SIRT1 expression.

Piceatannol (PIC), a natural analog of resveratrol (RES), is a phytochemical found in passion fruit seeds. To clarify the effects of PIC on obesity‐induced inflammation in adipose tissue, we investigated the anti‐inflammatory activity of PIC‐related compounds (PIC, RES, and metabolites from PIC) in culture models of obese adipose tissue. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and conditioned medium from 3T3‐L1 adipocytes (3T3‐L1‐CM) enhanced proinflammatory gene expression and synthesis of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) in RAW264.7 macrophages. Although each compound inhibited the mRNA expression of iNOS (inducible NO synthase), TNF‐α, and IL‐6, PIC potently inhibited them, and 30 μmol/L PIC suppressed the LPS‐ and 3T3‐L1‐CM‐induced mRNA expression of iNOS (70.4% and 69.2% suppression, respectively), TNF‐α (42.6% and 47.0% suppression), and IL‐6 (27.3% and 42.1% suppression). PIC also significantly suppressed production of NO (80.3% suppression) and inflammatory cytokines (TNF‐α; 33.7% suppression, IL‐6; 66.5% suppression). Furthermore, PIC was found to rescue the uncoupling protein 1 mRNA expression induced by isoproterenol in 10T1/2 adipocytes, which was suppressed by LPS‐activated macrophages. These results suggest that PIC may attenuate the pathologic inflammation triggered by adipose tissues.

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To theoretically examine the existence of half-metals in Co-Cr-Fe-Al alloys, band calculations were carried out for these alloys. Seeing energy dispersion curves E(k) of Co 2 CrAl with the Heusler structure, we find that the Fermi level intersects the E(k) curves in the majority-spin state but is located at the energy gap in the minority-spin state, that is, it is predicted that this stoichiometric Co 2 CrAl alloy is half-metallic. On the other hand, the half-metallic properties are not observed in the electronic structures of Co 2 FeAl. The composition dependence of electronic structures of Co 2 (Cr 1Àx Fe x )Al (x = 1/8-7/8) indicates that the alloys have the tendency to become half-metallic in the range of x < 5=8.

The present study was designed to determine the effects of PRL on changes in morphology and plasminogen activator (PA) activity in the preovulatory follicles. Rabbit ovaries were perfused with hCG alone or with hCG plus at 10, 10(2), or 10(3) ng/ml. PRL at 10(3) ng/ml directly inhibited the degeneration and decomposition of surface epithelial cells induced by hCG exposure. The subsurface connective tissue was visualized by treatment with sodium dodecyl sulfate, which removed surface epithelial cells from the ovary, thereby exposing collagen fibrils and the basal lamina. Sodium dodecyl sulfate treatment revealed inhibition of connective tissue disruption at the apex of the follicle wall in PRL-treated ovaries. PA activity in mature follicles in perfused rabbit ovaries exposed to hCG increased from 1.40 +/- 0.08 to 28.4 +/- 4.25 IU/g tissue after 4 h of perfusion. The addition of PRL to the perfusate inhibited the hCG-stimulated increase in intrafollicular PA activity in a dose-dependent fashion. Although at 7 h mature follicles treated by hCG alone showed greater intrafollicular PA activity than those treated with hCG plus PRL, this difference was not significant. These results suggest that PRL may act directly by interfering with mechanical events within the ovary that are required for the rupture of mature Graafian follicles, probably via the inhibition of intrafollicular tissue PA activity.

Prevention of intraperitoneal adhesion after gynaecological surgery is essential for maintaining postoperative fertility. In this study, the adhesion prevention effect was examined of a hyaluronic acid (HA) solution obtained from the fermentation method and having a molecular weight of 1.9x10(6) with high viscosity. Laparotomy was conducted on female mice 7 weeks old, whose menstrual periods were synchronized by pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) to injure the uterine horn surface. Intraperitoneal adhesions were favourably formed in 91.7% of cases induced with iodine abrasion, compared with 50% induced by electrosurgery. Intraperitoneal administration of HA was evaluated for its effect on the prevention of adhesions made by iodine abrasion. Adhesion prevention effects of HA were observed at concentrations of 0.3, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0%, among which the most pronounced effect was with the use of a 0.3% solution (92.3% of cases). Compared with the control group adhesion score of 2.0 +/- 0. 8, significant decreases in adhesion scores were observed at all concentrations. HA with a molecular weight of 1.9x10(6) was recognized to have a definitive prevention effect on postoperative adhesions in mice after laparotomy and is considered to be a prospective material for future clinical use.

The age, sex, and eruptive stage of the canine teeth at the time of the SBG showed no significant difference between groups. The presurgical cleft width also showed no significant difference between group I (6.6 +/- 3.1 mm) and group II (7.9 +/- 3.3 mm). The cleft/nasal cavity ratio showed a significant difference between groups I and II (0.42 +/- 0.14, 0.75 +/- 0.25; p < .05). Furthermore, the cleft/apertura piriformis ratio also showed a significant difference between groups I and II (0.32 +/- 0.12, 0.65 +/- 0.26; p < .05). These results suggested that measurements of the skeletal morphology around the nasal cavity and alveolar cleft might aid in predicting the stability of the bony bridge after SBG.

In the insular cortex, the primary gustatory area caudally adjoins the primary autonomic area that is involved in visceral sensory-motor integration. However, it has not been addressed whether neural activity in the gustatory insula (Gu-I) is coordinated with that in the autonomic insula (Au-I). We have demonstrated that TRPV1 activation in Gu-I induces theta-band synchronization between Gu-I and Au-I in rat slice preparations. Electron-microscopic immunohistochemistry revealed that TRPV1 immunoreactivity was much higher in Gu-I than in Au-I, and was mostly detected in dendritic spines receiving asymmetrical synapses. Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings revealed that, in Gu-I, capsaicin-induced currents in layer 3 (L3) pyramidal cells (PCs) displayed no apparent desensitization, while those in layer 5 (L5) PCs displayed Ca 2ϩ -dependent desensitization, suggesting that L3 and L5 PCs respond differentially to TRPV1 activation. Voltage-sensitive dye imaging demonstrated that TRPV1 activation in Gu-I can alter an optical response with a monophasic and columnar temporospatial pattern evoked within Gu-I into an oscillatory one extending over Gu-I and Au-I. Power and cross-power spectral analyses of optical responses revealed theta-band synchronization between Gu-I and Au-I. Whole-cell current-clamp recordings demonstrated that such theta-band waves were mediated by sustained rhythmic firings at 4 and 8 Hz in L3 and L5 PCs, respectively. These results strongly suggested that theta-band oscillatory neural coordination between Gu-I and Au-I was induced by two distinct TRPV1-mediated theta-rhythm firings in L3 and L5 PCs in Gu-I. This network coordination induced by TRPV1 activation could be responsible for autonomic responses to tasting and ingesting spicy foods.