Variation in the Physical and Functional Properties of Yam (Dioscorea spp.) Flour Produced by Different Processing Techniques.

Research on the processing of yam (Dioscorea spp.) into flour is aimed at optimizing techniques to obtain a material with high physicochemical and functional properties. The present study investigates the effect of the processing techniques on the levels of inulin, organic acids, total phenolics (TP), antioxidant capacity, and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activities, as well as on the physicochemical properties of flour derived from two yam species-Dioscorea esculenta and Dioscorea bulbifera. All tubers were peeled and sliced, then subjected to different processing techniques through blanching, soaking, and drying. The results revealed that freeze-drying appears to be the best technique in achieving the highest whiteness index of yam flour. This coincided well with the low phenolics content and POD activity, which suggests a reduced enzymatic browning reaction in the freeze-dried yam flour. On the other hand, chemical analyses showed that D. esculenta and D. bulbifera flours have the highest levels of inulin (23.0 and 27.8 g/100 g DW, respectively) and succinic acid (7.96 and 7.65 g/100 g DW, respectively) in the samples subjected to direct oven-drying. Oven drying without pretreatment neither blanching nor water steeping maintained antioxidant activity in the flour derived from both D. esculenta and D. bulbifera.

Allelopathic activities of three carotenoids, neoxanthin, crocin and ß-carotene, assayed using protoplast co-culture method with digital image analysis.

Allelopathic activities of three carotenoids of a natural pigment group, neoxanthin, crocin and ß-carotene, were assayed by the protoplast co-culture method with digital image analysis (DIA-PP method). Effects on three different growth stages of lettuce protoplasts, i.e., cell wall formation, cell division, and yellow pigment accumulation, were investigated using 96-well culture plates. Cell division was inhibited 65-95% by all three carotenoids at 33-100 µM. Inhibition of cell division stage was stronger than at the cell wall formation stage in neoxanthin, and the water-soluble carotenoid, crocin, whose yellow pigment was incorporated into the vacuole of lettuce protoplasts. Neoxanthin at 33 µM and crocin at higher than 100 µM inhibited more than 100% of the yellow pigment accumulation. By contrast, at low concentrations (0.01-1 µM) ß-carotene stimulated growth at the cell division stage. At high concentrations of ß-carotene (100-500 µM), inhibition was prominent at all three stages, and also in neighboring wells of zero control, which suggested emission of a volatile compound by ß-carotene. They were compared with the report of the volatile compound, tulipalin A. Differences in patterns of inhibition of carotenoids on lettuce protoplast growth were compared with reports of another natural pigment, anthocyanin, and anthocyanin-containing red callus cultured in the light, and with that of neoxanthin-containing yellow callus cultured in the dark.

Finding the superior allele of japonica-type for increasing stem lodging resistance in indica rice varieties using chromosome segment substitution lines.

BACKGROUND: In cereal crops, stem lodging can be classified into two types: stem-breaking type and stem-bending type. To improve stem-lodging resistance, the strong culm traits of superior lodging-resistant varieties must be characterized. The identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and the corresponding genes associated with the parameters for bending moment at breaking (M) and flexural rigidity (FR) is expected to enable the efficient development of lodging-resistant varieties. A set of Chromosome Segment Substitution Lines (CSSLs) derived from the cross between Takanari and Koshihikari were used in this study to identify QTLs associated with lodging resistance. RESULTS: The indica variety Takanari possesses large M due to its large section modulus (SM) despite its small bending stress (BS), whereas Takanari also has large FR due to its large secondary moment of inertia (SMI) and Young's modulus (YM). The QTLs for BS were assigned to chromosomes 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. Koshihikari alleles increased BS in these QTLs. The YM was increased by substitution of the Koshihikari chromosomal segments on chromosomes 2, 10, and 11. Other QTLs mapped to chromosomes 7 and 12, such that the Koshihikari alleles contributed to the decrease of YM. QTLs for cellulose density were assigned to chromosomes 1, 3, and 5, which were replaced by substitutions of Koshihikari segments. The QTLs for hemicellulose, cellulose, and holocellulose densities identified on chromosome 5 overlapped with those for BS, indicating the positive effect of the Koshihikari segment on increasing BS. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that the QTLs for the densities of cell wall materials in japonica varieties contributed to increased BS and might be utilized for improving lodging resistance in indica varieties of rice.

Start and initial results of the Fukushima Prefecture acute myocardial infarction registration survey.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains one of the most serious heart diseases and elucidation of its pathogenesis and advances in treatment strategies have been desired. In 2009, to understand the status of AMI in Fukushima Prefecture for improving treatment outcomes, a new AMI registration survey system was conducted throughout the prefecture. A total of 1,556 cases were registered in the initial 2 years from 2009 to 2010. The hospital-based overall incidence of AMI in Fukushima Prefecture was 37.9 people per population of 100,000 per year. Mortality from AMI within 30 days of onset was 10.2%. We report herein the actual situation of AMI onset and treatment in Fukushima Prefecture based on the initial results of the survey.

Mammalian target of rapamycin: a central node of complex signaling cascades.

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates cell growth and metabolism in response to diverse external stimuli. In the presence of mitogenic stimuli, mTOR transduces signals that activate the translational machinery and promote cell growth. mTOR functions as a central node in a complex net of signaling pathways that are involved both in normal physiological, as well as pathogenic events. mTOR signaling occurs in concert with upstream Akt and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) and several downstream effectors. During the past few decades, the mTOR-mediated pathway has been shown to promote tumorigenesis through the coordinated phosphorylation of proteins that directly regulate cell-cycle progression and metabolism, as well as transcription factors that regulate the expression of genes involved in the oncogenic processes. The importance of mTOR signaling in oncology is now widely accepted, and agents that selectively target mTOR have been developed as anti-cancer drugs. In this review, we highlight the past research on mTOR, including clinical and pathological analyses, and describe its molecular mechanisms of signaling, and its roles in the physiology and pathology of human diseases, particularly, lung carcinomas. We also discuss strategies that might lead to more effective clinical treatments of several diseases by targeting mTOR.

Flower color alteration in Lotus japonicus by modification of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway.

To establish a model system for alteration of flower color by carotenoid pigments, we modified the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway of Lotus japonicus using overexpression of the crtW gene isolated from marine bacteria Agrobacterium aurantiacum and encoding beta-carotene ketolase (4,4'-beta-oxygenase) for the production of pink to red color ketocarotenoids. The crtW gene with the transit peptide sequence of the pea Rubisco small subunit under the regulation of the CaMV35S promoter was introduced to L. japonicus. In most of the resulting transgenic plants, the color of flower petals changed from original light yellow to deep yellow or orange while otherwise exhibiting normal phenotype. HPLC and TLC analyses revealed that leaves and flower petals of these plants accumulated novel carotenoids, believed to be ketocarotenoids consisting of including astaxanthin, adonixanthin, canthaxanthin and echinenone. Results indicated that modification of the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway is a means of altering flower color in ornamental crops.