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A fermented milk, Kefir, contains an active substance which enhances IFN-beta secretion of a human osteosarcoma line MG-63 treated with a chemical inducer, poly I: poly C. The active substance in the fermented milk was identified to be sphingomyelin (SpM) by a combined use of a fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS) and a fast atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry (FAB-MS/MS). SpM from fermented milk (F-SpM) was a mixture of four molecular species of SpMs having C21-, C22-, C23- and C24-fatty acids. F-SpM enhanced the IFN secretion 14 times, SpMs from other sources also enhanced moderately (2-3 times). Sphingosine and lysosphingomyelin also enhanced the activity but ceramide and cerebroside did not.

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Arylation of ethylene (7 atm) was carried out with various arenediazonium tetrafluoroborates (25 mmol) in the presence of bis(dibenzylideneacetone)palladium (0.5 mmol) and sodium acetate (75 mmol). Substituted styrenes were obtained in good yields (61–78%) under mild reaction conditions (1 h, room temperature) in a 1:1 mixture of acetone and dichloromethane, with some exceptions. Phenylbutenes, main by-products in dichloromethane, were presumed to form by the reaction of styrene with ethylene under catalysis of hydridopalladium species.

No abstract