Gold clusters were deposited in a narrow size distribution on porous coordination polymers (PCPs) by solid grinding with volatile dimethyl AuIII acetylactonate. The mean diameter could be minimized down to 1.5 nm for Al‐containing PCP. Gold clusters on PCPs showed noticeably high catalytic activity in the aerobic oxidation of alcohols. Product selectivity was tunable by the selection of PCP supports in benzyl alcohol oxidation.

The incidence of type I allergic disorders has been increasing worldwide, particularly, the hypersensitivity to food. We first showed that apple condensed tannin (ACT) intake would inhibit the development of the oral sensitization and that the inhibition could correlate with the rise in the population of TCRcd-T cells in the intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) using W/W V mice and B10A mice which were ovalbumin (OVA)-orally sensitized. Serum OVA-specific immunoglobulin E and immunoglobulin G1 titers in the OVA-orally sensitized W/W V and B10A mice ad libitium fed ACT were extremely inhibited compared to those of the control. The ACT intakes of OVA-sensitized W/W V and B10A mice inhibited the immediate reduction of the body temperature or the rise in serum histamine induced by active systemic anaphylaxis. The proportions of the TCRcd-T cells in the IEL of the OVA-orally sensitized W/W V and B10A mice ad libitium fed ACT were significantly greater than that in the controls. Furthermore, ACT feeding by itself could induce the rise in the percentage of the TCRcd-T cells among the IEL of the W/W V and B10A mice. This suggests that the ACT intake may prevent the development of food allergies and this effect could be correlated with the rise in the percentage of TCRcd-T cells among the IEL.

Serum transferrin (Tf) is an iron-binding glycoprotein. Aluminium in the blood is bound to the transferrin. In the present study, the chemical forms of co-existing Al and Fe bound to human serum Tf were studied by combined on-line HPLC and high-resolution ICP-MS (HPLC-HR-ICP-MS). Samples were subjected to HPLC equipped with an anion-exchange column. The levels of 27Al, 56Fe and 32S, which are interfered with by polyatomic ions such as 13C14N+, 12C15N+ and 12C14N1H+, 40Ar16O+ and 40Ca16O+, and 16O2+, respectively, when using quadrupole ICP-MS, were monitored simultaneously by HR-ICP-MS at a resolution of m/delta m = 3000. Al added to apo-Tf as Al-citrate was preferentially bound to the N-lobe site almost selectively. Al in serum from a healthy person without any in vitro Al spike was present both as AlN-Tf and AlN,FeC-Tf. The chemical states were reproduced in the apo-Tf solution supplemented with Fe (Fe/Tf ratio = 0.6) and Al (Al/Tf ratio = 1) successively. The 32S level was useful for monitoring the protein levels in the HPLC eluate. The clean-up column procedures employed reduced the detection limit for 27Al to 0.1 microgram l-1 (3SB) at the middle resolution.

No abstract

The incidence of type I allergic disorders is increasing; particularly, hypersensitivity to food and airborne allergens.1-3) The mechanism of Type I allergy includes a series of events, 4,5) namely, production of antigen-specific IgE, binding of IgE to the FceRI receptor on mast cells or basophiles, cross-linking of IgE with newly absorbed allergens, and release of chemical mediators such as histamine and leukotrienes from cells. Inhibition of any of the steps in this sequence leads to the attenuation of allergic symptoms. Several drugs, such as corticosteroids, epinephrine, histamine antagonists, and leukotriene synthesis inhibitors, interfere with the above reactions. 6) However, the effect of these drugs is short-lived, and thus, a more fundamental means of preventing allergies would be desirable.It has been reported in numerous observational epidemiological studies that the intake of vegetables, including carrots, is associated with the prevention of several degenerative diseases.7-13) These reports suggest that vegetables have the potential to modulate or regulate the host immune response, resulting in an overall beneficial effect on the immune response. We have already shown evidence that the feeding of carrots (Daucas carota L. var. sativa DC.) to BALB/c mice sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) inhibited IgE and IgG1 production.14) However, it is still unclear what kind of components in carrots could exhibit this activity.b-Carotene is one of the major nutritional components and is present at high levels especially in carrots. On the other hand, much attention has also been paid to the role of bcarotene intake in the prevention of cancer and life style-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease. [15][16][17] In the present study, we examined the feeding of bcarotene on the production of specific IgE antibody, specific IgG1 antibody and specific IgG2a antibody. We also examined the effect of feeding b-carotene on antigen-induced active systemic anaphylactic shock (ASA), such as the decrease in body temperature and the rise of serum histamine levels. Furthermore, to clarify the active mechanism by b-carotene intake in the inhibition of specific IgE production, we examined the pattern of cytokine production by spleen cells from mice fed carrots. MATERIALS AND METHODS Mice and Drinking ProtocolsFemale BALB/c mice, 3-4 weeks of age, were purchased from Japan SLC (Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan). Mice were maintained in a temperature (23-25°C)-, humidity (40-60%)-and light-controlled environment. Animals were allowed free access to a powdered MF diet (Japan SLC) and water throughout the experiment. The MF diet containing b-carotene was prepared by mixing the MF diet with levels of b-carotene of 20 mg/kg. The control group (nϭ5) and the b-carotene group (nϭ5) had free access to the MF diet and the MF diet containing bcarotene, respectively.As far as dose-dependent study was concerned, spiked levels in the MF diet were 0 mg/kg (nϭ5), 2 mg/kg (nϭ5), 10 mg/kg (nϭ5) and 20 mg/kg (nϭ5). The care and use of the experime...