The water and ethanol extracts of several commercially available spices were examined for their inhibitory action on the decarboxylase activity of a crude extract of Enterobacter aerogenes. The water extracts had a negligible effect on histidine decarboxylase activity, except for water extract of cloves which reduced the activity by about 40%. However, the ethanol extracts had a rather higher inhibitory action upon histidine, lysine, and ornithine decarboxylases. Of the spices used, cloves, cinnamon, sage, nutmeg, and allspice were very effective in inhibiting the decarboxylases. Among the components of those spices, cinnamaldehyde and eugenol were found to be effective inhibitors.

This article reviews features of flavor in three groups of fishes and summarizes them as follows: (1) fresh saltwater fish are nearly odorless because they contain a small quantity of volatiles; (2 freshwater fish give off pyrrolidine and earthy-odor compounds, which are responsible for their maturity and surrounding water pollution, and (3) euryhaline fish exhibit a variety of unsaturated carbonyls and alcohols derived from enzymatic and nonenzymatic oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PAs). These features are discussed, as are the effects of different enzymatic activities on PA oxidation and the effects of pH on mechanisms of formation of the volatiles. The monotonous volatile constitution of saltwater fish is likely caused by an unknown antioxidation system restraining the fish from oxidizing. The variety of constitution of euryhaline fish, especially that of anadromous fish under spawning conditions, could result from the loss of that system. The thermal environments of heated foods are also reviewed. The basic environment of fish, which allows the formation of flavor compounds, is discussed to confirm the volatiles found in unheated fish.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common and deadly cancer. Most cases of HCC arise in a cirrhotic/fibrotic liver, indicating that environment may play a paramount role in cancer genesis. Previous studies from our group and others have shown that, in desmoplastic cancers, there is a rich intercellular communication between activated, cancer-associated fibroblasts and cancer cells. Moreover, extracellular vesicles (EVs), or exosomes, have been identified as an important arm of this intercellular communication platform. Finally, these studies have shown that EVs can carry microRNA (miR) species in vivo and deliver them to desmoplastic cancers. The precise role played by activated liver fibroblasts/stellate cells in HCC development is insufficiently known. Based on previous studies, it appears plausible that activated fibroblasts produce signals carried by EVs that promote HCC genesis. In the current study, we first hypothesized and then demonstrated that stellate cell-derived EVs 1) can be loaded with an miR species of choice (miR-335-5p); 2) are taken up by HCC cells in vitro and more importantly in vivo; 3) can supply the miR-335-5p cargo to recipient HCC cells in vitro as well as in vivo; and 4) inhibit HCC cell proliferation and invasion in vitro as well as induce HCC tumor shrinkage in vivo. Finally, we identified messenger RNA targets for miR-335 that are down-regulated after treatment with EV-miR-335-5p. This study informs potential therapeutic strategies in HCC, whereby stellate cell-derived EVs are loaded with therapeutic nucleic acids and delivered in vivo. (Hepatology 2018;67:940-954).

Type V collagen became solubilized in softened sardine muscle after 1 day of chilled storage with the concomitant weakening of pericellular connective tissue induced by disintegration of thin collagen fibrils. However, no significant changes were observed in the structure of interstitial connective tissue or biochemical properties of type I collagen. Z disk in myofibrils showed structural changes, but no significant loss of longitudinal continuity of myofibrils was observed even at the deteriorated Z disk from the muscle destroyed by compression test. On the other hand, tiger puffer muscle did not show significant softening during the storage, with no significant changes in structure of connective tissues and biochemical properties of collagens. These facts suggest that degradation of type V collagen causes disintegration of the thin collagen fibrils in pericellular connective tissue, weakening pericellular connective tissue and resulting in postharvest softening. Keywords: Collagen; postharvest storage; fish; connective tissue; muscle; collagen V