The stability of 20 different types of polyphenols that are constituents of edible plants was evaluated under different pH conditions (in buffer solutions at pH 6.8, 7.4, and 8.3). Carnosol was the most unstable, followed by myricetin, quercetin, carnosic acid, nordihydroguaiaretic acid, baicalein, gallic acid, and hydroxytyrosol. They were more unstable at a higher pH, which may be attributed to their enhanced redox properties in alkaline solutions, determined by their antioxidant and prooxidant activity. The xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory activity of the reaction products under alkaline conditions was evaluated. XO activity was significantly inhibited by the product produced from gallic acid in pH 7.4 solution. The structural analysis of this reaction product revealed that a gallic acid dimer, purpurogallin-8-carboxylic acid, was formed and played a role in the resulting XO inhibitory activity.

Stress is prevalent in modern society and can affect human health through its effects on appetite. Therefore, in the present study, we aimed to clarify the neural mechanisms by which acute stress affects appetite in healthy, non-obese males during fasting. In total, 22 volunteers participated in two experiments (stress and control conditions) on different days. The participants performed a stress-inducing speech-and-mental-arithmetic task under both conditions, and then viewed images of food, during which, their neural activity was recorded using magnetoencephalography (MEG). In the stress condition, the participants were told to perform the speech-and-mental-arithmetic task again subsequently to viewing the food images; however, another speech-and-mental-arithmetic task was not performed actually. Subjective levels of stress and appetite were then assessed using a visual analog scale. Electrocardiography was performed to assess the index of heart rate variability reflecting sympathetic nerve activity. The findings showed that subjective levels of stress and sympathetic nerve activity were increased in the MEG session in the stress condition, whereas appetite gradually increased in the MEG session only in the control condition. The decrease in alpha band power in the frontal pole caused by viewing the food images was greater in the stress condition than in the control condition. These findings suggest that acute stress can suppress the increase of appetite, and this suppression is associated with the frontal pole. The results of the present study may provide valuable clues to gain a further understanding of the neural mechanisms by which acute stress affects appetite. However, since the stress examined in the present study was related to the expectation of forthcoming stressful event, our present findings may not be generalized to the stress unrelated to the expectation of forthcoming stressful event.

Purpose As shown in our previous study, inspiration after swallowing (SW-I) increases during the bi-level positive airway pressure ventilation (BiPAP) in healthy subjects because swallowing-associated non-inspiratory flow (SNIF) triggers inspiratory support, while SW-I during continuous positive pressure ventilation (CPAP) is rare. In the present study, we evaluated the coordination between breathing and swallowing during spontaneous breathing, BiPAP, and CPAP in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Patients and methods This study is a prospective intervention study at the Hoshigaoka Medical Center (November 01, 2015–April 30, 2018). We simultaneously recorded the respiratory flow, laryngeal motion, and swallowing sounds during saliva swallowing in patients with COPD. We estimated the respiratory phase after swallowing, frequency of SNIF, the duration of the respiratory pause during swallowing, and timing of swallowing in the respiratory cycle and compared these parameters among control, CPAP, and BiPAP conditions. Results The expiration after swallowing (SW-E) frequency was associated with the occurrence of SNIF ( p <0.01), pause duration ≤0.8 s ( p <0.01), and timing of swallowing at the intermediate respiratory phase (50–80% of the respiratory cycle from the onset of inspiration) ( p <0.01). In particular, the occurrence of SNIF most substantially affected the SW-E frequency. The SW-I frequencies under the control, CPAP, and BiPAP conditions were 35.0%, 3.0%, and 37.7%, respectively. The pause durations were shorter during CPAP and BiPAP than under the control condition ( p <0.01). During CPAP, the occurrence rates of SW-E. Residual denotes the percentage difference between observed and expected values (residual =10.8: p <0.01) and SNIF (residual =9.1: p <0.01) were significantly increased, and timing of swallowing shifted toward the intermediate respiratory phase (residual=3.5: p <0.01). Conclusion CPAP decreases the SW-I frequency, increases the SNIF occurrence, and normalizes the timing of swallowing, all of which suggest that CPAP alleviates the risk of aspiration in patients with COPD.

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