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H Itabashi

Publications and source records attributed to H Itabashi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Inhibition of ruminal microbial methane production by beta-cyclodextrin iodopropane, malate and their combination in vitro.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of l-malate (0, 5, 10 and 20 mm), 2-iodopropane-beta-cyclodextrin complex (CD-IP) (0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mm) and a combination of malate (10 and 20 mm) plus CD-IP (0.2 and 0.4 mm) on methane production from corn starch. Ruminal fluid was collected from dairy cows, mixed with phosphate buffer (1 : 2) and incubated (30 ml) anaerobically at 38 degrees C for 6 h with or without additives. Fermentation of corn starch in the presence of malate resulted in an increase (p < 0.05) in pH of the medium, total volatile fatty acid (VFA), total gas production and molar proportion of propionate. Acetate and ammonia-N concentration were unchanged. Methane production was decreased (p < 0.05) (15.5 to 20.4%). Addition of CD-IP in corn starch resulted in an increase (p < 0.05) in total VFA and molar proportion of propionate. Acetate, pH and ammonia-N concentration of the medium were decreased (p < 0.05). Total gas production was unchanged. Methane production was decreased (p < 0.05) (25.2 to 97.1%) and hydrogen production was increased (p < 0.05). Addition of l-malate to CD-IP resulted in an increase (p < 0.05) in total VFA, total gas production and molar proportion of propionate. Acetate and ammonia-N concentration were decreased (p < 0.05). No effects were observed on medium pH. Methane production was decreased (p < 0.05) (49.5 to 97.1%). Hydrogen production was also decreased (p < 0.05) (54.5 to 64.1%) compared with those of CD-IP alone. Therefore, these additives may be used as supplements to inhibit methane production as well as to improve rumen fermentation and animal performance.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Phylogenetic analysis of methyl coenzyme-M reductase detected from the bovine rumen.

AIMS: The object of the present study is isolation of methyl coenzyme-M reductase (MCR) genes (mcrA) from the bovine rumen fluid and determination of phylogenetical placements of the genes to investigate mechanisms of methanogenesis in the rumen from a point of view of mcrA genes. METHODS: Genes for methanogen-specific MCR were isolated from the bovine rumen by PCR amplification. The deduced amino acid sequences were fitted to the alignments of mcrA gene products from the referred sequences. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Although the deduced amino acid sequences of mcrA genes, isolated from the bovine rumen in the present study, were close to that of Methanobrevibacter ruminantium, these amino acid sequences did not fall into known clusters of MCR. The findings suggest that methanogenesis in the rumen would be partially carried out by unknown methanogens.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Effect of Japanese horseradish oil on methane production and ruminal fermentation in vitro and in steers.

The effects of alpha-cyclodextrin-horseradish oil complex (CD-HR) on methane production and ruminal fermentation were studied in vitro and in steers. In the in vitro study, diluted ruminal fluid (30 mL) was incubated anaerobically at 38 degrees C for 6 h with or without CD-HR, using cornstarch as substrate. The CD-HR was added at various concentrations (0, 0.17, 0.85 and 1.7 g/L). Treatment affected neither the pH of the medium nor the number of protozoa. Total VFA increased in a linear manner (P = 0.02), and NH3-N decreased quadratically (P = 0.04) as the concentration of CD-HR increased from 0.17 g/L to 1.7 g/L. Molar proportions of acetate decreased in a linear manner (P = 0.03), and propionate increased linearly (P = 0.008) with increasing concentrations of CD-HR. Production of methane was inhibited up to 90%, whereas accumulation of dihydrogen was increased 36-fold by 1.7 g/L of CD-HR supplementation relative to controls. The effect of CD-HR on methane production, ruminal fermentation and microbes, and digestibility was further investigated in vivo using four Holstein steers in a crossover design. The CD-HR supplement was mixed into the concentrate portion of a (1.5:1) Sudangrass hay plus concentrate mixture that was fed twice daily to the steers. Ruminal samples were collected 0, 2, and 5 h after the morning feeding. No effects of CD-HR supplementation on ruminal pH (P = 0.63) or protozoal numbers (P = 0.44) were observed. Molar proportion of acetate was decreased (P = 0.04) and propionate was increased (P = 0.005) by CD-HR treatment. Molar proportion of butyrate was increased (P = 0.05) in CD-HR-supplemented steers. Ruminal NH3-N was decreased (P = 0.05) by treatment. Blood plasma glucose concentration was increased (P = 0.02) and urea-N was decreased (P = 0.04) with CD-HR supplementation. Daily DMI was decreased (P = 0.04), and apparent digestibility of DM (P = 0.13), NDF (P = 0.14), and CP tended (P = 0.14) to be increased by treatment. Methane production was decreased (P = 0.03) by 19%, and the number of methanogens was also decreased (P = 0.03). Although N retention (P = 0.11), total viable bacteria (P = 0.15), and sulfate-reducing bacteria (P = 0.17) were not significantly altered by treatment, tendencies for increases were noted with CD-HR supplementation. The number of cellulolytic (P = 0.38) and acetogenic bacteria (P = 0.32) remained unchanged by treatment. These results indicate that CD-HR supplementation can be used to decrease methane production in steers.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Effects of a twin strain of saccharomyces cerevisiae live cells on mixed ruminal microorganism fermentation in vitro.

This experiment was designed to investigate the effects of different concentrations (0, 0.33, 0.66, 0.99, and 1.32 g/L) of a twin-strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae live cells on in vitro mixed ruminal microorganism fermentation of corn starch, soluble potato starch, and sudangrass hay (60.5%, DM basis) plus concentrate mixture (39.5%, DM basis). Ruminal fluid was collected from two dairy cows, mixed with phosphate buffer (1:2), and incubated (30 mL) anaerobically at 38 degrees C for 6 and 24 h with or without yeast supplement, using 200 mg (DM basis) of each substrate. Medium pH, ammonia-N, and numbers of protozoa were unaffected (P = 0.38) by yeast cells in all substrates. Molar proportion of acetate was unchanged (P = 0.56) with cornstarch and soluble potato starch, but increased quadratically (P = 0.02) with hay plus concentrate by treatment. Addition of yeast cells caused a linear increase of total VFA (P = 0.008) in all substrates. Excluding the soluble potato starch, supplementation of S. cerevisiae resulted in a quadratic increase of propionate (P = 0.01), with a quadratic decrease (P = 0.04) of acetate:propionate. When soluble potato starch was used as a substrate, a linear increase (P = 0.006) of the molar proportion of propionate and a quadratic decrease (P = 0.007) in acetate:propionate was observed by treatment. Molar proportion of butyrate was unchanged (P = 0.35) with cornstarch and soluble potato starch, whereas it decreased linearly (P = 0.007) with hay plus concentrate by yeast cell supplementation. When cornstarch and soluble potato starch were used as a substrate, minor VFA were decreased (P = 0.05) by treatment. Accumulation of lactate was linearly decreased by treatment (P = 0.007) in all substrates. During incubation with hay plus concentrate, IVDMD was linearly increased (P = 0.006), whereas production of methane (linear; P = 0.02) and accumulation of hydrogen was decreased (quadratic; P = 0.005) by treatment after 24 h. These results showed that a twin strain of S. cerevisiae live cells stimulated in vitro mixed ruminal microorganism fermentation with decreased lactate, and a small decrease of methane and hydrogen with hay plus concentrate.

Ammonia↗
PubMed2003

Effect of sarsaponin on ruminal fermentation with particular reference to methane production in vitro.

This experiment was designed to investigate the effects of different concentrations (0, 1.2, 1.8, 2.4, and 3.2 g/L) of sarsaponin on ruminal microbial methane production using the substrates soluble potato starch, cornstarch, or hay plus concentrate (1.5:1). Ruminal fluid was collected from a dairy cow, mixed with phosphate buffer (1:2) and incubated (30 ml) anaerobically at 38 degrees C for 6 and 24 h with or without sarsaponin. Excluding the lower level of sarsaponin, pH of the medium was slightly decreased. Ammonia-N concentration and numbers of protozoa were decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Total volatile fatty acids and total gas production were increased. Molar proportion of acetate was decreased and propionate was increased with a corresponding decrease in acetate:propionate ratio. Hydrogen production was decreased. As the concentration of sarsaponin increased from 1.2 to 3.2 g/L, fermentation of soluble potato starch, cornstarch, or hay plus concentrate decreased methane production from 20 to 60% (6 h) and 17 to 50% (24 h), 21 to 58% (6 h) and 18 to 52% (24 h), and 23 to 53% (6 h) and 15 to 44% (24 h), respectively. Excluding the lower dose concentration (1.2 g/L) of sarsaponin, in vitro disappearance of dry matter of hay plus concentrate was decreased after 24 h. In conclusion, these results show that sarsaponin stimulated the mixed ruminal microorganism fermentation as well as to inhibit methane production in vitro.

Acetic Acid↗
PubMed2001

Kinetically controlled separation of cadmium(II) from zinc(II) with dithizone in the presence of nitrilotriacetic acid.

The extraction rates of cadmium(II) and zinc(II) with dithizone (H2dz) in the presence of nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) were measured, and the possible kinetic separation of cadmium(II) from zinc(II) was investigated. Upon the addition of NTA, the difference in the extraction rate between cadmium(II) and zinc(II) became large. Based on the observed rate constant under the condition [NTA] = 1 x 10(-2) mol dm-3, [H2dz]org = 1 x 10(-3) mol dm-3, and pH = 7.0, the shaking time required for the quantitative separation of cadmium(II) from zinc(II) was calculated to be between 326 and 995 s. The experimental results agreed with the prediction, and the quantitative separation of cadmium(II) from zinc(II) was performed within the above-mentioned range of shaking times.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Structural organization of pRAM4, a cryptic plasmid from Prevotella ruminicola.

A total of 530 strains of rumen bacteria were screened for the presence of plasmid DNA. The percentage of plasmid-bearing strains was found to be the highest among the Bacteroides/ Prevotella group (9.9%), while it was less than 1% in the Butyrivibrio (0.2%) and Clostridium (0.6%) genera. A small cryptic plasmid pRAM4 from Prevotella ruminicola T31 was subcloned in Escherichia coli and completely sequenced. Two open reading frames, encoding potential polypeptides of M(r) 32,322 (ORF1) and 32,122 (ORF2) with limited sequence similarity to replication initiation and mobilization proteins, respectively, could be identified within the sequence. The region upstream from ORF1 had an AT-rich (75%) region followed by four 22-bp direct repeats, a structure characteristic of replication origins. The plasmid hybridized at high stringency with plasmids from Bacteroides/Prevotella and Butyrivibrio, and with pBR322, suggesting that at least regions of the plasmid are widespread.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Determination of ultratrace amounts of copper (II) by its catalytic effect on the oxidative coupling reaction of 3-methyl-2-benzothiazolinone hydrazone with N-ethyl-N-(2-hydroxy-3-sulfopropyl)-3,5-dimethoxyaniline.

A spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of ultratrace amounts of copper(II) based on its catalytic effect on the oxidative coupling reaction of 3-methyl-2-benzothiazolinone hydrazone with N-ethyl-N-(2-hydroxy-3-sulfopropyl)-3,5-dimethoxyaniline to produce an intensely coloured dye (lambda(max) = 525 nm) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. In this reaction, pyridine acted as an effective activator for the catalysis of copper(II). By measuring the absorbance of the dye, copper(II) can be determined at the 0.002-0.1 ng cm(-3) (3.1 x 10(-11)-1.6 x 10(-9) mol dm(-3) level. The relative standard deviation for ten determinations of 0.06 ng cm(0-3) of copper(II) was 2.6%. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of copper(II) in tap water and biological material.

Aniline Compounds↗
PubMed1995

SPECT in dementia: clinical and pathological correlation.

BACKGROUND: The clinical diagnosis of dementia continues to be flawed. Although the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is better than 90% at research centers in highly selected patients, the diagnosis of patients with non-AD dementias and atypical AD patients is poor. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a functional imaging technique touted as a diagnostic technique for the degenerative disorders. However there have been few clinicopathological studies using SPECT. METHODS: Twenty-seven consecutive dementia patients were evaluated clinically at a University-based specialty dementia clinic, and a diagnosis of a specific dementia was made. SPECT imaging was used in helping to select a clinical diagnosis. The correlations between clinical, SPECT and autopsy diagnoses were analyzed. RESULTS: Single photon emission computed tomography predicted pathologic diagnosis in 25 of 27 patients with dementia (92.6%), compared with clinical diagnosis, which was confirmed in 20/27 (74.1%). Distinct patterns were associated with dementia caused by AD, Fronto-Temporal Dementia (FTD), and Jakob-Creutzfeldt Disease (JCD). Vascular insults not seen with computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were found with SPECT. Three different pathologies were found in patients with Parkinsonian-Dementias (PD): Lewy-Body Variant of AD, Diffuse Lewy-bodies without plaques, and substantia nigra neuronal loss without plaques or Lewy-bodies. All showed a temporal-parietal pattern with SPECT that was similar to AD. CONCLUSION: SPECT provides useful positive information in dementia, particularly the differentiation of AD, FTD, and JCD. However, it does not distinguish PD from AD.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Effects of long- and medium-chain triglycerides on amino acid uptake in rat intestinal brush border membrane vesicles.

1. Uptake of L-leucine, L-phenylalanine, L-proline and L-lysine into brush border membrane vesicles from rats fed either a medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) or a long-chain triglyceride (LCT) diet was studied under conditions of the presence of absence of a Na+ gradient. 2. From the results of initial rate, Na(+)-dependent transport in LCT feeding were lower than in feeding MCT. The Na(+)-independent transport did not vary in either group except for L-lysine uptake. 3. For L-leucine, L-phenylalanine and L-proline in Na+ dependence, kinetic analysis revealed 4-6-fold smaller Vmax values in LCT group than in MCT group. L-Lysine in Na(+)-independent transport was 10-fold lower in LCT group than in MCT group. The Km values were not affected by feeding the LCT or MCT diet. 4. It is clear that amino acid transport is regulated by different types of dietary fat. We consider that the alteration of transport activity is attributable to the changes in number of membrane-bound transport carriers but not to their affinity.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1992

The K1 capsule is the critical determinant in the development of Escherichia coli meningitis in the rat.

Although Escherichia coli strains possessing the K1 capsule are predominant among isolates from neonatal E. coli meningitis and most of these K1 isolates are associated with a limited number of 0 lipopolysaccharide (LPS) types, the basis of this association of K1 and certain 0 antigens with neonatal E. coli meningitis is not clear. The present study examined in experimental E. coli bacteremia and meningitis in newborn and adult rats whether or not the K1 capsule and/or O-LPS antigen are critical determinants in the development of meningitis. Rats received subcutaneously at K1 E. coli strain (018+K1+) or mutants lacking either the K1 capsule (018+K1-) or 0 side-chain (018-K1+). 12-24 h later, blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens were obtained for quantitative cultures. The isolation of E. coli from CSF was observed in both newborn and adult rats infected with K1+ strains regardless of LPS phenotype (018+ or 18-) who also developed a high degree of bacteremia (e.g., greater than 10(4) CFU/ml of blood). In contrast, none of the newborn and adult rats infected with 018+K1- and developing bacteremia of greater than 10(4) were found to have positive CSF cultures. These findings indicate that the presence of the K1 capsule and a high degree of bacteremia are key determinants in the development of E. coli meningitis, suggesting that there may be specific binding sites present in the brain which have an affinity for the K1 capsule and thus may be responsible for the entry of K1-encapsulated E. coli into the meninges.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Noonan syndrome presenting growth hormone neurosecretory dysfunction.

Noonan syndrome has been diagnosed by the characteristic physical stigmata for more than two decades. Recent studies of growth hormone secretory pattern provide a new category of growth hormone neurosecretory dysfunction to characterize short stature. We describe herein a case of growth hormone neurosecretory dysfunction in a 16-year-old boy with Noonan syndrome. Growth hormone neurosecretory dysfunction was diagnosed primarily based on the low amplitude and small numbers of the spontaneous bursts of growth hormone secretion during 12-hour nocturnal growth hormone sampling. Treatment with synthetic human growth hormone has markedly accelerated the growth velocity for one year and a half. This case notes the wide spectrum of short stature in Noonan syndrome and the effectiveness of treatment with human growth hormone.

Adolescent↗