Sample records for acesulfame-k alitame aspartame

  1. [Simultaneous determination of aspartame and alitame in jellies and preserved fruits by HPLC].

    PubMed

    Jiang, Dingguo; Fang, Congrong; Yang, Dajin

    2012-05-01

    To establish a determination method for aspartame and alitame in jellies and preserved fruits. Aspartame and alitame in jellies were extracted with 80% methanol at 70 degrees C. Preserved fruits were homogenized with water and then were extracted with 50% methanol. A chromatographic column Zorbax SB-C18 was used; the mobile phase was methanol/water (40 + 60, volume ratio), and a diode array detector was used for the detection at wavelength 200 nm. The limits of quantification of aspartame and alitame were both 8 mg/kg for jellies and both 20 mg/kg for preserved fruits; the calibration curves were linear in the range of tested concentration. The correlation coefficients were better than 0.9996. The average recovery rates were in the range of 98.1% -101.2%, the relative standard deviations were 2.21% - 4.10%. The method is simple, practical, accurate, reliable and successful in the determination of aspartame and alitame in jellies and preserved fruits from various brands on markets.

  2. Estimated intake of the sweeteners, acesulfame-K and aspartame, from soft drinks, soft drinks based on mineral waters and nectars for a group of Portuguese teenage students.

    PubMed

    Lino, C M; Costa, I M; Pena, A; Ferreira, R; Cardoso, S M

    2008-11-01

    In a survey of levels of acesulfame-K and aspartame in soft drinks and in light nectars, the intake of these intense sweeteners was estimated for a group of teenage students. Acesulfame-K was detected in 72% of the soft drinks, with a mean concentration of 72 mg l(-1) and aspartame was found in 92% of the samples with a mean concentration of 89 mg l(-1). When data on the content of these sweeteners in soft drinks were analysed according to flavour, cola drinks had the highest mean levels for both sweeteners with 98 and 103 mg l(-1) for acesulfame-K and aspartame, respectively. For soft drinks based on mineral water, aspartame was found in 62% of the samples, with a mean concentration of 82 mg l(-1) and acesulfame-K was found in 77%, with a mean level of 48 mg l(-1). All samples of nectars contained acesulfame-K, with a mean concentration of 128 mg l(-1) and aspartame was detected in 80% of the samples with a mean concentration of 73 mg l(-1). A frequency questionnaire, designed to identify adolescents having high consumption of these drinks, was completed by a randomly selected sample of teenagers (n = 65) living in the city of Coimbra, in 2007. The estimated daily intakes (EDI) of acesulfame-K and aspartame for the average consumer were below the acceptable daily intakes (ADIs). For acesulfame-K, the EDI was 0.7 mg kg(-1) bw day(-1) for soft drinks, 0.2 mg kg(-1) bw day(-1) for soft drinks based on mineral waters, and 0.5 mg kg(-1) bw day(-1) for nectars, representing 8.0%, 2.2%, and 5.8% of the ADI, respectively. A similar situation was observed for aspartame. In this way, the EDI for soft drinks was 1.1 mg kg(-1) day(-1), representing only 2.9% of the ADI. In respect of nectars, the EDI was 0.2 mg kg(-1) bw day(-1), representing 0.5% of the ADI. Soft drinks based on mineral waters showed the lowest EDI values of 0.3 mg kg(-1) bw day(-1), accounting for 0.7% of the ADI.

  3. Estimated intake of the artificial sweeteners acesulfame-K, aspartame, cyclamate and saccharin in a group of Swedish diabetics.

    PubMed

    Ilbäck, N-G; Alzin, M; Jahrl, S; Enghardt-Barbieri, H; Busk, L

    2003-02-01

    Few sweetener intake studies have been performed on the general population and only one study has been specifically designed to investigate diabetics and children. This report describes a Swedish study on the estimated intake of the artificial sweeteners acesulfame-K, aspartame, cyclamate and saccharin by children (0-15 years) and adult male and female diabetics (types I and II) of various ages (16-90 years). Altogether, 1120 participants were asked to complete a questionnaire about their sweetener intake. The response rate (71%, range 59-78%) was comparable across age and gender groups. The most consumed 'light' foodstuffs were diet soda, cider, fruit syrup, table powder, table tablets, table drops, ice cream, chewing gum, throat lozenges, sweets, yoghurt and vitamin C. The major sources of sweetener intake were beverages and table powder. About 70% of the participants, equally distributed across all age groups, read the manufacturer's specifications of the food products' content. The estimated intakes showed that neither men nor women exceeded the ADI for acesulfame-K; however, using worst-case calculations, high intakes were found in young children (169% of ADI). In general, the aspartame intake was low. Children had the highest estimated (worst case) intake of cyclamate (317% of ADI). Children's estimated intake of saccharin only slightly exceeded the ADI at the 5% level for fruit syrup. Children had an unexpected high intake of tabletop sweeteners, which, in Sweden, is normally based on cyclamate. The study was performed during two winter months when it can be assumed that the intake of sweeteners was lower as compared with during warm, summer months. Thus, the present study probably underestimates the average intake on a yearly basis. However, our worst-case calculations based on maximum permitted levels were performed on each individual sweetener, although exposure is probably relatively evenly distributed among all sweeteners, except for cyclamate

  4. Title: Elucidation of Environmental Fate of Artificial Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K and Saccharin) by Determining Bimolecular Rate Constants with Hydroxyl Radical at Various pH and Temperature Conditions and Possible Reaction By-Products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Teraji, T.; Arakaki, T.; Suzuka, T.

    2012-12-01

    Use of artificial sweeteners in beverages and food has been rapidly increasing because of their non-calorie nature. In Japan, aspartame, acesulfame K and sucralose are among the most widely used artificial sweeteners. Because the artificial sweeteners are not metabolized in human bodies, they are directly excreted into the environment without chemical transformations. We initiated a study to better understand the fate of artificial sweeteners in the marine environment. The hydroxyl radical (OH), the most potent reactive oxygen species, reacts with various compounds and determines the environmental oxidation capacity and the life-time of many compounds. The steady-state OH concentration and the reaction rate constants between the compound and OH are used to estimate the life-time of the compound. In this study, we determine the bimolecular rate constants between aspartame, acefulfame K and saccharin and OH at various pH and temperature conditions using a competition kinetics technique. We use hydrogen peroxide as a photochemical source of OH. Bimolecular rate constant we obtained so far for aspartame was (2.6±1.2)×109 M-1 s-1 at pH = 3.0 and (4.9±2.3)×109 M-1 s-1 at pH = 5.5. Little effect was seen by changing the temperatures between 15 and 40 oC. Activation energy (Ea) was calculated to be -1.0 kJ mol-1 at pH = 3.0, +8.5 kJ mol-1 at pH = 5.5, which could be regarded as zero. We will report bimolecular rate constants at different pHs and temperatures for acesulfame K and saccharin, as well. Possible reaction by-products for aspartame will be also reported. We will further discuss the fate of aspartame in the coastal environment.

  5. Sub-minute method for simultaneous determination of aspartame, cyclamate, acesulfame-K and saccharin in food and pharmaceutical samples by capillary zone electrophoresis.

    PubMed

    Vistuba, Jacqueline Pereira; Dolzan, Maressa Danielli; Vitali, Luciano; de Oliveira, Marcone Augusto Leal; Micke, Gustavo Amadeu

    2015-05-29

    This paper reports the development of a sub-minute separation method by capillary zone electrophoresis for the determination of aspartame, cyclamate, acesulfame-K and saccharin in food products and pharmaceutical samples. Separations were performed in a fused uncoated silica capillary with UV detection at 220nm. Samples and standards were injected hydrodynamically using the short-end injection procedure. The electrophoretic system was operated under constant voltage of -30kV. The background electrolyte was composed of 45mmolL(-1) 2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-propanediol and 15mmolL(-1) benzoic acid at pH 8.4. The separation time for all analytes was less than 1min. Evaluation of analytical parameters of the method showed good linearity (r(2)>0.9972), limit of detection of 3.3-6.4mgL(-1), intermediate precision better than 9.75% (peak area of sample) and recovery in the range of 91-117%. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Simultaneous determination of sodium saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame-K and sucralose in food consumed in Korea using high-performance liquid chromatography and evaporative light-scattering detection.

    PubMed

    Lee, Youngsun; Do, Byungkyung; Lee, Gunyoung; Lim, Ho Soo; Yun, Sang Soon; Kwon, Hoonjeong

    2017-05-01

    Four artificial sweeteners, i.e., sodium saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame-K and sucralose, are permitted for use in Korea, and recent regulatory changes have expanded the number of food categories in which they may be used. Four artificial sweeteners were determined simultaneously in more than 900 food items from 30 food categories that are commercially available in Korean markets, including both domestic and imported products, using high-performance liquid chromatography and evaporative light-scattering detection (ELSD). A new procedure using 75% acetone to remove fat was applied for sample preparation. The levels detected in all samples were below the maximum permitted use levels established in Korea. Despite the increased number of categories, the only one in which sodium saccharin was newly found was takju, an alcoholic beverage. Sodium saccharin was not found in other beverages in the food analysis or in the food label survey, even though its use was reported in a previous study, suggesting that consumer preference outweighs regulatory decisions. When the analytical results were combined with food-consumption data obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010-14, the estimated daily intakes of all the sweeteners were considered safe.

  7. Antiglycating potential of acesulfame potassium: an artificial sweetener.

    PubMed

    Ali, Ahmad; More, Tejashree Anil; Hoonjan, Amaritpal Kaur; Sivakami, Subramanian

    2017-10-01

    Sweeteners have replaced the natural sugars in the food and beverage industry because of many reasons, such as hyperglycemia and cost. Saccharin, sucralose, aspartame and acesulfame-K are the most commonly used sweeteners. In the present study, the abovementioned artificial sweeteners were used to assess their glycating properties by established methods such as browning, fructosamine assay, determination of carbonyl content, protein aggregation, and measurement of fluorescence. Amadori and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are formed as a result of the interaction between carbonyl groups of reducing sugars and amino groups of proteins and other macromolecules during glycation. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of artificial sweeteners on the formation of AGEs and protein oxidation in an in vitro model of glucose-mediated protein glycation. The results indicated that the abovementioned artificial sweeteners do not enhance the process of glycation. On the other hand, acesulfame-K was found to have antiglycating potential as it caused decreased formation of Amadori products and AGEs. Further studies are essential in the characterization of Amadori products and AGEs produced as a result of interaction between sweeteners and proteins, which are interfered with by sweeteners. This study is significant in understanding the probable role of artificial sweeteners in the process of glycation and the subsequent effect on macromolecular alteration.

  8. [Simultaneous determination of six synthetic sweeteners in food by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

    PubMed

    Liu, Xiaoxi; Ding, Li; Liu, Jinxia; Zhang, Ying; Huang, Zhiqiang; Wang, Libing; Chen, Bo

    2010-11-01

    A simple and sensitive method for the determination of six synthetic sweeteners (sodium cyclamate, saccharin sodium, acesulfame-K, aspartame, alitame and neotame) in food was developed. The synthetic sweeteners were extracted by methanol-water (1 : 1, v/v). The extract was separated on a C18 column using 0.1% (v/v) formic acid-5 mmol/L ammonium formate/acetonitrile as mobile phase, and then detected by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The good linearities (r > 0.998) were achieved for all the analytes over the range of 20-500 microg/L. The recoveries obtained ranged from 81.3% to 106.0% at three spiked concentrations, with the relative standard deviations lower than 11%. The established method has been successfully applied to the determination of synthetic sweeteners in food.

  9. 21 CFR 172.800 - Acesulfame potassium.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 3 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Acesulfame potassium. 172.800 Section 172.800 Food... Acesulfame potassium. Acesulfame potassium (CAS Reg. No. 55589-62-3), also known as acesulfame K, may be... following conditions: (a) Acesulfame potassium is the potassium salt of 6-methyl-1,2,3-oxathiazine-4(3H)-one...

  10. Determination of eight artificial sweeteners and common Stevia rebaudiana glycosides in non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages by reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Kubica, Paweł; Namieśnik, Jacek; Wasik, Andrzej

    2015-02-01

    The method for the determination of acesulfame-K, saccharine, cyclamate, aspartame, sucralose, alitame, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, neotame and five common steviol glycosides (rebaudioside A, rebaudioside C, steviol, steviolbioside and stevioside) in soft and alcoholic beverages was developed using high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionisation (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that presents an HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method which allows for the simultaneous determination of all EU-authorised high-potency sweeteners (thaumatin being the only exception) in one analytical run. The minimalistic sample preparation procedure consisted of only two operations; dilution and centrifugation. Linearity, limits of detection and quantitation, repeatability, and trueness of the method were evaluated. The obtained recoveries at three tested concentration levels varied from 97.0 to 105.7%, with relative standard deviations lower than 4.1%. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of sweeteners in 24 samples of different soft and alcoholic drinks.

  11. Modified high-density lipoproteins by artificial sweetener, aspartame, and saccharin, showed loss of anti-atherosclerotic activity and toxicity in zebrafish.

    PubMed

    Kim, Jae-Yong; Park, Ki-Hoon; Kim, Jihoe; Choi, Inho; Cho, Kyung-Hyun

    2015-01-01

    Safety concerns have been raised regarding the association of chronic consumption of artificial sweeteners (ASs) with metabolic disorders, especially in the heart and brain. There has been no information on the in vivo physiological effects of AS consumption in lipoprotein metabolism. High-dosage treatment (final 25, 50, and 100 mM) with AS (aspartame, acesulfame K, and saccharin) to human high-density lipoprotein (HDL) induced loss of antioxidant ability along with elevated atherogenic effects. Aspartame-treated HDL3 (final 100 mM) almost all disappeared due to putative proteolytic degradation. Aspartame- and saccharin-treated HDL3 showed more enhanced cholesteryl ester transfer activity, while their antioxidant ability was disappeared. Microinjection of the modified HDL3 exacerbated the inflammatory death in zebrafish embryos in the presence of oxLDL. These results show that AS treatment impaired the beneficial functions of HDL, resulting in loss of antioxidant and anti-atherogenic activities. These results suggest that aspartame and saccharin could be toxic to the human circulation system as well as embryonic development via impairment of lipoprotein function.

  12. Non-nutritive sweeteners: no class effect on the glycemic or appetite responses to ingested glucose

    PubMed Central

    Bryant, Charlotte E.; Wasse, Lucy K.; Astbury, Nerys; Nandra, Gurinder; McLaughlin, John T.

    2014-01-01

    There is considerable interest in whether non-nutritive sweeteners are sensed in the gastrointestinal tract to modulate appetitive or absorptive responses to ingested carbohydrate. We determined the effect of a panel of non-nutritive sweeteners, aspartame, saccharin and acesulfame-K, delivered in doses that would be consumed in normal usage. Each was given in combination with glucose, assessing their effect on glycemic responses and appetite in ten healthy human subjects. There was no additional effect of aspartame or saccharin on the blood glucose response to oral glucose at any time point, although acesulfame-K exerted a small effect. However, none had an effect on perceptions of hunger or fullness. We conclude that there is no consistent evidence that non-nutrient sweeteners, when acutely consumed with glucose in dietetically relevant doses, have a class effect in modulating blood glucose in healthy human subjects. However, acesulfame-K may require further exploration. PMID:24595225

  13. Simultaneous determination of some artificial sweeteners in ternary formulations by FT-IR and EI-MS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tosa, Nicoleta; Moldovan, Zaharie; Bratu, Ioan

    2012-02-01

    Artificial sweeteners are widely used in food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries all over the world. In this study some non-nutritive sweeteners such as aspartame, acesulfame-K, sodium cyclamate and sodium saccharin were simultaneously determined in ternary mixtures using FT-IR and EI-MS measurements. FT-IR method is based on direct measurements of the peak height values and area centered on 1736 cm-1, 836 cm-1, 2854 cm-1 and 1050 cm-1 for aspartame, acesulfame-K, sodium cyclamate and sodium saccharin, respectively. Mass spectrometry determinations show the characteristic peaks at m/z 91 and 262 for aspartame,m/z 43 and 163 acesulfame-K,m/z 83 and 97 for sodium cyclamate andm/z 104 and 183 for sodium saccharin. The results obtained by EI-MS in different formulations are in agreement with the FT-IR ones and provide also essential data concerning the purity grade of the components. It is concluded that FT-IR and EI-MS procedures developed in this work represent a fast, sensitive and low cost alternative in the quality control of such sweeteners in different ternary formulations.

  14. 21 CFR 172.800 - Acesulfame potassium.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 3 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Acesulfame potassium. 172.800 Section 172.800 Food... Multipurpose Additives § 172.800 Acesulfame potassium. Acesulfame potassium (CAS Reg. No. 55589-62-3), also... not preclude such use, under the following conditions: (a) Acesulfame potassium is the potassium salt...

  15. 21 CFR 172.800 - Acesulfame potassium.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 3 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Acesulfame potassium. 172.800 Section 172.800 Food... Multipurpose Additives § 172.800 Acesulfame potassium. Acesulfame potassium (CAS Reg. No. 55589-62-3), also... not preclude such use, under the following conditions: (a) Acesulfame potassium is the potassium salt...

  16. 21 CFR 172.800 - Acesulfame potassium.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 3 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Acesulfame potassium. 172.800 Section 172.800 Food... Multipurpose Additives § 172.800 Acesulfame potassium. Acesulfame potassium (CAS Reg. No. 55589-62-3), also... not preclude such use, under the following conditions: (a) Acesulfame potassium is the potassium salt...

  17. 21 CFR 172.800 - Acesulfame potassium.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 3 2010-04-01 2009-04-01 true Acesulfame potassium. 172.800 Section 172.800 Food... Multipurpose Additives § 172.800 Acesulfame potassium. Acesulfame potassium (CAS Reg. No. 55589-62-3), also... not preclude such use, under the following conditions: (a) Acesulfame potassium is the potassium salt...

  18. Dietary intake of artificial sweeteners by the Belgian population.

    PubMed

    Huvaere, Kevin; Vandevijvere, Stefanie; Hasni, Moez; Vinkx, Christine; Van Loco, Joris

    2012-01-01

    This study investigated whether the Belgian population older than 15 years is at risk of exceeding ADI levels for acesulfame-K, saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame and sucralose through an assessment of usual dietary intake of artificial sweeteners and specific consumption of table-top sweeteners. A conservative Tier 2 approach, for which an extensive label survey was performed, showed that mean usual intake was significantly lower than the respective ADIs for all sweeteners. Even consumers with high intakes were not exposed to excessive levels, as relative intakes at the 95th percentile (p95) were 31% for acesulfame-K, 13% for aspartame, 30% for cyclamate, 17% for saccharin, and 16% for sucralose of the respective ADIs. Assessment of intake using a Tier 3 approach was preceded by optimisation and validation of an analytical method based on liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection. Concentrations of sweeteners in various food matrices and table-top sweeteners were determined and mean positive concentration values were included in the Tier 3 approach, leading to relative intakes at p95 of 17% for acesulfame-K, 5% for aspartame, 25% for cyclamate, 11% for saccharin, and 7% for sucralose of the corresponding ADIs. The contribution of table-top sweeteners to the total usual intake (<1% of ADI) was negligible. A comparison of observed intake for the total population with intake for diabetics (acesulfame-K: 3.55 versus 3.75; aspartame: 6.77 versus 6.53; cyclamate: 1.97 versus 2.06; saccharine: 1.14 versus 0.97; sucralose: 3.08 versus 3.03, expressed as mg kg(-1) bodyweight day(-1) at p95) showed that the latter group was not exposed to higher levels. It was concluded that the Belgian population is not at risk of exceeding the established ADIs for sweeteners.

  19. The role of artificial and natural sweeteners in reducing the consumption of table sugar: A narrative review.

    PubMed

    Mooradian, Arshag D; Smith, Meridith; Tokuda, Masaaki

    2017-04-01

    The rapid increase in the prevalence of obesity worldwide has been partially attributed to the overconsumption of added sugars. Recent guidelines call for limiting the consumption of simple sugars to less than 10% of daily caloric consumption. High intensity sweeteners are regulated as food additives and include aspartame, acesulfame-k, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, cyclamate and alitame. Steviol glycosides and Luo Han Guo fruit extracts are high intensity sweeteners that are designated as generally recognized as safe (GRAS). Commonly used non-caloric artificial sweeteners may have unfavorable effect on health including glucose intolerance and failure to cause weight reduction. The nutritive sweeteners include sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, xylitol, lactitol, mannitol, erythritol, trehalose and maltitol. Naturally occurring rare sugars have recently emerged as an alternative category of sweeteners. These monosaccharides and their derivatives are found in nature in small quantities and lack significant calories. This category includes d-allulose (d-psicose), d-tagatose, d-sorbose and d-allose. Limiting consumption of any sweetener may well be the best health advice. Identifying natural sweeteners that have favorable effects on body weight and metabolism may help achieving the current recommendations of restricting simple sugar consumption. Copyright © 2017 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Rebaudioside A and Rebaudioside D bitterness do not covary with Acesulfame K bitterness or polymorphisms in TAS2R9 and TAS2R31

    PubMed Central

    Allen, Alissa L.; McGeary, John E.; Hayes, John E.

    2013-01-01

    In order to reduce calories in foods and beverages, the food industry routinely uses non-nutritive sweeteners. Unfortunately, many are synthetically derived, and many consumers have a strong preference for natural sweeteners, irrespective of the safety data on synthetic non-nutritive sweeteners. Additionally, many non-nutritive sweeteners elicit aversive side tastes such as bitter and metallic in addition to sweetness. Bitterness thresholds of acesulfame-K (AceK) and saccharin are known to vary across bitter taste receptors polymorphisms in TAS2R31. RebA has shown to activate hTAS2R4 and hTAS2R14 in vitro. Here we examined bitterness and sweetness perception of natural and synthetic non-nutritive sweeteners. In a follow-up to a previous gene-association study, participants (n=122) who had been genotyped previously rated sweet, bitter and metallic sensations from rebaudioside A (RebA), rebaudioside D (RebD), aspartame, sucrose and gentiobiose in duplicate in a single session. For comparison, we also present sweet and bitter ratings of AceK collected in the original experiment for the same participants. At similar sweetness levels, aspartame elicited less bitterness than RebD, which was significantly less bitter than RebA. The bitterness of RebA and RebD showed wide variability across individuals, and bitterness ratings for these compounds were correlated. However, RebA and RebD bitterness did not covary with AceK bitterness. Likewise, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) shown previously to explain variation in the suprathreshold bitterness of AceK (rs3741845 in TAS2R9 and rs10772423 in TAS2R31) did not explain variation in RebA and RebD bitterness. Because RebA activates hT2R4 and hT2R14, a SNP in TAS2R4 previously associated with variation in bitterness perception was included here; there are no known functional SNPs for TAS2R14. In present data, a putatively functional SNP (rs2234001) in TAS2R4 did not explain variation in RebA or RebD bitterness. Collectively

  1. Fate of artificial sweeteners in wastewater treatment plants in New York State, U.S.A.

    PubMed

    Subedi, Bikram; Kannan, Kurunthachalam

    2014-12-02

    Very few studies describe the fate of artificial sweeteners (ASWs) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In this study, mass loadings, removal efficiencies, and environmental emission of sucralose, saccharin, aspartame, and acesulfame were determined based on the concentrations measured in wastewater influent, primary effluent, effluent, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and sludge collected from two WWTPs in the Albany area of New York State, U.S.A. All ASWs were detected at a mean concentration that ranged from 0.13 (aspartame) to 29.4 μg/L (sucralose) in wastewater influent, 0.49 (aspartame) to 27.7 μg/L (sucralose) in primary influent, 0.11 (aspartame) to 29.6 μg/L (sucralose) in effluent, and from 0.08 (aspartame) to 0.65 μg/g dw (sucralose) in sludge. Aspartame was found in 92% of influent SPM samples at a mean concentration of 444 ng/g dw, followed by acesulfame (92 ng/g) and saccharin (49 ng/g). The fraction of the total mass of ASWs sorbed to SPM was in the rank order: aspartame (50.4%) > acesulfame (10.9%) > saccharin and sucralose (0.8%). The sorption coefficients of ASWs ranged from 4.10 (saccharin) to 4540 L/kg (aspartame). Significant removal of aspartame (68.2%) and saccharin (90.3%) was found in WWTPs; however, sucralose and acesulfame were less efficiently removed (<2.0%). The total mass loading of sucralose, saccharin, and acesulfame in the WWTP that served a smaller population (∼15,000) was 1.3-1.5 times lower than that in another WWTP that served a larger population (∼100,000). The average daily loading of sucralose in both WWTPs (18.5 g/d/1000 people) was ∼2 times higher than the average loading of saccharin. The daily discharge of sucralose from the WWTPs was the highest (17.6 g/d/1000 people), followed by acesulfame (1.22 g/d/1000 people), and saccharin (1.07 g/d/1000 people). Approximately, 1180 g of saccharin and 291 g of acesulfame were transformed in or removed daily from the two WWTPs. This is the first study to describe

  2. Risk assessment of additives through soft drinks and nectars consumption on Portuguese population: a 2010 survey.

    PubMed

    Diogo, Janina S G; Silva, Liliana S O; Pena, Angelina; Lino, Celeste M

    2013-12-01

    This study investigated whether the Portuguese population is at risk of exceeding ADI levels for acesulfame-K, saccharin, aspartame, caffeine, benzoic and sorbic acid through an assessment of dietary intake of additives and specific consumption of four types of beverages, traditional soft drinks and soft drinks based on mineral waters, energetic drinks, and nectars. The highest mean levels of additives were found for caffeine in energetic drinks, 293.5mg/L, for saccharin in traditional soft drinks, 18.4 mg/L, for acesulfame-K and aspartame in nectars, with 88.2 and 97.8 mg/L, respectively, for benzoic acid in traditional soft drinks, 125.7 mg/L, and for sorbic acid in soft drinks based on mineral water, 166.5 mg/L. Traditional soft drinks presented the highest acceptable daily intake percentages (ADIs%) for acesulfame-K, aspartame, benzoic and sorbic acid and similar value for saccharin (0.5%) when compared with soft drinks based on mineral water, 0.7%, 0.08%, 7.3%, and 1.92% versus 0.2%, 0.053%, 0.6%, and 0.28%, respectively. However for saccharin the highest percentage of ADI was obtained for nectars, 0.9%, in comparison with both types of soft drinks, 0.5%. Therefore, it is concluded that the Portuguese population is not at risk of exceeding the established ADIs for the studied additives. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  3. Artificial sweeteners: Sucralose and Acesulfame-K; emerging pollutants indicators of specific transport in karst systems: Application to semi-arid regions.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Doummar, J.; Aoun, M. E.

    2016-12-01

    The assessment of vulnerability in karst system is highly challenging as it highly depends on the identification of diffuse and concentrated infiltration from surface karst features, the latter varying with time. This work shows that the artificial sweeteners Sucralose (SUC) and Acesulfame-K (ACE-K) can be used as transport indicators for persistent waste water effluent in karst systems. In the framework of a PEER NSF/USAID funded project, a karst spring (Qachqouch; yearly discharge of circa 50 Mm3) in Mount Lebanon was monitored following a multi-precipitation event. Acesulfame-K (ACE-K) and Sucralose (SUC), indicative of domestic waste water, Chloride and Calcium ions, Electrical conductivity (EC), and turbidity along with discharge were collected at the spring for nine days after the rain events at time intervals varying between 30 min and 4 hours. The samples were analyzed for ACE-K and SUC at Eaton Eurofins in California. A first sampling campaign was undertaken to assess the base flow concentrations in wells, waste water, and the main losing river on the catchment area along with Spring Qachqouch. It revealed that ACE-K and SUC are found in the spring at base flow concentrations of 170 ng/l, and 120 ng/l respectively. A two-end mixing model based on Chloride and Calcium allowed the quantification of newly recharged water (11% of total flow) reaching the springs at specific monitoring intervals through fast flow pathways. The results revealed that the artificial sweeteners are persistent in the system outside rain events. They are mostly transported to the springs through fast pathways from flushed wastewater; their breakthrough curves coincide with the arrival of new waters (from the sinking stream or sinkholes). About 120 grams of SUC and 160 grams of ACE-K reached the springs during peak response in three consecutive events. Based on the quantities, and given that both acesulfame and SUC are excreted mostly unchanged in wastewater, estimates of consumption

  4. Environmental fate and behavior of acesulfame in laboratory experiments.

    PubMed

    Storck, Florian R; Skark, Christian; Remmler, Frank; Brauch, Heinz-Jürgen

    2016-12-01

    Acesulfame is a widely used artificial sweetener. It can be discharged into surface water by domestic wastewater due to its incomplete retention during wastewater treatment. Concentrations may reach up to 10 μg/L for smaller rivers. State-of-the-art analysis allows the determination of acesulfame traces (0.01 μg/L) and thus a potential tracking of the presence of wastewater in riverbank filtrate. To evaluate the behavior of acesulfame in the aquatic environment, biodegradation and sorption of acesulfame were tested. Batch experiments yielded low sorption for several soils (estimated solid-water distribution coefficient of acesulfame <0.1 L/kg). Biodegradation in a fixed-bed reactor was not observed at environmental concentrations of 9 μg/L in aqueous compost and soil extract (observation period 56 days). Only in diluted effluent of a wastewater treatment plant did biodegradation start, after 17 days of operation, and acesulfame completely fade, within 28 days. Flow-through column experiments indicated conservative behavior of acesulfame (recovery >83%) and long-term observations at different concentration levels yielded no biodegradation. Overall, laboratory experiments demonstrated a conservative behavior of acesulfame under conditions typical for riverbank filtration. However, there are hints for certain settings which favor an adaptation of the microbial community and facilitate a rapid biodegradation of acesulfame.

  5. Characterization of aspartame-cyclodextrin complexation.

    PubMed

    Sohajda, Tamás; Béni, Szabolcs; Varga, Erzsébet; Iványi, Róbert; Rácz, Akos; Szente, Lajos; Noszál, Béla

    2009-12-05

    The inclusion complex formation of aspartame (guest) and various cyclodextrins (host) were examined using 1H NMR titration and capillary electrophoresis. Initially the protonation constants of aspartame were determined by NMR-pH titration with in situ pH measurement to yield log K1=7.83 and log K2=2.96. Based on these values the stability of the complexes formed by aspartame and 21 different cyclodextrins (CDs) were studied at pH 2.5, pH 5.2 and pH 9.0 values where aspartame exists predominantly in monocationic, zwitterionic and monoanionic form, respectively. The host cyclodextrin derivatives differed in various sidechains, degree of substitution, charge and purity so that the effect of these properties could be examined systematically. Concerning size, the seven-membered beta-cyclodextrin and its derivatives have been found to be the most suitable host molecules for complexation. Highest stability was observed for the acetylated derivative with a degree of substitution of 7. The purity of the CD enhanced the complexation while the degree of substitution did not provide obvious consequences. Finally, geometric aspects of the inclusion complex were assessed by 2D ROESY NMR and molecular modelling which proved that the guest's aromatic ring enters the wider end of the host cavity.

  6. Aspartame intolerance.

    PubMed

    Garriga, M M; Metcalfe, D D

    1988-12-01

    Aspartame is a food additive marketed under the brand name Nutrasweet. Aspartame is a white, odorless, crystalline powder and consists of two amino acids, L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine. It is 180 times as sweet as sugar. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first allowed its use in dry foods in July 1981 and then approved its use in carbonated beverages in July 1983. It has subsequently been approved for use in a number of materials including multivitamins, fruit juices, stick-type confections, breath mints, and iced tea. The FDA requires the statement "phenylketonurics: contains phenylalanine" on labels of food products containing aspartame because individuals with phenylketonuria (PKU) must restrict their intake of phenylalanine. Aspartame is judged to be free of long-term cancer risks. Aspartame is not stable under certain conditions including baking and cooking, and prolonged exposure to acid conditions. In such situations it loses its sweetness. Products formed from aspartame include its component amino acids (phenylalanine and aspartic acid), methanol, and diketopiperazine (DKP). Animal studies show DKP to be nontoxic. Methanol occurs in small amounts and does not exceed that formed during consumption of many foods including fresh fruits and vegetables. FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) monitors aspartame's safety in part through reports of adverse reactions. After aspartame was approved for use in carbonated beverages, the FDA received an increased number of reports concerning adverse reactions related to aspartame. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reviewed these reports, which included complaints of neurologic, gastrointestinal, andallergic reactions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  7. Low-calorie sweeteners in food and food supplements on the Italian market.

    PubMed

    Janvier, Steven; Goscinny, Séverine; Le Donne, Cinzia; Van Loco, Joris

    2015-01-01

    This study determines the occurrence and concentration levels of artificial low-calorie sweeteners (LCSs) in food and food supplements on the Italian market. The analysed sample set (290 samples) was representative of the Italian market and comprised of beverages, jams, ketchups, confectionery, dairy products, table-top sweeteners and food supplements. All samples were analysed via UPLC-MS/MS. The method was in-house validated for the analysis of seven LCSs (aspartame, acesulfame-K, saccharin, sucralose, cyclamate, neotame and neohesperidin dihydrochalcone) in food and for five LCSs (aspartame, acesulfame-K, saccharin, cyclamate and sucralose) in food supplements. Except for cyclamate in one beverage which exceeded the maximum level (ML) with 13%, all concentrations measured in food were around or below the ML. In food supplements, 40 of the 52 samples (77%) were found to be above the ML, with exceedances of up to 200% of the ML.

  8. Advantame Sweetener Preference in C57BL/6J Mice and Sprague-Dawley Rats

    PubMed Central

    Ackroff, Karen

    2015-01-01

    Advantame is a new ultrahigh-intensity noncaloric sweetener derived from aspartame and approved for human use. Rats and mice are not attracted to the taste of aspartame and this study determined their preference for advantame. In 24-h choice tests with water, C57BL/6J mice and Sprague-Dawley rats were indifferent to advantame at concentrations of 0.01, 0.03, and 0.1mM but significantly preferred 0.3 and 1mM advantame to water. Both species also preferred 1mM advantame to 1mM saccharin in direct choice tests, but preferred 10mM saccharin to 1mM advantame, which is near the solubility limit for this sweetener. Mice also preferred 1mM advantame to 1mM sucralose or acesulfame K, but preferred both sweeteners at 10mM to 1mM advantame. In addition, mice preferred 1mM advantame to 1 and 10mM aspartame. Thus, advantame is a potent sweetener for rodents but, because of limited solubility, is not an effective alternative to saccharin, sucralose, or acesulfame K at higher concentrations. PMID:25560795

  9. Assessment of bitterness intensity and suppression effects using an Electronic Tongue

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Legin, A.; Rudnitskaya, A.; Kirsanov, D.; Frolova, Yu.; Clapham, D.; Caricofe, R.

    2009-05-01

    Quantification of bitterness intensity and effectivness of bitterness suppression of a novel active pharmacological ingredient (API) being developed by GSK was performed using an Electronic Tongue (ET) based on potentiometric chemical sensors. Calibration of the ET was performed with solutions of quinine hydrochloride in the concentration range 0.4-360 mgL-1. An MLR calibration model was developed for predicting bitterness intensity expressed as "equivalent quinine concentration" of a series of solutions of quinine, bittrex and the API. Additionally the effectiveness of sucralose, mixture of aspartame and acesulfame K, and grape juice in masking the bitter taste of the API was assessed using two approaches. PCA models were produced and distances between compound containing solutions and corresponding placebos were calculated. The other approach consisted in calculating "equivalent quinine concentration" using a calibration model with respect to quinine concentration. According to both methods, the most effective taste masking was produced by grape juice, followed by the mixture of aspartame and acesulfame K.

  10. Sweetener Intake by Rats Selectively Bred for Differential Saccharin Intake: Sucralose, Stevia, and Acesulfame Potassium.

    PubMed

    Dess, Nancy K; Dobson, Kiana; Roberts, Brandon T; Chapman, Clinton D

    2017-06-01

    Behavioral responses to sweeteners have been used to study the evolution, mechanisms, and functions of taste. Occidental low and high saccharin consuming rats (respectively, LoS and HiS) have been selectively outbred on the basis of saccharin intake and are a valuable tool for studying variation among individuals in sweetener intake and its correlates. Relative to HiS rats, LoS rats consume smaller amounts of all nutritive and nonnutritive sweeteners tested to date, except aspartame. The lines also differ in intake of the commercial product Splenda; the roles of sucralose and saccharides in the difference are unclear. The present study extends prior work by examining intake of custom mixtures of sucralose, maltodextrin, and sugars and Splenda by LoS and HiS rats (Experiment 1A-1D), stevia and a constituent compound (rebaudioside A; Experiment 2A-2E), and acesulfame potassium tested at several concentrations or with 4 other sweeteners at one concentration each (Experiment 3A-3B). Results indicate that aversive side tastes limit intake of Splenda, stevia, and acesulfame potassium, more so among LoS rats than among HiS rats. In addition, regression analyses involving 5 sweeteners support the idea that both sweetness and bitterness are needed to account for intake of nonnutritive sweeteners, more so among LoS rats. These findings contribute to well developed and emerging literatures on sweetness and domain-general processes related to gustation. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  11. Investigation of the photocatalytic transformation of acesulfame K in the presence of different TiO2-based materials.

    PubMed

    López-Muňoz, M J; Daniele, A; Zorzi, M; Medana, C; Calza, P

    2018-02-01

    The photocatalytic transformation of acesulfame K - an artificial sweetener that has gained popularity over the last decades for being a calorie-free additive in food, beverages and several pharmaceutical products - was studied using three different photocatalysts, the benchmark TiO 2 -P25 and two other forms of synthetized titanium oxides named TiO 2 -SG1 and TiO 2 -SG2. The two latter materials were synthesized by a sol gel process in which the hydrolysis rate of titanium n-butoxide was controlled by the water formed in situ through an esterification reaction between ethanol and acetic acid. The investigation included monitoring the sweetener disappearance, identifying its intermediate compounds, assessing mineralization and evaluating toxicity. The analyses were carried out using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with a LTQ-Orbitrap analyzer via an electrospray ionization (ESI) in the negative ion mode. This is a powerful tool for the identification, characterization and measurement of the transformation products (TPs); overall 13 species were identified. The use of several semiconductors has pointed out differences in terms of both photocatalytic efficiency and mechanism: the assessment of the evolution kinetics of each species (TPs, total organic carbon and inorganic ions) has brought to the elaboration of a general transformation pathway of acesulfame K. TiO 2 -SG2 proved to be the most efficient material in degrading the artificial sweetener and leads to the complete mineralization within 6 h of irradiation, while up to 16 h are required for TiO 2 -P25. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Sweetening ruthenium and osmium: organometallic arene complexes containing aspartame.

    PubMed

    Gray, Jennifer C; Habtemariam, Abraha; Winnig, Marcel; Meyerhof, Wolfgang; Sadler, Peter J

    2008-09-01

    The novel organometallic sandwich complexes [(eta(6)-p-cymene)Ru(eta(6)-aspartame)](OTf)(2) (1) (OTf = trifluoromethanesulfonate) and [(eta(6)-p-cymene)Os(eta(6)-aspartame)](OTf)(2) (2) incorporating the artificial sweetener aspartame have been synthesised and characterised. A number of properties of aspartame were found to be altered on binding to either metal. The pK(a) values of both the carboxyl and the amino groups of aspartame are lowered by between 0.35 and 0.57 pH units, causing partial deprotonation of the amino group at pH 7.4 (physiological pH). The rate of degradation of aspartame to 3,6-dioxo-5-phenylmethylpiperazine acetic acid (diketopiperazine) increased over threefold from 0.12 to 0.36 h(-1) for 1, and to 0.43 h(-1) for 2. Furthermore, the reduction potential of the ligand shifted from -1.133 to -0.619 V for 2. For the ruthenium complex 1 the process occurred in two steps, the first (at -0.38 V) within a biologically accessible range. This facilitates reactions with biological reductants such as ascorbate. Binding to and activation of the sweet taste receptor was not observed for these metal complexes up to concentrations of 1 mM. The factors which affect the ability of metal-bound aspartame to interact with the receptor site are discussed.

  13. Advantame sweetener preference in C57BL/6J mice and Sprague-Dawley rats.

    PubMed

    Sclafani, Anthony; Ackroff, Karen

    2015-03-01

    Advantame is a new ultrahigh-intensity noncaloric sweetener derived from aspartame and approved for human use. Rats and mice are not attracted to the taste of aspartame and this study determined their preference for advantame. In 24-h choice tests with water, C57BL/6J mice and Sprague-Dawley rats were indifferent to advantame at concentrations of 0.01, 0.03, and 0.1mM but significantly preferred 0.3 and 1mM advantame to water. Both species also preferred 1mM advantame to 1mM saccharin in direct choice tests, but preferred 10mM saccharin to 1mM advantame, which is near the solubility limit for this sweetener. Mice also preferred 1mM advantame to 1mM sucralose or acesulfame K, but preferred both sweeteners at 10mM to 1mM advantame. In addition, mice preferred 1mM advantame to 1 and 10mM aspartame. Thus, advantame is a potent sweetener for rodents but, because of limited solubility, is not an effective alternative to saccharin, sucralose, or acesulfame K at higher concentrations. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Qualitative and quantitative control of carbonated cola beverages using ¹H NMR spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Maes, Pauline; Monakhova, Yulia B; Kuballa, Thomas; Reusch, Helmut; Lachenmeier, Dirk W

    2012-03-21

    ¹H Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy (400 MHz) was used in the context of food surveillance to develop a reliable analytical tool to differentiate brands of cola beverages and to quantify selected constituents of the soft drinks. The preparation of the samples required only degassing and addition of 0.1% of TSP in D₂O for locking and referencing followed by adjustment of pH to 4.5. The NMR spectra obtained can be considered as "fingerprints" and were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA). Clusters from colas of the same brand were observed, and significant differences between premium and discount brands were found. The quantification of caffeine, acesulfame-K, aspartame, cyclamate, benzoate, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), sulfite ammonia caramel (E 150D), and vanillin was simultaneously possible using external calibration curves and applying TSP as internal standard. Limits of detection for caffeine, aspartame, acesulfame-K, and benzoate were 1.7, 3.5, 0.8, and 1.0 mg/L, respectively. Hence, NMR spectroscopy combined with chemometrics is an efficient tool for simultaneous identification of soft drinks and quantification of selected constituents.

  15. Neurobehavioral Effects of Aspartame Consumption

    PubMed Central

    Lindseth, Glenda N.; Coolahan, Sonya E.; Petros, Thomas V.; Lindseth, Paul D.

    2017-01-01

    Despite its widespread use, the artificial sweetener aspartame remains one of the most controversial food additives, due to mixed evidence on its neurobehavioral effects. Healthy adults who consumed a study-prepared high-aspartame diet (25 mg/kg body weight/day) for 8 days and a low-aspartame diet (10 mg/kg body weight/day) for 8 days, with a 2-week washout between the diets, were examined for within-subject differences in cognition, depression, mood, and headache. Measures included weight of foods consumed containing aspartame, mood and depression scales, and cognitive tests for working memory and spatial orientation. When consuming high-aspartame diets, participants had more irritable mood, exhibited more depression, and performed worse on spatial orientation tests. Aspartame consumption did not influence working memory. Given that the higher intake level tested here was well below the maximum acceptable daily intake level of 40–50 mg/kg body weight/day, careful consideration is warranted when consuming food products that may affect neurobehavioral health. PMID:24700203

  16. Neurobehavioral effects of aspartame consumption.

    PubMed

    Lindseth, Glenda N; Coolahan, Sonya E; Petros, Thomas V; Lindseth, Paul D

    2014-06-01

    Despite its widespread use, the artificial sweetener aspartame remains one of the most controversial food additives, due to mixed evidence on its neurobehavioral effects. Healthy adults who consumed a study-prepared high-aspartame diet (25 mg/kg body weight/day) for 8 days and a low-aspartame diet (10 mg/kg body weight/day) for 8 days, with a 2-week washout between the diets, were examined for within-subject differences in cognition, depression, mood, and headache. Measures included weight of foods consumed containing aspartame, mood and depression scales, and cognitive tests for working memory and spatial orientation. When consuming high-aspartame diets, participants had more irritable mood, exhibited more depression, and performed worse on spatial orientation tests. Aspartame consumption did not influence working memory. Given that the higher intake level tested here was well below the maximum acceptable daily intake level of 40-50 mg/kg body weight/day, careful consideration is warranted when consuming food products that may affect neurobehavioral health. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. Qualitative and Quantitative Control of Carbonated Cola Beverages Using 1H NMR Spectroscopy

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    1H Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy (400 MHz) was used in the context of food surveillance to develop a reliable analytical tool to differentiate brands of cola beverages and to quantify selected constituents of the soft drinks. The preparation of the samples required only degassing and addition of 0.1% of TSP in D2O for locking and referencing followed by adjustment of pH to 4.5. The NMR spectra obtained can be considered as “fingerprints” and were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA). Clusters from colas of the same brand were observed, and significant differences between premium and discount brands were found. The quantification of caffeine, acesulfame-K, aspartame, cyclamate, benzoate, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), sulfite ammonia caramel (E 150D), and vanillin was simultaneously possible using external calibration curves and applying TSP as internal standard. Limits of detection for caffeine, aspartame, acesulfame-K, and benzoate were 1.7, 3.5, 0.8, and 1.0 mg/L, respectively. Hence, NMR spectroscopy combined with chemometrics is an efficient tool for simultaneous identification of soft drinks and quantification of selected constituents. PMID:22356160

  18. Revisiting the safety of aspartame.

    PubMed

    Choudhary, Arbind Kumar; Pretorius, Etheresia

    2017-09-01

    Aspartame is a synthetic dipeptide artificial sweetener, frequently used in foods, medications, and beverages, notably carbonated and powdered soft drinks. Since 1981, when aspartame was first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, researchers have debated both its recommended safe dosage (40 mg/kg/d) and its general safety to organ systems. This review examines papers published between 2000 and 2016 on both the safe dosage and higher-than-recommended dosages and presents a concise synthesis of current trends. Data on the safe aspartame dosage are controversial, and the literature suggests there are potential side effects associated with aspartame consumption. Since aspartame consumption is on the rise, the safety of this sweetener should be revisited. Most of the literature available on the safety of aspartame is included in this review. Safety studies are based primarily on animal models, as data from human studies are limited. The existing animal studies and the limited human studies suggest that aspartame and its metabolites, whether consumed in quantities significantly higher than the recommended safe dosage or within recommended safe levels, may disrupt the oxidant/antioxidant balance, induce oxidative stress, and damage cell membrane integrity, potentially affecting a variety of cells and tissues and causing a deregulation of cellular function, ultimately leading to systemic inflammation. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Life Sciences Institute. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  19. Transformation of acesulfame in water under natural sunlight: joint effect of photolysis and biodegradation.

    PubMed

    Gan, Zhiwei; Sun, Hongwen; Wang, Ruonan; Hu, Hongwei; Zhang, Pengfei; Ren, Xinhao

    2014-11-01

    The transformation of acesulfame in water under environmentally relevant conditions, including direct and indirect photolysis, biodegradation, and hydrolysis, was systematically evaluated. Under natural sunlight, both direct and indirect photolysis of acesulfame were negligible in sterilized systems at neutral or alkaline pH, whereas direct photolysis occurred at pH of 4 with a rate constant of 0.0355 d(-1) in deionized water. No significant reduction in acesulfame contents was found in the dark controls or in the incubation experiments, indicating acesulfame was resistant to hydrolysis and biodegradation. In unsterilized systems, photolysis was substantially enhanced, implying that there was a joint effect of photolysis and biodegradation or that the sterilization process had the secondary effect of inactivating some photosensitizers. The near-surface summer half-life of acesulfame in the water from the Haihe River was 9 d. Specific experiments revealed the involvement of (1)O2/(3)DOM* in acesulfame photolysis, whereas OH exhibited only a slight contribution in the presence of DOM or bicarbonate. As indicated by the total organic carbon data, no significant mineralization occurred in both sterilized and unsterilized systems after acesulfame was irradiated under simulated sunlight for 7 d, suggesting the generation of persistent intermediates. Finally, major degradation intermediates were analyzed, and the degradation pathways of acesulfame under environmentally relevant conditions were proposed for the first time. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dasgupta, Jaydip; Elliott, Ruth A.; Doshani, Angie

    Introduction: Consumption of carbonated soft drinks has been shown to be independently associated with the development of overactive bladder symptoms (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.18, 2.22) [Dallosso, H.M., McGrother, C.W., Matthews, R.J., Donaldson, M.M.K., 2003. The association of diet and other lifestyle factors with overactive bladder and stress incontinence: a longitudinal study in women. BJU Int. 92, 69-77]. We evaluated the effects of three artificial sweeteners, acesulfame K, aspartame and sodium saccharin, on the contractile response of isolated rat detrusor muscle strips. Methods: Strips of detrusor muscle were placed in an organ bath and stimulated with electrical field stimulation (EFS)more » in the absence and presence of atropine, and with {alpha},{beta} methylene ATP, potassium, calcium and carbachol. Results: Sweeteners 10{sup -7} M to 10{sup -2} M enhanced the contractile response to 10 Hz EFS compared to control (p < 0.01). The atropine-resistant response to EFS was marginally increased by acesulfame K 10{sup -6} M, aspartame 10{sup -7} M and sodium saccharin 10{sup -7} M. Acesulfame K 10{sup -6} M increased the maximum contractile response to {alpha},{beta} methylene ATP by 35% ({+-} 9.6%) (p < 0.05) and to KCl by 12% ({+-} 3.1%) (p < 0.01). Sodium saccharin also increased the response to KCl by 37% ({+-} 15.2%) (p < 0.05). These sweeteners shifted the calcium concentration-response curves to the left. Acesulfame K 10{sup -6} M increased the log EC{sub 5} from -2.79 ({+-} 0.037) to -3.03 ({+-} 0.048, p < 0.01) and sodium saccharin 10{sup -7} M from -2.74 ({+-} 0.03) to 2.86 ({+-} 0.031, p < 0.05). The sweeteners had no significant effect on the contractile response to carbachol but they did increase the amplitude of spontaneous bladder contractions. Discussion: These results suggest that low concentrations of artificial sweeteners enhanced detrusor muscle contraction via modulation of L-type Ca{sup +2} channels.« less

  1. Aspartame-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells.

    PubMed

    Horio, Yukari; Sun, Yongkun; Liu, Chuang; Saito, Takeshi; Kurasaki, Masaaki

    2014-01-01

    Aspartame is an artificial sweetner added to many low-calorie foods. The safety of aspartame remains controversial even though there are many studies on its risks. In this study, to understand the physiological effects of trace amounts of artificial sweetners on cells, the effects of aspartame on apoptosis were investigated using a PC12 cell system. In addition, the mechanism of apoptosis induced by aspartame in PC12 cells and effects on apoptotic factors such as cytochrome c, apoptosis-inducing factor, and caspase family proteins were studied by Western blotting and RT-PCR. Aspartame-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, aspartame exposure increased the expressions of caspases 8 and 9, and cytochrome c. These results indicate that aspartame induces apoptosis mainly via mitochondrial pathway involved in apoptosis due to oxigen toxicity. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Aspartame sensitivity? A double blind randomised crossover study.

    PubMed

    Sathyapalan, Thozhukat; Thatcher, Natalie J; Hammersley, Richard; Rigby, Alan S; Courts, Fraser L; Pechlivanis, Alexandros; Gooderham, Nigel J; Holmes, Elaine; le Roux, Carel W; Atkin, Stephen L

    2015-01-01

    Aspartame is a commonly used intense artificial sweetener, being approximately 200 times sweeter than sucrose. There have been concerns over aspartame since approval in the 1980s including a large anecdotal database reporting severe symptoms. The objective of this study was to compare the acute symptom effects of aspartame to a control preparation. This was a double-blind randomized cross over study conducted in a clinical research unit in United Kingdom. Forty-eight individual who has self reported sensitivity to aspartame were compared to 48 age and gender matched aspartame non-sensitive individuals. They were given aspartame (100mg)-containing or control snack bars randomly at least 7 days apart. The main outcome measures were acute effects of aspartame measured using repeated ratings of 14 symptoms, biochemistry and metabonomics. Aspartame sensitive and non-sensitive participants differed psychologically at baseline in handling feelings and perceived stress. Sensitive participants had higher triglycerides (2.05 ± 1.44 vs. 1.26 ± 0.84mmol/L; p value 0.008) and lower HDL-C (1.16 ± 0.34 vs. 1.35 ± 0.54 mmol/L; p value 0.04), reflected in 1H NMR serum analysis that showed differences in the baseline lipid content between the two groups. Urine metabonomic studies showed no significant differences. None of the rated symptoms differed between aspartame and control bars, or between sensitive and control participants. However, aspartame sensitive participants rated more symptoms particularly in the first test session, whether this was placebo or control. Aspartame and control bars affected GLP-1, GIP, tyrosine and phenylalanine levels equally in both aspartame sensitive and non-sensitive subjects. Using a comprehensive battery of psychological tests, biochemistry and state of the art metabonomics there was no evidence of any acute adverse responses to aspartame. This independent study gives reassurance to both regulatory bodies and the public that acute ingestion of

  3. Aspartame Sensitivity? A Double Blind Randomised Crossover Study

    PubMed Central

    Sathyapalan, Thozhukat; Thatcher, Natalie J.; Hammersley, Richard; Rigby, Alan S.; Pechlivanis, Alexandros; Gooderham, Nigel J.; Holmes, Elaine; le Roux, Carel W.; Atkin, Stephen L.; Courts, Fraser

    2015-01-01

    Background Aspartame is a commonly used intense artificial sweetener, being approximately 200 times sweeter than sucrose. There have been concerns over aspartame since approval in the 1980s including a large anecdotal database reporting severe symptoms. The objective of this study was to compare the acute symptom effects of aspartame to a control preparation. Methods This was a double-blind randomized cross over study conducted in a clinical research unit in United Kingdom. Forty-eight individual who has self reported sensitivity to aspartame were compared to 48 age and gender matched aspartame non-sensitive individuals. They were given aspartame (100mg)-containing or control snack bars randomly at least 7 days apart. The main outcome measures were acute effects of aspartame measured using repeated ratings of 14 symptoms, biochemistry and metabonomics. Results Aspartame sensitive and non-sensitive participants differed psychologically at baseline in handling feelings and perceived stress. Sensitive participants had higher triglycerides (2.05 ± 1.44 vs. 1.26 ± 0.84mmol/L; p value 0.008) and lower HDL-C (1.16 ± 0.34 vs. 1.35 ± 0.54 mmol/L; p value 0.04), reflected in 1H NMR serum analysis that showed differences in the baseline lipid content between the two groups. Urine metabonomic studies showed no significant differences. None of the rated symptoms differed between aspartame and control bars, or between sensitive and control participants. However, aspartame sensitive participants rated more symptoms particularly in the first test session, whether this was placebo or control. Aspartame and control bars affected GLP-1, GIP, tyrosine and phenylalanine levels equally in both aspartame sensitive and non-sensitive subjects. Conclusion Using a comprehensive battery of psychological tests, biochemistry and state of the art metabonomics there was no evidence of any acute adverse responses to aspartame. This independent study gives reassurance to both regulatory bodies

  4. Neurophysiological symptoms and aspartame: What is the connection?

    PubMed

    Choudhary, Arbind Kumar; Lee, Yeong Yeh

    2018-06-01

    Aspartame (α-aspartyl-l-phenylalanine-o-methyl ester), an artificial sweetener, has been linked to behavioral and cognitive problems. Possible neurophysiological symptoms include learning problems, headache, seizure, migraines, irritable moods, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. The consumption of aspartame, unlike dietary protein, can elevate the levels of phenylalanine and aspartic acid in the brain. These compounds can inhibit the synthesis and release of neurotransmitters, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, which are known regulators of neurophysiological activity. Aspartame acts as a chemical stressor by elevating plasma cortisol levels and causing the production of excess free radicals. High cortisol levels and excess free radicals may increase the brains vulnerability to oxidative stress which may have adverse effects on neurobehavioral health. We reviewed studies linking neurophysiological symptoms to aspartame usage and conclude that aspartame may be responsible for adverse neurobehavioral health outcomes. Aspartame consumption needs to be approached with caution due to the possible effects on neurobehavioral health. Whether aspartame and its metabolites are safe for general consumption is still debatable due to a lack of consistent data. More research evaluating the neurobehavioral effects of aspartame are required.

  5. Aspartame downregulates 3T3-L1 differentiation.

    PubMed

    Pandurangan, Muthuraman; Park, Jeongeun; Kim, Eunjung

    2014-10-01

    Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used as an alternate for sugar in several foods and beverages. Since aspartame is 200 times sweeter than traditional sugar, it can give the same level of sweetness with less substance, which leads to lower-calorie food intake. There are reports that consumption of aspartame-containing products can help obese people lose weight. However, the potential role of aspartame in obesity is not clear. The present study investigated whether aspartame suppresses 3T3-L1 differentiation, by downregulating phosphorylated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (p-PPARγ), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα), and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1), which are critical for adipogenesis. The 3T3-L1 adipocytes were cultured and differentiated for 6 d in the absence and presence of 10 μg/ml of aspartame. Aspartame reduced lipid accumulation in differentiated adipocytes as evidenced by Oil Red O staining. qRT-PCR analysis showed that the PPARγ, FABP4, and C/EBPα mRNA expression was significantly reduced in the aspartame-treated adipocytes. Western blot analysis showed that the induction of p-PPARγ, PPARγ, SREBP1, and adipsin was markedly reduced in the aspartame-treated adipocytes. Taken together, these data suggest that aspartame may be a potent substance to alter adipocyte differentiation and control obesity.

  6. Nonnutritive Sweeteners in Breast Milk.

    PubMed

    Sylvetsky, Allison C; Gardner, Alexandra L; Bauman, Viviana; Blau, Jenny E; Garraffo, H Martin; Walter, Peter J; Rother, Kristina I

    2015-01-01

    Nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS), including saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, and acesulfame-potassium, are commonly consumed in the general population, and all except for saccharin are considered safe for use during pregnancy and lactation. Sucralose (Splenda) currently holds the majority of the NNS market share and is often combined with acesulfame-potassium in a wide variety of foods and beverages. To date, saccharin is the only NNS reported to be found in human breast milk after maternal consumption, while there is no apparent information on the other NNS. Breast milk samples were collected from 20 lactating volunteers, irrespective of their habitual NNS intake. Saccharin, sucralose, and acesulfame-potassium were present in 65% of participants' milk samples, whereas aspartame was not detected. These data indicate that NNS are frequently ingested by nursing infants, and thus prospective clinical studies are necessary to determine whether early NNS exposure via breast milk may have clinical implications.

  7. NONNUTRITIVE SWEETENERS IN BREAST MILK

    PubMed Central

    Sylvetsky, Allison C.; Gardner, Alexandra L.; Bauman, Viviana; Blau, Jenny E.; Garraffo, H. Martin; Walter, Peter J.; Rother, Kristina I.

    2017-01-01

    Nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS), including saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, and acesulfame-potassium, are commonly consumed in the general population, and all except for saccharin are considered safe for use during pregnancy and lactation. Sucralose (Splenda) currently holds the majority of the NNS market share and is often combined with acesulfame-potassium in a wide variety of foods and beverages. To date, saccharin is the only NNS reported to be found in human breast milk after maternal consumption, while there is no apparent information on the other NNS. Breast milk samples were collected from 20 lactating volunteers, irrespective of their habitual NNS intake. Saccharin, sucralose, and acesulfame-potassium were present in 65% of participants’ milk samples, whereas aspartame was not detected. These data indicate that NNS are frequently ingested by nursing infants, and thus prospective clinical studies are necessary to determine whether early NNS exposure via breast milk may have clinical implications. PMID:26267522

  8. "Aspartame: A review of genotoxicity data".

    PubMed

    Kirkland, David; Gatehouse, David

    2015-10-01

    Aspartame is a methyl ester of a dipeptide of aspartic acid and phenylalanine. It is 200× sweeter than sucrose and is approved for use in food products in more than 90 countries around the world. Aspartame has been evaluated for genotoxic effects in microbial, cell culture and animal models, and has been subjected to a number of carcinogenicity studies. The in vitro and in vivo genotoxicity data available on aspartame are considered sufficient for a thorough evaluation. There is no evidence of induction of gene mutations in a series of bacterial mutation tests. There is some evidence of induction of chromosomal damage in vitro, but this may be an indirect consequence of cytotoxicity. The weight of evidence from in vivo bone marrow micronucleus, chromosomal aberration and Comet assays is that aspartame is not genotoxic in somatic cells in vivo. The results of germ cell assays are difficult to evaluate considering limited data available and deviations from standard protocols. The available data therefore support the conclusions of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that aspartame is non-genotoxic. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  9. Aspartame induces angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo models.

    PubMed

    Yesildal, F; Aydin, F N; Deveci, S; Tekin, S; Aydin, I; Mammadov, R; Fermanli, O; Avcu, F; Acikel, C H; Ozgurtas, T

    2015-03-01

    Angiogenesis is the process of generating new blood vessels from preexisting vessels and is considered essential in many pathological conditions. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the effect of aspartame on angiogenesis in vivo chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and wound-healing models as well as in vitro 2,3-bis-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) and tube formation assays. In CAM assay, aspartame increased angiogenesis in a concentration-dependent manner. Compared with the control group, aspartame has significantly increased vessel proliferation (p < 0.001). In addition, in vivo rat model of skin wound-healing study showed that aspartame group had better healing than control group, and this was statistically significant at p < 0.05. There was a slight proliferative effect of aspartame on human umbilical vein endothelial cells on XTT assay in vitro, but it was not statistically significant; and there was no antiangiogenic effect of aspartame on tube formation assay in vitro. These results provide evidence that aspartame induces angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo; so regular use may have undesirable effect on susceptible cases. © The Author(s) 2015.

  10. Elucidation of Environmental Fate of Artificial Sweetener, Aspartame by Determining Bimolecular Rate Constants with Hydroxyl Radical at Various pH and Temperature Conditions and Reaction By-Products Presentation type:Poster Section:Ocean Sciences Session:General Contribution Authors:Takashi Teraji (1) Takemitsu Arakaki (2) AGU# 10173629 (1) Graduate School of Engineering and Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru Nishihara-cho, Okinawa, 903-0123, Japan (a4269bj@yahoo.co.jp), (2) Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru Nishihara-cho, Okinawa, 903-0123, Japan (arakakit@sci.u-ryukyu.ac.jp)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Teraji, T.; Arakaki, T.

    2011-12-01

    Use of artificial sweeteners in drinks and food has been rapidly increasing because of their non-calorie nature. In Japan, aspartame, acesulfame K and sucralose are among the most widely used artificial sweeteners. Because the artificial sweeteners are not metabolized in human bodies, they are directly excreted into the environment without chemical transformations. We initiated a study to better understand the fate of artificial sweeteners in the marine environment. In particular, we focused on the fate of aspartame by determining its bimolecular rate constants with hydroxyl radicals at various pH and temperature conditions and reaction by-products. The hydroxyl radical (OH), the most potent reactive oxygen species, reacts with various compounds and determines the environmental oxidation capacity and the life-time of many compounds. The steady-state OH concentration and the reaction rate constants between the compound and OH are used to estimate the life-time of the compound. In this study, we determine the bimolecular rate constants between aspartame and OH at various pH and temperature conditions using a competition kinetics technique. We use hydrogen peroxide as a photochemical source of OH. Bimolecular rate constant we obtained so far was (2.6±1.2)×109 M-1 s-1 at pH = 3.0. Little effect was seen by changing the temperatures between 15 and 40 °C. Activation energy (Ea) was calculated to be -1.0 kJ mol-1 at pH = 3.0, which could be regarded as zero. We will report reaction rate constants at different pHs and reaction by-products which will be analyzed by GC-MS. We will further discuss the fate of aspartame in the coastal environment.

  11. [Simultaneous determination of five synthetic sweeteners in food by solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detection].

    PubMed

    Liu, Fang; Wang, Yan; Wang, Yuhong; Zhou, Junyi; Yan, Chao

    2012-03-01

    A high performance liquid chromatographic method with evaporative light scattering detection (HPLC-ELSD) was developed for the simultaneous determination of five synthetic sweeteners (acesulfame-K, saccharin sodium, sodium cyclamate, sucralose and aspartame) in food. The sweeteners were extracted by 0.1% (v/v) formic acid buffer solution. The extract of sample was cleaned up and concentrated with solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridge. Then the sweeteners were separated on a C18 column (3 microm) using 0.1% (v/v) formic acid buffer (adjusted to pH = 3.5 with aqueous ammonia solution)-methanol (61: 39, v/v) as mobile phase, and finally detected by ELSD. The results showed that the reasonable linearity was achieved for all the analytes over the range of 30 - 1000 mg/L with the correlation coefficients (r) greater than 0.997. The recoveries for the five sweeteners ranged from 85.6% to 109.0% at three spiked concentrations with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) lower than 4.0%. The limits of detection (LODs, S/N = 3) were 2.5 mg/L for both acesulfame-K and sucralose, 3 mg/L for saccharin sodium, 10 mg/L for sodium cyclamate, and 5 mg/L for aspartame. The method is simple, sensitive and low cost, and has been successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of the five synthetic sweeteners in food.

  12. Monosodium glutamate and aspartame in perceived pain in fibromyalgia.

    PubMed

    Vellisca, María Y; Latorre, José I

    2014-07-01

    Our aim was to assess the effect of dietary elimination of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and aspartame on perceived pain in fibromyalgia. A total of 72 female patients with fibromyalgia were randomized to discontinuation of dietary MSG and aspartame (n = 36) or waiting list (n = 36). Patients were requested to rate their pain using a seven-point scale. Comparisons between both groups showed no significant differences on pain referred during the baseline or after the elimination of dietary MSG and aspartame. The discontinuation of dietary MSG and aspartame did not improve the symptoms of fibromyalgia.

  13. Aspartame, a bittersweet pill.

    PubMed

    Paolini, Moreno; Vivarelli, Fabio; Sapone, Andrea; Canistro, Donatella

    2017-12-07

    For the first time, the aspartame case shows how a corporation decided to ban an artificial ingredient in the wake of public opinion notwithstanding the regulatory assurance claims that it is safe. PepsiCo Inc. made an unprecedented decision most likely based on life-span carcinogenicity bioassay studies from the Cesare Maltoni Cancer Research Center of the Ramazzini Institute (CMCRC/RI), which provide consistent evidence of aspartame's carcinogenicity in rodents. Although CMCRC/RI experiments have been criticized for not complying with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines, the newly launched aspartame-free soft drink may not be an isolated case. In the light of vinyl chloride-, formaldehyde- or benzene-associated carcinogenicity discovered for the first time by CMCRC/RI in the same way, it seems the guidelines need to be re-evaluated to avoid the credibility of international regulatory agencies being compromised by consumer opinion. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Effects of mother's dietary exposure to acesulfame-K in Pregnancy or lactation on the adult offspring's sweet preference.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Gen-Hua; Chen, Meng-Ling; Liu, Si-Si; Zhan, Yue-Hua; Quan, Ying; Qin, Yu-Mei; Deng, Shao-Ping

    2011-11-01

    This study investigates whether mother's exposure to the artificial sweetener acesulfame-K (AK) during pregnancy or lactation affected her adult offspring's sweet preference. It was found that mother's dietary exposure to AK in pregnancy or lactation decreased the preference thresholds for AK and sucrose solutions in the adult offspring, whereas the preference pattern and the most preferred concentration for AK or sucrose solution were unchanged. Furthermore, the preference scores in the exposure groups were increased significantly when compared with the control group at a range of concentrations for AK or sucrose solution. The existence of AK and its dynamic changes within 24 h in amniotic fluid during pregnancy or in mother's milk during lactation after a single oral infusion of AK solution were revealed by the methods of reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Our data suggest that AK can be ingested by the prenatal or postnatal mice through their mother's amniotic fluid or breast milk, producing a long-dated function on the adult's sweet preference.

  15. Analysis and occurrence of seven artificial sweeteners in German waste water and surface water and in soil aquifer treatment (SAT).

    PubMed

    Scheurer, Marco; Brauch, Heinz-J; Lange, Frank T

    2009-07-01

    A method for the simultaneous determination of seven commonly used artificial sweeteners in water is presented. The analytes were extracted by solid phase extraction using Bakerbond SDB 1 cartridges at pH 3 and analyzed by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry in negative ionization mode. Ionization was enhanced by post-column addition of the alkaline modifier Tris(hydroxymethyl)amino methane. Except for aspartame and neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, recoveries were higher than 75% in potable water with comparable results for surface water. Matrix effects due to reduced extraction yields in undiluted waste water were negligible for aspartame and neotame but considerable for the other compounds. The widespread distribution of acesulfame, saccharin, cyclamate, and sucralose in the aquatic environment could be proven. Concentrations in two influents of German sewage treatment plants (STPs) were up to 190 microg/L for cyclamate, about 40 microg/L for acesulfame and saccharin, and less than 1 microg/L for sucralose. Removal in the STPs was limited for acesulfame and sucralose and >94% for saccharin and cyclamate. The persistence of some artificial sweeteners during soil aquifer treatment was demonstrated and confirmed their environmental relevance. The use of sucralose and acesulfame as tracers for anthropogenic contamination is conceivable. In German surface waters, acesulfame was the predominant artificial sweetener with concentrations exceeding 2 microg/L. Other sweeteners were detected up to several hundred nanograms per liter in the order saccharin approximately cyclamate > sucralose.

  16. Aspartame intake is associated with greater glucose intolerance in individuals with obesity.

    PubMed

    Kuk, Jennifer L; Brown, Ruth E

    2016-07-01

    This study examined whether sucrose, fructose, aspartame, and saccharin influences the association between obesity and glucose tolerance in 2856 adults from the NHANES III survey. Aspartame intake significantly influenced the association between body mass index (BMI) and glucose tolerance (interaction: P = 0.004), wherein only those reporting aspartame intake had a steeper positive association between BMI and glucose tolerance than those reporting no aspartame intake. Therefore, consumption of aspartame is associated with greater obesity-related impairments in glucose tolerance.

  17. Mutagenicity and genotoxicity studies of aspartame.

    PubMed

    Otabe, Akira; Ohta, Fumio; Takumi, Asuka; Lynch, Barry

    2018-02-08

    Two studies were conducted to further assess its mutagenic and genotoxic potential. In a bacterial reverse mutation pre-incubation study, Salmonella typhimurium strains TA100, TA1535, TA98, and TA1537 and Escherichia coli WP2 uvrA were treated with aspartame at concentrations of up to 5000 μg/plate with or without metabolic activation and showed no mutagenic potential. Similarly, in vivo micronucleus testing of aspartame following gavage administration (500-2000 mg/kg body weight) to Crlj:CD1(ICR) strain SPF male mice showed no increase in the proportion of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes in bone marrow cells collected and evaluated 24 or 48 h post administration. Overall, aspartame had no potential for mutagenic or genotoxic activity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Long-term consumption of aspartame and brain antioxidant defense status.

    PubMed

    Abhilash, M; Sauganth Paul, M V; Varghese, Mathews V; Nair, R Harikumaran

    2013-04-01

    The present study investigated the effect of long-term intake of aspartame, a widely used artificial sweetener, on antioxidant defense status in the rat brain. Male Wistar rats weighing 150-175 g were randomly divided into three groups as follows: The first group was given aspartame at a dose of 500 mg/kg body weight (b.w.); the second group was given aspartame at dose of 1,000 mg/kg b.w., respectively, in a total volume of 3 mL of water; and the control rats received 3 mL of distilled water. Oral intubations were done in the morning, daily for 180 days. The concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) and the activity of glutathione reductase (GR) were significantly reduced in the brain of rats that had received the dose of 1,000 mg/kg b.w. of aspartame, whereas only a significant reduction in GSH concentration was observed in the 500-mg/kg b.w. aspartame-treated group. Histopathological examination revealed mild vascular congestion in the 1,000 mg/kg b.w. group of aspartame-treated rats. The results of this experiment indicate that long-term consumption of aspartame leads to an imbalance in the antioxidant/pro-oxidant status in the brain, mainly through the mechanism involving the glutathione-dependent system.

  19. Aspartame in conjunction with carbohydrate reduces insulin levels during endurance exercise

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background As most sport drinks contain some form of non-nutritive sweetener (e.g. aspartame), and with the variation in blood glucose regulation and insulin secretion reportedly associated with aspartame, a further understanding of the effects on insulin and blood glucose regulation during exercise is warranted. Therefore, the aim of this preliminary study was to profile the insulin and blood glucose responses in healthy individuals after aspartame and carbohydrate ingestion during rest and exercise. Findings Each participant completed four trials under the same conditions (45 min rest + 60 min self-paced intense exercise) differing only in their fluid intake: 1) carbohydrate (2% maltodextrin and 5% sucrose (C)); 2) 0.04% aspartame with 2% maltodextrin and 5% sucrose (CA)); 3) water (W); and 4) aspartame (0.04% aspartame with 2% maltodextrin (A)). Insulin levels dropped significantly for CA versus C alone (43%) between pre-exercise and 30 min, while W and A insulin levels did not differ between these time points. Conclusions Aspartame with carbohydrate significantly lowered insulin levels during exercise versus carbohydrate alone. PMID:22853297

  20. Aspartame: should individuals with Type II Diabetes be taking it?

    PubMed

    Choudhary, Arbind Kumar

    2017-05-31

    Individuals with type II diabetes (T2D) have to manage blood glucose levels to sustain health and longevity. Artificial sweeteners (including aspartame) are suggested sugar alternatives for these individuals. The safety of aspartame in particular, has long been the centre of debate. Although it is such a controversial product, many clinicians recommend its use to T2D patients, during a controlled diet and as part of an intervention strategy. Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar and has a negligible effect on blood glucose levels, and it is suggested for use so that T2D can control carbohydrate intake and blood glucose levels. However, research suggests that aspartame intake may lead to an increased risk of weight gain rather than weight loss, and cause impaired blood glucose tolerance in T2D. This review consolidates knowledge gained from studies that link aspartame consumption to the various mechanisms associated with T2D. We review literature that provides evidence that raise concerns that aspartame may exacerbate T2D and add to the global burden of disease. Aspartame may act as a chemical stressor by increasing cortisol levels, and may induce systemic oxidative stress by producing excess free radicals, and it may also alter gut microbial activity and interfere with the N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, resulting in insulin deficiency or resistance. Aspartame and its metabolites are safe for T2D is still debatable due to a lack of consistent data. More research is required that provides evidence and raise concerns that aspartame may exacerbate prevalence of pathological physiology in the already stressed physiology of T2D. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  1. Possible neurologic effects of aspartame, a widely used food additive.

    PubMed Central

    Maher, T J; Wurtman, R J

    1987-01-01

    The artificial sweetener aspartame (L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanyl-methyl ester), is consumed, primarily in beverages, by a very large number of Americans, causing significant elevations in plasma and, probably, brain phenylalanine levels. Anecdotal reports suggest that some people suffer neurologic or behavioral reactions in association with aspartame consumption. Since phenylalanine can be neurotoxic and can affect the synthesis of inhibitory monoamine neurotransmitters, the phenylalanine in aspartame could conceiveably mediate neurologic effects. If mice are given aspartame in doses that elevate plasma phenylalanine levels more than those of tyrosine (which probably occurs after any aspartame dose in humans), the frequency of seizures following the administration of an epileptogenic drug, pentylenetetrazole, is enhanced. This effect is simulated by equimolar phenylalanine and blocked by concurrent administration of valine, which blocks phenylalanine's entry into the brain. Aspartame also potentiates the induction of seizures by inhaled fluorothyl or by electroconvulsive shock. Perhaps regulations concerning the sale of food additives should be modified to require the reporting of adverse reactions and the continuing conduct of mandated safety research. PMID:3319565

  2. Aspartame-induced fibromyalgia, an unusual but curable cause of chronic pain.

    PubMed

    Ciappuccini, R; Ansemant, T; Maillefert, J-F; Tavernier, C; Ornetti, P

    2010-01-01

    We report for the first time an unusual musculoskeletal adverse effect of aspartame in two patients. A 50-year-old woman had been suffering from widespread pain and fatigue for more than 10 years leading to the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. During a vacation in a foreign country, she did not suffer from painful symptoms since she had forgotten to take her aspartame. All of the symptoms reappeared in the days following her return when she reintroduced aspartame into her daily diet. Thus, aspartame was definitively excluded from her diet, resulting in a complete regression of the fibromyalgia symptoms. A 43-year-old man consulted for a 3-year history of bilateral forearm, wrist, and hand and cervical pain with various unsuccessful treatments. A detailed questioning allowed to find out that he had been taking aspartame for three years. The removal of aspartame was followed by a complete regression of pain, without recurrence. We believe that these patients' chronic pain was due to the ingestion of aspartame, a potent flavouring agent, widely used in food as a calorie-saver. The benefit/ risk ratio of considering the diagnosis of aspartame-induced chronic pain is obvious: the potential benefit is to cure a disabling chronic disease, to spare numerous laboratory and imaging investigations, and to avoid potentially harmful therapies; the potential risk is to temporarily change the patient's diet. Thus, practitioners should ask patients suffering from fibromyalgia about their intake of aspartame. In some cases, this simple question might lead to the resolution of a disabling chronic disease.

  3. Artificial sweetener saccharin disrupts intestinal epithelial cells' barrier function in vitro.

    PubMed

    Santos, P S; Caria, C R P; Gotardo, E M F; Ribeiro, M L; Pedrazzoli, J; Gambero, A

    2018-06-25

    Consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) is a dietary practice used by those who wish to lose weight or by patients on a sugar-restricted diet such as those with DM2. Although these substances are safe, possible biological interactions with the digestive tract, particularly in relation to intestinal permeability, have not been studied. Thus, the current work sought to investigate the action of different NNS on intestinal permeability using an in vitro Caco-2 cell model. Caco-2 cells were incubated with acesulfame K, aspartame, saccharin, or sucralose at equimolar concentrations. Acesulfame K, aspartame, and sucralose did not disrupt monolayer integrity in the cells. However, saccharin increased paracellular permeability and decreased transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) via a non-cytotoxic mechanism. The levels of the tight junction protein claudin-1 were reduced in Caco-2 cells that had previously been exposed to saccharin. The inhibition of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) was able to prevent the reduction in TEER induced by saccharin treatment. Thalidomide, as an inhibitor of ubiquitin ligase, was able to prevent the decrease in claudin-1 protein expression and the TEER reduction in Caco-2 cells. Saccharin disrupts monolayer integrity and alters paracellular permeability in a Caco-2 cell monolayer model, via a mechanism involving NF-κB activation, resulting in the ubiquitination of the tight junction protein claudin-1. Saccharin consumption may potentially alter the intestinal integrity in humans.

  4. Determination of artificial sweeteners by capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection optimized by hydrodynamic pumping.

    PubMed

    Stojkovic, Marko; Mai, Thanh Duc; Hauser, Peter C

    2013-07-17

    The common sweeteners aspartame, cyclamate, saccharin and acesulfame K were determined by capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection. In order to obtain the best compromise between separation efficiency and analysis time hydrodynamic pumping was imposed during the electrophoresis run employing a sequential injection manifold based on a syringe pump. Band broadening was avoided by using capillaries of a narrow 10 μm internal diameter. The analyses were carried out in an aqueous running buffer consisting of 150 mM 2-(cyclohexylamino)ethanesulfonic acid and 400 mM tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane at pH 9.1 in order to render all analytes in the fully deprotonated anionic form. The use of surface modification to eliminate or reverse the electroosmotic flow was not necessary due to the superimposed bulk flow. The use of hydrodynamic pumping allowed easy optimization, either for fast separations (80s) or low detection limits (6.5 μmol L(-1), 5.0 μmol L(-1), 4.0 μmol L(-1) and 3.8 μmol L(-1) for aspartame, cyclamate, saccharin and acesulfame K respectively, at a separation time of 190 s). The conditions for fast separations not only led to higher limits of detection but also to a narrower dynamic range. However, the settings can be changed readily between separations if needed. The four compounds were determined successfully in food samples. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Sweet Taste Receptor Gene Variation and Aspartame Taste in Primates and Other Species

    PubMed Central

    Li, Xia; Bachmanov, Alexander A.; Maehashi, Kenji; Li, Weihua; Lim, Raymond; Brand, Joseph G.; Beauchamp, Gary K.; Reed, Danielle R.; Thai, Chloe

    2011-01-01

    Aspartame is a sweetener added to foods and beverages as a low-calorie sugar replacement. Unlike sugars, which are apparently perceived as sweet and desirable by a range of mammals, the ability to taste aspartame varies, with humans, apes, and Old World monkeys perceiving aspartame as sweet but not other primate species. To investigate whether the ability to perceive the sweetness of aspartame correlates with variations in the DNA sequence of the genes encoding sweet taste receptor proteins, T1R2 and T1R3, we sequenced these genes in 9 aspartame taster and nontaster primate species. We then compared these sequences with sequences of their orthologs in 4 other nontasters species. We identified 9 variant sites in the gene encoding T1R2 and 32 variant sites in the gene encoding T1R3 that distinguish aspartame tasters and nontasters. Molecular docking of aspartame to computer-generated models of the T1R2 + T1R3 receptor dimer suggests that species variation at a secondary, allosteric binding site in the T1R2 protein is the most likely origin of differences in perception of the sweetness of aspartame. These results identified a previously unknown site of aspartame interaction with the sweet receptor and suggest that the ability to taste aspartame might have developed during evolution to exploit a specialized food niche. PMID:21414996

  6. Sweet taste receptor gene variation and aspartame taste in primates and other species.

    PubMed

    Li, Xia; Bachmanov, Alexander A; Maehashi, Kenji; Li, Weihua; Lim, Raymond; Brand, Joseph G; Beauchamp, Gary K; Reed, Danielle R; Thai, Chloe; Floriano, Wely B

    2011-06-01

    Aspartame is a sweetener added to foods and beverages as a low-calorie sugar replacement. Unlike sugars, which are apparently perceived as sweet and desirable by a range of mammals, the ability to taste aspartame varies, with humans, apes, and Old World monkeys perceiving aspartame as sweet but not other primate species. To investigate whether the ability to perceive the sweetness of aspartame correlates with variations in the DNA sequence of the genes encoding sweet taste receptor proteins, T1R2 and T1R3, we sequenced these genes in 9 aspartame taster and nontaster primate species. We then compared these sequences with sequences of their orthologs in 4 other nontasters species. We identified 9 variant sites in the gene encoding T1R2 and 32 variant sites in the gene encoding T1R3 that distinguish aspartame tasters and nontasters. Molecular docking of aspartame to computer-generated models of the T1R2 + T1R3 receptor dimer suggests that species variation at a secondary, allosteric binding site in the T1R2 protein is the most likely origin of differences in perception of the sweetness of aspartame. These results identified a previously unknown site of aspartame interaction with the sweet receptor and suggest that the ability to taste aspartame might have developed during evolution to exploit a specialized food niche.

  7. Stability considerations of aspartame in the direct analysis of artificial sweeteners in water samples using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS).

    PubMed

    Berset, Jean-Daniel; Ochsenbein, Nicole

    2012-07-01

    A HPLC-MS/MS method is presented for the simultaneous determination of frequently used artificial sweeteners (ASs) and the main metabolite of aspartame (ASP), diketopiperazine (DKP), in environmental water samples using the direct-injection (DI) technique, thereby achieving limits of quantification (LOQ) of 10 ng L(-1). For a reliable quantification of ASP pH should be adjusted to 4.3 to prevent formation of the metabolite. Acesulfame (ACE), saccharin (SAC), cyclamate (CYC) and sucralose (SUC) were ubiquitously found in water samples. Highest concentrations up to 61 μg L(-1) of ACE were found in wastewater effluents, followed by surface water with concentrations up to 7 μg L(-1), lakes up to 600 ng L(-1) and groundwater and tap water up to 70 ng L(-1). The metabolite DKP was only detected in wastewater up to 200 ng L(-1) and at low detection frequencies. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Aspartame: a safety evaluation based on current use levels, regulations, and toxicological and epidemiological studies.

    PubMed

    Magnuson, B A; Burdock, G A; Doull, J; Kroes, R M; Marsh, G M; Pariza, M W; Spencer, P S; Waddell, W J; Walker, R; Williams, G M

    2007-01-01

    Aspartame is a methyl ester of a dipeptide used as a synthetic nonnutritive sweetener in over 90 countries worldwide in over 6000 products. The purpose of this investigation was to review the scientific literature on the absorption and metabolism, the current consumption levels worldwide, the toxicology, and recent epidemiological studies on aspartame. Current use levels of aspartame, even by high users in special subgroups, remains well below the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Food Safety Authority established acceptable daily intake levels of 50 and 40 mg/kg bw/day, respectively. Consumption of large doses of aspartame in a single bolus dose will have an effect on some biochemical parameters, including plasma amino acid levels and brain neurotransmitter levels. The rise in plasma levels of phenylalanine and aspartic acid following administration of aspartame at doses less than or equal to 50 mg/kg bw do not exceed those observed postprandially. Acute, subacute and chronic toxicity studies with aspartame, and its decomposition products, conducted in mice, rats, hamsters and dogs have consistently found no adverse effect of aspartame with doses up to at least 4000 mg/kg bw/day. Critical review of all carcinogenicity studies conducted on aspartame found no credible evidence that aspartame is carcinogenic. The data from the extensive investigations into the possibility of neurotoxic effects of aspartame, in general, do not support the hypothesis that aspartame in the human diet will affect nervous system function, learning or behavior. Epidemiological studies on aspartame include several case-control studies and one well-conducted prospective epidemiological study with a large cohort, in which the consumption of aspartame was measured. The studies provide no evidence to support an association between aspartame and cancer in any tissue. The weight of existing evidence is that aspartame is safe at current levels of consumption as a nonnutritive

  9. Suitability of temperature, hydraulic heads, and acesulfame to quantify wastewater-related fluxes in the hyporheic and riparian zone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Engelhardt, Irina; Prommer, Henning; Moore, Catherine; Schulz, Manoj; Schüth, Christoph; Ternes, Thomas A.

    2013-01-01

    Groundwater and surface water are in many cases closely linked components of the water cycle with respect to both quantity and quality. Bank filtrates may eventually be impacted by the infiltration of wastewater-derived micropollutants from surface waters. Artificial sweeteners such as acesulfame have recently been reported as a novel class of potentially valuable tracers to study the fate of wastewater-derived substances in groundwater and, in particular, to determine the (bio)degradability of micropollutants. In this paper, a model-based analysis of a field experiment within the hyporheic and riparian zone of a highly polluted German stream was performed to assess the physical and chemical behavior of the artificial sweetener acesulfame. In the first part of this study, a reliable flow and transport model was established by jointly using hydraulic heads, temperatures, and acesulfame concentrations as inverse model calibration constraints. The analysis confirmed the conservative behavior of acesulfame and, therefore, its usability as an indicator of sewage flux provenance. However, a comparison of the appropriateness of hydraulic head, temperature, and acesulfame concentrations revealed that the characterization of the surface water-groundwater flux data indicated diurnal temperature fluctuations are the best indicator in terms of characterizing the flow and transport behavior in the groundwater system.

  10. Conformational flexibility of aspartame.

    PubMed

    Toniolo, Claudio; Temussi, Pierandrea

    2016-05-01

    L-Aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester, better known as aspartame, is not only one of the most used artificial sweeteners, but also a very interesting molecule with respect to the correlation between molecular structure and taste. The extreme conformational flexibility of this dipeptide posed a huge difficulty when researchers tried to use it as a lead compound to design new sweeteners. In particular, it was difficult to take advantage of its molecular model as a mold to infer the shape of the, then unknown, active site of the sweet taste receptor. Here, we follow the story of the 3D structural aspects of aspartame from early conformational studies to recent docking into homology models of the receptor. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept Sci) 106: 376-384, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Stability of aspartame and neotame in pasteurized and in-bottle sterilized flavoured milk.

    PubMed

    Kumari, Anuradha; Choudhary, Sonika; Arora, Sumit; Sharma, Vivek

    2016-04-01

    Analytical high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) conditions were standardized along with the isolation procedure for separation of aspartame and neotame in flavoured milk (pasteurized and in-bottle sterilized flavoured milk). The recovery of the method was approximately 98% for both aspartame and neotame. The proposed HPLC method can be successfully used for the routine determination of aspartame and neotame in flavoured milk. Pasteurization (90 °C/20 min) resulted in approximately 40% loss of aspartame and only 8% of neotame was degraded. On storage (4-7°C/7 days) aspartame and neotame content decreased significantly (P<0.05) from 59.70% to 44.61% and 91.78% to 87.18%, respectively. Sterilization (121 °C/15 min) resulted in complete degradation of aspartame; however, 50.50% of neotame remained intact. During storage (30 °C/60 days) neotame content decreased significantly (P<0.05) from 50.36% to 8.67%. Results indicated that neotame exhibited better stability than aspartame in both pasteurized and in-bottle sterilized flavoured milk. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Gender Dimorphism in Aspartame-Induced Impairment of Spatial Cognition and Insulin Sensitivity

    PubMed Central

    Collison, Kate S.; Makhoul, Nadine J.; Zaidi, Marya Z.; Saleh, Soad M.; Andres, Bernard; Inglis, Angela; Al-Rabiah, Rana; Al-Mohanna, Futwan A.

    2012-01-01

    Previous studies have linked aspartame consumption to impaired retention of learned behavior in rodents. Prenatal exposure to aspartame has also been shown to impair odor-associative learning in guinea pigs; and recently, aspartame-fed hyperlipidemic zebrafish exhibited weight gain, hyperglycemia and acute swimming defects. We therefore investigated the effects of chronic lifetime exposure to aspartame, commencing in utero, on changes in blood glucose parameters, spatial learning and memory in C57BL/6J mice. Morris Water Maze (MWM) testing was used to assess learning and memory, and a random-fed insulin tolerance test was performed to assess glucose homeostasis. Pearson correlation analysis was used to investigate the associations between body characteristics and MWM performance outcome variables. At 17 weeks of age, male aspartame-fed mice exhibited weight gain, elevated fasting glucose levels and decreased insulin sensitivity compared to controls (P<0.05). Females were less affected, but had significantly raised fasting glucose levels. During spatial learning trials in the MWM (acquisition training), the escape latencies of male aspartame-fed mice were consistently higher than controls, indicative of learning impairment. Thigmotactic behavior and time spent floating directionless was increased in aspartame mice, who also spent less time searching in the target quadrant of the maze (P<0.05). Spatial learning of female aspartame-fed mice was not significantly different from controls. Reference memory during a probe test was affected in both genders, with the aspartame-fed mice spending significantly less time searching for the former location of the platform. Interestingly, the extent of visceral fat deposition correlated positively with non-spatial search strategies such as floating and thigmotaxis, and negatively with time spent in the target quadrant and swimming across the location of the escape platform. These data suggest that lifetime exposure to aspartame

  13. Gender dimorphism in aspartame-induced impairment of spatial cognition and insulin sensitivity.

    PubMed

    Collison, Kate S; Makhoul, Nadine J; Zaidi, Marya Z; Saleh, Soad M; Andres, Bernard; Inglis, Angela; Al-Rabiah, Rana; Al-Mohanna, Futwan A

    2012-01-01

    Previous studies have linked aspartame consumption to impaired retention of learned behavior in rodents. Prenatal exposure to aspartame has also been shown to impair odor-associative learning in guinea pigs; and recently, aspartame-fed hyperlipidemic zebrafish exhibited weight gain, hyperglycemia and acute swimming defects. We therefore investigated the effects of chronic lifetime exposure to aspartame, commencing in utero, on changes in blood glucose parameters, spatial learning and memory in C57BL/6J mice. Morris Water Maze (MWM) testing was used to assess learning and memory, and a random-fed insulin tolerance test was performed to assess glucose homeostasis. Pearson correlation analysis was used to investigate the associations between body characteristics and MWM performance outcome variables. At 17 weeks of age, male aspartame-fed mice exhibited weight gain, elevated fasting glucose levels and decreased insulin sensitivity compared to controls (P<0.05). Females were less affected, but had significantly raised fasting glucose levels. During spatial learning trials in the MWM (acquisition training), the escape latencies of male aspartame-fed mice were consistently higher than controls, indicative of learning impairment. Thigmotactic behavior and time spent floating directionless was increased in aspartame mice, who also spent less time searching in the target quadrant of the maze (P<0.05). Spatial learning of female aspartame-fed mice was not significantly different from controls. Reference memory during a probe test was affected in both genders, with the aspartame-fed mice spending significantly less time searching for the former location of the platform. Interestingly, the extent of visceral fat deposition correlated positively with non-spatial search strategies such as floating and thigmotaxis, and negatively with time spent in the target quadrant and swimming across the location of the escape platform. These data suggest that lifetime exposure to aspartame

  14. Chronic Effect of Aspartame on Ionic Homeostasis and Monoamine Neurotransmitters in the Rat Brain.

    PubMed

    Abhilash, M; Alex, Manju; Mathews, Varghese V; Nair, R Harikumaran

    2014-07-01

    Aspartame is one of the most widely used artificial sweeteners globally. Data concerning acute neurotoxicity of aspartame is controversial, and knowledge on its chronic effect is limited. In the current study, we investigated the chronic effects of aspartame on ionic homeostasis and regional monoamine neurotransmitter concentrations in the brain. Our results showed that aspartame at high dose caused a disturbance in ionic homeostasis and induced apoptosis in the brain. We also investigated the effects of aspartame on brain regional monoamine synthesis, and the results revealed that there was a significant decrease of dopamine in corpus striatum and cerebral cortex and of serotonin in corpus striatum. Moreover, aspartame treatment significantly alters the tyrosine hydroxylase activity and amino acids levels in the brain. Our data suggest that chronic use of aspartame may affect electrolyte homeostasis and monoamine neurotransmitter synthesis dose dependently, and this might have a possible effect on cognitive functions. © The Author(s) 2014.

  15. Evaluation and comparison of antinociceptive activity of aspartame with sucrose.

    PubMed

    Rani, Seema; Gupta, Mahesh C

    2012-01-01

    Artificial sweeteners are low-calorie substances used to sweeten a wide variety of foods. At present they are used increasingly not only by diabetics, but also by the general public as a mean of controlling the weight. This study was carried out to evaluate and compare antinociceptive activity of the artificial sweeteners, aspartame and sucrose and to study the mechanisms involved in this analgesic activity. Forty eight white albino Wistar rats were divided into two groups of 24 rats each. Group 1 received sucrose and group 2 received aspartame solution ad libitum for 14 days as their only source of liquid. On 14(th) day, both groups of rats were divided into 3 subgroups having 8 rats each. Group Ia and IIa served as control. Group Ib and IIb were given naloxone and Ic and IIc received ketanserin, the opioid and serotonergic receptor antagonists, respectively. Tail withdrawal latencies (tail flick analgesiometer) and paw licking/jumping latencies (Eddy's hot plate method) were increased significantly in both aspartame and sucrose group. The analgesia produced by aspartame was comparable with sucrose. The opioid receptor antagonist naloxone and the 5-HT(2A/2C) serotonergic receptor antagonist ketanserin partly reversed the antinociceptive effect of these sweeteners. Thus, the artificial sweetening agent aspartame showed antinociceptive activity like sucrose in rats. Reduction in antinociceptive activity of aspartame and sucrose by opioid and serotoninergic antagonists demonstrate the involvement of both opioid and serotonergic system.

  16. Renal-protective and ameliorating impacts of omega-3 fatty acids against aspartame damaged MDCK cells.

    PubMed

    Pandurangan, Muthuraman; Enkhtaivan, Gansukh; Veerappan, Muthuviveganandavel; Mistry, Bhupendra; Patel, Rahul; Moon, So Hyun; Nagajyothi, Patnamsetty Chidanandha; Kim, Doo Hwan

    2017-11-01

    Aspartame is widely used artificial sweeteners as food additives. Several researchers have pointed that the controversial report on the use of aspartame over more than decades. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential and unsaturated fatty acids, and it plays a remarkable role in vision, intelligence, neural development, and metabolism of neurotransmitters. Therefore, the present study was aimed to investigate the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on aspartame treated renal cells. Experimental groups were divided into three such as sham control, aspartame treated, and aspartame with omega-3 fatty acids. Cell viability was determined by sulforhodamine-b assay and flow cytometric analysis. The experimental results showed that the aspartame induced altered cell viability were reduced following treatment of aspartame with omega-3 fatty acids. Altered cell morphology was recovered by omega-3 fatty acids. DNA damage appeared in the highest concentration of aspartame used in this study. DNA damage characteristics such as comet tail and tiny head sections did not appear in the omega-3 fatty acids treated cells. Several microvilli and vesicular structures were found in aspartame treated cells. Altered morphology such as rounding, microvilli, and formation of dome-like structures did not appear in the omega-3 fatty acids with aspartame treated cells. Caspase-3 mRNA and protein expression were increased in aspartame treated cells, and these levels were reduced following omega-3 fatty acids treatment. Taking all these data together, it is suggested that the omega-3 fatty acids may be a therapeutic agent to reduce the aspartame induced biochemical and morphological alterations in normal renal cells. © 2017 BioFactors, 43(6):847-857, 2017. © 2017 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

  17. Effects of aspartame metabolites on astrocytes and neurons.

    PubMed

    Rycerz, Karol; Jaworska-Adamu, Jadwiga Elżbieta

    2013-01-01

    Aspartame, a widespread sweetener used in many food products, is considered as a highly hazardous compound. Aspartame was discovered in 1965 and raises a lot of controversy up to date. Astrocytes are glial cells, the presence and functions of which are closely connected with the central nervous system (CNS). The aim of this article is to demonstrate the direct and indirect role of astrocytes participating in the harmful effects of aspartame metabolites on neurons. The artificial sweetener is broken down into phenylalanine (50%), aspartic acid (40%) and methanol (10%) during metabolism in the body. The excess of phenylalanine blocks the transport of important amino acids to the brain contributing to reduced levels of dopamine and serotonin. Astrocytes directly affect the transport of this amino acid and also indirectly by modulation of carriers in the endothelium. Aspartic acid at high concentrations is a toxin that causes hyperexcitability of neurons and is also a precursor of other excitatory amino acid - glutamates. Their excess in quantity and lack of astrocytic uptake induces excitotoxicity and leads to the degeneration of astrocytes and neurons. The methanol metabolites cause CNS depression, vision disorders and other symptoms leading ultimately to metabolic acidosis and coma. Astrocytes do not play a significant role in methanol poisoning due to a permanent consumption of large amounts of aspartame. Despite intense speculations about the carcinogenicity of aspartame, the latest studies show that its metabolite - diketopiperazine - is cancirogenic in the CNS. It contributes to the formation of tumors in the CNS such as gliomas, medulloblastomas and meningiomas. Glial cells are the main source of tumors, which can be caused inter alia by the sweetener in the brain. On the one hand the action of astrocytes during aspartame poisoning may be advantageous for neuro-protection while on the other it may intensify the destruction of neurons. The role of the glia in

  18. Bitterness of the Non-nutritive Sweetener Acesulfame Potassium Varies With Polymorphisms in TAS2R9 and TAS2R31

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Demand for nonnutritive sweeteners continues to increase due to their ability to provide desirable sweetness with minimal calories. Acesulfame potassium and saccharin are well-studied nonnutritive sweeteners commonly found in food products. Some individuals report aversive sensations from these sweeteners, such as bitter and metallic side tastes. Recent advances in molecular genetics have provided insight into the cause of perceptual differences across people. For example, common alleles for the genes TAS2R9 and TAS2R38 explain variable response to the bitter drugs ofloxacin in vitro and propylthiouracil in vivo. Here, we wanted to determine whether differences in the bitterness of acesulfame potassium could be predicted by common polymorphisms (genetic variants) in bitter taste receptor genes (TAS2Rs). We genotyped participants (n = 108) for putatively functional single nucleotide polymorphisms in 5 TAS2Rs and asked them to rate the bitterness of 25 mM acesulfame potassium on a general labeled magnitude scale. Consistent with prior reports, we found 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms in TAS2R31 were associated with acesulfame potassium bitterness. However, TAS2R9 alleles also predicted additional variation in acesulfame potassium bitterness. Conversely, single nucleotide polymorphisms in TAS2R4, TAS2R38, and near TAS2R16 were not significant predictors. Using 1 single nucleotide polymorphism each from TAS2R9 and TAS2R31, we modeled the simultaneous influence of these single nucleotide polymorphisms on acesulfame potassium bitterness; together, these 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms explained 13.4% of the variance in perceived bitterness. These data suggest multiple polymorphisms within TAS2Rs contribute to the ability to perceive the bitterness from acesulfame potassium. PMID:23599216

  19. Direct and indirect cellular effects of aspartame on the brain.

    PubMed

    Humphries, P; Pretorius, E; Naudé, H

    2008-04-01

    The use of the artificial sweetener, aspartame, has long been contemplated and studied by various researchers, and people are concerned about its negative effects. Aspartame is composed of phenylalanine (50%), aspartic acid (40%) and methanol (10%). Phenylalanine plays an important role in neurotransmitter regulation, whereas aspartic acid is also thought to play a role as an excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Glutamate, asparagines and glutamine are formed from their precursor, aspartic acid. Methanol, which forms 10% of the broken down product, is converted in the body to formate, which can either be excreted or can give rise to formaldehyde, diketopiperazine (a carcinogen) and a number of other highly toxic derivatives. Previously, it has been reported that consumption of aspartame could cause neurological and behavioural disturbances in sensitive individuals. Headaches, insomnia and seizures are also some of the neurological effects that have been encountered, and these may be accredited to changes in regional brain concentrations of catecholamines, which include norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine. The aim of this study was to discuss the direct and indirect cellular effects of aspartame on the brain, and we propose that excessive aspartame ingestion might be involved in the pathogenesis of certain mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR 2000) and also in compromised learning and emotional functioning.

  20. Carbon-deuterium rotational-echo double-resonance NMR spectroscopy of lyophilized aspartame formulations.

    PubMed

    Luthra, Suman A; Utz, Marcel; Gorman, Eric M; Pikal, Michael J; Munson, Eric J; Lubach, Joseph W

    2012-01-01

    In this study, changes in the local conformation of aspartame were observed in annealed lyophilized glasses by monitoring changes in the distance between two labeled sites using C-(2)H rotational-echo double-resonance (REDOR) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Confirmation that the REDOR experiments were producing accurate distance measurement was ensured by measuring the (13)C-(15)N distance in glycine. The experiment was further verified by measuring the REDOR dephasing curve on (13)C-(2)H methionine. (13)C-(2)H REDOR dephasing curves were then measured on lyophilized aspartame-disaccharide formulations. In aspartame-sucrose formulation, the internuclear distances increased upon annealing, which correlated with decreased chemical reactivity. By contrast, annealing had only a minimal effect on the dephasing curve in aspartame-trehalose formulation. The results show that stability is a function of both mobility and local structure (conformation), even in a small molecule system such as lyophilized aspartame-sucrose. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  1. A theoretical and experimental study of calcium, iron, zinc, cadmium, and sodium ions absorption by aspartame.

    PubMed

    Mahnam, Karim; Raisi, Fatame

    2017-03-01

    Aspartame (L-Aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester) is a sweet dipeptide used in some foods and beverages. Experimental studies show that aspartame causes osteoporosis and some illnesses, which are similar to those of copper and calcium deficiency. This raises the issue that aspartame in food may interact with cations and excrete them from the body. This study aimed to study aspartame interaction with calcium, zinc, iron, sodium, and cadmium ions via molecular dynamics simulation (MD) and spectroscopy. Following a 480-ns molecular dynamics simulation, it became clear that the aspartame is able to sequester Fe 2+ , Ca 2+ , Cd 2+ , and Zn 2+ ions for a long time. Complexation led to increasing UV-Vis absorption spectra and emission spectra of the complexes. This study suggests a potential risk of cationic absorption of aspartame. This study suggests that purification of cadmium-polluted water by aspartame needs a more general risk assessment.

  2. Aspartame Intake Relates to Coronary Plaque Burden and Inflammatory Indices in Human Immunodeficiency Virus

    PubMed Central

    Hall, Leangelo N.; Sanchez, Laura R.; Hubbard, Jane; Lee, Hang; Looby, Sara E.; Srinivasa, Suman; Zanni, Markella V.; Stanley, Takara L.; Lo, Janet; Grinspoon, Steven K.

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Background. Dietary sweeteners may contribute to metabolic dysregulation and cardiovascular disease (CVD), but this has not been assessed in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Methods. One hundred twenty-four HIV-infected and 56 non-HIV-infected participants, without history of known coronary artery disease were included. Dietary intake was assessed using a 4-day food record. Coronary plaque was determined using cardiac computed tomography angiography. Results. Human immunodeficiency virus-infected participants had significantly greater intake of dietary sweeteners, including total sugar (P = .03) and added sugar (P = .009); intake of aspartame (artificial sweetener) was greater among aspartame consumers with HIV versus non-HIV consumers (P = .03). Among HIV-infected participants, aspartame intake was significantly associated with coronary plaque (P = .002) and noncalcified plaque (P = .007) segments, as well as markers of inflammation/immune activation (monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2), which may contribute to increased atherogenesis. In multivariable regression modeling, aspartame remained an independent predictor of plaque in HIV. In contrast, among non-HIV-infected participants, no sweetener type was shown to relate to plaque characteristics. Conclusions. We demonstrate increased intake of dietary sweeteners and a potential novel association between aspartame intake, plaque burden, and inflammation in HIV. Our data suggest that aspartame may contribute to CVD risk in HIV. Further studies should address potential mechanisms by which aspartame may contribute to increased plaque burden and cardiovascular benefits of dietary strategies targeting aspartame intake in HIV. PMID:28695142

  3. Metabolism of aspartame by human and pig intestinal microvillar peptidases.

    PubMed Central

    Hooper, N M; Hesp, R J; Tieku, S

    1994-01-01

    The artificial sweetener aspartame (N-L-alpha-aspartyl-L-phenyl-alanine-1-methyl ester; Nutrasweet), its decomposition product alpha Asp-Phe and the related peptide alpha Asp-PheNH2 were rapidly hydrolysed by microvillar membranes prepared from human duodenum, jejunum and ileum, and from pig duodenum and kidney. The metabolism of aspartame by the human and pig intestinal microvillar membrane preparations was inhibited significantly (> 78%) by amastatin or 1,10-phenanthroline, and partially (> 38%) by actinonin or bestatin, and was activated 2.9-4.5-fold by CaCl2. The inhibition by amastatin and 1,10-phenanthroline, and the activation by CaCl2 are characteristic of the cell-surface ectoenzyme aminopeptidase A (EC 3.4.11.7) and a purified preparation of this enzyme hydrolysed aspartame with a Km of 0.25 mM and a Vmax of 126 mumol/min per mg. A purified preparation of aminopeptidase W (EC 3.4.11.16) also hydrolysed aspartame but with a Km of 4.96 mM and a Vmax of 110 mumol/min per mg. However, rentiapril, an inhibitor of aminopeptidase W, caused only slight inhibition (maximally 19%) of the hydrolysis of aspartame by the microvillar membrane preparations. Similar patterns of inhibition and kinetic parameters were observed for alpha Asp-Phe and alpha Asp-PheNH2. Two other decomposition products of aspartame, beta Asp-PheMe and cyclo-Asp-Phe, were essentially resistant to hydrolysis by both the human and pig intestinal microvillar membrane preparations and the purified preparations of aminopeptidases A and W. Although the relatively selective inhibitor of aminopeptidase N (EC 3.4.11.2), actinonin, partially inhibited the metabolism of aspartame, alpha Asp-Phe and alpha Asp-PheNH2 by the human and pig intestinal microvillar membrane preparations, these peptides were not hydrolysed by a purified preparation of aminopeptidase N. Membrane dipeptidase (EC 3.4.13.19) only hydrolysed the unblocked dipeptide, alpha Asp-Phe, but the selective inhibitor of this enzyme, cilastatin

  4. Racemization of aspartic acid and phenylalanine in the sweetener aspartame at 100 degrees C.

    PubMed Central

    Boehm, M F; Bada, J L

    1984-01-01

    The racemization half-lives (i.e., the time required to reach a D/L = 0.33) at pH 6.8 for aspartic acid and phenylalanine in the sweetener aspartame (L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester) were determined to be 13 and 23 hours, respectively, at 100 degrees C. Racemization at this pH does not occur in aspartame but rather in its diketopiperazine decomposition product. Our results indicate that the use of aspartame to sweeten neutral pH foods and beverages that are then heated at elevated temperature could generate D-aspartic acid and D-phenylalanine. The nutritive consequences of these D-amino acids in the human diet are not well established, and thus aspartame should probably not be used as a sweetener when the exposure of neutral pH foods and beverages to elevated temperatures is required. At pH 4, a typical pH of most foods and beverages that might be sweetened with aspartame, the half-lives are 47 hours for aspartic acid and 1200 hours for phenylalanine at 100 degrees C. Racemization at pH 4 takes place in aspartame itself. Although the racemization rates at pH 4 are slow and no appreciable racemization of aspartic acid and phenylalanine should occur during the normal use of aspartame, some food and beverage components could conceivably act as catalysts. Additional studies are required to evaluate whether the use of aspartame as a sugar substitute might not in turn result in an increased human consumption of D-aspartic acid and D-phenylalanine. PMID:6591191

  5. Aspartame Intake Relates to Coronary Plaque Burden and Inflammatory Indices in Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

    PubMed

    Hall, Leangelo N; Sanchez, Laura R; Hubbard, Jane; Lee, Hang; Looby, Sara E; Srinivasa, Suman; Zanni, Markella V; Stanley, Takara L; Lo, Janet; Grinspoon, Steven K; Fitch, Kathleen V

    2017-01-01

    Dietary sweeteners may contribute to metabolic dysregulation and cardiovascular disease (CVD), but this has not been assessed in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). One hundred twenty-four HIV-infected and 56 non-HIV-infected participants, without history of known coronary artery disease were included. Dietary intake was assessed using a 4-day food record. Coronary plaque was determined using cardiac computed tomography angiography. Human immunodeficiency virus-infected participants had significantly greater intake of dietary sweeteners, including total sugar ( P = .03) and added sugar ( P = .009); intake of aspartame (artificial sweetener) was greater among aspartame consumers with HIV versus non-HIV consumers ( P = .03). Among HIV-infected participants, aspartame intake was significantly associated with coronary plaque ( P = .002) and noncalcified plaque ( P = .007) segments, as well as markers of inflammation/immune activation (monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A 2 ), which may contribute to increased atherogenesis. In multivariable regression modeling, aspartame remained an independent predictor of plaque in HIV. In contrast, among non-HIV-infected participants, no sweetener type was shown to relate to plaque characteristics. We demonstrate increased intake of dietary sweeteners and a potential novel association between aspartame intake, plaque burden, and inflammation in HIV. Our data suggest that aspartame may contribute to CVD risk in HIV. Further studies should address potential mechanisms by which aspartame may contribute to increased plaque burden and cardiovascular benefits of dietary strategies targeting aspartame intake in HIV. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.

  6. Assessment of Korean consumer exposure to sodium saccharin, aspartame and stevioside.

    PubMed

    Ha, Mi-Sun; Ha, Sang-Do; Choi, Sung-Hee; Bae, Dong-Ho

    2013-01-01

    The dietary intakes of sodium saccharin, aspartame and stevioside were estimated on the basis of food consumption data of the Korean consumer and the concentration of sweeteners in processed foods. Results were compared with the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of sweeteners. Among the 28 food categories for which the application of sodium saccharin, aspartame and stevioside is permitted in Korea, they were detected in 5, 12 and 13 categories, respectively. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of sodium saccharin and aspartame were high in infants and children, whereas the EDI of stevioside was high in adolescents and adults. The most highly consumed sweetener was aspartame, and the highest EDI/ADI ratio was found for sodium saccharin. The main food categories contributing to sweetener consumption were beverages, including alcoholic beverages. For most Korean consumers, the EDIs were no greater than 20% of their corresponding ADI; however, the EDI of sodium saccharin for conservative consumers aged 1-2 years reached 60% of their ADI.

  7. Effect of long term intake of aspartame on antioxidant defense status in liver.

    PubMed

    Abhilash, M; Paul, M V Sauganth; Varghese, Mathews V; Nair, R Harikumaran

    2011-06-01

    The present study evaluates the effect of long term intake of aspartame, the artificial sweetener, on liver antioxidant system and hepatocellular injury in animal model. Eighteen adult male Wistar rats, weighing 150-175 g, were randomly divided into three groups as follows: first group was given aspartame dissolved in water in a dose of 500 mg/kg b.wt.; the second group was given a dose of 1000 mg/kg b.wt.; and controls were given water freely. Rats that had received aspartame (1000 mg/kg b.wt.) in the drinking water for 180 days showed a significant increase in activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT). The concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) and the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR) were significantly reduced in the liver of rats that had received aspartame (1000 mg/kg b.wt.). Glutathione was significantly decreased in both the experimental groups. Histopathological examination revealed leukocyte infiltration in aspartame-treated rats (1000 mg/kg b.wt.). It can be concluded from these observations that long term consumption of aspartame leads to hepatocellular injury and alterations in liver antioxidant status mainly through glutathione dependent system. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Examination of the potential for adaptive chirality of the nitrogen chiral center in aza-aspartame.

    PubMed

    Bouayad-Gervais, Samir H; Lubell, William D

    2013-11-28

    The potential for dynamic chirality of an azapeptide nitrogen was examined by substitution of nitrogen for the α-carbon of the aspartate residue in the sweetener S,S-aspartame. Considering that S,S- and R,S-aspartame possess sweet and bitter tastes, respectively, a bitter-sweet taste of aza-aspartame 9 could be indicative of a low isomerization barrier for nitrogen chirality inter-conversion. Aza-aspartame 9 was synthesized by a combination of hydrazine and peptide chemistry. Crystallization of 9 indicated a R,S-configuration in the solid state; however, the aza-residue chiral center was considerably flattened relative to its natural amino acid counterpart. On tasting, the authors considered aza-aspartame 9 to be slightly bitter or tasteless. The lack of bitter sweet taste of aza-aspartame 9 may be due to flattening from sp2 hybridization in the urea as well as a high barrier for sp3 nitrogen inter-conversion, both of which may interfere with recognition by taste receptors.

  9. Non-nutritive sweeteners: children and adolescent consumption and food sources.

    PubMed

    Garavaglia, María B; Rodríguez García, Vanesa; Zapata, María E; Rovirosa, Alicia; González, Verónica; Flax Marcó, Florencia; Carmuega, Esteban

    2018-06-01

    The availability of food and beverages with non-nutritive sweeteners (NNSs) has increased in recent years. To estimate NNSs consumption among children and adolescents in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, the prevalence of a daily intake higher than acceptable, and the main food and beverages contributing to it. Descriptive study about the information collected in the First Food and Nutritional/Nutrition Survey of Buenos Aires City, which was conducted in 2011 and included 2664 children and adolescents aged 2-18 years. Consumption was assessed by means of a 24- hour recall. NNSs content in food and beverages was obtained from nutrition facts labels. The total dietary intake for each NNSs and the adequacy to the acceptable daily intake (ADI) established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO). Forty four percent of preschoolers, 53% of school children, and 51% of adolescents have had food with NNSs. No child was exposed to a consumption of aspartame, acesulfameK, and sucralose higher than the ADI. Saccharin consumption was higher than the ADI in 0.3% of preschoolers while cyclamate consumption was higher than the ADI in 0.9% of school children and 0.1% of adolescents, due to the consumption of concentrated juice, to be diluted with water. Beverages provided 67% of cyclamate, 91% of acesulfameK, and 96% of aspartame. Table-top sweeteners provided 30% of cyclamate and 32% of saccharin. Consumption of food and beverages with NNSs is usual among children and adolescents, mainly from beverages. Less than 1% of children are exposed to a consumption of cyclamate and saccharin higher than the ADI. Sociedad Argentina de Pediatría.

  10. Studies on the effects of aspartame on memory and oxidative stress in brain of mice.

    PubMed

    Abdel-Salam, O M E; Salem, N A; El-Shamarka, M E S; Hussein, J S; Ahmed, N A S; El-Nagar, M E S

    2012-12-01

    The dipeptide aspartame (N-L-alpha-aspartyl-Lphenylalanine, 1-methyl ester; alpha-APM) is one of the most widely used artificial sweeteners. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of repeated administration of aspartame in the working memory version of Morris water maze test, on oxidative stress and brain monoamines in brain of mice. Aspartame (0.625, 1.875 or 5.625 mg/kg) was administered once daily subcutaneously for 2 weeks and mice were examined four times a week for their ability to locate a submerged plate. Malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), nitric oxide levels (the concentrations of nitrite/nitrate) and glucose were determined in brain. Only at the highest dose of 5.625 mg/kg, did aspartame significantly impaired water maze performance. The mean time taken to find the escape platform (latency) over 2 weeks was significantly delayed by aspartame 5.625 mg/kg, compared with the saline-treated control group. Significant differences occurred only on the first trial to find the escape platform. Significant increase in brain MDA by 16.5% and nitric oxide by 16.2% and a decrease in GSH by 25.1% and glucose by 22.5% occurred after treatment with aspartame at 1.875 mg/kg. Aspartame administered at 5.625 mg/kg significantly increased brain MDA by 43.8%, nitric oxide by 18.6% and decreased GSH by 32.7% and glucose by 25.8%. Aspartame caused dose-dependent inhibition of brain serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine. These findings suggest impaired memory performance and increased brain oxidative stress by repeated aspartame administration. The impaired memory performance is likely to involve increased oxidative stress as well as decreased brain glucose availability.

  11. The Sweetness of Aspartame: A Biochemistry Lab for Health Science Chemistry Courses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stein, Paul J.

    1997-09-01

    A laboratory exercise for Health Science Biochemistry students to study the effect of aspartame concentration on sweetness has been developed. The concentration dependence of the absorbance of aspartame at 257 nm is also studied. Data from all members of the class are averaged and plotted on the same graph as absorbance and taste rating vs. [aspartame]. The absorbance plot follows Beer's law while the taste rating plot displays the typical hyperbolic response of protein-ligand binding plots. This laboratory exercise illustrates the concept of binding saturation to students.

  12. Low-dose aspartame consumption differentially affects gut microbiota-host metabolic interactions in the diet-induced obese rat.

    PubMed

    Palmnäs, Marie S A; Cowan, Theresa E; Bomhof, Marc R; Su, Juliet; Reimer, Raylene A; Vogel, Hans J; Hittel, Dustin S; Shearer, Jane

    2014-01-01

    Aspartame consumption is implicated in the development of obesity and metabolic disease despite the intention of limiting caloric intake. The mechanisms responsible for this association remain unclear, but may involve circulating metabolites and the gut microbiota. Aims were to examine the impact of chronic low-dose aspartame consumption on anthropometric, metabolic and microbial parameters in a diet-induced obese model. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into a standard chow diet (CH, 12% kcal fat) or high fat (HF, 60% kcal fat) and further into ad libitum water control (W) or low-dose aspartame (A, 5-7 mg/kg/d in drinking water) treatments for 8 week (n = 10-12 animals/treatment). Animals on aspartame consumed fewer calories, gained less weight and had a more favorable body composition when challenged with HF compared to animals consuming water. Despite this, aspartame elevated fasting glucose levels and an insulin tolerance test showed aspartame to impair insulin-stimulated glucose disposal in both CH and HF, independently of body composition. Fecal analysis of gut bacterial composition showed aspartame to increase total bacteria, the abundance of Enterobacteriaceae and Clostridium leptum. An interaction between HF and aspartame was also observed for Roseburia ssp wherein HF-A was higher than HF-W (P<0.05). Within HF, aspartame attenuated the typical HF-induced increase in the Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio. Serum metabolomics analysis revealed aspartame to be rapidly metabolized and to be associated with elevations in the short chain fatty acid propionate, a bacterial end product and highly gluconeogenic substrate, potentially explaining its negative affects on insulin tolerance. How aspartame influences gut microbial composition and the implications of these changes on the development of metabolic disease require further investigation.

  13. Low-Dose Aspartame Consumption Differentially Affects Gut Microbiota-Host Metabolic Interactions in the Diet-Induced Obese Rat

    PubMed Central

    Palmnäs, Marie S. A.; Cowan, Theresa E.; Bomhof, Marc R.; Su, Juliet; Reimer, Raylene A.; Vogel, Hans J.; Hittel, Dustin S.; Shearer, Jane

    2014-01-01

    Aspartame consumption is implicated in the development of obesity and metabolic disease despite the intention of limiting caloric intake. The mechanisms responsible for this association remain unclear, but may involve circulating metabolites and the gut microbiota. Aims were to examine the impact of chronic low-dose aspartame consumption on anthropometric, metabolic and microbial parameters in a diet-induced obese model. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into a standard chow diet (CH, 12% kcal fat) or high fat (HF, 60% kcal fat) and further into ad libitum water control (W) or low-dose aspartame (A, 5–7 mg/kg/d in drinking water) treatments for 8 week (n = 10–12 animals/treatment). Animals on aspartame consumed fewer calories, gained less weight and had a more favorable body composition when challenged with HF compared to animals consuming water. Despite this, aspartame elevated fasting glucose levels and an insulin tolerance test showed aspartame to impair insulin-stimulated glucose disposal in both CH and HF, independently of body composition. Fecal analysis of gut bacterial composition showed aspartame to increase total bacteria, the abundance of Enterobacteriaceae and Clostridium leptum. An interaction between HF and aspartame was also observed for Roseburia ssp wherein HF-A was higher than HF-W (P<0.05). Within HF, aspartame attenuated the typical HF-induced increase in the Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio. Serum metabolomics analysis revealed aspartame to be rapidly metabolized and to be associated with elevations in the short chain fatty acid propionate, a bacterial end product and highly gluconeogenic substrate, potentially explaining its negative affects on insulin tolerance. How aspartame influences gut microbial composition and the implications of these changes on the development of metabolic disease require further investigation. PMID:25313461

  14. Use of aspartame-based sweetener tablets in emergency dosimetry using EPR.

    PubMed

    Maghraby, A; Salama, E

    2010-06-01

    Accident dosimetry aims to evaluate the unplanned radiation doses delivered to individuals through one of the objects exist in the area of the accident. The gamma dose response of free radicals generated in irradiated aspartame tablets and its usability for emergency dosimetry was studied. EPR spectra of unirradiated and irradiated aspartame-based sweetener were recorded. Two signals arise after irradiating, S(1) at g (S(1)) = 2.00229 +/- 0.00097 and S(2) at g (S(2)) = 2.00262 +/- 0.00088. Some EPR parameters were studied for radiation-induced radicals in aspartame sweeteners tablets, such as the microwave saturation behaviour, the effect of magnetic field modulation amplitude on the peak-to-peak height and peak-to-peak line width for both of S(1) and S(2). Responses of S(1) and S(2) to different radiation doses were studied and resulted in linear relationships, radicals persistence curves were plotted over a 49-d storage period. It was found that Aspartame sweeteners tablets are useful in the range from 0.96 to 39.96 Gy. Radiation-induced radicals possess reasonable stability.

  15. Effect of aspartame on oxidative stress and monoamine neurotransmitter levels in lipopolysaccharide-treated mice.

    PubMed

    Abdel-Salam, Omar M E; Salem, Neveen A; Hussein, Jihan Seid

    2012-04-01

    This study aimed at investigating the effect of the sweetener aspartame on oxidative stress and brain monoamines in normal circumstances and after intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 100 μg/kg) in mice. Aspartame (0.625-45 mg/kg) was given via subcutaneous route at the time of endotoxin administration. Mice were euthanized 4 h later. Reduced glutathione (GSH), lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances; TBARS), and nitrite concentrations were measured in brain and liver. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and glucose were determined in brain. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured in liver. The administration of only aspartame (22.5 and 45 mg/kg) increased brain TBARS by 17.7-32.8%, decreased GSH by 25.6-31.6%, and increased TNF-α by 16.7-44%. Aspartame caused dose-dependent inhibition of brain serotonin, noradrenaline, and dopamine. Aspartame did not alter liver TBARS, nitrite, GSH, AST, ALT, or ALP. The administration of LPS increased nitrite in brain and liver by 26.8 and 37.1%, respectively; decreased GSH in brain and liver by 21.6 and 31.1%, respectively; increased brain TNF-α by 340.4%, and glucose by 39.9%, and caused marked increase in brain monoamines. LPS increased AST, ALT, and ALP in liver tissue by 84.4, 173.7, and 258.9%, respectively. Aspartame given to LPS-treated mice at 11.25 and 22.5 mg/kg increased brain TBARS by 15.5-16.9%, nitrite by 12.6-20.1%, and mitigated the increase in monoamines. Aspartame did not alter liver TBARS, nitrite, GSH, ALT, AST, or ALP. Thus, the administration of aspartame alone or in the presence of mild systemic inflammatory response increases oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain, but not in the liver.

  16. Synthesis, spectroscopic and thermal studies of the copper(II) aspartame chloride complex

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Çakır, S.; Coşkun, E.; Naumov, P.; Biçer, E.; Bulut, İ.; İçbudak, H.; Çakır, O.

    2002-08-01

    Aspartame adduct of copper(II) chloride Cu(Asp) 2Cl 2·2H 2O (Asp=aspartame) is synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, FT IR, UV/vis, ESR spectroscopies, TG, DTG, DTA measurements and molecular mechanics calculations. Aqueous solution of the green solid absorbs strongly at 774 and 367 nm. According to the FT IR spectra, the aspartame moiety coordinates to the copper(II) ion via its carboxylate ends, whereas the ammonium terminal groups give rise to hydrogen bonding network with the water, the chloride ions or neighboring carboxylate groups. The results suggest tetragonally distorted octahedral environment of the copper ions.

  17. Bienzymatic Biosensor for Rapid Detection of Aspartame by Flow Injection Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Radulescu, Maria-Cristina; Bucur, Bogdan; Bucur, Madalina-Petruta; Radu, Gabriel Lucian

    2014-01-01

    A rapid, simple and stable biosensor for aspartame detection was developed. Alcohol oxidase (AOX), carboxyl esterase (CaE) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were immobilised with glutaraldehyde (GA) onto screen-printed electrodes modified with cobalt-phthalocyanine (CoPC). The biosensor response was fast. The sample throughput using a flow injection analysis (FIA) system was 40 h−1 with an RSD of 2.7%. The detection limits for both batch and FIA measurements were 0.1 μM for methanol and 0.2 μM for aspartame, respectively. The enzymatic biosensor was successfully applied for aspartame determination in different sample matrices/commercial products (liquid and solid samples) without any pre-treatment step prior to measurement. PMID:24412899

  18. Bienzymatic biosensor for rapid detection of aspartame by flow injection analysis.

    PubMed

    Radulescu, Maria-Cristina; Bucur, Bogdan; Bucur, Madalina-Petruta; Radu, Gabriel Lucian

    2014-01-09

    A rapid, simple and stable biosensor for aspartame detection was developed. Alcohol oxidase (AOX), carboxyl esterase (CaE) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were immobilised with glutaraldehyde (GA) onto screen-printed electrodes modified with cobalt-phthalocyanine (CoPC). The biosensor response was fast. The sample throughput using a flow injection analysis (FIA) system was 40 h⁻¹ with an RSD of 2.7%. The detection limits for both batch and FIA measurements were 0.1 µM for methanol and 0.2 µM for aspartame, respectively. The enzymatic biosensor was successfully applied for aspartame determination in different sample matrices/commercial products (liquid and solid samples) without any pre-treatment step prior to measurement.

  19. Water-compatible 'aspartame'-imprinted polymer grafted on silica surface for selective recognition in aqueous solution.

    PubMed

    Singh, Meenakshi; Kumar, Abhishek; Tarannum, Nazia

    2013-05-01

    Molecularly imprinted polymers selective for aspartame have been prepared using N-[2-ammonium-ethyl-piperazinium) maleimidopropane sulfonate copolymer bearing zwitterionic centres along the backbone via a surface-confined grafting procedure. Aspartame, a dipeptide, is commonly used as an artificial sweetener. Polymerisation on the surface was propagated by means of Michael addition reaction on amino-grafted silica surface. Electrostatic interactions along with complementary H-bonding and other hydrophobic interactions inducing additional synergetic effect between the template (aspartame) and the imprinted surface led to the formation of imprinted sites. The MIP was able to selectively and specifically take up aspartame from aqueous solution and certain pharmaceutical samples quantitatively. Hence, a facile, specific and selective technique using surface-grafted specific molecular contours developed for specific and selective uptake of aspartame in the presence of various interferrants, in different kinds of matrices is presented.

  20. Simultaneous square-wave voltammetric determination of aspartame and cyclamate using a boron-doped diamond electrode.

    PubMed

    Medeiros, Roberta Antigo; de Carvalho, Adriana Evaristo; Rocha-Filho, Romeu C; Fatibello-Filho, Orlando

    2008-07-30

    A simple and highly selective electrochemical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of aspartame and cyclamate in dietary products at a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode. In square-wave voltammetric (SWV) measurements, the BDD electrode was able to separate the oxidation peak potentials of aspartame and cyclamate present in binary mixtures by about 400 mV. The detection limit for aspartame in the presence of 3.0x10(-4) mol L(-1) cyclamate was 4.7x10(-7) mol L(-1), and the detection limit for cyclamate in the presence of 1.0x10(-4) mol L(-1) aspartame was 4.2x10(-6) mol L(-1). When simultaneously changing the concentration of both aspartame and cyclamate in a 0.5 mol L(-1) sulfuric acid solution, the corresponding detection limits were 3.5x10(-7) and 4.5x10(-6) mol L(-1), respectively. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) obtained was 1.3% for the 1.0x10(-4) mol L(-1) aspartame solution (n=5) and 1.1% for the 3.0x10(-3) mol L(-1) cyclamate solution. The proposed method was successfully applied in the determination of aspartame in several dietary products with results similar to those obtained using an HPLC method at 95% confidence level.

  1. Chronic aspartame intake causes changes in the trans-sulphuration pathway, glutathione depletion and liver damage in mice.

    PubMed

    Finamor, Isabela; Pérez, Salvador; Bressan, Caroline A; Brenner, Carlos E; Rius-Pérez, Sergio; Brittes, Patricia C; Cheiran, Gabriele; Rocha, Maria I; da Veiga, Marcelo; Sastre, Juan; Pavanato, Maria A

    2017-04-01

    No-caloric sweeteners, such as aspartame, are widely used in various food and beverages to prevent the increasing rates of obesity and diabetes mellitus, acting as tools in helping control caloric intake. Aspartame is metabolized to phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methanol. Our aim was to study the effect of chronic administration of aspartame on glutathione redox status and on the trans-sulphuration pathway in mouse liver. Mice were divided into three groups: control; treated daily with aspartame for 90 days; and treated with aspartame plus N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Chronic administration of aspartame increased plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase activities and caused liver injury as well as marked decreased hepatic levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), γ-glutamylcysteine ​​(γ-GC), and most metabolites of the trans-sulphuration pathway, such as cysteine, S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), and S-adenosylhomocysteine ​​(SAH). Aspartame also triggered a decrease in mRNA and protein levels of the catalytic subunit of glutamate cysteine ligase (GCLc) and cystathionine γ-lyase, and in protein levels of methionine adenosyltransferase 1A and 2A. N-acetylcysteine prevented the aspartame-induced liver injury and the increase in plasma ALT activity as well as the decrease in GSH, γ-GC, cysteine, SAM and SAH levels and GCLc protein levels. In conclusion, chronic administration of aspartame caused marked hepatic GSH depletion, which should be ascribed to GCLc down-regulation and decreased cysteine levels. Aspartame triggered blockade of the trans-sulphuration pathway at two steps, cystathionine γ-lyase and methionine adenosyltransferases. NAC restored glutathione levels as well as the impairment of the trans-sulphuration pathway. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  2. Alterations in behaviour, cerebral cortical morphology and cerebral oxidative stress markers following aspartame ingestion.

    PubMed

    Onaolapo, Adejoke Y; Onaolapo, Olakunle J; Nwoha, Polycarp U

    2016-12-01

    The study evaluated changes in open field behaviours, cerebral cortical histomorphology and biochemical markers of oxidative stress following repeated administration of aspartame in mice. Adult mice were assigned into five groups of twelve each. Vehicle (distilled water), or aspartame (20, 40, 80 and 160mg/kg body weight) were administered orally for 28days. Horizontal locomotion, rearing and grooming were assessed after the first and last dose of aspartame. Sections of the cerebral cortex were processed and stained for general histology, and also examined for neuritic plaques using the Bielschwosky's protocol. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neuron specific enolase (NSE) immunoreactivity were assessed using appropriate antibodies. Aspartate and antioxidant levels were also assayed from cerebral cortex homogenates. Data obtained were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Body weight and food consumption decreased significantly with aspartame consumption. Locomotion, rearing and grooming increased significantly after first dose, and with repeated administration of aspartame. Histological changes consistent with neuronal damage were seen at 40, 80 and 160mg/kg. Neuritic plaque formation was not evident; while GFAP-reactive astrocytes and NSE-reactive neurons increased at 40 and 80mg/kg but decreased at 160mg/kg. Superoxide dismutase and nitric oxide increased with increasing doses of aspartame, while aspartate levels showed no significant difference. The study showed morphological alterations consistent with neuronal injury and biochemical changes of oxidative stress. These data therefore supports the need for caution in the indiscriminate use of aspartame as a non-nutritive sweetener. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Oxidative stress evoked damages on rat sperm and attenuated antioxidant status on consumption of aspartame.

    PubMed

    Ashok, I; Poornima, P S; Wankhar, D; Ravindran, R; Sheeladevi, R

    2017-07-01

    Although several studies on toxic effect of aspartame metabolite have been studied, controversial reports over the use of aspartame owing to the fact that it releases methanol as one of its metabolite during metabolism exist. This present study is proposed to investigate whether aspartame (40 mg kg -1 b.wt) administration for 90 days could induce oxidative stress and alter antioxidant status of epididymal sperm in Wistar strain male albino rats. To mimic the human methanol metabolism, methotrexate (MTX)-treated rats were included to study the effects of aspartame. Oral intubations of FDA approved 40 mg kg -1 b.wt aspartame were given daily for 90 days to Wistar strain male albino rats and studied along with controls and MTX-treated controls. Sperm count, viability, morphology, morphometry and motility were assessed. A significant decrease in sperm function of aspartame treated animals was observed when compared with the control and MTX control. The free radical generation were observed in epididymal sperm by assessing the scavenging enzymes, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. Result suggest that there was a significant increase glutathione-s-transferase (GST), with a significant decrease in reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase activity (SOD), glutathione peroxidase levels (GPx), catalase activity (CAT) and glutathione reductase concentration. The increase in free radicals generation could have ultimately caused the lipid peroxidation mediated damages on the testis. Aspartame treated animals also revealed the reduced space in seminiferous tubules, which resulted in reduced Leydig cells when compared with control in histopathology. These findings demonstrate that aspartame metabolites could be a contributing factor for development of oxidative stress in the epididymal sperm.

  4. Differential effects of early-life NMDA receptor antagonism on aspartame-impaired insulin tolerance and behavior.

    PubMed

    Collison, Kate S; Inglis, Angela; Shibin, Sherin; Andres, Bernard; Ubungen, Rosario; Thiam, Jennifer; Mata, Princess; Al-Mohanna, Futwan A

    2016-12-01

    We have previously showed that lifetime exposure to aspartame, commencing in utero via the mother's diet, may impair insulin tolerance and cause behavioral deficits in adulthood via mechanisms which are incompletely understood. The role of the CNS in regulating glucose homeostasis has been highlighted by recent delineation of the gut-brain axis, in which N-methyl-d-aspartic acid receptors (NMDARs) are important in maintaining glucose homeostasis, in addition to regulating certain aspects of behavior. Since the gut-brain axis can be modulated by fetal programming, we hypothesized that early-life NMDAR antagonism may affect aspartame-induced glucose deregulation in adulthood, and may alter the aspartame behavioral phenotype. Accordingly, C57Bl/6J mice were chronically exposed to aspartame commencing in utero, in the presence and absence of maternal administration of the competitive NMDAR antagonist CGP 39551, from conception until weaning. Drug/diet interactions in adulthood glucocentric and behavioral parameters were assessed. Aspartame exposure elevated blood glucose and impaired insulin-induced glucose disposal during an insulin tolerance test, which could be normalized by NMDAR antagonism. The same effects were not observed in control diet mice, suggesting an early-life drug/diet interaction. Behavioral analysis of adult offspring indicated that NMDAR antagonism of control diet mice caused hyperlocomotion and impaired spatial navigation. Conversely hypolocomotion, reduced exploratory activity and increased anxiety-related behavior were apparent in aspartame diet mice with early-life NMDAR antagonism. significant drug/diet interactions in glucocentric and behavioral parameters were identified in aspartame-exposed mice with early-life NMDAR antagonism. This suggests a possible involvement of early NMDAR interactions in aspartame-impaired glucose homeostasis and behavioral deficits. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Aspartame Attenuates 2, 4-Dinitrofluorobenzene-Induced Atopic Dermatitis-Like Clinical Symptoms in NC/Nga Mice.

    PubMed

    Kim, Gun-Dong; Park, Yong Seek; Ahn, Hyun-Jong; Cho, Jeong-Je; Park, Cheung-Seog

    2015-11-01

    Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common multifactorial chronic skin disease that has a multiple and complex pathogenesis. AD is gradually increasing in prevalence globally. In NC/Nga mice, repetitive applications of 2, 4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) evoke AD-like clinical symptoms similar to human AD. Aspartame (N-L-α-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester) is a methyl ester of a dipeptide, which is used as an artificial non-nutritive sweetener. Aspartame has analgesic and anti-inflammatory functions that are similar to the function of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin. We investigated whether aspartame can relieve AD-like clinical symptoms induced by DNFB treatment in NC/Nga mice. Sucrose did not relieve AD-like symptoms, whereas aspartame at doses of 0.5 μg kg(-1) and 0.5 mg kg(-1) inhibited ear swelling and relieved AD-like clinical symptoms. Aspartame inhibited infiltration of inflammatory cells including eosinophils, mast cells, and CD4(+) T cells, and suppressed the expression of cytokines including IL-4 and IFN-γ, and total serum IgE levels. Aspartame may have therapeutic value in the treatment of AD.

  6. Crystallization from microemulsions ? a novel method for the preparation of new crystal forms of aspartame

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Füredi-Milhofer, Helga; Garti, N.; Kamyshny, A.

    1999-03-01

    Solubilization and crystallization of the artificial sweetener aspartame (APM), in water/isooctane microemulsions stabilized with sodium diisooctyl sulfosuccinate (AOT) has been investigated. The amount of aspartame that could be solubilized depended primarily on the amount of surfactant and on the temperature. The maximum AOT/aspartame molar ratio at the w/o interface is shown to be 6.2 at 25°C. It was concluded that the dipeptide is located at the w/o interface interspersed between surfactant molecules and that it acts as a cosurfactant. A new crystal form, APM III, was obtained by cooling of hot w/isooctane/AOT microemulsions containing solubilized aspartame. The new crystal form exhibits a distinct X-ray diffraction powder pattern, as well as changes in the FTIR spectra, thermogravimetric and DSC patterns. H-NMR spectra of APM III dissolved in D 2O were identical to the spectrum of commercial aspartame recorded under the same conditions. The new crystal form has greatly improved dissolution kinetics.

  7. 21 CFR 172.804 - Aspartame.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... weight of the tablet. (2) When aspartame is used in baked goods and baking mixes, the amount of the additive is not to exceed 0.5 percent by weight of ready-to-bake products or of finished formulations prior to baking. Generally recognized as safe (GRAS) ingredients or food additives approved for use in...

  8. 21 CFR 172.804 - Aspartame.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... weight of the tablet. (2) When aspartame is used in baked goods and baking mixes, the amount of the additive is not to exceed 0.5 percent by weight of ready-to-bake products or of finished formulations prior to baking. Generally recognized as safe (GRAS) ingredients or food additives approved for use in...

  9. 21 CFR 172.804 - Aspartame.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... weight of the tablet. (2) When aspartame is used in baked goods and baking mixes, the amount of the additive is not to exceed 0.5 percent by weight of ready-to-bake products or of finished formulations prior to baking. Generally recognized as safe (GRAS) ingredients or food additives approved for use in...

  10. 21 CFR 172.804 - Aspartame.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... weight of the tablet. (2) When aspartame is used in baked goods and baking mixes, the amount of the additive is not to exceed 0.5 percent by weight of ready-to-bake products or of finished formulations prior to baking. Generally recognized as safe (GRAS) ingredients or food additives approved for use in...

  11. Effects of early intraoral acesulfame-K stimulation to mice on the adult's sweet preference and the expression of α-gustducin in fungiform papilla.

    PubMed

    Chen, Meng-Ling; Liu, Si-Si; Zhang, Gen-Hua; Quan, Ying; Zhan, Yue-Hua; Gu, Tian-Yuan; Qin, Yu-Mei; Deng, Shao-Ping

    2013-06-01

    Exposure to artificial sweetener acesulfame-K (AK) at early development stages may influence the adult sweet preference and the periphery gustatory system. We observed that the intraoral AK stimulation to mice from postnatal day 4 (P4) to weaning decreased the preference thresholds for AK and sucrose solutions in adulthood, with the preference pattern unchanged. The preference scores were increased in the exposure group significantly when compared with the control group at a range of concentrations for AK or sucrose solution. Meanwhile, more α-Gustducin-labeled fungiform taste buds and cells in a single taste bud were induced from week 7 by the early intraoral AK stimulation. However, the growth in the number of α-Gustducin-positive taste bud or positive cell number per taste bud occurred only in the anterior region, the rostral 1-mm part, but not in the intermediate region, the caudal 4-mm part, of the anterior two-third of the tongue containing fungiform papillae. This work extends our previous observations and provides new information about the developmental and regional expression pattern of α-Gustducin in mouse fungiform taste bud under early AK-stimulated conditions.

  12. Green synthesis of gold nanoparticles using aspartame and their catalytic activity for p-nitrophenol reduction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Shufen; Yan, Songjing; Qi, Wei; Huang, Renliang; Cui, Jing; Su, Rongxin; He, Zhimin

    2015-05-01

    We demonstrated a facile and environmental-friendly approach to form gold nanoparticles through the reduction of HAuCl4 by aspartame. The single-crystalline structure was illustrated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results indicated that aspartame played a pivotal role in the reduction and stabilization of the gold crystals. The crystals were stabilized through the successive hydrogen-bonding network constructed between the water and aspartame molecules. Additionally, gold nanoparticles synthesized through aspartame were shown to have good catalytic activity for the reduction of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol in the presence of NaBH4.

  13. Effect of chronic exposure to aspartame on oxidative stress in the brain of albino rats.

    PubMed

    Iyyaswamy, Ashok; Rathinasamy, Sheeladevi

    2012-09-01

    This study was aimed at investigating the chronic effect of the artificial sweetener aspartame on oxidative stress in brain regions of Wistar strain albino rats. Many controversial reports are available on the use of aspartame as it releases methanol as one of its metabolite during metabolism. The present study proposed to investigate whether chronic aspartame (75 mg/kg) administration could release methanol and induce oxidative stress in the rat brain. To mimic the human methanol metabolism, methotrexate (MTX)-treated rats were included to study the aspartame effects. Wistar strain male albino rats were administered with aspartame orally and studied along with controls and MTX-treated controls. The blood methanol level was estimated, the animal was sacrificed and the free radical changes were observed in brain discrete regions by assessing the scavenging enzymes, reduced glutathione, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and protein thiol levels. It was observed that there was a significant increase in LPO levels, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, GPx levels and CAT activity with a significant decrease in GSH and protein thiol. Moreover, the increases in some of these enzymes were region specific. Chronic exposure of aspartame resulted in detectable methanol in blood. Methanol per se and its metabolites may be responsible for the generation of oxidative stress in brain regions.

  14. Aspartame and Its Analogues

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pavlova, L. A.; Komarova, T. V.; Davidovich, Yurii A.; Rogozhin, S. V.

    1981-04-01

    The results of studies on the biochemistry of the sweet taste are briefly reviewed. The methods of synthesis of "aspartame" — a sweet dipeptide — are considered, its structural analogues are described, and quantitative estimates are made of the degree of sweetness relative to sucrose. Attention is concentrated mainly on problems of the relation between the structure of the substance and its taste in the series of aspartyl derivatives. The bibliography includes 118 references.

  15. Artificial sweeteners: safe or unsafe?

    PubMed

    Qurrat-ul-Ain; Khan, Sohaib Ahmed

    2015-02-01

    Artificial sweeteners or intense sweeteners are sugar substitutes that are used as an alternative to table sugar. They are many times sweeter than natural sugar and as they contain no calories, they may be used to control weight and obesity. Extensive scientific research has demonstrated the safety of the six low-calorie sweeteners currently approved for use in foods in the U.S. and Europe (stevia, acesulfame-K, aspartame, neotame, saccharin and sucralose), if taken in acceptable quantities daily. There is some ongoing debate over whether artificial sweetener usage poses a health threat .This review article aims to cover thehealth benefits, and risks, of consuming artificial sweeteners, and discusses natural sweeteners which can be used as alternatives.

  16. A biosensor based on graphite epoxy composite electrode for aspartame and ethanol detection.

    PubMed

    Kirgöz, Ulkü Anik; Odaci, Dilek; Timur, Suna; Merkoçi, Arben; Alegret, Salvador; Beşün, Nurgün; Telefoncu, Azmi

    2006-06-16

    A gelatin membrane with carboxyl esterase and alcohol oxidase was subsequently integrated onto the surface of a graphite epoxy composite electrode (GECE). The developed biosensors showed linearity in the range of 2.5-400 microM for aspartame and 2.5-25 microM for ethanol with response times of 170 and 70s for each analyte, respectively. The resulting bienzyme biosensor was used for aspartame detection in diet coke samples and ethanol detection in beer and wine samples. From the obtained results, it can be concluded that the developed biosensor is a selective, practical and economic tool for aspartame and ethanol detection in real samples.

  17. Effects of artificial sweeteners on the AhR- and GR-dependent CYP1A1 expression in primary human hepatocytes and human cancer cells.

    PubMed

    Kamenickova, Alzbeta; Pecova, Michaela; Bachleda, Petr; Dvorak, Zdenek

    2013-12-01

    Food constituents may cause a phenomenon of food-drug interactions. In the current study, we examined the effects of artificial sweeteners (aspartame, acesulfame, cyclamate, saccharin) on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-dependent expression of CYP1A1 in human hepatocytes, hepatic HepG2 and intestinal LS174T cancer cell lines. Sweeteners were tested in concentrations up to those occurring in non-alcoholic beverages. Basal and ligand-inducible AhR- and GR-dependent reporter gene activation in stably transfected HepG2 and HeLa cells, respectively, were not affected by either of the sweeteners tested after 24h of incubation. The expression of CYP1A1 mRNA and protein in primary cultures of human hepatocytes and in LS174T and HepG2 cells was not induced by any of the tested sweeteners. Overall, aspartame, acesulfame, saccharin and cyclamate had no effects on CYP1A1 expression and transcriptional activities of AhR and GR. These data imply the safety of artificial sweeteners in terms of interference with AhR, GR and CYP1A1. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Aspartame and sucrose produce a similar increase in the plasma phenylalanine to large neutral amino acid ratio in healthy subjects.

    PubMed

    Burns, T S; Stargel, W W; Tschanz, C; Kotsonis, F N; Hurwitz, A

    1991-01-01

    Aspartame (L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester) consumption has been postulated to increase brain phenylalanine levels by increasing the molar ratio of the plasma phenylalanine concentration to the sum of the plasma concentrations of the other large neutral amino acids (Phe/LNAA). Dietary manipulations with carbohydrate or protein can also produce changes in the Phe/LNAA value. To compare the effects of aspartame and carbohydrate on Phe/LNAA, beverages sweetened with aspartame, sucrose, and aspartame plus sucrose, and unsweetened beverage were ingested by 8 healthy, fasted subjects in a randomized, four-way crossover design. The beverages were sweetened with an amount of aspartame (500 mg) and/or sucrose (100 g) approximately equivalent to that used to sweeten 1 liter of soft drink. The baseline-corrected plasma Phe/LNAA values did not differ significantly following ingestion of aspartame or sucrose. Following aspartame alone, the high mean ratio increased 26% over baseline 1 h after ingestion. Following sucrose alone, the high mean ratio increased 19% at 2.5 h. Sucrose increased the Phe/LNAA value due to an insulin-mediated decrease in the plasma LNAA, while aspartame increased the ratio by increasing the plasma Phe concentration. These findings indicate that similar increases in plasma Phe/LNAA occur when healthy, fasting subjects ingest amounts of equivalent sweetness of sucrose or aspartame.

  19. Effects of aspartame on hsp70, bcl-2 and bax expression in immune organs of Wistar albino rats

    PubMed Central

    Choudhary, Arbind Kumar; Devi, Rathinasamy Sheela

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Aspartame, a “first generation sweetener”, is widely used in a variety of foods, beverages, and medicine. The FDA has determined the acceptable daily intake (ADI) value of aspartame to be 50 mg/kg·day, while the JECFA (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives) has set this value at 40 mg/kg of body weight/day. Safety issues have been raised about aspartame due to its metabolites, specifically toxicity from methanol and/or its systemic metabolites formaldehyde and formic acid. The immune system is now recognized as a target organ for many xenobiotics, such as drugs and chemicals, which are able to trigger unwanted apoptosis or to alter the regulation of apoptosis. Our previous studies has shown that oral administration of aspartame [40 mg/(kg·day)] or its metabolites for 90 days increased oxidative stress in immune organs of Wistar albino rats. In this present study, we aimed to clarify whether aspartame consumption over a longer period (90-days) has any effect on the expression of hsp70, bcl-2 and bax at both mRNA transcript and protein expression levels in immune organs. We observed that oral administration of aspartame for 90 days did not cause any apparent DNA fragmentation in immune organs of aspartame treated animals; however, there was a significant increase in hsp70 expression, apart from significant alteration in bcl-2 and bax at both mRNA transcript and protein expression level in the immune organs of aspartame treated animals compared to controls. Hence, the results indicated that hsp70 levels increased in response to oxidative injury induced by aspartame metabolites; however, these metabolites did not induce apoptosis in the immune organs. Furthermore, detailed analyses are needed to elucidate the precise molecular mechanisms involved in these changes. PMID:27845306

  20. A novel strategy for selection of allosteric ribozymes yields RiboReporter™ sensors for caffeine and aspartame

    PubMed Central

    Ferguson, Alicia; Boomer, Ryan M.; Kurz, Markus; Keene, Sara C.; Diener, John L.; Keefe, Anthony D.; Wilson, Charles; Cload, Sharon T.

    2004-01-01

    We have utilized in vitro selection technology to develop allosteric ribozyme sensors that are specific for the small molecule analytes caffeine or aspartame. Caffeine- or aspartame-responsive ribozymes were converted into fluorescence-based RiboReporter™ sensor systems that were able to detect caffeine or aspartame in solution over a concentration range from 0.5 to 5 mM. With read-times as short as 5 min, these caffeine- or aspartame-dependent ribozymes function as highly specific and facile molecular sensors. Interestingly, successful isolation of allosteric ribozymes for the analytes described here was enabled by a novel selection strategy that incorporated elements of both modular design and activity-based selection methods typically used for generation of catalytic nucleic acids. PMID:15026535

  1. Longer period of oral administration of aspartame on cytokine response in Wistar albino rats.

    PubMed

    Choudhary, Arbind Kumar; Sheela Devi, Rathinasamy

    2015-03-01

    Aspartame is a non-nutritive sweetener particularly used in 'diet' and 'low calorie' products and also in a variety of foods, drugs and hygiene products. Aspartame is metabolized by gut esterases and peptidases to three common chemicals: the amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine, and small amounts of methanol. The aim of the present study was to assess potential changes in molecular mediators of aspartame as a chemical stressor in rats. The effects of long-term administration of aspartame (40 mg/kg body weight/day) were tested in Wistar Albino rats. The treatment effects were assessed in different conditions, including control groups. After 90 days of treatment, circulating concentrations of different parameters were assessed: corticosterone, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant activity, nitric oxide, reduced glutathione and cytokines (interleukin 2, interleukin 4, tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ). The results show that there was a significant increase in plasma corticosterone, serum lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide level along with a decrease in enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant as well as significant decrease in interleukin 2, tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ. There was also a significant increase in interleukin 4 irrespective of whether the animals were immunized or not. The findings clearly point out that aspartame acts as a chemical stressor because of increased corticosterone level and increased lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide level induce generation of free radicals in serum which may be the reason for variation of cytokine level and finally results in alteration of immune function. Aspartame metabolite methanol or formaldehyde may be the causative factors behind the changes observed. Copyright © 2014 SEEN. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  2. Use of two artificial sweeteners, cyclamate and acesulfame, to identify and quantify wastewater contributions in a karst spring.

    PubMed

    Zirlewagen, Johannes; Licha, Tobias; Schiperski, Ferry; Nödler, Karsten; Scheytt, Traugott

    2016-03-15

    The identification and differentiation of different sources of contamination are crucial aspects of risk assessment in water resource protection. This is especially challenging in karst environments due to their highly heterogeneous flow fields. We have investigated the use of two artificial sweeteners, cyclamate and acesulfame, as an indicator set for contamination by wastewater within the rural catchment of a karst spring. The catchment was investigated in detail to identify the sources of artificial sweeteners and quantify their impact. Spring water was analysed following two different but typical recharge events: (1) a rain-on-snow event in winter, when no wastewater overflow from the sewer system was observed, and (2) an intense rainfall event in summer triggering an overflow from a stormwater detention basin. Acesulfame, which is known to be persistent, was quantified in all spring water samples. Its concentrations decreased after the winter event with no associated wastewater spillage but increased during the summer event following a recent input of untreated wastewater. Cyclamate, which is known to be degradable, was only detected following the wastewater inflow incident. The cyclamate signal matched very well the breakthrough of faecal indicator bacteria, indicating a common origin. Knowing the input function, cyclamate was used quantitatively as a tracer in transport modelling and the impact of 'combined sewer overflow' on spring water quality was quantified. Signals from artificial sweeteners were compared to those from bulk parameters (discharge, electrical conductivity and turbidity) and also to those from the herbicides atrazine and isoproturon, which indicate 'old' and 'fresh' flow components, respectively, both originating from croplands. High concentration levels of the artificial sweeteners in untreated wastewater (cyclamate and acesulfame) and in treated wastewater (acesulfame only) make them powerful indicators, especially in rural settings

  3. Biochemical responses and mitochondrial mediated activation of apoptosis on long-term effect of aspartame in rat brain

    PubMed Central

    Ashok, Iyaswamy; Sheeladevi, Rathinasamy

    2014-01-01

    Aspartame, an artificial sweetener, is very widely used in many foods and beverages. But there are controversies about its metabolite which is marked for its toxicity. Hence it is believed to be unsafe for human use. Previous studies have reported on methanol exposure with involvements of free radicals on excitotoxicity of neuronal apoptosis. Hence, this present study is proposed to investigate whether or not chronic aspartame (FDA approved Daily Acceptable Intake (ADI),40 mg/kg bwt) administration could release methanol, and whether or not it can induce changes in brain oxidative stress status and gene and protein expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and pro-apoptotic Bax and caspase-3 in the rat brain region. To mimic the human methanol metabolism, Methotrexate (MTX)-treated Wistar strain male albino rats were used and after the oral administration of aspartame, the effects were studied along with controls and MTX-treated controls. Aspartame exposure resulted with a significant increase in the enzymatic activity in protein carbonyl, lipid peroxidation levels, superoxide dismutase, glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase activity in (aspartame MTX)-treated animals and with a significant decrease in reduced glutathione, glutathione reductase and protein thiol, pointing out the generation of free radicals. The gene and protein expression of pro apoptotic marker Bax showed a marked increase whereas the anti-apoptotic marker Bcl-2 decreased markedly indicating the aspartame is harmful at cellular level. It is clear that long term aspartame exposure could alter the brain antioxidant status, and can induce apoptotic changes in brain. PMID:25009784

  4. Biochemical responses and mitochondrial mediated activation of apoptosis on long-term effect of aspartame in rat brain.

    PubMed

    Ashok, Iyaswamy; Sheeladevi, Rathinasamy

    2014-01-01

    Aspartame, an artificial sweetener, is very widely used in many foods and beverages. But there are controversies about its metabolite which is marked for its toxicity. Hence it is believed to be unsafe for human use. Previous studies have reported on methanol exposure with involvements of free radicals on excitotoxicity of neuronal apoptosis. Hence, this present study is proposed to investigate whether or not chronic aspartame (FDA approved Daily Acceptable Intake (ADI),40 mg/kg bwt) administration could release methanol, and whether or not it can induce changes in brain oxidative stress status and gene and protein expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and pro-apoptotic Bax and caspase-3 in the rat brain region. To mimic the human methanol metabolism, Methotrexate (MTX)-treated Wistar strain male albino rats were used and after the oral administration of aspartame, the effects were studied along with controls and MTX-treated controls. Aspartame exposure resulted with a significant increase in the enzymatic activity in protein carbonyl, lipid peroxidation levels, superoxide dismutase, glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase activity in (aspartame MTX)-treated animals and with a significant decrease in reduced glutathione, glutathione reductase and protein thiol, pointing out the generation of free radicals. The gene and protein expression of pro apoptotic marker Bax showed a marked increase whereas the anti-apoptotic marker Bcl-2 decreased markedly indicating the aspartame is harmful at cellular level. It is clear that long term aspartame exposure could alter the brain antioxidant status, and can induce apoptotic changes in brain.

  5. The impact of low and no-caloric sweeteners on glucose absorption, incretin secretion, and glucose tolerance.

    PubMed

    Chan, Catherine B; Hashemi, Zohre; Subhan, Fatheema B

    2017-08-01

    The consumption of non-nutritive, low, or no-calorie sweeteners (LCS) is increasing globally. Previously thought to be physiologically inert, there is a growing body of evidence that LCS not only provide a sweet taste but may also elicit metabolic effects in the gastrointestinal tract. This review provides a brief overview of the chemical and receptor-binding properties and effects on chemosensation of different LCS but focuses on the extent to which LCS stimulates glucose transport, incretin and insulin secretion, and effects on glucose tolerance. Aspartame and sucralose both bind to a similar region of the sweet receptor. For sucralose, the data are contradictory regarding effects on glucose tolerance in humans and may depend on the food or beverage matrix and the duration of administration, as suggested by longer term rodent studies. For aspartame, there are fewer data. On the other hand, acesulfame-potassium (Ace-K) and saccharin have similar binding characteristics to each other but, while Ace-K may increase incretin secretion and glucose responses in humans, there are no data on saccharin except in rats, which show impaired glucose tolerance after chronic administration. Additional research, particularly of the effects of chronic consumption, is needed to provide concrete evidence for beneficial or detrimental effects of LCS on blood glucose regulation in humans.

  6. Increase of methanol in exhaled breath quantified by SIFT-MS following aspartame ingestion.

    PubMed

    Španěl, Patrik; Dryahina, Kseniya; Vicherková, Petra; Smith, David

    2015-11-19

    Aspartame, methyl-L-α-aspartyl-L-phenylalaninate, is used worldwide as a sweetener in foods and drinks and is considered to be safe at an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 40 mg per kg of body weight. This compound is completely hydrolyzed in the gastrointestinal tract to aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol, each being toxic at high levels. The objective of the present study was to quantify the volatile methanol component in the exhaled breath of ten healthy volunteers following the ingestion of a single ADI dose of aspartame. Direct on-line measurements of methanol concentration were made in the mouth and nose breath exhalations using selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry, SIFT-MS, several times before aspartame ingestion in order to establish individual pre-dose (baseline) levels and then during two hours post-ingestion to track their initial increase and subsequent decrease. The results show that breath methanol concentrations increased in all volunteers by 1082   ±   205 parts-per-billion by volume (ppbv) from their pre-ingestion values, which ranged from 193 to 436 ppbv to peak values ranging from 981-1622 ppbv, from which they slowly decreased. These observations agree quantitatively with a predicted increase of 1030 ppbv estimated using a one-compartment model of uniform dilution of the methanol generated from a known amount of aspartame throughout the total body water (including blood). In summary, an ADI dose of aspartame leads to a 3-6 fold increase of blood methanol concentration above the individual baseline values.

  7. Metabolic effects of aspartame in adulthood: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

    PubMed

    Santos, Natalia Cardoso; de Araujo, Laiza Magalhaes; De Luca Canto, Graziela; Guerra, Eliete Neves Silva; Coelho, Michella Soares; Borin, Maria de Fatima

    2017-04-10

    Data about harms or benefits associated with the consumption of aspartame, a nonnutritive sweetener worldwide consumed, are still controversial. This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials aimed to assess the effect of aspartame consumption on metabolic parameters related to diabetes and obesity. The search was performed on Cochrane, LILACS, PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science databases, and on a gray literature using Open Grey, Google Scholar, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. Searches across all databases were conducted from the earliest available date up to April 13, 2016, without date and language restrictions. Pooled mean differences were calculated using a random or fixed-effects model for heterogeneous and homogenous studies, respectively. Twenty-nine articles were included in qualitative synthesis and twelve, presenting numeric results, were used in meta-analysis. Fasting blood glucose (mmol/L), insulin levels (μU/mL), total cholesterol (mmol/L), triglycerides concentrations (mmol/L), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (mmol/L), body weight (kg), and energy intake (MJ) were considered as the main outcomes in subjects that consumed aspartame, and results were presented as mean difference; % confidence interval, range. Aspartame consumption was not associated with alterations on blood glucose levels compared to control (-0.03 mmol/L; 95% CI, -0.21 to 0.14) or to sucrose (0.31 mmol/L; 95% CI, -0.05 to 0.67) and on insulin levels compared to control (0.13 μU/mL; 95% CI, -0.69 to 0.95) or to sucrose (2.54 μU/mL; 95% CI, -6.29 to 11.37). Total cholesterol was not affected by aspartame consumption compared to control (-0.02 mmol/L; 95% CI, -0.31 to 0.27) or to sucrose (-0.24 mmol/L; 95% CI, -0.89 to 0.42). Triglycerides concentrations were not affected by aspartame consumption compared to control (0.00 mmol/L; 95% CI, -0.04 to 0.05) or to sucrose (0.00 mmol/L; 95% CI, -0.09 to 0.09). High-density lipoprotein

  8. Development of a Sweetness Sensor for Aspartame, a Positively Charged High-Potency Sweetener

    PubMed Central

    Yasuura, Masato; Tahara, Yusuke; Ikezaki, Hidekazu; Toko, Kiyoshi

    2014-01-01

    Taste evaluation technology has been developed by several methods, such as sensory tests, electronic tongues and a taste sensor based on lipid/polymer membranes. In particular, the taste sensor can individually quantify five basic tastes without multivariate analysis. However, it has proven difficult to develop a sweetness sensor, because sweeteners are classified into three types according to the electric charges in an aqueous solution; that is, no charge, negative charge and positive charge. Using membrane potential measurements, the taste-sensing system needs three types of sensor membrane for each electric charge type of sweetener. Since the commercially available sweetness sensor was only intended for uncharged sweeteners, a sweetness sensor for positively charged high-potency sweeteners such as aspartame was developed in this study. Using a lipid and plasticizers, we fabricated various lipid/polymer membranes for the sweetness sensor to identify the suitable components of the sensor membranes. As a result, one of the developed sensors showed responses of more than 20 mV to 10 mM aspartame and less than 5 mV to any other taste. The responses of the sensor depended on the concentration of aspartame. These results suggested that the developed sweetness sensor had high sensitivity to and high selectivity for aspartame. PMID:24763213

  9. Development of a sweetness sensor for aspartame, a positively charged high-potency sweetener.

    PubMed

    Yasuura, Masato; Tahara, Yusuke; Ikezaki, Hidekazu; Toko, Kiyoshi

    2014-04-23

    Taste evaluation technology has been developed by several methods, such as sensory tests, electronic tongues and a taste sensor based on lipid/polymer membranes. In particular, the taste sensor can individually quantify five basic tastes without multivariate analysis. However, it has proven difficult to develop a sweetness sensor, because sweeteners are classified into three types according to the electric charges in an aqueous solution; that is, no charge, negative charge and positive charge. Using membrane potential measurements, the taste-sensing system needs three types of sensor membrane for each electric charge type of sweetener. Since the commercially available sweetness sensor was only intended for uncharged sweeteners, a sweetness sensor for positively charged high-potency sweeteners such as aspartame was developed in this study. Using a lipid and plasticizers, we fabricated various lipid/polymer membranes for the sweetness sensor to identify the suitable components of the sensor membranes. As a result, one of the developed sensors showed responses of more than 20 mV to 10 mM aspartame and less than 5 mV to any other taste. The responses of the sensor depended on the concentration of aspartame. These results suggested that the developed sweetness sensor had high sensitivity to and high selectivity for aspartame.

  10. Application of multibounce attenuated total reflectance fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics for determination of aspartame in soft drinks.

    PubMed

    Khurana, Harpreet Kaur; Cho, Il Kyu; Shim, Jae Yong; Li, Qing X; Jun, Soojin

    2008-02-13

    Aspartame is a low-calorie sweetener commonly used in soft drinks; however, the maximum usage dose is limited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance sampling accessory and partial least-squares regression (PLS) was used for rapid determination of aspartame in soft drinks. On the basis of spectral characterization, the highest R2 value, and lowest PRESS value, the spectral region between 1600 and 1900 cm(-1) was selected for quantitative estimation of aspartame. The potential of FTIR spectroscopy for aspartame quantification was examined and validated by the conventional HPLC method. Using the FTIR method, aspartame contents in four selected carbonated diet soft drinks were found to average from 0.43 to 0.50 mg/mL with prediction errors ranging from 2.4 to 5.7% when compared with HPLC measurements. The developed method also showed a high degree of accuracy because real samples were used for calibration, thus minimizing potential interference errors. The FTIR method developed can be suitably used for routine quality control analysis of aspartame in the beverage-manufacturing sector.

  11. Molecularly imprinted sol-gel nanofibers based solid phase microextraction coupled on-line with high performance liquid chromatography for selective determination of acesulfame.

    PubMed

    Moein, Mohammad Mahdi; Javanbakht, Mehran; Karimi, Mohammad; Akbari-Adergani, Behrouz

    2015-03-01

    Sol-gel based molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) nanofiber was successfully fabricated by electrospinning technique on the surface of a stainless steel bar. The manufactured tool was applied for on-line selective solid phase microextraction (SPME) and determination of acesulfame (ACF) as an artificial sweetener with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The selective ability of method for the extraction of ACF was investigated in the presence of some selected sweeteners such as saccharine (SCH), aspartame (ASP) and caffeine (CAF). Electrospinning of MIP sol-gel solution on the stainless steel bar provided an unbreakable sorbent with high thermal, mechanical, and chemical stability. Moreover, application of the MIP-SPME tool revealed a unique approach for the selective microextraction of the analyte in beverage samples. In this work, 3-(triethoxysilyl)-propylamine (TMSPA) was chosen as a precursor due to its ability to imprint the analyte by hydrogen bonding, Van der Walls, and dipole-dipole interactions. Nylon 6 was also added as a backbone and support for the precursor in which sol could greatly growth during the sol-gel process and makes the solution electrospinable. Various effective parameters in the extraction efficiency of the MIP-SPME tool such as loading time, flow rate, desorption time, selectivity, and the sample volume were evaluated. The linearity for the ACF in beverage sample was in the range of 0.78-100.5 ng mL(-1). Limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.23 and 0.78 ng mL(-1) respectively. The RSD values (n=5) were all below 3.5%at the 20 ng mL(-1) level. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Microencapsulation of aspartame by double emulsion followed by complex coacervation to provide protection and prolong sweetness.

    PubMed

    Rocha-Selmi, Glaucia A; Bozza, Fernanda T; Thomazini, Marcelo; Bolini, Helena M A; Fávaro-Trindade, Carmen S

    2013-08-15

    The objective of this work was to microencapsulate aspartame by double emulsion followed by complex coacervation, aiming to protect it and control its release. Six treatments were prepared using sunflower oil to prepare the primary emulsion and gelatin and gum Arabic as the wall materials. The microcapsules were evaluated structurally with respect to their sorption isotherms and release into water (36°C and 80°C). The microcapsules were multinucleated, not very water-soluble or hygroscopic and showed reduced rates of equilibrium moisture content and release at both temperatures. FTIR confirmed complexation between the wall materials and the intact nature of aspartame. The results indicated it was possible to encapsulate aspartame with the techniques employed and that these protected the sweetener even at 80°C. The reduced solubility and low release rates indicated the enormous potential of the vehicle developed in controlling the release of the aspartame into the food, thus prolonging its sweetness. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Effects of stevia, aspartame, and sucrose on food intake, satiety, and postprandial glucose and insulin levels

    PubMed Central

    Anton, Stephen D.; Martin, Corby K.; Han, Hongmei; Coulon, Sandra; Cefalu, William T.; Geiselman, Paula; Williamson, Donald A.

    2010-01-01

    Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages may be one of the dietary causes of metabolic disorders, such as obesity. Therefore, substituting sugar with low-calorie sweeteners may be an efficacious weight management strategy. We tested the effect of preloads containing stevia, aspartame, or sucrose on food intake, satiety, and postprandial glucose and insulin levels. Design: 19 healthy lean (BMI = 20.0 – 24.9) and 12 obese (BMI = 30.0 – 39.9) individuals 18 to 50 years old completed three separate food test days during which they received preloads containing stevia (290 kcal), aspartame (290 kcal), or sucrose (493 kcal) before the lunch and dinner meal. The preload order was balanced, and food intake (kcal) was directly calculated. Hunger and satiety levels were reported before and after meals, and every hour throughout the afternoon. Participants provided blood samples immediately before and 20 minutes after the lunch preload. Despite the caloric difference in preloads (290 vs. 493 kcals), participants did not compensate by eating more at their lunch and dinner meals when they consumed stevia and aspartame versus sucrose in preloads (mean differences in food intake over entire day between sucrose and stevia = 301 kcal, p < .01; aspartame = 330 kcal, p < .01). Self-reported hunger and satiety levels did not differ by condition. Stevia preloads significantly lowered postprandial glucose levels compared to sucrose preloads (p < .01), and postprandial insulin levels compared to both aspartame and sucrose preloads (p < .05). When consuming stevia and aspartame preloads, participants did not compensate by eating more at either their lunch or dinner meal and reported similar levels of satiety compared to when they consumed the higher calorie sucrose preload. PMID:20303371

  14. Effects of stevia, aspartame, and sucrose on food intake, satiety, and postprandial glucose and insulin levels.

    PubMed

    Anton, Stephen D; Martin, Corby K; Han, Hongmei; Coulon, Sandra; Cefalu, William T; Geiselman, Paula; Williamson, Donald A

    2010-08-01

    Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages may be one of the dietary causes of metabolic disorders, such as obesity. Therefore, substituting sugar with low calorie sweeteners may be an efficacious weight management strategy. We tested the effect of preloads containing stevia, aspartame, or sucrose on food intake, satiety, and postprandial glucose and insulin levels. 19 healthy lean (BMI=20.0-24.9) and 12 obese (BMI=30.0-39.9) individuals 18-50 years old completed three separate food test days during which they received preloads containing stevia (290kcal), aspartame (290kcal), or sucrose (493kcal) before the lunch and dinner meal. The preload order was balanced, and food intake (kcal) was directly calculated. Hunger and satiety levels were reported before and after meals, and every hour throughout the afternoon. Participants provided blood samples immediately before and 20min after the lunch preload. Despite the caloric difference in preloads (290kcal vs. 493kcal), participants did not compensate by eating more at their lunch and dinner meals when they consumed stevia and aspartame versus sucrose in preloads (mean differences in food intake over entire day between sucrose and stevia=301kcal, p<.01; aspartame=330kcal, p<.01). Self-reported hunger and satiety levels did not differ by condition. Stevia preloads significantly reduced postprandial glucose levels compared to sucrose preloads (p<.01), and postprandial insulin levels compared to both aspartame and sucrose preloads (p<.05). When consuming stevia and aspartame preloads, participants did not compensate by eating more at either their lunch or dinner meal and reported similar levels of satiety compared to when they consumed the higher calorie sucrose preload. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  15. Characterization of the Binding Site of Aspartame in the Human Sweet Taste Receptor

    PubMed Central

    Maillet, Emeline L.; Cui, Meng; Jiang, Peihua; Mezei, Mihaly; Hecht, Elizabeth; Quijada, Jeniffer; Osman, Roman; Max, Marianna

    2015-01-01

    The sweet taste receptor, a heterodimeric G protein-coupled receptor comprised of T1R2 and T1R3, binds sugars, small molecule sweeteners, and sweet proteins to multiple binding sites. The dipeptide sweetener, aspartame binds in the Venus Flytrap Module (VFTM) of T1R2. We developed homology models of the open and closed forms of human T1R2 and human T1R3 VFTMs and their dimers and then docked aspartame into the closed form of T1R2’s VFTM. To test and refine the predictions of our model, we mutated various T1R2 VFTM residues, assayed activity of the mutants and identified 11 critical residues (S40, Y103, D142, S144, S165, S168, Y215, D278, E302, D307, and R383) in and proximal to the binding pocket of the sweet taste receptor that are important for ligand recognition and activity of aspartame. Furthermore, we propose that binding is dependent on 2 water molecules situated in the ligand pocket that bridge 2 carbonyl groups of aspartame to residues D142 and L279. These results shed light on the activation mechanism and how signal transmission arising from the extracellular domain of the T1R2 monomer of the sweet receptor leads to the perception of sweet taste. PMID:26377607

  16. Vitamin E can improve behavioral tests impairment, cell loss, and dendrite changes in rats' medial prefrontal cortex induced by acceptable daily dose of aspartame.

    PubMed

    Rafati, Ali; Noorafshan, Ali; Jahangir, Mahboubeh; Hosseini, Leila; Karbalay-Doust, Saied

    2018-01-01

    Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used in about 6000 sugar-free products. Aspartame consumption could be associated with various neurological disorders. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of aspartame onmedial Prefrontal Cortex (mPFC) as well as neuroprotective effects of vitamin E. The rats were divided into seven groups, including distilled water, corn oil, vitamin E (100mg/kg/day), and low (acceptable daily dose) and high doses of aspartame (40 and 200mg/kg/day) respectively, with or without vitamin E consumption, for 8 weeks. Behavioral tests were recorded and the brain was prepared for stereological assessments. Novel objects test and eight-arm radial maze showed impairmentoflong- and short-termmemoriesin aspartame groups. Besides, mPFC volume, infralimbic volume, neurons number, glial cells number, dendrites length per neuron,and number of spines per dendrite length were decreased by 7-61% in the rats treated with aspartame. However, neurons' number, glial cells number, and rats' performance in eight-arm radial mazes were improved by concomitant consumption of vitamin E and aspartame. Yet, the mPFC volume and infralimbic cortex were protected only in the rats receiving the low dose of aspartame+vitamin E. On the other hand, dendrites length, spines number,and novel object recognition were not protected by treatment with vitamin E+aspartame. The acceptable daily dose or higher doses of aspartame could induce memory impairments and cortical cells loss in mPFC. However, vitamin E could ameliorate some of these changes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  17. Interaction of a copper (II) complex containing an artificial sweetener (aspartame) with calf thymus DNA.

    PubMed

    Shahabadi, Nahid; Khodaei, Mohammad Mehdi; Kashanian, Soheila; Kheirdoosh, Fahimeh

    2014-01-01

    A copper (II) complex containing aspartame (APM) as ligand, Cu(APM)2Cl2⋅2H2O, was synthesized and characterized. In vitro binding interaction of this complex with native calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) was studied at physiological pH. The interaction was studied using different methods: spectrophotometric, spectrofluorometric, competition experiment, circular dichroism (CD) and viscosimetric techniques. Hyperchromicity was observed in UV absorption band of Cu(APM)2Cl2⋅2H2O. A strong fluorescence quenching reaction of DNA to Cu(APM)2Cl2⋅2H2O was observed and the binding constants (Kf) and corresponding numbers of binding sites (n) were calculated at different temperatures. Thermodynamic parameters, enthalpy change (ΔH) and entropy change (ΔS) were calculated to be+89.3 kJ mol(-1) and+379.3 J mol(-1) K(-1) according to Van't Hoff equation which indicated that reaction is predominantly entropically driven. Experimental results from spectroscopic methods were comparable and further supported by viscosity measurements. We suggest that Cu(APM)2Cl2⋅2H2O interacts with calf thymus DNA via a groove interaction mode with an intrinsic binding constant of 8×10+4 M(-1). Binding of this copper complex to DNA was found to be stronger compared to aspartame which was studied recently. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. The protective effect of N-acetylcysteine on oxidative stress in the brain caused by the long-term intake of aspartame by rats.

    PubMed

    Finamor, Isabela A; Ourique, Giovana M; Pês, Tanise S; Saccol, Etiane M H; Bressan, Caroline A; Scheid, Taína; Baldisserotto, Bernardo; Llesuy, Susana F; Partata, Wânia A; Pavanato, Maria A

    2014-09-01

    Long-term intake of aspartame at the acceptable daily dose causes oxidative stress in rodent brain mainly due to the dysregulation of glutathione (GSH) homeostasis. N-Acetylcysteine provides the cysteine that is required for the production of GSH, being effective in treating disorders associated with oxidative stress. We investigated the effects of N-acetylcysteine treatment (150 mg kg(-1), i.p.) on oxidative stress biomarkers in rat brain after chronic aspartame administration by gavage (40 mg kg(-1)). N-Acetylcysteine led to a reduction in the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, lipid hydroperoxides, and carbonyl protein levels, which were increased due to aspartame administration. N-Acetylcysteine also resulted in an elevation of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase activities, as well as non-protein thiols, and total reactive antioxidant potential levels, which were decreased after aspartame exposure. However, N-acetylcysteine was unable to reduce serum glucose levels, which were increased as a result of aspartame administration. Furthermore, catalase and glutathione S-transferase, whose activities were reduced due to aspartame treatment, remained decreased even after N-acetylcysteine exposure. In conclusion, N-acetylcysteine treatment may exert a protective effect against the oxidative damage in the brain, which was caused by the long-term consumption of the acceptable daily dose of aspartame by rats.

  19. Aspartame and the hippocampus: Revealing a bi-directional, dose/time-dependent behavioural and morphological shift in mice.

    PubMed

    Onaolapo, Adejoke Y; Onaolapo, Olakunle J; Nwoha, Polycarp U

    2017-03-01

    Changes, in behaviour, oxidative markers of stress and hippocampal morphology were evaluated following aspartame administration. Mice, (20-22g each) were given vehicle (10ml/kg) or aspartame (20, 40, 80 and 160mg/kg) daily for 28days. They were tested in the Y-maze, radial-arm maze and elevated plus-maze (EPM) after the first and last dose of vehicle or aspartame; and then sacrificed. Hippocampal slices were analysed for aspartic acid, nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide dismutase (SOD); and processed for general histology and neuritic plaques. Glial fibrillary-acid protein (GFAP) expression and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) activities were determined. Radial-arm maze scores increased significantly after acute administration at 80 and 160mg/kg. Repeated administration at 20 and 40mg/kg (Y-maze) and at 40mg/kg (radial-arm maze) was also associated with increased scores, however, performance decreased at higher doses. EPM tests revealed anxiogenic responses following both acute and repeated administration. Significant increase in SOD and NO activities were observed at 40, 80 and 160mg/kg. Neuron counts reduced at higher doses of aspartame. At 40, 80 and 160mg/kg, fewer GFAP-reactive astrocytes were observed in the cornus ammonis, but increased GFAP-reactivity was observed in the dentate gyrus subgranular zone. NSE-positive neurons were readily identifiable within the dentate gyrus at the lower doses of aspartame; but at 160mg/kg, there was marked neuron loss and reduction in NSE-positive neurons. Oral aspartame significantly altered behaviour, anti-oxidant status and morphology of the hippocampus in mice; also, it may probably trigger hippocampal adult neurogenesis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Aspartame, low-calorie sweeteners and disease: regulatory safety and epidemiological issues.

    PubMed

    Marinovich, Marina; Galli, Corrado L; Bosetti, Cristina; Gallus, Silvano; La Vecchia, Carlo

    2013-10-01

    Aspartame is a synthetic sweetener that has been used safely in food for more than 30 years. Its safety has been evaluated by various regulatory agencies in accordance with procedures internationally recognized, and decisions have been revised and updated regularly. The present review summarizes the most relevant conclusions of epidemiological studies concerning the use of low-calorie sweeteners (mainly aspartame), published between January 1990 and November 2012. In the Nurses' Health study and the Health Professionals Followup study some excess risk of Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma was found in men but not in women; no association was found with leukemia. In the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, there was no association between aspartame and haematopoietic neoplasms. US case-control studies of brain and haematopoietic neoplasms also showed no association. The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study and case-control studies from California showed no association with pancreatic cancer, and a case-control study from Denmark found no relation with breast cancer risk. Italian case-control studies conducted in 1991-2008 reported no consistent association for cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract, digestive tract, breast, endometrium, ovary, prostate, and kidney. Low calorie sweeteners were not consistently related to vascular events and preterm deliveries. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Resonant electron capture by aspartame and aspartic acid molecules.

    PubMed

    Muftakhov, M V; Shchukin, P V

    2016-12-30

    The processes for dissociative electron capture are the key mechanisms for decomposition of biomolecules, proteins in particular, under interaction with low-energy electrons. Molecules of aspartic acid and aspartame, i.e. modified dipeptides, were studied herein to define the impact of the side functional groups on peptide chain decomposition in resonant electron-molecular reactions. The processes of formation and decomposition of negative ions of both aspartame and aspartic acid were studied by mass spectrometry of negative ions under resonant electron capture. The obtained mass spectra were interpreted under thermochemical analysis by quantum chemical calculations. Main channels of negative molecular ions fragmentation were found and characteristic fragment ions were identified. The СООН fragment of the side chain in aspartic acid is shown to play a key role like the carboxyl group in amino acids and aliphatic oligopeptides. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  2. Characterization of the Binding Site of Aspartame in the Human Sweet Taste Receptor.

    PubMed

    Maillet, Emeline L; Cui, Meng; Jiang, Peihua; Mezei, Mihaly; Hecht, Elizabeth; Quijada, Jeniffer; Margolskee, Robert F; Osman, Roman; Max, Marianna

    2015-10-01

    The sweet taste receptor, a heterodimeric G protein-coupled receptor comprised of T1R2 and T1R3, binds sugars, small molecule sweeteners, and sweet proteins to multiple binding sites. The dipeptide sweetener, aspartame binds in the Venus Flytrap Module (VFTM) of T1R2. We developed homology models of the open and closed forms of human T1R2 and human T1R3 VFTMs and their dimers and then docked aspartame into the closed form of T1R2's VFTM. To test and refine the predictions of our model, we mutated various T1R2 VFTM residues, assayed activity of the mutants and identified 11 critical residues (S40, Y103, D142, S144, S165, S168, Y215, D278, E302, D307, and R383) in and proximal to the binding pocket of the sweet taste receptor that are important for ligand recognition and activity of aspartame. Furthermore, we propose that binding is dependent on 2 water molecules situated in the ligand pocket that bridge 2 carbonyl groups of aspartame to residues D142 and L279. These results shed light on the activation mechanism and how signal transmission arising from the extracellular domain of the T1R2 monomer of the sweet receptor leads to the perception of sweet taste. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  3. [Determination of five synthetic sweeteners in wines using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

    PubMed

    Ji, Chao; Feng, Feng; Chen, Zhengxing; Sun, Li; Chu, Xiaogang

    2010-08-01

    A high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI MS/MS) method for the determination of five synthetic sweeteners (acesulfame, sodium saccharin, sodium cyclamate, aspartame and neotame) in wines has been developed. The HPLC separation was carried out on an Ultimate C18 column (100 mm x 2.1 mm, 3 microm). Several parameters, including the composition and pH of the mobile phase, column temperature and the monitor ions, were optimized for improving the chromatographic performance and the sensitivity of determination. The results demonstrated that the separation can be completed in less than 5 min by gradient elution with 20 mmol/L ammonium formate and 0.1% (v/v) formic acid (pH 3.8) and methanol as the mobile phase. The column temperature was kept at 45 degrees C. When the analytes were detected by ESI -MS/MS under multiple reaction monitoring mode, the detection limits were 0.6, 5, 1, 0.8 and 0.2 microg/L for acesulfame, sodium saccharin, sodium cyclamate, aspartame and neotame, respectively. The average recoveries ranged from 87.2% to 103%. The relative standard deviations were not more than 1.2%. This method is rapid, accurate, highly sensitive and suitable for the quality control of low concentration of the synthetic sweeteners, which are illegally added to wines and other foods with complex matrices.

  4. Rheological and sensory performance of a protein-based sweetener (MNEI), sucrose, and aspartame in yogurt.

    PubMed

    Miele, Nicoletta A; Cabisidan, Erliza K; Blaiotta, Giuseppe; Leone, Serena; Masi, Paolo; Di Monaco, Rossella; Cavella, Silvana

    2017-12-01

    Sweeteners and flavors are generally added to yogurt to make them more palatable. However, the addition of these ingredients may affect the fermentation process of yogurt as well as its physical and sensory characteristics. Consumers prioritize yogurt products that are "natural." A modified single-chain form of the natural sweet protein monellin extracted from the fruit of Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii, called MNEI, could be a useful alternative to artificial sweeteners. The aim of the present work was to evaluate new rapid sensory methods in combination with rheology to assess the viability of using MNEI to develop sweetened yogurts without the calories of sugar. We studied the gelation and cooling kinetics of 4 yogurt samples (unsweetened or sweetened with MNEI, aspartame, or sucrose) by using a rheometer. Furthermore, the 4 yogurts, with and without addition of a flavoring agent, were characterized from a sensory perspective using a combination of 2 rapid sensory methods, ultra flash profile and flash profile. Rheological results showed that, when added at typical usage levels, aspartame, sucrose, and MNEI did not generally affect the yogurt fermentation process or its rheological properties. Sensory results demonstrated that texture attributes of yogurts with aspartame and sucrose were strongly linked to sweetness and flavor perception, but this was not true for MNEI-sweetened yogurts. In contrast to results obtained from samples sweetened with sucrose and aspartame, MNEI protein did not sweeten the yogurt when added before fermentation. This study highlights the enhancing effect of flavor on sweetness perception, supporting previous reports that noted synergistic effects between sucrose or aspartame and flavors. Hence, future studies should be conducted to determine how sweet proteins behave in yogurt when added after fermentation. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Impact of aspartame and saccharin on the rat liver: Biochemical, molecular, and histological approach.

    PubMed

    Alkafafy, Mohamed El-Sayed; Ibrahim, Zein Shaban; Ahmed, Mohamed Mohamed; El-Shazly, Samir Ahmed

    2015-06-01

    The current work was undertaken to settle the debate about the toxicity of artificial sweeteners (AS), particularly aspartame and saccharin. Twenty-five, 7-week-old male Wistar albino rats with an average body weight of 101 ± 4.8 g were divided into a control group and four experimental groups (n = 5 rats). The first and second experimental groups received daily doses equivalent to the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of aspartame (250 mg/Kg BW) and four-fold ADI of aspartame (1000 mg/Kg BW). The third and fourth experimental groups received daily doses equivalent to ADI of saccharin (25 mg/Kg BW) and four-fold ADI of saccharin (100 mg/Kg BW). The experimental groups received the corresponding sweetener dissolved in water by oral route for 8 weeks. The activities of enzymes relevant to liver functions and antioxidants were measured in the blood plasma. Histological studies were used for the evaluation of the changes in the hepatic tissues. The gene expression levels of the key oncogene (h-Ras) and the tumor suppressor gene (P27) were also evaluated. In addition to a significant reduction in the body weight, the AS-treated groups displayed elevated enzymes activities, lowered antioxidants values, and histological changes reflecting the hepatotoxic effect of aspartame and saccharin. Moreover, the overexpression of the key oncogene (h-Ras) and the downregulation of the tumor suppressor gene (P27) in all treated rat groups may indicate a potential risk of liver carcinogenesis, particularly on long-term exposure. © The Author(s) 2015.

  6. Aspartame-fed zebrafish exhibit acute deaths with swimming defects and saccharin-fed zebrafish have elevation of cholesteryl ester transfer protein activity in hypercholesterolemia.

    PubMed

    Kim, Jae-Yong; Seo, Juyi; Cho, Kyung-Hyun

    2011-11-01

    Although many artificial sweeteners (AS) have safety issues, the AS have been widely used in industry. To determine the physiologic effect of AS in the presence of hyperlipidemia, zebrafish were fed aspartame or saccharin with a high-cholesterol diet (HCD). After 12 days, 30% of zebrafish, which consumed aspartame and HCD, died with exhibiting swimming defects. The aspartame group had 65% survivability, while the control and saccharin groups had 100% survivability. Under HCD, the saccharin-fed groups had the highest increase in the serum cholesterol level (599 mg/dL). Aspartame-fed group showed a remarkable increase in serum glucose (up to 125 mg/dL), which was 58% greater than the increase in the HCD alone group. The saccharin and HCD groups had the highest cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) activity (52% CE-transfer), while the HCD alone group had 42% CE-transfer. Histologic analysis revealed that the aspartame and HCD groups showed more infiltration of inflammatory cells in the brain and liver sections. Conclusively, under presence of hyperlipidemia, aspartame-fed zebrafish exhibited acute swimming defects with an increase in brain inflammation. Saccharin-fed zebrafish had an increased atherogenic serum lipid profile with elevation of CETP activity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Study on the interaction of a copper(II) complex containing the artificial sweetener aspartame with human serum albumin.

    PubMed

    Shahabadi, Nahid; Khodaei, Mohammad Mehdi; Kashanian, Soheila; Kheirdoosh, Fahimeh; Filli, Soraya Moradi

    2014-05-01

    A copper(II) complex containing aspartame (APM) as ligand, Cu(APM)2Cl2·2H2O, was synthesized and characterized. In vitro binding interaction of this complex with human serum albumin (HSA) was studied at physiological pH. Binding studies of this complex with HSA are useful for understanding the Cu(APM)2Cl2·2H2O-HSA interaction mechanism and providing guidance for the application and design of new and more efficient artificial sweeteners drive. The interaction was investigated by spectrophotometric, spectrofluorometric, competition experiment and circular dichroism. Hyperchromicity observed in UV absorption band of Cu(APM)2Cl2·2H2O. A strong fluorescence quenching reaction of HSA to Cu(APM)2Cl2·2H2O was observed and the binding constant (Kf) and corresponding numbers of binding sites (n) were calculated at different temperatures. Thermodynamic parameters, enthalpy change (∆H) and entropy change (∆S) were calculated to be -458.67 kJ mol(-1) and -1,339 J mol(-1 )K(-1) respectively. According to the van't Hoff equation, the reaction is predominantly enthalpically driven. In conformity with experimental results, we suggest that Cu(APM)2Cl2·2H2O interacts with HSA. In comparison with previous study, it is found that the Cu(II) complex binds stronger than aspartame.

  8. The artificial sweetener acesulfame potassium affects the gut microbiome and body weight gain in CD-1 mice.

    PubMed

    Bian, Xiaoming; Chi, Liang; Gao, Bei; Tu, Pengcheng; Ru, Hongyu; Lu, Kun

    2017-01-01

    Artificial sweeteners have been widely used in the modern diet, and their observed effects on human health have been inconsistent, with both beneficial and adverse outcomes reported. Obesity and type 2 diabetes have dramatically increased in the U.S. and other countries over the last two decades. Numerous studies have indicated an important role of the gut microbiome in body weight control and glucose metabolism and regulation. Interestingly, the artificial sweetener saccharin could alter gut microbiota and induce glucose intolerance, raising questions about the contribution of artificial sweeteners to the global epidemic of obesity and diabetes. Acesulfame-potassium (Ace-K), a FDA-approved artificial sweetener, is commonly used, but its toxicity data reported to date are considered inadequate. In particular, the functional impact of Ace-K on the gut microbiome is largely unknown. In this study, we explored the effects of Ace-K on the gut microbiome and the changes in fecal metabolic profiles using 16S rRNA sequencing and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomics. We found that Ace-K consumption perturbed the gut microbiome of CD-1 mice after a 4-week treatment. The observed body weight gain, shifts in the gut bacterial community composition, enrichment of functional bacterial genes related to energy metabolism, and fecal metabolomic changes were highly gender-specific, with differential effects observed for males and females. In particular, ace-K increased body weight gain of male but not female mice. Collectively, our results may provide a novel understanding of the interaction between artificial sweeteners and the gut microbiome, as well as the potential role of this interaction in the development of obesity and the associated chronic inflammation.

  9. The artificial sweetener acesulfame potassium affects the gut microbiome and body weight gain in CD-1 mice

    PubMed Central

    Bian, Xiaoming; Chi, Liang; Gao, Bei; Tu, Pengcheng; Ru, Hongyu

    2017-01-01

    Artificial sweeteners have been widely used in the modern diet, and their observed effects on human health have been inconsistent, with both beneficial and adverse outcomes reported. Obesity and type 2 diabetes have dramatically increased in the U.S. and other countries over the last two decades. Numerous studies have indicated an important role of the gut microbiome in body weight control and glucose metabolism and regulation. Interestingly, the artificial sweetener saccharin could alter gut microbiota and induce glucose intolerance, raising questions about the contribution of artificial sweeteners to the global epidemic of obesity and diabetes. Acesulfame-potassium (Ace-K), a FDA-approved artificial sweetener, is commonly used, but its toxicity data reported to date are considered inadequate. In particular, the functional impact of Ace-K on the gut microbiome is largely unknown. In this study, we explored the effects of Ace-K on the gut microbiome and the changes in fecal metabolic profiles using 16S rRNA sequencing and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomics. We found that Ace-K consumption perturbed the gut microbiome of CD-1 mice after a 4-week treatment. The observed body weight gain, shifts in the gut bacterial community composition, enrichment of functional bacterial genes related to energy metabolism, and fecal metabolomic changes were highly gender-specific, with differential effects observed for males and females. In particular, ace-K increased body weight gain of male but not female mice. Collectively, our results may provide a novel understanding of the interaction between artificial sweeteners and the gut microbiome, as well as the potential role of this interaction in the development of obesity and the associated chronic inflammation. PMID:28594855

  10. The Sweetness of Aspartame: A Biochemistry Lab for Health Science Chemistry Courses.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stein, Paul J.

    1997-01-01

    Explains the procedures used in an experiment that reinforces the universality of the concepts of saturation using the binding of the ligand aspartame to the protein receptor that determines taste. Illustrates the hyperbolic nature of protein binding. (DDR)

  11. Oxidative stress evoked damages leading to attenuated memory and inhibition of NMDAR-CaMKII-ERK/CREB signalling on consumption of aspartame in rat model.

    PubMed

    Iyaswamy, Ashok; Kammella, Ananth Kumar; Thavasimuthu, Citarasu; Wankupar, Wankhar; Dapkupar, Wankhar; Shanmugam, Sambantham; Rajan, Ravindran; Rathinasamy, Sheeladevi

    2018-04-01

    Many controversial reports are available on the use of aspartame as it releases methanol as one of its metabolite during metabolism. The present study proposes to investigate whether long term (90 days) aspartame (40 mg/kg b.wt) administration could induce oxidative stress and alter the memory in Wistar strain male albino rats. To mimic the human methanol metabolism, methotrexate (MTX)-treated rats were included as a model to study the effects of aspartame. Wistar strain albino rats were administered with aspartame (40 mg/kg b.wt) orally and studied along with controls and MTX-treated controls. Aspartame interfered in the body weight and corticosterone levels in the rats. A marked increase in the mRNA and protein expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) which resulted in the increased nitric oxide radical's level indicating that aspartame is a stressor. These reactive nitrogen species could be responsible for the altered cell membrane integrity and even cause death of neurons by necrosis or apoptosis. The animals showed a marked decrease in learning, spatial working and spatial recognition memory deficit in the Morris water maze and Y-maze performance task which could have resulted due to reduced hippocampal acetylcholine esterase (AChE) activity. The animal brain homogenate also revealed the decrease in the phosphorylation of NMDAR1-CaMKII-ERK/CREB signalling pathway, which well documents the inhibition of phosphorylation leads to the excitotoxicity of the neurons and memory decline. This effect may be due to methanol which may also activate the NOS levels, microglia and astrocytes, inducing neurodegeneration in brain. Neuronal shrinkage of hippocampal layer due to degeneration of pyramidal cells revealed the abnormal neuronal morphology of pyramidal cell layers in the aspartame treated animals. These findings demonstrate that aspartame metabolites could be a contributing factor for the development of oxidative

  12. Saccharin and aspartame, compared with sucrose, induce greater weight gain in adult Wistar rats, at similar total caloric intake levels.

    PubMed

    Feijó, Fernanda de Matos; Ballard, Cíntia Reis; Foletto, Kelly Carraro; Batista, Bruna Aparecida Melo; Neves, Alice Magagnin; Ribeiro, Maria Flávia Marques; Bertoluci, Marcello Casaccia

    2013-01-01

    It has been suggested that the use of nonnutritive sweeteners (NNSs) can lead to weight gain, but evidence regarding their real effect in body weight and satiety is still inconclusive. Using a rat model, the present study compares the effect of saccharin and aspartame to sucrose in body weight gain and in caloric intake. Twenty-nine male Wistar rats received plain yogurt sweetened with 20% sucrose, 0.3% sodium saccharin or 0.4% aspartame, in addition to chow and water ad libitum, while physical activity was restrained. Measurements of cumulative body weight gain, total caloric intake, caloric intake of chow and caloric intake of sweetened yogurt were performed weekly for 12 weeks. Results showed that addition of either saccharin or aspartame to yogurt resulted in increased weight gain compared to addition of sucrose, however total caloric intake was similar among groups. In conclusion, greater weight gain was promoted by the use of saccharin or aspartame, compared with sucrose, and this weight gain was unrelated to caloric intake. We speculate that a decrease in energy expenditure or increase in fluid retention might be involved. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Addition of sucralose enhances the release of satiety hormones in combination with pea protein.

    PubMed

    Geraedts, Maartje C P; Troost, Freddy J; Saris, Wim H M

    2012-03-01

    Exposing the intestine to proteins or tastants, particularly sweet, affects satiety hormone release. There are indications that each sweetener has different effects on this release, and that combining sweeteners with other nutrients might exert synergistic effects on hormone release. STC-1 cells were incubated with acesulfame-K, aspartame, saccharine, sucralose, sucrose, pea, and pea with each sweetener. After a 2-h incubation period, cholecystokinin(CCK) and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) concentrations were measured. Using Ussing chamber technology, the mucosal side of human duodenal biopsies was exposed to sucrose, sucralose, pea, and pea with each sweetener. CCK and GLP-1 levels were measured in basolateral secretions. In STC-1 cells, exposure to aspartame, sucralose, sucrose, pea, and pea with sucralose increased CCK levels, whereas GLP-1 levels increased after addition of all test products. Addition of sucrose and sucralose to human duodenal biopsies did not affect CCK and GLP-1 release; addition of pea stimulated CCK and GLP-1 secretion. Combining pea with sucrose and sucralose induced even higher levels of CCK and GLP-1. Synchronous addition of pea and sucralose to enteroendocrine cells induced higher levels of CCK and GLP-1 than addition of each compound alone. This study shows that combinations of dietary compounds synergize to enhance satiety hormone release. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  14. Exploring the biological consequences of conformational changes in aspartame models containing constrained analogues of phenylalanine.

    PubMed

    Mollica, Adriano; Mirzaie, Sako; Costante, Roberto; Carradori, Simone; Macedonio, Giorgia; Stefanucci, Azzurra; Dvoracsko, Szabolcs; Novellino, Ettore

    2016-12-01

    The dipeptide aspartame (Asp-Phe-OMe) is a sweetener widely used in replacement of sucrose by food industry. 2',6'-Dimethyltyrosine (DMT) and 2',6'-dimethylphenylalanine (DMP) are two synthetic phenylalanine-constrained analogues, with a limited freedom in χ-space due to the presence of methyl groups in position 2',6' of the aromatic ring. These residues have shown to increase the activity of opioid peptides, such as endomorphins improving the binding to the opioid receptors. In this work, DMT and DMP have been synthesized following a diketopiperazine-mediated route and the corresponding aspartame derivatives (Asp-DMT-OMe and Asp-DMP-OMe) have been evaluated in vivo and in silico for their activity as synthetic sweeteners.

  15. A Laboratory Preparation of Aspartame Analogs Using Simultaneous Multiple Parallel Synthesis Methodology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Qvit, Nir; Barda, Yaniv; Gilon, Chaim; Shalev, Deborah E.

    2007-01-01

    This laboratory experiment provides a unique opportunity for students to synthesize three analogues of aspartame, a commonly used artificial sweetener. The students are introduced to the powerful and useful method of parallel synthesis while synthesizing three dipeptides in parallel using solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) and simultaneous…

  16. Hypercrosslinked particles for the extraction of sweeteners using dispersive solid-phase extraction from environmental samples.

    PubMed

    Lakade, Sameer S; Zhou, Qing; Li, Aimin; Borrull, Francesc; Fontanals, Núria; Marcé, Rosa M

    2018-04-01

    This work presents a new extraction material, namely, Q-100, based on hypercrosslinked magnetic particles, which was tested in dispersive solid-phase extraction for a group of sweeteners from environmental samples. The hypercrosslinked Q-100 magnetic particles had the advantage of suitable pore size distribution and high surface area, and showed good retention behavior toward sweeteners. Different dispersive solid-phase extraction parameters such as amount of magnetic particles or extraction time were optimized. Under optimum conditions, Q-100 showed suitable apparent recovery, ranging in the case of river water sample from 21 to 88% for all the sweeteners, except for alitame (12%). The validated method based on dispersive solid-phase extraction using Q-100 followed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry provided good linearity and limits of quantification between 0.01 and 0.1 μg/L. The method was applied to analyze samples from river water and effluent wastewater, and four sweeteners (acesulfame, saccharin, cyclamate, and sucralose) were found in both types of sample. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Influence of carboxymethyl cellulose and sodium alginate on sweetness intensity of Aspartame.

    PubMed

    Han, Xue; Xu, Shu-Zhen; Dong, Wen-Rui; Wu, Zhai; Wang, Ren-Hai; Chen, Zhong-Xiu

    2014-12-01

    Sensory evaluation of Aspartame in the presence of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-L) and sodium alginate (SA) revealed that only CMC-L showed a suppression effect, while SA did not. By using an artificial taste receptor model, we found that the presence of SA or CMC-L resulted in a decrease in association constants. Further investigation of CMC-L solution revealed that the decrease in water mobility and diffusion also contribute to the suppression effect. In the case of SA, the decreased viscosity and comparatively higher amount of free water facilitated the diffusion of sweetener, which might compensate for the decreased binding constant between Aspartame and receptor. This may suppress the impact of SA on sweetness intensity. The results suggest that exploring the binding affinity of taste molecules with the receptor, along with water mobility and diffusion in hydrocolloidal structures, provide sufficient information for understanding the mechanism behind the effect of macromolecular hydrocolloids on taste. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. In vitro DNA binding studies of Aspartame, an artificial sweetener.

    PubMed

    Kashanian, Soheila; Khodaei, Mohammad Mehdi; Kheirdoosh, Fahimeh

    2013-03-05

    A number of small molecules bind directly and selectively to DNA, by inhibiting replication, transcription or topoisomerase activity. In this work the interaction of native calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) with Aspartame (APM), an artificial sweeteners was studied at physiological pH. DNA binding study of APM is useful to understand APM-DNA interaction mechanism and to provide guidance for the application and design of new and safer artificial sweeteners. The interaction was investigated using spectrophotometric, spectrofluorometric competition experiment and circular dichroism (CD). Hypochromism and red shift are shown in UV absorption band of APM. A strong fluorescence quenching reaction of DNA to APM was observed and the binding constants (Kf) of DNA with APM and corresponding number of binding sites (n) were calculated at different temperatures. Thermodynamic parameters, enthalpy changes (ΔH) and entropy changes (ΔS) were calculated to be +181kJmol(-1) and +681Jmol(-1)K(-1) according to Van't Hoff equation, which indicated that reaction is predominantly entropically driven. Moreover, spectrofluorometric competition experiment and circular dichroism (CD) results are indicative of non-intercalative DNA binding nature of APM. We suggest that APM interacts with calf thymus DNA via groove binding mode with an intrinsic binding constant of 5×10(+4)M(-1). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Effects of artificial sweeteners on body weight, food and drink intake.

    PubMed

    Polyák, Eva; Gombos, K; Hajnal, B; Bonyár-Müller, K; Szabó, Sz; Gubicskó-Kisbenedek, A; Marton, K; Ember, I

    2010-12-01

    Artificial sweeteners are widely used all over the world. They may assist in weight management, prevention of dental caries, control of blood glucose of diabetics, and also can be used to replace sugar in foods. In the animal experimentation mice were given oral doses of water solutions of table top artificial sweeteners (saccharin, cyclamate based, acesulfame-K based, and aspartame) the amount of maximum Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) ad libitum. The controls received only tap water with the same drinking conditions as the treated groups. The mice were fed chow ad libitum.We measured food intake and body weight once a week, water and solutions of artificial sweeteners intake twice a week. The data were analysed by statistical methods (T-probe, regression analysis).Consumption of sweeteners resulted in significantly increased body weight; however, the food intake did not change.These results question the effect of non-caloric artificial sweeteners on weight-maintenance or body weight decrease.

  20. Hydrogen-bonding and the sweet taste mechanism

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mathlouthi, M.; Portmann, M. O.

    1990-09-01

    The tripartite glucophores (AH-B,γ) of some natural (sugars) and artificial (Aspartame, Acesulfame, Saccharin, NHDHC and Trichlorogalactosucrose) sweeteners are proposed. These propositions are based on the molecular structure and infrared spectra of the studied molecules. The role of water in the sweet taste mechanism of small carbohydrates and artificial sweeteners was derived from the Raman spectra of their aqueous solutions. Comparison of the intensities and frequencies of the calculated components of the experimental Raman band of water on the one hand and of aqueous solutions of sweeteners on the other permitted interpretation of the role of water in the sweetness mechanism.

  1. Aspartame and Risk of Cancer: A Meta-analytic Review.

    PubMed

    Mallikarjun, Sreekanth; Sieburth, Rebecca McNeill

    2015-01-01

    Aspartame (APM) is the most commonly used artificial sweetener and flavor enhancer in the world. There is a rise in concern that APM is carcinogenic due to a variation in the findings of the previous APM carcinogenic bioassays. This article conducts a meta-analytic review of all previous APM carcinogenic bioassays on rodents that were conducted before 31 December 2012. The search yielded 10 original APM carcinogenic bioassays on rodents. The aggregate effect sizes suggest that APM consumption has no significant carcinogenic effect in rodents.

  2. Structural elucidation of main ozonation products of the artificial sweeteners cyclamate and acesulfame.

    PubMed

    Scheurer, Marco; Godejohann, Markus; Wick, Arne; Happel, Oliver; Ternes, Thomas A; Brauch, Heinz-Jürgen; Ruck, Wolfgang K L; Lange, Frank Thomas

    2012-05-01

    The two artificial sweeteners cyclamate (CYC) and acesulfame (ACE) have been detected in wastewater and drinking water treatment plants. As in both facilities ozonation might be applied, it is important to find out if undesired oxidation products (OPs) are formed. For the separation and detection of the OPs, several analytical techniques, including nuclear magnetic resonance experiments, were applied. In order to distinguish between direct ozone reaction and a radical mechanism, experiments were carried out at different pH values with and without scavenging OH radicals. Kinetic experiments were used for confirmation that the OPs are formed during short ozone contact time applied in waterworks. Samples from a waterworks using bank filtrate as raw water were analyzed in order to prove that the identified OPs are formed in real and full-scale ozone applications. In the case of CYC, oxidation mainly occurs at the carbon atom, where the sulfonamide moiety is bound to the cyclohexyl ring. Consequently, amidosulfonic acid and cyclohexanone are formed as main OPs of CYC. When ozone reacts at another carbon atom of the ring a keto moiety is introduced into the CYC molecule. Acetic acid and the product ACE OP170, an anionic compound with m/z=170 and an aldehyde hydrate moiety, were identified as the main OPs for ACE. The observed reaction products suggest an ozone reaction according to the Criegee mechanism due to the presence of a C=C double bond. ACE OP170 was also detected after the ozonation unit of a full-scale drinking water treatment plant which uses surface water-influenced bank filtrate as raw water. Acesulfame can be expected to be found in anthropogenic-influenced raw water used for drinking water production. However, when ACE OP170 is formed during ozonation, it is not expected to cause any problem for drinking water suppliers, because the primary findings suggest its removal in subsequent treatment steps, such as activated carbon filters.

  3. Aspartame Administration and Insulin Treatment Altered Brain Levels of CYP2E1 and CYP3A2 in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats.

    PubMed

    Nosti-Palacios, Rosario; Gómez-Garduño, Josefina; Molina-Ortiz, Dora; Calzada-León, Raúl; Dorado-González, Víctor Manuel; Vences-Mejía, Araceli

    2014-07-01

    This study demonstrates that aspartame consumption and insulin treatment in a juvenile diabetic rat model leads to increase in cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2E1 and CYP3A2 isozymes in brain. Diabetes mellitus was induced in postweaned 21-day-old Wistar male rat by streptozotocin. Animals were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: untreated control, diabetic (D), D-insulin, D-aspartame, or the D-insulin + aspartame-treated group. Brain and liver tissue samples were used to analyze the activity of CYP2E1 and CYP3A2 and protein levels. Our results indicate that combined treatment with insulin and aspartame in juvenile diabetic rats significantly induced CYP2E1 in the cerebrum and cerebellum without modifying it in the liver, while CYP3A2 protein activity increased both in the brain and in the liver. The induction of CYP2E1 in the brain could have important in situ toxicological effects, given that this CYP isoform is capable of bioactivating various toxic substances. Additionally, CYP3A2 induction in the liver and brain could be considered a decisive factor in the variation of drug response and toxicity. © The Author(s) 2014.

  4. No Effect of Dietary Aspartame or Stevia on Pancreatic Acinar Carcinoma Development, Growth, or Induced Mortality in a Murine Model

    PubMed Central

    Dooley, James; Lagou, Vasiliki; Dresselaers, Tom; van Dongen, Katinka A.; Himmelreich, Uwe; Liston, Adrian

    2017-01-01

    Pancreatic cancer has an extremely poor prognosis, largely due to a poor record for early detection. Known risk factors for pancreatic cancer include obesity, diet, and diabetes, implicating glucose consumption and regulation as a key player. The role of artificial sweeteners may therefore be pertinent to disease kinetics. The oncogenic impact of artificial sweeteners is a highly controversial area. Aspartame, one of the most studied food additives, is widely recognized as being generally safe, although there are still specific areas where research is incomplete due to study limitations. Stevia, by contrast, has been the subject of relatively few studies, and the potential health benefits are based on extrapolation rather than direct testing. Here, we used longitudinal tracking of pancreatic acinar carcinoma development, growth, and lethality in a sensitized mouse model. Despite exposure to aspartame and stevia from the in utero stage onward, we found no disease modification activity, in either direction. These results contribute to the data on aspartame and stevia safety, while also reducing confidence in several of the purported health benefits. PMID:28232906

  5. Effects of long-term administration of aspartame on biochemical indices, lipid profile and redox status of cellular system of male rats.

    PubMed

    Adaramoye, Oluwatosin A; Akanni, Olubukola O

    2016-01-01

    Aspartame (N-L-α-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine-1-methyl ester) (ASP) is a synthetic sweetener used in foods and its safety remains controversial. The study was designed to investigate the effects of long-term administration of aspartame on redox status, lipid profile and biochemical indices in tissues of male Wistar rats. Rats were assigned into four groups and given distilled water (control), aspartame at doses of 15 mg/kg (ASP 1), 35 mg/kg (ASP 2) and 70 mg/kg (ASP 3) daily by oral gavage for consecutive 9 weeks. Administration of ASP 2 and ASP 3 significantly increased the weight of liver and brain, and relative weight of liver of rats. Lipid peroxidation products significantly increased in the kidney, liver and brain of rats at all doses of ASP with concomitant depletion of antioxidant parameters, viz. glutathione-s-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase and reduced glutathione. Furthermore, ASP 2 and ASP 3 significantly increased the levels of gamma glutamyl transferase by 70% and 85%; alanine aminotransferase by 66% and 117%; aspartate aminotransferase by 21% and 48%; urea by 72% and 58% and conjugated bilirubin by 63% and 64%, respectively. Also, ASP 2 and ASP 3 significantly increased the levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the rats. Histological findings showed that ASP 2 and ASP 3 caused cyto-architectural changes such as degeneration, monocytes infiltration and necrotic lesions in brain, kidney and liver of rats. Aspartame may induce redox and lipid imbalance in rats via mechanism that involves oxidative stress and depletion of glutathione-dependent system.

  6. Long-term soft drink and aspartame intake induces hepatic damage via dysregulation of adipocytokines and alteration of the lipid profile and antioxidant status.

    PubMed

    Lebda, Mohamed A; Tohamy, Hossam G; El-Sayed, Yasser S

    2017-05-01

    Dietary intake of fructose corn syrup in sweetened beverages is associated with the development of metabolic syndrome and obesity. We hypothesized that inflammatory cytokines play a role in lipid storage and induction of liver injury. Therefore, this study intended to explore the expression of adipocytokines and its link to hepatic damage. Rats were assigned to drink water, cola soft drink (free access) and aspartame (240 mg/kg body weight/day orally) for 2 months. The lipid profiles, liver antioxidants and pathology, and mRNA expression of adipogenic cytokines were evaluated. Subchronic intake of soft drink or aspartame substantially induced hyperglycemia and hypertriacylglycerolemia, as represented by increased serum glucose, triacylglycerol, low-density lipoprotein and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, with obvious visceral fatty deposition. These metabolic syndromes were associated with the up-regulation of leptin and down-regulation of adiponectin and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) expression. Moreover, alterations in serum transaminases accompanied by hepatic oxidative stress involving induction of malondialdehyde and reduction of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase and glutathione levels are indicative of oxidative hepatic damage. Several cytoarchitecture alterations were detected in the liver, including degeneration, infiltration, necrosis, and fibrosis, predominantly with aspartame. These data suggest that long-term intake of soft drink or aspartame-induced hepatic damage may be mediated by the induction of hyperglycemia, lipid accumulation, and oxidative stress with the involvement of adipocytokines. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Non-nutritive sweeteners are not super-normal stimuli

    PubMed Central

    Antenucci, Rachel G.; Hayes, John E.

    2014-01-01

    Background It is often claimed that non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) are ‘sweeter than sugar’, with the implicit implication high potency sweeteners are super-normal stimuli that encourage exaggerated responses. This study aimed to investigate the perceived sweetness intensity of a variety of nutritive (Sucrose, Maple Syrup, and Agave Nectar) and NNS (Acesulfame-K (AceK), Rebaudioside A (RebA), Aspartame, and Sucralose) in a large cohort of untrained participants using contemporary psychophysical methods. Methods Participants (n=401 total) rated the intensity of sweet, bitter, and metallic sensations for nutritive and NNS in water using the general labeled magnitude scale (gLMS). Results Sigmoidal Dose-Response functions were observed for all stimuli except AceK. That is, sucrose follows a sigmoidal function if the data are not artifactually linearized via prior training. More critically, there is no evidence that NNS have a maximal sweetness (intensity) greater than sucrose; indeed, the maximal sweetness for AceK, RebA and Sucralose were significantly lower than for concentrated sucrose. For these sweeteners, mixture suppression due to endogenous dose-dependent bitter or metallic sensations appears to limit maximal perceived sweetness. Conclusions In terms of perceived sweetness, non-nutritive sweeteners cannot be considered super-normal stimuli. These data do not support the view that non-nutritive sweeteners hijack or over-stimulate sweet receptors to product elevated sweet sensations. PMID:24942868

  8. Determination of Aspartame and Caffeine in Carbonated Beverages Utilizing Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bergen, H. Robert, III; Benson, Linda M.; Naylor, Stephen

    2000-10-01

    Mass spectrometry has undergone considerable changes in the past decade. The advent of "soft ionization" techniques such as electrospray ionization (ESI) affords the direct analysis of very polar molecules without need for the complex inefficient derivatization procedures often required in GC-MS. These ionization techniques make possible the direct mass spectral analysis of polar nonvolatile molecules such as DNA and proteins, which previously were difficult or impossible to analyze by MS. Compounds that readily take on a charge (acids and bases) lend themselves to ESI-MS analysis, whereas compounds that do not readily accept a charge (e.g. sugars) are often not seen or are seen only as inefficient adducts (e.g., M+Na+). To gain exposure to this state-of-the-art analytical procedure, high school students utilize ESI-MS in an analysis of aspartame and caffeine. They dilute a beverage sample and inject the diluted sample into the ESI-MS. The lab is procedurally simple and the results clearly demonstrate the potential and limitations of ESI-coupled mass spectrometry. Depending upon the instructional goals, the outlined procedures can be used to quantify the content of caffeine and aspartame in beverages or to understand the capabilities of electrospray ionization.

  9. Aspartame-stabilized gold-silver bimetallic biocompatible nanostructures with plasmonic photothermal properties, antibacterial activity, and long-term stability.

    PubMed

    Fasciani, Chiara; Silvero, M Jazmin; Anghel, Maria Alexandra; Argüello, Gerardo A; Becerra, Maria Cecilia; Scaiano, Juan C

    2014-12-17

    Gold-silver core-shell nanoparticles stabilized with a common sweetener, aspartame (AuNP@Ag@Asm), combine the antimicrobial properties of silver with the photoinduced plasmon-mediated photothermal effects of gold. The particles were tested with several bacterial strains, while biocompatibility was verified with human dermal fibroblasts.

  10. Simultaneous analysis of aspartame and its hydrolysis products of Coca-Cola Zero by on-line postcolumn derivation fluorescence detection and ultraviolet detection coupled two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Cheanyeh; Wu, Shing-Chen

    2011-05-20

    An innovative two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography system was developed for the simultaneous analysis of aspartame and its hydrolysis products of Coca-Cola Zero. A C8 reversed-phase chromatographic column with ultraviolet detection was used as the first dimension for the determination of aspartame, and a ligand-exchange chromatographic column with on-line postcolumn derivation fluorescence detection was employed as the second dimension for the analysis of amino acid enantiomers. The fluorimetric derivative reagent of amino acid enantiomers was o-phthaldialdehyde. The hydrolysis of aspartame in Coca-Cola Zero was induced by electric-heating or microwave heating. Aspartame was quantified by the matrix matched external standard calibration curve with a linear concentration range of 0-50 μg mL(-1) (r(2)=0.9984). The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) were 1.3 μg mL(-1) and 4.3 μg mL(-1), respectively. The amino acid enantiomers was analyzed by the matrix matched internal standard calibration method (D-leucine as the internal standard) with a linear concentration range of 0-10 μg mL(-1) (r(2)=0.9988-0.9997). The LODs and LOQs for L- and D-aspartic acid and L- and D-phenylalanine were 0.16-0.17 μg mL(-1) and 0.52-0.55 μg mL(-1), respectively, that was 12-13 times more sensitive than ultraviolet detection. The overall analysis accuracy for aspartame and amino acid enantiomers was 90.2-99.2% and 90.4-96.2%, respectively. The overall analysis precision for aspartame and amino acid enantiomers was 0.1-1.7% and 0.5-6.7%, respectively. Generally, the extent of aspartame hydrolysis increases with the increase of electro-thermal temperature, microwave power, and the duration of hydrolysis time. D-aspartic acid and D-phenylalanine can be observed with the electro-thermal racemization at the hydrolysis temperature 120°C for 1 day and only D-aspartic acid can be observed at the hydrolysis temperature 90°C for 2 and 3 days. For

  11. Occurrence of seven artificial sweeteners in the aquatic environment and precipitation of Tianjin, China.

    PubMed

    Gan, Zhiwei; Sun, Hongwen; Feng, Biting; Wang, Ruonan; Zhang, Yanwei

    2013-09-15

    Seventy water samples, including wastewaters, tap waters, fresh surface waters, coastal waters, groundwaters, and precipitation samples, from Tianjin, China, were analyzed for seven commonly used artificial sweeteners (ASs). The concentrations of the investigated ASs were generally in the order of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influent > WWTP effluent > surface water > tap water > groundwater ≈ precipitation, while the composition profiles of ASs varied in different waters. Acesulfame, sucralose, cyclamate, and saccharin were consistently detected in surface waters and ranged from 50 ng/L to 0.12 mg/L, while acesulfame was the dominant AS in surface and tap waters. Aspartame was found in all of the surface waters at a concentration up to 0.21 μg/L, but was not found in groundwaters and tap waters. Neotame and neohesperidin dihydrochalcone were less frequently detected and the concentrations were low. The concentrations of the ASs in some of the surface waters were of the same order with those in the WWTP influents, but not with the effluents, indicating there are probably untreated discharges into the surface waters. The ASs were detected in precipitation samples with high frequency, and acesulfame, saccharin, and cyclamate were the predominant ASs, with concentrations ranging from 3.5 ng/L to 1.3 μg/L. A gross estimation revealed that precipitation may act as a source for saccharin and cyclamate in the surface environment of Tianjin city. Moreover, the presence of ASs in the atmosphere was primarily assessed by taking 4 air samples to evaluate their potential source in precipitation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Bitterness prediction of H1-antihistamines and prediction of masking effects of artificial sweeteners using an electronic tongue.

    PubMed

    Ito, Masanori; Ikehama, Kiyoharu; Yoshida, Koichi; Haraguchi, Tamami; Yoshida, Miyako; Wada, Koichi; Uchida, Takahiro

    2013-01-30

    The study objective was to quantitatively predict a drug's bitterness and estimate bitterness masking efficiency using an electronic tongue (e-Tongue). To verify the predicted bitterness by e-Tongue, actual bitterness scores were determined by human sensory testing. In the first study, bitterness intensities of eight H(1)-antihistamines were assessed by comparing the Euclidean distances between the drug and water. The distances seemed not to represent the drug's bitterness, but to be greatly affected by acidic taste. Two sensors were ultimately selected as best suited to bitterness evaluation, and the data obtained from the two sensors depicted the actual taste map of the eight drugs. A bitterness prediction model was established with actual bitterness scores from human sensory testing. Concerning basic bitter substances, such as H(1)-antihistamines, the predictability of bitterness intensity using e-Tongue was considered to be sufficiently promising. In another study, the bitterness masking efficiency when adding an artificial sweetener was estimated using e-Tongue. Epinastine hydrochloride aqueous solutions containing different levels of acesulfame potassium and aspartame were well discriminated by e-Tongue. The bitterness masking efficiency of epinastine hydrochloride with acesulfame potassium was successfully predicted using e-Tongue by several prediction models employed in the study. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. A material-sparing method for simultaneous determination of true density and powder compaction properties--aspartame as an example.

    PubMed

    Sun, Changquan Calvin

    2006-12-01

    True density results for a batch of commercial aspartame are highly variable when helium pycnometry is used. Alternatively, the true density of the problematic aspartame lot was obtained by fitting tablet density versus pressure data. The fitted true density was in excellent agreement with that predicted from single crystal structure. Tablet porosity was calculated from the true density and tablet apparent density. After making the necessary measurements for calculating tablet apparent density, the breaking force of each intact tablet was measured and tensile strength was calculated. With the knowledge of compaction pressure, tablet porosity and tensile strength, powder compaction properties were characterized using tabletability (tensile strength versus pressure), compactibility (tensile strength versus porosity), compressibility (porosity versus pressure) and Heckel analysis. Thus, a wealth of additional information on the compaction properties of the powder was obtained through little added work. A total of approximately 4 g of powder was used in this study. Depending on the size of tablet tooling, tablet thickness and true density, 2-10 g of powder would be sufficient for characterizing most pharmaceutical powders.

  14. Development of an HPLC Method with an ODS Column to Determine Low Levels of Aspartame Diastereomers in Aspartame

    PubMed Central

    Ohtsuki, Takashi; Nakamura, Ryoichiro; Kubo, Satoru; Otabe, Akira; Oobayashi, Yoko; Suzuki, Shoko; Yoshida, Mika; Yoshida, Mitsuya; Tatebe, Chiye; Sato, Kyoko; Akiyama, Hiroshi

    2016-01-01

    α-L-Aspartyl-D-phenylalanine methyl ester (L, D-APM) and α-D-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester (D, L-APM) are diastereomers of aspartame (N-L-α-Aspartyl-L-phenylalanine-1-methyl ester, L, L-APM). The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives has set 0.04 wt% as the maximum permitted level of the sum of L, D-APM and D, L-APM in commercially available L, L-APM. In this study, we developed and validated a simple high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method using an ODS column to determine L, D-APM and D, L-APM in L, L-APM. The limits of detection and quantification, respectively, of L, D-APM and D, L-APM were found to be 0.0012 wt% and 0.004 wt%. This method gave excellent accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility in a recovery test performed on five different days. Moreover, the method was successfully applied to the determination of these diastereomers in commercial L, L-APM samples. Thus, the developed method is a simple, useful, and practical tool for determining L, D-APM and D, L-APM levels in L, L-APM. PMID:27015640

  15. Development of an HPLC Method with an ODS Column to Determine Low Levels of Aspartame Diastereomers in Aspartame.

    PubMed

    Ohtsuki, Takashi; Nakamura, Ryoichiro; Kubo, Satoru; Otabe, Akira; Oobayashi, Yoko; Suzuki, Shoko; Yoshida, Mika; Yoshida, Mitsuya; Tatebe, Chiye; Sato, Kyoko; Akiyama, Hiroshi

    2016-01-01

    α-L-Aspartyl-D-phenylalanine methyl ester (L, D-APM) and α-D-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester (D, L-APM) are diastereomers of aspartame (N-L-α-Aspartyl-L-phenylalanine-1-methyl ester, L, L-APM). The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives has set 0.04 wt% as the maximum permitted level of the sum of L, D-APM and D, L-APM in commercially available L, L-APM. In this study, we developed and validated a simple high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method using an ODS column to determine L, D-APM and D, L-APM in L, L-APM. The limits of detection and quantification, respectively, of L, D-APM and D, L-APM were found to be 0.0012 wt% and 0.004 wt%. This method gave excellent accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility in a recovery test performed on five different days. Moreover, the method was successfully applied to the determination of these diastereomers in commercial L, L-APM samples. Thus, the developed method is a simple, useful, and practical tool for determining L, D-APM and D, L-APM levels in L, L-APM.

  16. 21 CFR 201.21 - Declaration of presence of phenylalanine as a component of aspartame in over-the-counter and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... acids are so combined to form aspartame (1-methyl N-L-α-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine), they produce an... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Declaration of presence of phenylalanine as a...: GENERAL LABELING General Labeling Provisions § 201.21 Declaration of presence of phenylalanine as a...

  17. 21 CFR 201.21 - Declaration of presence of phenylalanine as a component of aspartame in over-the-counter and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... acids are so combined to form aspartame (1-methyl N-L-α-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine), they produce an... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Declaration of presence of phenylalanine as a...: GENERAL LABELING General Labeling Provisions § 201.21 Declaration of presence of phenylalanine as a...

  18. 21 CFR 201.21 - Declaration of presence of phenylalanine as a component of aspartame in over-the-counter and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... acids are so combined to form aspartame (1-methyl N-L-α-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine), they produce an... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Declaration of presence of phenylalanine as a...: GENERAL LABELING General Labeling Provisions § 201.21 Declaration of presence of phenylalanine as a...

  19. 21 CFR 201.21 - Declaration of presence of phenylalanine as a component of aspartame in over-the-counter and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... acids are so combined to form aspartame (1-methyl N-L-α-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine), they produce an... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Declaration of presence of phenylalanine as a...: GENERAL LABELING General Labeling Provisions § 201.21 Declaration of presence of phenylalanine as a...

  20. 21 CFR 201.21 - Declaration of presence of phenylalanine as a component of aspartame in over-the-counter and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... acids are so combined to form aspartame (1-methyl N-L-α-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine), they produce an... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Declaration of presence of phenylalanine as a...: GENERAL LABELING General Labeling Provisions § 201.21 Declaration of presence of phenylalanine as a...

  1. Cytotoxic effect of aspartame (diet sweet) on the histological and genetic structures of female albino rats and their offspring.

    PubMed

    Abd Elfatah, Azza A M; Ghaly, Inas S; Hanafy, Safaa M

    2012-10-01

    The present study evaluated the effect of aspartame intake on the histological and genetic structures of mother albino rats and their offspring. Sixty adult female albino rats and 180 of their offspring were equally divided into two groups (control and treated), each group divided into three subgroups. Each subgroup consisted of 10 pregnant rats and 30 of their offspring. The experimental design divided into three periods: (1) the gestation period (subgroup one), (2) the gestation period and three weeks after delivery (subgroup two) and (3) animals in the third subgroup treated as subgroup two then left till the end of the ninth week after delivery. Each pregnant rat in the treated subgroups was given a single daily dose of 1 mL aspartame solution (50.4 mg) by gastric gavage throughout the time intervals of experimental design. At the end of each experimental period for control and treated subgroups, the liver of half of both control and treated groups were subjected for histological study while the liver and bone marrow of the other halves were subjected for cytogenetic studies. Body weight of both groups were recorded individually twice weekly in the morning before offering the diet. The results revealed that the rats and their offspring in the subgroups of control animals showed increases in body weight, normal histological sections, low chromosomal aberration and low DNA fragmentation. The treated animals in the three subgroups rats and their offspring revealed decreases in body weight, high histological lesions, increases in the chromosomal aberration and DNA fragmentation compared with control groups. In conclusion, the consumption of aspartame leads to histopathological lesions in the liver and alterations of the genetic system in the liver and bone marrow of mother albino rats and their offspring. These toxicological changes were directly proportional to the duration of its administration and improved after its withdrawal.

  2. Heterogeneous nucleation of aspartame from aqueous solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kubota, Noriaki; Kinno, Hiroaki; Shimizu, Kenji

    1990-03-01

    Waiting times, the time from the instant of quenching needed for a first nucleus to appear, were measured at constant supercoolings for primary nucleation of aspartame (α-L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methylester) from aqueous solutions, which were sealed into glass ampoules (solution volume = 3.16 cm 3). Since the waiting time became shorter by filtering the solution prior to quenching, the nucleation was concluded to be heterogeneously induced. The measured waiting time consisted of two parts: time needed for the nucleus to grow to a detactable size (growth time) and stochastic time needed for nucleation (true waiting time). The distribution of the true waiting time, is well explained by a stochastic model, in which nucleation is regarded to occur heterogeneously and in a stochastic manner by two kinds of active sites. The active sites are estimated to be located on foreign particles in which such elements as Si, Al and Mg were contained. The amount of each element is very small in the order of magnitude of ppb (mass basis) of the whole solution. The growth time was correlated with the degree of supercooling.

  3. Effects of Low-Dose Non-Caloric Sweetener Consumption on Gut Microbiota in Mice

    PubMed Central

    Uebanso, Takashi; Ohnishi, Ai; Kitayama, Reiko; Yoshimoto, Ayumi; Nakahashi, Mutsumi; Shimohata, Takaaki; Mawatari, Kazuaki; Takahashi, Akira

    2017-01-01

    Non-caloric artificial sweeteners (NASs) provide sweet tastes to food without adding calories or glucose. NASs can be used as alternative sweeteners for controlling blood glucose levels and weight gain. Although the consumption of NASs has increased over the past decade in Japan and other countries, whether these sweeteners affect the composition of the gut microbiome is unclear. In the present study, we examined the effects of sucralose or acesulfame-K ingestion (at most the maximum acceptable daily intake (ADI) levels, 15 mg/kg body weight) on the gut microbiome in mice. Consumption of sucralose, but not acesulfame-K, for 8 weeks reduced the relative amount of Clostridium cluster XIVa in feces. Meanwhile, sucralose and acesulfame-K did not increase food intake, body weight gain or liver weight, or fat in the epididymis or cecum. Only sucralose intake increased the concentration of hepatic cholesterol and cholic acid. Moreover, the relative concentration of butyrate and the ratio of secondary/primary bile acids in luminal metabolites increased with sucralose consumption in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that daily intake of maximum ADI levels of sucralose, but not acesulfame-K, affected the relative amount of the Clostridium cluster XIVa in fecal microbiome and cholesterol bile acid metabolism in mice. PMID:28587159

  4. Effects of Low-Dose Non-Caloric Sweetener Consumption on Gut Microbiota in Mice.

    PubMed

    Uebanso, Takashi; Ohnishi, Ai; Kitayama, Reiko; Yoshimoto, Ayumi; Nakahashi, Mutsumi; Shimohata, Takaaki; Mawatari, Kazuaki; Takahashi, Akira

    2017-06-01

    Abstract : Non-caloric artificial sweeteners (NASs) provide sweet tastes to food without adding calories or glucose. NASs can be used as alternative sweeteners for controlling blood glucose levels and weight gain. Although the consumption of NASs has increased over the past decade in Japan and other countries, whether these sweeteners affect the composition of the gut microbiome is unclear. In the present study, we examined the effects of sucralose or acesulfame-K ingestion (at most the maximum acceptable daily intake (ADI) levels, 15 mg/kg body weight) on the gut microbiome in mice. Consumption of sucralose, but not acesulfame-K, for 8 weeks reduced the relative amount of Clostridium cluster XIVa in feces. Meanwhile, sucralose and acesulfame-K did not increase food intake, body weight gain or liver weight, or fat in the epididymis or cecum. Only sucralose intake increased the concentration of hepatic cholesterol and cholic acid. Moreover, the relative concentration of butyrate and the ratio of secondary/primary bile acids in luminal metabolites increased with sucralose consumption in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that daily intake of maximum ADI levels of sucralose, but not acesulfame-K, affected the relative amount of the Clostridium cluster XIVa in fecal microbiome and cholesterol bile acid metabolism in mice.

  5. Spherulitic crystallization of aspartame from aqueous solution in a two-dimensional cell

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mori, Tetsushi; Kubota, Noriaki; Abe, Sou; Kishimoto, Shin'ichi; Kumon, Satoshi; Naruse, Masayoshi

    1993-10-01

    An artificial sweetener, aspartame (α-L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl aster) was crystallized as spherulites in the order of magnitude of centimeters in radius. With increasing relative supersaturation σ, the number of nucleation sites increased, but the radius of the largest spherulite in the cell decreased. The growth rate G of the spherulite was 1-2 mm/min and is given as a function of σ by the experimental equation: G= 8.45 x 10 -2 σ 1.95. Individual fiber crystals of the spherulite grew slowly in the diameter direction until a critical diameter (10 μm or so) was attained. Longitudinally, however, they grew fast. They repeatedly split and branched during growth, spreading radially to form spherulites.

  6. Ubiquitous Detection of Artificial Sweeteners and Iodinated X-ray Contrast Media in Aquatic Environmental and Wastewater Treatment Plant Samples from Vietnam, The Philippines, and Myanmar.

    PubMed

    Watanabe, Yuta; Bach, Leu Tho; Van Dinh, Pham; Prudente, Maricar; Aguja, Socorro; Phay, Nyunt; Nakata, Haruhiko

    2016-05-01

    Water samples from Vietnam, The Philippines, and Myanmar were analyzed for artificial sweeteners (ASs) and iodinated X-ray contrast media (ICMs). High concentrations (low micrograms per liter) of ASs, including aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose, were found in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influents from Vietnam. Three ICMs, iohexol, iopamidol, and iopromide were detected in Vietnamese WWTP influents and effluents, suggesting that these ICMs are frequently used in Vietnam. ASs and ICMs were found in river water from downtown Hanoi at concentrations comparable to or lower than the concentrations in WWTP influents. The ASs and ICMs concentrations in WWTP influents and adjacent surface water significantly correlated (r (2) = 0.99, p < 0.001), suggesting that household wastewater is discharged directly into rivers in Vietnam. Acesulfame was frequently detected in northern Vietnamese groundwater, but the concentrations varied spatially by one order of magnitude even though the sampling points were very close together. This implies that poorly performing domestic septic tanks sporadically leak household wastewater into groundwater. High acesulfame, cyclamate, saccharin, and sucralose concentrations were found in surface water from Manila, The Philippines. The sucralose concentrations were one order of magnitude higher in the Manila samples than in the Vietnamese samples, indicating that more sucralose is used in The Philippines than in Vietnam. Acesulfame and cyclamate were found in surface water from Pathein (rural) and Yangon (urban) in Myanmar, but no ICMs were found in the samples. The ASs concentrations were two-three orders of magnitude lower in the samples from Myanmar than in the samples from Vietnam and The Philippines, suggesting that different amounts of ASs are used in these countries. We believe this is the first report of persistent ASs and ICMs having ubiquitous distributions in economically emerging South Asian countries.

  7. Emerging Biodegradation of the Previously Persistent Artificial Sweetener Acesulfame in Biological Wastewater Treatment.

    PubMed

    Kahl, Stefanie; Kleinsteuber, Sabine; Nivala, Jaime; van Afferden, Manfred; Reemtsma, Thorsten

    2018-03-06

    The persistence of acesulfame (ACE) in wastewater treatment (and subsequently the aquatic environment) has led to its use as a marker substance for wastewater input into surface water and groundwater. However, ACE degradation of >85% during summer and autumn was observed in nine German wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Annual removal performance was more stable in larger plants, enhanced by low biological oxygen demand and impeded by water temperatures below 10 °C. Literature data suggest that the potential to degrade ACE emerged in WWTPs around the year 2010. This development is ongoing, as illustrated by ACE content in the German rivers Elbe and Mulde: Between 2013 and 2016 the ACE mass load decreased by 70-80%. In enrichment cultures with ACE as sole carbon source the carbonaceous fraction of ACE was removed completely, indicating catabolic biotransformation and the inorganic compound sulfamic acid formed in quantitative amounts. Sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes suggests that several species are involved in ACE degradation, with proteobacterial species affiliated to Phyllobacteriaceae, Methylophilaceae, Bradyrhizobiaceae, and Pseudomonas becoming specifically enriched. ACE appears to be the first micropollutant for which the evolution of a catabolic pathway in WWTPs has been witnessed. It can yet only be speculated whether the emergence of ACE removal in WWTPs in different regions of the world is due to independent evolution or to global spreading of genes or adapted microorganisms.

  8. [Consumption of carbonated beverages with nonnutritive sweeteners in Latin American university students].

    PubMed

    Durán Agüero, Samuel; Record Cornwall, Jiniva; Encina Vega, Claudia; Salazar de Ariza, Julieta; Cordón Arrivillaga, Karla; Cereceda Bujaico, María del Pilar; Antezana Alzamora, Sonia; Espinoza Bernardo, Sissy

    2014-09-12

    Consumption of carbonated beverages with nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS) is increasingly common in order to maintain a healthy weight, but the effect of NNS on body weight is controversial. University students (n=1,229) of both sexes aged 18 to 26, of which 472 were from Chile, 300 of Panama, 253 from Guatemala and 204 of Peru. Each student was applied a frequency survey of weekly food consumption supported by photographs of beverages with NNS from each country to determine the intake of them. Also they underwent anthropometric measurements. 80% of these students consumed carbonated beverages with NNS, none of them exceeded the acceptable daily intake for sucralose, potassium acesulfame and aspartame. Increased consumption in both men and women was observed in chilean students (p. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

  9. Whole-nerve chorda tympani responses to sweeteners in C57BL/6ByJ and 129P3/J mice

    PubMed Central

    Inoue, Masashi; McCaughey, Stuart A.; Bachmanov, Alexander A.; Beauchamp, Gary K.

    2013-01-01

    The C57BL/6ByJ (B6) strain of mice exhibits higher preferences than does the 129P3/J (129) strain for a variety of sweet-tasting compounds. We measured gustatory afferent responses of the whole chorda tympani nerve in these two strains using a broad array of sweeteners and other taste stimuli. Neural responses were greater in B6 than in 129 mice to the sugars sucrose and maltose, the polyol D-sorbitol, and the non-caloric sweeteners NaSaccharin, acesulfame-K, SC-45647, and sucralose. Lower neural response thresholds were also observed in the B6 strain for most of these stimuli. The strains did not differ on their neural responses to amino acids that are thought to taste sweet to mice, with the exception of L-proline, which evoked larger responses in the B6 strain. Aspartame and thaumatin, which taste sweet to humans but are not strongly preferred by B6 or 129 mice, did not evoke neural responses that exceeded threshold in either strain. The strains generally did not differ in their neural responses to NaCl, quinine, and HCl. Thus, variation between the B6 and 129 strains in the peripheral gustatory system may contribute to differences in their consumption of many sweeteners. PMID:11555486

  10. Isothermal Fourier transform infrared microspectrosopic studies on the stability kinetics of solid-state intramolecular cyclization of aspartame sweetener.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Y D; Lin, S Y

    2000-03-01

    A novel Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) microspectrophotometer equipped with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to investigate the kinetics of intramolecular cyclization of aspartame (APM) sweetener in the solid state under isothermal conditions. The thermal-dependent changes in the peak intensity of IR spectra at 1543, 1283, and 1259 cm(-1) were examined to explore the reaction. The results support that the intramolecular cyclization process in APM proceeded in three steps: the methoxyl group of ester was first thermolyzed to release methanol, then an acyl cation was attacked by the lone pair of electrons available on nitrogen by an S(N)1 pathway, and finally ring-closure occurred. The intramolecular cyclization of APM determined by this microscopic FT-IR/DSC system was found to follow zero-order kinetics after a brief induction period. The bond cleavage energy (259.38 kJ/mol) of thermolysis for the leaving group of -OCH(3), the bond conversion energy (328.88 kJ/mol) for the amide II NH band to DKP NH band, and the CN bond formation energy (326.93 kJ/mol) of cyclization for the DKP in the APM molecule were also calculated from the Arrhenius equation. The total activation energy of the DKP formation via intramolecular cyclization was 261.33 kJ/mol, calculated by the above summation of the bond energy of cleavage, conversion, and formation, which was near to the value determined by the DSC or TGA method. This indicates that the microscopic FT-IR/DSC system is useful as a potential tool not only to investigate the degradation mechanism of drugs in the solid state but also to directly predict the bond energy of the reaction.

  11. Efficient Extracellular Expression of Metalloprotease for Z-Aspartame Synthesis.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Fucheng; Liu, Feng; Wu, Bin; He, Bingfang

    2016-12-28

    Metalloprotease PT121 and its mutant Y114S (Tyr114 was substituted to Ser) are effective catalysts for the synthesis of Z-aspartame (Z-APM). This study presents the selection of a suitable signal peptide for improving expression and extracellular secretion of proteases PT121 and Y114S by Escherichia coli. Co-inducers containing IPTG and arabinose were used to promote protease production and cell growth. Under optimal conditions, the expression levels of PT121 and Y114S reached >500 mg/L, and the extracellular activity of PT121/Y114S accounted for 87/82% of the total activity of proteases. Surprisingly, purer protein was obtained in the supernatant, because arabinose reduced cell membrane permeability, avoiding cell lysis. Comparison of Z-APM synthesis and caseinolysis between proteases PT121 and Y114S showed that mutant Y114S presented remarkably higher activity of Z-APM synthesis and considerably lower activity of caseinolysis. The significant difference in substrate specificity renders these enzymes promising biocatalysts.

  12. Artificial sweeteners as a sugar substitute: Are they really safe?

    PubMed

    Sharma, Arun; Amarnath, S; Thulasimani, M; Ramaswamy, S

    2016-01-01

    Nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS) have become an important part of everyday life and are increasingly used nowadays in a variety of dietary and medicinal products. They provide fewer calories and far more intense sweetness than sugar-containing products and are used by a plethora of population subsets for varying objectives. Six of these agents (aspartame, saccharine, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame-K, and stevia) have previously received a generally recognized as safe status from the United States Food and Drug Administration, and two more (Swingle fruit extract and advantame) have been added in the recent years to this ever growing list. They are claimed to promote weight loss and deemed safe for consumption by diabetics; however, there is inconclusive evidence to support most of their uses and some recent studies even hint that these earlier established benefits regarding NNS use might not be true. There is a lack of properly designed randomized controlled studies to assess their efficacy in different populations, whereas observational studies often remain confounded due to reverse causality and often yield opposite findings. Pregnant and lactating women, children, diabetics, migraine, and epilepsy patients represent the susceptible population to the adverse effects of NNS-containing products and should use these products with utmost caution. The overall use of NNS remains controversial, and consumers should be amply informed about the potential risks of using them, based on current evidence-based dietary guidelines.

  13. Metabolic acidosis mimicking diabetic ketoacidosis after use of calorie-free mineral water.

    PubMed

    Dahl, Gry T; Woldseth, Berit; Lindemann, Rolf

    2012-09-01

    A previously healthy boy was admitted with fever, tachycardia, dyspnea, and was vomiting. A blood test showed a severe metabolic acidosis with pH 7.08 and an anion gap of 36 mmol/L. His urine had an odor of acetone. The serum glucose was 5.6 mmol/L, and no glucosuria was found. Diabetic ketoacidosis could therefore be eliminated. Lactate level was normal. Tests for the most common metabolic diseases were negative. Because of herpes stomatitis, the boy had lost appetite and only been drinking Diet Coke and water the last days. Diet Coke or Coca-Cola Light is sweetened with a blend containing cyclamates, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium, all free of calories. The etiology of the metabolic acidosis appeared to be a catabolic situation exaggerated by fasting with no intake of calories. The elevated anion gap was due to a severe starvation ketoacidosis, mimicking a diabetic ketoacidosis. Pediatricians should recommend carbohydrate/calorie-containing fluids for rehydration of children with acute fever, diarrhea, or illness.

  14. Noncariogenic intense natural sweeteners.

    PubMed

    Kinghorn, A D; Kaneda, N; Baek, N I; Kennelly, E J; Soejarto, D D

    1998-09-01

    There is a definite relationship between the dietary consumption of sucrose and the incidence of dental caries. Noncaloric sucrose substitutes for use in the sweetening of foods, beverages, and medicines may be either synthetic compounds or natural products. In the United States, four potently sweet artificial sweeteners are approved, namely, saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose. Highly sweet plant constituents are used in Japan and some other countries, including the diterpene glycoside stevioside and the protein thaumatin. Recent progress in a research project oriented towards the discovery and evaluation of novel potentially noncariogenic sweeteners from plants has focused on substances in the sesquiterpenoid, diterpenoid, triterpenoid, steroidal saponin, and proanthocyanidin structural classes. The feasibility of using Mongolian gerbil electrophysiological and behavioral assays to monitor the sweetness of plant extracts, chromatographic fractions, and pure isolates has been investigated. An in vivo cariogenicity study on the commercially available natural sweeteners stevioside and rebaudioside A has been carried out.

  15. Role of nitrification in the biodegradation of selected artificial sweetening agents in biological wastewater treatment process.

    PubMed

    Tran, N H; Nguyen, V T; Urase, T; Ngo, H H

    2014-06-01

    The biodegradation of the six artificial sweetening agents including acesulfame (ACE), aspartame (ASP), cyclamate (CYC), neohesperidindihydrochalcone (NHDC), saccharin (SAC), and sucralose (SUC) by nitrifying activated sludge was first examined. Experimental results showed that ASP and NHDC were the most easily degradable compounds even in the control tests. CYC and SAC were efficiently biodegraded by the nitrifying activated sludge, whereas ACE and SUC were poorly removed. However, the biodegradation efficiencies of the ASs were increased with the increase in initial ammonium concentrations in the bioreactors. The association between nitrification and co-metabolic degradation was investigated and a linear relationship between nitrification rate and co-metabolic biodegradation rate was observed for the target artificial sweeteners (ASs). The contribution of heterotrophic microorganisms and autotrophic ammonia oxidizers in biodegradation of the ASs was elucidated, of which autotrophic ammonia oxidizers played an important role in the biodegradation of the ASs, particularly with regards to ACE and SUC. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. A Rapid Dialysis Method for Analysis of Artificial Sweeteners in Foods (2nd Report).

    PubMed

    Tahara, Shoichi; Yamamoto, Sumiyo; Yamajima, Yukiko; Miyakawa, Hiroyuki; Uematsu, Yoko; Monma, Kimio

    2017-01-01

    Following the previous report, a rapid dialysis method was developed for the extraction and purification of four artificial sweeteners, namely, sodium saccharide (Sa), acesulfame potassium (AK), aspartame (APM), and dulcin (Du), which are present in various foods. The method was evaluated by the addition of 0.02 g/kg of these sweeteners to a cookie sample, in the same manner as in the previous report. Revisions from the previous method were: reduction of the total dialysis volume from 200 to 100 mL, change of tube length from 55 to 50 cm, change of dialysate from 0.01 mol/L hydrochloric aqueous solution containing 10% sodium chloride to 30% methanol solution, and change of dialysis conditions from ambient temperature with occasional shaking to 50℃ with shaking at 160 rpm. As a result of these revisions, the recovery reached 99.3-103.8% with one hour dialysis. The obtained recovery yields were comparable to the recovery yields in the previous method with four hour dialysis.

  17. Early maternal separation induces preference for sucrose and aspartame associated with increased blood glucose and hyperactivity.

    PubMed

    Aya-Ramos, L; Contreras-Vargas, C; Rico, J L; Dueñas, Z

    2017-07-19

    Early life stress and exposure to sweeteners lead to physiological and behavioral alterations in adulthood. Nevertheless, many genetic and environmental factors as well as the neurobiological mechanisms that contribute to the development of these disorders are not fully understood. Similarly, evidence about the long-term metabolic effects of exposure to sweeteners in early life is limited and inconsistent. This study used an animal model of maternal separation during breastfeeding (MS) to analyze the effects of early life stress on consumption of sweeteners, weight gain, blood glucose and locomotion. Rats were housed under a reversed light/dark cycle (lights off at 7:00 h) with ad libitum access to water and food. In the MS protocol, MS pups were separated from the dam for 6 h per day in two periods of 180 minutes (7:00-10:00 and 13:00-16:00 h) during the dark phase of postnatal day (PND) 1 to PND 21. Non-separated (NS) pups served as controls. On PND 22 rats were grouped by sex and treatment. From PND 26 to PND 50 sucrose and aspartame were provided to rats, and sweetener intake, body weight and blood glucose-related measures were scored. On PND 50, both male and female rats were exposed to the open field test to obtain locomotion and anxiety-related measures. Results showed that both early maternal separation and sweetener intake during adolescence resulted in increased blood glucose and hyperactivity in male rats but not in female rats. Data suggest that the combination of early stress and exposure to sucrose and aspartame could be a risk factor for the development of chronic diseases such as diabetes, as well as for behavioral alterations.

  18. Dose and time dependent ototoxicity of aspartame in rats.

    PubMed

    Ozturan, Orhan; Dogan, Remzi; Tugrul, Selahattin; Gedik, Ozge; Sjostrand, Alev Pektas; Yildirim, Yavuz Selim

    2017-04-01

    Low-dose administration of Aspartame (Ap) did not produce a significant ototoxic effect at the end of the 6th month. However, duration of the ototoxic effect is shortened and severity of the effect is increased as dose and duration of Ap administration is increased. While Ap toxicity has been studied in short- and long-term studies, its effects on hearing have not been investigated. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of long-term consumption of Ap administered in various doses on hearing status of rats. The study included 54 female Wistar Albino rats. Ap was given for 6 months to the rats. The groups were assigned according to levels of Ap dosage. DPOAE and ABR tests were utilized for serial hearing evaluations. Serial hearing measurement times were designed as baseline, 1st week, 2nd week, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th months. While audiological parameters deteriorated with 100 mg/kg/day dose after the 3rd month, ABR thresholds were elevated and DPOAE values were significantly decreased in 500 mg/kg/day and 1000 mg/kg/day applications after the 2nd month. In 2000 mg/kg/day and 4000 mg/kg/day applications, deteriorations in audiological parameters were detected as early as the first and second months; respectively.

  19. Metabolic and feeding behavior alterations provoked by prenatal exposure to aspartame.

    PubMed

    von Poser Toigo, E; Huffell, A P; Mota, C S; Bertolini, D; Pettenuzzo, L F; Dalmaz, C

    2015-04-01

    The use of artificial sweeteners has increased together with the epidemic growth of obesity. In addition to their widespread use in sodas, artificial sweeteners are added to nearly 6000 other products sold in the US, including baby foods, frozen dinners and even yogurts. It has been suggested that the use of nonnutritive sweeteners can lead to body weight gain and an altered metabolic profile. However, very few studies have evaluated the effects of maternal consumption of artificial non-caloric sweeteners on body weight, feeding behavior or the metabolism of offspring in adult life. In this study, we found that animals exposed to aspartame during the prenatal period presented a higher consumption of sweet foods during adulthood and a greater susceptibility to alterations in metabolic parameters, such as increased glucose, LDL and triglycerides. These effects were observed in both males and females, although they were more pronounced in males. Despite the preliminary nature of this study, and the need for further confirmation of these effects, our data suggest that the consumption of sweeteners during gestation may have deleterious long-term effects and should be used with caution. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Very low calorie diet without aspartame in obese subjects: improved metabolic control after 4 weeks treatment.

    PubMed

    Norén, Erik; Forssell, Henrik

    2014-07-28

    Very low calorie diet (VLCD) is routinely used in programs for treatment of obesity and before bariatric surgery in order to reduce risk of postoperative complications. Aspartame, an artificial sweetener, is commonly used in VLCD and is well approved as a food additive without any adverse effects. The development of a new fructose containing VLCD formula without aspartame raises questions as to effects on glucose and lipid control. As part of an ongoing study of a novel bariatric surgery procedure, twenty-five obese subjects with mean body mass index (BMI) 39.8 kg/m2 and mean age of 48.8 years enrolled in a single center observational study. Seven subjects presented with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The subjects underwent four weeks dietary treatment with VLCD Slanka (Slanka). Blood samples including fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, cholesterol and triglycerides were performed at start and after four weeks of diet. Blood pressure and weight were noted. All subjects completed the diet without any adverse events. Mean weight reduction was 8.2 kg with 95% confidence interval 7.1-9.2 kg (p = 0.001). Excess weight (i.e. proportion of weight exceeding BMI 25) loss decreased by median 19.5% (inter quartile range (IQR) 16,8-24,2). Median fasting plasma glucose was at inclusion 5,6 mmol/l (IQR 5,3-6,8) and after diet 4.8 mmol/l (IQR 4,6-5,2) (p = 0.001). Median HbA1c changed from 39 mmol/mol (IQR 37-44) to 37 mmol/mol (IQR 35-43) (p = 0.001). There was also significant reduction in cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as in systolic blood pressure. Changes in other monitored blood chemistry values were without clinical importance. Four weeks treatment with fructose containing VLCD of obese subjects preparing for bariatric surgery gave a substantial weight reduction without any significant negative metabolic effects.

  1. Very low calorie diet without aspartame in obese subjects: improved metabolic control after 4 weeks treatment

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Very low calorie diet (VLCD) is routinely used in programs for treatment of obesity and before bariatric surgery in order to reduce risk of postoperative complications. Aspartame, an artificial sweetener, is commonly used in VLCD and is well approved as a food additive without any adverse effects. The development of a new fructose containing VLCD formula without aspartame raises questions as to effects on glucose and lipid control. Methods As part of an ongoing study of a novel bariatric surgery procedure, twenty-five obese subjects with mean body mass index (BMI) 39.8 kg/m2 and mean age of 48.8 years enrolled in a single center observational study. Seven subjects presented with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The subjects underwent four weeks dietary treatment with VLCD Slanka (Slanka®). Blood samples including fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, cholesterol and triglycerides were performed at start and after four weeks of diet. Blood pressure and weight were noted. Results All subjects completed the diet without any adverse events. Mean weight reduction was 8.2 kg with 95% confidence interval 7.1–9.2 kg (p = 0.001). Excess weight (i.e. proportion of weight exceeding BMI 25) loss decreased by median 19.5% (inter quartile range (IQR) 16,8-24,2). Median fasting plasma glucose was at inclusion 5,6 mmol/l (IQR 5,3-6,8) and after diet 4.8 mmol/l (IQR 4,6-5,2) (p = 0.001). Median HbA1c changed from 39 mmol/mol (IQR 37–44) to 37 mmol/mol (IQR 35–43) (p = 0.001). There was also significant reduction in cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as in systolic blood pressure. Changes in other monitored blood chemistry values were without clinical importance. Conclusion Four weeks treatment with fructose containing VLCD of obese subjects preparing for bariatric surgery gave a substantial weight reduction without any significant negative metabolic effects. PMID:25069603

  2. Artificial sweeteners as a sugar substitute: Are they really safe?

    PubMed Central

    Sharma, Arun; Amarnath, S.; Thulasimani, M.; Ramaswamy, S.

    2016-01-01

    Nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS) have become an important part of everyday life and are increasingly used nowadays in a variety of dietary and medicinal products. They provide fewer calories and far more intense sweetness than sugar-containing products and are used by a plethora of population subsets for varying objectives. Six of these agents (aspartame, saccharine, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame-K, and stevia) have previously received a generally recognized as safe status from the United States Food and Drug Administration, and two more (Swingle fruit extract and advantame) have been added in the recent years to this ever growing list. They are claimed to promote weight loss and deemed safe for consumption by diabetics; however, there is inconclusive evidence to support most of their uses and some recent studies even hint that these earlier established benefits regarding NNS use might not be true. There is a lack of properly designed randomized controlled studies to assess their efficacy in different populations, whereas observational studies often remain confounded due to reverse causality and often yield opposite findings. Pregnant and lactating women, children, diabetics, migraine, and epilepsy patients represent the susceptible population to the adverse effects of NNS-containing products and should use these products with utmost caution. The overall use of NNS remains controversial, and consumers should be amply informed about the potential risks of using them, based on current evidence-based dietary guidelines. PMID:27298490

  3. Transformation of acesulfame in chlorination: Kinetics study, identification of byproducts, and toxicity assessment.

    PubMed

    Li, Adela Jing; Wu, Pengran; Law, Japhet Cheuk-Fung; Chow, Chi-Hang; Postigo, Cristina; Guo, Ying; Leung, Kelvin Sze-Yin

    2017-06-15

    Acesulfame (ACE) is one of the most commonly used artificial sweeteners. Because it is not metabolized in the human gut, it reaches the aquatic environment unchanged. In the present study, the reactivity of ACE in free chlorine-containing water was investigated for the first time. The degradation of ACE was found to follow pseudo-first-order kinetics. The first-order rate increased with decreasing pH from 9.4 to 4.8 with estimated half-lives from 693 min to 2 min. Structural elucidation of the detected transformation products (TPs) was performed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Integration of MS/MS fragments, isotopic pattern and exact mass allowed the characterization of up to 5 different TPs in the ultrapure water extracts analyzed, including two proposed new chlorinated compounds reported for the first time. Unexpectedly, several known and regulated disinfection by-products (DBPs) were present in the ACE chlorinated solution. In addition, two of the six DBPs are proposed as N-DBPs. Time-course profiles of ACE and the identified by-products in tap water and wastewater samples were followed in order to simulate the actual disinfection process. Tap water did not significantly affect degradation, but wastewater did; it reacted with the ACE to produce several brominated-DBPs. A preliminary assessment of chlorinated mixtures by luminescence inhibition of Vibrio fischeri showed that these by-products were up to 1.8-fold more toxic than the parent compound. The generation of these DBPs, both regulated and not, representing enhanced toxicity, make chlorine disinfection a controversial treatment for ACE. Further efforts are urgently needed to both assess the consequences of current water treatment processes on ACE and to develop new processes that will safely treat ACE. Human health and the health of our aquatic ecosystems are at stake. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Prooxidative effects of aspartame on antioxidant defense status in erythrocytes of rats.

    PubMed

    Prokic, Marko D; Paunovic, Milica G; Matic, Milos M; Djordjevic, Natasa Z; Ognjanovic, Branka I; Stajn, Andras S; Saicic, Zorica S

    2014-12-01

    Since aspartame (L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester, ASP) is one of the most widely used artificial sweeteners, the aim of the present study was to investigate its effects on serum glucose and lipid levels as well as its effects on oxidative/antioxidative status in erythrocytes of rats. The experiment included two groups of animals: the control group was administered with water only, while the experimental group was orally administered with ASP (40 mg/kg b.w.) daily, for a period of six weeks. When compared with the control group, the group administrated with ASP indicated higher values of serum glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides. Significantly increased concentrations of superoxide anion (O2 .-), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), peroxynitrite (?N??-) and lipid peroxides (LPO) were recorded in the erythrocytes of ASP treated group in comparison to the control group. In the course of chronic ASP administration, the following was observed: the concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) and the activity of catalase (CAT) increased. Thus, these findings suggest that long-term consumption of ASP leads to hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia, as well as to oxidative stress in erythrocytes.

  5. Aspartame administered in feed, beginning prenatally through life span, induces cancers of the liver and lung in male Swiss mice.

    PubMed

    Soffritti, Morando; Belpoggi, Fiorella; Manservigi, Marco; Tibaldi, Eva; Lauriola, Michelina; Falcioni, Laura; Bua, Luciano

    2010-12-01

    Aspartame (APM) is a well-known intense artificial sweetener used in more than 6,000 products. Among the major users of aspartame are children and women of childbearing age. In previous lifespan experiments conducted on Sprague-Dawley rats we have shown that APM is a carcinogenic agent in multiple sites and that its effects are increased when exposure starts from prenatal life. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential of APM to induce carcinogenic effects in mice. Six groups of 62-122 male and female Swiss mice were treated with APM in feed at doses of 32,000, 16,000, 8,000, 2,000, or 0  ppm from prenatal life (12 days of gestation) until death. At death each animal underwent complete necropsy and all tissues and organs of all animals in the experiment were microscopically examined. APM in our experimental conditions induces in males a significant dose-related increased incidence of hepatocellular carcinomas (P < 0.01), and a significant increase at the dose levels of 32,000  ppm (P < 0.01) and 16,000  ppm (P < 0.05). Moreover, the results show a significant dose-related increased incidence of alveolar/bronchiolar carcinomas in males (P < 0.05), and a significant increase at 32,000  ppm (P < 0.05). The results of the present study confirm that APM is a carcinogenic agent in multiple sites in rodents, and that this effect is induced in two species, rats (males and females) and mice (males). No carcinogenic effects were observed in female mice. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:1197-1206, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  6. Occurrence and fate of the angiotensin II receptor antagonist transformation product valsartan acid in the water cycle--a comparative study with selected β-blockers and the persistent anthropogenic wastewater indicators carbamazepine and acesulfame.

    PubMed

    Nödler, Karsten; Hillebrand, Olav; Idzik, Krzysztof; Strathmann, Martin; Schiperski, Ferry; Zirlewagen, Johannes; Licha, Tobias

    2013-11-01

    The substantial transformation of the angiotensin II receptor antagonist valsartan to the transformation product 2'-(2H-tetrazol-5-yl)-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4-carboxylic acid (referred to as valsartan acid) during the activated sludge process was demonstrated in the literature and confirmed in the here presented study. However, there was a severe lack of knowledge regarding the occurrence and fate of this compound in surface water and its behavior during drinking water treatment. In this work a comparative study on the occurrence and persistency of valsartan acid, three frequently used β-blockers (metoprolol, atenolol, and sotalol), atenolol acid (one significant transformation product of atenolol and metoprolol), and the two widely distributed persistent anthropogenic wastewater indicators carbamazepine and acesulfame in raw sewage, treated wastewater, surface water, groundwater, and tap water is presented. Median concentrations of valsartan acid in the analyzed matrices were 101, 1,310, 69, <1.0, and 65 ng L(-1), respectively. Treated effluents from wastewater treatment plants were confirmed as significant source. Regarding concentration levels of pharmaceutical residues in surface waters valsartan acid was found just as relevant as the analyzed β-blockers and the anticonvulsant carbamazepine. Regarding its persistency in surface waters it was comparable to carbamazepine and acesulfame. Furthermore, removal of valsartan acid during bank filtration was poor, which demonstrated the relevance of this compound for drinking water suppliers. Regarding drinking water treatment (Muelheim Process) the compound was resistant to ozonation but effectively eliminated (≥90%) by subsequent activated carbon filtration. However, without applying activated carbon filtration the compound may enter the drinking water distribution system as it was demonstrated for Berlin tap water. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Evaluation of certain food additives and contaminants.

    PubMed

    2001-01-01

    This report represents the conclusions of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee convened to evaluate the safety of various food additives and contaminants, with a view to recommending Acceptable Daily Intakes (ADIs) and tolerable intakes, respectively, and to prepare specifications for the identity and purity of food additives. The first part of the report contains a general discussion of the principles governing the toxicological evaluation of food additives and contaminants (including flavouring agents), and the establishment and revision of specifications. A summary follows of the Committee's evaluations of toxicological data on various specific food additives (furfural, paprika oleoresin, caramel colour II, cochineal extract, carmines, aspartame-acesulfame salt, D-tagatose, benzoyl peroxide, nitrous oxide, stearyl tartrate and trehalose), flavouring agents and contaminants (cadmium and tin), and of intake data on calcium from calcium salts of food additives. Annexed to the report are tables summarizing the Committee's recommendations for ADIs of the food additives and tolerable intakes of the contaminants considered, changes in the status of specifications of these food additives and specific flavouring agents, and further information required or desired.

  8. Noncaloric Sweeteners in Children: A Controversial Theme

    PubMed Central

    Escobar Contreras, Ma. Cristina; Rojas Gómez, Diana; de Assis Costa, Jorge

    2018-01-01

    Noncaloric sweeteners (NCS) are food additives used to provide sweetness without adding calories. Their consumption has become more widespread around the world in all age groups, including children. The aim of this study is to show the state of the art about the intake of noncaloric sweeteners in children, as well as their benefits and consumption risk. Scientific searchers were used (PUBMED, Scopus, and Scielo) to analyze articles that included keywords (noncaloric sweeteners/saccharin/cyclamate/acesulfame potassium/aspartame/sucralose/stevia/children) in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Authors conclude that it is imperative that health professionals judiciously and individually evaluate the overall benefits and risks of NCS use in consumers before recommending their use. Different subgroups of the population incorporate products containing NCS in their diet with different objectives, which should be considered when recommending a diet plan for the consumer. In childhood, in earlier age groups, this type of additives should be used as a dietary alternative when other forms of prevention in obesity are not sufficient. PMID:29511682

  9. Enzymatic catalysis of formation of Z-aspartame in ionic liquid - An alternative to enzymatic catalysis in organic solvents.

    PubMed

    Erbeldinger, M; Mesiano, A J; Russell, A J

    2000-01-01

    We present the first report of enzymatic catalysis in an ionic liquid. The virtually nonexistent vapor pressure makes ionic liquids an exciting new alternative for enzyme-catalyzed syntheses in environmentally friendly environments. Z-aspartame was synthesized in a thermolysin-catalyzed reaction of carbobenzoxy-L-aspartate and L-phenylalanine methyl ester hydrochloride in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BP6). Ionic liquids such as BP6 are thermally stable and have a remarkable range of temperatures over which they remain liquid (300 degrees C). With an initial rate of 1.2 +/- 0.1 nmol min(-)(1) mg(-)(1), we observed a competitive rate in comparison to that of enzymatic synthesis in organic solvent. Additionally, the enzyme exhibits outstanding stability, which would normally require immobilization.

  10. Application of Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry To Determine Urinary Concentrations of Five Commonly Used Low-Calorie Sweeteners: A Novel Biomarker Approach for Assessing Recent Intakes?

    PubMed

    Logue, Caomhan; Dowey, Le Roy C; Strain, J J; Verhagen, Hans; McClean, Stephen; Gallagher, Alison M

    2017-06-07

    Although the use of low-calorie sweeteners (LCSs) is widespread, methods of assessing consumption within free-living populations have inherent limitations. Five commonly consumed LCSs, namely, acesulfame-K, saccharin, sucralose, cyclamate, and steviol glycosides, are excreted via the urine, and therefore a urinary biomarker approach may provide more objective LCS intake data. A LC-ESI-MS/MS method of simultaneously determining acesulfame-K, saccharin, sucralose, cyclamate, and the excretory metabolite of steviol glycosides, steviol glucuronide, in human urine was developed and validated. Linearity was observed over a concentration range of 10-1000 ng/mL with coefficients of determination ranging from 0.9969 to 0.9997. Accuracy ranged from 92 to 104%, and intrabatch and interday precisions were within acceptable limits with %CV below 8% for all compounds. A double-blind, randomized crossover dose-response study was conducted to assess the usefulness of urinary LCS excretions (from both fasting spot and a full 24-h urine collection) for investigating recent intakes. Both modes of sampling were useful for distinguishing between the three short-term intakes of acesulfame-K, saccharin, cyclamates, and steviol glycosides (p < 0.001), whereas for sucralose, urinary concentrations were useful for distinguishing between low (0.1% ADI) and high doses (10% ADI) only (p < 0.001). In summary, this biomarker approach may be useful for assessing intakes of five commonly consumed LCSs.

  11. A hydro/organo/hybrid gelator: a peptide lipid with turning aspartame head groups.

    PubMed

    Mukai, Masaru; Minamikawa, Hiroyuki; Aoyagi, Masaru; Asakawa, Masumi; Shimizu, Toshimi; Kogiso, Masaki

    2013-04-01

    This work presents a novel bola-type peptide lipid which can gelate water, organic solvents, and water/organic-solvent mixtures. In its molecular structure, an amphiphilic dipeptide aspartame (L-α-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester) is connected at both ends of an alkylene linker. The different morphologies in the hydrogel (helical nanotapes) and the organogel (tape-like nanostructures) were visualized by energy-filtering transmission electron microscopy (EF-TEM) and energy-filtering scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and the molecular arrangement was examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Possessing a hydrophilic aspartic acid group and a (relatively) hydrophobic phenylalanine methyl ester group, the dipeptide head group can turn about in response to solvent polarity. As a consequence, the solvent condition changed the molecular packing of the gelator and affected the overall supramolecular structure of the gel. It is noted that the peptide lipid gelated mixed solvents of water and organic solvents such as dichloromethane, liquid-paraffin, olive-oil, silicone-oils, and so on. The present hybrid gel can simultaneously hold hydrophilic and hydrophobic functional materials. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Biodegradation of the artificial sweetener acesulfame in biological wastewater treatment and sandfilters.

    PubMed

    Castronovo, Sandro; Wick, Arne; Scheurer, Marco; Nödler, Karsten; Schulz, Manoj; Ternes, Thomas A

    2017-03-01

    A considerable removal of the artificial sweetener acesulfame (ACE) was observed during activated sludge processes at 13 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as well as in a full-scale sand filter of a water works. A long-term sampling campaign over a period of almost two years revealed that ACE removal in WWTPs can be highly variable over time. Nitrifying/denitrifying sequencing batch reactors (SBR) as well as aerobic batch experiments with activated sludge and filter sand from a water works confirmed that both activated sludge as well as filter sand can efficiently remove ACE and that the removal can be attributed to biologically mediated degradation processes. The lab results strongly indicated that varying ACE removal in WWTPs is not associated with nitrification processes. Neither an enhancement of the nitrification rate nor the availability of ammonium or the inhibition of ammonium monooxygenase by N-allylthiourea (ATU) affected the degradation. Moreover, ACE was found to be also degradable by activated sludge under denitrifying conditions, while being persistent in the absence of both dissolved oxygen and nitrate. Using ion chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry, sulfamic acid (SA) was identified as the predominant transformation product (TP). Quantitative analysis of ACE and SA revealed a closed mass balance during the entire test period and confirmed that ACE was quantitatively transformed to SA. Measurements of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) revealed an almost complete removal of the carbon originating from ACE, thereby further confirming that SA is the only relevant final TP in the assumed degradation pathway of ACE. A first analysis of SA in three municipal WWTP revealed similar concentrations in influents and effluents with maximum concentrations of up to 2.3 mg/L. The high concentrations of SA in wastewater are in accordance with the extensive use of SA in acid cleaners, while the degradation of ACE in WWTPs adds only a very

  13. Frozen yogurt with added inulin and isomalt.

    PubMed

    Isik, U; Boyacioglu, D; Capanoglu, E; Erdil, D Nilufer

    2011-04-01

    The objective of this study was to produce a frozen yogurt containing low fat and no added sugar. Samples containing 5% polydextrose, 0.065% aspartame and acesulfame-K mixture, and different levels of inulin and isomalt (5.0, 6.5, and 8.0%) were produced at pilot scale and analyzed for their physical and chemical properties including proximate composition, viscosity, acidity, overrun, melting rate, heat shock stability, as well as sensory characteristics, and viability of lactic acid bacteria. With the addition of inulin and isomalt, viscosity increased by 19 to 52% compared with that of sample B (reduced-fat control). The average calorie values of samples substituted with sweeteners were about 43% lower than that of original sample. Low-calorie frozen yogurt samples melted about 33 to 48% slower than the reduced-fat control sample at 45 min. Based on quantitative descriptive profile test results, statistically significant differences among products were observed for hardness, iciness, foamy melting, whey separation, and sweetness characteristics. The results of principal component analysis showed that the sensory properties of the sample containing 6.5% inulin and 6.5% isomalt were similar to those of control. Lactic acid bacteria counts of frozen yogurt were found to be between 8.12 and 8.49 log values, 3 mo after the production. The overall results showed that it is possible to produce an attractive frozen yogurt product with the incorporation of inulin and isomalt with no added sugar and reduced fat. Copyright © 2011 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Comparison of hydrophilic interaction and reversed phase liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of eight artificial sweeteners and common steviol glycosides in popular beverages.

    PubMed

    Kubica, Paweł; Namieśnik, Jacek; Wasik, Andrzej

    2016-08-05

    Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was used to separate artificial and natural sweeteners approved for use in European Union (EU). Among three tested HILIC columns (BlueOrchid PAL-HILIC, Ascentis Express Si and Acclaim™ Trinity™ P2) the last one was selected for the development of HILIC method due to the best results obtained with it. Early eluting and coeluting compounds in HILIC (acesulfame-K, saccharin, cyclamate, sucralose and aspartame) were successfully separated by the HILIC-based approach for the first time. The developed HILIC method allows for determination of all high potency sweeteners in one analytical run. The calibration curves for all analytes had good linearity within the tested ranges. The limits of detection and quantitation were in the range 0.81-3.30ng/mL and 2.32-9.89ng/mL, respectively. The obtained recoveries used for trueness and precision estimation were from 98.6% to 106.2% with standard deviation less than 4.1%. Sample preparation was reduced to a necessary minimum and contained only proper dilution and centrifugation. More than twenty samples of beverages were analyzed with the developed HILIC method. Finally, the chromatographic parameters of peaks (reduced retention time, width at baseline, width at 50% of peak height, tailing factor and efficiency) obtained in HILIC mode and in RPLC mode were compared. Developed HILIC method along with RPLC method can be applied for rapid evaluation of sweeteners' content, quality and safety control. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Dietary intake of four artificial sweeteners by Irish pre-school children.

    PubMed

    Martyn, Danika M; Nugent, Anne P; McNulty, Breige A; O'Reilly, Emer; Tlustos, Christina; Walton, Janette; Flynn, Albert; Gibney, Michael J

    2016-01-01

    In spite of rigorous pre- and post-market reviews of safety, there remains a high level of debate regarding the use of artificial sweeteners in foods. Young children are of particular interest when assessing food chemical exposure as a result of their unique food consumption patterns and comparatively higher exposure to food chemicals on a body weight basis when compared with the general population. The present study examined the intakes of four intense sweeteners (acesulfame K, aspartame, saccharin, sucralose) in the diets of children aged 1-4 years using food consumption and sweetener presence data from the Irish National Pre-school Nutrition Survey (2010-11) and analytical data for sweetener concentration in foods obtained from a national testing programme. Four exposure assessment scenarios were conducted using the available data on sweetener occurrence and concentration. The results demonstrated that the mean daily intakes for all four sweeteners were below the acceptable daily intake (ADI) (17-31%), even considering the most conservative assumptions regarding sweetener presence and concentration. High consumer intakes (P95) were also below the ADI for the four sweeteners when more realistic estimates of exposure were considered. Both sweetener occurrence and concentration data had a considerable effect on reducing the estimated intake values, with a combined reduction in intakes of 95% when expressed as a proportion of the ADI. Flavoured drinks were deemed to be a key contributor to artificial sweetener intakes in this population cohort. It was concluded that there is no health risk to Irish pre-school children at current dietary intake levels of the sweeteners studied.

  16. The effect of five artificial sweeteners on Caco-2, HT-29 and HEK-293 cells.

    PubMed

    van Eyk, Armorel Diane

    2015-01-01

    Artificial sweeteners (AS) have been associated with tumor development (including colon cancer) in both animals and humans although evidence has been conflicting. Additional research was thus conducted by studying the effects of 5 AS on the morphology, cell proliferation and DNA in cells by utilizing Caco-2, HT-29 (colon) and HEK-293 (kidney) cell lines. Cells were exposed to sodium cyclamate, sodium saccharin, sucralose and acesulfame-K (0-50 mM) and aspartame (0-35 mM) over 24, 48 and 72 hours. Morphological changes were presented photographically and % cell viability was determined by using the MTT cell viability assay. Possible DNA damage (comet assay) induced by the AS (0.1, 1 and 10 mM, treated for 24, 48 and 72 hours) was studied. The appearance of "comets" was scored from no damage to severe damage (0-4). Cells became flatter and less well defined at higher AS concentrations (>10 mM). At concentrations >10 mM, decreased cell viability was noted with both increasing concentration and increasing incubation time for all cell lines tested. In general, HEK-293 cells seemed to be less affected then the colon cancer cells. Sucralose and sodium saccharin seemed to elicit the greatest degree of DNA fragmentation of all the sweeteners tested in all the cell lines used. Morphological cell alterations, cell viability and DNA fragmentation seemed to be more in the colon cancer cells. Further studies have to be performed to clarify mechanisms involved causing these alterations in mammalian cells.

  17. Reaction kinetics and efficiencies for the hydroxyl and sulfate radical based oxidation of artificial sweeteners in water.

    PubMed

    Toth, Janie E; Rickman, Kimberly A; Venter, Andre R; Kiddle, James J; Mezyk, Stephen P

    2012-10-11

    Over the past several decades, the increased use of artificial sweeteners as dietary supplements has resulted in rising concentrations of these contaminants being detected in influent waters entering treatment facilities. As conventional treatments may not quantitatively remove these sweeteners, radical-based advanced oxidation and reduction (AO/RP) treatments could be a viable alternative. In this study, we have established the reaction kinetics for both hydroxyl ((•)OH) and sulfate (SO(4)(•-)) radical reaction with five common artificial sweeteners, as well as their associated reaction efficiencies. Rate constants for acesulfame K, aspartame, rebaudioside A, saccharin, and sucralose were <2 × 10(7), (2.28 ± 0.02) × 10(9), (2.1 ± 0.1) × 10(8), <2 × 10(7), and (1.7 ± 0.1) × 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) for the sulfate radical, and (3.80 ± 0.27) × 10(9), (6.06 ± 0.05) × 10(9), (9.97 ± 0.12) × 10(9), (1.85 ± 0.01) × 10(9), and (1.50 ± 0.01) × 10(9) M(-1) s(-1) for the hydroxyl radical, respectively. These latter values have to be combined with their corresponding reaction efficiencies of 67.9 ± 0.9, 52.2 ± 0.7, 43.0 ± 2.5, 52.7 ± 2.9, and 98.3 ± 3.5% to give effective rate constants for the hydroxyl radical reaction that can be used in the modeling of the AOP based removal of these contaminants.

  18. Removal of artificial sweetener aspartame from aqueous media by electrochemical advanced oxidation processes.

    PubMed

    Lin, Heng; Oturan, Nihal; Wu, Jie; Sharma, Virender K; Zhang, Hui; Oturan, Mehmet A

    2017-01-01

    The degradation and mineralization of aspartame (ASP) in aqueous solution were investigated, for the first time, by electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) in which hydroxyl radicals were formed concomitantly in the bulk from Fenton reaction via in situ electrogenerated Fenton's reagent and at the anode surface from the water oxidation. Experiments were performed in an undivided cylindrical glass cell with a carbon-felt cathode and a Pt or boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode. The effect of Fe 2+ concentration and applied current on the degradation and mineralization kinetics of ASP was evaluated. The absolute rate constant for the reaction between ASP and OH was determined as (5.23 ± 0.02) × 10 9  M -1  s -1 by using the competition kinetic method. Almost complete mineralization of ASP was achieved with BDD anode at 200 mA constant current electrolysis. The formation and generation of the formed carboxylic acids (as ultimate end products before complete mineralization) and released inorganic ion were monitored by ion-exclusion high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ion chromatography techniques, respectively. The global toxicity of the treated ASP solution during treatment was assessed by the Microtox ® method using V. fischeri bacteria luminescence inhibition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Emission of artificial sweeteners, select pharmaceuticals, and personal care products through sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants in Korea.

    PubMed

    Subedi, Bikram; Lee, Sunggyu; Moon, Hyo-Bang; Kannan, Kurunthachalam

    2014-07-01

    Concern over the occurrence of artificial sweeteners (ASWs) as well as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the environment is growing, due to their high use and potential adverse effects on non-target organisms. The data for this study are drawn from a nationwide survey of ASWs in sewage sludge from 40 representative wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) that receive domestic (WWTPD), industrial (WWTPI), or mixed (domestic plus industrial; WWTPM) wastewaters in Korea. Five ASWs (concentrations ranged from 7.08 to 5220 ng/g dry weight [dw]) and ten PPCPs (4.95-6930 ng/g dw) were determined in sludge. Aspartame (concentrations ranged from 28.4 to 5220 ng/g dw) was determined for the first time in sewage sludge. The median concentrations of ASWs and PPCPs in sludge from domestic WWTPs were 0.8-2.5 and 1.0-3.4 times, respectively, the concentrations found in WWTPs that receive combined domestic and industrial wastewaters. Among the five ASWs analyzed, the median environmental emission rates of aspartame through domestic WWTPs (both sludge and effluent discharges combined) were calculated to be 417 μg/capita/day, followed by sucralose (117 μg/capita/day), acesulfame (90 μg/capita/day), and saccharin (66μg/capita/day). The per-capita emission rates of select PPCPs, such as antimicrobials (triclocarban: 158 μg/capita/day) and analgesics (acetaminophen: 59 μg/capita/day), were an order of magnitude higher than those calculated for antimycotic (miconazole) and anthelmintic (thiabendazole) drugs analyzed in this study. Multiple linear regression analysis of measured concentrations of ASWs and PPCPs in sludge revealed that several WWTP parameters, such as treatment capacity, population-served, sludge production rate, and hydraulic retention time could influence the concentrations found in sludge. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. An EPR study on tea: Identification of paramagnetic species, effect of heat and sweeteners

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bıyık, Recep; Tapramaz, Recep

    2009-10-01

    Tea ( Camellia Sinensis) is the most widely consumed beverage in the world, and is known to be having therapeutic, antioxidant and nutritional effects. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectral studies made on the tea cultivated along the shore of Black Sea, Turkey, show Mn 2+ and Fe 3+ centers in green tea leaves and in black tea extract. Dry black tea flakes and dry extract show additional sharp line attributed to semiquinone radical. The origins of the paramagnetic species in black tea are defined and discussed. Effect of humidity and heat are investigated. It is observed that dry extract of black tea melts at 100 °C and the semiquinone radical lives up to 140 °C while Mn 2+ sextet disappears just above 100 °C in tea extract. Natural and synthetics sweeteners have different effects on the paramagnetic centers. White sugar (sucrose) quenches the Mn 2+ and semiquinone lines in black tea EPR spectrum, and glucose, fructose, lactose and maltose quench Fe 3+ line while synthetic sweeteners acesulfam potassium, aspartame and sodium saccharine do not have any effect on paramagnetic species in tea.

  1. An EPR study on tea: identification of paramagnetic species, effect of heat and sweeteners.

    PubMed

    Biyik, Recep; Tapramaz, Recep

    2009-10-15

    Tea (Camellia Sinensis) is the most widely consumed beverage in the world, and is known to be having therapeutic, antioxidant and nutritional effects. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectral studies made on the tea cultivated along the shore of Black Sea, Turkey, show Mn(2+) and Fe(3+) centers in green tea leaves and in black tea extract. Dry black tea flakes and dry extract show additional sharp line attributed to semiquinone radical. The origins of the paramagnetic species in black tea are defined and discussed. Effect of humidity and heat are investigated. It is observed that dry extract of black tea melts at 100 degrees C and the semiquinone radical lives up to 140 degrees C while Mn(2+) sextet disappears just above 100 degrees C in tea extract. Natural and synthetics sweeteners have different effects on the paramagnetic centers. White sugar (sucrose) quenches the Mn(2+) and semiquinone lines in black tea EPR spectrum, and glucose, fructose, lactose and maltose quench Fe(3+) line while synthetic sweeteners acesulfam potassium, aspartame and sodium saccharine do not have any effect on paramagnetic species in tea.

  2. [A rapid dialysis method for analysis of artificial sweeteners in food].

    PubMed

    Tahara, Shoichi; Fujiwara, Takushi; Yasui, Akiko; Hayafuji, Chieko; Kobayashi, Chigusa; Uematsu, Yoko

    2014-01-01

    A simple and rapid dialysis method was developed for the extraction and purification of four artificial sweeteners, namely, sodium saccharin (Sa), acesulfame potassium (AK), aspartame (APM), and dulcin (Du), which are present in various foods. Conventional dialysis uses a membrane dialysis tube approximately 15 cm in length and is carried out over many hours owing to the small membrane area and owing to inefficient mixing. In particular, processed cereal products such as cookies required treatment for 48 hours to obtain satisfactory recovery of the compounds. By increasing the tube length to 55 cm and introducing efficient mixing by inversion at half-hour intervals, the dialysis times of the four artificial sweeteners, spiked at 0.1 g/kg in the cookie, were shortened to 4 hours. Recovery yields of 88.9-103.2% were obtained by using the improved method, whereas recovery yields were low (65.5-82.0%) by the conventional method. Recovery yields (%) of Sa, AK, APM, and Du, spiked at 0.1 g/kg in various foods, were 91.6-100.1, 93.9-100.1, 86.7-100.0 and 88.7-104.7 using the improved method.

  3. Application of dispersive solid-phase extraction and ultra-fast liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry in food additive residue analysis of red wine.

    PubMed

    Chen, Xiao-Hong; Zhao, Yong-Gang; Shen, Hao-Yu; Jin, Mi-Cong

    2012-11-09

    A novel and effective dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE) procedure with rapid magnetic separation using ethylenediamine-functionalized magnetic polymer as an adsorbent was developed. The new procedure had excellent clean-up ability for the selective removal of the matrix in red wine. An accurate, simple, and rapid analytical method using ultra-fast liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (UFLC-MS/MS) for the simultaneous determination of nine food additives (i.e., acesulfame, saccharin, sodium cyclamate, aspartame, benzoic acid, sorbic acid, stevioside, dehydroacetic acid, and neotame) in red wine was also used and validated. Recoveries ranging from 78.5% to 99.2% with relative standard deviations ranging from 0.46% to 6.3% were obtained using the new method. All target compounds showed good linearities in the tested range with correlation coefficients (r) higher than 0.9993. The limits of quantification for the nine food additives were between 0.10 μg/L and 50.0 μg/L. The proposed dSPE-UFLC-MS/MS method was successfully applied in the food-safety risk monitoring of real red wine in Zhejiang Province, China. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Performance of conventional multi-barrier drinking water treatment plants for the removal of four artificial sweeteners.

    PubMed

    Scheurer, Marco; Storck, Florian R; Brauch, Heinz-J; Lange, Frank T

    2010-06-01

    Due to incomplete removal of artificial sweeteners in wastewater treatment plants some of these compounds end up in receiving surface waters, which are used for drinking water production. The sum of removal efficiency of single treatment steps in multi-barrier treatment systems affects the concentrations of these compounds in the provided drinking water. This is the first systematic study revealing the effectiveness of single treatment steps in laboratory experiments and in waterworks. Six full-scale waterworks using surface water influenced raw water were sampled up to ten times to study the fate of acesulfame, saccharin, cyclamate and sucralose. For the most important treatment technologies the results were confirmed by laboratory batch experiments. Saccharin and cyclamate proved to play a minor role for drinking water treatment plants as they were eliminated by nearly 100% in all waterworks with biologically active treatment units like river bank filtration (RBF) or artificial groundwater recharge. Acesulfame and sucralose were not biodegraded during RBF and their suitability as wastewater tracers under aerobic conditions was confirmed. Sucralose proved to be persistent against ozone and its transformation was < 20% in lab and field investigations. Remaining traces were completely removed by subsequent granular activated carbon (GAC) filters. Acesulfame readily reacts with ozone (pseudo first-order rate constant k = 1.3 x 10(-3) s(-1) at 1 mg L(-1) ozone concentration). However, the applied ozone concentrations and contact times under typical waterworks conditions only led to an incomplete removal (18-60%) in the ozonation step. Acesulfame was efficiently removed by subsequent GAC filters with a low throughput of less than 30 m(3) kg(-1), but removal strongly depended on the GAC preload. Thus, acesulfame was detected up to 0.76 microg L(-1) in finished water. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of aspartame and its metabolites in foods.

    PubMed

    Gibbs, B F; Alli, I; Mulligan, C N

    1996-02-23

    A method for the determination of aspartame (N-L-alpha-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester) and its metabolites, applicable on a routine quality assurance basis, is described. Liquid samples (diet Coke, 7-Up, Pepsi, etc.) were injected directly onto a mini-cartridge reversed-phase column on a high-performance liquid chromatographic system, whereas solid samples (Equal, hot chocolate powder, pudding, etc.) were extracted with water. Optimising chromatographic conditions resulted in resolved components of interest within 12 min. The by-products were confirmed by mass spectrometry. Although the method was developed on a two-pump HPLC system fitted with a diode-array detector, it is straightforward and can be transformed to the simplest HPLC configuration. Using a single-piston pump (with damper), a fixed-wavelength detector and a recorder/integrator, the degradation of products can be monitored as they decompose. The results obtained were in harmony with previously reported tedious methods. The method is simple, rapid, quantitative and does not involve complex, hazardous or toxic chemistry.

  6. Development of a non-commercial sugar-free barbecue sauce

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The challenge has always been to be able to manufacture a sugar free sauce. A basic barbecue sauce formulation was used to make 5 sugar-free preparations combining selected levels of xanthan gum, modified waxy maize starch, sucralose, and acesulfame-K. Physical, chemical, microbial and sensory prope...

  7. The carcinogenic effects of aspartame: The urgent need for regulatory re-evaluation.

    PubMed

    Soffritti, Morando; Padovani, Michela; Tibaldi, Eva; Falcioni, Laura; Manservisi, Fabiana; Belpoggi, Fiorella

    2014-04-01

    Aspartame (APM) is an artificial sweetener used since the 1980s, now present in >6,000 products, including over 500 pharmaceuticals. Since its discovery in 1965, and its first approval by the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) in 1981, the safety of APM, and in particular its carcinogenicity potential, has been controversial. The present commentary reviews the adequacy of the design and conduct of carcinogenicity bioassays on rodents submitted by G.D. Searle, in the 1970s, to the FDA for market approval. We also review how experimental and epidemiological data on the carcinogenic risks of APM, that became available in 2005 motivated the European Commission (EC) to call the European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA) for urgent re-examination of the available scientific documentation (including the Searle studies). The EC has further requested that, if the results of the evaluation should suggest carcinogenicity, major changes must be made to the current APM specific regulations. Taken together, the studies performed by G.D. Searle in the 1970s and other chronic bioassays do not provide adequate scientific support for APM safety. In contrast, recent results of life-span carcinogenicity bioassays on rats and mice published in peer-reviewed journals, and a prospective epidemiological study, provide consistent evidence of APM's carcinogenic potential. On the basis of the evidence of the potential carcinogenic effects of APM herein reported, a re-evaluation of the current position of international regulatory agencies must be considered an urgent matter of public health. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Degradation of artificial sweeteners via direct and indirect photochemical reactions.

    PubMed

    Perkola, Noora; Vaalgamaa, Sanna; Jernberg, Joonas; Vähätalo, Anssi V

    2016-07-01

    We studied the direct and indirect photochemical reactivity of artificial sweeteners acesulfame, saccharin, cyclamic acid and sucralose in environm entally relevant dilute aqueous solutions. Aqueous solutions of sweeteners were irradiated with simulated solar radiation (>290 nm; 96 and 168 h) or ultraviolet radiation (UVR; up to 24 h) for assessing photochemical reactions in surface waters or in water treatment, respectively. The sweeteners were dissolved in deionised water for examination of direct photochemical reactions. Direct photochemical reactions degraded all sweeteners under UVR but only acesulfame under simulated solar radiation. Acesulfame was degraded over three orders of magnitude faster than the other sweeteners. For examining indirect photochemical reactions, the sweeteners were dissolved in surface waters with indigenous dissolved organic matter or irradiated with aqueous solutions of nitrate (1 mg N/L) and ferric iron (2.8 mg Fe/L) introduced as sensitizers. Iron enhanced the photodegradation rates but nitrate and dissolved organic matter did not. UVR transformed acesulfame into at least three products: iso-acesulfame, hydroxylated acesulfame and hydroxypropanyl sulfate. Photolytic half-life was one year for acesulfame and more than several years for the other sweeteners in surface waters under solar radiation. Our study shows that the photochemical reactivity of commonly used artificial sweeteners is variable: acesulfame may be sensitive to photodegradation in surface waters, while saccharin, cyclamic acid and sucralose degrade very slowly even under the energetic UVR commonly used in water treatment.

  9. Effect of dietary aspartame on plasma concentrations of phenylalanine and tyrosine in normal and homozygous phenylketonuric patients.

    PubMed

    Mackey, S A; Berlin, C M

    1992-07-01

    Six normal subjects each ingested a single 12-oz can of a diet cola (Diet Coke) providing 184 mg aspartame (APM), of which 104 mg is phenylalanine (Phe), and, on another occasion, a single 12-oz can of regular cola (Coke Classic). Neither cola significantly affected plasma concentrations of Phe or tyrosine over the three-hour postingestion study period. Each of five homozygous phenylketonuric (PKU) subjects (ages 11, 16, 17, 21, and 23 years) ingested a single 12-oz can of the same diet cola. In these five subjects (three with classic PKU and two with hyperphenylalinemia), the increase in plasma Phe concentrations varied from 0.26 mg/dL to 1.77 mg/dL two or three hours after ingestion (baseline levels, 5.04 to 17.2 mg/dL). Tyrosine concentrations did not differ significantly from baseline levels. The data indicate that ingestion of dietary Phe, as supplied in a single can of diet cola, is readily handled in both normal and PKU subjects. The small increases in plasma Phe concentrations in the homozygous PKU patients are not considered clinically significant.

  10. Sweetener preference of C57BL/6ByJ and 129P3/J mice

    PubMed Central

    Bachmanov, Alexander A.; Tordoff, Michael G.; Beauchamp, Gary K.

    2013-01-01

    Previous studies have shown large differences in taste responses to several sweeteners between mice from the C57BL/6ByJ (B6) and 129P3/J (129) inbred strains. The goal of this study was to compare behavioral responses of the B6 and 129 mice to a wider variety of sweeteners. Seventeen sweeteners were tested using two-bottle preference tests with water. Three main patterns of strain differences were evident. First, sucrose, maltose, saccharin, acesulfame, sucralose and SC-45647 were preferred by both strains, but the B6 mice had lower preference thresholds and higher solution intakes. Second, the amino acids D-phenylalanine, D-tryptophan, L-proline and glycine were highly preferred by the B6 mice, but not by the 129 mice. Third, glycyrrhizic acid, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, thaumatin and cyclamate did not evoke strong preferences in either strain. Aspartame was neutral to all 129 mice and some B6 mice, but other B6 mice strongly preferred it. Thus, compared with the 129 mice, the B6 mice had higher preferences for sugars, sweet-tasting amino acids and several but not all non-caloric sweeteners. Glycyrrhizic acid, neohesperidin, thaumatin and cyclamate are not palatable to B6 or 129 mice. PMID:11555485

  11. Direct large volume injection ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry determination of artificial sweeteners sucralose and acesulfame in well water.

    PubMed

    Wu, Minghuo; Qian, Yichao; Boyd, Jessica M; Hrudey, Steve E; Le, X Chris; Li, Xing-Fang

    2014-09-12

    Acesulfame (ACE) and sucralose (SUC) have become recognized as ideal domestic wastewater contamination indicators. Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) analysis is commonly used; however, the sensitivity of SUC is more than two orders of magnitude lower than that of ACE, limiting the routine monitoring of SUC. To address this issue, we examined the ESI behavior of both ACE and SUC under various conditions. ACE is ionic in aqueous solution and efficiently produces simple [M-H](-) ions, but SUC produces multiple adduct ions, limiting its sensitivity. The formic acid (FA) adducts of SUC [M+HCOO](-) are sensitively and reproducibly generated under the LC-MS conditions. When [M+HCOO](-) is used as the precursor ion for SUC detection, the sensitivity increases approximately 20-fold compared to when [M-H](-) is the precursor ion. To further improve the limit of detection (LOD), we integrated the large volume injection approach (500μL injection) with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), which reduced the method detection limit (MDL) to 0.2ng/L for ACE and 5ng/L for SUC. To demonstrate the applicability of this method, we analyzed 100 well water samples collected in Alberta. ACE was detected in 24 wells at concentrations of 1-1534ng/L and SUC in 8 wells at concentrations of 65-541ng/L. These results suggest that wastewater is the most likely source of ACE and SUC impacts in these wells, suggesting the need for monitoring the quality of domestic well water. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. [Modification of fasting blood glucose in adults with diabetes mellitus type 2 after regular soda and diet soda intake in the State of Querétaro, Mexico].

    PubMed

    Olalde-Mendoza, Liliana; Moreno-González, Yazmín Esmeralda

    2013-06-01

    The objective of the study was to compare the modification of fasting blood glucose in adults with diabetes mellitus type 2 after intake of regular soda and diet soda. We conducted a randomized clinical trial in clinics of Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social in Querétaro, México. We included 80 patients with diabetes (mean weight 74.2 +/- 13.66, BMI 30.5 +/- 4.305, waist 98.2 +/- 12.9 and time evolution of diabetes 3.8 +/- 3.009) who were asked to come with fasting for 8 hours and without taking any medicine before testing. They were divided into two groups of 40 subjects, to whom was measured fasting blood glucose after the ingestion of 200 ml of diet soda (with aspartame and acesulfame potassium) or regular soda (without sweetener) we measure glucose at 10, 15 and 30 minutes. For statistical analysis performed we used Student's t-test for dependent and independent samples, and paired t-test, and chi square test (chi2). Capillary glucose levels at 10 minutes were -34.52 and -25.41%, at 15 minutes -48.8 and -36.2% and at 30 minutes 57.75 and 43.6% of absolute and relative differences, with p = 0.000. In conclusion, according to the observations, diet soda doesn't increased blood glucose levels, with a significant difference in fasting decreased at 30 minutes.

  13. Biological fate of low-calorie sweeteners.

    PubMed

    Magnuson, Bernadene A; Carakostas, Michael C; Moore, Nadia H; Poulos, Sylvia P; Renwick, Andrew G

    2016-11-01

    With continued efforts to find solutions to rising rates of obesity and diabetes, there is increased interest in the potential health benefits of the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCSs). Concerns about safety often deter the use of LNCSs as a tool in helping control caloric intake, even though the safety of LNCS use has been affirmed by regulatory agencies worldwide. In many cases, an understanding of the biological fate of the different LNSCs can help health professionals to address safety concerns. The objectives of this review are to compare the similarities and differences in the chemistry, regulatory status, and biological fate (including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) of the commonly used LNCSs: acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharin, stevia leaf extract (steviol glycoside), and sucralose. Understanding the biological fate of the different LNCSs is helpful in evaluating whether reports of biological effects in animal studies or in humans are indicative of possible safety concerns. Illustrations of the usefulness of this information to address questions about LNCSs include discussion of systemic exposure to LNCSs, the use of sweetener combinations, and the potential for effects of LNCSs on the gut microflora. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Life Sciences Institute. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Neuroprotective and Ameliorating Impacts of Omega-3 Against Aspartame-induced Neuronal and Astrocytic Degeneration.

    PubMed

    Ali, Eyad M T; Sonpol, Hany M A

    2017-07-01

    Aspartame (ASP) is one of the commonest artificial sweetener used all over the world and considered as an extremely risky compound and raises a lot of controversy. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate cellular damage of the anterior horn cells in the spinal cord of albino male rats and the possibility of hindering these changes by using omega-3 (OM3).Thirty seven adult male albino rats were divided into three groups: Control, ASP-treated and ASP + OM3-treated groups. Spinal cord sections were prepared and stained with Hx&E, caspase-3 and GFAP immunostaining. All data were morphometrically and statistically analyzed. In ASP-treated group, the cell body of some degenerated neurons was swollen and its cytoplasm was vacuolated. Their nuclei were eccentric and pyknotic. Moreover, other neurons were of a heterogeneous pattern in the form of cell body shrinkage, loss of Nissl substance, intensely stained eosinophilic cytoplasm and a small darkly stained nucleus that may eventually fragment. However, the cells were apparently normal in ASP+ OM3-treated group. Strong +ve caspase-3 stained neurons were detected in ASP-treated group. Furthermore, the immunoreaction was faint on treating the rats with both ASP and OM3. Few number of +ve GFAP- stained astrocytes were observed in ASP-treated rats. On the other hand, the immunoreactivity for GFAP was found to be intense in the ASP + OM3-treated group. Additionally, there was a significant decrease in the surface area percentage of the +ve GFAP-stained astrocytes of the ASP-treated group compared to the control and the ASP + OM3-treated groups. Anat Rec, 300:1290-1298, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Sweet preference modified by early experience in mice and the related molecular modulations on the peripheral pathway.

    PubMed

    Li, Wei-Li; Chen, Meng-Ling; Liu, Si-Si; Li, Guo-Liang; Gu, Tian-Yuan; Liang, Pei; Qin, Yu-Mei; Zhan, Yue-Hua; Quan, Ying; Zhang, Gen-Hua

    2013-09-01

    The sweet taste is of immense interest to scientists and has been intensively studied during the last two decades. However, the sweet preference modification and the related mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, we try to establish a mice model with manipulated sweet taste preference and explore the involved possible molecular mechanisms. The animals were exposed to acesulfame-K via maternal milk during lactation and the sweet preference tests were carried out when they grew to adulthood. Our results showed that the preference thresholds for sweet taste were increased in adults by early acesulfame-K exposure and the preference ratios for sweet tastants at low or preferred concentrations were decreased. Moreover, by means of qRT-PCR and Western blot, we observed the increased expression of leptin receptor Ob-Rb and downregulation of Gα-gustducin protein in the soft palate. Thereby, the sweet taste sensitivity may be modified by early sweetener experience during lactation. Along the peripheral sweet sensory pathway, the sweet regulator receptors Ob-Rb, CB1 and components of sweet transduction signal Gα-gustducin and T1R2 in both the soft palate and tongue may be cooperatively involved in the plastic development of sweet taste.

  16. Ameliorative effect of Pimpinella anisum oil on immunohistochemical and ultrastuctural changes of cerebellum of albino rats induced by aspartame.

    PubMed

    Abdul-Hamid, Manal; Gallaly, Sanaa Rida

    2014-05-01

    The study aims to investigate the protective effect of Pimpinella anisum oil on aspartame (ASP) which resulted in cerebellar changes. The rats were divided into four equal groups: Group 1: (control group): served as control animals. Group 2: control P. anisum oil received .5 mL/kg/d/b wt. once daily. Group 3 (ASP group): received daily 250 mg/kg/b wt. of ASP dissolved in distilled water and given orally to the animals by intra-gastric tube for 2 months. Group 4: received .5 mL/kg/b wt. of prophylactic P. anisum oil once daily, followed by ASP after 2 h for 2 months. The histopathological approach revealed marked changes in the Purkinje cells, myleinated nerve fibers and granular cells of ASP-treated animals. Some of these cells appeared with deeply stained cytoplasm. Ultrastructural examination showed Purkinje cells with dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum and condensed mitochondria. Granular cells appeared with less c nuclei and surrounded by dissolution of most Mossy rosettes structures. Most myelinated nerve fibers showed thickening of myelinated sheath and others showed splitting of their myelin sheath. The histopathological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural alterations were much less observed in concomitant use of P. anisum oil with ASP. Cerebellar cortex is considered target areas of ASP neurotoxicity, while P. anisum oil, when used in combination with ASP displays a protective action against neurotoxicity.

  17. Southeast Asia Report.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-05-27

    with Aspertame (which is 180 times sweeter than sucrose), Acesulfam-K (which is a non-calorific intensely sweet organic salt) and high fructose corn ...The Defence Signals Directorate’s earlier antennas for intercepting and locating normal high -frequency transmissions have been improved at major...thrust of De- fence Minister Kim Beazley’s white pa- per. Australia has to be self-reliant. It has to maintain a high level of intelli- gence

  18. Safe excipient exposure in neonates and small children - protocol for the SEEN project.

    PubMed

    Valeur, Kristine Svinning; Hertel, Steen Axel; Lundstrøm, Kaare Engell; Holst, Helle

    2017-02-01

    The pharmacokinetics of excipients in neonates differs from that of older children. In a recent pan--European survey, two thirds of neonates received at least one potentially harmful excipient, such as ethanol and benzoates. The content of sweeteners varied by route of administration (more common by enteral than parenteral route), and regional differences were revealed. The survey did not identify if the content of excipients was more pronounced in medications prescribed for specific medical diseases, e.g. more common in cardiovascular conditions than lung diseases. Furthermore, the quantitative amount of e.g. ethanol in the multi-medicated neonate has not been investigated. The aim of the present study was to quantify the total amount of excipients administered to poly-medicated neonatal and paediatric patients during hospitalisation; and to investigate if any particular medical diseases are treated with potentially harmful excipients. This is a retrospective cohort study based on chart-audit on multi-medicated patients ≤ 5 years of age treated at the Rigshospitalet, Denmark. Preparations with ethanol, propylene glycol, benzyl alcohol, parabens, acesulfame p, aspartame, glycerol, sorbitol and polysorbate-80 will be recorded and cumulative amounts will be calculated. By quantifying the amount of harmful excipients to which paediatric patients are exposed, the study will contribute to a risk/benefit assessment of the medication standards of neonatal and paediatric patients. The Danish Council for Independent Research, grant-id: DFF - 6110-00266. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (reg. no. NCT02545712).

  19. Analysis of nine food additives in red wine by ion-suppression reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography using trifluoroacetic acid and ammonium acetate as ion-suppressors.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Yong-Gang; Chen, Xiao-Hong; Yao, Shan-Shan; Pan, Sheng-Dong; Li, Xiao-Ping; Jin, Mi-Cong

    2012-01-01

    A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of nine food additives, i.e., acesulfame, saccharin, caffeine, aspartame, benzoic acid, sorbic acid, stevioside, dehydroacetic acid and neotame in red wine. The effects of ion-suppressors, i.e., trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and ammonium acetate (AmAc) on retention behavior of nine food additives in RP-HPLC separation were discussed in detail. The relationships between retention factors of solutes and volume percent of ion-suppressors in the mobile-phase systems of acetonitrile-TFA aqueous solution and acetonitrile-TFA-AmAc aqueous solution were quantitatively established, respectively. The results showed that the ion suppressors had not only an ion suppression effect, but also an organic modification effect on the acidic analytes. The baseline separation of nine food additives was completed by a gradient elution with acetonitrile-TFA(0.01%, v/v)-AmAc(2.5 mmol L(-1)) aqueous solution as the mobile phase. The recoveries were between 80.2 - 99.5% for all analytes with RSDs in the range of 1.5 - 8.9%. The linearities were in the range of 0.2 - 100.0 mg L(-1) with determination coefficients (r(2)) higher than 0.9991 for all analytes. The limits of quantification (LOQs) were between 0.53 - 0.99 mg L(-1). The applicability of the proposed method to detect and quantify food additives has been demonstrated in the analysis of 30 real samples.

  20. Rate of atherosclerosis progression in ApoE-/- mice long after discontinuation of cola beverage drinking.

    PubMed

    Otero-Losada, Matilde; Cao, Gabriel; Mc Loughlin, Santiago; Rodríguez-Granillo, Gastón; Ottaviano, Graciela; Milei, José

    2014-01-01

    This study was conducted in order to evaluate the effect of cola beverages drinking on atherosclerosisand test the hypothesis whether cola beverages consumption at early life stages might affect the development and progression of atherosclerosis later in life. ApoE-/- C57BL/6J mice (8 week-old) were randomized in 3 groups (n = 20 each) according to free accessto water (W), sucrose sweetened carbonated cola drink(C) or aspartame-acesulfame K sweetened carbonated 'light' cola drink (L)for the next 8 weeks. Drinking treatment was ended by switching C and L groups to drinking water. Four mice per group and time were sequentially euthanized: before treatment (8 weeks-old), at the end of treatment (16 weeks-old) and after treatment discontinuation (20 weeks-old, 24 weeks-old, 30 week-old mice). Aortic roots and livers were harvested, processed for histology and serial cross-sections were stained. Aortic plaque area was analyzed and plaque/media-ratio was calculated. Early consumption of cola drinks accelerated atherosclerotic plaque progression favoring the interaction between macrophages and myofibroblasts, without the participation of either T lymphocytes or proliferative activity. Plaque/media-ratio varied according to drink treatment (F2,54 = 3.433, p<0.04) and mice age (F4,54 = 5.009, p<0.03) and was higher in C and L groups compared with age-matched W group (p<0.05 at 16 weeks and 20 weeks, p<0.01 at 24 weeks and 30 weeks). Natural evolution of atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- mice (W group) evidenced atherosclerosis acceleration in parallel with a rapid increase in liver inflammation around the 20 weeks of age. Cola drinking within the 8-16 weeks of age accelerated atherosclerosis progression in ApoE-/- mice favoring aortic plaque enlargement (inward remodeling) over media thinning all over the study time. Data suggest that cola drinking at early life stages may predispose to atherosclerosis progression later in life in ApoE-/- mice.

  1. Rate of Atherosclerosis Progression in ApoE−/− Mice Long After Discontinuation of Cola Beverage Drinking

    PubMed Central

    Otero-Losada, Matilde; Cao, Gabriel; Mc Loughlin, Santiago; Rodríguez-Granillo, Gastón; Ottaviano, Graciela; Milei, José

    2014-01-01

    This study was conducted in order to evaluate the effect of cola beverages drinking on atherosclerosisand test the hypothesis whether cola beverages consumption at early life stages might affect the development and progression of atherosclerosis later in life. ApoE−/− C57BL/6J mice (8 week-old) were randomized in 3 groups (n = 20 each) according to free accessto water (W), sucrose sweetened carbonated cola drink(C) or aspartame-acesulfame K sweetened carbonated ‘light’ cola drink (L)for the next 8 weeks. Drinking treatment was ended by switching C and L groups to drinking water. Four mice per group and time were sequentially euthanized: before treatment (8weeks-old), at the end of treatment (16 weeks-old) and after treatment discontinuation (20 weeks-old, 24 weeks-old, 30 week-old mice). Aortic roots and livers were harvested, processed for histology and serial cross-sections were stained. Aortic plaque area was analyzed and plaque/media-ratio was calculated. Early consumption of cola drinks accelerated atherosclerotic plaque progression favoring the interaction between macrophages and myofibroblasts, without the participation of either T lymphocytes or proliferative activity. Plaque/media-ratio varied according to drink treatment (F2,54 = 3.433, p<0.04) and mice age (F4,54 = 5.009, p<0.03) and was higher in C and L groups compared with age-matched W group (p<0.05 at 16 weeks and 20 weeks, p<0.01 at 24 weeks and 30 weeks). Natural evolution of atherosclerosis in ApoE−/− mice (W group) evidenced atherosclerosis acceleration in parallel with a rapid increase in liver inflammation around the 20 weeks of age. Cola drinking within the 8–16 weeks of age accelerated atherosclerosis progression in ApoE−/− mice favoring aortic plaque enlargement (inward remodeling) over media thinning all over the study time. Data suggest that cola drinking at early life stages may predispose to atherosclerosis progression later in life in ApoE−/− mice

  2. Life-Span Exposure to Low Doses of Aspartame Beginning during Prenatal Life Increases Cancer Effects in Rats

    PubMed Central

    Soffritti, Morando; Belpoggi, Fiorella; Tibaldi, Eva; Esposti, Davide Degli; Lauriola, Michelina

    2007-01-01

    Background In a previous study conducted at the Cesare Maltoni Cancer Research Center of the European Ramazzini Foundation (CMCRC/ERF), we demonstrated for the first time that aspartame (APM) is a multipotent carcinogenic agent when various doses are administered with feed to Sprague-Dawley rats from 8 weeks of age throughout the life span. Objective The aim of this second study is to better quantify the carcinogenic risk of APM, beginning treatment during fetal life. Methods We studied groups of 70–95 male and female Sprague-Dawley rats administered APM (2,000, 400, or 0 ppm) with feed from the 12th day of fetal life until natural death. Results Our results show a) a significant dose-related increase of malignant tumor–bearing animals in males (p < 0.01), particularly in the group treated with 2,000 ppm APM (p < 0.01); b) a significant increase in incidence of lymphomas/leukemias in males treated with 2,000 ppm (p < 0.05) and a significant dose-related increase in incidence of lymphomas/leukemias in females (p < 0.01), particularly in the 2,000-ppm group (p < 0.01); and c) a significant dose-related increase in incidence of mammary cancer in females (p < 0.05), particularly in the 2,000-ppm group (p < 0.05). Conclusions The results of this carcinogenicity bioassay confirm and reinforce the first experimental demonstration of APM’s multipotential carcinogenicity at a dose level close to the acceptable daily intake for humans. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that when life-span exposure to APM begins during fetal life, its carcinogenic effects are increased. PMID:17805418

  3. Persistence of artificial sweeteners in a 15-year-old septic system plume

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Robertson, W. D.; Van Stempvoort, D. R.; Solomon, D. K.; Homewood, J.; Brown, S. J.; Spoelstra, J.; Schiff, S. L.

    2013-01-01

    SummaryGroundwater contamination from constituents such as NO3-, often occurs where multiple sources are present making source identification difficult. This study examines a suite of major ions and trace organic constituents within a well defined septic system plume in southern Ontario, Canada (Long Point site) for their potential use as wastewater tracers. The septic system has been operating for 20 years servicing a large, seasonal-use campground and tritium/helium age dating indicates that the 200 m long monitored section of the plume is about 15 years old. Four parameters are elevated along the entire length of the plume as follows; the mean electrical conductivity value (EC) in the distal plume zone is 926 μS/cm which is 74% of the mean value below the tile bed, Na+ (14.7 mg/L) is 43%, an artificial sweetener, acesulfame (12.1 μg/L) is 23% and Cl- (71.5 mg/L) is 137%. EC and Cl- appear to be affected by dispersive dilution with overlying background groundwater that has lower EC but has locally higher Cl- as result of the use of a dust suppressant (CaCl2) in the campground. Na+, in addition to advective dilution, could be depleted by weak adsorption. Acesulfame, in addition to the above processes could be influenced by increasing consumer use in recent years. Nonetheless, both Na+ and acesulfame remain elevated throughout the plume by factors of more than 100 and 1000 respectively compared to background levels, and are strong indicators of wastewater impact at this site. EC and Cl- are less useful because their contrast with background values is much less (EC) or because other sources are present (Cl-). Nutrients (NO3-, NH4+, PO43-, K+) and pathogens (Escherichia coli) do not persist in the distal plume zone and are less useful as wastewater indicators here. The artificial sweetener, acesulfame, has persisted at high concentrations in the Long Point plume for at least 15 years (and this timing agrees with tritium/helium-3 dating) and this compound likely

  4. Artificial sweeteners as potential tracers in groundwater in urban environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Van Stempvoort, Dale R.; Roy, James W.; Brown, Susan J.; Bickerton, Greg

    2011-04-01

    SummaryThere is little information available on the prevalence of artificial sweeteners in groundwater, though these compounds may prove to be useful tracers of human wastewater, especially in urban settings with complex hydrology. In this study, the artificial sweetener acesulfame was detected in groundwater at all eight urban sites investigated (from five different urban areas in Canada), often at high concentrations (i.e., μg/L-scale). In a municipal wastewater plume at Jasper, Alberta, acesulfame was strongly correlated with chloride and was positively correlated with other wastewater-related contaminants indicating that this sweetener has potential to be a good tracer of young wastewater (<20 years residence time) in Canada. Three other artificial sweeteners were detected in urban groundwater: saccharin at six of the sites, sucralose at three sites, and cyclamate at five of seven sites where it was analyzed. The occurrence of sucralose may have been affected by its detection limit, which was much higher than for the other sweeteners. These results, and those of a parallel study, are the first reported detections of saccharin and cyclamate in groundwater, and suggest that these sweeteners may be more common than previously anticipated. In general, fewer samples from each site contained these other three sweeteners compared to acesulfame. At Barrie, Ontario, adjacent to an old landfill, the concentration of saccharin was higher than acesulfame in many samples. These results suggest that analyses of multiple sweeteners, rather than just acesulfame, may provide useful information on contaminant sources and groundwater conditions in urban settings. Further work is needed to address this potential use.

  5. Effects of aspartame-, monk fruit-, stevia- and sucrose-sweetened beverages on postprandial glucose, insulin and energy intake.

    PubMed

    Tey, S L; Salleh, N B; Henry, J; Forde, C G

    2017-03-01

    Substituting sweeteners with non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) may aid in glycaemic control and body weight management. Limited studies have investigated energy compensation, glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to artificial and natural NNS. This study compared the effects of consuming NNS (artificial versus natural) and sucrose (65 g) on energy intake, blood glucose and insulin responses. Thirty healthy male subjects took part in this randomised, crossover study with four treatments: aspartame-, monk fruit-, stevia- and sucrose-sweetened beverages. On each test day, participants were asked to consume a standardised breakfast in the morning, and they were provided with test beverage as a preload in mid-morning and ad libitum lunch was provided an hour after test beverage consumption. Blood glucose and insulin concentrations were measured every 15 min within the first hour of preload consumption and every 30 min for the subsequent 2 h. Participants left the study site 3 h after preload consumption and completed a food diary for the rest of the day. Ad libitum lunch intake was significantly higher for the NNS treatments compared with sucrose (P=0.010). The energy 'saved' from replacing sucrose with NNS was fully compensated for at subsequent meals; hence, no difference in total daily energy intake was found between the treatments (P=0.831). The sucrose-sweetened beverage led to large spikes in blood glucose and insulin responses within the first hour, whereas these responses were higher for all three NNS beverages following the test lunch. Thus, there were no differences in total area under the curve (AUC) for glucose (P=0.960) and insulin (P=0.216) over 3 h between the four test beverages. The consumption of calorie-free beverages sweetened with artificial and natural NNS have minimal influences on total daily energy intake, postprandial glucose and insulin compared with a sucrose-sweetened beverage.

  6. Cognitive and biochemical effects of monosodium glutamate and aspartame, administered individually and in combination in male albino mice.

    PubMed

    Abu-Taweel, Gasem M; A, Zyadah M; Ajarem, Jamaan S; Ahmad, Mohammad

    2014-01-01

    The present study was designed to investigate the in vivo effects of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and aspartame (ASM) individually and in combination on the cognitive behavior and biochemical parameters like neurotransmitters and oxidative stress indices in the brain tissue of mice. Forty male Swiss albino mice were randomly divided into four groups of ten each and were exposed to MSG and ASM through drinking water for one month. Group I was the control and was given normal tap water. Groups II and III received MSG (8 mg/kg) and ASM (32 mg/kg) respectively dissolved in tap water. Group IV received MSG and ASM together in the same doses. After the exposure period, the animals were subjected to cognitive behavioral tests in a shuttle box and a water maze. Thereafter, the animals were sacrificed and the neurotransmitters and oxidative stress indices were estimated in their forebrain tissue. Both MSG and ASM individually as well as in combination had significant disruptive effects on the cognitive responses, memory retention and learning capabilities of the mice in the order (MSG+ASM)>ASM>MSG. Furthermore, while MSG and ASM individually were unable to alter the brain neurotransmitters and the oxidative stress indices, their combination dose (MSG+ASM) decreased significantly the levels of neurotransmitters (dopamine and serotonin) and it also caused oxidative stress by increasing the lipid peroxides measured in the form of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and decreasing the level of total glutathione (GSH). Further studies are required to evaluate the synergistic effects of MSG and ASM on the neurotransmitters and oxidative stress indices and their involvement in cognitive dysfunctions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Occurrence of artificial sweeteners in human liver and paired blood and urine samples from adults in Tianjin, China and their implications for human exposure.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Tao; Gan, Zhiwei; Gao, Chuanzi; Ma, Ling; Li, Yanxi; Li, Xiao; Sun, Hongwen

    2016-09-14

    In this study, acesulfame (ACE), saccharin (SAC) and cyclamate (CYC) were found in all paired urine and blood samples collected from healthy adults, with mean values of 4070, 918 and 628 ng mL(-1), respectively, in urine and 9.03, 20.4 and 0.72 ng mL(-1), respectively, in blood. SAC (mean: 84.4 ng g(-1)) and CYC (4.29 ng g(-1)) were detectable in all liver samples collected from liver cancer patients, while ACE was less frequently detected. Aspartame (ASP) was not found in any analyzed human sample, which can be explained by the fact that this chemical metabolized rapidly in the human body. Among all adults, significantly positive correlations between SAC and CYC levels were observed (p < 0.001), regardless of human matrices. Nevertheless, no significant correlations between concentrations of SAC (or CYC) and ACE were found in any of the human matrices. Our results suggest that human exposure to SAC and CYC is related, whereas ACE originates from a discrete source. Females (or young adults) were exposed to higher levels of SAC and CYC than males (or elderly). The mean renal clearance of SAC was 730 mL per day per kg in adults, which was significantly (p < 0.001) lower than those for CYC (10 800 mL per day per kg) and ACE (10 300 mL per day per kg). The average total daily intake of SAC and ACE was 9.27 and 33.8 μg per kg bw per day, respectively.

  8. Characterization of Non-Nutritive Sweetener Intake in Rural Southwest Virginian Adults Living in a Health-Disparate Region.

    PubMed

    Hedrick, Valisa E; Passaro, Erin M; Davy, Brenda M; You, Wen; Zoellner, Jamie M

    2017-07-14

    Few data assessing non-nutritive sweetener (NNS) intake are available, especially within rural, health-disparate populations, where obesity and related co-morbidities are prevalent. The objective of this study is to characterize NNS intake for this population and examine the variance in demographics, cardio-metabolic outcomes, and dietary intake between NNS consumers and non-consumers. A cross-sectional sample ( n = 301) of Virginian adults from a randomized controlled trial (data collected from 2012 to 2014) targeting sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake completed three 24-h dietary recalls, and demographics and cardio-metabolic measures were assessed. The frequency, types, and sources of NNS consumption were identified. Thirty-three percent of participants reported consuming NNS ( n = 100). Sucralose was the largest contributor of mean daily NNS intake by weight (mg), followed by aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and saccharin. NNS in tabletop sweeteners, diet tea, and diet soda were the top contributors to absolute NNS intake. The most frequently consumed NNS sources were diet sodas, juice drinks, and tabletop sweeteners. Although mean body mass index (BMI) was greater for NNS consumers, they demonstrated significantly lower food, beverage, and SSB caloric intake and energy density, and higher overall dietary quality. It remains unclear whether NNS use plays a role in exacerbating weight gain. NNS consumers in this sample may have switched from drinking predominantly SSB to drinking some NNS beverages in an effort to cope with weight gain. Future studies should explore motivations for NNS use across a variety of weight and health categories.

  9. Characterization of Non-Nutritive Sweetener Intake in Rural Southwest Virginian Adults Living in a Health-Disparate Region

    PubMed Central

    Passaro, Erin M.; Davy, Brenda M.; You, Wen; Zoellner, Jamie M.

    2017-01-01

    Few data assessing non-nutritive sweetener (NNS) intake are available, especially within rural, health-disparate populations, where obesity and related co-morbidities are prevalent. The objective of this study is to characterize NNS intake for this population and examine the variance in demographics, cardio-metabolic outcomes, and dietary intake between NNS consumers and non-consumers. A cross-sectional sample (n = 301) of Virginian adults from a randomized controlled trial (data collected from 2012 to 2014) targeting sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake completed three 24-h dietary recalls, and demographics and cardio-metabolic measures were assessed. The frequency, types, and sources of NNS consumption were identified. Thirty-three percent of participants reported consuming NNS (n = 100). Sucralose was the largest contributor of mean daily NNS intake by weight (mg), followed by aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and saccharin. NNS in tabletop sweeteners, diet tea, and diet soda were the top contributors to absolute NNS intake. The most frequently consumed NNS sources were diet sodas, juice drinks, and tabletop sweeteners. Although mean body mass index (BMI) was greater for NNS consumers, they demonstrated significantly lower food, beverage, and SSB caloric intake and energy density, and higher overall dietary quality. It remains unclear whether NNS use plays a role in exacerbating weight gain. NNS consumers in this sample may have switched from drinking predominantly SSB to drinking some NNS beverages in an effort to cope with weight gain. Future studies should explore motivations for NNS use across a variety of weight and health categories. PMID:28708096

  10. [Influences of ion-suppressors on retention behaviors of nine food additives in reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic separation].

    PubMed

    Zhao, Yonggang; Chen, Xiaohong; Li, Xiaoping; Yao, Shanshan; Jin, Micong

    2011-10-01

    The influences of ion-suppressors on retention behaviors of nine food additives, i.e., acesulfame, saccharin, caffeine, aspartame, benzoic acid, sorbic acid, stevioside, dehydroacetic acid and neotame in reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) separation were investigated. The organic modification effects of acids, i. e. , trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and buffer salts, i. e. , TFA-ammonium acetate (AmAc) were studied emphatically. The relationships between retention factors of solutes and volume percentages of ion-suppressors in the mobile phase systems of acetonitrile-TFA aqueous solution and acetonitrile-TFA-AmAc aqueous solution were quantitatively established, separately. The separation of nine food additives was completed by a gradient elution with acetonitrile-TFA (0.01%, v/v)-AmAc (2. 5 mmol/L) aqueous solution as the mobile phases. An RP-HPLC method was established for the simultaneous determination of nine food additives in red wine. In the range of 10. 0 - 100. 0 mg/L, nine food additives showed good linearity with the correlation coefficients ( r2 ) larger than 0. 999 1. The limits of detection (LODs) were in the range of 0. 33 - 2. 36 mg/L and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were in the range of 1. 11 - 7. 80 mg/L. The spiked recoveries were between 87. 61% and 108. 4% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 2. 2% -9. 4%. These results are of referential significance for the rapid establishment and accu- rate optimization of RP-HPLC separation for the simultaneous determination of food additives in other foods.

  11. Longitudinal modelling of the exposure of young UK patients with PKU to acesulfame K and sucralose.

    PubMed

    O'Sullivan, Aaron J; Pigat, Sandrine; O'Mahony, Cian; Gibney, Michael J; McKevitt, Aideen I

    2017-11-01

    Artificial sweeteners are used in protein substitutes intended for the dietary management of inborn errors of metabolism (phenylketonuria, PKU) to improve the variety of medical foods available to patients and ensure dietary adherence to the prescribed course of dietary management. These patients can be exposed to artificial sweeteners from the combination of free and prescribed foods. Young children have a higher risk of exceeding acceptable daily intakes (ADI) for additives than adults, due to higher food intakes per kg body weight. Young patients with PKU aged 1-3 years can be exposed to higher levels of artificial sweeteners from these dual sources than normal healthy children and are at a higher risk of exceeding the ADI. Standard intake assessment methods are not adequate to assess the additive exposure of young patients with PKU. The aim of this study was to estimate the combination effect on the intake of artificial sweeteners and the impact of the introduction of new provisions for an artificial sweetener (sucralose, E955) on exposure of PKU patients using a validated probabilistic model. Food consumption data were derived from the food consumption survey data of healthy young children in the United Kingdom from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS, 1992-2012). Specially formulated protein substitutes as foods for special medical purposes (FSMPs) were included in the exposure model to replace restricted foods. Inclusion of these protein substitutes is based on recommendations to ensure adequate protein intake in these patients. Exposure assessment results indicated the availability of sucralose for use in FSMPs for PKU leads to changes in intakes in young patients. These data further support the viability of probabilistic modelling as a means to estimate food additive exposure in patients consuming medical nutrition products.

  12. Sensory profile and acceptability for pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) nectar with different sweeteners.

    PubMed

    Freitas, Mírian Luisa Faria; Dutra, Mariana Borges de Lima; Bolini, Helena Maria André

    2016-12-01

    The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensory properties and acceptability of pitanga nectar samples prepared with sucrose and different sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame, stevia with 40% rebaudioside A, stevia with 95% rebaudioside A, neotame, and a 2:1 cyclamate/saccharin blend). A total of 13 assessors participated in a quantitative descriptive analysis and evaluated the samples in relation to the descriptor terms. The acceptability test was carried out by 120 fruit juice consumers. The results of the quantitative descriptive analysis of pitanga nectar showed that samples prepared with sucralose, aspartame, and the 2:1 cyclamate/saccharin blend had sensory profiles similar to that of the sample prepared with sucrose. Consumers' most accepted samples were prepared with sucrose, sucralose, aspartame, and neotame. The sweeteners that have the greatest potential to replace sucrose in pitanga nectar are sucralose and aspartame. © The Author(s) 2016.

  13. Passion fruit juice with different sweeteners: sensory profile by descriptive analysis and acceptance.

    PubMed

    Rocha, Izabela Furtado de Oliveira; Bolini, Helena Maria André

    2015-03-01

    This study evaluated the effect of different sweeteners on the sensory profile, acceptance, and drivers of preference of passion fruit juice samples sweetened with sucrose, aspartame, sucralose, stevia, cyclamate/saccharin blend 2:1, and neotame. Sensory profiling was performed by 12 trained assessors using quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA). Acceptance tests (appearance, aroma, flavor, texture and overall impression) were performed with 124 consumers of tropical fruit juice. Samples with sucrose, aspartame and sucralose showed similar sensory profile (P < 0.05), without bitter taste, bitter aftertaste, and metallic taste, and samples with sucrose and sucralose did not differ from each other for the attribute sweet aftertaste. Passion fruit flavor affected positively and sweet aftertaste affected negatively the acceptance of the samples. Samples sweetened with aspartame, sucralose, and sucrose presented higher acceptance scores for the attributes flavor, texture, and overall impression, with no significant (P < 0.05) differences between them. Aspartame and sucralose can be good substitutes for sucrose in passion fruit juice.

  14. Passion fruit juice with different sweeteners: sensory profile by descriptive analysis and acceptance

    PubMed Central

    Rocha, Izabela Furtado de Oliveira; Bolini, Helena Maria André

    2015-01-01

    This study evaluated the effect of different sweeteners on the sensory profile, acceptance, and drivers of preference of passion fruit juice samples sweetened with sucrose, aspartame, sucralose, stevia, cyclamate/saccharin blend 2:1, and neotame. Sensory profiling was performed by 12 trained assessors using quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA). Acceptance tests (appearance, aroma, flavor, texture and overall impression) were performed with 124 consumers of tropical fruit juice. Samples with sucrose, aspartame and sucralose showed similar sensory profile (P < 0.05), without bitter taste, bitter aftertaste, and metallic taste, and samples with sucrose and sucralose did not differ from each other for the attribute sweet aftertaste. Passion fruit flavor affected positively and sweet aftertaste affected negatively the acceptance of the samples. Samples sweetened with aspartame, sucralose, and sucrose presented higher acceptance scores for the attributes flavor, texture, and overall impression, with no significant (P < 0.05) differences between them. Aspartame and sucralose can be good substitutes for sucrose in passion fruit juice. PMID:25838891

  15. Evaluating the environmental impact of artificial sweeteners: a study of their distributions, photodegradation and toxicities.

    PubMed

    Sang, Ziye; Jiang, Yanan; Tsoi, Yeuk-Ki; Leung, Kelvin Sze-Yin

    2014-04-01

    While having a long tradition as safe food additives, artificial sweeteners are a newly recognized class of environmental contaminants due to their extreme persistence and ubiquitous occurrence in various aquatic ecosystems. Resistant to wastewater treatment processes, they are continuously introduced into the water environments. To date however, their environmental behavior, fate as well as long term ecotoxicological contributions in our water resources still remain largely unknown. As a first step in the comprehensive study of artificial sweeteners, this work elucidates the geographical/seasonal/hydrological interactions of acesulfame, cyclamate, saccharin and sucralose in an open coast system at an estuarine/marine junction. Higher occurrence of acesulfame (seasonal average: 0.22 μg L(-1)) and sucralose (0.05 μg L(-1)) was found in summer while saccharin (0.11  μg L(-1)) and cyclamate (0.10 μg L(-1)) were predominantly detected in winter. Seasonal observations of the four sweeteners suggest strong connections with the variable chemical resistance among different sweeteners. Our photodegradation investigation further projected the potential impact of persistent acesulfame and sucralose compounds under prolonged exposure to intensive solar irradiation. Real-time observation by UPLC-ESI/MS of the degradation profile in both sweeteners illustrated that formation of new photo by-products under prolonged UV irradiation is highly viable. Interestingly, two groups of kinetically behaved photodegradates were identified for acesulfame, one of which was at least six times more persistent than the parent compound. For the first time, acute toxicity for the degradates of both sweeteners were arbitrarily measured, revealing photo-enhancement factors of 575 and 17.1 for acesulfame and sucralose, respectively. Direct comparison of photodegradation results suggests that the phototoxicity of acesulfame degradation products may impact aquatic ecosystems. In an attempt

  16. Selected Micropollutants as Indicators in a Karst Catchment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zirlewagen, Johannes; Schiperski, Ferry; Hillebrand, Olav; Nödler, Karsten; Licha, Tobias; Scheytt, Traugott

    2015-04-01

    High flow dynamics and variations in water quality are typical for karst springs and reflect the complex interaction of different flow and storage components within a karst system. Event-based monitoring of mobile micropollutants in spring water combined with information on their input is used (1) to quantify the impact of certain contamination scenarios on spring water quality and (2) to gain additional information on the intrinsic characteristics of a karst system. We employ the artificial sweeteners acesulfame and cyclamate as source specific indicators for sewage along with the herbicides atrazine and isoproturon for agriculture. The study site is the 45 km² rural catchment of the perennial karst spring Gallusquelle in SW-Germany (mean discharge: 0.5 m³/s). Overflow events of a stormwater detention basin (SDB, combined sewer system) are known to impact water quality. Most of the sewer system is situated in the SW of the catchment. Most agricultural land is found in the NE. Neither atrazine nor significant amounts of isoproturon were detected in wastewater. Concentrations and mass fluxes of acesulfame and cyclamate in wastewater were determined. The combined evaluation of the persistent compound acesulfame with the rather degradable cyclamate allows for the distinction of long and short transit times and thus slow and fast flow components. The same applies for atrazine (persistent) and isoproturon (degradable). In Germany, acesulfame was licensed in 1990, atrazine was banned shortly after, in 1991. During low flow conditions only atrazine (max. 4 ng/L) and acesulfame (max. 20 ng/L) were detected in spring water. After a recharge event without SDB overflow concentrations as well as mass fluxes of both compounds decreased, reflecting an increasing portion of event water in spring discharge. A breakthrough of isoproturon (max. 9 ng/L) indicated the arrival of water from croplands. After a recharge event accompanied by a SDB overflow cyclamate was detected at max

  17. A New Colorimetric Assay of Tabletop Sweeteners Using a Modified Biuret Reagent: An Analytical Chemistry Experiment for the Undergraduate Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fenk, Christopher J.; Kaufman, Nathan; Gerbig, Donald G., Jr.

    2007-01-01

    A new, fast and effective colorimetric analysis of the artificial sweetener aspartame is presented for application in undergraduate laboratory courses. This new method incorporates the use of a modified biuret reagent for selective detection and analysis of aspartame in aqueous solutions. The modified reagent is less caustic than the traditional…

  18. Inhibition of the gut enzyme intestinal alkaline phosphatase may explain how aspartame promotes glucose intolerance and obesity in mice

    PubMed Central

    Gul, Sarah S.; Hamilton, A. Rebecca L.; Munoz, Alexander R.; Phupitakphol, Tanit; Liu, Wei; Hyoju, Sanjiv K.; Economopoulos, Konstantinos P.; Morrison, Sara; Hu, Dong; Zhang, Weifeng; Gharedaghi, Mohammad Hadi; Huo, Haizhong; Hamarneh, Sulaiman R.; Hodin, Richard A.

    2017-01-01

    Diet soda consumption has not been associated with tangible weight loss. Aspartame (ASP) commonly substitutes sugar and one of its breakdown products is phenylalanine (PHE), a known inhibitor of intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP), a gut enzyme shown to prevent metabolic syndrome in mice. We hypothesized that ASP consumption might contribute to the development of metabolic syndrome based on PHE’s inhibition of endogenous IAP. The design of the study was such that for the in vitro model, IAP was added to diet and regular soda, and IAP activity was measured. For the acute model, a closed bowel loop was created in mice. ASP or water was instilled into it and IAP activity was measured. For the chronic model, mice were fed chow or high-fat diet (HFD) with/without ASP in the drinking water for 18 weeks. The results were that for the in vitro study, IAP activity was lower (p < 0.05) in solutions containing ASP compared with controls. For the acute model, endogenous IAP activity was reduced by 50% in the ASP group compared with controls (0.2 ± 0.03 vs 0.4 ± 0.24) (p = 0.02). For the chronic model, mice in the HFD + ASP group gained more weight compared with the HFD + water group (48.1 ± 1.6 vs 42.4 ± 3.1, p = 0.0001). Significant difference in glucose intolerance between the HFD ± ASP groups (53 913 ± 4000.58 (mg·min)/dL vs 42 003.75 ± 5331.61 (mg·min)/dL, respectively, p = 0.02). Fasting glucose and serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels were significantly higher in the HFD + ASP group (1.23- and 0.87-fold increases, respectively, p = 0.006 and p = 0.01). In conclusion, endogenous IAP’s protective effects in regard to the metabolic syndrome may be inhibited by PHE, a metabolite of ASP, perhaps explaining the lack of expected weight loss and metabolic improvements associated with diet drinks. PMID:27997218

  19. Inhibition of the gut enzyme intestinal alkaline phosphatase may explain how aspartame promotes glucose intolerance and obesity in mice.

    PubMed

    Gul, Sarah S; Hamilton, A Rebecca L; Munoz, Alexander R; Phupitakphol, Tanit; Liu, Wei; Hyoju, Sanjiv K; Economopoulos, Konstantinos P; Morrison, Sara; Hu, Dong; Zhang, Weifeng; Gharedaghi, Mohammad Hadi; Huo, Haizhong; Hamarneh, Sulaiman R; Hodin, Richard A

    2017-01-01

    Diet soda consumption has not been associated with tangible weight loss. Aspartame (ASP) commonly substitutes sugar and one of its breakdown products is phenylalanine (PHE), a known inhibitor of intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP), a gut enzyme shown to prevent metabolic syndrome in mice. We hypothesized that ASP consumption might contribute to the development of metabolic syndrome based on PHE's inhibition of endogenous IAP. The design of the study was such that for the in vitro model, IAP was added to diet and regular soda, and IAP activity was measured. For the acute model, a closed bowel loop was created in mice. ASP or water was instilled into it and IAP activity was measured. For the chronic model, mice were fed chow or high-fat diet (HFD) with/without ASP in the drinking water for 18 weeks. The results were that for the in vitro study, IAP activity was lower (p < 0.05) in solutions containing ASP compared with controls. For the acute model, endogenous IAP activity was reduced by 50% in the ASP group compared with controls (0.2 ± 0.03 vs 0.4 ± 0.24) (p = 0.02). For the chronic model, mice in the HFD + ASP group gained more weight compared with the HFD + water group (48.1 ± 1.6 vs 42.4 ± 3.1, p = 0.0001). Significant difference in glucose intolerance between the HFD ± ASP groups (53 913 ± 4000.58 (mg·min)/dL vs 42 003.75 ± 5331.61 (mg·min)/dL, respectively, p = 0.02). Fasting glucose and serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels were significantly higher in the HFD + ASP group (1.23- and 0.87-fold increases, respectively, p = 0.006 and p = 0.01). In conclusion, endogenous IAP's protective effects in regard to the metabolic syndrome may be inhibited by PHE, a metabolite of ASP, perhaps explaining the lack of expected weight loss and metabolic improvements associated with diet drinks.

  20. Lactisole inhibits the glucose-sensing receptor T1R3 expressed in mouse pancreatic β-cells.

    PubMed

    Hamano, Kunihisa; Nakagawa, Yuko; Ohtsu, Yoshiaki; Li, Longfei; Medina, Johan; Tanaka, Yuji; Masuda, Katsuyoshi; Komatsu, Mitsuhisa; Kojima, Itaru

    2015-07-01

    Glucose activates the glucose-sensing receptor T1R3 and facilitates its own metabolism in pancreatic β-cells. An inhibitor of this receptor would be helpful in elucidating the physiological function of the glucose-sensing receptor. The present study was conducted to examine whether or not lactisole can be used as an inhibitor of the glucose-sensing receptor. In MIN6 cells, in a dose-dependent manner, lactisole inhibited insulin secretion induced by sweeteners, acesulfame-K, sucralose and glycyrrhizin. The IC50 was ∼4 mmol/l. Lactisole attenuated the elevation of cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c) evoked by sucralose and acesulfame-K but did not affect the elevation of intracellular cAMP concentration ([cAMP]c) induced by these sweeteners. Lactisole also inhibited the action of glucose in MIN6 cells. Thus, lactisole significantly reduced elevations of intracellular [NADH] and intracellular [ATP] induced by glucose, and also inhibited glucose-induced insulin secretion. To further examine the effect of lactisole on T1R3, we prepared HEK293 cells stably expressing mouse T1R3. In these cells, sucralose elevated both [Ca2+]c and [cAMP]c. Lactisole attenuated the sucralose-induced increase in [Ca2+]c but did not affect the elevation of [cAMP]c. Finally, lactisole inhibited insulin secretion induced by a high concentration of glucose in mouse islets. These results indicate that the mouse glucose-sensing receptor was inhibited by lactisole. Lactisole may be useful in assessing the role of the glucose-sensing receptor in mouse pancreatic β-cells. © 2015 Society for Endocrinology.

  1. First Experimental Demonstration of the Multipotential Carcinogenic Effects of Aspartame Administered in the Feed to Sprague-Dawley Rats

    PubMed Central

    Soffritti, Morando; Belpoggi, Fiorella; Esposti, Davide Degli; Lambertini, Luca; Tibaldi, Eva; Rigano, Anna

    2006-01-01

    The Cesare Maltoni Cancer Research Center of the European Ramazzini Foundation has conducted a long-term bioassay on aspartame (APM), a widely used artificial sweetener. APM was administered with feed to 8-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats (100–150/sex/group), at concentrations of 100,000, 50,000, 10,000, 2,000, 400, 80, or 0 ppm. The treatment lasted until natural death, at which time all deceased animals underwent complete necropsy. Histopathologic evaluation of all pathologic lesions and of all organs and tissues collected was routinely performed on each animal of all experimental groups. The results of the study show for the first time that APM, in our experimental conditions, causes a) an increased incidence of malignant-tumor–bearing animals with a positive significant trend in males (p ≤ 0.05) and in females (p ≤ 0.01), in particular those females treated at 50,000 ppm (p ≤ 0.01); b) an increase in lymphomas and leukemias with a positive significant trend in both males (p ≤ 0.05) and females (p ≤ 0.01), in particular in females treated at doses of 100,000 (p ≤ 0.01), 50,000 (p ≤ 0.01), 10,000 (p ≤ 0.05), 2,000 (p ≤ 0.05), or 400 ppm (p ≤ 0.01); c) a statistically significant increased incidence, with a positive significant trend (p ≤ 0.01), of transitional cell carcinomas of the renal pelvis and ureter and their precursors (dysplasias) in females treated at 100,000 (p ≤ 0.01), 50,000 (p ≤ 0.01), 10,000 (p ≤ 0.01), 2,000 (p ≤ 0.05), or 400 ppm (p ≤ 0.05); and d) an increased incidence of malignant schwannomas of peripheral nerves with a positive trend (p ≤ 0.05) in males. The results of this mega-experiment indicate that APM is a multipotential carcinogenic agent, even at a daily dose of 20 mg/kg body weight, much less than the current acceptable daily intake. On the basis of these results, a reevaluation of the present guidelines on the use and consumption of APM is urgent and cannot be delayed. PMID:16507461

  2. New Biocatalysts: Essential Tools for a Sustainable 21st Century Chemical Industry

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-01-01

    ethanol, high fructose corn syrup , citric acid, and amino acids also employ microbes or en- zymes. However, the inroads into commodity chemical...for manufacture of aspartame, and is illustrative of two types of biocatalyst selectivity: chemical and stereoselectivity. High - fructose corn syrup ...Current applications of biocatalysts include the production of high fruc- tose corn syrup , aspartame, semi-synthetic penicillins and award-winning cancer

  3. Artificial sweeteners--a recently recognized class of emerging environmental contaminants: a review.

    PubMed

    Lange, Frank T; Scheurer, Marco; Brauch, Heinz-J

    2012-07-01

    An overview is given of existing trace analytical methods for the determination of seven popular artificial sweeteners [acesulfame (ACE), aspartame, cyclamate (CYC), neotame, neohesperidine dihydrochalcone, saccharin (SAC), and sucralose (SUC)] from aqueous environmental samples. Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry are the methods most widely applied, either directly or after solid-phase extraction. Limits of detection and limits of quantification down to the low nanogram per liter range can be achieved. ACE, CYC, SAC, and SUC were detected in wastewater treatment plants in high microgram per liter concentrations. Per capita loads of individual sweeteners can vary within a wide range depending on their use in different countries. Whereas CYC and SAC are usually degraded by more than 90% during wastewater treatment, ACE and SUC pass through wastewater treatment plants mainly unchanged. This suggests their use as virtually perfect markers for the study of the impact of wastewater on source waters and drinking waters. In finished water of drinking water treatment plants using surface-water-influenced source water, ACE and SUC were detected in concentrations up to 7 and 2.4 μg/L, respectively. ACE was identified as a precursor of oxidation byproducts during ozonation, resulting in an aldehyde intermediate and acetic acid. Although the concentrations of ACE and SUC are among the highest measured for anthropogenic trace pollutants found in surface water, groundwater, and drinking water, the levels are at least three orders of magnitude lower than organoleptic threshold values. However, ecotoxicology studies are scarce and have focused on SUC. Thus, further research is needed both on identification of transformation products and on the ecotoxicological impact of artificial sweeteners and their transformation products.

  4. Cross Sections for the Reactions e+e to K+ K- pi+pi-, K+ K- pi0pi0, and K+ K- K+ K- Measured Using Initial-State Radiation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lees, J.P.; Poireau, V.; Prencipe, E.

    2011-08-19

    We study the processes e{sup +}e{sup -} {yields} K{sup +}K{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}-{gamma}, K{sup +}K{sup -}{pi}{sup 0}{pi}{sup 0}{gamma}, and K{sup +}K{sup -}K{sup +}K{sup -}{gamma}, where the photon is radiated from the initial state. About 84000, 8000, and 4200 fully reconstructed events, respectively, are selected from 454 fb{sup -1} of BABAR data. The invariant mass of the hadronic final state defines the e{sup +}e{sup -} center-of-mass energy, so that the K{sup +}K{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{gamma} data can be compared with direct measurements of the e{sup +}e{sup -} {yields} K{sup +}K{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} reaction. No direct measurements exist for the e{sup +}e{supmore » -} {yields} K{sup +}K{sup -}{pi}{sup 0}{pi}{sup 0} or e{sup +}e{sup -} {yields} K{sup +}K{sup -}K{sup +}K{sup -} reactions, and we present an update of our previous result with doubled statistics. Studying the structure of these events, we find contributions from a number of intermediate states, and extract their cross sections. In particular, we perform a more detailed study of the e{sup +}e{sup -} {yields} {phi}(1020){pi}{pi}{gamma} reaction, and confirm the presence of the Y (2175) resonance in the {phi}(1020)f{sub 0}(980) and K{sup +}K{sup -} f{sub 0}(980) modes. In the charmonium region, we observe the J/{psi} in all three final states and in several intermediate states, as well as the {phi}(2S) in some modes, and measure the corresponding branching fractions.« less

  5. Cross sections for the reactions e+e-→K+K-π+π-, K+K-π0π0, and K+K-K+K- measured using initial-state radiation events

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lees, J. P.; Poireau, V.; Prencipe, E.; Tisserand, V.; Garra Tico, J.; Grauges, E.; Martinelli, M.; Milanes, D. A.; Palano, A.; Pappagallo, M.; Eigen, G.; Stugu, B.; Sun, L.; Brown, D. N.; Kerth, L. T.; Kolomensky, Yu. G.; Lynch, G.; Koch, H.; Schroeder, T.; Asgeirsson, D. J.; Hearty, C.; Mattison, T. S.; McKenna, J. A.; Khan, A.; Blinov, V. E.; Buzykaev, A. R.; Druzhinin, V. P.; Golubev, V. B.; Kravchenko, E. A.; Onuchin, A. P.; Serednyakov, S. I.; Skovpen, Yu. I.; Solodov, E. P.; Todyshev, K. Yu.; Yushkov, A. N.; Bondioli, M.; Curry, S.; Kirkby, D.; Lankford, A. J.; Mandelkern, M.; Stoker, D. P.; Atmacan, H.; Gary, J. W.; Liu, F.; Long, O.; Vitug, G. M.; Campagnari, C.; Hong, T. M.; Kovalskyi, D.; Richman, J. D.; West, C. A.; Eisner, A. M.; Kroseberg, J.; Lockman, W. S.; Martinez, A. J.; Schalk, T.; Schumm, B. A.; Seiden, A.; Cheng, C. H.; Doll, D. A.; Echenard, B.; Flood, K. T.; Hitlin, D. G.; Ongmongkolkul, P.; Porter, F. C.; Rakitin, A. Y.; Andreassen, R.; Dubrovin, M. S.; Meadows, B. T.; Sokoloff, M. D.; Bloom, P. C.; Ford, W. T.; Gaz, A.; Nagel, M.; Nauenberg, U.; Smith, J. G.; Wagner, S. R.; Ayad, R.; Toki, W. H.; Spaan, B.; Kobel, M. J.; Schubert, K. R.; Schwierz, R.; Bernard, D.; Verderi, M.; Clark, P. J.; Playfer, S.; Watson, J. E.; Bettoni, D.; Bozzi, C.; Calabrese, R.; Cibinetto, G.; Fioravanti, E.; Garzia, I.; Luppi, E.; Munerato, M.; Negrini, M.; Piemontese, L.; Baldini-Ferroli, R.; Calcaterra, A.; de Sangro, R.; Finocchiaro, G.; Nicolaci, M.; Pacetti, S.; Patteri, P.; Peruzzi, I. M.; Piccolo, M.; Rama, M.; Zallo, A.; Contri, R.; Guido, E.; Lo Vetere, M.; Monge, M. R.; Passaggio, S.; Patrignani, C.; Robutti, E.; Bhuyan, B.; Prasad, V.; Lee, C. L.; Morii, M.; Edwards, A. J.; Adametz, A.; Marks, J.; Uwer, U.; Bernlochner, F. U.; Ebert, M.; Lacker, H. M.; Lueck, T.; Dauncey, P. D.; Tibbetts, M.; Behera, P. K.; Mallik, U.; Chen, C.; Cochran, J.; Crawley, H. B.; Meyer, W. T.; Prell, S.; Rosenberg, E. I.; Rubin, A. E.; Gritsan, A. V.; Guo, Z. J.; Arnaud, N.; Davier, M.; Derkach, D.; Grosdidier, G.; Le Diberder, F.; Lutz, A. M.; Malaescu, B.; Roudeau, P.; Schune, M. H.; Stocchi, A.; Wormser, G.; Lange, D. J.; Wright, D. M.; Bingham, I.; Chavez, C. A.; Coleman, J. P.; Fry, J. R.; Gabathuler, E.; Hutchcroft, D. E.; Payne, D. J.; Touramanis, C.; Bevan, A. J.; Di Lodovico, F.; Sacco, R.; Sigamani, M.; Cowan, G.; Paramesvaran, S.; Brown, D. N.; Davis, C. L.; Denig, A. G.; Fritsch, M.; Gradl, W.; Hafner, A.; Alwyn, K. E.; Bailey, D.; Barlow, R. J.; Jackson, G.; Lafferty, G. D.; Cenci, R.; Hamilton, B.; Jawahery, A.; Roberts, D. A.; Simi, G.; Dallapiccola, C.; Salvati, E.; Cowan, R.; Dujmic, D.; Sciolla, G.; Lindemann, D.; Patel, P. M.; Robertson, S. H.; Schram, M.; Biassoni, P.; Lazzaro, A.; Lombardo, V.; Palombo, F.; Stracka, S.; Cremaldi, L.; Godang, R.; Kroeger, R.; Sonnek, P.; Summers, D. J.; Nguyen, X.; Taras, P.; De Nardo, G.; Monorchio, D.; Onorato, G.; Sciacca, C.; Raven, G.; Snoek, H. L.; Jessop, C. P.; Knoepfel, K. J.; LoSecco, J. M.; Wang, W. F.; Honscheid, K.; Kass, R.; Brau, J.; Frey, R.; Sinev, N. B.; Strom, D.; Torrence, E.; Feltresi, E.; Gagliardi, N.; Margoni, M.; Morandin, M.; Posocco, M.; Rotondo, M.; Simonetto, F.; Stroili, R.; Ben-Haim, E.; Bomben, M.; Bonneaud, G. R.; Briand, H.; Calderini, G.; Chauveau, J.; Hamon, O.; Leruste, Ph.; Marchiori, G.; Ocariz, J.; Sitt, S.; Biasini, M.; Manoni, E.; Rossi, A.; Angelini, C.; Batignani, G.; Bettarini, S.; Carpinelli, M.; Casarosa, G.; Cervelli, A.; Forti, F.; Giorgi, M. A.; Lusiani, A.; Neri, N.; Oberhof, B.; Paoloni, E.; Perez, A.; Rizzo, G.; Walsh, J. J.; Lopes Pegna, D.; Lu, C.; Olsen, J.; Smith, A. J. S.; Telnov, A. V.; Anulli, F.; Cavoto, G.; Faccini, R.; Ferrarotto, F.; Ferroni, F.; Gaspero, M.; Li Gioi, L.; Mazzoni, M. A.; Piredda, G.; Bünger, C.; Hartmann, T.; Leddig, T.; Schröder, H.; Waldi, R.; Adye, T.; Olaiya, E. O.; Wilson, F. F.; Emery, S.; Hamel de Monchenault, G.; Vasseur, G.; Yèche, Ch.; Aston, D.; Bard, D. J.; Bartoldus, R.; Benitez, J. F.; Cartaro, C.; Convery, M. R.; Dorfan, J.; Dubois-Felsmann, G. P.; Dunwoodie, W.; Field, R. C.; Franco Sevilla, M.; Fulsom, B. G.; Gabareen, A. M.; Graham, M. T.; Grenier, P.; Hast, C.; Innes, W. R.; Kelsey, M. H.; Kim, H.; Kim, P.; Kocian, M. L.; Leith, D. W. G. S.; Lewis, P.; Li, S.; Lindquist, B.; Luitz, S.; Luth, V.; Lynch, H. L.; MacFarlane, D. B.; Muller, D. R.; Neal, H.; Nelson, S.; Ofte, I.; Perl, M.; Pulliam, T.; Ratcliff, B. N.; Roodman, A.; Salnikov, A. A.; Santoro, V.; Schindler, R. H.; Snyder, A.; Su, D.; Sullivan, M. K.; Va'vra, J.; Wagner, A. P.; Weaver, M.; Wisniewski, W. J.; Wittgen, M.; Wright, D. H.; Wulsin, H. W.; Yarritu, A. K.; Young, C. C.; Ziegler, V.; Park, W.; Purohit, M. V.; White, R. M.; Wilson, J. R.; Randle-Conde, A.; Sekula, S. J.; Bellis, M.; Burchat, P. R.; Miyashita, T. S.; Alam, M. S.; Ernst, J. A.; Gorodeisky, R.; Guttman, N.; Peimer, D. R.; Soffer, A.; Lund, P.; Spanier, S. M.; Eckmann, R.; Ritchie, J. L.; Ruland, A. M.; Schilling, C. J.; Schwitters, R. F.; Wray, B. C.; Izen, J. M.; Lou, X. C.; Bianchi, F.; Gamba, D.; Lanceri, L.; Vitale, L.; Lopez-March, N.; Martinez-Vidal, F.; Oyanguren, A.; Ahmed, H.; Albert, J.; Banerjee, Sw.; Choi, H. H. F.; King, G. J.; Kowalewski, R.; Lewczuk, M. J.; Lindsay, C.; Nugent, I. M.; Roney, J. M.; Sobie, R. J.; Gershon, T. J.; Harrison, P. F.; Latham, T. E.; Puccio, E. M. T.; Band, H. R.; Dasu, S.; Pan, Y.; Prepost, R.; Vuosalo, C. O.; Wu, S. L.

    2012-07-01

    We study the processes e+e-→K+K-π+π-γ, K+K-π0π0γ, and K+K-K+K-γ, where the photon is radiated from the initial state. About 84 000, 8000, and 4200 fully reconstructed events, respectively, are selected from 454fb-1 of BABAR data. The invariant mass of the hadronic final state defines the e+e- center-of-mass energy, so that the K+K-π+π-γ data can be compared with direct measurements of the e+e-→K+K-π+π- reaction. No direct measurements exist for the e+e-→K+K-π0π0 or e+e-→K+K-K+K- reactions, and we present an update of our previous result based on a data sample that is twice as large. Studying the structure of these events, we find contributions from a number of intermediate states and extract their cross sections. In particular, we perform a more detailed study of the e+e-→ϕ(1020)ππγ reaction and confirm the presence of the Y(2175) resonance in the ϕ(1020)f0(980) and K+K-f0(980) modes. In the charmonium region, we observe the J/ψ in all three final states and in several intermediate states, as well as the ψ(2S) in some modes, and measure the corresponding products of branching fraction and electron width.

  6. Genomic, genetic and functional dissection of bitter taste responses to artificial sweeteners.

    PubMed

    Roudnitzky, Natacha; Bufe, Bernd; Thalmann, Sophie; Kuhn, Christina; Gunn, Howard C; Xing, Chao; Crider, Bill P; Behrens, Maik; Meyerhof, Wolfgang; Wooding, Stephen P

    2011-09-01

    Bitter taste perception is initiated by TAS2R receptors, which respond to agonists by triggering depolarization of taste bud cells. Mutations in TAS2Rs are known to affect taste phenotypes by altering receptor function. Evidence that TAS2Rs overlap in ligand specificity suggests that they may also contribute joint effects. To explore this aspect of gustation, we examined bitter perception of saccharin and acesulfame K, widely used artificial sweeteners with aversive aftertastes. Both substances are agonists of TAS2R31 and -43, which belong to a five-member subfamily (TAS2R30-46) responsive to a diverse constellation of compounds. We analyzed sequence variation and linkage structure in the ∼140 kb genomic region encoding TAS2R30-46, taste responses to the two sweeteners in subjects, and functional characteristics of receptor alleles. Whole-gene sequences from TAS2R30-46 in 60 Caucasian subjects revealed extensive diversity including 34 missense mutations, two nonsense mutations and high-frequency copy-number variants. Thirty markers, including non-synonymous variants in all five genes, were associated (P< 0.001) with responses to saccharin and acesulfame K. However, linkage disequilibrium (LD) in the region was high (D', r(2) > 0.95). Haplotype analyses revealed that most associations were spurious, arising from LD with variants in TAS2R31. In vitro assays confirmed the functional importance of four TAS2R31 mutations, which had independent effects on receptor response. The existence of high LD spanning functionally distinct TAS2R loci predicts that bitter taste responses to many compounds will be strongly correlated even when they are mediated by different genes. Integrative approaches combining phenotypic, genetic and functional analysis will be essential in dissecting these complex relationships.

  7. Study of the D K K and D K K ¯ systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Debastiani, V. R.; Dias, J. M.; Oset, E.

    2017-07-01

    Using the fixed center approximation to Faddeev equations, we investigate the D K K and D K K ¯ three-body systems, considering that the D K dynamically generates, through its I =0 component, the Ds0 *(2317 ) molecule. According to our findings, for the D K K ¯ interaction we find evidence of a state I (JP)=1 /2 (0-) just above the Ds0 *(2317 )K ¯ threshold and around the D f0(980 ) threshold, with mass of about 2833-2858 MeV, made mostly of D f0(980 ). On the other hand, no evidence related to a state from the D K K interaction is found. The state found could be seen in the π π D invariant mass.

  8. Measurements of the branching fractions for D + → K S 0 K S 0 K + , K S 0 K S 0 π + and D 0 → K S 0 K S 0 , K S 0 K S 0 K S 0

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ablikim, M.; Achasov, M. N.; Ahmed, S.

    By analyzing 2.93 fb-1 of data taken at the ψ (3770) resonance peak with the BESIII detector, we measure the branching fractions for the hadronic decays D +→Kmore » $$0\\atop{S}$$K$$0\\atop{S}$$K +, D +→K$$0\\atop{S}$$K$$0\\atop{S}$$π +. D 0→K$$0\\atop{S}$$K$$0\\atop{S}$$ and D 0→K$$0\\atop{S}$$K$$0\\atop{S}$$K$$0\\atop{S}$$.« less

  9. Measurements of the branching fractions for D + → K S 0 K S 0 K + , K S 0 K S 0 π + and D 0 → K S 0 K S 0 , K S 0 K S 0 K S 0

    DOE PAGES

    Ablikim, M.; Achasov, M. N.; Ahmed, S.; ...

    2016-12-13

    By analyzing 2.93 fb-1 of data taken at the ψ (3770) resonance peak with the BESIII detector, we measure the branching fractions for the hadronic decays D +→Kmore » $$0\\atop{S}$$K$$0\\atop{S}$$K +, D +→K$$0\\atop{S}$$K$$0\\atop{S}$$π +. D 0→K$$0\\atop{S}$$K$$0\\atop{S}$$ and D 0→K$$0\\atop{S}$$K$$0\\atop{S}$$K$$0\\atop{S}$$.« less

  10. Suitability of artificial sweeteners as indicators of raw wastewater contamination in surface water and groundwater.

    PubMed

    Tran, Ngoc Han; Hu, Jiangyong; Li, Jinhua; Ong, Say Leong

    2014-01-01

    There is no quantitative data on the occurrence of artificial sweeteners in the aquatic environment in Southeast Asian countries, particularly no information on their suitability as indicators of raw wastewater contamination on surface water and groundwater. This study provided the first quantitative information on the occurrence of artificial sweeteners in raw wastewater, surface water and groundwater in the urban catchment area in Singapore. Acesulfame, cyclamate, saccharin, and sucralose were ubiquitous in raw wastewater samples at concentrations in the range of ng/L-μg/L, while other sweeteners were not found or found only in a few of the raw wastewater samples. Residential and commercial effluents were demonstrated to be the two main sources of artificial sweeteners entering the municipal sewer systems. Relatively higher concentrations of the detected sweeteners were frequently found in surface waters at the sampling sites located in the residential/commercial areas. No significant difference in the concentrations of the detected sweeteners in surface water or groundwater was noted between wet and dry weather conditions (unpaired T-test, p> 0.05). Relatively higher concentrations and detection frequencies of acesulfame, cyclamate and saccharin in surface water samples were observed at the potentially impacted sampling sites, while these sweeteners were absent in most of the background surface water samples. Similarly, acesulfame, cyclamate, and saccharin were found in most groundwater samples at the monitoring well (GW6), which is located close to known leaking sewer segment; whereas these were absent in the background monitoring well, which is located in the catchment with no known wastewater sources. Taken together, the results suggest that acesulfame, cyclamate, and saccharin can be used as potential indicators of raw wastewater contamination in surface water and groundwater. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectral study of [Mn(acs){sub 2}(2–pic){sub 2}(H{sub 2}O){sub 2}] single crystals

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kocakoç, Mehpeyker, E-mail: mkocakoc@cu.edu.tr; Tapramaz, Recep, E-mail: recept@omu.edu.tr

    Acesulfame potassium salt is a synthetic and non-caloric sweetener. It is also important chemically for its capability of being ligand in coordination compounds, because it can bind over Nitrogen and Oxygen atoms of carbonyl and sulfonyl groups and ring oxygen. Some acesulfame containing transition metal ion complexes with mixed ligands exhibit solvato and thermo chromic properties and these properties make them physically important. In this work single crystals of Mn{sup +2} ion complex with mixed ligand, [Mn(acs){sub 2}(2-pic){sub 2}(H{sub 2}O){sub 2}], was studied with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. EPR parameters were determined. Zero field splitting parameters indicated that themore » complex was highly symmetric. Variable temperature studies showed no detectable chance in spectra.« less

  12. Formation of mannitol core microparticles for sustained release with lipid coating in a mini fluid bed system.

    PubMed

    Wang, Bifeng; Friess, Wolfgang

    2017-11-01

    The goal of this study was to prepare sustained release microparticles for methyl blue and aspartame as sparingly and freely water-soluble model drugs by lipid film coating in a Mini-Glatt fluid bed, and to assess the effect of coating load of two of lipids, hard fat and glyceryl stearate, on the release rates. 30g drug-loaded mannitol carrier microparticles with average diameter of 500 or 300μm were coated with 5g, 10g, 20g and 30g lipids, respectively. The model drugs were completely released in vitro through pores which mainly resulted from dissolution of the polyol core beads. The release of methyl blue from microparticles based on 500μm carrier beads extended up to 25days, while aspartame release from microparticles formed from 300μm carrier beads was extended to 7days. Although glyceryl stearate exhibits higher wettability, burst and release rates were similar for the two lipid materials. Polymorphic transformation of the hart fat was observed upon release. The lipid-coated microparticles produced with 500μm carrier beads showed slightly lower burst release compared to the microparticles produced with 300μm carrier beads as they carried relatively thicker lipid layer based on an equivalent lipid to mannitol ratio. Aspartame microparticles showed a much faster release than methyl blue due to the higher water-solubility of aspartame. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Measurement of the branching ratio for the doubly cabibbo suppressed decay D + → + K -K +K +; Medida da razao de ramificacao do Decaimento D + → + K -K +K + duplamente suprimido por cabibbo (in Portuguese)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Silva Carvalho, Hendly da

    In this thesis, we performed a study for the decay modes D + → + K -K +K + and D + s → + K -K +K +, using the data collected by the E791, a hadroproduction of charm experiment at Fermilab. The D + → + K -K +K + decay is doubly Cabibbo suppressed while the D + s → + K -K +K + decay is singly Cabibbo suppressed. We found 11.6 +- 3.9 events in the D + mass region and 8.9 +- 3.3 in the D + s mass region. The D + →more » + K -K +K + branching ratio is measured to be (3.7 +- 1.3 +- 0.6) x 10 -4 while the D + → + K -K +K + branching ratio relative to D + s → + K -K +K + is measured to be (4.2 +- 1.5 +- 0.6) x 10 -2.« less

  14. Estimation of the dietary intake of 13 priority additives in France, Italy, the UK and Ireland as part of the FACET project.

    PubMed

    Vin, Karine; Connolly, Aileen; McCaffrey, Tracy; McKevitt, Aideen; O'Mahony, Cian; Prieto, Miguel; Tennant, David; Hearty, Aine; Volatier, Jean Luc

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the dietary exposure of 13 priority additives in four European countries (France, Italy, the UK and Ireland) using the Flavourings, Additives and Contact Materials Exposure Task (FACET) software. The studied additives were benzoates (E210-213), nitrites (E249-250) and sulphites (E220-228), butylated hydroxytoluene (E321), polysorbates (E432-436), sucroses esters and sucroglycerides (E473-474), polyglycerol esters of fatty acids (E475), stearoyl-lactylates (E481-482), sorbitan esters (E493-494 and E491-495), phosphates (E338-343/E450-452), aspartame (E951) and acesulfame (E950). A conservative approach (based on individual consumption data combined with maximum permitted levels (Tier 2)) was compared with more refined estimates (using a fitted distribution of concentrations based on data provided by the food industry (Tier 3)). These calculations demonstrated that the estimated intake is below the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for nine of the studied additives. However, there was a potential theoretical exceedance of the ADI observed for four additives at Tier 3 for high consumers (97.5th percentile) among children: E220-228 in the UK and Ireland, E432-436 and E481-482 in Ireland, Italy and the UK, and E493-494 in all countries. The mean intake of E493-494 could potentially exceed the ADI for one age group of children (aged 1-4 years) in the UK. For adults, high consumers only in all countries had a potential intake higher than the ADI for E493-494 at Tier 3 (an additive mainly found in bakery wares). All other additives examined had an intake below the ADI. Further refined exposure assessments may be warranted to provide a more in-depth investigation for those additives that exceeded the ADIs in this paper. This refinement may be undertaken by the introduction of additive occurrence data, which take into account the actual presence of these additives in the different food groups.

  15. Low-calorie sweetener use and energy balance: Results from experimental studies in animals, and large-scale prospective studies in humans.

    PubMed

    Fowler, Sharon P G

    2016-10-01

    For more than a decade, pioneering animal studies conducted by investigators at Purdue University have provided evidence to support a central thesis: that the uncoupling of sweet taste and caloric intake by low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) can disrupt an animal's ability to predict the metabolic consequences of sweet taste, and thereby impair the animal's ability to respond appropriately to sweet-tasting foods. These investigators' work has been replicated and extended internationally. There now exists a body of evidence, from a number of investigators, that animals chronically exposed to any of a range of LCSs - including saccharin, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, or the combination of erythritol+aspartame - have exhibited one or more of the following conditions: increased food consumption, lower post-prandial thermogenesis, increased weight gain, greater percent body fat, decreased GLP-1 release during glucose tolerance testing, and significantly greater fasting glucose, glucose area under the curve during glucose tolerance testing, and hyperinsulinemia, compared with animals exposed to plain water or - in many cases - even to calorically-sweetened foods or liquids. Adverse impacts of LCS have appeared diminished in animals on dietary restriction, but were pronounced among males, animals genetically predisposed to obesity, and animals with diet-induced obesity. Impacts have been especially striking in animals on high-energy diets: diets high in fats and sugars, and diets which resemble a highly-processed 'Western' diet, including trans-fatty acids and monosodium glutamate. These studies have offered both support for, and biologically plausible mechanisms to explain, the results from a series of large-scale, long-term prospective observational studies conducted in humans, in which longitudinal increases in weight, abdominal adiposity, and incidence of overweight and obesity have been observed among study participants who reported using diet sodas and other

  16. Cascade production in the reactions γp→K+K+(X) and γp→K+K+π-(X)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, L.; Weygand, D. P.; Battaglieri, M.; Vita, R. De; Kubarovsky, V.; Stoler, P.; Amaryan, M. J.; Ambrozewicz, P.; Anghinolfi, M.; Asryan, G.; Avakian, H.; Bagdasaryan, H.; Baillie, N.; Ball, J. P.; Baltzell, N. A.; Batourine, V.; Battaglieri, M.; Bedlinskiy, I.; Bellis, M.; Benmouna, N.; Berman, B. L.; Biselli, A. S.; Blaszczyk, L.; Bouchigny, S.; Boiarinov, S.; Bradford, R.; Branford, D.; Briscoe, W. J.; Brooks, W. K.; Bültmann, S.; Burkert, V. D.; Butuceanu, C.; Calarco, J. R.; Careccia, S. L.; Carman, D. S.; Chen, S.; Cole, P. L.; Collins, P.; Coltharp, P.; Crabb, D.; Crannell, H.; Crede, V.; Cummings, J. P.; Dashyan, N.; Masi, R. De; Vita, R. De; Sanctis, E. De; Degtyarenko, P. V.; Deur, A.; Dharmawardane, K. V.; Dickson, R.; Djalali, C.; Dodge, G. E.; Donnelly, J.; Doughty, D.; Dugger, M.; Dzyubak, O. P.; Egiyan, H.; Egiyan, K. S.; Fassi, L. El; Elouadrhiri, L.; Eugenio, P.; Fedotov, G.; Feldman, G.; Funsten, H.; Garçon, M.; Gavalian, G.; Gilfoyle, G. P.; Giovanetti, K. L.; Girod, F. X.; Goetz, J. T.; Gonenc, A.; Gordon, C. I. O.; Gothe, R. W.; Griffioen, K. A.; Guidal, M.; Guler, N.; Gyurjyan, V.; Hadjidakis, C.; Hafidi, K.; Hakobyan, H.; Hakobyan, R. S.; Hanretty, C.; Hardie, J.; Hersman, F. W.; Hicks, K.; Hleiqawi, I.; Holtrop, M.; Hyde-Wright, C. E.; Ilieva, Y.; Ireland, D. G.; Ishkhanov, B. S.; Isupov, E. L.; Ito, M. M.; Jenkins, D.; Johnstone, R.; Jo, H. S.; Joo, K.; Juengst, H. G.; Kalantarians, N.; Kellie, J. D.; Khandaker, M.; Kim, W.; Klein, A.; Klein, F. J.; Klimenko, A. V.; Kossov, M.; Krahn, Z.; Kramer, L. H.; Kuhn, J.; Kuhn, S. E.; Kuleshov, S. V.; Lachniet, J.; Laget, J. M.; Langheinrich, J.; Lawrence, D.; Lee, T.; Li, Ji; Livingston, K.; Lu, H. Y.; MacCormick, M.; Markov, N.; Mattione, P.; McKinnon, B.; Mecking, B. A.; Melone, J. J.; Mestayer, M. D.; Meyer, C. A.; Mibe, T.; Mikhailov, K.; Minehart, R.; Mirazita, M.; Miskimen, R.; Mokeev, V.; Moriya, K.; Morrow, S. A.; Moteabbed, M.; Munevar, E.; Mutchler, G. S.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Nasseripour, R.; Niccolai, S.; Niculescu, G.; Niculescu, I.; Niczyporuk, B. B.; Niroula, M. R.; Niyazov, R. A.; Nozar, M.; Osipenko, M.; Ostrovidov, A. I.; Park, K.; Pasyuk, E.; Paterson, C.; Pereira, S. Anefalos; Pierce, J.; Pivnyuk, N.; Pocanic, D.; Pogorelko, O.; Pozdniakov, S.; Price, J. W.; Prok, Y.; Protopopescu, D.; Raue, B. A.; Riccardi, G.; Ricco, G.; Ripani, M.; Ritchie, B. G.; Ronchetti, F.; Rosner, G.; Rossi, P.; Sabatié, F.; Salamanca, J.; Salgado, C.; Santoro, J. P.; Sapunenko, V.; Schumacher, R. A.; Serov, V. S.; Sharabian, Y. G.; Sharov, D.; Shvedunov, N. V.; Smith, E. S.; Smith, L. C.; Sober, D. I.; Sokhan, D.; Stavinsky, A.; Stepanyan, S. S.; Stepanyan, S.; Stokes, B. E.; Strakovsky, I. I.; Strauch, S.; Taiuti, M.; Tedeschi, D. J.; Thoma, U.; Tkabladze, A.; Tkachenko, S.; Todor, L.; Tur, C.; Ungaro, M.; Vineyard, M. F.; Vlassov, A. V.; Watts, D. P.; Weinstein, L. B.; Williams, M.; Wolin, E.; Wood, M. H.; Yegneswaran, A.; Zana, L.; Zhang, J.; Zhao, B.; Zhao, Z. W.

    2007-08-01

    Photoproduction of the cascade resonances has been investigated in the reactions γp→K+K+(X) and γp→K+K+π-(X). The mass splitting of the ground state (Ξ-,Ξ0) doublet is measured to be 5.4±1.8 MeV/c2, consistent with existing measurements. The differential (total) cross sections for the Ξ- have been determined for photon beam energies from 2.75 to 3.85 (4.75) GeV and are consistent with a production mechanism of Y*→K+Ξ- through a t-channel process. The reaction γp→K+K+π-[Ξ0] has also been investigated to search of excited cascade resonances. No significant signal of excited cascade states other than the Ξ-(1530) is observed. The cross-section results of the Ξ-(1530) have also been obtained for photon beam energies from 3.35 to 4.75 GeV.

  17. Search for CP violation in the decays D+--> K(S)pi+ and D+-->K(S)K+.

    PubMed

    Link, J M; Reyes, M; Yager, P M; Anjos, J C; Bediaga, I; Göbel, C; Magnin, J; Massafferri, A; de Miranda, J M; Pepe, I M; dos Reis, A C; Carrillo, S; Casimiro, E; Sánchez-Hernández, A; Uribe, C; Vázquez, F; Cinquini, L; Cumalat, J P; O'Reilly, B; Ramirez, J E; Vaandering, E W; Butler, J N; Cheung, H W K; Gaines, I; Garbincius, P H; Garren, L A; Gottschalk, E; Kasper, P H; Kreymer, A E; Kutschke, R; Bianco, S; Fabbri, F L; Zallo, A; Cawlfield, C; Kim, D Y; Rahimi, A; Wiss, J; Gardner, R; Kryemadhi, A; Chung, Y S; Kang, J S; Ko, B R; Kwak, J W; Lee, K B; Park, H; Alimonti, G; Boschini, M; D'Angelo, P; DiCorato, M; Dini, P; Giammarchi, M; Inzani, P; Leveraro, F; Malvezzi, S; Menasce, D; Mezzadri, M; Milazzo, L; Moroni, L; Pedrini, D; Pontoglio, C; Prelz, F; Rovere, M; Sala, S; Davenport, T F; Agostino, L; Arena, V; Boca, G; Bonomi, G; Gianini, G; Liguori, G; Merlo, M M; Pantea, D; Ratti, S P; Riccardi, C; Segoni, I; Vitulo, P; Hernandez, H; Lopez, A M; Mendez, H; Mendez, L; Mirles, A; Montiel, E; Olaya, D; Paris, A; Quinones, J; Rivera, C; Xiong, W; Zhang, Y; Wilson, J R; Cho, K; Handler, T; Mitchell, R; Engh, D; Hosack, M; Johns, W E; Nehring, M; Sheldon, P D; Stenson, K; Webster, M; Sheaff, M

    2002-01-28

    A high-statistics sample of photoproduced charm from the FOCUS experiment has been used to search for direct CP violation in the decay rates for D+-->K(S)pi+ and D+-->K(S)K+. We have measured the following asymmetry parameters relative to D+-->K-pi+pi+: A(CP)(K(S)pi+) = (-1.6+/-1.5+/-0.9)%, A(CP)(K(S)K+) = (+6.9+/-6.0+/-1.5)%, and A(CP)(K(S)K+) = (+7.1+/-6.1+/-1.2)% relative to D+-->K(S)pi+. We have also measured the relative branching ratios and found Gamma(D+-->K(0)pi+)/Gamma(D+-->K-pi+pi+) = (30.60+/-0.46+/-0.32)%, Gamma(D+-->K(0)K+)/Gamma(D+-->K-pi+pi+) = (6.04+/-0.35+/-0.30)%, and Gamma(D+-->K(0)K+)/Gamma(D+-->K(0)pi+) = (19.96+/-1.19+/-0.96)%.

  18. The construction of space-like surfaces with k1k2 - m(k1 + k2) = 1 in Minkowski three-space

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cao, Xi-Fang

    2002-07-01

    From solutions of the sinh-Laplace equation, we construct a family of space-like surfaces with k1k2 - m(k1 + k2) = 1 in Minkowski three-space, where k1 and k2 are principal curvatures and m is an arbitrary constant.

  19. Analysis of D0 -> K anti-K X Decays

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jessop, Colin P.

    2003-06-06

    Using data taken with the CLEO II detector, they have studied the decays of the D{sup 0} to K{sup +}K{sup -}, K{sup 0}{bar K}{sup 0}, K{sub S}{sup 0}K{sub S}{sup 0}, K{sub S}{sup 0}K{sub S}{sup 0}{pi}{sup 0}, K{sup +}K{sup -}{pi}{sup 0}. The authors present significantly improved results for B(D{sup 0} {yields} K{sup +}K{sup -}) = (0.454 {+-} 0.028 {+-} 0.035)%, B(D{sup 0} {yields} K{sup 0}{bar K}{sup 0}) = (0.054 {+-} 0.012 {+-} 0.010)% and B(D{sup 0} {yields} K{sub S}{sup 0}K{sub S}{sup 0}K{sub S}{sup 0}) = (0.074 {+-} 0.010 {+-} 0.015)% where the first errors are statistical and the second errors aremore » the estimate of their systematic uncertainty. They also present a new upper limit B(D{sup 0} {yields} K{sub S}{sup 0}K{sub S}{sup 0}{pi}{sup 0}) < 0.059% at the 90% confidence level and the first measurement of B(D{sup 0} {yields} K{sup +}K{sup -}{pi}{sup 0}) = (0.14 {+-} 0.04)%.« less

  20. No difference in ad libitum energy intake in healthy men and women consuming beverages sweetened with fructose, glucose, or high-fructose corn syrup: a randomized trial.

    PubMed

    Kuzma, Jessica N; Cromer, Gail; Hagman, Derek K; Breymeyer, Kara L; Roth, Christian L; Foster-Schubert, Karen E; Holte, Sarah E; Callahan, Holly S; Weigle, David S; Kratz, Mario

    2015-12-01

    Increased energy intake is consistently observed in individuals consuming sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), likely mainly because of an inadequate satiety response to liquid calories. However, SSBs have a high content of fructose, the consumption of which acutely fails to trigger responses in key signals involved in energy homeostasis. It is unclear whether the fructose content of SSBs contributes to the increased energy intake in individuals drinking SSBs. We investigated whether the relative amounts of fructose and glucose in SSBs modifies ad libitum energy intake over 8 d in healthy adults without fructose malabsorption. We conducted 2 randomized, controlled, double-blind crossover studies to compare the effects of consuming 4 servings/d of a fructose-, glucose-, or aspartame-sweetened beverage (study A; n = 9) or a fructose-, glucose-, or high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)-sweetened beverage (study B; n = 24) for 8 d on overall energy intake. SSBs were provided at 25% of estimated energy requirement, or an equivalent volume of the aspartame-sweetened beverage, and consumption was mandatory. All solid foods were provided at 125% of estimated energy requirements and were consumed ad libitum. In study A, ad libitum energy intake was 120% ± 10%, 117% ± 12%, and 102% ± 15% of estimated energy requirements when subjects consumed the fructose-, glucose-, and aspartame-sweetened beverages. Energy intake was significantly higher in the fructose and glucose phases than in the aspartame phase (P < 0.003 for each), with no difference between the fructose and glucose phases (P = 0.462). In study B, total energy intake during the fructose, HFCS, and glucose phases was 116% ± 14%, 116% ± 16%, and 116% ± 16% of the subject's estimated total energy requirements (P = 0.880). In healthy adults, total 8-d ad libitum energy intake was increased in individuals consuming SSBs compared with aspartame-sweetened beverages. The energy overconsumption observed in individuals consuming

  1. No difference in ad libitum energy intake in healthy men and women consuming beverages sweetened with fructose, glucose, or high-fructose corn syrup: a randomized trial1

    PubMed Central

    Kuzma, Jessica N; Cromer, Gail; Hagman, Derek K; Breymeyer, Kara L; Roth, Christian L; Foster-Schubert, Karen E; Holte, Sarah E; Callahan, Holly S; Weigle, David S; Kratz, Mario

    2015-01-01

    Background: Increased energy intake is consistently observed in individuals consuming sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), likely mainly because of an inadequate satiety response to liquid calories. However, SSBs have a high content of fructose, the consumption of which acutely fails to trigger responses in key signals involved in energy homeostasis. It is unclear whether the fructose content of SSBs contributes to the increased energy intake in individuals drinking SSBs. Objective: We investigated whether the relative amounts of fructose and glucose in SSBs modifies ad libitum energy intake over 8 d in healthy adults without fructose malabsorption. Design: We conducted 2 randomized, controlled, double-blind crossover studies to compare the effects of consuming 4 servings/d of a fructose-, glucose-, or aspartame-sweetened beverage (study A; n = 9) or a fructose-, glucose-, or high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)–sweetened beverage (study B; n = 24) for 8 d on overall energy intake. SSBs were provided at 25% of estimated energy requirement, or an equivalent volume of the aspartame-sweetened beverage, and consumption was mandatory. All solid foods were provided at 125% of estimated energy requirements and were consumed ad libitum. Results: In study A, ad libitum energy intake was 120% ± 10%, 117% ± 12%, and 102% ± 15% of estimated energy requirements when subjects consumed the fructose-, glucose-, and aspartame-sweetened beverages. Energy intake was significantly higher in the fructose and glucose phases than in the aspartame phase (P < 0.003 for each), with no difference between the fructose and glucose phases (P = 0.462). In study B, total energy intake during the fructose, HFCS, and glucose phases was 116% ± 14%, 116% ± 16%, and 116% ± 16% of the subject’s estimated total energy requirements (P = 0.880). Conclusions: In healthy adults, total 8-d ad libitum energy intake was increased in individuals consuming SSBs compared with aspartame-sweetened beverages. The

  2. Excessive Sugar Consumption May Be a Difficult Habit to Break: A View From the Brain and Body.

    PubMed

    Tryon, Matthew S; Stanhope, Kimber L; Epel, Elissa S; Mason, Ashley E; Brown, Rashida; Medici, Valentina; Havel, Peter J; Laugero, Kevin D

    2015-06-01

    Sugar overconsumption and chronic stress are growing health concerns because they both may increase the risk for obesity and its related diseases. Rodent studies suggest that sugar consumption may activate a glucocorticoid-metabolic-brain-negative feedback pathway, which may turn off the stress response and thereby reinforce habitual sugar overconsumption. The objective of the study was to test our hypothesized glucocorticoid-metabolic-brain model in women consuming beverages sweetened with either aspartame of sucrose. This was a parallel-arm, double-masked diet intervention study. The study was conducted at the University of California, Davis, Clinical and Translational Science Center's Clinical Research Center and the University of California, Davis, Medical Center Imaging Research Center. Nineteen women (age range 18-40 y) with a body mass index (range 20-34 kg/m(2)) who were a subgroup from a National Institutes of Health-funded investigation of 188 participants assigned to eight experimental groups. The intervention consisted of sucrose- or aspartame-sweetened beverage consumption three times per day for 2 weeks. Salivary cortisol and regional brain responses to the Montreal Imaging Stress Task were measured. Compared with aspartame, sucrose consumption was associated with significantly higher activity in the left hippocampus (P = .001). Sucrose, but not aspartame, consumption associated with reduced (P = .024) stress-induced cortisol. The sucrose group also had a lower reactivity to naltrexone, significantly (P = .041) lower nausea, and a trend (P = .080) toward lower cortisol. These experimental findings support a metabolic-brain-negative feedback pathway that is affected by sugar and may make some people under stress more hooked on sugar and possibly more vulnerable to obesity and its related conditions.

  3. Evaluation of long-term effects of artificial sweeteners on rat brain: a biochemical, behavioral, and histological study.

    PubMed

    Erbaş, Oytun; Erdoğan, Mümin Alper; Khalilnezhad, Asghar; Solmaz, Volkan; Gürkan, Fulya Tuzcu; Yiğittürk, Gürkan; Eroglu, Hüseyin Avni; Taskiran, Dilek

    2018-06-01

    The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of artificial sweeteners (aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose) on rat brain. Twenty-four adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were included in the study. The control group (n = 6) received regular tap water, whereas other groups received aspartame (3 mg/kg/day, n = 6,) or saccharin (3 mg/kg/day, n = 6) or sucralose (1.5 mg/kg/day, n = 6) in the drinking water. Following 6 weeks, the passive avoidance learning (PAL) test was performed to evaluate the neurobehavioral effects of sweeteners. The brains were assessed for lipid peroxides, neuron count, and Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunohistochemistry. Our results demonstrated that chronic intake of sweeteners significantly impaired PAL performance in all groups. Hippocampal CA1-CA3 areas revealed significantly lower neuronal count in aspartame and increased GFAP expression in all groups. Brain lipid peroxides were significantly higher in all groups. Our findings suggest that long-term consumption of artificial sweeteners may have harmful effects on cognition and hippocampal integrity in rats. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Analyses of sweet receptor gene (Tas1r2) and preference for sweet stimuli in species of Carnivora.

    PubMed

    Li, Xia; Glaser, Dieter; Li, Weihua; Johnson, Warren E; O'Brien, Stephen J; Beauchamp, Gary K; Brand, Joseph G

    2009-01-01

    The extent to which taste receptor specificity correlates with, or even predicts, diet choice is not known. We recently reported that the insensitivity to sweeteners shown by species of Felidae can be explained by their lacking of a functional Tas1r2 gene. To broaden our understanding of the relationship between the structure of the sweet receptors and preference for sugars and artificial sweeteners, we measured responses to 12 sweeteners in 6 species of Carnivora and sequenced the coding regions of Tas1r2 in these same or closely related species. The lion showed no preference for any of the 12 sweet compounds tested, and it possesses the pseudogenized Tas1r2. All other species preferred some of the natural sugars, and their Tas1r2 sequences, having complete open reading frames, predict functional sweet receptors. In addition to preferring natural sugars, the lesser panda also preferred 3 (neotame, sucralose, and aspartame) of the 6 artificial sweeteners. Heretofore, it had been reported that among vertebrates, only Old World simians could taste aspartame. The observation that the lesser panda highly preferred aspartame could be an example of evolutionary convergence in the identification of sweet stimuli.

  5. Robust k-mer frequency estimation using gapped k-mers

    PubMed Central

    Ghandi, Mahmoud; Mohammad-Noori, Morteza

    2013-01-01

    Oligomers of fixed length, k, commonly known as k-mers, are often used as fundamental elements in the description of DNA sequence features of diverse biological function, or as intermediate elements in the constuction of more complex descriptors of sequence features such as position weight matrices. k-mers are very useful as general sequence features because they constitute a complete and unbiased feature set, and do not require parameterization based on incomplete knowledge of biological mechanisms. However, a fundamental limitation in the use of k-mers as sequence features is that as k is increased, larger spatial correlations in DNA sequence elements can be described, but the frequency of observing any specific k-mer becomes very small, and rapidly approaches a sparse matrix of binary counts. Thus any statistical learning approach using k-mers will be susceptible to noisy estimation of k-mer frequencies once k becomes large. Because all molecular DNA interactions have limited spatial extent, gapped k-mers often carry the relevant biological signal. Here we use gapped k-mer counts to more robustly estimate the ungapped k-mer frequencies, by deriving an equation for the minimum norm estimate of k-mer frequencies given an observed set of gapped k-mer frequencies. We demonstrate that this approach provides a more accurate estimate of the k-mer frequencies in real biological sequences using a sample of CTCF binding sites in the human genome. PMID:23861010

  6. Robust k-mer frequency estimation using gapped k-mers.

    PubMed

    Ghandi, Mahmoud; Mohammad-Noori, Morteza; Beer, Michael A

    2014-08-01

    Oligomers of fixed length, k, commonly known as k-mers, are often used as fundamental elements in the description of DNA sequence features of diverse biological function, or as intermediate elements in the constuction of more complex descriptors of sequence features such as position weight matrices. k-mers are very useful as general sequence features because they constitute a complete and unbiased feature set, and do not require parameterization based on incomplete knowledge of biological mechanisms. However, a fundamental limitation in the use of k-mers as sequence features is that as k is increased, larger spatial correlations in DNA sequence elements can be described, but the frequency of observing any specific k-mer becomes very small, and rapidly approaches a sparse matrix of binary counts. Thus any statistical learning approach using k-mers will be susceptible to noisy estimation of k-mer frequencies once k becomes large. Because all molecular DNA interactions have limited spatial extent, gapped k-mers often carry the relevant biological signal. Here we use gapped k-mer counts to more robustly estimate the ungapped k-mer frequencies, by deriving an equation for the minimum norm estimate of k-mer frequencies given an observed set of gapped k-mer frequencies. We demonstrate that this approach provides a more accurate estimate of the k-mer frequencies in real biological sequences using a sample of CTCF binding sites in the human genome.

  7. High Precision 40K/39K Ratio Determination

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Naumenko, M. O.; Mezger, K.; Nagler, T. F.; Villa, I. M.

    2012-12-01

    Potassium is one of the eight most abundant chemical elements in the Earth's crust and a major element in many rock-forming minerals. The isotope 40K is radioactive and undergoes β- decay to 40Ca (ca. 89.3%) and electron capture to 40Ar (ca. 10.7%). Both decays can potentially be used as dating systems. The most commonly used branch is the decay of 40K to 40Ar because it can yield highly precise ages. Both decay schemes rely on the knowledge of the 40K branching ratio and the natural 40K abundance. A 40K abundance of 0.011672±41 % was measured on terrestrial material [1]. The relative uncertainty of 0.35 % has not been improved since. Recent improvements in the precision of mass spectrometric measurements have led to the situation that the uncertainties on the K decay constant and the abundance of 40K are a major source of uncertainty on the measured ages. A more precise definition of the 40K decay constant was attempted by different research groups within the last decade [2-9] but the goal of obtaining 0.1 % relative uncertainty on K-Ar ages for geological materials, as requested by the EARTHtime initiative, has not been achieved yet. In order to improve on this situation we studied the abundances of the K isotopes in terrestrial standards. A ThermoFischer Triton+ thermal ionisation mass spectrometer was used for K isotope ratio measurements of the NIST SRM 918b K standard loaded on Ta filaments with 0.1M phosphoric acid. Three techniques were applied: (A) dynamic measurement with in-run normalisation to the IUPAC value 41K/39K=0.072168; (B) a simple total evaporation procedure; (C) the "NBL-modified" total evaporation [10]. The 40K ion beam was measured in a Faraday cup with a 1E12 Ω resistor; 39K and 41K were collected in Faraday cups with 1E11 Ω resistors. Amplifier gains were intercalibrated by supplying fixed voltages off-line. Different measurement techniques were combined with different loading procedures. We also tested ionisation yields for the

  8. Dalitz plot analysis of Ds+→K+K-π+

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Del Amo Sanchez, P.; Lees, J. P.; Poireau, V.; Prencipe, E.; Tisserand, V.; Garra Tico, J.; Grauges, E.; Martinelli, M.; Milanes, D. A.; Palano, A.; Pappagallo, M.; Eigen, G.; Stugu, B.; Sun, L.; Brown, D. N.; Kerth, L. T.; Kolomensky, Yu. G.; Lynch, G.; Osipenkov, I. L.; Koch, H.; Schroeder, T.; Asgeirsson, D. J.; Hearty, C.; Mattison, T. S.; McKenna, J. A.; Khan, A.; Blinov, V. E.; Buzykaev, A. R.; Druzhinin, V. P.; Golubev, V. B.; Kravchenko, E. A.; Onuchin, A. P.; Serednyakov, S. I.; Skovpen, Yu. I.; Solodov, E. P.; Todyshev, K. Yu.; Yushkov, A. N.; Bondioli, M.; Curry, S.; Kirkby, D.; Lankford, A. J.; Mandelkern, M.; Martin, E. C.; Stoker, D. P.; Atmacan, H.; Gary, J. W.; Liu, F.; Long, O.; Vitug, G. M.; Campagnari, C.; Hong, T. M.; Kovalskyi, D.; Richman, J. D.; West, C.; Eisner, A. M.; Heusch, C. A.; Kroseberg, J.; Lockman, W. S.; Martinez, A. J.; Schalk, T.; Schumm, B. A.; Seiden, A.; Winstrom, L. O.; Cheng, C. H.; Doll, D. A.; Echenard, B.; Hitlin, D. G.; Ongmongkolkul, P.; Porter, F. C.; Rakitin, A. Y.; Andreassen, R.; Dubrovin, M. S.; Mancinelli, G.; Meadows, B. T.; Sokoloff, M. D.; Bloom, P. C.; Ford, W. T.; Gaz, A.; Nagel, M.; Nauenberg, U.; Smith, J. G.; Wagner, S. R.; Ayad, R.; Toki, W. H.; Jasper, H.; Karbach, T. M.; Petzold, A.; Spaan, B.; Kobel, M. J.; Schubert, K. R.; Schwierz, R.; Bernard, D.; Verderi, M.; Clark, P. J.; Playfer, S.; Watson, J. E.; Andreotti, M.; Bettoni, D.; Bozzi, C.; Calabrese, R.; Cecchi, A.; Cibinetto, G.; Fioravanti, E.; Franchini, P.; Garzia, I.; Luppi, E.; Munerato, M.; Negrini, M.; Petrella, A.; Piemontese, L.; Baldini-Ferroli, R.; Calcaterra, A.; de Sangro, R.; Finocchiaro, G.; Nicolaci, M.; Pacetti, S.; Patteri, P.; Peruzzi, I. M.; Piccolo, M.; Rama, M.; Zallo, A.; Contri, R.; Guido, E.; Lo Vetere, M.; Monge, M. R.; Passaggio, S.; Patrignani, C.; Robutti, E.; Tosi, S.; Bhuyan, B.; Prasad, V.; Lee, C. L.; Morii, M.; Edwards, A. J.; Adametz, A.; Marks, J.; Uwer, U.; Bernlochner, F. U.; Ebert, M.; Lacker, H. M.; Lueck, T.; Volk, A.; Dauncey, P. D.; Tibbetts, M.; Behera, P. K.; Mallik, U.; Chen, C.; Cochran, J.; Crawley, H. B.; Dong, L.; Meyer, W. T.; Prell, S.; Rosenberg, E. I.; Rubin, A. E.; Gritsan, A. V.; Guo, Z. J.; Arnaud, N.; Davier, M.; Derkach, D.; Firmino da Costa, J.; Grosdidier, G.; Le Diberder, F.; Lutz, A. M.; Malaescu, B.; Perez, A.; Roudeau, P.; Schune, M. H.; Serrano, J.; Sordini, V.; Stocchi, A.; Wang, L.; Wormser, G.; Lange, D. J.; Wright, D. M.; Bingham, I.; Chavez, C. A.; Coleman, J. P.; Fry, J. R.; Gabathuler, E.; Gamet, R.; Hutchcroft, D. E.; Payne, D. J.; Touramanis, C.; Bevan, A. J.; di Lodovico, F.; Sacco, R.; Sigamani, M.; Cowan, G.; Paramesvaran, S.; Wren, A. C.; Brown, D. N.; Davis, C. L.; Denig, A. G.; Fritsch, M.; Gradl, W.; Hafner, A.; Alwyn, K. E.; Bailey, D.; Barlow, R. J.; Jackson, G.; Lafferty, G. D.; Anderson, J.; Cenci, R.; Jawahery, A.; Roberts, D. A.; Simi, G.; Tuggle, J. M.; Dallapiccola, C.; Salvati, E.; Cowan, R.; Dujmic, D.; Sciolla, G.; Zhao, M.; Lindemann, D.; Patel, P. M.; Robertson, S. H.; Schram, M.; Biassoni, P.; Lazzaro, A.; Lombardo, V.; Palombo, F.; Stracka, S.; Cremaldi, L.; Godang, R.; Kroeger, R.; Sonnek, P.; Summers, D. J.; Nguyen, X.; Simard, M.; Taras, P.; de Nardo, G.; Monorchio, D.; Onorato, G.; Sciacca, C.; Raven, G.; Snoek, H. L.; Jessop, C. P.; Knoepfel, K. J.; Losecco, J. M.; Wang, W. F.; Corwin, L. A.; Honscheid, K.; Kass, R.; Morris, J. P.; Blount, N. L.; Brau, J.; Frey, R.; Igonkina, O.; Kolb, J. A.; Rahmat, R.; Sinev, N. B.; Strom, D.; Strube, J.; Torrence, E.; Castelli, G.; Feltresi, E.; Gagliardi, N.; Margoni, M.; Morandin, M.; Posocco, M.; Rotondo, M.; Simonetto, F.; Stroili, R.; Ben-Haim, E.; Bonneaud, G. R.; Briand, H.; Calderini, G.; Chauveau, J.; Hamon, O.; Leruste, Ph.; Marchiori, G.; Ocariz, J.; Prendki, J.; Sitt, S.; Biasini, M.; Manoni, E.; Rossi, A.; Angelini, C.; Batignani, G.; Bettarini, S.; Carpinelli, M.; Casarosa, G.; Cervelli, A.; Forti, F.; Giorgi, M. A.; Lusiani, A.; Neri, N.; Paoloni, E.; Rizzo, G.; Walsh, J. J.; Lopes Pegna, D.; Lu, C.; Olsen, J.; Smith, A. J. S.; Telnov, A. V.; Anulli, F.; Baracchini, E.; Cavoto, G.; Faccini, R.; Ferrarotto, F.; Ferroni, F.; Gaspero, M.; Li Gioi, L.; Mazzoni, M. A.; Piredda, G.; Renga, F.; Hartmann, T.; Leddig, T.; Schröder, H.; Waldi, R.; Adye, T.; Franek, B.; Olaiya, E. O.; Wilson, F. F.; Emery, S.; Hamel de Monchenault, G.; Vasseur, G.; Yèche, Ch.; Zito, M.; Allen, M. T.; Aston, D.; Bard, D. J.; Bartoldus, R.; Benitez, J. F.; Cartaro, C.; Convery, M. R.; Dorfan, J.; Dubois-Felsmann, G. P.; Dunwoodie, W.; Field, R. C.; Franco Sevilla, M.; Fulsom, B. G.; Gabareen, A. M.; Graham, M. T.; Grenier, P.; Hast, C.; Innes, W. R.; Kelsey, M. H.; Kim, H.; Kim, P.; Kocian, M. L.; Leith, D. W. G. S.; Li, S.; Lindquist, B.; Luitz, S.; Luth, V.; Lynch, H. L.; Macfarlane, D. B.; Marsiske, H.; Muller, D. R.; Neal, H.; Nelson, S.; O'Grady, C. P.; Ofte, I.; Perl, M.; Pulliam, T.; Ratcliff, B. N.; Roodman, A.; Salnikov, A. A.; Santoro, V.; Schindler, R. H.; Schwiening, J.; Snyder, A.; Su, D.; Sullivan, M. K.; Sun, S.; Suzuki, K.; Thompson, J. M.; Va'Vra, J.; Wagner, A. P.; Weaver, M.; Wisniewski, W. J.; Wittgen, M.; Wright, D. H.; Wulsin, H. W.; Yarritu, A. K.; Young, C. C.; Ziegler, V.; Chen, X. R.; Park, W.; Purohit, M. V.; White, R. M.; Wilson, J. R.; Randle-Conde, A.; Sekula, S. J.; Bellis, M.; Burchat, P. R.; Miyashita, T. S.; Ahmed, S.; Alam, M. S.; Ernst, J. A.; Pan, B.; Saeed, M. A.; Zain, S. B.; Guttman, N.; Soffer, A.; Lund, P.; Spanier, S. M.; Eckmann, R.; Ritchie, J. L.; Ruland, A. M.; Schilling, C. J.; Schwitters, R. F.; Wray, B. C.; Izen, J. M.; Lou, X. C.; Bianchi, F.; Gamba, D.; Pelliccioni, M.; Bomben, M.; Lanceri, L.; Vitale, L.; Lopez-March, N.; Martinez-Vidal, F.; Oyanguren, A.; Albert, J.; Banerjee, Sw.; Choi, H. H. F.; Hamano, K.; King, G. J.; Kowalewski, R.; Lewczuk, M. J.; Lindsay, C.; Nugent, I. M.; Roney, J. M.; Sobie, R. J.; Gershon, T. J.; Harrison, P. F.; Latham, T. E.; Pennington, M. R.; Puccio, E. M. T.; Band, H. R.; Dasu, S.; Flood, K. T.; Pan, Y.; Prepost, R.; Vuosalo, C. O.; Wu, S. L.

    2011-03-01

    We perform a Dalitz plot analysis of about 100 000 Ds+ decays to K+K-π+ and measure the complex amplitudes of the intermediate resonances which contribute to this decay mode. We also measure the relative branching fractions of Ds+→K+K+π- and Ds+→K+K+K-. For this analysis we use a 384 fb-1 data sample, recorded by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e+e- collider running at center-of-mass energies near 10.58 GeV.

  9. Nucleoli in human early erythroblasts (K2, K1, K1/2 cells).

    PubMed

    Smetana, K; Jirásková, I; Klamová, H

    2005-01-01

    Human early erythroid precursors classified according to the nuclear size were studied to provide information on nucleoli in these cells using simple cytochemical procedures for demonstration of RNA and proteins of silver-stained nucleolar organizers. K2 cells with nuclear diameter larger than 13 microm and K1 cells with nuclear diameter larger than 9 microm corresponding to proerythroblasts and macroblasts (large basophilic erythroblasts) mostly possessed large irregularly shaped nucleoli with multiple fibrillar centres representing "active nucleoli". K1/2 cells with nuclear diameter smaller than 9 microm corresponding to small basophilic erythroblasts were usually characterized by the presence of micronucleoli representing "inactive nucleolar types". On the other hand, a few K1/2 cells contained large nucleoli with multiple fibrillar centres similar to those present in K2 cells and thus appeared as "microproerythroblasts". The nucleolar asynchrony expressed by the presence of large irregularly shaped nucleoli with multiple nucleoli (active nucleoli) and ring-shaped nucleoli (resting nucleoli) in one and the same nucleus of K2 or K1 cells was not exceptional and might reflect a larger resistance of these cells to negative factors influencing the erythropoiesis. The intranucleolar translocation of silver-stained nucleolus organized regions was noted in K2 cells and might indicate the premature aging of these cells without further differentiation. More studies, however, are required in this direction.

  10. Excessive Sugar Consumption May Be a Difficult Habit to Break: A View From the Brain and Body

    PubMed Central

    Tryon, Matthew S.; Stanhope, Kimber L.; Epel, Elissa S.; Mason, Ashley E.; Brown, Rashida; Medici, Valentina; Havel, Peter J.

    2015-01-01

    Context: Sugar overconsumption and chronic stress are growing health concerns because they both may increase the risk for obesity and its related diseases. Rodent studies suggest that sugar consumption may activate a glucocorticoid-metabolic-brain-negative feedback pathway, which may turn off the stress response and thereby reinforce habitual sugar overconsumption. Objective: The objective of the study was to test our hypothesized glucocorticoid-metabolic-brain model in women consuming beverages sweetened with either aspartame of sucrose. Design: This was a parallel-arm, double-masked diet intervention study. Setting: The study was conducted at the University of California, Davis, Clinical and Translational Science Center's Clinical Research Center and the University of California, Davis, Medical Center Imaging Research Center. Participants: Nineteen women (age range 18–40 y) with a body mass index (range 20–34 kg/m2) who were a subgroup from a National Institutes of Health-funded investigation of 188 participants assigned to eight experimental groups. Intervention: The intervention consisted of sucrose- or aspartame-sweetened beverage consumption three times per day for 2 weeks. Main Outcome Measures: Salivary cortisol and regional brain responses to the Montreal Imaging Stress Task were measured. Results: Compared with aspartame, sucrose consumption was associated with significantly higher activity in the left hippocampus (P = .001). Sucrose, but not aspartame, consumption associated with reduced (P = .024) stress-induced cortisol. The sucrose group also had a lower reactivity to naltrexone, significantly (P = .041) lower nausea, and a trend (P = .080) toward lower cortisol. Conclusion: These experimental findings support a metabolic-brain-negative feedback pathway that is affected by sugar and may make some people under stress more hooked on sugar and possibly more vulnerable to obesity and its related conditions. PMID:25879513

  11. Placebo expectancy effects in the relationship between glucose and cognition.

    PubMed

    Green, M W; Taylor, M A; Elliman, N A; Rhodes, O

    2001-08-01

    The present study investigated the extent of expectancy in the ability of glucose to affect cognitive performance. Using a within-subjects design, subjects (n 26) completed four experimental sessions (in counterbalanced order and after an initial practice session) during which they were given a 500 ml drink 30 min prior to completing a cognitive assessment battery. In addition, all subjects completed a baseline practice session during which they were given no drink. During two of the sessions, subjects were given a drink containing 50 g glucose and on the other two they were given a drink containing aspartame. A balanced placebo design was used, such that for half the sessions subjects were accurately informed as to the content of the drink (glucose or aspartame), whereas in the other two sessions they were misinformed as to the content of the drink. The task battery comprised a 6 min visual analogue of the Bakan vigilance task, an immediate verbal free-recall task, an immediate verbal recognition memory task and a measure of motor speed (two-finger tapping). Blood glucose and self-reported mood were also recorded at several time points during each session. Glucose administration was found to improve recognition memory times, in direct contrast to previous findings in the literature. Glucose administration also improved performance on the Bakan task (relative to the control drink), but only in sessions where subjects were informed that they would receive glucose and not when they were told that they would receive aspartame. There were no effects either of the nature of the drink or expectancy on the other measures. These results are interpreted in terms of there being some contribution of expectancy concerning the positive effects of glucose on cognition in studies which have not used an equi-sweet dose of aspartame as a control drink.

  12. Sucralose enhances GLP-1 release and lowers blood glucose in the presence of carbohydrate in healthy subjects but not in patients with type 2 diabetes.

    PubMed

    Temizkan, S; Deyneli, O; Yasar, M; Arpa, M; Gunes, M; Yazici, D; Sirikci, O; Haklar, G; Imeryuz, N; Yavuz, D G

    2015-02-01

    Artificial sweeteners were thought to be metabolically inactive, but after demonstrating that the gustatory mechanism was also localized in the small intestine, suspicions about the metabolic effects of artificial sweeteners have emerged. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of artificial sweeteners (aspartame and sucralose) on blood glucose, insulin, c-peptide and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels. Eight newly diagnosed drug-naive type 2 diabetic patients (mean age 51.5±9.2 years; F/M: 4/4) and eight healthy subjects (mean age 45.0±4.1 years; F/M: 4/4) underwent 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). During OGTT, glucose, insulin, c-peptide and GLP-1 were measured at 15- min intervals for 120 min. The OGTTs were performed at three settings on different days, where subjects were given 72 mg of aspartame and 24 mg of sucralose in 200 ml of water or 200 ml of water alone 15 min before OGTT in a single-blinded randomized order. In healthy subjects, the total area under the curve (AUC) of glucose was statistically significantly lower in the sucralose setting than in the water setting (P=0.002). There was no difference between the aspartame setting and the water setting (P=0.53). Total AUC of insulin and c-peptide was similar in aspartame, sucralose and water settings. Total AUC of GLP-1 was significantly higher in the sucralose setting than in the water setting (P=0.04). Total AUC values of glucose, insulin, c-peptide and GLP-1 were not statistically different in three settings in type 2 diabetic patients. Sucralose enhances GLP-1 release and lowers blood glucose in the presence of carbohydrate in healthy subjects but not in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients.

  13. Cytotoxic activity of vitamins K1, K2 and K3 against human oral tumor cell lines.

    PubMed

    Okayasu, H; Ishihara, M; Satoh, K; Sakagami, H

    2001-01-01

    Vitamin K1, K2 and K3 were compared for their cytotoxic activity, radical generation and O2- scavenging activity. Among these compounds, vitamin K3 showed the highest cytotoxic activity against human oral tumor cell lines (HSC-2, HSG), human promyelocytic leukemic cell line (HL-60) and human gingival fibroblast (HGF). Vitamin K3 induced internucleosomal DNA fragmentation in HL-60 cells, but not in HSC-2 or HSG cells. The cytotoxic activity of vitamins K2 and K1 was one and two orders lower, respectively, than K3. Vitamin K2, but not vitamin K3, showed tumor-specific cytotoxic action. ESR spectroscopy showed that only vitamin K3 produced radical(s) under alkaline condition and most potently enhanced the radical intensity of sodium ascorbate and scavenged O2- (generated by hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase reaction system); vitamin K2 was much less active whereas vitamin K1 was inactive. These data suggest that the cytotoxic activity of vitamin K3 is generated by radical-mediated oxidation mechanism and that this vitamin has two opposing actions (that is, antioxidant and prooxidant), depending on the experimental conditions.

  14. Low Tyramine Headache Diet

    MedlinePlus

    ... caution Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) Nitrates Nitrites Sulfites Aspartame Fats, Oils, and Misc. Allowed All cooking oils and fats Commercial salad dressing with allowed ingredients, vinegars All ...

  15. An In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study of the Effects of Caloric and Non-Caloric Sweeteners on Liver Lipid Metabolism in Rats.

    PubMed

    Janssens, Sharon; Ciapaite, Jolita; Wolters, Justina C; van Riel, Natal A; Nicolay, Klaas; Prompers, Jeanine J

    2017-05-10

    We aimed to elucidate the effects of caloric and non-caloric sweeteners on liver lipid metabolism in rats using in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and to determine their roles in the development of liver steatosis. Wistar rats received normal chow and either normal drinking water, or solutions containing 13% ( w / v ) glucose, 13% fructose, or 0.4% aspartame. After 7 weeks, in vivo hepatic dietary lipid uptake and de novo lipogenesis were assessed with proton-observed, carbon-13-edited MRS combined with 13 C-labeled lipids and 13 C-labeled glucose, respectively. The molecular basis of alterations in hepatic liver metabolism was analyzed in detail ex vivo using immunoblotting and targeted quantitative proteomics. Both glucose and fructose feeding increased adiposity, but only fructose induced hepatic lipid accumulation. In vivo MRS showed that this was not caused by increased hepatic uptake of dietary lipids, but could be attributed to an increase in de novo lipogenesis. Stimulation of lipogenesis by fructose was confirmed by a strong upregulation of lipogenic enzymes, which was more potent than with glucose. The non-caloric sweetener aspartame did not significantly affect liver lipid content or metabolism. In conclusion, liquid fructose more severely affected liver lipid metabolism in rats than glucose, while aspartame had no effect.

  16. An In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study of the Effects of Caloric and Non-Caloric Sweeteners on Liver Lipid Metabolism in Rats

    PubMed Central

    Janssens, Sharon; Ciapaite, Jolita; Wolters, Justina C.; van Riel, Natal A.; Nicolay, Klaas; Prompers, Jeanine J.

    2017-01-01

    We aimed to elucidate the effects of caloric and non-caloric sweeteners on liver lipid metabolism in rats using in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and to determine their roles in the development of liver steatosis. Wistar rats received normal chow and either normal drinking water, or solutions containing 13% (w/v) glucose, 13% fructose, or 0.4% aspartame. After 7 weeks, in vivo hepatic dietary lipid uptake and de novo lipogenesis were assessed with proton-observed, carbon-13-edited MRS combined with 13C-labeled lipids and 13C-labeled glucose, respectively. The molecular basis of alterations in hepatic liver metabolism was analyzed in detail ex vivo using immunoblotting and targeted quantitative proteomics. Both glucose and fructose feeding increased adiposity, but only fructose induced hepatic lipid accumulation. In vivo MRS showed that this was not caused by increased hepatic uptake of dietary lipids, but could be attributed to an increase in de novo lipogenesis. Stimulation of lipogenesis by fructose was confirmed by a strong upregulation of lipogenic enzymes, which was more potent than with glucose. The non-caloric sweetener aspartame did not significantly affect liver lipid content or metabolism. In conclusion, liquid fructose more severely affected liver lipid metabolism in rats than glucose, while aspartame had no effect. PMID:28489050

  17. Analyses of Sweet Receptor Gene (Tas1r2) and Preference for Sweet Stimuli in Species of Carnivora

    PubMed Central

    Glaser, Dieter; Li, Weihua; Johnson, Warren E.; O'Brien, Stephen J.; Beauchamp, Gary K.; Brand, Joseph G.

    2009-01-01

    The extent to which taste receptor specificity correlates with, or even predicts, diet choice is not known. We recently reported that the insensitivity to sweeteners shown by species of Felidae can be explained by their lacking of a functional Tas1r2 gene. To broaden our understanding of the relationship between the structure of the sweet receptors and preference for sugars and artificial sweeteners, we measured responses to 12 sweeteners in 6 species of Carnivora and sequenced the coding regions of Tas1r2 in these same or closely related species. The lion showed no preference for any of the 12 sweet compounds tested, and it possesses the pseudogenized Tas1r2. All other species preferred some of the natural sugars, and their Tas1r2 sequences, having complete open reading frames, predict functional sweet receptors. In addition to preferring natural sugars, the lesser panda also preferred 3 (neotame, sucralose, and aspartame) of the 6 artificial sweeteners. Heretofore, it had been reported that among vertebrates, only Old World simians could taste aspartame. The observation that the lesser panda highly preferred aspartame could be an example of evolutionary convergence in the identification of sweet stimuli. PMID:19366814

  18. Branching fraction measurement of J / ψ → K S K L and search for J / ψ → K S K S

    DOE PAGES

    Ablikim, M.; Achasov, M. N.; Ahmed, S.; ...

    2017-12-04

    Using a sample of 1.31×10 9J/ψ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, we study the decays of J/ψ→ K SK L and K SK S. The branching fraction of J/ψ→ K SK L is determined to be B(J/ψ→ K SK L) = (1:93 0:01 (stat:) 0:05 (syst:))×10 -4, which signi cantly improves on previous measurements. No clear signal is observed for the J/ψ→ K SK S process, and the upper limit at the 95% con dence level for its branching fraction is determined to be B(J= ! K SK S) < 1:4×10 -8, which improves onmore » the previous searches by 2 orders in magnitude and reaches the order of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen expectation.« less

  19. Branching fraction measurement of J / ψ → K S K L and search for J / ψ → K S K S

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ablikim, M.; Achasov, M. N.; Ahmed, S.

    Using a sample of 1.31×10 9J/ψ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, we study the decays of J/ψ→ K SK L and K SK S. The branching fraction of J/ψ→ K SK L is determined to be B(J/ψ→ K SK L) = (1:93 0:01 (stat:) 0:05 (syst:))×10 -4, which signi cantly improves on previous measurements. No clear signal is observed for the J/ψ→ K SK S process, and the upper limit at the 95% con dence level for its branching fraction is determined to be B(J= ! K SK S) < 1:4×10 -8, which improves onmore » the previous searches by 2 orders in magnitude and reaches the order of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen expectation.« less

  20. COLICINE K

    PubMed Central

    Goebel, Walther F.; Barry, Guy T.

    1958-01-01

    By chemical fractionation a substance having colicine K activity has been obtained from the culture medium of E. coli K235 L+O. Colicine K activity was found associated with the O antigen of this microorganism. When the O antigen was dissociated, colicine K activity remained with the protein component of the antigen. PMID:13491756

  1. First observation of γγ-> p$$\\bar{p}$$K +K - and search for exotic baryons in pK systems

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shen, C. P.; Yuan, C. Z.; Adachi, I.

    The process γγ→pmore » $$\\bar{p}$$K +K - and its intermediate processes are measured for the first time using a 980 fb -1 data sample collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e +e - collider. The production of p$$\\bar{p}$$K +K - and a Λ(1520) 0 ($$\\bar{Λ}$$(1520) 0) signal in the pK - ($$\\bar{p}$$K +) invariant mass spectrum are clearly observed. However, no evidence for an exotic baryon near 1540 MeV/c 2, denoted as Θ(1540) 0 ($$\\bar{Θ}$$(1540) 0) or Θ(1540) ++ (Θ(1540) --), is seen in the pK - ($$\\bar{p}$$K+) or pK+ ($$\\bar{p}$$K -) invariant mass spectra. Cross sections for γγ→p$$\\bar{p}$$K +K -, Λ(1520) 0$$\\bar{p}$$K ++c.c. and the products σ(γγ→Θ(1540)0$$\\bar{p}$$K ++c.c.)B(Θ(1540) 0→pK -) and σ(γγ→Θ(1540) ++$$\\bar{p}$$K -+c.c.)B(Θ(1540) ++→pK +) are measured. We also determine upper limits on the products of the χ c0 and χ c2 two-photon decay widths and their branching fractions to p$$\\bar{p}$$K +K - at the 90% credibility level.« less

  2. Maintaining K+ balance on the low-Na+, high-K+ diet

    PubMed Central

    Cornelius, Ryan J.; Wang, Bangchen; Wang-France, Jun

    2016-01-01

    A low-Na+, high-K+ diet (LNaHK) is considered a healthier alternative to the “Western” high-Na+ diet. Because the mechanism for K+ secretion involves Na+ reabsorptive exchange for secreted K+ in the distal nephron, it is not understood how K+ is eliminated with such low Na+ intake. Animals on a LNaHK diet produce an alkaline load, high urinary flows, and markedly elevated plasma ANG II and aldosterone levels to maintain their K+ balance. Recent studies have revealed a potential mechanism involving the actions of alkalosis, urinary flow, elevated ANG II, and aldosterone on two types of K+ channels, renal outer medullary K+ and large-conductance K+ channels, located in principal and intercalated cells. Here, we review these recent advances. PMID:26739887

  3. Cross sections for the reactions e + e - → K S 0 K L 0 π 0 , K S 0 K L 0 η , and K S 0 K L 0 π 0 π 0 from events with initial-state radiation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lees, J. P.; Poireau, V.; Tisserand, V.

    Here, we study the processes e + e - → Kmore » $$0\\atop{S}$$ K$$0\\atop{L}$$ π 0 γ , K $$0\\atop{S}$$ K$$0\\atop{L}$$ η γ , and K$$0\\atop{S}$$ K$$0\\atop{L}$$ π 0 π 0 γ , where the photon is radiated from the initial state, providing cross section measurements for the hadronic final states over a continuum of center-of-mass energies. The results are based on 469 fb -1 of data collected at or near the Υ ( 4 S ) resonance with the BABAR detector at SLAC. We present the first measurements of the e + e - → K$$0\\atop{S}$$ K$$0\\atop{L}$$ π 0 , K$$0\\atop{S}$$ K$$0\\atop{L}$$ η , and K$$0\\atop{S}$$ K$$0\\atop{L}$$ π 0π 0 cross sections up to a center-of-mass energy of 4 GeV and study their intermediate resonance structures. We observe J / ψ decays to all of these final states for the first time, present measurements of their J / ψ branching fractions, and search for ψ (2S) decays.« less

  4. Cross sections for the reactions e + e - → K S 0 K L 0 π 0 , K S 0 K L 0 η , and K S 0 K L 0 π 0 π 0 from events with initial-state radiation

    DOE PAGES

    Lees, J. P.; Poireau, V.; Tisserand, V.; ...

    2017-03-06

    Here, we study the processes e + e - → Kmore » $$0\\atop{S}$$ K$$0\\atop{L}$$ π 0 γ , K $$0\\atop{S}$$ K$$0\\atop{L}$$ η γ , and K$$0\\atop{S}$$ K$$0\\atop{L}$$ π 0 π 0 γ , where the photon is radiated from the initial state, providing cross section measurements for the hadronic final states over a continuum of center-of-mass energies. The results are based on 469 fb -1 of data collected at or near the Υ ( 4 S ) resonance with the BABAR detector at SLAC. We present the first measurements of the e + e - → K$$0\\atop{S}$$ K$$0\\atop{L}$$ π 0 , K$$0\\atop{S}$$ K$$0\\atop{L}$$ η , and K$$0\\atop{S}$$ K$$0\\atop{L}$$ π 0π 0 cross sections up to a center-of-mass energy of 4 GeV and study their intermediate resonance structures. We observe J / ψ decays to all of these final states for the first time, present measurements of their J / ψ branching fractions, and search for ψ (2S) decays.« less

  5. Antitumor effects of vitamins K1, K2 and K3 on hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in vivo.

    PubMed

    Hitomi, Misuzu; Yokoyama, Fumi; Kita, Yuko; Nonomura, Takako; Masaki, Tsutomu; Yoshiji, Hitoshi; Inoue, Hideyuki; Kinekawa, Fumihiko; Kurokohchi, Kazutaka; Uchida, Naohito; Watanabe, Seishiro; Kuriyama, Shigeki

    2005-03-01

    A number of studies have shown that various K vitamins, specifically vitamins K2 and K3, possess antitumor activity on various types of rodent- and human-derived neoplastic cell lines. In the present study, we examined the antitumor effects of vitamins K1, K2 and K3 on PLC/PRF/5 human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we examined the mechanisms of antitumor actions of these vitamins in vitro and in vivo. Although vitamin K1 did not inhibit proliferation of PLC/PRF/5 cells at a 90-microM concentration (the highest tested), vitamins K2 and K3 suppressed proliferation of the cells at concentrations of 90 and 9 microM, respectively. By flow cytometric analysis, it was shown that not only vitamin K1, but also vitamin K2 did not induce apoptosis or cell cycle arrest on PLC/PRF/5 cells. In contrast, vitamin K3 induced G1 arrest, but not apoptosis on PLC/PRF/5 cells. Subsequent in vivo study using subcutaneous HCC-bearing athymic nude mice demonstrated that both vitamins K2 and K3 markedly suppressed the growth of HCC tumors to similar extent. Protein expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (Cdk4), but not p16INK4a Cdk inhibitor in the tumor was significantly reduced by vitamin K2 or K3 treatment, indicating that vitamins K2 and K3 may induce G1 arrest of cell cycle on PLC/PRF/5 cells in vivo. Taken collectively, vitamins K2 and K3 were able to induce potent antitumor effects on HCC in vitro and in vivo, at least in part, by inducing G1 arrest of the cell cycle. The results indicate that vitamins K2 and K3 may be useful agents for the treatment of patients with HCC.

  6. Observation of the Decay Ξ_{b}^{-}→pK^{-}K^{-}.

    PubMed

    Aaij, R; Adeva, B; Adinolfi, M; Ajaltouni, Z; Akar, S; Albrecht, J; Alessio, F; Alexander, M; Ali, S; Alkhazov, G; Alvarez Cartelle, P; Alves, A A; Amato, S; Amerio, S; Amhis, Y; An, L; Anderlini, L; Andreassi, G; Andreotti, M; Andrews, J E; Appleby, R B; Archilli, F; d'Argent, P; Arnau Romeu, J; Artamonov, A; Artuso, M; Aslanides, E; Auriemma, G; Baalouch, M; Babuschkin, I; Bachmann, S; Back, J J; Badalov, A; Baesso, C; Baker, S; Balagura, V; Baldini, W; Barlow, R J; Barschel, C; Barsuk, S; Barter, W; Baszczyk, M; Batozskaya, V; Batsukh, B; Battista, V; Bay, A; Beaucourt, L; Beddow, J; Bedeschi, F; Bediaga, I; Bel, L J; Bellee, V; Belloli, N; Belous, K; Belyaev, I; Ben-Haim, E; Bencivenni, G; Benson, S; Berezhnoy, A; Bernet, R; Bertolin, A; Betancourt, C; Betti, F; Bettler, M-O; van Beuzekom, M; Bezshyiko, Ia; Bifani, S; Billoir, P; Bird, T; Birnkraut, A; Bitadze, A; Bizzeti, A; Blake, T; Blanc, F; Blouw, J; Blusk, S; Bocci, V; Boettcher, T; Bondar, A; Bondar, N; Bonivento, W; Bordyuzhin, I; Borgheresi, A; Borghi, S; Borisyak, M; Borsato, M; Bossu, F; Boubdir, M; Bowcock, T J V; Bowen, E; Bozzi, C; Braun, S; Britsch, M; Britton, T; Brodzicka, J; Buchanan, E; Burr, C; Bursche, A; Buytaert, J; Cadeddu, S; Calabrese, R; Calvi, M; Calvo Gomez, M; Camboni, A; Campana, P; Campora Perez, D H; Capriotti, L; Carbone, A; Carboni, G; Cardinale, R; Cardini, A; Carniti, P; Carson, L; Carvalho Akiba, K; Casse, G; Cassina, L; Castillo Garcia, L; Cattaneo, M; Cavallero, G; Cenci, R; Chamont, D; Charles, M; Charpentier, Ph; Chatzikonstantinidis, G; Chefdeville, M; Chen, S; Cheung, S-F; Chobanova, V; Chrzaszcz, M; Cid Vidal, X; Ciezarek, G; Clarke, P E L; Clemencic, M; Cliff, H V; Closier, J; Coco, V; Cogan, J; Cogneras, E; Cogoni, V; Cojocariu, L; Collazuol, G; Collins, P; Comerma-Montells, A; Contu, A; Cook, A; Coombs, G; Coquereau, S; Corti, G; Corvo, M; Costa Sobral, C M; Couturier, B; Cowan, G A; Craik, D C; Crocombe, A; Cruz Torres, M; Cunliffe, S; Currie, R; D'Ambrosio, C; Da Cunha Marinho, F; Dall'Occo, E; Dalseno, J; David, P N Y; Davis, A; De Bruyn, K; De Capua, S; De Cian, M; De Miranda, J M; De Paula, L; De Serio, M; De Simone, P; Dean, C-T; Decamp, D; Deckenhoff, M; Del Buono, L; Demmer, M; Dendek, A; Derkach, D; Deschamps, O; Dettori, F; Dey, B; Di Canto, A; Dijkstra, H; Dordei, F; Dorigo, M; Dosil Suárez, A; Dovbnya, A; Dreimanis, K; Dufour, L; Dujany, G; Dungs, K; Durante, P; Dzhelyadin, R; Dziurda, A; Dzyuba, A; Déléage, N; Easo, S; Ebert, M; Egede, U; Egorychev, V; Eidelman, S; Eisenhardt, S; Eitschberger, U; Ekelhof, R; Eklund, L; Ely, S; Esen, S; Evans, H M; Evans, T; Falabella, A; Farley, N; Farry, S; Fay, R; Fazzini, D; Ferguson, D; Fernandez Prieto, A; Ferrari, F; Ferreira Rodrigues, F; Ferro-Luzzi, M; Filippov, S; Fini, R A; Fiore, M; Fiorini, M; Firlej, M; Fitzpatrick, C; Fiutowski, T; Fleuret, F; Fohl, K; Fontana, M; Fontanelli, F; Forshaw, D C; Forty, R; Franco Lima, V; Frank, M; Frei, C; Fu, J; Funk, W; Furfaro, E; Färber, C; Gallas Torreira, A; Galli, D; Gallorini, S; Gambetta, S; Gandelman, M; Gandini, P; Gao, Y; Garcia Martin, L M; García Pardiñas, J; Garra Tico, J; Garrido, L; Garsed, P J; Gascon, D; Gaspar, C; Gavardi, L; Gazzoni, G; Gerick, D; Gersabeck, E; Gersabeck, M; Gershon, T; Ghez, Ph; Gianì, S; Gibson, V; Girard, O G; Giubega, L; Gizdov, K; Gligorov, V V; Golubkov, D; Golutvin, A; Gomes, A; Gorelov, I V; Gotti, C; Graciani Diaz, R; Granado Cardoso, L A; Graugés, E; Graverini, E; Graziani, G; Grecu, A; Griffith, P; Grillo, L; Gruberg Cazon, B R; Grünberg, O; Gushchin, E; Guz, Yu; Gys, T; Göbel, C; Hadavizadeh, T; Hadjivasiliou, C; Haefeli, G; Haen, C; Haines, S C; Hall, S; Hamilton, B; Han, X; Hansmann-Menzemer, S; Harnew, N; Harnew, S T; Harrison, J; Hatch, M; He, J; Head, T; Heister, A; Hennessy, K; Henrard, P; Henry, L; van Herwijnen, E; Heß, M; Hicheur, A; Hill, D; Hombach, C; Hopchev, H; Hulsbergen, W; Humair, T; Hushchyn, M; Hutchcroft, D; Idzik, M; Ilten, P; Jacobsson, R; Jaeger, A; Jalocha, J; Jans, E; Jawahery, A; Jiang, F; John, M; Johnson, D; Jones, C R; Joram, C; Jost, B; Jurik, N; Kandybei, S; Karacson, M; Kariuki, J M; Karodia, S; Kecke, M; Kelsey, M; Kenzie, M; Ketel, T; Khairullin, E; Khanji, B; Khurewathanakul, C; Kirn, T; Klaver, S; Klimaszewski, K; Koliiev, S; Kolpin, M; Komarov, I; Koopman, R F; Koppenburg, P; Kosmyntseva, A; Kozachuk, A; Kozeiha, M; Kravchuk, L; Kreplin, K; Kreps, M; Krokovny, P; Kruse, F; Krzemien, W; Kucewicz, W; Kucharczyk, M; Kudryavtsev, V; Kuonen, A K; Kurek, K; Kvaratskheliya, T; Lacarrere, D; Lafferty, G; Lai, A; Lanfranchi, G; Langenbruch, C; Latham, T; Lazzeroni, C; Le Gac, R; van Leerdam, J; Leflat, A; Lefrançois, J; Lefèvre, R; Lemaitre, F; Lemos Cid, E; Leroy, O; Lesiak, T; Leverington, B; Li, T; Li, Y; Likhomanenko, T; Lindner, R; Linn, C; Lionetto, F; Liu, X; Loh, D; Longstaff, I; Lopes, J H; Lucchesi, D; Lucio Martinez, M; Luo, H; Lupato, A; Luppi, E; Lupton, O; Lusiani, A; Lyu, X; Machefert, F; Maciuc, F; Maev, O; Maguire, K; Malde, S; Malinin, A; Maltsev, T; Manca, G; Mancinelli, G; Manning, P; Maratas, J; Marchand, J F; Marconi, U; Marin Benito, C; Marinangeli, M; Marino, P; Marks, J; Martellotti, G; Martin, M; Martinelli, M; Martinez Santos, D; Martinez Vidal, F; Martins Tostes, D; Massacrier, L M; Massafferri, A; Matev, R; Mathad, A; Mathe, Z; Matteuzzi, C; Mauri, A; Maurice, E; Maurin, B; Mazurov, A; McCann, M; McNab, A; McNulty, R; Meadows, B; Meier, F; Meissner, M; Melnychuk, D; Merk, M; Merli, A; Michielin, E; Milanes, D A; Minard, M-N; Mitzel, D S; Mogini, A; Molina Rodriguez, J; Monroy, I A; Monteil, S; Morandin, M; Morawski, P; Mordà, A; Morello, M J; Morgunova, O; Moron, J; Morris, A B; Mountain, R; Muheim, F; Mulder, M; Mussini, M; Müller, D; Müller, J; Müller, K; Müller, V; Naik, P; Nakada, T; Nandakumar, R; Nandi, A; Nasteva, I; Needham, M; Neri, N; Neubert, S; Neufeld, N; Neuner, M; Nguyen, T D; Nguyen-Mau, C; Nieswand, S; Niet, R; Nikitin, N; Nikodem, T; Nogay, A; Novoselov, A; O'Hanlon, D P; Oblakowska-Mucha, A; Obraztsov, V; Ogilvy, S; Oldeman, R; Onderwater, C J G; Otalora Goicochea, J M; Otto, A; Owen, P; Oyanguren, A; Pais, P R; Palano, A; Palombo, F; Palutan, M; Papanestis, A; Pappagallo, M; Pappalardo, L L; Parker, W; Parkes, C; Passaleva, G; Pastore, A; Patel, G D; Patel, M; Patrignani, C; Pearce, A; Pellegrino, A; Penso, G; Pepe Altarelli, M; Perazzini, S; Perret, P; Pescatore, L; Petridis, K; Petrolini, A; Petrov, A; Petruzzo, M; Picatoste Olloqui, E; Pietrzyk, B; Pikies, M; Pinci, D; Pistone, A; Piucci, A; Placinta, V; Playfer, S; Plo Casasus, M; Poikela, T; Polci, F; Poluektov, A; Polyakov, I; Polycarpo, E; Pomery, G J; Popov, A; Popov, D; Popovici, B; Poslavskii, S; Potterat, C; Price, E; Price, J D; Prisciandaro, J; Pritchard, A; Prouve, C; Pugatch, V; Puig Navarro, A; Punzi, G; Qian, W; Quagliani, R; Rachwal, B; Rademacker, J H; Rama, M; Ramos Pernas, M; Rangel, M S; Raniuk, I; Ratnikov, F; Raven, G; Redi, F; Reichert, S; Dos Reis, A C; Remon Alepuz, C; Renaudin, V; Ricciardi, S; Richards, S; Rihl, M; Rinnert, K; Rives Molina, V; Robbe, P; Rodrigues, A B; Rodrigues, E; Rodriguez Lopez, J A; Rodriguez Perez, P; Rogozhnikov, A; Roiser, S; Rollings, A; Romanovskiy, V; Romero Vidal, A; Ronayne, J W; Rotondo, M; Rudolph, M S; Ruf, T; Ruiz Valls, P; Saborido Silva, J J; Sadykhov, E; Sagidova, N; Saitta, B; Salustino Guimaraes, V; Sanchez Mayordomo, C; Sanmartin Sedes, B; Santacesaria, R; Santamarina Rios, C; Santimaria, M; Santovetti, E; Sarti, A; Satriano, C; Satta, A; Saunders, D M; Savrina, D; Schael, S; Schellenberg, M; Schiller, M; Schindler, H; Schlupp, M; Schmelling, M; Schmelzer, T; Schmidt, B; Schneider, O; Schopper, A; Schubert, K; Schubiger, M; Schune, M-H; Schwemmer, R; Sciascia, B; Sciubba, A; Semennikov, A; Sergi, A; Serra, N; Serrano, J; Sestini, L; Seyfert, P; Shapkin, M; Shapoval, I; Shcheglov, Y; Shears, T; Shekhtman, L; Shevchenko, V; Siddi, B G; Silva Coutinho, R; Silva de Oliveira, L; Simi, G; Simone, S; Sirendi, M; Skidmore, N; Skwarnicki, T; Smith, E; Smith, I T; Smith, J; Smith, M; Snoek, H; Soares Lavra, L; Sokoloff, M D; Soler, F J P; Souza De Paula, B; Spaan, B; Spradlin, P; Sridharan, S; Stagni, F; Stahl, M; Stahl, S; Stefko, P; Stefkova, S; Steinkamp, O; Stemmle, S; Stenyakin, O; Stevens, H; Stevenson, S; Stoica, S; Stone, S; Storaci, B; Stracka, S; Straticiuc, M; Straumann, U; Sun, L; Sutcliffe, W; Swientek, K; Syropoulos, V; Szczekowski, M; Szumlak, T; T'Jampens, S; Tayduganov, A; Tekampe, T; Tellarini, G; Teubert, F; Thomas, E; van Tilburg, J; Tilley, M J; Tisserand, V; Tobin, M; Tolk, S; Tomassetti, L; Tonelli, D; Topp-Joergensen, S; Toriello, F; Tournefier, E; Tourneur, S; Trabelsi, K; Traill, M; Tran, M T; Tresch, M; Trisovic, A; Tsaregorodtsev, A; Tsopelas, P; Tully, A; Tuning, N; Ukleja, A; Ustyuzhanin, A; Uwer, U; Vacca, C; Vagnoni, V; Valassi, A; Valat, S; Valenti, G; Vazquez Gomez, R; Vazquez Regueiro, P; Vecchi, S; van Veghel, M; Velthuis, J J; Veltri, M; Veneziano, G; Venkateswaran, A; Vernet, M; Vesterinen, M; Viana Barbosa, J V; Viaud, B; Vieira, D; Vieites Diaz, M; Viemann, H; Vilasis-Cardona, X; Vitti, M; Volkov, V; Vollhardt, A; Voneki, B; Vorobyev, A; Vorobyev, V; Voß, C; de Vries, J A; Vázquez Sierra, C; Waldi, R; Wallace, C; Wallace, R; Walsh, J; Wang, J; Ward, D R; Wark, H M; Watson, N K; Websdale, D; Weiden, A; Whitehead, M; Wicht, J; Wilkinson, G; Wilkinson, M; Williams, M; Williams, M P; Williams, M; Williams, T; Wilson, F F; Wimberley, J; Wishahi, J; Wislicki, W; Witek, M; Wormser, G; Wotton, S A; Wraight, K; Wyllie, K; Xie, Y; Xing, Z; Xu, Z; Yang, Z; Yao, Y; Yin, H; Yu, J; Yuan, X; Yushchenko, O; Zarebski, K A; Zavertyaev, M; Zhang, L; Zhang, Y; Zhang, Y; Zhelezov, A; Zheng, Y; Zhu, X; Zhukov, V; Zucchelli, S

    2017-02-17

    Decays of the Ξ_{b}^{-} and Ω_{b}^{-} baryons to the charmless final states ph^{-}h^{'-}, where h^{(')} denotes a kaon or pion, are searched for with the LHCb detector. The analysis is based on a sample of proton-proton collision data collected at center-of-mass energies sqrt[s]=7 and 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3  fb^{-1}. The decay Ξ_{b}^{-}→pK^{-}K^{-} is observed with a significance of 8.7 standard deviations, and evidence at the level of 3.4 standard deviations is found for the Ξ_{b}^{-}→pK^{-}π^{-} decay. Results are reported, relative to the B^{-}→K^{+}K^{-}K^{-} normalization channel, for the products of branching fractions and b-hadron production fractions. The branching fractions of Ξ_{b}^{-}→pK^{-}π^{-} and Ξ_{b}^{-}→pπ^{-}π^{-} relative to Ξ_{b}^{-}→pK^{-}K^{-} decays are also measured.

  7. Therapeutic Application of Phage Capsule Depolymerases against K1, K5, and K30 Capsulated E. coli in Mice.

    PubMed

    Lin, Han; Paff, Matthew L; Molineux, Ian J; Bull, James J

    2017-01-01

    Capsule depolymerase enzymes offer a promising class of new antibiotics. In vivo studies are encouraging but it is unclear how well this type of phage product will generalize in therapeutics, or whether different depolymerases against the same capsule function similarly. Here, in vivo efficacy was tested using cloned bacteriophage depolymerases against Escherichia coli strains with three different capsule types: K1, K5, and K30. When treating infections with the cognate capsule type in a mouse thigh model, the previously studied K1E depolymerase rescued poorly, whereas K1F, K1H, K5, and K30 depolymerases rescued well. K30 gp41 was identified as the catalytically active protein. In contrast to the in vivo studies, K1E enzyme actively degraded K1 capsule polysaccharide in vitro and sensitized K1 bacteria to serum killing. The only in vitro correlate of poor K1E performance in vivo was that the purified enzyme did not form the expected trimer. K1E appeared as an 18-mer which might limit its in vivo distribution. Overall, depolymerases were easily identified, cloned from phage genomes, and as purified proteins they proved generally effective.

  8. Mechanisms of astrocytic K(+) clearance and swelling under high extracellular K(+) concentrations.

    PubMed

    Murakami, Shingo; Kurachi, Yoshihisa

    2016-03-01

    In response to the elevation of extracellular K(+) concentration ([K(+)]out), astrocytes clear excessive K(+) to maintain conditions necessary for neural activity. K(+) clearance in astrocytes occurs via two processes: K(+) uptake and K(+) spatial buffering. High [K(+)]out also induces swelling in astrocytes, leading to edema and cell death in the brain. Despite the importance of astrocytic K(+) clearance and swelling, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report results from a simulation analysis of astrocytic K(+) clearance and swelling. Astrocyte models were constructed by incorporating various mechanisms such as intra/extracellular ion concentrations of Na(+), K(+), and Cl(-), cell volume, and models of Na,K-ATPase, Na-K-Cl cotransporter (NKCC), K-Cl cotransporter, inwardly-rectifying K(+) (KIR) channel, passive Cl(-) current, and aquaporin channel. The simulated response of astrocyte models under the uniform distribution of high [K(+)]out revealed significant contributions of NKCC and Na,K-ATPase to increases of intracellular K(+) and Cl(-) concentrations, and swelling. Moreover, we found that, under the non-uniform distribution of high [K(+)]out, KIR channels localized at synaptic clefts absorbed excess K(+) by depolarizing the equivalent potential of K(+) (E K) above membrane potential, while K(+) released through perivascular KIR channels was enhanced by hyperpolarizing E K and depolarizing membrane potential. Further analysis of simulated drug effects revealed that astrocyte swelling was modulated by blocking each of the ion channels and transporters. Our simulation analysis revealed controversial mechanisms of astrocytic K(+) clearance and swelling resulting from complex interactions among ion channels and transporters.

  9. Migraine

    MedlinePlus

    ... Skipping meals or fasting also can trigger attacks. Food additives. The sweetener aspartame and the preservative monosodium glutamate (MSG), found in many foods, may trigger migraines. Drinks. Alcohol, especially wine, and ...

  10. Artificial Sweeteners in a Large Canadian River Reflect Human Consumption in the Watershed

    PubMed Central

    Spoelstra, John; Schiff, Sherry L.; Brown, Susan J.

    2013-01-01

    Artificial sweeteners have been widely incorporated in human food products for aid in weight loss regimes, dental health protection and dietary control of diabetes. Some of these widely used compounds can pass non-degraded through wastewater treatment systems and are subsequently discharged to groundwater and surface waters. Measurements of artificial sweeteners in rivers used for drinking water production are scarce. In order to determine the riverine concentrations of artificial sweeteners and their usefulness as a tracer of wastewater at the scale of an entire watershed, we analyzed samples from 23 sites along the entire length of the Grand River, a large river in Southern Ontario, Canada, that is impacted by agricultural activities and urban centres. Municipal water from household taps was also sampled from several cities within the Grand River Watershed. Cyclamate, saccharin, sucralose, and acesulfame were found in elevated concentrations despite high rates of biological activity, large daily cycles in dissolved oxygen and shallow river depth. The maximum concentrations that we measured for sucralose (21 µg/L), cyclamate (0.88 µg/L), and saccharin (7.2 µg/L) are the highest reported concentrations of these compounds in surface waters to date anywhere in the world. Acesulfame persists at concentrations that are up to several orders of magnitude above the detection limit over a distance of 300 km and it behaves conservatively in the river, recording the wastewater contribution from the cumulative population in the basin. Acesulfame is a reliable wastewater effluent tracer in rivers. Furthermore, it can be used to assess rates of nutrient assimilation, track wastewater plume dilution, separate human and animal waste contributions and determine the relative persistence of emerging contaminants in impacted watersheds where multiple sources confound the usefulness of other tracers. The effects of artificial sweeteners on aquatic biota in rivers and in the

  11. Artificial sweeteners in a large Canadian river reflect human consumption in the watershed.

    PubMed

    Spoelstra, John; Schiff, Sherry L; Brown, Susan J

    2013-01-01

    Artificial sweeteners have been widely incorporated in human food products for aid in weight loss regimes, dental health protection and dietary control of diabetes. Some of these widely used compounds can pass non-degraded through wastewater treatment systems and are subsequently discharged to groundwater and surface waters. Measurements of artificial sweeteners in rivers used for drinking water production are scarce. In order to determine the riverine concentrations of artificial sweeteners and their usefulness as a tracer of wastewater at the scale of an entire watershed, we analyzed samples from 23 sites along the entire length of the Grand River, a large river in Southern Ontario, Canada, that is impacted by agricultural activities and urban centres. Municipal water from household taps was also sampled from several cities within the Grand River Watershed. Cyclamate, saccharin, sucralose, and acesulfame were found in elevated concentrations despite high rates of biological activity, large daily cycles in dissolved oxygen and shallow river depth. The maximum concentrations that we measured for sucralose (21 µg/L), cyclamate (2.4 µg/L) [corrected], and saccharin (7.2 µg/L) are the highest reported concentrations of these compounds in surface waters to date anywhere in the world. Acesulfame persists at concentrations that are up to several orders of magnitude above the detection limit over a distance of 300 km and it behaves conservatively in the river, recording the wastewater contribution from the cumulative population in the basin. Acesulfame is a reliable wastewater effluent tracer in rivers. Furthermore, it can be used to assess rates of nutrient assimilation, track wastewater plume dilution, separate human and animal waste contributions and determine the relative persistence of emerging contaminants in impacted watersheds where multiple sources confound the usefulness of other tracers. The effects of artificial sweeteners on aquatic biota in rivers and in

  12. Emerging contaminants (pharmaceuticals, personal care products, a food additive and pesticides) in waters of Sydney estuary, Australia.

    PubMed

    Birch, G F; Drage, D S; Thompson, K; Eaglesham, G; Mueller, J F

    2015-08-15

    The current investigation of marine water from 30 sites adjacent to stormwater outlets across the entire Sydney estuary is the first such research in Australia. The number of analytes detected were: 8/59 pharmaceutical compounds (codeine, paracetamol, tramadol, venlafaxine, propranolol, fluoxetine, iopromide and carbamazepine), 7/38 of the pesticides (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 3,4-dichloroaniline, carbaryl, diuron, 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA), mecoprop and simazine) and 0/3 of the personal care products (PCPs) analysed. An artificial sweetener (acesulfame) was detected, however none of the nine antibiotics analysed were identified. Sewage water is not discharged to this estuary, except infrequently as overflow during high-precipitation events. The presence of acesulfame (a recognised marker of domestic wastewater) and pharmaceuticals in water from all parts of the estuary after a dry period, suggests sewage water is leaking into the stormwater system in this catchment. The pesticides are applied to the environment and were discharged via stormwater to the estuary. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Selective inhibition of K(+)-stimulation of Na,K-ATPase by bretylium.

    PubMed Central

    Tiku, P. E.; Nowell, P. T.

    1991-01-01

    1. The effects of bretylium were investigated on purified Na,K-ATPase from guinea-pig heart and on the Na/K pump in trout erythrocytes, with a view to further identifying the mechanism(s) associated with its antiarrhythmic effects. 2. Na,K-ATPase activity of the thiocyanate-dispersed enzyme was determined by the measurement of inorganic phosphate produced by ATP hydrolysis. 3. When the concentrations of each of the Na,K-ATPase activating components were varied in turn, bretylium (1-5 mmol l-1) exhibited competitive-type effects against K+ with a Ki of 1.4 mmol l-1 and noncompetitive-type effects against Na+, Mg2+ and ATP. 4. In K+ influx studies in trout erythrocytes with 86Rb+ used as the marker, the inhibition of total influx observed with bretylium (5 and 10 mmol l-1) was attributable to the bretylium cation selectively inhibiting the Na/K pump-mediated influx with the associated tosylate anion inhibiting Na/K cotransport. 5. The observed inhibition kinetics indicated that the bretylium cation (2-15 mmol l-1) competitively inhibited K+ stimulation of the Na/K pump at 6 and 1.25 mmol l-1 external K+ with a mean K1 of 2.3 mmol l-1. 6. The effects demonstrated on the functioning Na/K pump in erythrocytes confirmed the Na,K-ATPase findings, with bretylium selectively inhibiting K+ stimulation of the pump mechanism in both cases. 7. It is suggested that Na,K-ATPase inhibition may contribute to the antiarrhythmic and positive inotropic effects of bretylium with the cardiac accumulation of bretylium also possibly being a further important factor. PMID:1667290

  14. Standard Model and New physics for ɛ'k/ɛk

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kitahara, Teppei

    2018-05-01

    The first result of the lattice simulation and improved perturbative calculations have pointed to a discrepancy between data on ɛ'k/ɛk and the standard-model (SM) prediction. Several new physics (NP) models can explain this discrepancy, and such NP models are likely to predict deviations of ℬ(K → πvv) from the SM predictions, which can be probed precisely in the near future by NA62 and KOTO experiments. We present correlations between ɛ'k/ɛk and ℬ(K → πvv) in two types of NP scenarios: a box dominated scenario and a Z-penguin dominated one. It is shown that different correlations are predicted and the future precision measurements of K → πvv can distinguish both scenarios.

  15. Observation of phiK. pi. decay of the K/sup 0/(2060)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Torres, S.; Ficenec, J.R.; Mikocki, S.

    We have studied inclusive pN..-->..K-/sup +/K/sup -/K/sup +/K/sup -/X final states at 400 GeV/c and present here evidence for K/sup *//sup 0/(2060)..-->..phiK/sup +-/..pi../sup minus-or-plus/ and phiK-italic/sup *//sup 0/(890). .AE

  16. Assessment of the carcinogenic potential of high intense-sweeteners through the test for detection of epithelial tumor clones (warts) in Drosophila melanogaster.

    PubMed

    Vasconcelos, Mirley Alves; Orsolin, Priscila Capelari; Silva-Oliveira, Rosiane Gomes; Nepomuceno, Júlio César; Spanó, Mário Antônio

    2017-03-01

    High intensity-sweeteners (HIS) are natural or synthetic substances, sweeter than sugar, providing sweetness without calories. Sweeteners are mainly used as an aid in losing weight, preventing obesity and controlling blood sugar levels for diabetics. The objective of this study was to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of the sweeteners aspartame, sucralose, sodium saccharin and steviol glycoside, using the test for detection of epithelial tumor clones in Drosophila melanogaster. Larvae of 72 ± 4h, obtained from wts/TM3 female mated with mwh/mwh males, were treated for approximately 48h with different concentrations of aspartame (0.85, 1.7, 3.4, 6.8 or 13.6 mM ); sucralose (0.5, 1.25, 2.5, 5.0 or 10 mM); sodium saccharin (25; 50; 100; 200 or 400 mM) and steviol glycoside (2.5; 5.0; 10; 20 or 40 mM). Water (Reverse Osmosis) and doxorubicin (DXR 0.4 mM) were used as negative and positive controls, respectively. No statistically significant differences were observed (p > 0.05) in tumor frequencies in individuals treated with all concentrations of these sweeteners when compared to negative control. It was therefore concluded that, in these experimental conditions, aspartame, sucralose, sodium saccharin and steviol glycoside have no carcinogenic effect in D. melanogaster. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Poplar potassium transporters capable of controlling K+ homeostasis and K+-dependent xylogenesis.

    PubMed

    Langer, Katharina; Ache, Peter; Geiger, Dietmar; Stinzing, Andrea; Arend, Matthias; Wind, Christa; Regan, Sharon; Fromm, Jörg; Hedrich, Rainer

    2002-12-01

    The cambial K+ content of poplar increases during the growth period in a K+ supply dependent manner. Upon K+ starvation or application of tetraethylammoniumchloride (TEA+), a K+ channel blocker, the average vessel lumen and expansion zone area were significantly reduced. In search for the molecular basis of potassium-dependent xylogenesis in poplar, K+ transporters homologous to those of known function in Arabidopis phloem- and xylem-physiology were isolated from a poplar wood EST library. The expression profile of three distinct K+ channel types and one K+ transporter, Populus tremula K+ uptake transporter 1 (PtKUP1), was analysed by quantitative RT-PCR. Thereby, we found P. tremula outward rectifying K+ channel (PTORK) and P. tremula K+ channel 2 (PTK2) correlated with the seasonal wood production. K+ transporter P. tremula 1 (KPT1) was predominantly found in guard cells. Following the heterologous expression in Xenopus oocytes the biophysical properties of the different channels were determined. PTORK, upon membrane de-polarization mediates potassium release. PTK2 is almost voltage independent, carrying inward K+ flux at hyperpolarized potential and K+ release upon de-polarization. PtKUP1 was expressed in a K+ uptake-deficient Escherichia coli strain, where this K+ transporter rescued K+-dependent growth. In order to link the different K+ transporters to the cambial activity and wood production, we compared the expression profiles to seasonal changes in the K+ content of the bark as well as xylem vessel diameter. Thereby, we found PTORK and PTK2 transcripts to follow the annual K+ variations in poplar branches. PtKUP1 was expressed at a low level throughout the year, suggesting a housekeeping function. From these data, we conclude that K+ channels are involved in the regulation of K+-dependent wood production.

  18. 26 CFR 1.401(k)-4 - SIMPLE 401(k) plan requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 5 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true SIMPLE 401(k) plan requirements. 1.401(k)-4 Section 1.401(k)-4 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED...(k)-4 SIMPLE 401(k) plan requirements. (a) General rule. A cash or deferred arrangement satisfies the...

  19. 26 CFR 1.401(k)-4 - SIMPLE 401(k) plan requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 5 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false SIMPLE 401(k) plan requirements. 1.401(k)-4 Section 1.401(k)-4 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED...(k)-4 SIMPLE 401(k) plan requirements. (a) General rule. A cash or deferred arrangement satisfies the...

  20. 26 CFR 1.401(k)-4 - SIMPLE 401(k) plan requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 5 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false SIMPLE 401(k) plan requirements. 1.401(k)-4 Section 1.401(k)-4 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED...(k)-4 SIMPLE 401(k) plan requirements. (a) General rule. A cash or deferred arrangement satisfies the...

  1. 26 CFR 1.401(k)-4 - SIMPLE 401(k) plan requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 5 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false SIMPLE 401(k) plan requirements. 1.401(k)-4 Section 1.401(k)-4 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED...(k)-4 SIMPLE 401(k) plan requirements. (a) General rule. A cash or deferred arrangement satisfies the...

  2. Inelastic Rescattering in B Decays to π π , π K, and K bar K, and Extraction of γ

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zenczykowski, P.

    2002-07-01

    We discuss all contributions from inelastic SU(3)-symmetric rescattering in B decays into a final pair of pseudoscalar mesons PP = π π , Kbar {K}, π K. FSI-induced modifications of amplitudes obtained from the quark-line approach are described in terms of a few parameters which take care of all possible SU(3)-symmetric forms relevant for final-state interactions. Although in general it appears impossible to uniquely determine FSI effects from the combined set of all π π , K bar {K}, and π K data, drawing some conclusions is feasible. In particular, it is shown that in leading order the amplitudes of strangeness-changing B decays depend on only one additional complex FSI-related parameter apart from those present in the definitions of penguin and tree amplitudes. It is also shown that joint considerations of U-spin-related Δ S=0 and | Δ S|=1 decay amplitudes are modified when non-negligible SU(3)-symmetric FSI are present. In particular, if rescattering in B+ → K+bar {K}0 is substantial, determination of the CP-violating weak angle γ from B+ → π + K0, B0d → π -K+, B0s → π + K-, and their CP counterparts might be susceptible to important FSI-induced corrections.

  3. Identifizierung der Eintragsquellen von Antibiotika in das Grundwasser viehstarker Regionen

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hannappel, Stephan; Köpp, Claudia; Zühlke, Sebastian; Balzer, Frederike; Schulz, Dietrich

    2016-11-01

    Only few sulfonamide antibiotics were detected in near-surface groundwater in areas with a high stocking rate in northwestern Germany. Intensive sampling with a high resolution in time and space was applied in order to illuminate the findings. As some pharmaceuticals can be of both human and animal origin, they may enter the environment via application of manure/digestate to arable land or via domestic waste water. In addition to existing monitoring wells, non-permanent wells were sampled to obtain information regarding pathways into the ground water. Interviews with farmers and chemical analyses show that application of manure leads to low concentrations (<100 ng/l) of Sulfadimidin and Sulfadiazin in most of the investigated samples. Sulfamethoxazol was found above 100 ng/l and likely originated from sewage of nearby small scale wastewater treatment plants. Sulfamethoxazole and its main metabolite could be detected within the plants; additionally, the sewage tracer acesulfam-K was detected in the groundwater.

  4. Linezolid

    MedlinePlus

    ... that the oral suspension contains aspartame that forms phenylalanine. ... Linezolid may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away: diarrhea headache nausea vomiting ...

  5. Diclofenac

    MedlinePlus

    ... powder for solution contains aspartame, a source of phenylalanine. ... Diclofenac may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away: diarrhea constipation gas or ...

  6. High-precision 41K/39K measurements by MC-ICP-MS indicate terrestrial variability of δ41K

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Morgan, Leah; Santiago Ramos, Danielle P.; Davidheiser-Kroll, Brett; Faithfull, John; Lloyd, Nicholas S.; Ellam, Rob M.; Higgins, John A.

    2018-01-01

    Potassium is a major component in continental crust, the fourth-most abundant cation in seawater, and a key element in biological processes. Until recently, difficulties with existing analytical techniques hindered our ability to identify natural isotopic variability of potassium isotopes in terrestrial materials. However, measurement precision has greatly improved and a range of K isotopic compositions has now been demonstrated in natural samples. In this study, we present a new technique for high-precision measurement of K isotopic ratios using high-resolution, cold plasma multi-collector mass spectrometry. We apply this technique to demonstrate natural variability in the ratio of 41K to 39K in a diverse group of geological and biological samples, including silicate and evaporite minerals, seawater, and plant and animal tissues. The total range in 41K/39K ratios is ca. 2.6‰, with a long-term external reproducibility of 0.17‰ (2, N=108). Seawater and seawater-derived evaporite minerals are systematically enriched in 41K compared to silicate minerals by ca. 0.6‰, a result consistent with recent findings1, 2. Although our average bulk-silicate Earth value (-0.54‰) is indistinguishable from previously published values, we find systematic δ41K variability in some high-temperature sample suites, particularly those with evidence for the presence of fluids. The δ41K values of biological samples span a range of ca. 1.2‰ between terrestrial mammals, plants, and marine organisms. Implications of terrestrial K isotope variability for the atomic weight of K and K-based geochronology are discussed. Our results indicate that high-precision measurements of stable K isotopes, made using commercially available mass spectrometers, can provide unique insights into the chemistry of potassium in geological and biological systems. 

  7. Explaining the R_K and R_{K^*} anomalies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghosh, Diptimoy

    2017-10-01

    Recent LHCb results on R_{K^*}, the ratio of the branching fractions of B → K^* μ ^+ μ ^- to that of B → K^* e^+ e^-, for the dilepton invariant mass bins q^2 ≡ m_{ℓ ℓ }^2 = [0.045-1.1] GeV^2 and [1.1-6] GeV^2 show approximately 2.5 σ deviations from the corresponding Standard Model prediction in each of the bins. This, when combined with the measurement of R_K (q^2=[1-6] GeV^2), a similar ratio for the decay to a pseudo-scalar meson, highly suggests lepton non-universal new physics in semi-leptonic B meson decays. In this work, we perform a model independent analysis of these potential new physics signals and identify the operators that do the best job in satisfying all these measurements. We show that heavy new physics, giving rise to q^2 independent local 4-Fermi operators of scalar, pseudo-scalar, vector or axial-vector type, is unable to explain all the three measurements simultaneously, in particular R_{K^*} in the bin [0.045-1.1], within their experimental 1σ regions. We point out the possibility to explain R_{K^*} in the low bin by an additional light (≲ 20 {MeV}) vector boson with appropriate coupling strengths to (\\bar{b} s) and (\\bar{e} e).

  8. Vascular Uptake of Six Rehydration Drinks at Rest and Exercise

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Greenleaf, J. E.; Geelen, G.; Jackson, C. G. R.; Saumet, J.-L.; Juhos, L. T.; Keil, L. C.; Fegan-Meyer, D.; Dearborn, A.; Hinghofer-Szalkay, H.; Whittam, J. H.

    1996-01-01

    A report presents data on the effectiveness of each of six rehydration fluids in restoring total body water and plasma volume in human subjects during rest and exercise. One of the six fluids was water sweetened with aspartame: the others were water containing various amounts of sodium chloride and/or sodium citrate, plus various amounts of aspartame and/or other carbohydrates. In one experiment, five men who had previously dehydrated themselves for 24 hours drank one of the rehydration fluids, then sat for 70 minutes. Pretest plasma volumes were measured and changes in plasma volumes were calculated. This procedure was repeated at weekly intervals until all six rehydration fluids had been tested. Another similar experiment involved four men who exercised on a cycle ergometer for 70 minutes in the supine position after drinking the fluids.

  9. Heat capacity and entropy at the temperatures 5 K to 720 K and thermal expansion from the temperatures 298 K to 573 K of synthetic enargite (Cu3AsS4)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Seal, R.R.; Robie, R.A.; Hemingway, B.S.; Evans, H.T.

    1996-01-01

    The heat capacity of synthetic Cu3AsS4 (enargite) was measured by quasi-adiabatic calorimetry from the temperatures 5 K to 355 K and by differential scanning calorimetry from T = 339 K to T = 720 K. Heat-capacity anomalies were observed at T = (58.5 ?? 0.5) K (??trsHom = 1.4??R??K; ??trsSom = 0.02??R) and at T = (66.5 ?? 0.5) K (??trsHom = 4.6??R??K; ??trsSom = 0.08??R), where R = 8.31451 J??K-1??mol-1. The causes of the anomalies are unknown. At T = 298.15 K, Cop,m and Som(T) are (190.4 ?? 0.2) J??K-1??mol-1 and (257.6 ?? 0.6) J??K-1??mol-1, respectively. The superambient heat capacities are described from T = 298.15 K to T = 944 K by the least-squares regression equation: Cop,m/(J??K-1??mol-1) = (196.7 ?? 1.2) + (0.0499 ?? 0.0016)??(T/K) -(1918 000 ?? 84 000)??(T/K)-2. The thermal expansion of synthetic enargite was measured from T = 298.15 K to T = 573 K by powder X-ray diffraction. The thermal expansion of the unit-cell volume (Z = 2) is described from T = 298.15 K to T = 573 K by the least-squares equation: V/pm3 = 106??(288.2 ?? 0.2) + 104??(1.49 ?? 0.04)??(T/K). ?? 1996 Academic Press Limited.

  10. Tramadol

    MedlinePlus

    ... way that is not recommended may cause serious side effects or death.Your doctor may start you on ... orally disintegrating tablets contain aspartame, a source of phenylalanine.you should know that tramadol may cause constipation. ...

  11. Vardenafil

    MedlinePlus

    ... not working well or if you are experiencing side effects.Vardenafil rapidly disintegrating tablets cannot be substituted for ... tablets are sweetened with aspartame, a source of phenylalanine.if you have fructose intolerance (an inherited condition ...

  12. Kinetic contribution to extracellular Na+/K+ selectivity in the Na+/K+ pump.

    PubMed

    Vleeskens, Elizabeth; Clarke, Ronald J

    2018-05-01

    The sodium potassium pump (Na + ,K + -ATPase) shows a high selectivity for K + over Na + binding from the extracellular medium. To understand the K + selectivity in the presence of a high concentration of competing Na + ions requires consideration of more than just ion binding affinities. Here, equilibrium-based calculations of the extracellular occupation of the Na + ,K + -ATPase transport sites by Na + and K + are compared to fluxes through Na + and K + transport pathways. The results show that, under physiological conditions, there is a 332-fold selectivity for pumping of K + from the extracellular medium into the cytoplasm relative to Na + , whereas equilibrium calculations alone predict only a 7.5-fold selectivity for K + . Thus, kinetic effects make a major contribution to the determination of extracellular K + selectivity.

  13. Parallel k-means++

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    A parallelization of the k-means++ seed selection algorithm on three distinct hardware platforms: GPU, multicore CPU, and multithreaded architecture. K-means++ was developed by David Arthur and Sergei Vassilvitskii in 2007 as an extension of the k-means data clustering technique. These algorithms allow people to cluster multidimensional data, by attempting to minimize the mean distance of data points within a cluster. K-means++ improved upon traditional k-means by using a more intelligent approach to selecting the initial seeds for the clustering process. While k-means++ has become a popular alternative to traditional k-means clustering, little work has been done to parallelize this technique.more » We have developed original C++ code for parallelizing the algorithm on three unique hardware architectures: GPU using NVidia's CUDA/Thrust framework, multicore CPU using OpenMP, and the Cray XMT multithreaded architecture. By parallelizing the process for these platforms, we are able to perform k-means++ clustering much more quickly than it could be done before.« less

  14. Resonances in coupled πK, ηK scattering from lattice QCD

    DOE PAGES

    Wilson, David J.; Dudek, Jozef J.; Edwards, Robert G.; ...

    2015-03-10

    Coupled-channel πK and ηK scattering amplitudes are determined by studying the finite-volume energy spectra obtained from dynamical lattice QCD calculations. Using a large basis of interpolating operators, including both those resembling a qq-bar construction and those resembling a pair of mesons with relative momentum, a reliable excited-state spectrum can be obtained. Working at mπ = 391 MeV, we find a gradual increase in the JP = 0+ πK phase-shift which may be identified with a broad scalar resonance that couples strongly to πK and weakly to ηK. The low-energy behavior of this amplitude suggests a virtual bound-state that may bemore » related to the κ resonance. A bound state with JP = 1- is found very close to the πK threshold energy, whose coupling to the πK channel is compatible with that of the experimental K*(892). Evidence is found for a narrow resonance in JP = 2+. Isospin–3/2 πK scattering is also studied and non-resonant phase-shifts spanning the whole elastic scattering region are obtained.« less

  15. K →π ν ν ¯ in the MSSM in light of the ɛK'/ɛK anomaly

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crivellin, Andreas; D'Ambrosio, Giancarlo; Kitahara, Teppei; Nierste, Ulrich

    2017-07-01

    The standard model (SM) prediction for the C P -violating quantity ɛK'/ɛK deviates from its measured value by 2.8 σ . It has been shown that this tension can be resolved within the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) through gluino-squark box diagrams, even if squarks and gluinos are much heavier than 1 TeV. The rare decays KL→π0ν ν ¯ and K+→π+ν ν ¯ are similarly sensitive to very high mass scales and the first one also measures C P violation. In this article, we analyze the correlations between ɛK'/ɛK and B (KL→π0ν ν ¯) and B (K+→π+ν ν ¯) within the MSSM aiming at an explanation of ɛK'/ɛK via gluino-squark box diagrams. The dominant MSSM contribution to the K →π ν ν ¯ branching fractions stems from box diagrams with squarks, sleptons, charginos, and neutralinos, and the pattern of the correlations is different from the widely studied Z -penguin scenarios. This is interesting in light of future precision measurements by KOTO and NA62 at J-PARC and CERN, respectively. We find B (KL→π0ν ν ¯ )/BSM(KL→π0ν ν ¯ )≲2 (1.2 ) and B (K+→π+ν ν ¯ )/BSM(K+→π+ν ν ¯ )≲1.4 (1.1 ) , if all squark masses are above 1.5 TeV, gaugino masses obey GUT relations, and if one allows for a fine-tuning at the 1%(10%) level for the gluino mass. Larger values are possible for a tuned C P violating phase. Furthermore, the sign of the MSSM contribution to ɛK' imposes a strict correlation between B (KL→π0ν ν ¯) and the hierarchy between the masses mU ¯, mD ¯ of the right-handed up-squark and down-squark: sgn [B (KL→π0ν ν ¯ )-BSM(KL→π0ν ν ¯ )]=sgn (mU ¯-mD ¯) .

  16. DPW-VI Results Using FUN3D with Focus on k-kL-MEAH2015 (k-kL) Turbulence Model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Abdol-Hamid, K. S.; Carlson, Jan-Renee; Rumsey, Christopher L.; Lee-Rausch, Elizabeth M.; Park, Michael A.

    2017-01-01

    The Common Research Model wing-body configuration is investigated with the k-kL-MEAH2015 turbulence model implemented in FUN3D. This includes results presented at the Sixth Drag Prediction Workshop and additional results generated after the workshop with a nonlinear Quadratic Constitutive Relation (QCR) variant of the same turbulence model. The workshop provided grids are used, and a uniform grid refinement study is performed at the design condition. A large variation between results with and without a reconstruction limiter is exhibited on "medium" grid sizes, indicating that the medium grid size is too coarse for drawing conclusions in comparison with experiment. This variation is reduced with grid refinement. At a fixed angle of attack near design conditions, the QCR variant yielded decreased lift and drag compared with the linear eddy-viscosity model by an amount that was approximately constant with grid refinement. The k-kL-MEAH2015 turbulence model produced wing root junction flow behavior consistent with wind tunnel observations.

  17. Artificial Sweeteners and Cancer

    MedlinePlus

    ... the use of aspartame and cancer risk ( 4 ). Sucralose Sucralose, marketed under the trade name Splenda ® , was approved ... approval as a general-purpose sweetener in 1999. Sucralose has been studied extensively, and the FDA reviewed ...

  18. 26 CFR 1.401(k)-4 - SIMPLE 401(k) plan requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 5 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false SIMPLE 401(k) plan requirements. 1.401(k)-4 Section 1.401(k)-4 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Pension, Profit-Sharing, Stock Bonus Plans, Etc. § 1.401(k)-4 SIMPLE...

  19. Study of Bc→ψ (2 S )K , ηc(2 S )K , ψ (3770 )K decays with perturbative QCD approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duan, Feng-Bo; Yu, Xian-Qiao

    2018-05-01

    We study the Bc→ψ (2 S ) K , ηc(2 S ) K , ψ (3770 ) K decays with perturbative QCD approach based on kT factorization. The new orbitally excited charmonium distribution amplitudes ψ (1 3D1) based on the Schrödinger wave function of the n =1 , l =2 state for the harmonic-oscillator potential are employed. By using the corresponding distribution amplitudes, we calculate the branching ratio of Bc→ψ (2 S ) K , ηc(2 S ) K , ψ (3770 ) K decays and the form factors A0 ,1 ,2 and V for the transition Bc→ψ (1 3D1) . We obtain the branching ratio of both Bc→ψ (2 S ) K and Bc→ηc(2 S ) K are at the order of 10-5. The effects of two sets of the S-D mixing angle θ =-1 2 ° and θ =2 7 ° for the decay Bc→ψ (3770 ) K are studied first in this paper. Our calculations show that the branching ratio of the decay Bc→ψ (3770 ) K can be raised from the order of 10-6 to the order of 10-5 at the mixing angle θ =-1 2 ° , which can be tested by the running LHC-b experiments.

  20. Measurement of the decays B--> phiK and B--> phiK*.

    PubMed

    Aubert, B; Boutigny, D; Gaillard, J M; Hicheur, A; Karyotakis, Y; Lees, J P; Robbe, P; Tisserand, V; Palano, A; Chen, G P; Chen, J C; Qi, N D; Rong, G; Wang, P; Zhu, Y S; Eigen, G; Reinertsen, P L; Stugu, B; Abbott, B; Abrams, G S; Borgland, A W; Breon, A B; Brown, D N; Button-Shafer, J; Cahn, R N; Clark, A R; Fan, Q; Gill, M S; Gowdy, S J; Gritsan, A; Groysman, Y; Jacobsen, R G; Kadel, R W; Kadyk, J; Kerth, L T; Kluth, S; Kolomensky, Y G; Kral, J F; LeClerc, C; Levi, M E; Liu, T; Lynch, G; Meyer, A B; Momayezi, M; Oddone, P J; Perazzo, A; Pripstein, M; Roe, N A; Romosan, A; Ronan, M T; Shelkov, V G; Telnov, A V; Wenzel, W A; Bright-Thomas, P G; Harrison, T J; Hawkes, C M; Kirk, A; Knowles, D J; O'Neale, S W; Penny, R C; Watson, A T; Watson, N K; Deppermann, T; Koch, H; Krug, J; Kunze, M; Lewandowski, B; Peters, K; Schmuecker, H; Steinke, M; Andress, J C; Barlow, N R; Bhimji, W; Chevalier, N; Clark, P J; Cottingham, W N; De Groot, N; Dyce, N; Foster, B; Mass, A; McFall, J D; Wallom, D; Wilson, F F; Abe, K; Hearty, C; Mattison, T S; McKenna, J A; Thiessen, D; Camanzi, B; Jolly, S; McKemey, A K; Tinslay, J; Blinov, V E; Bukin, A D; Bukin, D A; Buzykaev, A R; Dubrovin, M S; Golubev, V B; Ivanchenko, V N; Korol, A A; Kravchenko, E A; Onuchin, A P; Salnikov, A A; Serednyakov, S I; Skovpen, Y I; Telnov, V I; Yushkov, A N; Lankford, A J; Mandelkern, M; McMahon, S; Stoker, D P; Ahsan, A; Arisaka, K; Buchanan, C; Chun, S; Branson, J G; MacFarlane, D B; Prell, S; Rahatlou, S; Raven, G; Sharma, V; Campagnari, C; Dahmes, B; Hart, P A; Kuznetsova, N; Levy, S L; Long, O; Lu, A; Richman, J D; Verkerke, W; Witherell, M; Yellin, S; Beringer, J; Dorfan, D E; Eisner, A M; Frey, A; Grillo, A A; Grothe, M; Heusch, C A; Johnson, R P; Kroeger, W; Lockman, W S; Pulliam, T; Sadrozinski, H; Schalk, T; Schmitz, R E; Schumm, B A; Seiden, A; Turri, M; Walkowiak, W; Williams, D C; Wilson, M G; Chen, E; Dubois-Felsmann, G P; Dvoretskii, A; Hitlin, D G; Metzler, S; Oyang, J; Porter, F C; Ryd, A; Samuel, A; Weaver, M; Yang, S; Zhu, R Y; Devmal, S; Geld, T L; Jayatilleke, S; Mancinelli, G; Meadows, B T; Sokoloff, M D; Bloom, P; Fahey, S; Ford, W T; Gaede, F; Johnson, D R; Michael, A K; Nauenberg, U; Olivas, A; Park, H; Rankin, P; Roy, J; Sen, S; Smith, J G; van Hoek, W C; Wagner, D L; Blouw, J; Harton, J L; Krishnamurthy, M; Soffer, A; Toki, W H; Wilson, R J; Zhang, J; Brandt, T; Brose, J; Colberg, T; Dahlinger, G; Dickopp, M; Dubitzky, R S; Maly, E; Müller-Pfefferkorn, R; Otto, S; Schubert, K R; Schwierz, R; Spaan, B; Wilden, L; Behr, L; Bernard, D; Bonneaud, G R; Brochard, F; Cohen-Tanugi, J; Ferrag, S; Roussot, E; T'Jampens, S; Thiebaux, C; Vasileiadis, G; Verderi, M; Anjomshoaa, A; Bernet, R; Di Lodovico, F; Khan, A; Muheim, F; Playfer, S; Swain, J E; Falbo, M; Bozzi, C; Dittongo, S; Folegani, M; Piemontese, L; Treadwell, E; Anulli, F; Baldini-Ferroli, R; Calcaterra, A; de Sangro, R; Falciai, D; Finocchiaro, G; Patteri, P; Peruzzi, I M; Piccolo, M; Xie, Y; Zallo, A; Bagnasco, S; Buzzo, A; Contri, R; Crosetti, G; Fabbricatore, P; Farinon, S; Lo Vetere, M; Macri, M; Monge, M R; Musenich, R; Pallavicini, M; Parodi, R; Passaggio, S; Pastore, F C; Patrignani, C; Pia, M G; Priano, C; Robutti, E; Santroni, A; Morii, M; Bartoldus, R; Dignan, T; Hamilton, R; Mallik, U; Cochran, J; Crawley, H B; Fischer, P A; Lamsa, J; Meyer, W T; Rosenberg, E I; Benkebil, M; Grosdidier, G; Hast, C; Höcker, A; Lacker, H M; LePeltier, V; Lutz, A M; Plaszczynski, S; Schune, M H; Trincaz-Duvoid, S; Valassi, A; Wormser, G; Bionta, R M; Brigljevic, V; Fackler, O; Fujino, D; Lange, D J; Mugge, M; Shi, X; van Bibber, K; Wenaus, T J; Wright, D M; Wuest, C R; Carroll, M; Fry, J R; Gabathuler, E; Gamet, R; George, M; Kay, M; Payne, D J; Sloane, R J; Touramanis, C; Aspinwall, M L; Bowerman, D A; Dauncey, P D; Egede, U; Eschrich, I; Gunawardane, N J; Martin, R; Nash, J A; Sanders, P; Smith, D; Azzopardi, D E; Back, J J; Dixon, P; Harrison, P F; Potter, R J; Shorthouse, H W; Strother, P; Vidal, P B; Williams, M I; Cowan, G; George, S; Green, M G; Kurup, A; Marker, C E; McGrath, P; McMahon, T R; Ricciardi, S; Salvatore, F; Scott, I; Vaitsas, G; Brown, D; Davis, C L; Allison, J; Barlow, R J; Boyd, J T; Forti, A; Fullwood, J; Jackson, F; Lafferty, G D; Savvas, N; Simopoulos, E T; Weatherall, J H; Farbin, A; Jawahery, A; Lillard, V; Olsen, J; Roberts, D A; Schieck, J R; Blaylock, G; Dallapiccola, C; Flood, K T; Hertzbach, S S; Kofler, R; Lin, C S; Moore, T B; Staengle, H; Willocq, S; Wittlin, J; Brau, B; Cowan, R; Sciolla, G; Taylor, F; Yamamoto, R K; Britton, D I; Milek, M; Patel, P M; Trischuk, J; Lanni, F; Palombo, F; Bauer, J M; Booke, M; Cremaldi, L; Eschenburg, V; Kroeger, R; Reidy, J; Sanders, D A; Summers, D J; Martin, J P; Nief, J Y; Seitz, R; Taras, P; Zacek, V; Nicholson, H; Sutton, C S; Cartaro, C; Cavallo, N; De Nardo, G; Fabozzi, F; Gatto, C; Lista, L; Paolucci, P; Piccolo, D; Sciacca, C; LoSecco, J M; Alsmiller, J R; Gabriel, T A; Handler, T; Brau, J; Frey, R; Iwasaki, M; Sinev, N B; Strom, D; Colecchia, F; Dal Corso, F; Dorigo, A; Galeazzi, F; Margoni, M; Michelon, G; Morandin, M; Posocco, M; Rotondo, M; Simonetto, F; Stroili, R; Torassa, E; Voci, C; Benayoun, M; Briand, H; Chauveau, J; David, P; De La Vaissière, C; Del Buono, L; Hamon, O; Le Diberder, F; Leruste, P; Lory, J; Roos, L; Stark, J; Versillé, S; Manfredi, P F; Re, V; Speziali, V; Frank, E D; Gladney, L; Guo, Q H; Panetta, J H; Angelini, C; Batignani, G; Bettarini, S; Bondioli, M; Carpinelli, M; Forti, F; Giorgi, M A; Lusiani, A; Martinez-Vidal, F; Morganti, M; Neri, N; Paoloni, E; Rama, M; Rizzo, G; Sandrelli, F; Simi, G; Triggiani, G; Walsh, J; Haire, M; Judd, D; Paick, K; Turnbull, L; Wagoner, D E; Albert, J; Bula, C; Lu, C; McDonald, K T; Miftakov, V; Schaffner, S F; Smith, A J; Tumanov, A; Varnes, E W; Cavoto, G; del Re, D; Faccini, R; Ferrarotto, F; Ferroni, F; Fratini, K; Lamanna, E; Leonardi, E; Mazzoni, M A; Morganti, S; Piredda, G; Safai Tehrani, F; Serra, M; Voena, C; Christ, S; Waldi, R; Adye, T; Franek, B; Geddes, N I; Gopal, G P; Xella, S M; Aleksan, R; De Domenico, G; Emery, S; Gaidot, A; Ganzhur, S F; Giraud, P F; Hamel De Monchenault, G; Kozanecki, W; Langer, M; London, G W; Mayer, B; Serfass, B; Vasseur, G; Yeche, C; Zito, M; Copty, N; Purohit, M V; Singh, H; Yumiceva, F X; Adam, I; Anthony, P L; Aston, D; Baird, K; Bartelt, J; Bloom, E; Boyarski, A M; Bulos, F; Calderini, G; Claus, R; Convery, M R; Coupal, D P; Coward, D H; Dorfan, J; Doser, M; Dunwoodie, W; Field, R C; Glanzman, T; Godfrey, G L; Grosso, P; Himel, T; Huffer, M E; Innes, W R; Jessop, C P; Kelsey, M H; Kim, P; Kocian, M L; Langenegger, U; Leith, D W; Luitz, S; Luth, V; Lynch, H L; Manzin, G; Marsiske, H; Menke, S; Messner, R; Moffeit, K C; Mount, R; Muller, D R; O'Grady, C P; Petrak, S; Quinn, H; Ratcliff, B N; Robertson, S H; Rochester, L S; Roodman, A; Schietinger, T; Schindler, R H; Schwiening, J; Serbo, V V; Snyder, A; Soha, A; Spanier, S M; Stahl, A; Stelzer, J; Su, D; Sullivan, M K; Talby, M; Tanaka, H A; Trunov, A; Va'vra, J; Wagner, S R; Weinstein, A J; Wisniewski, W J; Young, C C; Burchat, P R; Cheng, C H; Kirkby, D; Meyer, T I; Roat, C; De Silva, A; Henderson, R; Bugg, W; Cohn, H; Hart, E; Weidemann, A W; Benninger, T; Izen, J M; Kitayama, I; Lou, X C; Turcotte, M; Bianchi, F; Bona, M; Di Girolamo, B; Gamba, D; Smol, A; Zanin, D; Bosisio, L; Della Ricca, G; Lanceri, L; Pompili, A; Poropat, P; Prest, M; Vallazza, E; Vuagnin, G; Panvini, R S; Brown, C M; Kowalewski, R; Roney, J M; Band, H R; Charles, E; Dasu, S; Elmer, P; Hu, H; Johnson, J R; Liu, R; Nielsen, J; Orejudos, W; Pan, Y; Prepost, R; Scott, I J; Sekula, S J; von Wimmersperg-Toeller, J H; Wu, S L; Yu, Z; Zobering, H; Kordich, T M; Neal, H

    2001-10-08

    We have observed the decays B--> phiK and phiK(*) in a sample of over 45 million B mesons collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II collider. The measured branching fractions are B(B+--> phiK+) = (7.7(+1.6)(-1.4)+/-0.8)x10(-6), B(B0--> phiK0) = (8.1(+3.1)(-2.5)+/-0.8)x10(-6), B(B+--> phiK(*+)) = (9.7(+4.2)(-3.4)+/-1.7)x10(-6), and B(B0--> phiK(*0)) = (8.7(+2.5)(-2.1)+/-1.1)x10(-6). We also report the upper limit B(B+--> phipi(+))<1.4x10(-6) ( 90% C.L.).

  1. Proposed amendment to best demonstrated available technology (BDAT) background document for wastes from the production of 1, 1, 1-trichloroethane K028, K029, K095, and K096. Volume 5

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Berlow, J.R.; Eby, E.

    This amendment document describes the technologies used to treat K028 nonwastewater metals and K029, K095, and K096 waste waters (or similar wastes, if any) and presents the treatment performance data on which the treatment standards for these wastes are based. The document also explains how EPA determined BDAT, selected constituents for regulation, and calculated proposed treatment standards for K028 nonwaste water metals and K029, K095, and K096 wastewaters.

  2. Molecular epidemiology of Klebsiella pneumoniae K1 and K2 isolates in Japan.

    PubMed

    Harada, Sohei; Ishii, Yoshikazu; Saga, Tomoo; Aoki, Kotaro; Tateda, Kazuhiro

    2018-03-20

    Although severe infections caused by hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates, such as K1 isolates belonging to sequence type (ST) 23, have been a significant problem in Asian countries, epidemiology of these isolates in Japan remains unclear. We performed a nationwide molecular epidemiological study of K. pneumoniae K1 and K2 isolates in Japan. Of the 259K. pneumoniae isolates collected, 14 and 16 isolates were identified as capsular genotypes K1 and K2, respectively. All K1 isolates were ST23 or its closely related clones and showed high genetic similarity by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and the DiversiLab system (DL). K2 isolates, belonging to ST14, ST25, ST65, ST86, and ST110, were more genetically diverse than K1 isolates. Isolates belonging to a specific ST showed identical virulence gene profiles with a few exceptions. PFGE and DL results using K1 and K2 isolates were generally in agreement. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  3. Testing QCD factorization with phase determinations in B →K π , K ρ , and K*π decays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pham, T. N.

    2016-06-01

    The success of QCD factorization (QCDF) in predicting branching ratios for charmless B decays to light pseudoscalar and vector mesons and the small C P asymmetries measured at BABAR, Belle, and LHCb show that the phase in these decays, as predicted by QCDF, are not large. For a precise test of QCDF, one needs to extract from the measured decay rates the phase of the decay amplitude which appears in the interference terms between the tree and penguin contribution. Since the tree amplitude is known at the leading order in ΛQCD/mb and is consistent with the measured tree-dominated decay rates, the QCDF value for the tree amplitude can be used with the measured decay rates to obtain the phases in B →K π , K ρ , and K*π decay rates. This is similar to the extraction of the final-state interaction phases in the interference term between p p ¯→J /Ψ →e+e- and p p ¯→e+e- and in J /Ψ →0-0- done previously. In this paper, we present a determination of the phase between the I =3 /2 tree and I =1 /2 penguin amplitudes in B →K π , K ρ , and K*π decays using the measured decay rates and the QCDF I =3 /2 tree amplitude obtained from the I =2 B+→π+π0,ρ0π+,ρ+π0 tree-dominated decays and compare the result with the phase given by QCDF. It is remarkable that the phase extracted from experiments differs only slightly from the QCDF values. This shows that there is no large final-state interaction strong phase in B →K π , K ρ , and K*π decays.

  4. 14 CFR Appendix K to Part 36 - Noise Requirements for Tiltrotors Under Subpart K

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... Subpart K K Appendix K to Part 36 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT NOISE STANDARDS: AIRCRAFT TYPE AND AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATION Appendix K to Part 36—Noise Requirements for Tiltrotors Under Subpart K K1 General K2 Noise Evaluation Measure K3 Noise...

  5. A possible mechanism for low affinity of silkworm Na+/K+-ATPase for K.

    PubMed

    Homareda, Haruo; Otsu, Masahiro; Yamamoto, Sachiko; Ushimaru, Makoto; Ito, Sayaka; Fukutomi, Toshiyuki; Jo, Taeho; Eishi, Yoshinobu; Hara, Yukichi

    2017-12-01

    The affinity for K + of silkworm nerve Na + /K + -ATPase is markedly lower than that of mammalian Na + /K + -ATPase (Homareda 2010). In order to obtain clues on the molecular basis of the difference in K + affinities, we cloned cDNAs of silkworm (Bombyx mori) nerve Na + /K + -ATPase α and β subunits, and analyzed the deduced amino acid sequences. The molecular masses of the α and β subunits were presumed to be 111.5 kDa with ten transmembrane segments and 37.7 kDa with a single transmembrane segment, respectively. The α subunit showed 75% identity and 93% homology with the pig Na + /K + -ATPase α1 subunit. On the other hand, the amino acid identity of the β subunit with mammalian counterparts was as low as 30%. Cloned α and β cDNAs were co-expressed in cultured silkworm ovary-derived cells, BM-N cells, which lack endogenous Na + /K + -ATPase. Na + /K + -ATPase expressed in the cultured cells showed a low affinity for K + and a high affinity for Na + , characteristic of the silkworm nerve Na + /K + -ATPase. These results suggest that the β subunit is responsible for the affinity for K + of Na + /K + -ATPase.

  6. K-KIDS: Companioins to K Dwarfs Within 50 Parsecs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nusdeo, Daniel Anthony; Winters, Jennifer; Paredes-Alvarez, Leonardo; Horch, Elliott; Jao, Wei-Chun; Henry, Todd J.; RECONS Institute

    2017-01-01

    How many K dwarfs have “kids?” Stellar multiplicity fractions have been obtained for most spectral types, most recently by Raghavan et al. (2010) and Winters et al. (2015), finding rates of 50% for solar-type stars and 27% for M dwarfs, respectively. These findings will be crucial to improving our understanding of solar-system formation, but there has not yet been a statistically significant survey for K dwarfs to bridge the gap between G and M stars. To create a sample for a robust multiplicity survey, an initial set of 1048 K dwarfs was built using the Hipparcos and 2MASS catalogs, the companions of which are called “K-KIDS.” Future releases from Gaia will help us to expand K-KIDS into a volume-complete sample out to 50-pc, and we project that the final sample will contain over 3000 stars, making this the largest volume-complete multiplicity survey ever undertaken. For observational purposes, the targeted K dwarfs are confined equatorially to -30 < DEC < +30 to ensure all stars are observable from either hemisphere. The survey for K-KIDS is split into three companion-separation regimes: small (0.02 - 2.00 arcseconds), medium (2.00 - 10.00 arcseconds), and distant (10.00+ arcseconds). Small separation companions are resolved using the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument, with which we have observed 964 out of 1048 systems to date, already finding 135 new K-KIDS. Medium separation companions are observed via a series of three observations per star at the CTIO 0.9-m telescope, integrating for 3, 30, and 300 seconds to reveal companions of various brightnesses. Finally, a common proper-motion search is used to find companions at distant separations via blinking of digitialized images in the SuperCOSMOS archive, in addition to a large-scale literature survey for previously-discovered multiples. The small and distant surveys are nearing completion, and continued progress on the medium survey ensures that a statistically significant multiplicity rate for K

  7. Theoretical study of LiK and LiK+ in adiabatic representation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Al-dossary, Omar M.; Khelifi, Neji

    2014-01-01

    The potential energy curves have been calculated for the electronic states of the molecule LiK within the range 3 to 300 a.u., of the internuclear distance R. Using an ab initio method, through a semiempirical spin-orbit pseudo-potential for the Li (1 s 2) and K (1 s 22 s 22 p 63 s 23 p 6) cores and core valence correlation correction added to the electrostatic Hamiltonian with Gaussian basis sets for both atoms. The core valence effects including core-polarization and core-valence correlation are taken into account by using an l-dependent core-polarization potential. The molecular orbitals have been derived from self-consistent field (SCF) calculation. The spectroscopic constants, dipole moments and vibrational levels of the lowest electronic states of the LiK molecule dissociating into K (4 s, 4 p, 5 s, 3 d, and 5 p) + Li (2 s, 2 p, 3 s, and 3 p) in 1, 3Σ, 1, 3Π, and 1, 3Δ symmetries. Adiabatic results are also reported for 2Σ, 2Π, and 2Δ electronic states of the molecular ion LiK+ dissociating into Li (2 s, 2 p, 3 s, and 3 p) + K+ and Li+ + K (4 s, 4 p, 5 s, 3 d, and 5 p). The comparison of the present results with those available in the literature shows a very good agreement in spectroscopic constants of some lowest states of the LiK and LiK+ molecules, especially with the available theoretical works. The existence of numerous avoided crossing between electronic states of 2Σ and 2Π symmetries is related to the charge transfer process between the two ionic systems Li+K and LiK+.

  8. Molecular Mechanism of Species-dependent Sweet Taste toward Artificial Sweeteners

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Bo; Ha, Matthew; Meng, Xuan-Yu; Kaur, Tanno; Khaleduzzaman, Mohammed; Zhang, Zhe; Jiang, Peihua; Li, Xia; Cui, Meng

    2011-01-01

    The heterodimer of Tas1R2 and Tas1R3 is a broadly acting sweet taste receptor, which mediates mammalian sweet taste toward natural and artificial sweeteners and sweet-tasting proteins. Perception of sweet taste is a species selective physiological process. For instance, artificial sweeteners aspartame and neotame taste sweet to humans, apes and Old World monkeys but not to New World monkeys and rodents. Although specific regions determining the activation of the receptors by these sweeteners have been identified, the molecular mechanism of species-dependent sweet taste remains elusive. Using human/squirrel monkey chimeras, mutagenesis and molecular modeling, we reveal that the different responses of mammalian species towards the artificial sweeteners aspartame and neotame are determined by the steric effect of a combination of a few residues in the ligand binding pocket. Residues S40 and D142 in the human Tas1R2, which correspond to residues T40 and E142 in the squirrel monkey Tas1R2, were found to be the critical residues for the species dependent difference in sweet taste. In addition, human Tas1R2 residue I67, which corresponds to S67 in squirrel monkey receptor, modulates the higher affinity of neotame than that of aspartame. Our studies not only shed light on the molecular mechanism of species dependent sweet taste toward artificial sweeteners, but also provide guidance for designing novel effective artificial sweet compounds. PMID:21795555

  9. Molecular mechanism of species-dependent sweet taste toward artificial sweeteners.

    PubMed

    Liu, Bo; Ha, Matthew; Meng, Xuan-Yu; Kaur, Tanno; Khaleduzzaman, Mohammed; Zhang, Zhe; Jiang, Peihua; Li, Xia; Cui, Meng

    2011-07-27

    The heterodimer of Tas1R2 and Tas1R3 is a broadly acting sweet taste receptor, which mediates mammalian sweet taste toward natural and artificial sweeteners and sweet-tasting proteins. Perception of sweet taste is a species-selective physiological process. For instance, artificial sweeteners aspartame and neotame taste sweet to humans, apes, and Old World monkeys but not to New World monkeys and rodents. Although specific regions determining the activation of the receptors by these sweeteners have been identified, the molecular mechanism of species-dependent sweet taste remains elusive. Using human/squirrel monkey chimeras, mutagenesis, and molecular modeling, we reveal that the different responses of mammalian species toward the artificial sweeteners aspartame and neotame are determined by the steric effect of a combination of a few residues in the ligand binding pocket. Residues S40 and D142 in the human Tas1R2, which correspond to residues T40 and E142 in the squirrel monkey Tas1R2, were found to be the critical residues for the species-dependent difference in sweet taste. In addition, human Tas1R2 residue I67, which corresponds to S67 in squirrel monkey receptor, modulates the higher affinity of neotame than of aspartame. Our studies not only shed light on the molecular mechanism of species-dependent sweet taste toward artificial sweeteners, but also provide guidance for designing novel effective artificial sweet compounds.

  10. Vitamin K

    MedlinePlus

    ... your body needs to grow and develop normally. Vitamin K helps your body by making proteins for healthy ... blood clotting. If you don't have enough vitamin K, you may bleed too much. Newborns have very ...

  11. Comparative genome analysis of novel Podoviruses lytic for hypermucoviscous Klebsiella pneumoniae of K1, K2, and K57 capsular types.

    PubMed

    Solovieva, Ekaterina V; Myakinina, Vera P; Kislichkina, Angelina A; Krasilnikova, Valentina M; Verevkin, Vladimir V; Mochalov, Vladimir V; Lev, Anastasia I; Fursova, Nadezhda K; Volozhantsev, Nikolay V

    2018-01-02

    Hypermucoviscous (HV) strains of capsular types K1, K2 and K57 are the most virulent representatives of the Klebsiella pneumoniae species. Eight novel bacteriophages lytic for HV K. pneumoniae were isolated and characterized. Three bacteriophages, KpV41, KpV475, and KpV71 were found to have a lytic activity against mainly K. pneumoniae of capsular type K1. Two phages, KpV74, and KpV763 were lytic for K2 capsular type K. pneumoniae, and the phage KpV767 was specific to K57-type K. pneumoniae only. Two more phages, KpV766, and KpV48 had no capsular specificity. The phage genomes consist of a linear double-stranded DNA of 40,395-44,623bp including direct terminal repeats of 180-246 bp. The G + C contents are 52.3-54.2 % that is slightly lower than that of genomes of K. pneumoniae strains being used for phage propagation. According to the genome structures, sequence similarity and phylogenetic data, the phages are classified within the genus Kp32virus and Kp34virus of subfamily Autographivirinae, family Podoviridae. In the phage genomes, genes encoding proteins with putative motifs of polysaccharide depolymerase were identified. Depolymerase genes of phages KpV71 and KpV74 lytic for hypermucoviscous K. pneumoniae of K1 and K2 capsular type, respectively, were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, and the recombinant gene products were purified. The specificity and polysaccharide-degrading activity of the recombinant depolymerases were demonstrated. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Vitamins K2, K3 and K5 exert antitumor effects on established colorectal cancer in mice by inducing apoptotic death of tumor cells.

    PubMed

    Ogawa, Mutsumi; Nakai, Seiji; Deguchi, Akihiro; Nonomura, Takako; Masaki, Tsutomu; Uchida, Naohito; Yoshiji, Hitoshi; Kuriyama, Shigeki

    2007-08-01

    Although a number of studies have shown that vitamin K possesses antitumor activities on various neoplastic cell lines, there are few reports demonstrating in vivo antitumor effects of vitamin K, and the antitumor effect on colorectal cancer (CRC) remains to be examined. Therefore, antitumor effects of vitamin K on CRC were examined both in vitro and in vivo. Vitamins K2, K3 and K5 suppressed the proliferation of colon 26 cells in a dose-dependent manner, while vitamin K1 did not. On flow cytometry, induction of apoptosis by vitamins K2, K3 and K5 was suggested by population in sub-G1 phase of the cell cycle. Hoechst 33342 staining and a two-color flow cytometric assay using fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated annexin V and propidium iodide confirmed that vitamins K2, K3 and K5 induced apoptotic death of colon 26 cells. Enzymatic activity of caspase-3 in colon 26 cells was significantly up-regulated by vitamins K2, K3 and K5. The pan-caspase inhibitor, benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone, substantially prevented vitamin K-mediated apoptosis. In vivo study using syngeneic mice with subcutaneously established colon 26 tumors demonstrated that intravenous administration of vitamins K2, K3 and K5 significantly suppressed the tumor growth. The number of apoptotic tumor cells was significantly larger in the vitamin K-treated groups than in the control group. These results suggest that vitamins K2, K3 and K5 exerted effective antitumor effects on CRC in vitro and in vivo by inducing caspase-dependent apoptotic death of tumor cells, suggesting that these K vitamins may be promising agents for the treatment of patients with CRC.

  13. Fendiline Inhibits K-Ras Plasma Membrane Localization and Blocks K-Ras Signal Transmission

    PubMed Central

    van der Hoeven, Dharini; Cho, Kwang-jin; Ma, Xiaoping; Chigurupati, Sravanthi; Parton, Robert G.

    2013-01-01

    Ras proteins regulate signaling pathways important for cell growth, differentiation, and survival. Oncogenic mutant Ras proteins are commonly expressed in human tumors, with mutations of the K-Ras isoform being most prevalent. To be active, K-Ras must undergo posttranslational processing and associate with the plasma membrane. We therefore devised a high-content screening assay to search for inhibitors of K-Ras plasma membrane association. Using this assay, we identified fendiline, an L-type calcium channel blocker, as a specific inhibitor of K-Ras plasma membrane targeting with no detectable effect on the localization of H- and N-Ras. Other classes of L-type calcium channel blockers did not mislocalize K-Ras, suggesting a mechanism that is unrelated to calcium channel blockade. Fendiline did not inhibit K-Ras posttranslational processing but significantly reduced nanoclustering of K-Ras and redistributed K-Ras from the plasma membrane to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), Golgi apparatus, endosomes, and cytosol. Fendiline significantly inhibited signaling downstream of constitutively active K-Ras and endogenous K-Ras signaling in cells transformed by oncogenic H-Ras. Consistent with these effects, fendiline blocked the proliferation of pancreatic, colon, lung, and endometrial cancer cell lines expressing oncogenic mutant K-Ras. Taken together, these results suggest that inhibitors of K-Ras plasma membrane localization may have utility as novel K-Ras-specific anticancer therapeutics. PMID:23129805

  14. ATHENA X-IFU 300 K-50 mK cryochain demonstrator cryostat

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prouvé, T.; Duval, J. M.; Charles, I.; Yamasaki, N. Y.; Mitsuda, K.; Nakagawa, T.; Shinozaki, K.; Tokoku, C.; Yamamoto, R.; Minami, Y.; Le Du, M.; Andre, J.; Daniel, C.; Linder, M.

    2018-01-01

    In the framework of the ESA X-ray mission ATHENA, scheduled for launch in 2028, an ESA Core Technology Program (CTP) was started in 2016 to build a flight like cryostat demonstrator in parallel with the phase A studies of the ATHENA/X-IFU instrument [1,2]. As part of this CTP, called the Detector Cooling System (DCS), design, manufacturing and test of a cryostat including existing space coolers will be done. In addition to the validation of thermal performance, a Focal Plan Assembly (FPA) demonstrator using Transition Edge Sensors (TES) detector technology will be also integrated and its performance characterized versus the environment provided by the cryostat. This is a unique opportunity to validate many crucial issues of the cryogenic part of such a sensitive instrument. A dedicated activity within this CTP-DCS is the demonstration of the 300 K-50 mK cooling chain in a Ground System Equipment (GSE) cryostat. The studies are focused on the operation of the space coolers, which is made possible by the use of a ground cooler for cooling cryogenic shields and mechanical supports. Thanks to the modularity of the cryostat, several cooling chains could be tested. In the base line configuration described here, the low temperature stage is the CEA hybrid sorption/ADR 50 mK cooler with thermal interfaces at 4 K and 2 K. 4 K cooling is accomplished by a 4 K Joule-Thomson (JT) cryocooler and its Stirling precooler provided by JAXA. Regarding the 2 K stage, at first a 2 K JT from JAXA will be used. Alternatively, a 2 K JT cooler from RAL could replace the JAXA 2 K JT. In both cases new prototype(s) of a 2 K JT will be implemented, precooled by the EM 15 K pule tube cooler from Air Liquide. This test program is also the opportunity to validate the operation of the cryochain with respect to various requirements, such as time constant and temperature stabilities. This would bring us valuable inputs to integrate the cryochain in DCS cryostat or for the X-IFU phase A studies

  15. Vitamin K and cancer.

    PubMed

    Dahlberg, Sofia; Ede, Jacob; Schött, Ulf

    2017-12-01

    Subclinical vitamin K deficits refer to carboxylation defects of different types of vitamin K-dependent hepatic and extrahepatic so-called Gla proteins without prolongation of the prothrombin time. This condition has been reported in different clinical situations due to insufficient supply or malabsorption of vitamin K as well as drug interactions. This review discusses the effects of different vitamin K subspecies on tumour growth and the possible anti-tumour effects of increased vitamin K intake. Blocking carboxylation of vitamin K-dependent proteins with warfarin anticoagulation - what are the risks/benefits for carcinogenesis? Previous studies on both heparin and low molecular weight heparin blocking of the vitamin K-dependent factors X and II have shown tumour suppressive effects. Vitamin K has anti-inflammatory effects that could also impact carcinogenesis, but little data exists on this subject.

  16. K(L) - K(S) mass difference from lattice QCD.

    PubMed

    Bai, Z; Christ, N H; Izubuchi, T; Sachrajda, C T; Soni, A; Yu, J

    2014-09-12

    We report on the first complete calculation of the K_{L}-K_{S} mass difference, ΔM_{K}, using lattice QCD. The calculation is performed on a 2+1 flavor, domain wall fermion ensemble with a 330 MeV pion mass and a 575 MeV kaon mass. We use a quenched charm quark with a 949 MeV mass to implement Glashow-Iliopoulos-Maiani cancellation. For these heavier-than-physical particle masses, we obtain ΔM_{K}=3.19(41)(96)×10^{-12}  MeV, quite similar to the experimental value. Here the first error is statistical, and the second is an estimate of the systematic discretization error. An interesting aspect of this calculation is the importance of the disconnected diagrams, a dramatic failure of the Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka rule.

  17. Vitamin K

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin, is an enzyme cofactor for post-translation modification of specific glutamate residues that are converted into '-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) residues by a vitamin K-dependent (VKD) carboxylase. Seven VKD coagulation proteins are synthesized in the liver. The extra-he...

  18. Vitamin K

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A wide range of analytical techniques are available for the detection, quantitation, and evaluation of vitamin K in foods. The methods vary from simple to complex depending on extraction, separation, identification and detection of the analyte. Among the extraction methods applied for vitamin K anal...

  19. 21 CFR 172.804 - Aspartame.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... is used in baked goods and baking mixes, the amount of the additive is not to exceed 0.5 percent by weight of ready-to-bake products or of finished formulations prior to baking. Generally recognized as safe (GRAS) ingredients or food additives approved for use in baked goods shall be used in combination...

  20. Sleep Deprivation in Humans And Transient Immunodepression

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2003-07-21

    completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information...identically packaged placebo ( maltodextrin ) were purchased from Oxford Nutrition, Witney, UK. The glutamine and placebo both contained aspartame

  1. Mirtazapine

    MedlinePlus

    ... the orally disintegrating tablets contain aspartame that forms phenylalanine.you should know that mirtazapine may cause angle- ... Mirtazapine may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away: drowsiness dizziness anxiousness confusion ...

  2. Methylphenidate

    MedlinePlus

    ... long-acting chewable tablets contain aspartame that forms phenylalanine.you should know that methylphenidate should be used ... Methylphenidate may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away: nervousness difficulty falling asleep ...

  3. Raltegravir

    MedlinePlus

    ... that the chewable tablets contain aspartame that forms phenylalanine.you should know that while you are taking ... Raltegravir may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away: diarrhea gas stomach pain ...

  4. Nelfinavir

    MedlinePlus

    ... oral powder is sweetened with aspartame that forms phenylalanine.you should know that while you are taking ... Nelfinavir may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away: diarrhea nausea gas stomach ...

  5. Atazanavir

    MedlinePlus

    ... oral powder is sweetened with aspartame that forms phenylalanine.you should know that while you are taking ... Atazanavir may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away: nausea vomiting stomach pain ...

  6. Measurement of the e + e - → K s 0 K ± π ∓ π 0 and K s 0 K ± π ∓ η cross sections using initial-state radiation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lees, J. P.; Poireau, V.; Tisserand, V.

    The processes e + e - → Kmore » $$0\\atop{S}$$ K ±π ∓π 0 and e + e - → K$$0\\atop{S}$$ K ±π ∓η are studied over a continuum of energies from threshold to 4 GeV with the initial-state photon radiation method. Using 454 fb -1 of data collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II storage ring, the first measurements of the cross sections for these processes are obtained. The intermediate resonance structures from K* 0(Kπ) 0, K *(892) ± (Kπ) ∓ , and K$$0\\atop{S}$$K ±ρ ∓ are studied. Lastly, the J / ψ is observed in all of these channels, and corresponding branching fractions are measured.« less

  7. Measurement of the e + e - → K s 0 K ± π ∓ π 0 and K s 0 K ± π ∓ η cross sections using initial-state radiation

    DOE PAGES

    Lees, J. P.; Poireau, V.; Tisserand, V.; ...

    2017-05-30

    The processes e + e - → Kmore » $$0\\atop{S}$$ K ±π ∓π 0 and e + e - → K$$0\\atop{S}$$ K ±π ∓η are studied over a continuum of energies from threshold to 4 GeV with the initial-state photon radiation method. Using 454 fb -1 of data collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II storage ring, the first measurements of the cross sections for these processes are obtained. The intermediate resonance structures from K* 0(Kπ) 0, K *(892) ± (Kπ) ∓ , and K$$0\\atop{S}$$K ±ρ ∓ are studied. Lastly, the J / ψ is observed in all of these channels, and corresponding branching fractions are measured.« less

  8. Expression of K19 and K7 in dysplastic nodules and hepatocellular carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Bae, Jun Sang; Choi, Ha Na; Noh, Sang Jae; Park, Byung Hyun; Jang, Kyu Yun; Park, Cheol Keun; Moon, Woo Sung

    2012-08-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common types of malignant tumors characterized by a multistep process of tumor development. Nodular lesions that differ from the surrounding liver parenchyma and are characterized by cytological or structural atypia are termed dysplastic nodules (DNs). DNs are well-known precancerous HCC lesions. Expression of keratin (K) 19 and K7, molecular markers of hepatic progenitor cells and cholangiocytes, has been reported in certain HCCs. However, it remains unclear whether K19-positive HCC cells are derived from true hepatic progenitor cells or mature cells that have undergone a dedifferentiation or a transdifferentiation process. In total, 107 tissue sections (13 low-grade DNs, 15 high-grade DNs, 27 small HCCs and 52 large HCCs) from resected liver samples and 132 HCC tissue microarray (TMA) cores were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis for K19 and K7. Clinicopathological data of the HCC patients were evaluated. K19 expression was found in 0% of DNs, 19% of small HCCs (≤2 cm), 8% of large HCCs (>2 cm) and 8% of TMA samples. K7 expression was found in 14% of DNs, 41% of small HCCs, 15% of large HCCs and 6% of TMA samples. Among the five K19-positive small HCCs, four were distinctly nodular and one tumor was an infiltrative type. No vaguely nodular HCC was positive for K19. K19 expression was significantly associated with histological grade (P=0.023), serum α-fetoprotein level (P=0.001) and K7 expression (P=0.001) in HCC. K19 expression was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival in non-viral HCC patients (P=0.003). K19 expression is extremely rare in DNs and occurs in progressed small HCCs. Our results suggest that K19 expression may be an acquired feature of carcinoma cells during HCC progression in certain HCCs.

  9. CH-53K Heavy Lift Replacement Helicopter (CH-53K)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-12-01

    Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) RCS: DD-A&T(Q&A)823-390 CH-53K Heavy Lift Replacement Helicopter (CH-53K) As of FY 2017 President’s Budget...December 2015 SAR March 4, 2016 10:04:18 UNCLASSIFIED 4 Col Henry Vanderborght PMA-261 Heavy Lift Helicopters Program Executive Office - Air, Anti...Replacement Helicopter (CH-53K) DoD Component Navy Responsible Office References SAR Baseline (Development Estimate) Defense Acquisition Executive (DAE

  10. Evaluation of polar organic micropollutants as indicators for wastewater-related coastal water quality impairment.

    PubMed

    Nödler, Karsten; Tsakiri, Maria; Aloupi, Maria; Gatidou, Georgia; Stasinakis, Athanasios S; Licha, Tobias

    2016-04-01

    Results from coastal water pollution monitoring (Lesvos Island, Greece) are presented. In total, 53 samples were analyzed for 58 polar organic micropollutants such as selected herbicides, biocides, corrosion inhibitors, stimulants, artificial sweeteners, and pharmaceuticals. Main focus is the application of a proposed wastewater indicator quartet (acesulfame, caffeine, valsartan, and valsartan acid) to detect point sources and contamination hot-spots with untreated and treated wastewater. The derived conclusions are compared with the state of knowledge regarding local land use and infrastructure. The artificial sweetener acesulfame and the stimulant caffeine were used as indicators for treated and untreated wastewater, respectively. In case of a contamination with untreated wastewater the concentration ratio of the antihypertensive valsartan and its transformation product valsartan acid was used to further refine the estimation of the residence time of the contamination. The median/maximum concentrations of acesulfame and caffeine were 5.3/178 ng L(-1) and 6.1/522 ng L(-1), respectively. Their detection frequency was 100%. Highest concentrations were detected within the urban area of the capital of the island (Mytilene). The indicator quartet in the gulfs of Gera and Kalloni (two semi-enclosed embayments on the island) demonstrated different concentration patterns. A comparatively higher proportion of untreated wastewater was detected in the gulf of Gera, which is in agreement with data on the wastewater infrastructure. The indicator quality of the micropollutants to detect wastewater was compared with electrical conductivity (EC) data. Due to their anthropogenic nature and low detection limits, the micropollutants are superior to EC regarding both sensitivity and selectivity. The concentrations of atrazine, diuron, and isoproturon did not exceed the annual average of their environmental quality standards (EQS) defined by the European Commission. At two sampling

  11. Fatigue life of fibre reinforced plastics at 295 K after thermal cycling between 295 K and 77 K

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Belisario, G.; Caproni, F.; Marchetti, E.

    Results of low cycle three-point end fatigue tests at 295 K are reported. These were obtained from fibre reinforced plastics (FRP) flat specimens made of epoxy matrix reinforced with glass rovings only or glass rovings and Kevlar cloth. It is shown that previous thermal cycles between 295 K and 77 K exert an influence on the fatigue life as well on the acoustic emission results.

  12. Vitamin K

    MedlinePlus

    ... risk a heart disease in people at high risk for this condition. Dietary intake of vitamin K1 has not been linked ... arthritis medicine alone. Stroke. Population research suggests that dietary intake of vitamin K1 is not linked with a reduced risk of stroke. Bruises. Burns. Scars. Spider veins. Stretch ...

  13. Asymptotically Exact Heuristics for Prime Divisors of the Sequence {a^k+b^k}_{k=1}^infty

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moree, Pieter

    2006-07-01

    Let N_{a,b}(x) count the number of primes p<= x with p dividing a^k+b^k for some k>= 1. It is known that N_{a,b}(x)sim c(a,b)x/log x for some rational number c(a,b) that depends in a rather intricate way on a and b. A simple heuristic formula for N_{a,b}(x) is proposed and it is proved that it is asymptotically exact, i.e., has the same asymptotic behavior as N_{a,b}(x). Connections with Ramanujan sums and character sums are discussed.

  14. External K+ dependence of strong inward rectifier K+ channel conductance is caused not by K+ but by competitive pore blockade by external Na.

    PubMed

    Ishihara, Keiko

    2018-06-15

    Strong inward rectifier K + (sKir) channels determine the membrane potentials of many types of excitable and nonexcitable cells, most notably the resting potentials of cardiac myocytes. They show little outward current during membrane depolarization (i.e., strong inward rectification) because of the channel blockade by cytoplasmic polyamines, which depends on the deviation of the membrane potential from the K + equilibrium potential ( V - E K ) when the extracellular K + concentration ([K + ] out ) is changed. Because their open - channel conductance is apparently proportional to the "square root" of [K + ] out , increases/decreases in [K + ] out enhance/diminish outward currents through sKir channels at membrane potentials near their reversal potential, which also affects, for example, the repolarization and action-potential duration of cardiac myocytes. Despite its importance, however, the mechanism underlying the [K + ] out dependence of the open sKir channel conductance has remained elusive. By studying Kir2.1, the canonical member of the sKir channel family, we first show that the outward currents of Kir2.1 are observed under the external K + -free condition when its inward rectification is reduced and that the complete inhibition of the currents at 0 [K + ] out results solely from pore blockade caused by the polyamines. Moreover, the noted square-root proportionality of the open sKir channel conductance to [K + ] out is mediated by the pore blockade by the external Na + , which is competitive with the external K + Our results show that external K + itself does not activate or facilitate K + permeation through the open sKir channel to mediate the apparent external K + dependence of its open channel conductance. The paradoxical increase/decrease in outward sKir channel currents during alternations in [K + ] out , which is physiologically relevant, is caused by competition from impermeant extracellular Na . © 2018 Ishihara.

  15. A compact cryogen-free platform operating at 1 K or 50 mK

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matthews, A. J.; Patton, M.; Marsh, T.; van der Vliet, H.

    2018-03-01

    We report the design and performance characteristics of a compact cryogen-free platform. The system is based around a continuous 1 K pot which operates using a small (10 m3 h‑1) room temperature circulation pump. The pot cools an experimental plate to ≈ 1.2 K, and has a cooling capacity of 100 mW at a temperature ≈ 1.9 K. Cooling the pot from room temperature to < 2 K takes around 12 hours. The temperature range of the platform can be lowered to < 50 mK with the addition of a small dilution refrigerator, using the 1 K pot as a pre-cooling stage for the circulating 3He. The dilution stage has a typical (continuous) cooling capacity of 30 µW at 100 mK (300 µW at 250 mK) and is designed to operate with just 3 litres of (NTP) 3He.

  16. Na and K Dependence of the Na/K Pump in Cystic Fibrosis Fibroblasts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reznik, Vivian M.; Schneider, Jerry A.; Mendoza, Stanley A.

    1981-11-01

    The Na and K dependence of the Na/K pump was measured in skin fibroblasts from patients with cystic fibrosis and age/sex-matched controls. Under basal conditions, there was no difference between control and cystic fibrosis cells in protein per cell, intracellular Na and K content, or Na/K pump activity (measured as ouabain-sensitive 86Rb uptake). There was no difference in the Na dependence of the Na/K pump between cystic fibrosis cells and control cells. In cells from patients with cystic fibrosis, the Na/K pump had a significantly lower affinity for K (Km = 1.6 mM) when compared to normals (Km = 0.9 mM). This difference was demonstrated by using two independent experimental designs.

  17. k(+)-buffer: An Efficient, Memory-Friendly and Dynamic k-buffer Framework.

    PubMed

    Vasilakis, Andreas-Alexandros; Papaioannou, Georgios; Fudos, Ioannis

    2015-06-01

    Depth-sorted fragment determination is fundamental for a host of image-based techniques which simulates complex rendering effects. It is also a challenging task in terms of time and space required when rasterizing scenes with high depth complexity. When low graphics memory requirements are of utmost importance, k-buffer can objectively be considered as the most preferred framework which advantageously ensures the correct depth order on a subset of all generated fragments. Although various alternatives have been introduced to partially or completely alleviate the noticeable quality artifacts produced by the initial k-buffer algorithm in the expense of memory increase or performance downgrade, appropriate tools to automatically and dynamically compute the most suitable value of k are still missing. To this end, we introduce k(+)-buffer, a fast framework that accurately simulates the behavior of k-buffer in a single rendering pass. Two memory-bounded data structures: (i) the max-array and (ii) the max-heap are developed on the GPU to concurrently maintain the k-foremost fragments per pixel by exploring pixel synchronization and fragment culling. Memory-friendly strategies are further introduced to dynamically (a) lessen the wasteful memory allocation of individual pixels with low depth complexity frequencies, (b) minimize the allocated size of k-buffer according to different application goals and hardware limitations via a straightforward depth histogram analysis and (c) manage local GPU cache with a fixed-memory depth-sorting mechanism. Finally, an extensive experimental evaluation is provided demonstrating the advantages of our work over all prior k-buffer variants in terms of memory usage, performance cost and image quality.

  18. Men: Eat Right, Stay Healthy

    MedlinePlus

    ... These include brown sugar, corn sweetener, dextrose, fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, and honey. They should make up less than 10% of your calories per day. An added note: Replacing added sugars with high-intensity sweeteners (like saccharin or aspartame) may reduce ...

  19. Algebraic K-theory, K-regularity, and -duality of -stable C ∗-algebras

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mahanta, Snigdhayan

    2015-12-01

    We develop an algebraic formalism for topological -duality. More precisely, we show that topological -duality actually induces an isomorphism between noncommutative motives that in turn implements the well-known isomorphism between twisted K-theories (up to a shift). In order to establish this result we model topological K-theory by algebraic K-theory. We also construct an E ∞ -operad starting from any strongly self-absorbing C ∗-algebra . Then we show that there is a functorial topological K-theory symmetric spectrum construction on the category of separable C ∗-algebras, such that is an algebra over this operad; moreover, is a module over this algebra. Along the way we obtain a new symmetric spectra valued functorial model for the (connective) topological K-theory of C ∗-algebras. We also show that -stable C ∗-algebras are K-regular providing evidence for a conjecture of Rosenberg. We conclude with an explicit description of the algebraic K-theory of a x+ b-semigroup C ∗-algebras coming from number theory and that of -stabilized noncommutative tori.

  20. Comparison of vitamins K1, K2 and K3 effects on growth of rat glioma and human glioblastoma multiforme cells in vitro.

    PubMed

    Oztopçu, Pinar; Kabadere, Selda; Mercangoz, Ayşe; Uyar, Ruhi

    2004-09-01

    Glioblastoma multiforme is characterized as highly invasive and rapidly growing astrocytomas, and scientists have sought for efficient treatment against malignant gliomas for a long time. Therefore, we compared the respond of rat glioma (C6) and glioblastoma multiforme cells derived from two patients to vitamins K1, K2 and K3. The cells were exposed to 100, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 microM of vitamins K1 and K2, and 1, 10, 25, 50, 75 and 100 microM of vitamin K3 for 24 hours in an incubator atmosphere of 5% CO2, 37 degrees C and 100% humidity. Cell viability was estimated by MTT assay. Vitamin K1 showed no growth effect on all the glioma cells examined. Vitamin K2 did not cause any change in number of C6, however induced growth inhibition in a dose-dependent manner on glioblastoma multiforme. The IC50 values of vitamin K2 were 960 microM and 970 microM for glioblastoma multiforme, respectively. Vitamin K3 had also growth inhibitory effect in a dose-dependent manner on both C6 and glioblastoma multiforme. The IC50 values were 41 microM, 24 microM and 23 microM for vitamin K3, respectively. We concluded that vitamin K3 is more effective than vitamin K2 for inhibition of cancer cell growth, and might have an alternative value as an anticancer drug against glioblastoma multiforme.

  1. Loss of keratin K2 expression causes aberrant aggregation of K10, hyperkeratosis, and inflammation.

    PubMed

    Fischer, Heinz; Langbein, Lutz; Reichelt, Julia; Praetzel-Wunder, Silke; Buchberger, Maria; Ghannadan, Minoo; Tschachler, Erwin; Eckhart, Leopold

    2014-10-01

    Keratin K2 is one of the most abundant structural proteins of the epidermis; however, its biological significance has remained elusive. Here we show that suprabasal type II keratins, K1 and K2, are expressed in a mutually exclusive manner at different body sites of the mouse, with K2 being confined to the ear, sole, and tail skin. Deletion of K2 caused acanthosis and hyperkeratosis of the ear and the tail epidermis, corneocyte fragility, increased transepidermal water loss, and local inflammation in the ear skin. The loss of K2 was partially compensated by upregulation of K1 expression. However, a significant portion of K2-deficient suprabasal keratinocytes lacked a regular cytoskeleton and developed massive aggregates of the type I keratin, K10. Aggregate formation, but not hyperkeratosis, was suppressed by the deletion of both K2 and K10, whereas deletion of K10 alone caused clumping of K2 in ear skin. Taken together, this study demonstrates that K2 is a necessary and sufficient binding partner of K10 at distinct body sites of the mouse and that unbalanced expression of these keratins results in aggregate formation.

  2. Prophylactic vitamin K for the prevention of vitamin K deficiency bleeding in preterm neonates.

    PubMed

    Ardell, Stephanie; Offringa, Martin; Ovelman, Colleen; Soll, Roger

    2018-02-05

    Vitamin K is necessary for the synthesis of coagulation factors. Term infants, especially those who are exclusively breast fed, are deficient in vitamin K and consequently may have vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB). Preterm infants are potentially at greater risk for VKDB because of delayed feeding and subsequent delay in the colonization of their gastrointestinal system with vitamin K producing microflora, as well as immature hepatic and hemostatic function.  OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of vitamin K prophylaxis in the prevention of vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB) in preterm infants. We used the standard search strategy of Cochrane Neonatal to search the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL 2016, Issue 11), MEDLINE via PubMed (1966 to 5 December 2016), Embase (1980 to 5 December 2016), and CINAHL (1982 to 5 December 2016). We also searched clinical trials databases, conference proceedings, and the reference lists of retrieved articles. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs of any preparation of vitamin K given to preterm infants. We evaluated potential studies and extracted data in accordance with the recommendations of Cochrane Neonatal. We did not identify any eligible studies that compared vitamin K to no treatment.One study compared intravenous (IV) to intramuscular (IM) administration of vitamin K and compared various dosages of vitamin K. Three different prophylactic regimes of vitamin K (0.5 mg IM, 0.2 mg vitamin K 1 , or 0.2 mg IV) were given to infants less than 32 weeks' gestation. Given that only one small study met the inclusion criteria, we assessed the quality of the evidence for the outcomes evaluated as low.Intramuscular versus intravenousThere was no statistically significant difference in vitamin K levels in the 0.2 mg IV group when compared to the infants that received either 0.2 or 0.5 mg vitamin K IM (control) on day 5. By day 25, vitamin K 1 levels had declined in all of the groups, but infants

  3. Caffeine, Artificial Sweetener, and Fluid Intake in Anorexia Nerovsa

    PubMed Central

    Marino, Joanna M.; Ertelt, Troy E.; Wonderlich, Stephen A.; Crosby, Ross D.; Lancaster, Kathy; Mitchell, James E.; Fischer, Sarah; Doyle, Peter; le Grange, Daniel; Peterson, Carol B.; Crow, Scott

    2010-01-01

    Objective The current paper provides an analysis of the use of artificial sweeteners, caffeine, and excess fluids in patients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. Method Seventy subjects with anorexia nervosa (AN) were recruited to participate in an ecologic momentary assessment study which included nutritional analysis using the Nutrition Data Systems for Research (NDS-R), a computer based dietary recall system. Results When subtypes were compared, AN-restricting subtype (AN-R) subjects and AN-Binge-Purge (AN-B/P) subjects did not differ in quantity of aspartame, caffeine, or water consumed. Daily water consumption was related to daily vomiting frequency in AN-B/P but not to daily exercise frequency in either AN-R or AN-B/P subjects. Conclusion Caffeine, water, and aspartame consumption can be variable in AN patients and the consumption of these substances appears to be only modestly related to purging behavior. PMID:19189405

  4. Determining k channel activation curves from k channel currents often requires the goldman-hodgkin-katz equation.

    PubMed

    Clay, John R

    2009-01-01

    Potassium ion current in nerve membrane, I(K), has traditionally been described by I(K) = g(K)(V - E(K)), where g(K) is the K ion conductance, V is membrane potential and E(K) is the K(+) Nernst potential. This description has been unchallenged by most investigators in neuroscience since its introduction almost 60 years ago. The problem with the I(K) approximately (V - E(K)) proportionality is that it is inconsistent with the unequal distribution of K ions in the intra- and extracellular bathing media. Under physiological conditions the intracellular K(+) concentration is significantly higher than the extracellular concentration. Consequently, the slope conductance at potentials positive to E(K) cannot be the same as that for potentials negative to E(K), as the linear proportionality between I(K) and (V - E(K)) requires. Instead I(K) has a non-linear dependence on (V - E(K)) which is well described by the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation. The implications of this result for K(+) channel gating and membrane excitability are reviewed in this report.

  5. Performance of a 10 kV, 625 kA, 85 kJ energy discharge module utilizing a solid dielectric switch

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Richardson, R. A.; Cravey, W. R.; Goerz, D. A.

    We have designed and tested an 87-kJ energy discharge system consisting of two 720-(mu)F, 11-kV capacitors discharged through parallel coaxial cables into a 250 nH load. Data will be presented on the current and voltage waveforms, with calculated values of the system inductance and resistance. The bank uses a solid dielectric switch punctured by an explosive bridge wire (EBW) to initiate the discharge. With the capacitors charged to 9 kV, a 625-kA peak current is sent through the load with a ringing frequency of 6.8 kHz. The coaxial cables used to transmit the current to the load are 3 m in length. Both RG-217 and YK-198 cable types were tested, which have an inductance of 74 nH/ft and 35 nH/ft respectively. Normal operation requires that each cable carry 52 kA. The cables were tested to 100 kA each by connecting fewer cables to the load, and gradually increasing the charge voltage. The solid dielectric switch was chosen for high reliability. Details of the switch will be describes and data on its performance will be presented.

  6. Different metabolic profiles of K1 serotype and non-serotype K1 and K2 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in oral infection mice model.

    PubMed

    Chen, Nan; Wang, Lin-Lin; Xue, Juan; Ma, Xiang-Bo; Zhao, Sheng; Rong, Rui-Xue; Li, Hong-Quan; Ding, Liang; Zheng, Ming-Zhi; Chen, Ying-Ying; Duan, Fei; Shen, Yue-Liang

    2014-10-01

    K1 or K2 serotype Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate caused clinical pyogenic liver abscess (KLA) infection is prevalent in many areas. It has been identified that K1 or K2 serotype K. pneumoniae isolates caused KLA infection in mice by oral inoculation. In our study, K1 serotype K. pneumoniae isolate Kp1002 with hypermucoviscosity (HV)-positive phenotype caused KLA infection in C57BL/6 mice by oral inoculation. Simultaneously, non-serotype K1 and K2 isolate Kp1014 with HV-negative phenotype failed to cause KLA infection in the same manner. It seems that gastrointestinal tract translocation is the pathway by which K1 or K2 serotype K. pneumoniae caused KLA infection. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to further analyze metabolic profile changes in mice with KLA infection. Data showed that after Kp1002 or Kp1014 oral inoculation, serum Phosphatidylcholine (PC) and Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) levels significantly changed in mice. Some PC and LPC molecules showed changes both in the Kp1002 KLA group and the Kp1014 no-KLA group compared with the control group. The level of 18:1/18:2-PC significantly changed in the Kp1002 KLA group compared with the control group, but showed no change between the Kp1014 no-KLA group and the control group. The level of 18:1/18:2-PC might have been particularly affected by KLA infection caused by K1 serotype K. pneumoniae Kp1002. It may be a potential biomarker for KLA infection. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Fully Funding Pre-K through K-12 Funding Formulas

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barnett, W. Steven; Kasmin, Richard

    2018-01-01

    Pre-K is widely acknowledged to be a sound public investment. When their pre-K programs are of high quality, disadvantaged children see particularly large benefits--higher test scores, less need for grade repetition and special education, and increased educational attainment. Yet high-quality programs are in short supply. State boards of education…

  8. NRC Microwave Refractive Index Gas Thermometry Implementation Between 24.5 K and 84 K

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rourke, P. M. C.

    2017-07-01

    The implementation of microwave refractive index gas thermometry at the National Research Council between 24.5 K and 84 K is reported. A new gas-handling system for accurate control and measurement of experimental gas pressure has been constructed, and primary thermometry measurements have been taken using a quasi-spherical copper resonator and helium gas at temperatures corresponding to three defining fixed points of the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90). These measurements indicate differences between the thermodynamic temperature T and ITS-90 temperature T_{90} of ( T - T_{90} ) = -0.60 ± 0.56 mK at T_{90} = 24.5561 K, ( T - T_{90} ) = -2.0 ± 1.3 mK at T_{90} = 54.3584 K, and ( T - T_{90} ) = -4.0 ± 2.9 mK at T_{90} = 83.8058 K. The present results at T_{90} = 24.5561 K and T_{90} = 83.8058 K agree with previously reported measurements from other primary thermometry techniques of acoustic gas thermometry and dielectric constant gas thermometry, and the result at T_{90} = 54.3584 K provides new information in a temperature region where there is a gap in other recent data sets.

  9. Microfluidic Leaching of Soil Minerals: Release of K+ from K Feldspar

    PubMed Central

    Ciceri, Davide; Allanore, Antoine

    2015-01-01

    The rate of K+ leaching from soil minerals such as K-feldspar is believed to be too slow to provide agronomic benefit. Currently, theories and methods available to interpret kinetics of mineral processes in soil fail to consider its microfluidic nature. In this study, we measure the leaching rate of K+ ions from a K-feldspar-bearing rock (syenite) in a microfluidic environment, and demonstrate that at the spatial and temporal scales experienced by crop roots, K+ is available at a faster rate than that measured with conventional apparatuses. We present a device to investigate kinetics of mineral leaching at an unprecedented simultaneous resolution of space (~101-102 μm), time (~101-102 min) and fluid volume (~100-101 mL). Results obtained from such a device challenge the notion that silicate minerals cannot be used as alternative fertilizers for tropical soils. PMID:26485160

  10. Thermodynamic properties of scapolites at temperatures ranging from 10 K to 1000 K

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Komada, N.; Moecher, D.P.; Westrum, E.F.; Hemingway, B.S.; Zolotov, M. Yu; Semenov, Y.V.; Khodakovsky, I.L.

    1996-01-01

    The heat capacities of five mineral samples from the scapolite solid-solution series, Na4Al3Si9O24Cl (marialite) to Ca4Al6Si6O24CO3 (meionite), were measured by the adiabatic method from T=8 K to T=350 K and by the differential scanning calorimetry (d.s.c.) method from T = 300 K to T = 1000 K. The meionite (Me) content in per cent {Me=100 Ca*/(Ca* + Na*)} (where the asterisk indicates that possible substituents are included) and molar heat capacity (Cp,m/R) at T=298.15 K for each sample is: Me28, 82.07; Me44, 82.09; Me55, 83.95; Me69, 85.80; Me88, 84.54. The standard molar entropies, {S,om(298.15 K)-Som(0 K)} R-1 (R=8.31451 J??K-1??mol-1), at T=298.15 K for the respective compositions are: 85.05??0.26, 83.78??0.50, 85.22??0.24, 85.76??0.21, and 84.17??0.59. The calculated standard molar entropies (as above) at T=298.15 K for the end-members marialite and meionite, and for an intermediate composition (mizzonite=Me75) are 84.85, 83.94 and 86.15, respectively. Values of the coefficients in the equation Cp,m/R = a + bT+ cT2 + dT-1/2 + eT-2 (valid from T = 300 K to T =1000 K) are: (Mex, a, b/K, c/K2, d/K-1/2, e/K-2 Me88), 315.580, -0.0795676, 1.52825.10-5, -3954.83, 1808460; Me69, 261.285, -0.0415017, 8.73053.10-7, -3028.28, 1083666; Me55, 232.236, -0.0352222, 6.49875.10-6, 2505.99, 601750; Me44, 276.696, -0.0756614, 2.39722.10-5, -3210.40, 1044363; Me28, 149.917, 0.0229399, -1.23180.10-5, 1208.87, -318470. Smoothed thermodynamic functions for the five samples are also presented. The enthalpies of solution for five natural scapolites were measured in 2PbO??B2O3 melts at T= 973 K by Calvet-type calorimetry. The values of ??solHom/R??K are: Me11, 32.14??0.7; Me28, 32.34??0.4; Me44, 33.66??0.8; Me69, 35.29??0.8; Me88, 32.87??0.3. The calculated enthalpies of formation for stoichiometric scapolites ??fHom/103??R??K at T= 298.15 K are: Me0, -1467.4??1.3; Me11, -1491.2??1.2; Me28, -1527.6??0.9; Me44, -1564.1??1.1; Me55, -1587.4??1.1; Me69, -1619.7??1.1; Me75, -1633.1??1.1; Me

  11. Masking Vegetable Bitterness to Improve Palatability Depends on Vegetable Type and Taste Phenotype

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Consumption of dark green vegetables falls short of recommendations, in part, because of unpleasant bitterness. A laboratory-based study of 37 adults was used to determine bitter and hedonic responses to vegetables (asparagus, Brussels sprouts, kale) with bitter masking agents (1.33 M sodium acetate, 10 and 32 mM sodium chloride, and 3.2 mM aspartame) and then characterized by taste phenotype and vegetable liking. In repeated-measures ANOVA, aspartame was most effective at suppressing bitterness and improving hedonic responses for all sampled vegetables. Among the sodium salts, 32 mM sodium chloride decreased bitterness for kale and sodium acetate reduced bitterness across all vegetables with a tendency to increase liking for Brussels sprouts, as release from mixture suppression increased perceived sweetness. Participants were nearly equally divided into three 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) phenotype groups. Those tasting the least PROP bitterness (non-tasters) reported least vegetable bitterness, and the additives produced little change in vegetable liking. Aspartame persisted as the most effective bitter blocker for the PROP tasters (medium, supertasters), improving vegetable liking for the medium tasters but too much sweetness for supertasters. The sodium salts showed some bitter blocking for PROP tasters, particularly sodium acetate, without significant gains in vegetable liking. Via a survey, adults characterized as low vegetable likers reported greater increase in vegetable liking with the maskers than did vegetable likers. These results suggest that bitter masking agents (mainly sweeteners) can suppress bitterness to increase acceptance if they are matched to perceived vegetable bitterness or to self-reported vegetable disliking. PMID:23682306

  12. Progress in Primary Acoustic Thermometry at NIST: 273 K to 505 K

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Strouse, G. F.; Defibaugh, D. R.; Moldover, M. R.; Ripple, D. C.

    2003-09-01

    The NIST Acoustic Thermometer determines the thermodynamic temperature by measuring the speed of sound of argon in a spherical cavity. We obtained the thermodynamic temperature of three fixed points on the International Temperature Scale of 1990: the melting point of gallium [T(Ga) = 302.9146 K] and the freezing points of indium [T(In) = 429.7485 K] and tin [T(Sn) = 505.078 K]. The deviations of thermodynamic temperature from the ITS-90 defined temperatures are T - T90 = (4.7 ± 0.6) mK at T(Ga) , T - T90 = (8.8 ± 1.5) mK at T(In) , and T - T90 = (10.7 ± 3.0) mK at T(Sn) , where the uncertainties are for a coverage factor of k = 1. Our results at T(In) and T(Sn) reduce the uncertainty of T - T90 by a factor of two in this range. Both T - T90 at T(Ga) and the measured thermal expansion of the resonator between the triple point of water and T(Ga) are in excellent agreement with the 1992 determination at NIST. The dominant uncertainties in the present data come from frequency-dependent and time-dependent crosstalk between the electroacoustic transducers. We plan to reduce these uncertainties and extend this work to 800 K.

  13. Keratins K2 and K10 are essential for the epidermal integrity of plantar skin.

    PubMed

    Fischer, Heinz; Langbein, Lutz; Reichelt, Julia; Buchberger, Maria; Tschachler, Erwin; Eckhart, Leopold

    2016-01-01

    K1 and K2 are the main type II keratins in the suprabasal epidermis where each of them heterodimerizes with the type I keratin K10 to form intermediate filaments. In regions of the ears, tail, and soles of the mouse, only K2 is co-expressed with K10, suggesting that these keratins suffice to form a mechanically resilient cytoskeleton. To determine the effects of the suppression of both main keratins, K2 and K10, in the suprabasal plantar epidermis of the mouse. Krt2(-/-) Krt10(-/-) mice were generated by crossing Krt2(-/-) and Krt10(-/-) mice. Epidermal morphology of soles of hind-paws was examined macroscopically and histologically. Immunofluorescence analysis and quantitative PCR analysis were performed to analyze the expression of keratins in sole skin of wildtype and Krt2(-/-) Krt10(-/-) mice. Highly abundant proteins of the sole stratum corneum were determined by electrophoretic and chromatographic separation and subsequent mass spectrometry. K2 and K10 are the most prominent suprabasal keratins in normal mouse soles with the exception of the footpads where K1, K9 and K10 predominate. Mice lacking both K2 and K10 were viable and developed epidermal acanthosis and hyperkeratosis in inter-footpad epidermis of the soles. The expression of keratins K1, K9 and K16 was massively increased at the RNA and protein levels in the soles of Krt2(-/-) Krt10(-/-) mice. This study demonstrates that the loss of the main cytoskeletal components of plantar epidermis, i.e. K2 and K10, can be only partly compensated by the upregulation of other keratins. The thickening of the epidermis in the soles of Krt2(-/-) Krt10(-/-) mice may serve as a model for pathomechanistic aspects of palmoplantar keratoderma. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

  14. 20 kHz, 25 kVA node power transformer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hussey, S.

    1989-01-01

    The electrical and mechanical design information and the electrical and thermal testing performed on the 440-208-V rms, 20-kHz, 25-kVa prototype node transformer are summarized. The calculated efficiency of the node transformer is 99.3 percent based on core loss and copper loss test data, and its maximum calculated load regulation is 0.7 percent. The node transformer has a weight of 19.7 lb and has a power density of 0.8 lb/kW. The hot-spot temperature rise is estimated to be 33 C above the cold plate mounting base. This proof-of-concept transformer design is a viable candidate for the space station Freedom application.

  15. In situ measurement of airway surface liquid [K+] using a ratioable K+-sensitive fluorescent dye.

    PubMed

    Namkung, Wan; Song, Yuanlin; Mills, Aaron D; Padmawar, Prashant; Finkbeiner, Walter E; Verkman, A S

    2009-06-05

    The airway surface liquid (ASL) is the thin fluid layer lining airway surface epithelial cells, whose volume and composition are tightly regulated and may be abnormal in cystic fibrosis (CF). We synthesized a two-color fluorescent dextran to measure ASL [K(+)], TAC-Lime-dextran-TMR, consisting of a green-fluorescing triazacryptand K(+) ionophore-Bodipy conjugate, coupled to dextran, together with a red fluorescing tetramethylrhodamine reference chromophore. TAC-Lime-dextran-TMR fluorescence was K(+)-selective, increasing >4-fold with increasing [K(+)] from 0 to 40 mm. In well differentiated human airway epithelial cells, ASL [K(+)] was 20.8 +/- 0.3 mm and decreased by inhibition of the Na(+)/K(+) pump (ouabain), ENaC (amiloride), CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR(inh)-172), or K(+) channels (TEA or XE991). ASL [K(+)] was increased by forskolin but not affected by Na(+)/K(+)/2Cl(-) cotransporter inhibition (bumetanide). Functional and expression studies indicated the involvement of [K(+)] channels KCNQ1, KCNQ3, and KCNQ5 as determinants of ASL [K(+)]. [K(+)] in CF cultures was similar to that in non-CF cultures, suggesting that abnormal ASL [K(+)] is not a factor in CF lung disease. In intact airways, ASL [K(+)] was also well above extracellular [K(+)]: 22 +/- 1 mm in pig trachea ex vivo and 16 +/- 1 mm in mouse trachea in vivo. Our results provide the first noninvasive measurements of [K(+)] in the ASL and indicate the involvement of apical and basolateral membrane ion transporters in maintaining a high ASL [K(+)].

  16. Killing K channels with TEA+.

    PubMed

    Khodakhah, K; Melishchuk, A; Armstrong, C M

    1997-11-25

    Tetraethylammonium (TEA+) is widely used for reversible blockade of K channels in many preparations. We noticed that intracellular perfusion of voltage-clamped squid giant axons with a solution containing K+ and TEA+ irreversibly decreased the potassium current when there was no K+ outside. Five minutes of perfusion with 20 mM TEA+, followed by removal of TEA+, reduced potassium current to < 5% of its initial value. The irreversible disappearance of K channels with TEA+ could be prevented by addition of > or = 10 mM K+ to the extracellular solution. The rate of disappearance of K channels followed first-order kinetics and was slowed by reducing the concentration of TEA+. Killing is much less evident when an axon is held at -110 mV to tightly close all of the channels. The longer-chain TEA+ derivative decyltriethylammonium (C10+) had irreversible effects similar to TEA+. External K+ also protected K channels against the irreversible action of C10+. It has been reported that removal of all K+ internally and externally (dekalification) can result in the disappearance of K channels, suggesting that binding of K+ within the pore is required to maintain function. Our evidence further suggests that the crucial location for K+ binding is external to the (internal) TEA+ site and that TEA+ prevents refilling of this location by intracellular K+. Thus in the absence of extracellular K+, application of TEA+ (or C10+) has effects resembling dekalification and kills the K channels.

  17. The Arabidopsis thaliana HAK5 K+ transporter is required for plant growth and K+ acquisition from low K+ solutions under saline conditions.

    PubMed

    Nieves-Cordones, Manuel; Alemán, Fernando; Martínez, Vicente; Rubio, Francisco

    2010-03-01

    K(+) uptake in the high-affinity range of concentrations and its components have been widely studied. In Arabidposis thaliana, the AtHAK5 transporter and the AtAKT1 channel have been shown to be the main transport proteins involved in this process. Here, we study the role of these two systems under two important stress conditions: low K(+) supply or the presence of salinity. T-DNA insertion lines disrupting AtHAK5 and AtAKT1 are employed for long-term experiments that allow physiological characterization of the mutant lines. We found that AtHAK5 is required for K(+) absorption necessary to sustain plant growth at low K(+) in the absence as well as in the presence of salinity. Salinity greatly reduced AtHAK5 transcript levels and promoted AtAKT1-mediated K(+) efflux, resulting in an important impairment of K(+) nutrition. Although having a limited capacity, AtHAK5 plays a major role for K(+) acquisition from low K(+) concentrations in the presence of salinity.

  18. Overview of Air Liquide refrigeration systems between 1.8 K and 200 K

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gondrand, C.; Durand, F.; Delcayre, F.; Crispel, S.; Baguer, G. M. Gistau

    2014-01-01

    Cryogenic refrigeration systems are necessary for numerous applications. Gas purification and distillation require temperatures between 15 K and 200 K depending on the application, space simulation chambers down to 15 K, superconductivity between 1.8 K and up to 75 K (magnets, cavities or HTS devices like cables, FCL, SMES, etc), Cold Neutron Sources between 15 and 20 K, etc. Air Liquide Advanced Technologies is designing and manufacturing refrigerators since 60 years to satisfy those needs. The step by step developments achieved have led to machines with higher efficiency and reliability. In 1965, reciprocating compressors and Joule Thomson expansion valves were used. In 1969, centripetal expanders began to be used. In 1980, oil lubricated screw compressors took the place of reciprocating compressors and a standard range of Claude cycle refrigerators was developed: the HELIAL series. 1980 was also the time for cryogenic centrifugal compressor development. In 2011, driven by the need for lower operational cost (high efficiency and low maintenance), cycle oil free centrifugal compressors on magnetic bearings were introduced instead of screw compressors. The power extracted by centripetal expanders was recovered. Based on this technology, a range of Turbo-Brayton refrigerators has been designed for temperatures between 40 K and 150 K. On-going development will enable widening the range of Turbo-Brayton refrigerators to cryogenic temperatures down to 15 K.. Cryogenic centrifugal circulators have been developed in order to answer to an increasing demand of 4 K refrigerators able to distribute cold power.

  19. K-Partite RNA Secondary Structures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, Minghui; Tejada, Pedro J.; Lasisi, Ramoni O.; Cheng, Shanhong; Fechser, D. Scott

    RNA secondary structure prediction is a fundamental problem in structural bioinformatics. The prediction problem is difficult because RNA secondary structures may contain pseudoknots formed by crossing base pairs. We introduce k-partite secondary structures as a simple classification of RNA secondary structures with pseudoknots. An RNA secondary structure is k-partite if it is the union of k pseudoknot-free sub-structures. Most known RNA secondary structures are either bipartite or tripartite. We show that there exists a constant number k such that any secondary structure can be modified into a k-partite secondary structure with approximately the same free energy. This offers a partial explanation of the prevalence of k-partite secondary structures with small k. We give a complete characterization of the computational complexities of recognizing k-partite secondary structures for all k ≥ 2, and show that this recognition problem is essentially the same as the k-colorability problem on circle graphs. We present two simple heuristics, iterated peeling and first-fit packing, for finding k-partite RNA secondary structures. For maximizing the number of base pair stackings, our iterated peeling heuristic achieves a constant approximation ratio of at most k for 2 ≤ k ≤ 5, and at most frac6{1-(1-6/k)^k} le frac6{1-e^{-6}} < 6.01491 for k ≥ 6. Experiment on sequences from PseudoBase shows that our first-fit packing heuristic outperforms the leading method HotKnots in predicting RNA secondary structures with pseudoknots. Source code, data set, and experimental results are available at http://www.cs.usu.edu/ mjiang/rna/kpartite/.

  20. An Oil-Bath-Based 293 K to 473 K Blackbody Source

    PubMed Central

    Fowler, Joel B.

    1996-01-01

    A high temperature oil-bath-based-black-body source has been designed and constructed in the Radiometric Physics Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD. The goal of this work was to design a large aperture blackbody source with highly uniform radiance across the aperture, good temporal stability, and good reproducibility. This blackbody source operates in the 293 K to 473 K range with blackbody temperature combined standard uncertainties of 7.2 mK to 30.9 mK. The calculated emissivity of this source is 0.9997 with a standard uncertainty of 0.0003. With a 50 mm limiting aperture at the cavity entrance, the emissivity increases to 0.99996. PMID:27805082

  1. Taste responses to sweet stimuli in alpha-gustducin knockout and wild-type mice.

    PubMed

    Danilova, Vicktoria; Damak, Sami; Margolskee, Robert F; Hellekant, Göran

    2006-07-01

    The importance of alpha-gustducin in sweet taste transduction is based on data obtained with sucrose and the artificial sweetener SC45647. Here we studied the role of alpha-gustducin in sweet taste. We compared the behavioral and electrophysiological responses of alpha-gustducin knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice to 11 different sweeteners, representing carbohydrates, artificial sweeteners, and sweet amino acids. In behavioral experiments, over 48-h preference ratios were measured in two-bottle preference tests. In electrophysiological experiments, integrated responses of chorda tympani (CT) and glossopharyngeal (NG) nerves were recorded. We found that preference ratios of the KO mice were significantly lower than those of WT for acesulfame-K, dulcin, fructose, NC00174, D-phenylalanine, L-proline, D-tryptophan, saccharin, SC45647, sucrose, but not neotame. The nerve responses to all sweeteners, except neotame, were smaller in the KO mice than in the WT mice. The differences between the responses in WT and KO mice were more pronounced in the CT than in the NG. These data indicate that alpha-gustducin participates in the transduction of the sweet taste in general.

  2. K β to K α X-ray intensity ratios and K to L shell vacancy transfer probabilities of Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anand, L. F. M.; Gudennavar, S. B.; Bubbly, S. G.; Kerur, B. R.

    2015-12-01

    The K to L shell total vacancy transfer probabilities of low Z elements Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn are estimated by measuring the K β to K α intensity ratio adopting the 2π-geometry. The target elements were excited by 32.86 keV barium K-shell X-rays from a weak 137Cs γ-ray source. The emitted K-shell X-rays were detected using a low energy HPGe X-ray detector coupled to a 16 k MCA. The measured intensity ratios and the total vacancy transfer probabilities are compared with theoretical results and others' work, establishing a good agreement.

  3. Telescience Resource Kit (TReK)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lippincott, Jeff

    2015-01-01

    Telescience Resource Kit (TReK) is one of the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) remote operations solutions. It can be used to monitor and control International Space Station (ISS) payloads from anywhere in the world. It is comprised of a suite of software applications and libraries that provide generic data system capabilities and access to HOSC services. The TReK Software has been operational since 2000. A new cross-platform version of TReK is under development. The new software is being released in phases during the 2014-2016 timeframe. The TReK Release 3.x series of software is the original TReK software that has been operational since 2000. This software runs on Windows. It contains capabilities to support traditional telemetry and commanding using CCSDS (Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems) packets. The TReK Release 4.x series of software is the new cross platform software. It runs on Windows and Linux. The new TReK software will support communication using standard IP protocols and traditional telemetry and commanding. All the software listed above is compatible and can be installed and run together on Windows. The new TReK software contains a suite of software that can be used by payload developers on the ground and onboard (TReK Toolkit). TReK Toolkit is a suite of lightweight libraries and utility applications for use onboard and on the ground. TReK Desktop is the full suite of TReK software -most useful on the ground. When TReK Desktop is released, the TReK installation program will provide the option to choose just the TReK Toolkit portion of the software or the full TReK Desktop suite. The ISS program is providing the TReK Toolkit software as a generic flight software capability offered as a standard service to payloads. TReK Software Verification was conducted during the April/May 2015 timeframe. Payload teams using the TReK software onboard can reference the TReK software verification. TReK will be demonstrated on-orbit running on

  4. Vaporization thermodynamics of K2S and K2SO3

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bennet, J. E.

    1982-01-01

    The vaporization reactions, vapor pressures, and thermodynamics of potassium sulfide and potassium sulfite were studied for purposes of providing fundamental data for the seed cycle in magnetohydrodynamic electric power generation. Rate of effusion studies, supported by tube furnace experiments, X-ray powder diffraction, mass spectrometry and appropriate chemical analyses and tests, revealed that potassium sulfite disproportionates at high temperatures to form potassium sulfide and potassium sulfate. Potassium sulfide was observed to vaporize incongruently, the initial vapors beng predominantly potassium atoms, with minor species being S2 and various K-S molecules. The ratio of K/S2 in the vapor is very large initially and decreases steadily with prolonged heating. Several materials were evaluated for purposes of containing K2S/K2SO3 at temperatures or = 800 C: Pt, Mo, W, quartz, machinable glass, BN, high density graphite, pyrolytic coated graphite, and alumina. Of these, only alumina was observed to be chemically inert to both K2S but reacted with K2SO3. The other materials were not suitable for either substance. Thermodynamic calculations based on measured vapor pressures and approximate free energy functions are described. Results from isothermal total mass loss experiments and from thermogravimetric experiments are also included.

  5. Overview of Air Liquide refrigeration systems between 1.8 K and 200 K

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gondrand, C.; Durand, F.; Delcayre, F.

    Cryogenic refrigeration systems are necessary for numerous applications. Gas purification and distillation require temperatures between 15 K and 200 K depending on the application, space simulation chambers down to 15 K, superconductivity between 1.8 K and up to 75 K (magnets, cavities or HTS devices like cables, FCL, SMES, etc), Cold Neutron Sources between 15 and 20 K, etc. Air Liquide Advanced Technologies is designing and manufacturing refrigerators since 60 years to satisfy those needs. The step by step developments achieved have led to machines with higher efficiency and reliability. In 1965, reciprocating compressors and Joule Thomson expansion valves weremore » used. In 1969, centripetal expanders began to be used. In 1980, oil lubricated screw compressors took the place of reciprocating compressors and a standard range of Claude cycle refrigerators was developed: the HELIAL series. 1980 was also the time for cryogenic centrifugal compressor development. In 2011, driven by the need for lower operational cost (high efficiency and low maintenance), cycle oil free centrifugal compressors on magnetic bearings were introduced instead of screw compressors. The power extracted by centripetal expanders was recovered. Based on this technology, a range of Turbo-Brayton refrigerators has been designed for temperatures between 40 K and 150 K. On-going development will enable widening the range of Turbo-Brayton refrigerators to cryogenic temperatures down to 15 K.. Cryogenic centrifugal circulators have been developed in order to answer to an increasing demand of 4 K refrigerators able to distribute cold power.« less

  6. Subspace K-means clustering.

    PubMed

    Timmerman, Marieke E; Ceulemans, Eva; De Roover, Kim; Van Leeuwen, Karla

    2013-12-01

    To achieve an insightful clustering of multivariate data, we propose subspace K-means. Its central idea is to model the centroids and cluster residuals in reduced spaces, which allows for dealing with a wide range of cluster types and yields rich interpretations of the clusters. We review the existing related clustering methods, including deterministic, stochastic, and unsupervised learning approaches. To evaluate subspace K-means, we performed a comparative simulation study, in which we manipulated the overlap of subspaces, the between-cluster variance, and the error variance. The study shows that the subspace K-means algorithm is sensitive to local minima but that the problem can be reasonably dealt with by using partitions of various cluster procedures as a starting point for the algorithm. Subspace K-means performs very well in recovering the true clustering across all conditions considered and appears to be superior to its competitor methods: K-means, reduced K-means, factorial K-means, mixtures of factor analyzers (MFA), and MCLUST. The best competitor method, MFA, showed a performance similar to that of subspace K-means in easy conditions but deteriorated in more difficult ones. Using data from a study on parental behavior, we show that subspace K-means analysis provides a rich insight into the cluster characteristics, in terms of both the relative positions of the clusters (via the centroids) and the shape of the clusters (via the within-cluster residuals).

  7. Absolute absorption cross sections of ozone at 300 K, 228 K and 195 K in the wavelength region 185-240 nm

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yoshino, K.; Parkinson, W. H.; Freeman, D. E.

    1992-01-01

    An account is given of progress of work on absorption cross section measurements of ozone at 300 K, 228 K and 195 K in the wavelength region 185-240 nm. In this wavelength region, the penetration of solar radiation into the Earth's atmosphere is controlled by O2 and O3. The transmitted radiation is available to dissociate trace species such as halocarbons and nitrous oxide. We have recently measured absolute absorption cross sections of O3 in the wavelength region 240-350 nm (Freeman et al., 1985; Yoshino et al., 1988). We apply these proven techniques to the determination of the absorption cross section of O3 at 300 K, 228 K and 195 K throughout the wavelength region 185-240 nm. A paper titled 'Absolute Absorption Cross Section Measurements of Ozone in the Wavelength Region 185-254 nm and the Temperature Dependence' has been submitted for publication in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

  8. Vitamin K and bone health.

    PubMed

    Hamidi, Maryam S; Gajic-Veljanoski, Olga; Cheung, Angela M

    2013-01-01

    Vitamin K has been purported to play an important role in bone health. It is required for the gamma-carboxylation of osteocalcin (the most abundant noncollagenous protein in bone), making osteocalcin functional. There are 2 main forms (vitamin K1 and vitamin K2), and they come from different sources and have different biological activities. Epidemiologic studies suggest a diet high in vitamin K is associated with a lower risk of hip fractures in aging men and women. However, randomized controlled trials of vitamin K1 or K2 supplementation in white populations did not increase bone mineral density at major skeletal sites. Supplementation with vitamin K1 and K2 may reduce the risk of fractures, but the trials that examined fractures as an outcome have methodological limitations. Large well-designed trials are needed to compare the efficacies of vitamin K1 and K2 on fractures. We conclude that currently there is not enough evidence to recommend the routine use of vitamin K supplements for the prevention of osteoporosis and fractures in postmenopausal women. Copyright © 2013 The International Society for Clinical Densitometry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Measurements of the branching fractions of Λ c + → p π - π +, Λ c + → pK-K+, and Λ c + → p π -K+

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aaij, R.; Adeva, B.; Adinolfi, M.; Ajaltouni, Z.; Akar, S.; Albrecht, J.; Alessio, F.; Alexander, M.; Alfonso Albero, A.; Ali, S.; Alkhazov, G.; Alvarez Cartelle, P.; Alves, A. A.; Amato, S.; Amerio, S.; Amhis, Y.; An, L.; Anderlini, L.; Andreassi, G.; Andreotti, M.; Andrews, J. E.; Appleby, R. B.; Archilli, F.; d'Argent, P.; Arnau Romeu, J.; Artamonov, A.; Artuso, M.; Aslanides, E.; Auriemma, G.; Baalouch, M.; Babuschkin, I.; Bachmann, S.; Back, J. J.; Badalov, A.; Baesso, C.; Baker, S.; Balagura, V.; Baldini, W.; Baranov, A.; Barlow, R. J.; Barschel, C.; Barsuk, S.; Barter, W.; Baryshnikov, F.; Batozskaya, V.; Battista, V.; Bay, A.; Beaucourt, L.; Beddow, J.; Bedeschi, F.; Bediaga, I.; Beiter, A.; Bel, L. J.; Beliy, N.; Bellee, V.; Belloli, N.; Belous, K.; Belyaev, I.; Ben-Haim, E.; Bencivenni, G.; Benson, S.; Beranek, S.; Berezhnoy, A.; Bernet, R.; Berninghoff, D.; Bertholet, E.; Bertolin, A.; Betancourt, C.; Betti, F.; Bettler, M.-O.; van Beuzekom, M.; Bezshyiko, Ia.; Bifani, S.; Billoir, P.; Birnkraut, A.; Bitadze, A.; Bizzeti, A.; Bjørn, M.; Blake, T.; Blanc, F.; Blouw, J.; Blusk, S.; Bocci, V.; Boettcher, T.; Bondar, A.; Bondar, N.; Bonivento, W.; Bordyuzhin, I.; Borgheresi, A.; Borghi, S.; Borisyak, M.; Borsato, M.; Bossu, F.; Boubdir, M.; Bowcock, T. J. V.; Bowen, E.; Bozzi, C.; Braun, S.; Britton, T.; Brodzicka, J.; Brundu, D.; Buchanan, E.; Burr, C.; Bursche, A.; Buytaert, J.; Byczynski, W.; Cadeddu, S.; Cai, H.; Calabrese, R.; Calladine, R.; Calvi, M.; Calvo Gomez, M.; Camboni, A.; Campana, P.; Campora Perez, D. H.; Capriotti, L.; Carbone, A.; Carboni, G.; Cardinale, R.; Cardini, A.; Carniti, P.; Carson, L.; Carvalho Akiba, K.; Casse, G.; Cassina, L.; Castillo Garcia, L.; Cattaneo, M.; Cavallero, G.; Cenci, R.; Chamont, D.; Chapman, M. G.; Charles, M.; Charpentier, Ph.; Chatzikonstantinidis, G.; Chefdeville, M.; Chen, S.; Cheung, S. F.; Chitic, S.-G.; Chobanova, V.; Chrzaszcz, M.; Chubykin, A.; Ciambrone, P.; Cid Vidal, X.; Ciezarek, G.; Clarke, P. E. L.; Clemencic, M.; Cliff, H. V.; Closier, J.; Cogan, J.; Cogneras, E.; Cogoni, V.; Cojocariu, L.; Collins, P.; Colombo, T.; Comerma-Montells, A.; Contu, A.; Cook, A.; Coombs, G.; Coquereau, S.; Corti, G.; Corvo, M.; Costa Sobral, C. M.; Couturier, B.; Cowan, G. A.; Craik, D. C.; Crocombe, A.; Cruz Torres, M.; Currie, R.; D'Ambrosio, C.; Da Cunha Marinho, F.; Dall'Occo, E.; Dalseno, J.; Davis, A.; De Aguiar Francisco, O.; De Capua, S.; De Cian, M.; De Miranda, J. M.; De Paula, L.; De Serio, M.; De Simone, P.; Dean, C. T.; Decamp, D.; Del Buono, L.; Dembinski, H.-P.; Demmer, M.; Dendek, A.; Derkach, D.; Deschamps, O.; Dettori, F.; Dey, B.; Di Canto, A.; Di Nezza, P.; Dijkstra, H.; Dordei, F.; Dorigo, M.; Dosil Suárez, A.; Douglas, L.; Dovbnya, A.; Dreimanis, K.; Dufour, L.; Dujany, G.; Durante, P.; Dzhelyadin, R.; Dziewiecki, M.; Dziurda, A.; Dzyuba, A.; Easo, S.; Ebert, M.; Egede, U.; Egorychev, V.; Eidelman, S.; Eisenhardt, S.; Eitschberger, U.; Ekelhof, R.; Eklund, L.; Ely, S.; Esen, S.; Evans, H. M.; Evans, T.; Falabella, A.; Farley, N.; Farry, S.; Fazzini, D.; Federici, L.; Ferguson, D.; Fernandez, G.; Fernandez Declara, P.; Fernandez Prieto, A.; Ferrari, F.; Ferreira Rodrigues, F.; Ferro-Luzzi, M.; Filippov, S.; Fini, R. A.; Fiore, M.; Fiorini, M.; Firlej, M.; Fitzpatrick, C.; Fiutowski, T.; Fleuret, F.; Fohl, K.; Fontana, M.; Fontanelli, F.; Forshaw, D. C.; Forty, R.; Franco Lima, V.; Frank, M.; Frei, C.; Fu, J.; Funk, W.; Furfaro, E.; Färber, C.; Gabriel, E.; Gallas Torreira, A.; Galli, D.; Gallorini, S.; Gambetta, S.; Gandelman, M.; Gandini, P.; Gao, Y.; Garcia Martin, L. M.; García Pardiñas, J.; Garra Tico, J.; Garrido, L.; Garsed, P. J.; Gascon, D.; Gaspar, C.; Gavardi, L.; Gazzoni, G.; Gerick, D.; Gersabeck, E.; Gersabeck, M.; Gershon, T.; Ghez, Ph.; Gianì, S.; Gibson, V.; Girard, O. G.; Giubega, L.; Gizdov, K.; Gligorov, V. V.; Golubkov, D.; Golutvin, A.; Gomes, A.; Gorelov, I. V.; Gotti, C.; Govorkova, E.; Grabowski, J. P.; Graciani Diaz, R.; Granado Cardoso, L. A.; Graugés, E.; Graverini, E.; Graziani, G.; Grecu, A.; Greim, R.; Griffith, P.; Grillo, L.; Gruber, L.; Gruberg Cazon, B. R.; Grünberg, O.; Gushchin, E.; Guz, Yu.; Gys, T.; Göbel, C.; Hadavizadeh, T.; Hadjivasiliou, C.; Haefeli, G.; Haen, C.; Haines, S. C.; Hamilton, B.; Han, X.; Hancock, T. H.; Hansmann-Menzemer, S.; Harnew, N.; Harnew, S. T.; Harrison, J.; Hasse, C.; Hatch, M.; He, J.; Hecker, M.; Heinicke, K.; Heister, A.; Hennessy, K.; Henrard, P.; Henry, L.; van Herwijnen, E.; Heß, M.; Hicheur, A.; Hill, D.; Hombach, C.; Hopchev, P. H.; Huard, Z. C.; Hulsbergen, W.; Humair, T.; Hushchyn, M.; Hutchcroft, D.; Ibis, P.; Idzik, M.; Ilten, P.; Jacobsson, R.; Jalocha, J.; Jans, E.; Jawahery, A.; Jiang, F.; John, M.; Johnson, D.; Jones, C. R.; Joram, C.; Jost, B.; Jurik, N.; Kandybei, S.; Karacson, M.; Kariuki, J. M.; Karodia, S.; Kazeev, N.; Kecke, M.; Kelsey, M.; Kenzie, M.; Ketel, T.; Khairullin, E.; Khanji, B.; Khurewathanakul, C.; Kirn, T.; Klaver, S.; Klimaszewski, K.; Klimkovich, T.; Koliiev, S.; Kolpin, M.; Komarov, I.; Kopecna, R.; Koppenburg, P.; Kosmyntseva, A.; Kotriakhova, S.; Kozeiha, M.; Kravchuk, L.; Kreps, M.; Krokovny, P.; Kruse, F.; Krzemien, W.; Kucewicz, W.; Kucharczyk, M.; Kudryavtsev, V.; Kuonen, A. K.; Kurek, K.; Kvaratskheliya, T.; Lacarrere, D.; Lafferty, G.; Lai, A.; Lanfranchi, G.; Langenbruch, C.; Latham, T.; Lazzeroni, C.; Le Gac, R.; Leflat, A.; Lefrançois, J.; Lefèvre, R.; Lemaitre, F.; Lemos Cid, E.; Leroy, O.; Lesiak, T.; Leverington, B.; Li, P.-R.; Li, T.; Li, Y.; Li, Z.; Likhomanenko, T.; Lindner, R.; Lionetto, F.; Lisovskyi, V.; Liu, X.; Loh, D.; Loi, A.; Longstaff, I.; Lopes, J. H.; Lucchesi, D.; Lucio Martinez, M.; Luo, H.; Lupato, A.; Luppi, E.; Lupton, O.; Lusiani, A.; Lyu, X.; Machefert, F.; Maciuc, F.; Macko, V.; Mackowiak, P.; Maddrell-Mander, S.; Maev, O.; Maguire, K.; Maisuzenko, D.; Majewski, M. W.; Malde, S.; Malinin, A.; Maltsev, T.; Manca, G.; Mancinelli, G.; Manning, P.; Marangotto, D.; Maratas, J.; Marchand, J. F.; Marconi, U.; Marin Benito, C.; Marinangeli, M.; Marino, P.; Marks, J.; Martellotti, G.; Martin, M.; Martinelli, M.; Martinez Santos, D.; Martinez Vidal, F.; Martins Tostes, D.; Massacrier, L. M.; Massafferri, A.; Matev, R.; Mathad, A.; Mathe, Z.; Matteuzzi, C.; Mauri, A.; Maurice, E.; Maurin, B.; Mazurov, A.; McCann, M.; McNab, A.; McNulty, R.; Mead, J. V.; Meadows, B.; Meaux, C.; Meier, F.; Meinert, N.; Melnychuk, D.; Merk, M.; Merli, A.; Michielin, E.; Milanes, D. A.; Millard, E.; Minard, M.-N.; Minzoni, L.; Mitzel, D. S.; Mogini, A.; Molina Rodriguez, J.; Mombächer, T.; Monroy, I. A.; Monteil, S.; Morandin, M.; Morello, M. J.; Morgunova, O.; Moron, J.; Morris, A. B.; Mountain, R.; Muheim, F.; Mulder, M.; Müller, D.; Müller, J.; Müller, K.; Müller, V.; Naik, P.; Nakada, T.; Nandakumar, R.; Nandi, A.; Nasteva, I.; Needham, M.; Neri, N.; Neubert, S.; Neufeld, N.; Neuner, M.; Nguyen, T. D.; Nguyen-Mau, C.; Nieswand, S.; Niet, R.; Nikitin, N.; Nikodem, T.; Nogay, A.; O'Hanlon, D. P.; Oblakowska-Mucha, A.; Obraztsov, V.; Ogilvy, S.; Oldeman, R.; Onderwater, C. J. G.; Ossowska, A.; Otalora Goicochea, J. M.; Owen, P.; Oyanguren, A.; Pais, P. R.; Palano, A.; Palutan, M.; Papanestis, A.; Pappagallo, M.; Pappalardo, L. L.; Parker, W.; Parkes, C.; Passaleva, G.; Pastore, A.; Patel, M.; Patrignani, C.; Pearce, A.; Pellegrino, A.; Penso, G.; Pepe Altarelli, M.; Perazzini, S.; Perret, P.; Pescatore, L.; Petridis, K.; Petrolini, A.; Petrov, A.; Petruzzo, M.; Picatoste Olloqui, E.; Pietrzyk, B.; Pikies, M.; Pinci, D.; Pisani, F.; Pistone, A.; Piucci, A.; Placinta, V.; Playfer, S.; Plo Casasus, M.; Polci, F.; Poli Lener, M.; Poluektov, A.; Polyakov, I.; Polycarpo, E.; Pomery, G. J.; Ponce, S.; Popov, A.; Popov, D.; Poslavskii, S.; Potterat, C.; Price, E.; Prisciandaro, J.; Prouve, C.; Pugatch, V.; Puig Navarro, A.; Pullen, H.; Punzi, G.; Qian, W.; Quagliani, R.; Quintana, B.; Rachwal, B.; Rademacker, J. H.; Rama, M.; Ramos Pernas, M.; Rangel, M. S.; Raniuk, I.; Ratnikov, F.; Raven, G.; Ravonel Salzgeber, M.; Reboud, M.; Redi, F.; Reichert, S.; dos Reis, A. C.; Remon Alepuz, C.; Renaudin, V.; Ricciardi, S.; Richards, S.; Rihl, M.; Rinnert, K.; Rives Molina, V.; Robbe, P.; Robert, A.; Rodrigues, A. B.; Rodrigues, E.; Rodriguez Lopez, J. A.; Rodriguez Perez, P.; Rogozhnikov, A.; Roiser, S.; Rollings, A.; Romanovskiy, V.; Romero Vidal, A.; Ronayne, J. W.; Rotondo, M.; Rudolph, M. S.; Ruf, T.; Ruiz Valls, P.; Ruiz Vidal, J.; Saborido Silva, J. J.; Sadykhov, E.; Sagidova, N.; Saitta, B.; Salustino Guimaraes, V.; Sanchez Mayordomo, C.; Sanmartin Sedes, B.; Santacesaria, R.; Santamarina Rios, C.; Santimaria, M.; Santovetti, E.; Sarpis, G.; Sarti, A.; Satriano, C.; Satta, A.; Saunders, D. M.; Savrina, D.; Schael, S.; Schellenberg, M.; Schiller, M.; Schindler, H.; Schlupp, M.; Schmelling, M.; Schmelzer, T.; Schmidt, B.; Schneider, O.; Schopper, A.; Schreiner, H. F.; Schubert, K.; Schubiger, M.; Schune, M.-H.; Schwemmer, R.; Sciascia, B.; Sciubba, A.; Semennikov, A.; Sepulveda, E. S.; Sergi, A.; Serra, N.; Serrano, J.; Sestini, L.; Seyfert, P.; Shapkin, M.; Shapoval, I.; Shcheglov, Y.; Shears, T.; Shekhtman, L.; Shevchenko, V.; Siddi, B. G.; Silva Coutinho, R.; Silva de Oliveira, L.; Simi, G.; Simone, S.; Sirendi, M.; Skidmore, N.; Skwarnicki, T.; Smith, E.; Smith, I. T.; Smith, J.; Smith, M.; Soares Lavra, l.; Sokoloff, M. D.; Soler, F. J. P.; Souza De Paula, B.; Spaan, B.; Spradlin, P.; Sridharan, S.; Stagni, F.; Stahl, M.; Stahl, S.; Stefko, P.; Stefkova, S.; Steinkamp, O.; Stemmle, S.; Stenyakin, O.; Stepanova, M.; Stevens, H.; Stone, S.; Storaci, B.; Stracka, S.; Stramaglia, M. E.; Straticiuc, M.; Straumann, U.; Sun, J.; Sun, L.; Sutcliffe, W.; Swientek, K.; Syropoulos, V.; Szczekowski, M.; Szumlak, T.; Szymanski, M.; T'Jampens, S.; Tayduganov, A.; Tekampe, T.; Tellarini, G.; Teubert, F.; Thomas, E.; van Tilburg, J.; Tilley, M. J.; Tisserand, V.; Tobin, M.; Tolk, S.; Tomassetti, L.; Tonelli, D.; Toriello, F.; Tourinho Jadallah Aoude, R.; Tournefier, E.; Traill, M.; Tran, M. T.; Tresch, M.; Trisovic, A.; Tsaregorodtsev, A.; Tsopelas, P.; Tully, A.; Tuning, N.; Ukleja, A.; Usachov, A.; Ustyuzhanin, A.; Uwer, U.; Vacca, C.; Vagner, A.; Vagnoni, V.; Valassi, A.; Valat, S.; Valenti, G.; Vazquez Gomez, R.; Vazquez Regueiro, P.; Vecchi, S.; van Veghel, M.; Velthuis, J. J.; Veltri, M.; Veneziano, G.; Venkateswaran, A.; Verlage, T. A.; Vernet, M.; Vesterinen, M.; Viana Barbosa, J. V.; Viaud, B.; Vieira, D.; Vieites Diaz, M.; Viemann, H.; Vilasis-Cardona, X.; Vitti, M.; Volkov, V.; Vollhardt, A.; Voneki, B.; Vorobyev, A.; Vorobyev, V.; Voß, C.; de Vries, J. A.; Vázquez Sierra, C.; Waldi, R.; Wallace, C.; Wallace, R.; Walsh, J.; Wang, J.; Ward, D. R.; Wark, H. M.; Watson, N. K.; Websdale, D.; Weiden, A.; Whitehead, M.; Wicht, J.; Wilkinson, G.; Wilkinson, M.; Williams, M.; Williams, M. P.; Williams, M.; Williams, T.; Wilson, F. F.; Wimberley, J.; Winn, M.; Wishahi, J.; Wislicki, W.; Witek, M.; Wormser, G.; Wotton, S. A.; Wraight, K.; Wyllie, K.; Xie, Y.; Xu, Z.; Yang, Z.; Yang, Z.; Yao, Y.; Yin, H.; Yu, J.; Yuan, X.; Yushchenko, O.; Zarebski, K. A.; Zavertyaev, M.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, Y.; Zhelezov, A.; Zheng, Y.; Zhu, X.; Zhukov, V.; Zonneveld, J. B.; Zucchelli, S.

    2018-03-01

    The ratios of the branching fractions of the decays Λ c + → pπ - π +, Λ c + → pK - K +, and Λ c + → pπ - K + with respect to the Cabibbo-favoured Λ c + → pK - π + decay are measured using proton-proton collision data collected with the LHCb experiment at a 7 TeV centre-of-mass energy and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1 .0 fb-1: B({Λ}_c+\\to p{π}^{-/π+)}{B({Λ}_c+\\to p{K}-{π}+)}=(7.44± 0.08± 0.18)%, B({Λ}_c+\\to p{K}^{-/K+)}{B({Λ}_c+\\to p{K}-{π}+)}=(1.70± 0.03± 0.03)% B({Λ}_c+\\to p{π}^{-/K+)}B({Λ}_c+\\to p{K}-{π}+)=(0.165± 0.015± 0.005)%,where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. These results are the most precise measurements of these quantities to date. When multiplied by the world-average value for B({Λ}_c+\\to p{K}-{π}+) , the corresponding branching fractions are B({Λ}_c+\\to p{π}-{π}+)=(4.72± 0.05± 0.11± 0.25)× {10}^{-3}, B({Λ}_c+\\to p{K}-{K}+)=(1.08± 0.02± 0.02± 0.06)× {10}^{-3}, B({Λ}_c+\\to p{π}-{K}+)=(1.04± 0.09± 0.03± 0.05)× {10}^{-4}, where the final uncertainty is due to B({Λ}_c+\\to p{K}-{π}+) . [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  10. Plasminogen fragments K 1-3 and K 5 bind to different sites in fibrin fragment DD.

    PubMed

    Grinenko, T V; Kapustianenko, L G; Yatsenko, T A; Yusova, O I; Rybachuk, V N

    2016-01-01

    Specific plasminogen-binding sites of fibrin molecule are located in Аα148-160 regions of C-terminal domains. Plasminogen interaction with these sites initiates the activation process of proenzyme and subsequent fibrin lysis. In this study we investigated the binding of plasminogen fragments K 1-3 and K 5 with fibrin fragment DD and their effect on Glu-plasminogen interaction with DD. It was shown that the level of Glu-plasminogen binding to fibrin fragment DD is decreased by 50-60% in the presence of K 1-3 and K 5. Fragments K 1-3 and K 5 have high affinity to fibrin fragment DD (Kd is 0.02 for K 1-3 and 0.054 μМ for K 5). K 5 interaction is independent and K 1-3 is partly dependent on C-terminal lysine residues. K 1-3 interacts with complex of fragment DD-immobilized K 5 as well as K 5 with complex of fragment DD-immobilized K 1-3. The plasminogen fragments do not displace each other from binding sites located in fibrin fragment DD, but can compete for the interaction. The results indicate that fibrin fragment DD contains different binding sites for plasminogen kringle fragments K 1-3 and K 5, which can be located close to each other. The role of amino acid residues of fibrin molecule Аα148-160 region in interaction with fragments K 1-3 and K 5 is discussed.

  11. A Parametric k-Means Algorithm

    PubMed Central

    Tarpey, Thaddeus

    2007-01-01

    Summary The k points that optimally represent a distribution (usually in terms of a squared error loss) are called the k principal points. This paper presents a computationally intensive method that automatically determines the principal points of a parametric distribution. Cluster means from the k-means algorithm are nonparametric estimators of principal points. A parametric k-means approach is introduced for estimating principal points by running the k-means algorithm on a very large simulated data set from a distribution whose parameters are estimated using maximum likelihood. Theoretical and simulation results are presented comparing the parametric k-means algorithm to the usual k-means algorithm and an example on determining sizes of gas masks is used to illustrate the parametric k-means algorithm. PMID:17917692

  12. A 100-kWt NaK-Cooled Space Reactor Concept for an Early-Flight Mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Poston, David I.

    2003-01-01

    A stainless-steel (SS) sodium-potassium (NaK) cooled reactor could potentially be the first step in utilizing fission technology in space. The sum of all system-level experience for liquid-metal-cooled space reactors has been with NaK, including the SNAP-10a, the only reactor ever launched by the US. This paper describes a 100-kWt NaK reactor, the NaK-100, which is designed to be developed with minimal technical risk. In additional to NaK technology heritage, the NaK-100 uses a proven fuel-form (SS/UO2) and is designed for simplified system integration and testing. The pins are placed within a solid SS prism, and the NaK flows in an annulus between the pins and the prism. The nuclear and thermal-hydraulic performance of the NaK-100 is presented, as well as the major differences between the NaK-100 and SNAP-10a.

  13. [Prophylactic vitamin K for vitamin K deficiency bleeding of the newborn].

    PubMed

    Martín-López, J E; Carlos-Gil, A M; Rodríguez-López, R; Villegas-Portero, R; Luque-Romero, L; Flores-Moreno, S

    2011-01-01

    The administration of vitamin K immediately after birth has shown a significant decrease in the incidence of newborn bleeding, but there is not enough evidence to determine the most appropriate method of administration. The objective of this review is to determine the effectiveness of orally administered vitamin K compared to the intramuscular route in the prevention of hemorrhagic disease of newborn (HDN). We conducted a systematic review of the main databases (Medline, Embase and Cochrane, among others) without limitation by date, language or type of study. Selected studies evaluated the efficacy and safety of vitamin K. Excluded were studies in pregnant women in preterm infants or patients with pathology. The validity of these studies was assessed by CASPe tools for systematic reviews and clinical trials. Only two studies evaluated clinical aspects. They showed a reduction in the incidence of bleeding in the newborn after intramuscular prophylaxis with vitamin K. With regard to the oral route, different studies examined the effectiveness of vitamin K by determining biochemical parameters (factor X, prothrombin time and index, vitamin K1 in plasma and prothrombin antigen, among others) with inconclusive results regarding the route of administration and the number of doses. There is sufficient evidence to support the effectiveness of a single intramuscular dose of vitamin K to prevent the classic form of HDN. With regard to late HDN and oral route, the results are inconclusive because the studies used biochemical indicators of effectiveness, which can not be correlated with the actual coagulation status of the newborn due to lack of scientific evidence. Copyright © 2010 SEFH. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  14. Interaction of Escherichia coli K1 and K5 with Acanthamoeba castellanii Trophozoites and Cysts

    PubMed Central

    Matin, Abdul

    2011-01-01

    The existence of symbiotic relationships between Acanthamoeba and a variety of bacteria is well-documented. However, the ability of Acanthamoeba interacting with host bacterial pathogens has gained particular attention. Here, to understand the interactions of Escherichia coli K1 and E. coli K5 strains with Acanthamoeba castellanii trophozoites and cysts, association assay, invasion assay, survival assay, and the measurement of bacterial numbers from cysts were performed, and nonpathogenic E. coli K12 was also applied. The association ratio of E. coli K1 with A. castellanii was 4.3 cfu per amoeba for 1 hr but E. coli K5 with A. castellanii was 1 cfu per amoeba for 1 hr. By invasion and survival assays, E. coli K5 was recovered less than E. coli K1 but still alive inside A. castellanii. E. coli K1 and K5 survived and multiplied intracellularly in A. castellanii. The survival assay was performed under a favourable condition for 22 hr and 43 hr with the encystment of A. castellanii. Under the favourable condition for the transformation of trophozoites into cysts, E. coli K5 multiplied significantly. Moreover, the pathogenic potential of E. coli K1 from A. castellanii cysts exhibited no changes as compared with E. coli K1 from A. castellanii trophozoites. E. coli K5 was multiplied in A. castellanii trophozoites and survived in A. castellanii cysts. Therefore, this study suggests that E. coli K5 can use A. castellanii as a reservoir host or a vector for the bacterial transmission. PMID:22355201

  15. Interaction of Escherichia coli K1 and K5 with Acanthamoeba castellanii trophozoites and cysts.

    PubMed

    Matin, Abdul; Jung, Suk-Yul

    2011-12-01

    The existence of symbiotic relationships between Acanthamoeba and a variety of bacteria is well-documented. However, the ability of Acanthamoeba interacting with host bacterial pathogens has gained particular attention. Here, to understand the interactions of Escherichia coli K1 and E. coli K5 strains with Acanthamoeba castellanii trophozoites and cysts, association assay, invasion assay, survival assay, and the measurement of bacterial numbers from cysts were performed, and nonpathogenic E. coli K12 was also applied. The association ratio of E. coli K1 with A. castellanii was 4.3 cfu per amoeba for 1 hr but E. coli K5 with A. castellanii was 1 cfu per amoeba for 1 hr. By invasion and survival assays, E. coli K5 was recovered less than E. coli K1 but still alive inside A. castellanii. E. coli K1 and K5 survived and multiplied intracellularly in A. castellanii. The survival assay was performed under a favourable condition for 22 hr and 43 hr with the encystment of A. castellanii. Under the favourable condition for the transformation of trophozoites into cysts, E. coli K5 multiplied significantly. Moreover, the pathogenic potential of E. coli K1 from A. castellanii cysts exhibited no changes as compared with E. coli K1 from A. castellanii trophozoites. E. coli K5 was multiplied in A. castellanii trophozoites and survived in A. castellanii cysts. Therefore, this study suggests that E. coli K5 can use A. castellanii as a reservoir host or a vector for the bacterial transmission.

  16. RVxK2: Simultaneous PRV Program with Kepler/K2 Campaign 16

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xuesong Wang, Sharon; RVxK2 team

    2018-01-01

    Introducing the RVxK2 program: simultaneous precise radial velocity (PRV) observations with Kepler/K2 Campaign 16, from Dec 7 2017 through Feb 26 2018 (website: rvxk2.com). K2 will provide short cadence photometric data on five carefully selected stars, including the brightest M dwarf in C16 field, a solar analog, and three bright G/K subgiants. K2 will also provide long cadence data on the next three brightest K or M dwarfs in the C16 field. Our campaign includes several precise RV instruments around the globe, including Keck/HIRES, APF, IRTF/iSHELL, SONG, MINERVA, PARAS, representing the first organized, extensive, simultaneous RV campaign with space photometry. Our primary science goal is to characterize and understand stellar jitter and stellar activity. This RV+K2 campaign will provide the community with an unprecedented dataset of RV spectra and precise photometry to study stellar jitter on a broad range of time scales, from minutes to 80 days. We will gather the first ever RV+photometry dataset aiming at characterizing stellar granulation, the most poorly understood term among all astrophysical sources of stellar jitter. This project will also enable the first asteroseismic studies with simultaneous precise RVs and photometry, while searching for planets in the brightest nearby G to M dwarfs in the field.

  17. OF MICE, MEN, MONKEYS AND METABOLISM: AN UPDATE ON THE DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY OF METHANOL

    EPA Science Inventory

    With a world production ca. 30 million tons per year, methanol is a solvent, is used to produce formaldehyde, MTBE, and acetic acid, is a component of aspartame, and has been proposed as an alternate vehicle fuel. Methanol occurs naturally in plants and animals. It is sequentiall...

  18. Biotechnology and the Food Industry.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henderson, Jenny; And Others

    1991-01-01

    Traditional and novel uses of enzymes and microbes in the baking, brewing, and dairy industries are described. Cheese, yogurt, baking, brewing, vinegar, soy sauce, single-cell proteins, enzymes, food modification, vanilla, citric acid, monosodium glutamate, xanthan gum, aspartame, and cochineal are discussed. Industrial links with firms involved…

  19. Vitamins K1 and K2: The Emerging Group of Vitamins Required for Human Health.

    PubMed

    Schwalfenberg, Gerry Kurt

    2017-01-01

    To review the evidence for the use of vitamin K supplementation in clinical conditions such as osteoporosis, vascular calcification, arthritis, cancer, renal calculi, diabetes, and warfarin therapy. PubMed was searched for articles on vitamin K (K1 and K2) along with books and conference proceedings and health conditions listed above. Level I and II evidence supports the use of vitamins K1 and K2 in osteoporosis and Level II evidence supports vitamin K2 in prevention of coronary calcification and cardiovascular disease. Evidence is insufficient for use in diabetes, arthritis, renal calculi, and cancer. Vitamin K2 may be a useful adjunct for the treatment of osteoporosis, along with vitamin D and calcium, rivaling bisphosphonate therapy without toxicity. It may also significantly reduce morbidity and mortality in cardiovascular health by reducing vascular calcification. Vitamin K2 appears promising in the areas of diabetes, cancer, and osteoarthritis. Vitamin K use in warfarin therapy is safe and may improve INR control, although a dosage adjustment is required. Vitamin K supplementation may be useful for a number of chronic conditions that are afflicting North Americans as the population ages. Supplementation may be required for bone and cardiovascular health.

  20. A Non-canonical Voltage-Sensing Mechanism Controls Gating in K2P K(+) Channels.

    PubMed

    Schewe, Marcus; Nematian-Ardestani, Ehsan; Sun, Han; Musinszki, Marianne; Cordeiro, Sönke; Bucci, Giovanna; de Groot, Bert L; Tucker, Stephen J; Rapedius, Markus; Baukrowitz, Thomas

    2016-02-25

    Two-pore domain (K2P) K(+) channels are major regulators of excitability that endow cells with an outwardly rectifying background "leak" conductance. In some K2P channels, strong voltage-dependent activation has been observed, but the mechanism remains unresolved because they lack a canonical voltage-sensing domain. Here, we show voltage-dependent gating is common to most K2P channels and that this voltage sensitivity originates from the movement of three to four ions into the high electric field of an inactive selectivity filter. Overall, this ion-flux gating mechanism generates a one-way "check valve" within the filter because outward movement of K(+) induces filter opening, whereas inward movement promotes inactivation. Furthermore, many physiological stimuli switch off this flux gating mode to convert K2P channels into a leak conductance. These findings provide insight into the functional plasticity of a K(+)-selective filter and also refine our understanding of K2P channels and the mechanisms by which ion channels can sense voltage. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. CHX14 is a plasma membrane K-efflux transporter that regulates K(+) redistribution in Arabidopsis thaliana.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Jian; Li, Penghui; Motes, Christy M; Park, Sunghun; Hirschi, Kendal D

    2015-11-01

    Potassium (K(+) ) is essential for plant growth and development, yet the molecular identity of many K(+) transporters remains elusive. Here we characterized cation/H(+) exchanger (CHX) 14 as a plasma membrane K(+) transporter. CHX14 expression was induced by elevated K(+) and histochemical analysis of CHX14 promoter::GUS transgenic plants indicated that CHX14 was expressed in xylem parenchyma of root and shoot vascular tissues of seedlings. CHX14 knockout (chx14) and CHX14 overexpression seedlings displayed different growth phenotypes during K(+) stress as compared with wild-type seedlings. Roots of mutant seedlings displayed higher K(+) uptake rates than wild-type roots. CHX14 expression in yeast cells deficient in K(+) uptake renders the mutant cells more sensitive to deficiencies of K(+) in the medium. CHX14 mediates K(+) efflux in yeast cells loaded with high K(+) . Uptake experiments using (86) Rb(+) as a tracer for K(+) with both yeast and plant mutants demonstrated that CHX14 expression in yeast and in planta mediated low-affinity K(+) efflux. Functional green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged versions of CHX14 were localized to both the yeast and plant plasma membranes. Taken together, we suggest that CHX14 is a plasma membrane K(+) efflux transporter involved in K(+) homeostasis and K(+) recirculation. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Glutamic acid promotes monacolin K production and monacolin K biosynthetic gene cluster expression in Monascus.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Chan; Liang, Jian; Yang, Le; Chai, Shiyuan; Zhang, Chenxi; Sun, Baoguo; Wang, Chengtao

    2017-12-01

    This study investigated the effects of glutamic acid on production of monacolin K and expression of the monacolin K biosynthetic gene cluster. When Monascus M1 was grown in glutamic medium instead of in the original medium, monacolin K production increased from 48.4 to 215.4 mg l -1 , monacolin K production increased by 3.5 times. Glutamic acid enhanced monacolin K production by upregulating the expression of mokB-mokI; on day 8, the expression level of mokA tended to decrease by Reverse Transcription-polymerase Chain Reaction. Our findings demonstrated that mokA was not a key gene responsible for the quantity of monacolin K production in the presence of glutamic acid. Observation of Monascus mycelium morphology using Scanning Electron Microscope showed glutamic acid significantly increased the content of Monascus mycelium, altered the permeability of Monascus mycelium, enhanced secretion of monacolin K from the cell, and reduced the monacolin K content in Monascus mycelium, thereby enhancing monacolin K production.

  3. Vitamins K2, K3 and K5 exert in vivo antitumor effects on hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating the expression of G1 phase-related cell cycle molecules.

    PubMed

    Kuriyama, Shigeki; Hitomi, Misuzu; Yoshiji, Hitoshi; Nonomura, Takako; Tsujimoto, Tatsuhiro; Mitoro, Akira; Akahane, Takami; Ogawa, Mutsumi; Nakai, Seiji; Deguchi, Akihiro; Masaki, Tsutomu; Uchida, Naohito

    2005-08-01

    A number of studies have shown that various vitamins K, specifically vitamin K2, possessed antitumor activity on various types of rodent- and human-derived neoplastic cell lines. However, there are only a small number of reports demonstrating in vivo antitumor effects of vitamins K. Furthermore, the mechanism of antitumor effects of vitamins K still remains to be examined. In the present study, we examined the antitumor effects of vitamins K2, K3 and K5 on PLC/PRF/5 human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells in vivo. Furthermore, to examine the mechanism of antitumor actions of these vitamins K, mRNA expression levels of various G1 phase-related cell cycle molecules were evaluated by using a real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. HCC-bearing animals were produced by implanting PLC/PRF/5 cells subcutaneously into athymic nude mice, and drinking water containing vitamin K2, K3 or K5 was given to the animals. Treatments with vitamins K2, K3 and K5 were shown to markedly inhibit the growth of HCC tumors. To examine the mechanism of in vivo antitumor effects of vitamins K, total RNA was extracted from HCC tumors, and the expression of G1 phase-related cell cycle molecules was quantitatively examined. Real-time RT-PCR demonstrated that the expression of the cell cycle-driving molecule, cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (Cdk4), in HCC was significantly reduced by the treatments with vitamin K2, K3 and K5. Conversely, the expression of the cell cycle-suppressing molecules, Cdk inhibitor p16INK4a and retinoblastoma, in HCC was significantly enhanced by the treatments with vitamins K2, K3 and K5. These results indicate that vitamins K2, K3 and K5 exert antitumor effects on HCC by regulating the expression of G1 phase-related cell cycle molecules. These results also indicate that vitamins K2, K3 and K5 may be useful agents for the treatment of patients with HCC.

  4. Vitamins K1 and K2: The Emerging Group of Vitamins Required for Human Health

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Objective To review the evidence for the use of vitamin K supplementation in clinical conditions such as osteoporosis, vascular calcification, arthritis, cancer, renal calculi, diabetes, and warfarin therapy. Quality of Evidence PubMed was searched for articles on vitamin K (K1 and K2) along with books and conference proceedings and health conditions listed above. Level I and II evidence supports the use of vitamins K1 and K2 in osteoporosis and Level II evidence supports vitamin K2 in prevention of coronary calcification and cardiovascular disease. Evidence is insufficient for use in diabetes, arthritis, renal calculi, and cancer. Main Message Vitamin K2 may be a useful adjunct for the treatment of osteoporosis, along with vitamin D and calcium, rivaling bisphosphonate therapy without toxicity. It may also significantly reduce morbidity and mortality in cardiovascular health by reducing vascular calcification. Vitamin K2 appears promising in the areas of diabetes, cancer, and osteoarthritis. Vitamin K use in warfarin therapy is safe and may improve INR control, although a dosage adjustment is required. Conclusion Vitamin K supplementation may be useful for a number of chronic conditions that are afflicting North Americans as the population ages. Supplementation may be required for bone and cardiovascular health. PMID:28698808

  5. Implications of the {{\\boldsymbol{R}}}_{K} and {{\\boldsymbol{R}}}_{{K}^{* }} anomalies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Wei; Zhao, Shuai

    2018-01-01

    We discuss the implications of the recently reported {R}{{K}} and {R}{{{K}}* } anomalies, the lepton flavor non-universality in the {{B}}\\to {Kl}}+{{{l}}}- and {{B}}\\to {{{K}}}* {{{l}}}+{{{l}}}- decay channels. Using two sets of hadronic inputs of form factors, we perform a fit of new physics to the {R}{{K}} and {R}{{{K}}* } data, and significant new physics contributions are found. We suggest the study of lepton flavor universality in a number of related rare {{B}},{{{B}}}s,{{{B}}}c and {{{Λ }}}{{b}} decay channels, and in particular we give predictions for the {{μ }}-to-e ratios of decay widths with different polarizations of the final state particles, and of the {{b}}\\to {dl}}+{{{l}}}- processes, which are presumably more sensitive to the structure of the underlying new physics. With the new physics contributions embedded in the Wilson coefficients, we present theoretical predictions for lepton flavor non-universality in these processes. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11575110, 11655002, 11735010), Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (15DZ2272100, 15ZR1423100), Young Thousand Talents Plan and Key Laboratory for Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology, Ministry of Education

  6. kACTUS 2: Privacy Preserving in Classification Tasks Using k-Anonymity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kisilevich, Slava; Elovici, Yuval; Shapira, Bracha; Rokach, Lior

    k-anonymity is the method used for masking sensitive data which successfully solves the problem of re-linking of data with an external source and makes it difficult to re-identify the individual. Thus k-anonymity works on a set of quasi-identifiers (public sensitive attributes), whose possible availability and linking is anticipated from external dataset, and demands that the released dataset will contain at least k records for every possible quasi-identifier value. Another aspect of k is its capability of maintaining the truthfulness of the released data (unlike other existing methods). This is achieved by generalization, a primary technique in k-anonymity. Generalization consists of generalizing attribute values and substituting them with semantically consistent but less precise values. When the substituted value doesn’t preserve semantic validity the technique is called suppression which is a private case of generalization. We present a hybrid approach called compensation which is based on suppression and swapping for achieving privacy. Since swapping decreases the truthfulness of attribute values there is a tradeoff between level of swapping (information truthfulness) and suppression (information loss) incorporated in our algorithm.

  7. Observation of the Annihilation Decay Mode B0→K+K-

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aaij, R.; Adeva, B.; Adinolfi, M.; Ajaltouni, Z.; Akar, S.; Albrecht, J.; Alessio, F.; Alexander, M.; Ali, S.; Alkhazov, G.; Alvarez Cartelle, P.; Alves, A. A.; Amato, S.; Amerio, S.; Amhis, Y.; An, L.; Anderlini, L.; Andreassi, G.; Andreotti, M.; Andrews, J. E.; Appleby, R. B.; Archilli, F.; d'Argent, P.; Arnau Romeu, J.; Artamonov, A.; Artuso, M.; Aslanides, E.; Auriemma, G.; Baalouch, M.; Babuschkin, I.; Bachmann, S.; Back, J. J.; Badalov, A.; Baesso, C.; Baker, S.; Baldini, W.; Barlow, R. J.; Barschel, C.; Barsuk, S.; Barter, W.; Baszczyk, M.; Batozskaya, V.; Batsukh, B.; Battista, V.; Bay, A.; Beaucourt, L.; Beddow, J.; Bedeschi, F.; Bediaga, I.; Bel, L. J.; Bellee, V.; Belloli, N.; Belous, K.; Belyaev, I.; Ben-Haim, E.; Bencivenni, G.; Benson, S.; Benton, J.; Berezhnoy, A.; Bernet, R.; Bertolin, A.; Betti, F.; Bettler, M.-O.; van Beuzekom, M.; Bezshyiko, Ia.; Bifani, S.; Billoir, P.; Bird, T.; Birnkraut, A.; Bitadze, A.; Bizzeti, A.; Blake, T.; Blanc, F.; Blouw, J.; Blusk, S.; Bocci, V.; Boettcher, T.; Bondar, A.; Bondar, N.; Bonivento, W.; Borgheresi, A.; Borghi, S.; Borisyak, M.; Borsato, M.; Bossu, F.; Boubdir, M.; Bowcock, T. J. V.; Bowen, E.; Bozzi, C.; Braun, S.; Britsch, M.; Britton, T.; Brodzicka, J.; Buchanan, E.; Burr, C.; Bursche, A.; Buytaert, J.; Cadeddu, S.; Calabrese, R.; Calvi, M.; Calvo Gomez, M.; Camboni, A.; Campana, P.; Campora Perez, D.; Campora Perez, D. H.; Capriotti, L.; Carbone, A.; Carboni, G.; Cardinale, R.; Cardini, A.; Carniti, P.; Carson, L.; Carvalho Akiba, K.; Casse, G.; Cassina, L.; Castillo Garcia, L.; Cattaneo, M.; Cauet, Ch.; Cavallero, G.; Cenci, R.; Charles, M.; Charpentier, Ph.; Chatzikonstantinidis, G.; Chefdeville, M.; Chen, S.; Cheung, S.-F.; Chobanova, V.; Chrzaszcz, M.; Cid Vidal, X.; Ciezarek, G.; Clarke, P. E. L.; Clemencic, M.; Cliff, H. V.; Closier, J.; Coco, V.; Cogan, J.; Cogneras, E.; Cogoni, V.; Cojocariu, L.; Collazuol, G.; Collins, P.; Comerma-Montells, A.; Contu, A.; Cook, A.; Coombs, G.; Coquereau, S.; Corti, G.; Corvo, M.; Costa Sobral, C. M.; Couturier, B.; Cowan, G. A.; Craik, D. C.; Crocombe, A.; Cruz Torres, M.; Cunliffe, S.; Currie, R.; D'Ambrosio, C.; Da Cunha Marinho, F.; Dall'Occo, E.; Dalseno, J.; David, P. N. Y.; Davis, A.; De Aguiar Francisco, O.; De Bruyn, K.; De Capua, S.; De Cian, M.; De Miranda, J. M.; De Paula, L.; De Serio, M.; De Simone, P.; Dean, C. T.; Decamp, D.; Deckenhoff, M.; Del Buono, L.; Demmer, M.; Derkach, D.; Deschamps, O.; Dettori, F.; Dey, B.; Di Canto, A.; Dijkstra, H.; Dordei, F.; Dorigo, M.; Dosil Suárez, A.; Dovbnya, A.; Dreimanis, K.; Dufour, L.; Dujany, G.; Dungs, K.; Durante, P.; Dzhelyadin, R.; Dziurda, A.; Dzyuba, A.; Déléage, N.; Easo, S.; Ebert, M.; Egede, U.; Egorychev, V.; Eidelman, S.; Eisenhardt, S.; Eitschberger, U.; Ekelhof, R.; Eklund, L.; Elsasser, Ch.; Ely, S.; Esen, S.; Evans, H. M.; Evans, T.; Falabella, A.; Farley, N.; Farry, S.; Fay, R.; Fazzini, D.; Ferguson, D.; Fernandez Albor, V.; Fernandez Prieto, A.; Ferrari, F.; Ferreira Rodrigues, F.; Ferro-Luzzi, M.; Filippov, S.; Fini, R. A.; Fiore, M.; Fiorini, M.; Firlej, M.; Fitzpatrick, C.; Fiutowski, T.; Fleuret, F.; Fohl, K.; Fontana, M.; Fontanelli, F.; Forshaw, D. C.; Forty, R.; Franco Lima, V.; Frank, M.; Frei, C.; Fu, J.; Furfaro, E.; Färber, C.; Gallas Torreira, A.; Galli, D.; Gallorini, S.; Gambetta, S.; Gandelman, M.; Gandini, P.; Gao, Y.; Garcia Martin, L. M.; García Pardiñas, J.; Garra Tico, J.; Garrido, L.; Garsed, P. J.; Gascon, D.; Gaspar, C.; Gavardi, L.; Gazzoni, G.; Gerick, D.; Gersabeck, E.; Gersabeck, M.; Gershon, T.; Ghez, Ph.; Gianı, S.; Gibson, V.; Girard, O. G.; Giubega, L.; Gizdov, K.; Gligorov, V. V.; Golubkov, D.; Golutvin, A.; Gomes, A.; Gorelov, I. V.; Gotti, C.; Grabalosa Gándara, M.; Graciani Diaz, R.; Granado Cardoso, L. A.; Graugés, E.; Graverini, E.; Graziani, G.; Grecu, A.; Griffith, P.; Grillo, L.; Gruberg Cazon, B. R.; Grünberg, O.; Gushchin, E.; Guz, Yu.; Gys, T.; Göbel, C.; Hadavizadeh, T.; Hadjivasiliou, C.; Haefeli, G.; Haen, C.; Haines, S. C.; Hall, S.; Hamilton, B.; Han, X.; Hansmann-Menzemer, S.; Harnew, N.; Harnew, S. T.; Harrison, J.; Hatch, M.; He, J.; Head, T.; Heister, A.; Hennessy, K.; Henrard, P.; Henry, L.; Hernando Morata, J. A.; van Herwijnen, E.; Heß, M.; Hicheur, A.; Hill, D.; Hombach, C.; Hopchev, H.; Hulsbergen, W.; Humair, T.; Hushchyn, M.; Hussain, N.; Hutchcroft, D.; Idzik, M.; Ilten, P.; Jacobsson, R.; Jaeger, A.; Jalocha, J.; Jans, E.; Jawahery, A.; Jiang, F.; John, M.; Johnson, D.; Jones, C. R.; Joram, C.; Jost, B.; Jurik, N.; Kandybei, S.; Kanso, W.; Karacson, M.; Kariuki, J. M.; Karodia, S.; Kecke, M.; Kelsey, M.; Kenyon, I. R.; Kenzie, M.; Ketel, T.; Khairullin, E.; Khanji, B.; Khurewathanakul, C.; Kirn, T.; Klaver, S.; Klimaszewski, K.; Koliiev, S.; Kolpin, M.; Komarov, I.; Koopman, R. F.; Koppenburg, P.; Kosmyntseva, A.; Kozachuk, A.; Kozeiha, M.; Kravchuk, L.; Kreplin, K.; Kreps, M.; Krokovny, P.; Kruse, F.; Krzemien, W.; Kucewicz, W.; Kucharczyk, M.; Kudryavtsev, V.; Kuonen, A. K.; Kurek, K.; Kvaratskheliya, T.; Lacarrere, D.; Lafferty, G.; Lai, A.; Lambert, D.; Lanfranchi, G.; Langenbruch, C.; Latham, T.; Lazzeroni, C.; Le Gac, R.; van Leerdam, J.; Lees, J.-P.; Leflat, A.; Lefrançois, J.; Lefèvre, R.; Lemaitre, F.; Lemos Cid, E.; Leroy, O.; Lesiak, T.; Leverington, B.; Li, Y.; Likhomanenko, T.; Lindner, R.; Linn, C.; Lionetto, F.; Liu, B.; Liu, X.; Loh, D.; Longstaff, I.; Lopes, J. H.; Lucchesi, D.; Lucio Martinez, M.; Luo, H.; Lupato, A.; Luppi, E.; Lupton, O.; Lusiani, A.; Lyu, X.; Machefert, F.; Maciuc, F.; Maev, O.; Maguire, K.; Malde, S.; Malinin, A.; Maltsev, T.; Manca, G.; Mancinelli, G.; Manning, P.; Maratas, J.; Marchand, J. F.; Marconi, U.; Marin Benito, C.; Marino, P.; Marks, J.; Martellotti, G.; Martin, M.; Martinelli, M.; Martinez Santos, D.; Martinez Vidal, F.; Martins Tostes, D.; Massacrier, L. M.; Massafferri, A.; Matev, R.; Mathad, A.; Mathe, Z.; Matteuzzi, C.; Mauri, A.; Maurin, B.; Mazurov, A.; McCann, M.; McCarthy, J.; McNab, A.; McNulty, R.; Meadows, B.; Meier, F.; Meissner, M.; Melnychuk, D.; Merk, M.; Merli, A.; Michielin, E.; Milanes, D. A.; Minard, M.-N.; Mitzel, D. S.; Mogini, A.; Molina Rodriguez, J.; Monroy, I. A.; Monteil, S.; Morandin, M.; Morawski, P.; Mordà, A.; Morello, M. J.; Moron, J.; Morris, A. B.; Mountain, R.; Muheim, F.; Mulder, M.; Mussini, M.; Müller, D.; Müller, J.; Müller, K.; Müller, V.; Naik, P.; Nakada, T.; Nandakumar, R.; Nandi, A.; Nasteva, I.; Needham, M.; Neri, N.; Neubert, S.; Neufeld, N.; Neuner, M.; Nguyen, A. D.; Nguyen-Mau, C.; Nieswand, S.; Niet, R.; Nikitin, N.; Nikodem, T.; Novoselov, A.; O'Hanlon, D. P.; Oblakowska-Mucha, A.; Obraztsov, V.; Ogilvy, S.; Oldeman, R.; Onderwater, C. J. G.; Otalora Goicochea, J. M.; Otto, A.; Owen, P.; Oyanguren, A.; Pais, P. R.; Palano, A.; Palombo, F.; Palutan, M.; Panman, J.; Papanestis, A.; Pappagallo, M.; Pappalardo, L. L.; Parker, W.; Parkes, C.; Passaleva, G.; Pastore, A.; Patel, G. D.; Patel, M.; Patrignani, C.; Pearce, A.; Pellegrino, A.; Penso, G.; Pepe Altarelli, M.; Perazzini, S.; Perret, P.; Pescatore, L.; Petridis, K.; Petrolini, A.; Petrov, A.; Petruzzo, M.; Picatoste Olloqui, E.; Pietrzyk, B.; Pikies, M.; Pinci, D.; Pistone, A.; Piucci, A.; Playfer, S.; Plo Casasus, M.; Poikela, T.; Polci, F.; Poluektov, A.; Polyakov, I.; Polycarpo, E.; Pomery, G. J.; Popov, A.; Popov, D.; Popovici, B.; Poslavskii, S.; Potterat, C.; Price, E.; Price, J. D.; Prisciandaro, J.; Pritchard, A.; Prouve, C.; Pugatch, V.; Puig Navarro, A.; Punzi, G.; Qian, W.; Quagliani, R.; Rachwal, B.; Rademacker, J. H.; Rama, M.; Ramos Pernas, M.; Rangel, M. S.; Raniuk, I.; Raven, G.; Redi, F.; Reichert, S.; dos Reis, A. C.; Remon Alepuz, C.; Renaudin, V.; Ricciardi, S.; Richards, S.; Rihl, M.; Rinnert, K.; Rives Molina, V.; Robbe, P.; Rodrigues, A. B.; Rodrigues, E.; Rodriguez Lopez, J. A.; Rodriguez Perez, P.; Rogozhnikov, A.; Roiser, S.; Rollings, A.; Romanovskiy, V.; Romero Vidal, A.; Ronayne, J. W.; Rotondo, M.; Rudolph, M. S.; Ruf, T.; Ruiz Valls, P.; Saborido Silva, J. J.; Sadykhov, E.; Sagidova, N.; Saitta, B.; Salustino Guimaraes, V.; Sanchez Mayordomo, C.; Sanmartin Sedes, B.; Santacesaria, R.; Santamarina Rios, C.; Santimaria, M.; Santovetti, E.; Sarti, A.; Satriano, C.; Satta, A.; Saunders, D. M.; Savrina, D.; Schael, S.; Schellenberg, M.; Schiller, M.; Schindler, H.; Schlupp, M.; Schmelling, M.; Schmelzer, T.; Schmidt, B.; Schneider, O.; Schopper, A.; Schubert, K.; Schubiger, M.; Schune, M.-H.; Schwemmer, R.; Sciascia, B.; Sciubba, A.; Semennikov, A.; Sergi, A.; Serra, N.; Serrano, J.; Sestini, L.; Seyfert, P.; Shapkin, M.; Shapoval, I.; Shcheglov, Y.; Shears, T.; Shekhtman, L.; Shevchenko, V.; Shires, A.; Siddi, B. G.; Silva Coutinho, R.; Silva de Oliveira, L.; Simi, G.; Simone, S.; Sirendi, M.; Skidmore, N.; Skwarnicki, T.; Smith, E.; Smith, I. T.; Smith, J.; Smith, M.; Snoek, H.; Sokoloff, M. D.; Soler, F. J. P.; Souza De Paula, B.; Spaan, B.; Spradlin, P.; Sridharan, S.; Stagni, F.; Stahl, M.; Stahl, S.; Stefko, P.; Stefkova, S.; Steinkamp, O.; Stemmle, S.; Stenyakin, O.; Stevenson, S.; Stoica, S.; Stone, S.; Storaci, B.; Stracka, S.; Straticiuc, M.; Straumann, U.; Sun, L.; Sutcliffe, W.; Swientek, K.; Syropoulos, V.; Szczekowski, M.; Szumlak, T.; T'Jampens, S.; Tayduganov, A.; Tekampe, T.; Teklishyn, M.; Tellarini, G.; Teubert, F.; Thomas, E.; van Tilburg, J.; Tilley, M. J.; Tisserand, V.; Tobin, M.; Tolk, S.; Tomassetti, L.; Tonelli, D.; Topp-Joergensen, S.; Toriello, F.; Tournefier, E.; Tourneur, S.; Trabelsi, K.; Traill, M.; Tran, M. T.; Tresch, M.; Trisovic, A.; Tsaregorodtsev, A.; Tsopelas, P.; Tully, A.; Tuning, N.; Ukleja, A.; Ustyuzhanin, A.; Uwer, U.; Vacca, C.; Vagnoni, V.; Valassi, A.; Valat, S.; Valenti, G.; Vallier, A.; Vazquez Gomez, R.; Vazquez Regueiro, P.; Vecchi, S.; van Veghel, M.; Velthuis, J. J.; Veltri, M.; Veneziano, G.; Venkateswaran, A.; Vernet, M.; Vesterinen, M.; Viaud, B.; Vieira, D.; Vieites Diaz, M.; Vilasis-Cardona, X.; Volkov, V.; Vollhardt, A.; Voneki, B.; Vorobyev, A.; Vorobyev, V.; Voß, C.; de Vries, J. A.; Vázquez Sierra, C.; Waldi, R.; Wallace, C.; Wallace, R.; Walsh, J.; Wang, J.; Ward, D. R.; Wark, H. M.; Watson, N. K.; Websdale, D.; Weiden, A.; Whitehead, M.; Wicht, J.; Wilkinson, G.; Wilkinson, M.; Williams, M.; Williams, M. P.; Williams, M.; Williams, T.; Wilson, F. F.; Wimberley, J.; Wishahi, J.; Wislicki, W.; Witek, M.; Wormser, G.; Wotton, S. A.; Wraight, K.; Wright, S.; Wyllie, K.; Xie, Y.; Xing, Z.; Xu, Z.; Yang, Z.; Yin, H.; Yu, J.; Yuan, X.; Yushchenko, O.; Zarebski, K. A.; Zavertyaev, M.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, Y.; Zhelezov, A.; Zheng, Y.; Zhokhov, A.; Zhu, X.; Zhukov, V.; Zucchelli, S.; LHCb Collaboration

    2017-02-01

    A search for the B0→K+K- decay is performed using p p -collision data collected by LHCb. The data set corresponds to integrated luminosities of 1.0 and 2.0 fb-1 at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, respectively. This decay is observed for the first time, with a significance of more than 5 standard deviations. The analysis also results in an improved measurement of the branching fraction for the Bs0→π+π- decay. The measured branching fractions are B (B0→K+K- )=(7.80 ±1.27 ±0.81 ±0.21 )×10-8 and B (Bs0→π+π- )=(6.91 ±0.54 ±0.63 ±0.19 ±0.40 )×10-7 . The first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, the third is due to the uncertainty on the B0→K+π- branching fraction used as a normalization. For the Bs0 mode, the fourth accounts for the uncertainty on the ratio of the probabilities for b quarks to hadronize into Bs0 and B0 mesons.

  8. Observation of the Annihilation Decay Mode B^{0}→K^{+}K^{-}.

    PubMed

    Aaij, R; Adeva, B; Adinolfi, M; Ajaltouni, Z; Akar, S; Albrecht, J; Alessio, F; Alexander, M; Ali, S; Alkhazov, G; Alvarez Cartelle, P; Alves, A A; Amato, S; Amerio, S; Amhis, Y; An, L; Anderlini, L; Andreassi, G; Andreotti, M; Andrews, J E; Appleby, R B; Archilli, F; d'Argent, P; Arnau Romeu, J; Artamonov, A; Artuso, M; Aslanides, E; Auriemma, G; Baalouch, M; Babuschkin, I; Bachmann, S; Back, J J; Badalov, A; Baesso, C; Baker, S; Baldini, W; Barlow, R J; Barschel, C; Barsuk, S; Barter, W; Baszczyk, M; Batozskaya, V; Batsukh, B; Battista, V; Bay, A; Beaucourt, L; Beddow, J; Bedeschi, F; Bediaga, I; Bel, L J; Bellee, V; Belloli, N; Belous, K; Belyaev, I; Ben-Haim, E; Bencivenni, G; Benson, S; Benton, J; Berezhnoy, A; Bernet, R; Bertolin, A; Betti, F; Bettler, M-O; van Beuzekom, M; Bezshyiko, Ia; Bifani, S; Billoir, P; Bird, T; Birnkraut, A; Bitadze, A; Bizzeti, A; Blake, T; Blanc, F; Blouw, J; Blusk, S; Bocci, V; Boettcher, T; Bondar, A; Bondar, N; Bonivento, W; Borgheresi, A; Borghi, S; Borisyak, M; Borsato, M; Bossu, F; Boubdir, M; Bowcock, T J V; Bowen, E; Bozzi, C; Braun, S; Britsch, M; Britton, T; Brodzicka, J; Buchanan, E; Burr, C; Bursche, A; Buytaert, J; Cadeddu, S; Calabrese, R; Calvi, M; Calvo Gomez, M; Camboni, A; Campana, P; Campora Perez, D; Campora Perez, D H; Capriotti, L; Carbone, A; Carboni, G; Cardinale, R; Cardini, A; Carniti, P; Carson, L; Carvalho Akiba, K; Casse, G; Cassina, L; Castillo Garcia, L; Cattaneo, M; Cauet, Ch; Cavallero, G; Cenci, R; Charles, M; Charpentier, Ph; Chatzikonstantinidis, G; Chefdeville, M; Chen, S; Cheung, S-F; Chobanova, V; Chrzaszcz, M; Cid Vidal, X; Ciezarek, G; Clarke, P E L; Clemencic, M; Cliff, H V; Closier, J; Coco, V; Cogan, J; Cogneras, E; Cogoni, V; Cojocariu, L; Collazuol, G; Collins, P; Comerma-Montells, A; Contu, A; Cook, A; Coombs, G; Coquereau, S; Corti, G; Corvo, M; Costa Sobral, C M; Couturier, B; Cowan, G A; Craik, D C; Crocombe, A; Cruz Torres, M; Cunliffe, S; Currie, R; D'Ambrosio, C; Da Cunha Marinho, F; Dall'Occo, E; Dalseno, J; David, P N Y; Davis, A; De Aguiar Francisco, O; De Bruyn, K; De Capua, S; De Cian, M; De Miranda, J M; De Paula, L; De Serio, M; De Simone, P; Dean, C T; Decamp, D; Deckenhoff, M; Del Buono, L; Demmer, M; Derkach, D; Deschamps, O; Dettori, F; Dey, B; Di Canto, A; Dijkstra, H; Dordei, F; Dorigo, M; Dosil Suárez, A; Dovbnya, A; Dreimanis, K; Dufour, L; Dujany, G; Dungs, K; Durante, P; Dzhelyadin, R; Dziurda, A; Dzyuba, A; Déléage, N; Easo, S; Ebert, M; Egede, U; Egorychev, V; Eidelman, S; Eisenhardt, S; Eitschberger, U; Ekelhof, R; Eklund, L; Elsasser, Ch; Ely, S; Esen, S; Evans, H M; Evans, T; Falabella, A; Farley, N; Farry, S; Fay, R; Fazzini, D; Ferguson, D; Fernandez Albor, V; Fernandez Prieto, A; Ferrari, F; Ferreira Rodrigues, F; Ferro-Luzzi, M; Filippov, S; Fini, R A; Fiore, M; Fiorini, M; Firlej, M; Fitzpatrick, C; Fiutowski, T; Fleuret, F; Fohl, K; Fontana, M; Fontanelli, F; Forshaw, D C; Forty, R; Franco Lima, V; Frank, M; Frei, C; Fu, J; Furfaro, E; Färber, C; Gallas Torreira, A; Galli, D; Gallorini, S; Gambetta, S; Gandelman, M; Gandini, P; Gao, Y; Garcia Martin, L M; García Pardiñas, J; Garra Tico, J; Garrido, L; Garsed, P J; Gascon, D; Gaspar, C; Gavardi, L; Gazzoni, G; Gerick, D; Gersabeck, E; Gersabeck, M; Gershon, T; Ghez, Ph; Gianì, S; Gibson, V; Girard, O G; Giubega, L; Gizdov, K; Gligorov, V V; Golubkov, D; Golutvin, A; Gomes, A; Gorelov, I V; Gotti, C; Grabalosa Gándara, M; Graciani Diaz, R; Granado Cardoso, L A; Graugés, E; Graverini, E; Graziani, G; Grecu, A; Griffith, P; Grillo, L; Gruberg Cazon, B R; Grünberg, O; Gushchin, E; Guz, Yu; Gys, T; Göbel, C; Hadavizadeh, T; Hadjivasiliou, C; Haefeli, G; Haen, C; Haines, S C; Hall, S; Hamilton, B; Han, X; Hansmann-Menzemer, S; Harnew, N; Harnew, S T; Harrison, J; Hatch, M; He, J; Head, T; Heister, A; Hennessy, K; Henrard, P; Henry, L; Hernando Morata, J A; van Herwijnen, E; Heß, M; Hicheur, A; Hill, D; Hombach, C; Hopchev, H; Hulsbergen, W; Humair, T; Hushchyn, M; Hussain, N; Hutchcroft, D; Idzik, M; Ilten, P; Jacobsson, R; Jaeger, A; Jalocha, J; Jans, E; Jawahery, A; Jiang, F; John, M; Johnson, D; Jones, C R; Joram, C; Jost, B; Jurik, N; Kandybei, S; Kanso, W; Karacson, M; Kariuki, J M; Karodia, S; Kecke, M; Kelsey, M; Kenyon, I R; Kenzie, M; Ketel, T; Khairullin, E; Khanji, B; Khurewathanakul, C; Kirn, T; Klaver, S; Klimaszewski, K; Koliiev, S; Kolpin, M; Komarov, I; Koopman, R F; Koppenburg, P; Kosmyntseva, A; Kozachuk, A; Kozeiha, M; Kravchuk, L; Kreplin, K; Kreps, M; Krokovny, P; Kruse, F; Krzemien, W; Kucewicz, W; Kucharczyk, M; Kudryavtsev, V; Kuonen, A K; Kurek, K; Kvaratskheliya, T; Lacarrere, D; Lafferty, G; Lai, A; Lambert, D; Lanfranchi, G; Langenbruch, C; Latham, T; Lazzeroni, C; Le Gac, R; van Leerdam, J; Lees, J-P; Leflat, A; Lefrançois, J; Lefèvre, R; Lemaitre, F; Lemos Cid, E; Leroy, O; Lesiak, T; Leverington, B; Li, Y; Likhomanenko, T; Lindner, R; Linn, C; Lionetto, F; Liu, B; Liu, X; Loh, D; Longstaff, I; Lopes, J H; Lucchesi, D; Lucio Martinez, M; Luo, H; Lupato, A; Luppi, E; Lupton, O; Lusiani, A; Lyu, X; Machefert, F; Maciuc, F; Maev, O; Maguire, K; Malde, S; Malinin, A; Maltsev, T; Manca, G; Mancinelli, G; Manning, P; Maratas, J; Marchand, J F; Marconi, U; Marin Benito, C; Marino, P; Marks, J; Martellotti, G; Martin, M; Martinelli, M; Martinez Santos, D; Martinez Vidal, F; Martins Tostes, D; Massacrier, L M; Massafferri, A; Matev, R; Mathad, A; Mathe, Z; Matteuzzi, C; Mauri, A; Maurin, B; Mazurov, A; McCann, M; McCarthy, J; McNab, A; McNulty, R; Meadows, B; Meier, F; Meissner, M; Melnychuk, D; Merk, M; Merli, A; Michielin, E; Milanes, D A; Minard, M-N; Mitzel, D S; Mogini, A; Molina Rodriguez, J; Monroy, I A; Monteil, S; Morandin, M; Morawski, P; Mordà, A; Morello, M J; Moron, J; Morris, A B; Mountain, R; Muheim, F; Mulder, M; Mussini, M; Müller, D; Müller, J; Müller, K; Müller, V; Naik, P; Nakada, T; Nandakumar, R; Nandi, A; Nasteva, I; Needham, M; Neri, N; Neubert, S; Neufeld, N; Neuner, M; Nguyen, A D; Nguyen-Mau, C; Nieswand, S; Niet, R; Nikitin, N; Nikodem, T; Novoselov, A; O'Hanlon, D P; Oblakowska-Mucha, A; Obraztsov, V; Ogilvy, S; Oldeman, R; Onderwater, C J G; Otalora Goicochea, J M; Otto, A; Owen, P; Oyanguren, A; Pais, P R; Palano, A; Palombo, F; Palutan, M; Panman, J; Papanestis, A; Pappagallo, M; Pappalardo, L L; Parker, W; Parkes, C; Passaleva, G; Pastore, A; Patel, G D; Patel, M; Patrignani, C; Pearce, A; Pellegrino, A; Penso, G; Pepe Altarelli, M; Perazzini, S; Perret, P; Pescatore, L; Petridis, K; Petrolini, A; Petrov, A; Petruzzo, M; Picatoste Olloqui, E; Pietrzyk, B; Pikies, M; Pinci, D; Pistone, A; Piucci, A; Playfer, S; Plo Casasus, M; Poikela, T; Polci, F; Poluektov, A; Polyakov, I; Polycarpo, E; Pomery, G J; Popov, A; Popov, D; Popovici, B; Poslavskii, S; Potterat, C; Price, E; Price, J D; Prisciandaro, J; Pritchard, A; Prouve, C; Pugatch, V; Puig Navarro, A; Punzi, G; Qian, W; Quagliani, R; Rachwal, B; Rademacker, J H; Rama, M; Ramos Pernas, M; Rangel, M S; Raniuk, I; Raven, G; Redi, F; Reichert, S; Dos Reis, A C; Remon Alepuz, C; Renaudin, V; Ricciardi, S; Richards, S; Rihl, M; Rinnert, K; Rives Molina, V; Robbe, P; Rodrigues, A B; Rodrigues, E; Rodriguez Lopez, J A; Rodriguez Perez, P; Rogozhnikov, A; Roiser, S; Rollings, A; Romanovskiy, V; Romero Vidal, A; Ronayne, J W; Rotondo, M; Rudolph, M S; Ruf, T; Ruiz Valls, P; Saborido Silva, J J; Sadykhov, E; Sagidova, N; Saitta, B; Salustino Guimaraes, V; Sanchez Mayordomo, C; Sanmartin Sedes, B; Santacesaria, R; Santamarina Rios, C; Santimaria, M; Santovetti, E; Sarti, A; Satriano, C; Satta, A; Saunders, D M; Savrina, D; Schael, S; Schellenberg, M; Schiller, M; Schindler, H; Schlupp, M; Schmelling, M; Schmelzer, T; Schmidt, B; Schneider, O; Schopper, A; Schubert, K; Schubiger, M; Schune, M-H; Schwemmer, R; Sciascia, B; Sciubba, A; Semennikov, A; Sergi, A; Serra, N; Serrano, J; Sestini, L; Seyfert, P; Shapkin, M; Shapoval, I; Shcheglov, Y; Shears, T; Shekhtman, L; Shevchenko, V; Shires, A; Siddi, B G; Silva Coutinho, R; Silva de Oliveira, L; Simi, G; Simone, S; Sirendi, M; Skidmore, N; Skwarnicki, T; Smith, E; Smith, I T; Smith, J; Smith, M; Snoek, H; Sokoloff, M D; Soler, F J P; Souza De Paula, B; Spaan, B; Spradlin, P; Sridharan, S; Stagni, F; Stahl, M; Stahl, S; Stefko, P; Stefkova, S; Steinkamp, O; Stemmle, S; Stenyakin, O; Stevenson, S; Stoica, S; Stone, S; Storaci, B; Stracka, S; Straticiuc, M; Straumann, U; Sun, L; Sutcliffe, W; Swientek, K; Syropoulos, V; Szczekowski, M; Szumlak, T; T'Jampens, S; Tayduganov, A; Tekampe, T; Teklishyn, M; Tellarini, G; Teubert, F; Thomas, E; van Tilburg, J; Tilley, M J; Tisserand, V; Tobin, M; Tolk, S; Tomassetti, L; Tonelli, D; Topp-Joergensen, S; Toriello, F; Tournefier, E; Tourneur, S; Trabelsi, K; Traill, M; Tran, M T; Tresch, M; Trisovic, A; Tsaregorodtsev, A; Tsopelas, P; Tully, A; Tuning, N; Ukleja, A; Ustyuzhanin, A; Uwer, U; Vacca, C; Vagnoni, V; Valassi, A; Valat, S; Valenti, G; Vallier, A; Vazquez Gomez, R; Vazquez Regueiro, P; Vecchi, S; van Veghel, M; Velthuis, J J; Veltri, M; Veneziano, G; Venkateswaran, A; Vernet, M; Vesterinen, M; Viaud, B; Vieira, D; Vieites Diaz, M; Vilasis-Cardona, X; Volkov, V; Vollhardt, A; Voneki, B; Vorobyev, A; Vorobyev, V; Voß, C; de Vries, J A; Vázquez Sierra, C; Waldi, R; Wallace, C; Wallace, R; Walsh, J; Wang, J; Ward, D R; Wark, H M; Watson, N K; Websdale, D; Weiden, A; Whitehead, M; Wicht, J; Wilkinson, G; Wilkinson, M; Williams, M; Williams, M P; Williams, M; Williams, T; Wilson, F F; Wimberley, J; Wishahi, J; Wislicki, W; Witek, M; Wormser, G; Wotton, S A; Wraight, K; Wright, S; Wyllie, K; Xie, Y; Xing, Z; Xu, Z; Yang, Z; Yin, H; Yu, J; Yuan, X; Yushchenko, O; Zarebski, K A; Zavertyaev, M; Zhang, L; Zhang, Y; Zhelezov, A; Zheng, Y; Zhokhov, A; Zhu, X; Zhukov, V; Zucchelli, S

    2017-02-24

    A search for the B^{0}→K^{+}K^{-} decay is performed using pp-collision data collected by LHCb. The data set corresponds to integrated luminosities of 1.0 and 2.0  fb^{-1} at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, respectively. This decay is observed for the first time, with a significance of more than 5 standard deviations. The analysis also results in an improved measurement of the branching fraction for the B_{s}^{0}→π^{+}π^{-} decay. The measured branching fractions are B(B^{0}→K^{+}K^{-})=(7.80±1.27±0.81±0.21)×10^{-8} and B(B_{s}^{0}→π^{+}π^{-})=(6.91±0.54±0.63±0.19±0.40)×10^{-7}. The first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, the third is due to the uncertainty on the B^{0}→K^{+}π^{-} branching fraction used as a normalization. For the B_{s}^{0} mode, the fourth accounts for the uncertainty on the ratio of the probabilities for b quarks to hadronize into B_{s}^{0} and B^{0} mesons.

  9. Johnson Noise Thermometry in the range 505 K to 933 K

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tew, Weston; Labenski, John; Nam, Sae Woo; Benz, Samuel; Dresselhaus, Paul; Martinis, John

    2006-03-01

    The International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90) is an artifact-based temperature scale, T90, designed to approximate thermodynamic temperature T. The thermodynamic errors of the ITS-90, characterized as the value of T-T90, only recently have been quantified by primary thermodynamic methods. Johnson Noise Thermometry (JNT) is a primary method which can be applied over wide temperature ranges, and NIST is currently using JNT to determine T-T90 in the range 505 K to 933 K, overlapping both acoustic gas-based and radiation-based thermometry. Advances in digital electronics have now made the computationally intensive processing required for JNT viable using noise voltage correlation in the frequency domain. We have also optimized the design of the 5-wire JNT temperature probes to minimize electromagnetic interference and transmission line effects. Statistical uncertainties under 50 μK/K are achievable using relatively modest bandwidths of ˜100 kHz. The NIST JNT system will provide critical data for T-T90 linking together the highly accurate acoustic gas-based data at lower temperatures with the higher-temperature radiation-based data, forming the basis for a new International Temperature Scale with greatly improved thermodynamic accuracy.

  10. Cryogenic test of the 4 K / 2 K insert for the ARIEL e-Linac cryomodule

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Laxdal, R. E.; Ma, Y.; Harmer, P.

    2014-01-29

    The ARIEL project at TRIUMF requires a 50 MeV superconducting electron linac consisting of five nine cell 1.3 GHz cavities divided into three cryomodules with one, two and two cavities in each module respectively. LHe is distributed in parallel to each module at 4 K and at ∼1.2 bar. Each module has a cryogenic insert on board that receives the 4 K liquid and produces 2 K into a cavity phase separator. The module combines a 4 K phase separator, a plate and fin heat exchanger from DATE and a J-T valve expanding into the 2 K phase separator. Themore » unit also supplies 4 K liquid to thermal intercepts in the module in siphon loops that return the vaporized liquid to the 4 K reservoir. For testing purposes the unit is outfitted with a dummy 2 K phase separator and thermal intercepts with variable heaters that mimic the final heat loads in order to test the cryogenic performance. The design of the 4 K / 2 K insert, the results of the cold tests and a summary of the test infrastructure including cryogenics services will be presented.« less

  11. Glutamate transporter activity promotes enhanced Na+/K+‐ATPase‐mediated extracellular K+ management during neuronal activity

    PubMed Central

    Larsen, Brian Roland; Holm, Rikke; Vilsen, Bente

    2016-01-01

    Key points Management of glutamate and K+ in brain extracellular space is of critical importance to neuronal function.The astrocytic α2β2 Na+/K+‐ATPase isoform combination is activated by the K+ transients occurring during neuronal activity.In the present study, we report that glutamate transporter‐mediated astrocytic Na+ transients stimulate the Na+/K+‐ATPase and thus the clearance of extracellular K+.Specifically, the astrocytic α2β1 Na+/K+‐ATPase subunit combination displays an apparent Na+ affinity primed to react to physiological changes in intracellular Na+.Accordingly, we demonstrate a distinct physiological role in K+ management for each of the two astrocytic Na+/K+‐ATPase β‐subunits. Abstract Neuronal activity is associated with transient [K+]o increases. The excess K+ is cleared by surrounding astrocytes, partly by the Na+/K+‐ATPase of which several subunit isoform combinations exist. The astrocytic Na+/K+‐ATPase α2β2 isoform constellation responds directly to increased [K+]o but, in addition, Na+/K+‐ATPase‐mediated K+ clearance could be governed by astrocytic [Na+]i. During most neuronal activity, glutamate is released in the synaptic cleft and is re‐absorbed by astrocytic Na+‐coupled glutamate transporters, thereby elevating [Na+]i. It thus remains unresolved whether the different Na+/K+‐ATPase isoforms are controlled by [K+]o or [Na+]i during neuronal activity. Hippocampal slice recordings of stimulus‐induced [K+]o transients with ion‐sensitive microelectrodes revealed reduced Na+/K+‐ATPase‐mediated K+ management upon parallel inhibition of the glutamate transporter. The apparent intracellular Na+ affinity of isoform constellations involving the astrocytic β2 has remained elusive as a result of inherent expression of β1 in most cell systems, as well as technical challenges involved in measuring intracellular affinity in intact cells. We therefore expressed the different astrocytic isoform constellations in

  12. Lessons-Learned from D and D Activities at the Five Gaseous Diffusion Buildings (K-25, K- 27, K-29, K-31 and K-33) East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge, TN - 13574

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kopotic, James D.; Ferri, Mark S.; Buttram, Claude

    The East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) is the site of five former gaseous diffusion plant (GDP) process buildings that were used to enrich uranium from 1945 to 1985. The process equipment in the original two buildings (K-25 and K-27) was used for the production of highly enriched uranium (HEU), while that in the three later buildings (K-29, K-31 and K-33) produced low enriched uranium (LEU). Equipment was contaminated primarily with uranium and to a lesser extent technetium (Tc). Decommissioning of the GDP process buildings has presented several unique challenges and produced many lessons-learned. Among these is the importance of good,more » up-front characterization in developing the best demolition approach. Also, chemical cleaning of process gas equipment and piping (PGE) prior to shutdown should be considered to minimize the amount of hold-up material that must be removed by demolition crews. Another lesson learned is to maintain shutdown buildings in a dry state to minimize structural degradation which can significantly complicate characterization, deactivation and demolition efforts. Perhaps the most important lesson learned is that decommissioning GDP process buildings is first and foremost a waste logistics challenge. Innovative solutions are required to effectively manage the sheer volume of waste generated from decontamination and demolition (D and D) of these enormous facilities. Finally, close coordination with Security is mandatory to effectively manage Special Nuclear Material (SNM) and classified equipment issues. (authors)« less

  13. New Ionic Liquids from Natural Products for Environmentally Benign Aircraft Deicing and Anti-Icing

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-12-10

    cation, the preparation of ILs from choline and two GRAS food ingredients (artificial sweeteners ), saccharine and acesulfamate was recently published...In comparison, the synthetic imidazolium-based ILs were quite toxic (EC50 ~14 mg/L) in the same bioassay. Both ILs are water soluble, however...RTIL. This is true to a certain extent, but again the compound has a level of toxicity to C. dubia. Also, the ‘ synthetic ’ imidazolium-based IL 13

  14. Rehydration beverage

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Greenleaf, John E. (Inventor)

    1995-01-01

    A novel rehydration beverage containing sodium chloride, sodium citrate, and aspartame useful for rapid restoration of hydration homeostasis is disclosed. The beverage is particularly useful for restoration of normal body fluid volumes and their intracellular and extracellular distribution during a hypohydration state observed in astronauts and air passengers.

  15. 40 CFR Table K-1 to Subpart K of... - Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) CH4 Emission Factors

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) CH4 Emission Factors K Table K-1 to Subpart K of Part 98 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.... 98, Subpt. K, Table K-1 Table K-1 to Subpart K of Part 98—Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) CH4 Emission...

  16. 40 CFR Table K-1 to Subpart K of... - Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) CH4 Emission Factors

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) CH4 Emission Factors K Table K-1 to Subpart K of Part 98 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.... 98, Subpt. K, Table K-1 Table K-1 to Subpart K of Part 98—Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) CH4 Emission...

  17. 40 CFR Table K-1 to Subpart K of... - Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) CH4 Emission Factors

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) CH4 Emission Factors K Table K-1 to Subpart K of Part 98 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.... 98, Subpt. K, Table K-1 Table K-1 to Subpart K of Part 98—Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) CH4 Emission...

  18. 40 CFR Table K-1 to Subpart K of... - Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) CH4 Emission Factors

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) CH4 Emission Factors K Table K-1 to Subpart K of Part 98 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.... 98, Subpt. K, Table K-1 Table K-1 to Subpart K of Part 98—Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) CH4 Emission...

  19. Highly K+ -Selective Fluorescent Probes for Lifetime Sensing of K+ in Living Cells.

    PubMed

    Schwarze, Thomas; Mertens, Monique; Müller, Peter; Riemer, Janine; Wessig, Pablo; Holdt, Hans-Jürgen

    2017-12-06

    The new K + -selective fluorescent probes 1 and 2 were obtained by Cu I -catalyzed 1,3-dipolar azide alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reactions of an alkyne-substituted [1,3]dioxolo[4,5-f][1,3]benzodioxole (DBD) ester fluorophore with azido-functionalized N-phenylaza-18-crown-6 ether and N-(o-isopropoxy) phenylaza-18-crown-6 ether, respectively. Probes 1 and 2 allow the detection of K + in the presence of Na + in water by fluorescence enhancement (2.2 for 1 at 2000 mm K + and 2.5 for 2 at 160 mm K + ). Fluorescence lifetime measurements in the absence and presence of K + revealed bi-exponential decay kinetics with similar lifetimes, however with different proportions changing the averaged fluorescence decay times (τ f(av) ). For 1 a decrease of τ f(av) from 12.4 to 9.3 ns and for 2 an increase from 17.8 to 21.8 ns was observed. Variation of the substituent in ortho position of the aniline unit of the N-phenylaza-18-crown-6 host permits the modulation of the K d value for a certain K + concentration. For example, substitution of H in 1 by the isopropoxy group (2) decreased the K d value from >300 mm to 10 mm. 2 was chosen for studying the efflux of K + from human red blood cells (RBC). Upon addition of the Ca 2+ ionophor ionomycin to a RBC suspension in a buffer containing Ca 2+ , the fluorescence of 2 slightly rose within 10 min, however, after 120 min a significant increase was observed. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Measurements of branching fraction ratios and CP-asymmetries in suppressed B -→ D(→ K +π -)K - and B -→ D(→ K +π -)π - decays

    DOE PAGES

    Aaltonen, T.

    2011-08-01

    We report the first reconstruction in hadron collisions of the suppressed decays B -→ D(→ K +π -)K - and B -→ D(→ K +π -)π - decays, sensitive to the CKM phase {gamma}, using data from 7 fb -1 of integrated luminosity collected by the CDF II detector at the Tevatron collider. We reconstruct a signal for the B -→ D(→ K +π -)K - suppressed mode with a significance of 3.2 standard deviations, and measure the ratios of the suppressed to favored branching fractions R(K) = [22.0 ± 8.6(stat) ± 2.6(syst)] x 10 -3, R +(K) = [42.6more » ± 13.7(stat) ± 2.8(syst)] x 10 -3, R -(K) = [3.8 ± 10.3(stat) ± 2.7(syst)] x 10 -3 as well as the direct CP-violating asymmetry A(K) = -0.82±0.44(stat)±0.09(syst) of this mode. Corresponding quantities for B - → D(→ K +π -)π - decay are also reported.« less

  1. Chemical and Electrochemical Asymmetric Dihydroxylation of Olefins in I(2)-K(2)CO(3)-K(2)OsO(2)(OH)(4) and I(2)-K(3)PO(4)/K(2)HPO(4)-K(2)OsO(2)(OH)(4) Systems with Sharpless' Ligand.

    PubMed

    Torii, Sigeru; Liu, Ping; Bhuvaneswari, Narayanaswamy; Amatore, Christian; Jutand, Anny

    1996-05-03

    Iodine-assisted chemical and electrochemical asymmetric dihydroxylation of various olefins in I(2)-K(2)CO(3)-K(2)OsO(2)(OH)(4) and I(2)-K(3)PO(4)/K(2)HPO(4)-K(2)OsO(2)(OH)(4) systems with Sharpless' ligand provided the optically active glycols in excellent isolated yields and high enantiomeric excesses. Iodine (I(2)) was used stoichiometrically for the chemical dihydroxylation, and good results were obtained with nonconjugated olefins in contrast to the case of potassium ferricyanide as a co-oxidant. The potentiality of I(2) as a co-oxidant under stoichiometric conditions has been proven to be effective as an oxidizing mediator in electrolysis systems. Iodine-assisted asymmetric electro-dihydroxylation of olefins in either a t-BuOH/H(2)O(1/1)-K(2)CO(3)/(DHQD)(2)PHAL-(Pt) or t-BuOH/H(2)O(1/1)-K(3)PO(4)/K(2)HPO(4)/(DHQD)(2)PHAL-(Pt) system in the presence of potassium osmate in an undivided cell was investigated in detail. Irrespective of the substitution pattern, all the olefins afforded the diols in high yields and excellent enantiomeric excesses. A plausible mechanism is discussed on the basis of cyclic voltammograms as well as experimental observations.

  2. The Vitamin K Oxidoreductase Is a Multimer That Efficiently Reduces Vitamin K Epoxide to Hydroquinone to Allow Vitamin K-dependent Protein Carboxylation*

    PubMed Central

    Rishavy, Mark A.; Hallgren, Kevin W.; Wilson, Lee A.; Usubalieva, Aisulu; Runge, Kurt W.; Berkner, Kathleen L.

    2013-01-01

    The vitamin K oxidoreductase (VKORC1) recycles vitamin K to support the activation of vitamin K-dependent (VKD) proteins, which have diverse functions that include hemostasis and calcification. VKD proteins are activated by Glu carboxylation, which depends upon the oxygenation of vitamin K hydroquinone (KH2). The vitamin K epoxide (KO) product is recycled by two reactions, i.e. KO reduction to vitamin K quinone (K) and then to KH2, and recent studies have called into question whether VKORC1 reduces K to KH2. Analysis in insect cells lacking endogenous carboxylation components showed that r-VKORC1 reduces KO to efficiently drive carboxylation, indicating KH2 production. Direct detection of the vitamin K reaction products is confounded by KH2 oxidation, and we therefore developed a new assay that stabilized KH2 and allowed quantitation. Purified VKORC1 analyzed in this assay showed efficient KO to KH2 reduction. Studies in 293 cells expressing tagged r-VKORC1 revealed that VKORC1 is a multimer, most likely a dimer. A monomer can only perform one reaction, and a dimer is therefore interesting in explaining how VKORC1 accomplishes both reactions. An inactive mutant (VKORC1(C132A/C135A)) was dominant negative in heterodimers with wild type VKORC1, resulting in decreased KO reduction in cells and carboxylation in vitro. The results are significant regarding human VKORC1 mutations, as warfarin-resistant patients have mutant and wild type VKORC1 alleles. A VKORC1 dimer indicates a mixed population of homodimers and heterodimers that may have different functional properties, and VKORC1 reduction may therefore be more complex in these patients than appreciated previously. PMID:23918929

  3. Gating, Regulation, and Structure in K2P K+ Channels: In Varietate Concordia?

    PubMed

    Niemeyer, María Isabel; Cid, L Pablo; González, Wendy; Sepúlveda, Francisco V

    2016-09-01

    K2P K(+) channels with two pore domains in tandem associate as dimers to produce so-called background conductances that are regulated by a variety of stimuli. Whereas gating in K2P channels has been poorly understood, recent developments have provided important clues regarding the gating mechanism for this family of proteins. Two modes of gating present in other K(+) channels have been considered. The first is the so-called activation gating that occurs by bundle crossing and the splaying apart of pore-lining helices commanding ion passage. The second mode involves a change in conformation at the selectivity filter (SF), which impedes ion flow at this narrow portion of the conduction pathway and accounts for extracellular pH modulation of several K2P channels. Although some evidence supports the existence of an activation gate in K2P channels, recent results suggest that perhaps all stimuli, even those sensed at a distant location in the protein, are also mediated by SF gating. Recently resolved crystal structures of K2P channels in conductive and nonconductive conformations revealed that the nonconductive state is reached by blockade by a lipid acyl chain that gains access to the channel cavity through intramembrane fenestrations. Here we discuss whether this novel type of gating, proposed so far only for membrane tension gating, might mediate gating in response to other stimuli or whether SF gating is the only type of opening/closing mechanism present in K2P channels. Copyright © 2016 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

  4. K2-EDTA and K3-EDTA Greiner Tubes for HbA1c Measurement.

    PubMed

    Vrtaric, Alen; Filipi, Petra; Hemar, Marina; Nikolac, Nora; Simundic, Ana-Maria

    2016-02-01

    To determine whether K2-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and K3-EDTA Greiner tubes could be used interchangeably for glycosylated hemoglobin, type A1C (HbA1c) measurement via the Abbott Laboratories ARCHITECT chemiluminescent microparticle HbA1c assay on the ARCHITECT i2000SR immunoanalyzer at our university hospital. We drew blood from a total of 45 outpatients into plastic Greiner Vacuette tubes, some of which were lined with K2-EDTA and others with K3-EDTA anticoagulant. Data are presented as median and interquartile range values. We used the Wilcoxon test and Passing-Bablok regression for tube comparison. For K2-EDTA tubes median HbA1c concentration was 54 mmol/mol (41 to 71 mmol/mol) and for K3-EDTA tubes 56 mmol/mol (43 to 69 mmol/mol). There was no statistically significant difference between K2-EDTA and K3-EDTA (bias= -1.29 mmol/mol; P = 0.24). Passing-Bablok regression showed that there is no constant and proportional error: y = -0.23 (95% CI[-3.52 to 0.69]) + 1.00( 95% CI[0.98 to 1.06]) x. In this study, we provide evidence for the lack of any clinically and statistically significant bias between K2-EDTA and K3-EDTA HbA1c measurements. Thus, Greiner tubes lined with K2-EDTA and those lined with K3-EDTA can safely be used interchangeably to measure HbA1c via the Abbott Laboratories ARCHITECT assay. © American Society for Clinical Pathology, 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  5. Unexpected Effects of K+ and Adenosine Triphosphate on the Thermal Stability of Na+,K+-ATPase.

    PubMed

    Placenti, M Agueda; Kaufman, Sergio B; González Flecha, F Luis; González Lebrero, Rodolfo M

    2017-05-18

    Na + ,K + -ATPase is an integral membrane protein which couples ATP hydrolysis to the transport of three Na + out and two K + into the cell. The aim of this work is to characterize the effect of K + , ATP, and Mg 2+ (essential activator) on the Na + ,K + -ATPase thermal stability. Under all conditions tested, thermal inactivation of the enzyme is concomitant with a structural change involving the ATP binding site and membrane-associated regions. Both ligands exert a clear stabilizing effect due to both enthalpic and entropic contributions. Competition experiments between ATP and K + showed that, when ATP is present, the inactivation rate coefficient exhibits a biphasic dependence on K + concentration. At low [K + ], destabilization of the enzyme is observed, while stabilization occurred at larger cation concentrations. This is not expected for a simple competition between the enzyme and two ligands that individually protect the enzyme. A model that includes enzyme species with none, one, or two K + and/or one molecule of ATP bound explains the experimental data. We concluded that, despite both ligands stabilizing the enzyme, the species with one K + and one ATP simultaneously bound is unstable.

  6. K{sub β} to K{sub α} X-ray intensity ratios and K to L shell vacancy transfer probabilities of Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Anand, L. F. M.; Gudennavar, S. B., E-mail: shivappa.b.gudennavar@christuniversity.in; Bubbly, S. G.

    The K to L shell total vacancy transfer probabilities of low Z elements Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn are estimated by measuring the K{sub β} to K{sub α} intensity ratio adopting the 2π-geometry. The target elements were excited by 32.86 keV barium K-shell X-rays from a weak {sup 137}Cs γ-ray source. The emitted K-shell X-rays were detected using a low energy HPGe X-ray detector coupled to a 16 k MCA. The measured intensity ratios and the total vacancy transfer probabilities are compared with theoretical results and others’ work, establishing a good agreement.

  7. The global Minmax k-means algorithm.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xiaoyan; Bai, Yanping

    2016-01-01

    The global k -means algorithm is an incremental approach to clustering that dynamically adds one cluster center at a time through a deterministic global search procedure from suitable initial positions, and employs k -means to minimize the sum of the intra-cluster variances. However the global k -means algorithm sometimes results singleton clusters and the initial positions sometimes are bad, after a bad initialization, poor local optimal can be easily obtained by k -means algorithm. In this paper, we modified the global k -means algorithm to eliminate the singleton clusters at first, and then we apply MinMax k -means clustering error method to global k -means algorithm to overcome the effect of bad initialization, proposed the global Minmax k -means algorithm. The proposed clustering method is tested on some popular data sets and compared to the k -means algorithm, the global k -means algorithm and the MinMax k -means algorithm. The experiment results show our proposed algorithm outperforms other algorithms mentioned in the paper.

  8. The Bacterial Actin MamK

    PubMed Central

    Ozyamak, Ertan; Kollman, Justin; Agard, David A.; Komeili, Arash

    2013-01-01

    It is now recognized that actin-like proteins are widespread in bacteria and, in contrast to eukaryotic actins, are highly diverse in sequence and function. The bacterial actin, MamK, represents a clade, primarily found in magnetotactic bacteria, that is involved in the proper organization of subcellular organelles, termed magnetosomes. We have previously shown that MamK from Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1 (AMB-1) forms dynamic filaments in vivo. To gain further insights into the molecular mechanisms that underlie MamK dynamics and function, we have now studied the in vitro properties of MamK. We demonstrate that MamK is an ATPase that, in the presence of ATP, assembles rapidly into filaments that disassemble once ATP is depleted. The mutation of a conserved active site residue (E143A) abolishes ATPase activity of MamK but not its ability to form filaments. Filament disassembly depends on both ATPase activity and potassium levels, the latter of which results in the organization of MamK filaments into bundles. These data are consistent with observations indicating that accessory factors are required to promote filament disassembly and for spatial organization of filaments in vivo. We also used cryo-electron microscopy to obtain a high resolution structure of MamK filaments. MamK adopts a two-stranded helical filament architecture, but unlike eukaryotic actin and other actin-like filaments, subunits in MamK strands are unstaggered giving rise to a unique filament architecture. Beyond extending our knowledge of the properties and function of MamK in magnetotactic bacteria, this study emphasizes the functional and structural diversity of bacterial actins in general. PMID:23204522

  9. Transdermal delivery of vitamin K using dissolving microneedles for the prevention of vitamin K deficiency bleeding.

    PubMed

    Hutton, Aaron R J; Quinn, Helen L; McCague, Paul J; Jarrahian, Courtney; Rein-Weston, Annie; Coffey, Patricia S; Gerth-Guyette, Emily; Zehrung, Darin; Larrañeta, Eneko; Donnelly, Ryan F

    2018-04-25

    Vitamin K deficiency within neonates can result in vitamin K deficiency bleeding. Ensuring that newborns receive vitamin K is particularly critical in places where access to health care and blood products and transfusions is limited. The World Health Organization recommends that newborns receive a 1 mg intramuscular injection of vitamin K at birth. Evidence from multiple surveillance studies shows that the introduction of vitamin K prophylaxis reduces the incidence of vitamin K deficiency bleeding. Despite these recommendations, coverage of vitamin K prophylactic treatment in low-resource settings is limited. An intramuscular injection is the most common method of vitamin K administration in neonates. In low- and middle-income countries, needle sharing may occur, which may result in the spread of bloodborne diseases. The objective of our study was to investigate the manufacture of microneedles for the delivery of vitamin K. Following microneedle fabrication, we performed insertion studies to assess the microneedle's mechanical properties. Results indicate that vitamin K in a microneedle array was successfully delivered in vitro across neonatal porcine skin with 1.80 ± 0.08 mg delivered over 24 h. Therefore, this initial study shows that microneedles do have the potential to prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding. Future work will assess delivery of vitamin K in microneedle array in vivo. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Protonation of key acidic residues is critical for the K+-selectivity of the Na/K pump

    PubMed Central

    Yu, Haibo; Ratheal, Ian; Artigas, Pablo; Roux, Benoît

    2011-01-01

    The sodium-potassium (Na/K) pump is a P-type ATPase that generates Na+ and K+ concentration gradients across the cell membrane. For each ATP molecule, the pump extrudes three Na+ and imports two K+ by alternating between outward- and inward-facing conformations that preferentially bind K+ or Na+, respectively. Remarkably, the selective K+ and Na+ binding sites share several residues, and how the pump is able to achieve the selectivity required for the functional cycle is unclear. Here, free energy perturbation molecular dynamics (FEP/MD) simulations based on the crystal structures of the Na/K pump in a K+-loaded state (E2·Pi) reveal that protonation of the high-field acidic side-chains involved in the binding sites is critical to achieve the proper K+ selectivity. This prediction is tested with electrophysiological experiments showing that the selectivity of the E2P state for K+ over Na+ is affected by extracellular pH. PMID:21909093

  11. Detection and Measurement of Staphylococcal Enterotoxin-Like K (SEl-K) Secretion by Staphylococcus aureus Clinical Isolates

    PubMed Central

    Aguilar, Jorge L.; Varshney, Avanish K.; Wang, Xiaobo; Stanford, Lindsay; Scharff, Matthew

    2014-01-01

    Staphylococcal enterotoxin-like K (SEl-K) is a potent mitogen that elicits T-cell proliferation and cytokine production at very low concentrations. However, unlike the classical enterotoxins SEB and toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1), the gene for SEl-K is commonly present in more than half of all Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates and is present in almost all USA300 community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) isolates. Sequencing of the sel-k gene in over 20 clinical isolates and comparative analysis with all 14 published sel-k sequences indicate that there are at least 6 variants of the sel-k gene, including one that is conserved among all examined USA300 strains. Additionally, we have developed a highly sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that specifically detects and measures SEl-K protein in culture supernatants and biological fluids. Quantification of in vitro SEl-K secretion by various S. aureus isolates using this novel capture ELISA revealed detectable amounts of SEl-K secretion by all isolates, with the highest secretion levels being exhibited by MRSA strains that coexpress SEB. In vivo secretion was measured in a murine thigh abscess model, where similar levels of SEl-K accumulation were noted regardless of whether the infecting strain exhibited high or low secretion of SEl-K in vitro. We conclude that SEl-K is commonly expressed in the setting of staphylococcal infection, in significant amounts. SEl-K should be further explored as a target for passive immunotherapy against complicated S. aureus infection. PMID:24808237

  12. Incidence of three Kudoa spp., K. neothunni, K. hexapunctata, and K. thunni (Myxosporea: Multivalvulida), in Thunnus tunas distributed in the western Pacific Ocean.

    PubMed

    Kasai, Akihiro; Tsuduki, Hideaki; Jimenez, Lea Angsinco; Li, Ying-Chun; Tanaka, Shuhei; Sato, Hiroshi

    2017-04-01

    A variety of tunas of the genus Thunnus are consumed daily in Japan as sliced raw fish (sashimi and sushi). The consumption of fresh sliced raw fish, i.e., unfrozen or uncooked, can sometimes cause food poisoning that is manifested by transient diarrhea and vomiting for a single day. One of the causes of this type of food poisoning has been identified as live Kudoa septempunctata (Myxosporea: Multivalvulida) in the olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). Furthermore, raw slices of fresh tunas are highly suspected to be a possible causative fish of similar food poisoning in Japan. In the present study, we conducted a survey of kudoid infections in tunas (the yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares, the Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis, and the longtail tuna Thunnus tonggol) fished in the western Pacific Ocean off Japan and several East Asian countries and characterized morphologically and genetically the kudoid myxospores in pseudocysts or cysts dispersed in the trunk muscles. Pseudocysts of solely Kudoa hexapunctata were identified in the Pacific bluefin tuna (four isolates), whereas in the yellowfin tuna (21 isolates) pseudocysts of Kudoa neothunni and K. hexapunctata were detected at a ratio of 15:6, respectively, in addition to cyst-forming Kudoa thunni in five yellowfin tunas. In the trunk muscles of six longtail tunas examined, pseudocysts of K. neothunni (all six fish) and K. hexapunctata (two fish) were densely dispersed. The myxospores of K. neothunni found in these longtail tunas had seven shell valves and polar capsules (SV/PC) instead of the more common six SV/PC arranged symmetrically. Nucleotide sequences of the 18S and 28S ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA), some with the internal transcribed spacer regions as well, of K. hexapunctata and K. neothunni from the three Thunnus spp., including the seven-SV/PC morphotype, were very similar to previously characterized nucleotide sequences of each species, whereas the 18S and 28S rDNA of four isolates of K. thunni

  13. Pulling PreK into a K-12 Orbit: The Evolution of PreK in the Age of Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Graue, M. Elizabeth; Ryan, Sharon; Nocera, Amato; Northey, Kaitlin; Wilinski, Bethany

    2017-01-01

    We might call this decade the era of early childhood. In the US, federal and state governments invest in the creation of public pre-kindergarten (preK) programs and create standards that articulate goals for practice and benchmarks that can be used to evaluate success. How have these trends provided a context for the evolution of preK curriculum?…

  14. A Neural Network Model for K(λ) Retrieval and Application to Global K par Monitoring

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Jun; Zhu, Yuanli; Wu, Yongsheng; Cui, Tingwei; Ishizaka, Joji; Ju, Yongtao

    2015-01-01

    Accurate estimation of diffuse attenuation coefficients in the visible wavelengths K d(λ) from remotely sensed data is particularly challenging in global oceanic and coastal waters. The objectives of the present study are to evaluate the applicability of a semi-analytical K d(λ) retrieval model (SAKM) and Jamet’s neural network model (JNNM), and then develop a new neural network K d(λ) retrieval model (NNKM). Based on the comparison of K d(λ) predicted by these models with in situ measurements taken from the global oceanic and coastal waters, all of the NNKM, SAKM, and JNNM models work well in K d(λ) retrievals, but the NNKM model works more stable and accurate than both SAKM and JNNM models. The near-infrared band-based and shortwave infrared band-based combined model is used to remove the atmospheric effects on MODIS data. The K d(λ) data was determined from the atmospheric corrected MODIS data using the NNKM, JNNM, and SAKM models. The results show that the NNKM model produces <30% uncertainty in deriving K d(λ) from global oceanic and coastal waters, which is 4.88-17.18% more accurate than SAKM and JNNM models. Furthermore, we employ an empirical approach to calculate K par from the NNKM model-derived diffuse attenuation coefficient at visible bands (443, 488, 555, and 667 nm). The results show that our model presents a satisfactory performance in deriving K par from the global oceanic and coastal waters with 20.2% uncertainty. The K par are quantified from MODIS data atmospheric correction using our model. Comparing with field measurements, our model produces ~31.0% uncertainty in deriving K par from Bohai Sea. Finally, the applicability of our model for general oceanographic studies is briefly illuminated by applying it to climatological monthly mean remote sensing reflectance for time ranging from July, 2002- July 2014 at the global scale. The results indicate that the high K d(λ) and K par values are usually found around the coastal zones in the

  15. A Ca(2)+ signaling pathway regulates a K(+) channel for low-K response in Arabidopsis.

    PubMed

    Li, Legong; Kim, Beom-Gi; Cheong, Yong Hwa; Pandey, Girdhar K; Luan, Sheng

    2006-08-15

    Nutrient sensing is critical for plant adaptation to the environment. Because of extensive farming and erosion, low content of mineral nutrients such as potassium (K(+)) in soils becomes a limiting factor for plant growth. In response to low-K conditions, plants enhance their capability of K(+) uptake through an unknown signaling mechanism. Here we report the identification of a Ca(2+)-dependent pathway for low-K response in Arabidopsis. We are not aware of any other example of a molecular pathway for a nutrient response in plants. Earlier genetic analyses revealed three genes encoding two Ca(2+) sensors (CBL1 and CBL9) and their target protein kinase (CIPK23) to be critical for plant growth on low-K media and for stomatal regulation, indicating that these calcium signaling components participate in the low-K response and turgor regulation. In this study, we show that the protein kinase CIPK23 interacted with, and phosphorylated, a voltage-gated inward K(+) channel (AKT1) required for K(+) acquisition in Arabidopsis. In the Xenopus oocyte system, our studies showed that interacting calcium sensors (CBL1 and CBL9) together with target kinase CIPK23, but not either component alone, activated the AKT1 channel in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner, connecting the Ca(2+) signal to enhanced K(+) uptake through activation of a K(+) channel. Disruption of both CBL1 and CBL9 or CIPK23 gene in Arabidopsis reduced the AKT1 activity in the mutant roots, confirming that the Ca(2+)-CBL-CIPK pathway functions to orchestrate transporting activities in planta according to external K(+) availability.

  16. A low K+ signal is required for functional high-affinity K+ uptake through HAK5 transporters.

    PubMed

    Rubio, Francisco; Fon, Mario; Ródenas, Reyes; Nieves-Cordones, Manuel; Alemán, Fernando; Rivero, Rosa M; Martínez, Vicente

    2014-11-01

    The high-affinity K(+) transporter HAK5 is a key system for root K(+) uptake and, under very low external K(+), the only one capable of supplying K(+) to the plant. Functional HAK5-mediated K(+) uptake should be tightly regulated for plant adaptation to different environmental conditions. Thus, it has been described that the gene encoding the transporter is transcriptionally regulated, being highly induced under K(+) limitation. Here we show that environmental conditions, such as the lack of K(+), NO(3)(-) or P, that induced a hyperpolarization of the plasma membrane of root cells, induce HAK5 transcription. However, only the deprivation of K(+) produces functional HAK5-mediated K(+) uptake in the root. These results suggest on the one hand the existence of a posttranscriptional regulation of HAK5 elicited by the low K(+) signal and on the other that HAK5 may be involved in yet-unknown functions related to NO(3)(-) and P deficiencies. These results have been obtained here with Solanum lycopersicum (cv. Micro-Tom) as well as Arabidopsis thaliana plants, suggesting that the posttranscriptional regulation of high-affinity HAK transporters take place in all plant species. © 2014 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

  17. The Role of Na,k-Atpase α Subunit Serine 775 and Glutamate 779 in Determining the Extracellular K+And Membrane Potential–Dependent Properties of the Na,k -Pump

    PubMed Central

    Peluffo, R. Daniel; Argüello, José M.; Berlin, Joshua R.

    2000-01-01

    The roles of Ser775 and Glu779, two amino acids in the putative fifth transmembrane segment of the Na,K -ATPase α subunit, in determining the voltage and extracellular K + (K + o) dependence of enzyme-mediated ion transport, were examined in this study. HeLa cells expressing the α1 subunit of sheep Na,K -ATPase were voltage clamped via patch electrodes containing solutions with 115 mM Na+ (37°C). Na,K -pump current produced by the ouabain-resistant control enzyme (RD), containing amino acid substitutions Gln111Arg and Asn122Asp, displayed a membrane potential and K + o dependence similar to wild-type Na,K -ATPase during superfusion with 0 and 148 mM Na+-containing salt solutions. Additional substitution of alanine at Ser775 or Glu779 produced 155- and 15-fold increases, respectively, in the K + o concentration that half-maximally activated Na,K -pump current at 0 mV in extracellular Na+-free solutions. However, the voltage dependence of Na,K -pump current was unchanged in RD and alanine-substituted enzymes. Thus, large changes in apparent K + o affinity could be produced by mutations in the fifth transmembrane segment of the Na,K -ATPase with little effect on voltage-dependent properties of K + transport. One interpretation of these results is that protein structures responsible for the kinetics of K + o binding and/or occlusion may be distinct, at least in part, from those that are responsible for the voltage dependence of K + o binding to the Na,K -ATPase. PMID:10871639

  18. Anisotropic k-essence cosmologies

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chimento, Luis P.; Forte, Monica

    We investigate a Bianchi type-I cosmology with k-essence and find the set of models which dissipate the initial anisotropy. There are cosmological models with extended tachyon fields and k-essence having a constant barotropic index. We obtain the conditions leading to a regular bounce of the average geometry and the residual anisotropy on the bounce. For constant potential, we develop purely kinetic k-essence models which are dust dominated in their early stages, dissipate the initial anisotropy, and end in a stable de Sitter accelerated expansion scenario. We show that linear k-field and polynomial kinetic function models evolve asymptotically to Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmologies.more » The linear case is compatible with an asymptotic potential interpolating between V{sub l}{proportional_to}{phi}{sup -{gamma}{sub l}}, in the shear dominated regime, and V{sub l}{proportional_to}{phi}{sup -2} at late time. In the polynomial case, the general solution contains cosmological models with an oscillatory average geometry. For linear k-essence, we find the general solution in the Bianchi type-I cosmology when the k field is driven by an inverse square potential. This model shares the same geometry as a quintessence field driven by an exponential potential.« less

  19. Atypical k-essence cosmologies

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chimento, Luis P.; Lazkoz, Ruth

    We analyze the implications of having a divergent speed of sound in k-essence cosmological models. We first study a known theory of that kind, for which the Lagrangian density depends linearly on the time derivative of the k-field. We show that when k-essence is the only source consistency requires that the potential of the k-field be of the inverse square form. Then, we review the known result that the corresponding power-law solutions can be mapped to power-law solutions of theories with no divergence in the speed of sound. After that, we argue that the requirement of a divergent sound speedmore » at some point fixes uniquely the form of the Lagrangian to be exactly the one considered earlier and prove the asymptotic stability of the most interesting solutions belonging to the divergent theory. Then, we discuss the implications of having not just k-essence but also matter. This is interesting because introducing another component breaks the rigidity of the theory, and the form of the potential ceases to be unique as happened in the pure k-essence case. Finally, we show the finiteness of the effective sound speed under an appropiate definition.« less

  20. Current Status and Future Prospect of K-NET and KiK-net

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aoi, S.; Kunugi, T.; Suzuki, W.; Nakamura, H.; Fujiwara, H.

    2014-12-01

    During 18 years since the deployment of K-NET following the Kobe earthquake, our attention has mainly focused on rapidity of the data collection and an unfailing and reliable observation. In this presentation, we review three generations of the instruments employed by K-NET and KiK-net from these two points of view.At beginning of the 2000's, we newly developed the second generation instruments (K-NET02, K-NET02A, KiK-net06) to replace the first generation instruments (K-NET95, SMAC-MDK) employed when the networks were constructed in the 1990's. These instruments have an automatic dial-out function. It takes typically 2-5 s to establish communication and a few seconds to send the pre-trigger data. After that, data is available typically within a 1.5 s delay. Not only waveform data but also strong motion indexes such as real-time intensity, PGA, PGV, PGD, and response spectra are continuously sent once a second.After the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, we have developed the third generation instruments (K-NET11, KiK-net11) and have replaced almost half of the all stations country wide. Main improvement of this instrument is more unfailing and reliable observation. Because we have often experienced very large ground motions (e.g. 45 records exceeding gravity), the maximum measureable range was expanded from 2000 gal to 4000 gal for the second generation instrument, and to 8000 gal for the third. For the third generation instrument, in case of power failure, observation (including transmission of data) works for seven days thanks to the backup battery, while for the second generation instruments it works only for one day. By adding an oblique component to the three-component accelerometers, we could automatically distinguish shaking data from noise such as electric pulses which may cause a false alarm in EEW. Implementation to guarantee the continuity of observation under severe conditions such as during the Tohoku earthquake is very important, as well as a highly efficient

  1. Immunohistochemical analysis of S6K1 and S6K2 localization in human breast tumors.

    PubMed

    Filonenko, Valeriy V; Tytarenko, Ruslana; Azatjan, Sergey K; Savinska, Lilya O; Gaydar, Yuriy A; Gout, Ivan T; Usenko, Vasiliy S; Lyzogubov, Valeriy V

    2004-12-01

    To perform an immunohistochemical analysis of human breast adenomas and adenocarcinomas as well as normal breast tissues in respect of S6 ribosomal protein kinase (S6K) expression and localization in normal and transformed cells. The expression level and localization of S6K have been detected in formalin fixed, paraffin embedded sections of normal human breast tissues, adenomas and adenocarcinomas with different grade of differentiation. Immunohistochemical detection of S6K1 and S6K2 in normal human breast tissues and breast tumors were performed using specific monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against S6K1 and S6K2 with following semiquantitative analysis. The increase of S6K content in the cytoplasm of epithelial cells in benign and malignant tumors has been detected. Nuclear accumulation of S6K1 and to a greater extend S6K2 have been found in breast adenocarcinomas. About 80% of breast adenocarcinomas cases revealed S6K2 nuclear staining comparing to normal tissues. In 31% of cases more then 50% of cancer cells had strong nuclear staining. Accumulation of S6K1 in the nucleus of neoplastic cells has been demonstrated in 25% of cases. Nuclear localization of S6K in the epithelial cells in normal breast tissues has not been detected. Immunohistochemical analysis of S6K1 and S6K2 expression in normal human breast tissues, benign and malignant breast tumors clearly indicates that both kinases are overexpressed in breast tumors. Semiquantitative analysis of peculiarities of S6K localization in normal tissues and tumors revealed that nucleoplasmic accumulation of S6K (especially S6K2) is a distinguishing feature of cancer cells.

  2. Volatile element depletion and K-39/K-41 fractionation in lunar soils

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Church, S. E.; Tilton, G. R.; Wright, J. E.; Lee-Hu, C.-N.

    1976-01-01

    Evidence for selective loss and isotopic fractionation (in the case of K) of volatile elements during formation of agglutinates by micrometeoritic bombardment of lunar soils is presented. Concentrations and isotopic compositions of volatile elements (K, Rb, Pb) and nonvolatile elements (U, Th, Ba, Sr, rare earths) in separates taken from soils 14163, 14259, 15041, 68501, and 71500 are examined. Rayleigh fractionation calculations applied to K-39/K-41 isotopic data indicate ten-fold recycling of bulk soil, to account for observed isotopic anomalies. The lunar soil fines fraction seems to be a site of deposition for volatile or labile Pb produced during agglutination. Local fines (below 75 microns) are viewed as representative of the parent material for agglutinates formed in situ by micrometeoritic impact. Magnetic separation of agglutinates from soil 68501 revealed a bimodal population, with one class comprising welded blocky magnetic glasses.

  3. Measurement of CP observables in B 0 → DK ∗0 with D → K + K -

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aaij, R.; Beteta, C. Abellan; Adametz, A.; Adeva, B.; Adinolfi, M.; Adrover, C.; Affolder, A.; Ajaltouni, Z.; Albrecht, J.; Alessio, F.; Alexander, M.; Ali, S.; Alkhazov, G.; Cartelle, P. Alvarez; Alves, A. A.; Amato, S.; Amhis, Y.; Anderlini, L.; Anderson, J.; Andreassen, R.; Appleby, R. B.; Gutierrez, O. Aquines; Archilli, F.; Artamonov, A.; Artuso, M.; Aslanides, E.; Auriemma, G.; Bachmann, S.; Back, J. J.; Baesso, C.; Balagura, V.; Baldini, W.; Barlow, R. J.; Barschel, C.; Barsuk, S.; Barter, W.; Bates, A.; Bauer, Th.; Bay, A.; Beddow, J.; Bediaga, I.; Belogurov, S.; Belous, K.; Belyaev, I.; Ben-Haim, E.; Benayoun, M.; Bencivenni, G.; Benson, S.; Benton, J.; Berezhnoy, A.; Bernet, R.; Bettler, M.-O.; van Beuzekom, M.; Bien, A.; Bifani, S.; Bird, T.; Bizzeti, A.; Bjørnstad, P. M.; Blake, T.; Blanc, F.; Blanks, C.; Blouw, J.; Blusk, S.; Bobrov, A.; Bocci, V.; Bondar, A.; Bondar, N.; Bonivento, W.; Borghi, S.; Borgia, A.; Bowcock, T. J. V.; Bowen, E.; Bozzi, C.; Brambach, T.; van den Brand, J.; Bressieux, J.; Brett, D.; Britsch, M.; Britton, T.; Brook, N. H.; Brown, H.; Büchler-Germann, A.; Burducea, I.; Bursche, A.; Buytaert, J.; Cadeddu, S.; Callot, O.; Calvi, M.; Gomez, M. Calvo; Camboni, A.; Campana, P.; Carbone, A.; Carboni, G.; Cardinale, R.; Cardini, A.; Carranza-Mejia, H.; Carson, L.; Akiba, K. Carvalho; Casse, G.; Cattaneo, M.; Cauet, Ch.; Charles, M.; Charpentier, Ph.; Chen, P.; Chiapolini, N.; Chrzaszcz, M.; Ciba, K.; Vidal, X. Cid; Ciezarek, G.; Clarke, P. E. L.; Clemencic, M.; Cliff, H. V.; Closier, J.; Coca, C.; Coco, V.; Cogan, J.; Cogneras, E.; Collins, P.; Comerma-Montells, A.; Contu, A.; Cook, A.; Coombes, M.; Corti, G.; Couturier, B.; Cowan, G. A.; Craik, D.; Cunliffe, S.; Currie, R.; D'Ambrosio, C.; David, P.; David, P. N. Y.; De Bonis, I.; De Bruyn, K.; De Capua, S.; De Cian, M.; De Miranda, J. M.; De Paula, L.; De Silva, W.; De Simone, P.; Decamp, D.; Deckenhoff, M.; Degaudenzi, H.; Del Buono, L.; Deplano, C.; Derkach, D.; Deschamps, O.; Dettori, F.; Di Canto, A.; Dickens, J.; Dijkstra, H.; Batista, P. Diniz; Dogaru, M.; Bonal, F. Domingo; Donleavy, S.; Dordei, F.; Suárez, A. Dosil; Dossett, D.; Dovbnya, A.; Dupertuis, F.; Dzhelyadin, R.; Dziurda, A.; Dzyuba, A.; Easo, S.; Egede, U.; Egorychev, V.; Eidelman, S.; van Eijk, D.; Eisenhardt, S.; Eitschberger, U.; Ekelhof, R.; Eklund, L.; El Rifai, I.; Elsasser, Ch.; Elsby, D.; Falabella, A.; Färber, C.; Fardell, G.; Farinelli, C.; Farry, S.; Fave, V.; Ferguson, D.; Albor, V. Fernandez; Rodrigues, F. Ferreira; Ferro-Luzzi, M.; Filippov, S.; Fitzpatrick, C.; Fontana, M.; Fontanelli, F.; Forty, R.; Francisco, O.; Frank, M.; Frei, C.; Frosini, M.; Furcas, S.; Furfaro, E.; Torreira, A. Gallas; Galli, D.; Gandelman, M.; Gandini, P.; Gao, Y.; Garofoli, J.; Garosi, P.; Tico, J. Garra; Garrido, L.; Gaspar, C.; Gauld, R.; Gersabeck, E.; Gersabeck, M.; Gershon, T.; Ghez, Ph.; Gibson, V.; Gligorov, V. V.; Göbel, C.; Golubkov, D.; Golutvin, A.; Gomes, A.; Gordon, H.; Gándara, M. Grabalosa; Diaz, R. Graciani; Cardoso, L. A. Granado; Graugés, E.; Graziani, G.; Grecu, A.; Greening, E.; Gregson, S.; Grünberg, O.; Gui, B.; Gushchin, E.; Guz, Yu.; Gys, T.; Hadjivasiliou, C.; Haefeli, G.; Haen, C.; Haines, S. C.; Hall, S.; Hampson, T.; Hansmann-Menzemer, S.; Harnew, N.; Harnew, S. T.; Harrison, J.; Harrison, P. F.; Hartmann, T.; He, J.; Heijne, V.; Hennessy, K.; Henrard, P.; Morata, J. A. Hernando; van Herwijnen, E.; Hicks, E.; Hill, D.; Hoballah, M.; Hombach, C.; Hopchev, P.; Hulsbergen, W.; Hunt, P.; Huse, T.; Hussain, N.; Hutchcroft, D.; Hynds, D.; Iakovenko, V.; Ilten, P.; Imong, J.; Jacobsson, R.; Jaeger, A.; Jans, E.; Jansen, F.; Jaton, P.; Jing, F.; John, M.; Johnson, D.; Jones, C. R.; Jost, B.; Kaballo, M.; Kandybei, S.; Karacson, M.; Karbach, T. M.; Kenyon, I. R.; Kerzel, U.; Ketel, T.; Keune, A.; Khanji, B.; Kochebina, O.; Komarov, I.; Koopman, R. F.; Koppenburg, P.; Korolev, M.; Kozlinskiy, A.; Kravchuk, L.; Kreplin, K.; Kreps, M.; Krocker, G.; Krokovny, P.; Kruse, F.; Kucharczyk, M.; Kudryavtsev, V.; Kvaratskheliya, T.; La Thi, V. N.; Lacarrere, D.; Lafferty, G.; Lai, A.; Lambert, D.; Lambert, R. W.; Lanciotti, E.; Lanfranchi, G.; Langenbruch, C.; Latham, T.; Lazzeroni, C.; Le Gac, R.; van Leerdam, J.; Lees, J.-P.; Lefèvre, R.; Leflat, A.; Lefrançois, J.; Leroy, O.; Li, Y.; Gioi, L. Li; Liles, M.; Lindner, R.; Linn, C.; Liu, B.; Liu, G.; von Loeben, J.; Lopes, J. H.; Asamar, E. Lopez; Lopez-March, N.; Lu, H.; Luisier, J.; Luo, H.; Raighne, A. Mac; Machefert, F.; Machikhiliyan, I. V.; Maciuc, F.; Maev, O.; Malde, S.; Manca, G.; Mancinelli, G.; Mangiafave, N.; Marconi, U.; Märki, R.; Marks, J.; Martellotti, G.; Martens, A.; Martin, L.; Sánchez, A. Martín; Martinelli, M.; Santos, D. Martinez; Tostes, D. Martins; Massafferri, A.; Matev, R.; Mathe, Z.; Matteuzzi, C.; Matveev, M.; Maurice, E.; Mazurov, A.; McCarthy, J.; McNulty, R.; Meadows, B.; Meier, F.; Meissner, M.; Merk, M.; Milanes, D. A.; Minard, M.-N.; Rodriguez, J. Molina; Monteil, S.; Moran, D.; Morawski, P.; Mountain, R.; Mous, I.; Muheim, F.; Müller, K.; Muresan, R.; Muryn, B.; Muster, B.; Naik, P.; Nakada, T.; Nandakumar, R.; Nasteva, I.; Needham, M.; Neufeld, N.; Nguyen, A. D.; Nguyen, T. D.; Nguyen-Mau, C.; Nicol, M.; Niess, V.; Niet, R.; Nikitin, N.; Nikodem, T.; Nisar, S.; Nomerotski, A.; Novoselov, A.; Oblakowska-Mucha, A.; Obraztsov, V.; Oggero, S.; Ogilvy, S.; Okhrimenko, O.; Oldeman, R.; Orlandea, M.; Goicochea, J. M. Otalora; Owen, P.; Pal, B. K.; Palano, A.; Palutan, M.; Panman, J.; Papanestis, A.; Pappagallo, M.; Parkes, C.; Parkinson, C. J.; Passaleva, G.; Patel, G. D.; Patel, M.; Patrick, G. N.; Patrignani, C.; Pavel-Nicorescu, C.; Alvarez, A. Pazos; Pellegrino, A.; Penso, G.; Altarelli, M. Pepe; Perazzini, S.; Perego, D. L.; Trigo, E. Perez; Yzquierdo, A. Pérez-Calero; Perret, P.; Perrin-Terrin, M.; Pessina, G.; Petridis, K.; Petrolini, A.; Phan, A.; Olloqui, E. Picatoste; Pietrzyk, B.; Pilař, T.; Pinci, D.; Playfer, S.; Casasus, M. Plo; Polci, F.; Polok, G.; Poluektov, A.; Polycarpo, E.; Popov, D.; Popovici, B.; Potterat, C.; Powell, A.; Prisciandaro, J.; Pugatch, V.; Navarro, A. Puig; Qian, W.; Rademacker, J. H.; Rakotomiaramanana, B.; Rangel, M. S.; Raniuk, I.; Rauschmayr, N.; Raven, G.; Redford, S.; Reid, M. M.; dos Reis, A. C.; Ricciardi, S.; Richards, A.; Rinnert, K.; Molina, V. Rives; Romero, D. A. Roa; Robbe, P.; Rodrigues, E.; Perez, P. Rodriguez; Rogers, G. J.; Roiser, S.; Romanovsky, V.; Vidal, A. Romero; Rouvinet, J.; Ruf, T.; Ruiz, H.; Sabatino, G.; Silva, J. J. Saborido; Sagidova, N.; Sail, P.; Saitta, B.; Salzmann, C.; Sedes, B. Sanmartin; Sannino, M.; Santacesaria, R.; Rios, C. Santamarina; Santovetti, E.; Sapunov, M.; Sarti, A.; Satriano, C.; Satta, A.; Savrie, M.; Savrina, D.; Schaack, P.; Schiller, M.; Schindler, H.; Schleich, S.; Schlupp, M.; Schmelling, M.; Schmidt, B.; Schneider, O.; Schopper, A.; Schune, M.-H.; Schwemmer, R.; Sciascia, B.; Sciubba, A.; Seco, M.; Semennikov, A.; Senderowska, K.; Sepp, I.; Serra, N.; Serrano, J.; Seyfert, P.; Shapkin, M.; Shapoval, I.; Shatalov, P.; Shcheglov, Y.; Shears, T.; Shekhtman, L.; Shevchenko, O.; Shevchenko, V.; Shires, A.; Coutinho, R. Silva; Skwarnicki, T.; Smith, N. A.; Smith, E.; Smith, M.; Sobczak, K.; Sokoloff, M. D.; Soler, F. J. P.; Soomro, F.; Souza, D.; De Paula, B. Souza; Spaan, B.; Sparkes, A.; Spradlin, P.; Stagni, F.; Stahl, S.; Steinkamp, O.; Stoica, S.; Stone, S.; Storaci, B.; Straticiuc, M.; Straumann, U.; Subbiah, V. K.; Swientek, S.; Syropoulos, V.; Szczekowski, M.; Szczypka, P.; Szumlak, T.; T'Jampens, S.; Teklishyn, M.; Teodorescu, E.; Teubert, F.; Thomas, C.; Thomas, E.; van Tilburg, J.; Tisserand, V.; Tobin, M.; Tolk, S.; Tonelli, D.; Topp-Joergensen, S.; Torr, N.; Tournefier, E.; Tourneur, S.; Tran, M. T.; Tresch, M.; Tsaregorodtsev, A.; Tsopelas, P.; Tuning, N.; Garcia, M. Ubeda; Ukleja, A.; Urner, D.; Uwer, U.; Vagnoni, V.; Valenti, G.; Gomez, R. Vazquez; Regueiro, P. Vazquez; Vecchi, S.; Velthuis, J. J.; Veltri, M.; Veneziano, G.; Vesterinen, M.; Viaud, B.; Vieira, D.; Vilasis-Cardona, X.; Vollhardt, A.; Volyanskyy, D.; Voong, D.; Vorobyev, A.; Vorobyev, V.; Voß, C.; Voss, H.; Waldi, R.; Wallace, R.; Wandernoth, S.; Wang, J.; Ward, D. R.; Watson, N. K.; Webber, A. D.; Websdale, D.; Whitehead, M.; Wicht, J.; Wiechczynski, J.; Wiedner, D.; Wiggers, L.; Wilkinson, G.; Williams, M. P.; Williams, M.; Wilson, F. F.; Wishahi, J.; Witek, M.; Witzeling, W.; Wotton, S. A.; Wright, S.; Wu, S.; Wyllie, K.; Xie, Y.; Xing, F.; Xing, Z.; Yang, Z.; Young, R.; Yuan, X.; Yushchenko, O.; Zangoli, M.; Zavertyaev, M.; Zhang, F.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, W. C.; Zhang, Y.; Zhelezov, A.; Zhokhov, A.; Zhong, L.; Zvyagin, A.

    2013-03-01

    The decay B 0 → DK *0 and the charge conjugate mode are studied using 1.0 fb-1 of pp collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at sqrt{s}=7 TeV in 2011. The CP asymmetry between the B 0 → DK *0 and the {{overline{B}}^0}to D{{overline{K}}^{*0 }} decay rates, with the neutral D meson in the CP-even final state K + K -, is found to be {A}_d^{KK }=-0.45± 0.23± 0.02, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. In addition, favoured B 0 → DK *0 decays are reconstructed with the D meson in the non- CP eigenstate K +π-. The ratio of the B-flavour averaged decay rates in D decays to CP and non- CP eigenstates is measured to be {R}_d^{KK }=1.36_{-0.32}^{+0.37}± 0.07, where the ratio of the branching fractions of D 0 → K -π+ to D 0 → K + K - decays is included as multiplicative factor. The CP asymmetries measured with two control channels, the favoured B 0 → DK *0 decay with D → K +π- and the overline{B}_s^0to D{K^{*0 }} decay with D→ K + K -, arealsoreported.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

  4. NaK-nitrogen liquid metal MHD converter tests at 30 kW.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cerini, D. J.

    1973-01-01

    Description of the tests performed and test results obtained in an experiment where a NaK-nitrogen liquid metal MHD converter was operated over a range of nozzle inlet pressures of 100 to 165 N per sq cm, NaK flow rates of 46 to 72 kg/sec, and nitrogen flow rates of 3.4 to 3.8 kg/sec. The test results indicate: (1) smooth and stable operation, (2) absence of unexpected electrical or flow losses, and (3) possibility of operation with the expected full power output of 30 kW.

  5. New strategy to explore C P violation with Bs0→K-K+

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fleischer, Robert; Jaarsma, Ruben; Vos, K. Keri

    2016-12-01

    The U -spin symmetry provides a powerful tool to extract the angle γ of the Unitarity Triangle and the Bs0- B¯s 0 mixing phase ϕs from C P violation in the Bs0→K-K+, Bd0→π-π+ system. LHCb has obtained first results with uncertainties at the 7° level. Due to U -spin-breaking corrections, it will be challenging to reduce the uncertainty below O (5 ° ) at Belle II and the LHCb upgrade. We propose a new strategy, using γ as input and utilizing Bs0→K-ℓ+νℓ,Bd0→π -ℓ+νℓ decays, which allows an extraction of ϕs with a future theoretical precision of up to O (0.5 ° ), thereby matching the experimental prospects. Since Bs0→K -K+ is dominated by penguin topologies, new sources of C P violation may be revealed.

  6. K2 and K2*: efficient alignment-free sequence similarity measurement based on Kendall statistics.

    PubMed

    Lin, Jie; Adjeroh, Donald A; Jiang, Bing-Hua; Jiang, Yue

    2018-05-15

    Alignment-free sequence comparison methods can compute the pairwise similarity between a huge number of sequences much faster than sequence-alignment based methods. We propose a new non-parametric alignment-free sequence comparison method, called K2, based on the Kendall statistics. Comparing to the other state-of-the-art alignment-free comparison methods, K2 demonstrates competitive performance in generating the phylogenetic tree, in evaluating functionally related regulatory sequences, and in computing the edit distance (similarity/dissimilarity) between sequences. Furthermore, the K2 approach is much faster than the other methods. An improved method, K2*, is also proposed, which is able to determine the appropriate algorithmic parameter (length) automatically, without first considering different values. Comparative analysis with the state-of-the-art alignment-free sequence similarity methods demonstrates the superiority of the proposed approaches, especially with increasing sequence length, or increasing dataset sizes. The K2 and K2* approaches are implemented in the R language as a package and is freely available for open access (http://community.wvu.edu/daadjeroh/projects/K2/K2_1.0.tar.gz). yueljiang@163.com. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  7. Phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate dynamically regulates the K2P background K+ channel TASK-2

    PubMed Central

    Niemeyer, María Isabel; Cid, L. Pablo; Paulais, Marc; Teulon, Jacques; Sepúlveda, Francisco V.

    2017-01-01

    Two-pore domain K2P K+ channels responsible for the background K+ conductance and the resting membrane potential, are also finely regulated by a variety of chemical, physical and physiological stimuli. Hormones and transmitters acting through Gq protein-coupled receptors (GqPCRs) modulate the activity of various K2P channels but the signalling involved has remained elusive, in particular whether dynamic regulation by membrane PI(4,5)P2, common among other classes of K+ channels, affects K2P channels is controversial. Here we show that K2P K+ channel TASK-2 requires PI(4,5)P2 for activity, a dependence that accounts for its run down in the absence of intracellular ATP and its full recovery by addition of exogenous PI(4,5)P2, its inhibition by low concentrations of polycation PI scavengers, and inhibition by PI(4,5)P2 depletion from the membrane. Comprehensive mutagenesis suggests that PI(4,5)P2 interaction with TASK-2 takes place at C-terminus where three basic aminoacids are identified as being part of a putative binding site. PMID:28358046

  8. Phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate dynamically regulates the K2P background K+ channel TASK-2.

    PubMed

    Niemeyer, María Isabel; Cid, L Pablo; Paulais, Marc; Teulon, Jacques; Sepúlveda, Francisco V

    2017-03-30

    Two-pore domain K 2P K + channels responsible for the background K + conductance and the resting membrane potential, are also finely regulated by a variety of chemical, physical and physiological stimuli. Hormones and transmitters acting through Gq protein-coupled receptors (GqPCRs) modulate the activity of various K 2P channels but the signalling involved has remained elusive, in particular whether dynamic regulation by membrane PI(4,5)P 2 , common among other classes of K + channels, affects K 2P channels is controversial. Here we show that K 2P K + channel TASK-2 requires PI(4,5)P 2 for activity, a dependence that accounts for its run down in the absence of intracellular ATP and its full recovery by addition of exogenous PI(4,5)P 2 , its inhibition by low concentrations of polycation PI scavengers, and inhibition by PI(4,5)P 2 depletion from the membrane. Comprehensive mutagenesis suggests that PI(4,5)P 2 interaction with TASK-2 takes place at C-terminus where three basic aminoacids are identified as being part of a putative binding site.

  9. K π vector form factor, dispersive constraints and τ→ ν τ K π decays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boito, Diogo R.; Escribano, Rafel; Jamin, Matthias

    2009-02-01

    Recent experimental data for the differential decay distribution of the decay τ -→ ν τ K S π - by the Belle collaboration are described by a theoretical model which is composed of the contributing vector and scalar form factors F {+/ K π }( s) and F {0/ K π }( s). Both form factors are constructed such that they fulfil constraints posed by analyticity and unitarity. A good description of the experimental measurement is achieved by incorporating two vector resonances and working with a three-times-subtracted dispersion relation in order to suppress higher-energy contributions. The resonance parameters of the charged K *(892) meson, defined as the pole of F {+/ K π }( s) in the complex s-plane, can be extracted, with the result M_{K^{*}}=892.0± 0.9 MeV and \\varGamma_{K^{*}}=46.2± 0.4 MeV . Finally, employing a three-times-subtracted dispersion relation allows one to determine the slope and curvature parameters λ'+=(24.7±0.8)×10-3 and λ″+=(12.0±0.2)×10-4 of the vector form factor F {+/ K π }( s) directly from the data.

  10. K-chameleon and the coincidence problem

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wei Hao; Cai Ronggen; Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2735, Beijing 100080

    2005-02-15

    In this paper we present a hybrid model of k-essence and chameleon, named as k-chameleon. In this model, due to the chameleon mechanism, the directly strong coupling between the k-chameleon field and matters (cold dark matters and baryons) is allowed. In the radiation-dominated epoch, the interaction between the k-chameleon field and background matters can be neglected; the behavior of the k-chameleon therefore is the same as that of the ordinary k-essence. After the onset of matter domination, the strong coupling between the k-chameleon and matters dramatically changes the result of the ordinary k-essence. We find that during the matter-dominated epoch,more » only two kinds of attractors may exist: one is the familiar K attractor and the other is a completely new, dubbed C attractor. Once the Universe is attracted into the C attractor, the fraction energy densities of the k-chameleon {omega}{sub {phi}} and dust matter {omega}{sub m} are fixed and comparable, and the Universe will undergo a power-law accelerated expansion. One can adjust the model so that the K attractor does not appear. Thus, the k-chameleon model provides a natural solution to the cosmological coincidence problem.« less

  11. Cloning and characterization of BmK86, a novel K{sup +}-channel blocker from scorpion venom

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mao, Xin; Cao, Zhijian; Yin, Shijin

    2007-09-07

    Scorpion venom represents a tremendous hitherto unexplored resource for understanding ion channels. BmK86 is a novel K{sup +}-channel toxin gene isolated from a cDNA library of Mesobuthus martensii Karsch, which encodes a signal peptide of 22 amino acid residues and a mature toxin of 35 residues with three disulfide bridges. The genomic sequence of BmK86 consists of two exons disrupted by an intron of 72 bp. Comparison with the other scorpion toxins BmK86 shows low sequence similarity. The GST-BmK86 fusion protein was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli. The fusion protein was cleaved by enterokinase and the recombinant BmK86 was purifiedmore » by HPLC. Using whole-cell patch-clamp recording, the recombinant BmK86 was found to inhibit the potassium current of mKv1.3 channel expressed in COS7 cells. These results indicated that BmK86 belongs to a representative member of a novel subfamily of {alpha}-KTxs. The systematic number assigned to BmK86 is {alpha}-KTx26.1.« less

  12. Development of a 1K x 1K GaAs QWIP Far IR Imaging Array

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jhabvala, M.; Choi, K.; Goldberg, A.; La, A.; Gunapala, S.

    2003-01-01

    In the on-going evolution of GaAs Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors (QWIPs) we have developed a 1,024 x 1,024 (1K x1K), 8.4-9 microns infrared focal plane array (FPA). This 1 megapixel detector array is a hybrid using the Rockwell TCM 8050 silicon readout integrated circuit (ROIC) bump bonded to a GaAs QWIP array fabricated jointly by engineers at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the Army Research Laboratory (ARL). The finished hybrid is thinned at the Jet Propulsion Lab. Prior to this development the largest format array was a 512 x 640 FPA. We have integrated the 1K x 1K array into an imaging camera system and performed tests over the 40K-90K temperature range achieving BLIP performance at an operating temperature of 76K (f/2 camera system). The GaAs array is relatively easy to fabricate once the superlattice structure of the quantum wells has been defined and grown. The overall arrays costs are currently dominated by the costs associated with the silicon readout since the GaAs array fabrication is based on high yield, well-established GaAs processing capabilities. In this paper we will present the first results of our 1K x 1K QWIP array development including fabrication methodology, test data and our imaging results.

  13. Associated strangeness production in the pp{yields}pK{sup +}K{sup -}p and pp{yields}pK{sup +{pi}0{Sigma}0} reactions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Xie Jujun; Department of Physics, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001; Wilkin, Colin

    2010-08-15

    The total and differential cross sections for associated strangeness production in the pp{yields}pK{sup +}K{sup -}p and pp{yields}pK{sup +{pi}0{Sigma}0} reactions have been studied in a unified approach using an effective Lagrangian model. It is assumed that both the K{sup -}p and {pi}{sup 0{Sigma}0} final states originate from the decay of the {Lambda}(1405) that was formed in the production chain pp{yields}p(N*(1535){yields}K{sup +{Lambda}}(1405)). The available experimental data are well reproduced, especially the ratio of the two total cross sections, which is much less sensitive to the particular model of the entrance channel. The significant coupling of the N*(1535) to {Lambda}(1405)K is further evidencemore » for large ss-bar components in the quark wave function of the N*(1535).« less

  14. A Fast Exact k-Nearest Neighbors Algorithm for High Dimensional Search Using k-Means Clustering and Triangle Inequality.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xueyi

    2012-02-08

    The k-nearest neighbors (k-NN) algorithm is a widely used machine learning method that finds nearest neighbors of a test object in a feature space. We present a new exact k-NN algorithm called kMkNN (k-Means for k-Nearest Neighbors) that uses the k-means clustering and the triangle inequality to accelerate the searching for nearest neighbors in a high dimensional space. The kMkNN algorithm has two stages. In the buildup stage, instead of using complex tree structures such as metric trees, kd-trees, or ball-tree, kMkNN uses a simple k-means clustering method to preprocess the training dataset. In the searching stage, given a query object, kMkNN finds nearest training objects starting from the nearest cluster to the query object and uses the triangle inequality to reduce the distance calculations. Experiments show that the performance of kMkNN is surprisingly good compared to the traditional k-NN algorithm and tree-based k-NN algorithms such as kd-trees and ball-trees. On a collection of 20 datasets with up to 10(6) records and 10(4) dimensions, kMkNN shows a 2-to 80-fold reduction of distance calculations and a 2- to 60-fold speedup over the traditional k-NN algorithm for 16 datasets. Furthermore, kMkNN performs significant better than a kd-tree based k-NN algorithm for all datasets and performs better than a ball-tree based k-NN algorithm for most datasets. The results show that kMkNN is effective for searching nearest neighbors in high dimensional spaces.

  15. Long range intermolecular interactions between the alkali diatomics Na2, K2, and NaK

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zemke, Warren T.; Byrd, Jason N.; Michels, H. Harvey; Montgomery, John A.; Stwalley, William C.

    2010-06-01

    Long range interactions between the ground state alkali diatomics Na2-Na2, K2-K2, Na2-K2, and NaK-NaK are examined. Interaction energies are first determined from ab initio calculations at the coupled-cluster with singles, doubles, and perturbative triples [CCSD(T)] level of theory, including counterpoise corrections. Long range energies calculated from diatomic molecular properties (polarizabilities and dipole and quadrupole moments) are then compared with the ab initio energies. A simple asymptotic model potential ELR=Eelec+Edisp+Eind is shown to accurately represent the intermolecular interactions for these systems at long range.

  16. CHX14 is a plasma membrane K-efflux transporter that regulates K+ redistribution in "Arabidopsis thaliana"

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Potassium (K(+)) is essential for plant growth and development, yet the molecular identity of many K(+) transporters remains elusive. Here we characterized cation/H(+) exchanger (CHX) 14 as a plasma membrane K(+) transporter. "CHX14" expression was induced by elevated K(+) and histochemical analysis...

  17. 17 CFR 240.13k-1 - Foreign bank exemption from the insider lending prohibition under section 13(k).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... the insider lending prohibition under section 13(k). 240.13k-1 Section 240.13k-1 Commodity and....13k-1 Foreign bank exemption from the insider lending prohibition under section 13(k). (a) For the...(k) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78m(k)) with respect to any such loan made by the foreign bank as long as...

  18. 17 CFR 240.13k-1 - Foreign bank exemption from the insider lending prohibition under section 13(k).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... the insider lending prohibition under section 13(k). 240.13k-1 Section 240.13k-1 Commodity and....13k-1 Foreign bank exemption from the insider lending prohibition under section 13(k). (a) For the...(k) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78m(k)) with respect to any such loan made by the foreign bank as long as...

  19. 17 CFR 240.13k-1 - Foreign bank exemption from the insider lending prohibition under section 13(k).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... the insider lending prohibition under section 13(k). 240.13k-1 Section 240.13k-1 Commodity and....13k-1 Foreign bank exemption from the insider lending prohibition under section 13(k). (a) For the...(k) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78m(k)) with respect to any such loan made by the foreign bank as long as...

  20. Shikonin, vitamin K3 and vitamin K5 inhibit multiple glycolytic enzymes in MCF-7 cells.

    PubMed

    Chen, Jing; Hu, Xun; Cui, Jingjie

    2018-05-01

    Glycolysis is the most important source of energy for the production of anabolic building blocks in cancer cells. Therefore, glycolytic enzymes are regarded as potential targets for cancer treatment. Previously, naphthaquinones, including shikonin, vitamin K 3 and vitamin K 5 , have been proven to decrease the rate of glycolysis in cancer cells, which is partly due to suppressed pyruvate kinase activity. In the present study, enzymatic assays were performed using MCF-7 cell lysate in order to screen the profile of glycolytic enzymes in cancer cells inhibited by shikonin, vitamin K 3 and vitamin K 5 , in addition to pyruvate kinase. Results revealed that hexokinase, phosphofructokinase-1, fructose bisphosphate aldolase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase produced in the process of glycolysis were inhibited by shikonin, vitamin K 3 and vitamin K 5 . The results indicated that shikonin, vitamin K 3 and vitamin K 5 are chemical inhibitors of glycolytic enzymes in cancer cells and have potential uses in translational medical applications.

  1. Shikonin, vitamin K3 and vitamin K5 inhibit multiple glycolytic enzymes in MCF-7 cells

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Jing; Hu, Xun; Cui, Jingjie

    2018-01-01

    Glycolysis is the most important source of energy for the production of anabolic building blocks in cancer cells. Therefore, glycolytic enzymes are regarded as potential targets for cancer treatment. Previously, naphthaquinones, including shikonin, vitamin K3 and vitamin K5, have been proven to decrease the rate of glycolysis in cancer cells, which is partly due to suppressed pyruvate kinase activity. In the present study, enzymatic assays were performed using MCF-7 cell lysate in order to screen the profile of glycolytic enzymes in cancer cells inhibited by shikonin, vitamin K3 and vitamin K5, in addition to pyruvate kinase. Results revealed that hexokinase, phosphofructokinase-1, fructose bisphosphate aldolase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase produced in the process of glycolysis were inhibited by shikonin, vitamin K3 and vitamin K5. The results indicated that shikonin, vitamin K3 and vitamin K5 are chemical inhibitors of glycolytic enzymes in cancer cells and have potential uses in translational medical applications. PMID:29725454

  2. An a 0 resonance in strongly coupled π η , K K ¯ scattering from lattice QCD

    DOE PAGES

    Dudek, Jozef J.; Edwards, Robert G.; Wilson, David J.

    2016-05-11

    Here, we present the first calculation of coupled-channel meson-meson scattering in the isospinmore » $=1$, $G$-parity negative sector, with channels $$\\pi \\eta$$, $$K\\overline{K}$$ and $$\\pi \\eta'$$, in a first-principles approach to QCD. From the discrete spectrum of eigenstates in three volumes extracted from lattice QCD correlation functions we determine the energy dependence of the $S$-matrix, and find that the $S$-wave features a prominent cusp-like structure in $$\\pi \\eta \\to \\pi \\eta$$ close to $$K\\overline{K}$$ threshold coupled with a rapid turn on of amplitudes leading to the $$K\\overline{K}$$ final-state. This behavior is traced to an $$a_0(980)$$-like resonance, strongly coupled to both $$\\pi \\eta$$ and $$K\\overline{K}$$, which is identified with a pole in the complex energy plane, appearing on only a single unphysical Riemann sheet. Consideration of $D$-wave scattering suggests a narrow tensor resonance at higher energy.« less

  3. An a 0 resonance in strongly coupled π η , K K ¯ scattering from lattice QCD

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dudek, Jozef J.; Edwards, Robert G.; Wilson, David J.

    Here, we present the first calculation of coupled-channel meson-meson scattering in the isospinmore » $=1$, $G$-parity negative sector, with channels $$\\pi \\eta$$, $$K\\overline{K}$$ and $$\\pi \\eta'$$, in a first-principles approach to QCD. From the discrete spectrum of eigenstates in three volumes extracted from lattice QCD correlation functions we determine the energy dependence of the $S$-matrix, and find that the $S$-wave features a prominent cusp-like structure in $$\\pi \\eta \\to \\pi \\eta$$ close to $$K\\overline{K}$$ threshold coupled with a rapid turn on of amplitudes leading to the $$K\\overline{K}$$ final-state. This behavior is traced to an $$a_0(980)$$-like resonance, strongly coupled to both $$\\pi \\eta$$ and $$K\\overline{K}$$, which is identified with a pole in the complex energy plane, appearing on only a single unphysical Riemann sheet. Consideration of $D$-wave scattering suggests a narrow tensor resonance at higher energy.« less

  4. High-spatial-resolution K-band Imaging of Select K2 Campaign Fields

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Colón, Knicole D.; Howell, Steve B.; Ciardi, David R.; Barclay, Thomas

    2017-12-01

    NASA's K2 mission began observing fields along the ecliptic plane in 2014. Each observing campaign lasts approximately 80 days, during which high-precision optical photometry of select astrophysical targets is collected by the Kepler spacecraft. Due to the 4 arcsec pixel scale of the Kepler photometer, significant blending between the observed targets can occur (especially in dense fields close to the Galactic plane). We undertook a program to use the Wide Field Camera (WFCAM) on the 3.8 m United Kingdom InfraRed Telescope (UKIRT) to collect high-spatial-resolution near-infrared images of targets in select K2 campaign fields, which we report here. These 0.4 arcsec resolution K-band images offer the opportunity to perform a variety of science, including vetting exoplanet candidates by identifying nearby stars blended with the target star and estimating the size, color, and type of galaxies observed by K2.

  5. Effective pore size and radius of capture for K+ ions in K-channels

    PubMed Central

    Moldenhauer, Hans; Díaz-Franulic, Ignacio; González-Nilo, Fernando; Naranjo, David

    2016-01-01

    Reconciling protein functional data with crystal structure is arduous because rare conformations or crystallization artifacts occur. Here we present a tool to validate the dimensions of open pore structures of potassium-selective ion channels. We used freely available algorithms to calculate the molecular contour of the pore to determine the effective internal pore radius (rE) in several K-channel crystal structures. rE was operationally defined as the radius of the biggest sphere able to enter the pore from the cytosolic side. We obtained consistent rE estimates for MthK and Kv1.2/2.1 structures, with rE = 5.3–5.9 Å and rE = 4.5–5.2 Å, respectively. We compared these structural estimates with functional assessments of the internal mouth radii of capture (rC) for two electrophysiological counterparts, the large conductance calcium activated K-channel (rC = 2.2 Å) and the Shaker Kv-channel (rC = 0.8 Å), for MthK and Kv1.2/2.1 structures, respectively. Calculating the difference between rE and rC, produced consistent size radii of 3.1–3.7 Å and 3.6–4.4 Å for hydrated K+ ions. These hydrated K+ estimates harmonize with others obtained with diverse experimental and theoretical methods. Thus, these findings validate MthK and the Kv1.2/2.1 structures as templates for open BK and Kv-channels, respectively. PMID:26831782

  6. Effective pore size and radius of capture for K(+) ions in K-channels.

    PubMed

    Moldenhauer, Hans; Díaz-Franulic, Ignacio; González-Nilo, Fernando; Naranjo, David

    2016-02-02

    Reconciling protein functional data with crystal structure is arduous because rare conformations or crystallization artifacts occur. Here we present a tool to validate the dimensions of open pore structures of potassium-selective ion channels. We used freely available algorithms to calculate the molecular contour of the pore to determine the effective internal pore radius (r(E)) in several K-channel crystal structures. r(E) was operationally defined as the radius of the biggest sphere able to enter the pore from the cytosolic side. We obtained consistent r(E) estimates for MthK and Kv1.2/2.1 structures, with r(E) = 5.3-5.9 Å and r(E) = 4.5-5.2 Å, respectively. We compared these structural estimates with functional assessments of the internal mouth radii of capture (r(C)) for two electrophysiological counterparts, the large conductance calcium activated K-channel (r(C) = 2.2 Å) and the Shaker Kv-channel (r(C) = 0.8 Å), for MthK and Kv1.2/2.1 structures, respectively. Calculating the difference between r(E) and r(C), produced consistent size radii of 3.1-3.7 Å and 3.6-4.4 Å for hydrated K(+) ions. These hydrated K(+) estimates harmonize with others obtained with diverse experimental and theoretical methods. Thus, these findings validate MthK and the Kv1.2/2.1 structures as templates for open BK and Kv-channels, respectively.

  7. Administration of Injectable Vitamin K Orally.

    PubMed

    Afanasjeva, Janna

    2017-10-01

    Background: Vitamin K, or phytonadione, is available in both injectable and oral formulations. Oral vitamin K is available as 5-mg tablets, but the key drawbacks for using vitamin K tablets consist of availability of only 1 dose strength and recent tripling of the product's cost over a 2-year period. An interest exists for utilization of injectable vitamin K via oral route. Method: A literature search was performed on April 26, 2017, to identify any studies describing the use of injectable vitamin K for oral administration. The search involved PubMed and Embase and utilized various combinations of keywords vitamin K , phytonadione , IV , intravenous , injectable , and oral . The results were limited to studies that discussed oral administration of injectable vitamin K. The efficacy of the injectable preparation of vitamin K administered orally was explored in 6 studies and one cost-savings project. Results: Based on the available literature, the administration of injectable vitamin K via oral route is effective and safe. Injectable vitamin K for oral administration can be prepared as an undiluted solution or as a compounded solution. These 2 formulations have different beyond-use dates depending on ingredients used. Conclusion: Information on efficacy and stability of injectable vitamin K formulations prepared for oral administration provides an additional option for health care systems when vitamin K tablets are unavailable or cost-prohibitive to use.

  8. k2photometry: Read, reduce and detrend K2 photometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Van Eylen, Vincent; Nowak, Grzegorz; Albrecht, Simon; Palle, Enric; Ribas, Ignasi; Bruntt, Hans; Perger, Manuel; Gandolfi, Davide; Hirano, Teriyuki; Sanchis-Ojeda, Roberto; Kiilerich, Amanda; Arranz, Jorge P.; Badenas, Mariona; Dai, Fei; Deeg, Hans J.; Guenther, Eike W.; Montanes-Rodriguez, Pilar; Narita, Norio; Rogers, Leslie A.; Bejar, Victor J. S.; Shrotriya, Tushar S.; Winn, Joshua N.; Sebastian, Daniel

    2016-02-01

    k2photometry reads, reduces and detrends K2 photometry and searches for transiting planets. MAST database pixel files are used as input; the output includes raw lightcurves, detrended lightcurves and a transit search can be performed as well. Stellar variability is not typically well-preserved but parameters can be tweaked to change that. The BLS algorithm used to detect periodic events is a Python implementation by Ruth Angus and Dan Foreman-Mackey (https://github.com/dfm/python-bls).

  9. Effects of Vitamin K3 and K5 on Daunorubicin-resistant Human T Lymphoblastoid Leukemia Cells.

    PubMed

    Nakaoka, Eri; Tanaka, Sachiko; Onda, Kenji; Sugiyama, Kentaro; Hirano, Toshihiko

    2015-11-01

    Anticancer efficacy of vitamin K derivatives on multidrug-resistant cancer cells has been scarcely investigated. The effects of vitamins K3 and K5 on proliferation of human leukemia MOLT-4 cells and on daunorubicin-resistant MOLT-4/DNR cells were estimated by a WST assay. Apoptotic cells were detected by Annexin V and propidium iodide staining, followed by flow cytometry. Vitamins K3 and K5 significantly inhibited proliferation of leukemic cells at 10 and 100 μM (p<0.05), and these effects were almost equally observed in both MOLT-4 and MOLT/DNR drug-resistant cells. Vitamin K3 induced cell apoptosis at 10 and 100 μM in both MOLT-4 and MOLT-4/DNR cells (p<0.05). Vitamin K5 also increased apoptotic cells, while rather inducing necrotic cell death. Vitamins K3 and K5 suppress MOLT-4 and MOLT-4/DNR cell-proliferation partially through induction of apoptosis, and these vitamin derivatives can overcome drug resistance due to P-glycoprotein expression. Copyright© 2015 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

  10. Long range intermolecular interactions between the alkali diatomics Na(2), K(2), and NaK.

    PubMed

    Zemke, Warren T; Byrd, Jason N; Michels, H Harvey; Montgomery, John A; Stwalley, William C

    2010-06-28

    Long range interactions between the ground state alkali diatomics Na(2)-Na(2), K(2)-K(2), Na(2)-K(2), and NaK-NaK are examined. Interaction energies are first determined from ab initio calculations at the coupled-cluster with singles, doubles, and perturbative triples [CCSD(T)] level of theory, including counterpoise corrections. Long range energies calculated from diatomic molecular properties (polarizabilities and dipole and quadrupole moments) are then compared with the ab initio energies. A simple asymptotic model potential E(LR)=E(elec)+E(disp)+E(ind) is shown to accurately represent the intermolecular interactions for these systems at long range.

  11. The K-π+ S-wave from the D+→K-π+π+ decay

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    FOCUS Collaboration; Link, J. M.; Yager, P. M.; Anjos, J. C.; Bediaga, I.; Castromonte, C.; Machado, A. A.; Magnin, J.; Massafferri, A.; de Miranda, J. M.; Pepe, I. M.; Polycarpo, E.; Dos Reis, A. C.; Carrillo, S.; Cuautle, E.; Sánchez-Hernández, A.; Uribe, C.; Vázquez, F.; Agostino, L.; Cinquini, L.; Cumalat, J. P.; Frisullo, V.; O'Reilly, B.; Segoni, I.; Stenson, K.; Butler, J. N.; Cheung, H. W. K.; Chiodini, G.; Gaines, I.; Garbincius, P. H.; Garren, L. A.; Gottschalk, E.; Kasper, P. H.; Kreymer, A. E.; Kutschke, R.; Wang, M.; Benussi, L.; Bianco, S.; Fabbri, F. L.; Zallo, A.; Casimiro, E.; Reyes, M.; Cawlfield, C.; Kim, D. Y.; Rahimi, A.; Wiss, J.; Gardner, R.; Kryemadhi, A.; Chung, Y. S.; Kang, J. S.; Ko, B. R.; Kwak, J. W.; Lee, K. B.; Cho, K.; Park, H.; Alimonti, G.; Barberis, S.; Boschini, M.; Cerutti, A.; D'Angelo, P.; Dicorato, M.; Dini, P.; Edera, L.; Erba, S.; Inzani, P.; Leveraro, F.; Malvezzi, S.; Menasce, D.; Mezzadri, M.; Moroni, L.; Pedrini, D.; Pontoglio, C.; Prelz, F.; Rovere, M.; Sala, S.; Davenport, T. F.; Arena, V.; Boca, G.; Bonomi, G.; Gianini, G.; Liguori, G.; Pegna, D. Lopes; Merlo, M. M.; Pantea, D.; Ratti, S. P.; Riccardi, C.; Vitulo, P.; Göbel, C.; Otalora, J.; Hernandez, H.; Lopez, A. M.; Mendez, H.; Paris, A.; Quinones, J.; Ramirez, J. E.; Zhang, Y.; Wilson, J. R.; Handler, T.; Mitchell, R.; Engh, D.; Hosack, M.; Johns, W. E.; Luiggi, E.; Moore, J. E.; Nehring, M.; Sheldon, P. D.; Vaandering, E. W.; Webster, M.; Sheaff, M.

    2009-10-01

    Using data from FOCUS (E831) experiment at Fermilab, we present a model independent partial-wave analysis of the K-π+ S-wave amplitude from the decay D+→K-π+π+. The S-wave is a generic complex function to be determined directly from the data fit. The P- and D-waves are parameterized by a sum of Breit-Wigner amplitudes. The measurement of the S-wave amplitude covers the whole elastic range of the K-π+ system.

  12. Development and test of a 100 kVA superconducting transformer operated at 77 K

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kummeth, P.; Schlosser, R.; Massek, P.; Schmidt, H.; Albrecht, C.; Breitfelder, D.; Neumüller, H.-W.

    2000-05-01

    High-temperature superconducting (HTS) transformers are very promising candidates for application in electrical power engineering. Their main advantages are reduced size, weight, better efficiency and reduced potential fire and environmental hazards. We have designed, constructed and tested a 100 kVA HTS power transformer operated at 77 K. The nominal primary and secondary currents (voltages) are 18 A (5.6 kV) and 92 A (1.1 kV), respectively. No-load tests, short-circuit tests and load tests proved repeatedly that the transformer has the rated capacity. HTS winding losses of 20.6 W and iron losses of 403 W were measured.

  13. A Novel Saccharomyces cerevisiae Killer Strain Secreting the X Factor Related to Killer Activity and Inhibition of S. cerevisiae K1, K2 and K28 Killer Toxins.

    PubMed

    Melvydas, Vytautas; Bružauskaitė, Ieva; Gedminienė, Genovaitė; Šiekštelė, Rimantas

    2016-09-01

    It was determined that Kx strains secrete an X factor which can inhibit all known Saccharomyces cerevisiae killer toxins (K1, K2, K28) and some toxins of other yeast species-the phenomenon not yet described in the scientific literature. It was shown that Kx type yeast strains posess a killer phenotype producing small but clear lysis zones not only on the sensitive strain α'1 but also on the lawn of S. cerevisiae K1, K2 and K28 type killer strains at temperatures between 20 and 30 °C. The pH at which killer/antikiller effect of Kx strain reaches its maximum is about 5.0-5.2. The Kx yeast were identified as to belong to S. cerevisiae species. Another newly identified S. cerevisiae killer strain N1 has killer activity but shows no antikilller properties against standard K1, K2 and K28 killer toxins. The genetic basis for Kx killer/antikiller phenotype was associated with the presence of M-dsRNA which is bigger than M-dsRNA of standard S. cerevisiae K1, K2, K28 type killer strains. Killer and antikiller features should be encoded by dsRNA. The phenomenon of antikiller (inhibition) properties was observed against some killer toxins of other yeast species. The molecular weight of newly identified killer toxins which produces Kx type strains might be about 45 kDa.

  14. Facts about Vitamin K

    MedlinePlus

    ... the amount of vitamin K they contain (USDA- ARS, 2015). Table 2. Sources of vitamin K. Food ... U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service USDA-ARS. (2015). National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release ...

  15. Simultaneous observations of Ca II K and Mg II k in T Tauri stars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Calvet, N.; Basri, G.; Imhoff, C. L.; Giampapa, M. S.

    1985-01-01

    The first simultaneous, calibrated observations of the Ca II K and Mg II k resonance lines in T Tauri stars are presented. It is found that for T Tauri stars with mass greater than 1.5 solar mass, which have radiative cores and tend to be fast rotators, the k line seems to arise in an extended region (probably also responsible for the H-alpha emission), whereas the K line apparently originates closer to the highly inhomogeneous stellar surface. The lower mass stars, which are fully convective and tend to be slow rotators, are more easily described by a largely chromospheric model, consistent with main-sequence activity structures but at greater values of the nonradiative flux. The strongest emission-line stars in the low-mass group, however, are also likely to have extended k line regions.

  16. The Psychometrics of the Mini-K.

    PubMed

    Richardson, George B; Chen, Ching-Chen; Dai, Chia-Liang; Brubaker, Michael D; Nedelec, Joseph L

    2017-01-01

    Many published studies have employed the Mini-K to measure a single fast-slow life history dimension. However, the internal structure of the Mini-K has not been determined and it is not clear that a single higher order K-factor fits the data. It is also not clear that the Mini-K is measurement invariant across groups such as the sexes. To establish the construct validity of K as well as the broader usefulness of applying life history theory to humans, it is crucial that these psychometric issues are addressed as a part of measure validation efforts. Here we report on three studies that used latent variable modeling and data drawn from two college student samples ( ns = 361 and 300) to elucidate the psychometrics of the Mini-K. We found that (a) the Mini-K had a six dimensional first-order structure, (b) the K-factor provided a parsimonious explanation of the associations among the lower order factors at no significant cost to fit, (c) the Mini-K measured the same K-factor across the sexes, (d) K-factor means did not have the same meaning across the sexes and thus the first-order factors should be used in studies of mean sex differences, and finally, (e) the K-factor was only associated with environment and aspects of mating competition in females. Implications and future directions for life history research are discussed.

  17. To Know or Not to Know: An Application of Bion's K and -K to Child Treatment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brady, Mary; Tyminski, Robert; Carey, Kristen

    2012-01-01

    The authors discuss an application of Bion's conceptualisation of thinking and non-thinking states (K and -K links) to the treatment of a nine-year-old girl. The authors consider Bion's interrelated concepts such as K and -K, container/contained, maternal reverie, and the development of thinking through alpha function to be highly applicable to…

  18. OXIDATION OF INCONEL 718 IN AIR AT TEMPERATURES FROM 973K TO 1620K.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    GREENE,G.A.; FINFROCK,C.C.

    2000-10-01

    As part of the APT project, it was necessary to quantify the release of tungsten from the APT spallation target during postulated accident conditions in order to develop accident source terms for accident consequence characterization. Experiments with tungsten rods at high temperatures in a flowing steam environment characteristic of postulated accidents revealed that considerable vaporization of the tungsten occurred as a result of reactions with the steam and that the aerosols which formed were readily transported away from the tungsten surfaces, thus exposing fresh tungsten to react with more steam. The resulting tungsten release fractions and source terms were undesirablemore » and it was decided to clad the tungsten target with Inconel 718 in order to protect it from contact with steam during an accident and mitigate the accident source term and the consequences. As part of the material selection criteria, experiments were conducted with Inconel 718 at high temperatures to evaluate the rate of oxidation of the proposed clad material over as wide a temperature range as possible, as well as to determine the high-temperature failure limit of the material. Samples of Inconel 718 were inserted into a preheated furnace at temperatures ranging from 973 K to 1620 K and oxidized in air for varying periods of time. After oxidizing in air at a constant temperature for the prescribed time and then being allowed to cool, the samples would be reweighed to determine their weight gain due to the uptake of oxygen. From these weight gain measurements, it was possible to identify three regimes of oxidation for Inconel 718: a low-temperature regime in which the samples became passivated after the initial oxidation, an intermediate-temperature regime in which the rate of oxidation was limited by diffusion and exhibited a constant parabolic rate dependence, and a high-temperature regime in which material deformation and damage accompanied an accelerated oxidation rate above the

  19. Cryogen free cooling of ASTRO-H SXS Helium Dewar from 300 K to 4 K

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kanao, Ken'ichi; Yoshida, Seiji; Miyaoka, Mikio; Tsunematsu, Shoji; Otsuka, Kiyomi; Hoshika, Shunji; Narasaki, Katsuhiro; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Yamasaki, Noriko; Takei, Yoh; Fujimoto, Ryuji; Sato, Yoichi; Okamoto, Atsushi; Noda, Hirofumi; DiPirro, Michel J.; Shirron, Peter J.

    2017-12-01

    Soft X-ray Spectrometer instrument (SXS) is one of the primary scientific instruments of ASTRO-H. SXS has a cold detector that is cooled to 50 mK by using a multi-stage Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator (ADR). SXS Dewar containing ADR provides 1.3 K heat sink by using liquid helium in nominal operation. After liquid helium is dried up, 4 K heat sink is provided by using mechanical coolers. Both nominal operation and cryogen free operation were successfully demonstrated. This paper describes the test result of cryogen free operation and cool-down performance from room temperature by using only mechanical coolers without liquid helium. The coolers on the Dewar cooled down cold mass from around 300 K to 4 K with 260 W electric power in 40 days. Cold mass is 35 kg in 4 K area including the helium tank, ADR and detector assembly.

  20. Reverse weathering in marine sediments and the geochemical cycle of potassium in seawater: Insights from the K isotopic composition (41K/39K) of deep-sea pore-fluids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Santiago Ramos, Danielle P.; Morgan, Leah; Lloyd, Nicholas S.; Higgins, John A.

    2018-01-01

    In situ Al-silicate formation, also known as “reverse weathering,” is an important sink of many of the major and minor cations in seawater (e.g. Mg, K, and Li). However, the importance of this sink in global geochemical cycles and isotopic budgets of these elements remains poorly constrained. Here, we report on the potassium isotopic composition (41">41K/39">39K) of deep-sea sediment pore-fluids from four (Integrated) Ocean Drilling Program sites (1052, U1378, U1395 and U1403) to characterize potassium isotopic fractionation associated with the formation of authigenic Al-silicate minerals in marine sediments and its role in elevating the 41">41K/39">39K of seawater relative to bulk silicate Earth. Isotopic ratios are obtained by high-resolution multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) in cold plasma conditions with a long-term external reproducibility of ca. 0.17‰. We find that, although all sites are characterized by pore-fluid K concentrations that decline with increasing depth, their K isotopic profiles vary systematically from site-to-site; at sites characterized by rapid sedimentation rates, pore-fluid profiles of 41">41K/39">39K are relatively invariant whereas at sites characterized by slow sedimentation rates, 41">41K/39">39K declines with depth by up to 1.8‰. Results from 1-D diffusion-advection-reaction models suggest that these differences may result from a complex interplay between sedimentation rate and fractionation of K isotopes during diffusion, Al-silicate authigenesis, and ion exchange. Model simulations suggest fractionation factors between 0.9980 and 1.0000 for reverse weathering reactions in deep-sea sediments. Although deep-sea sites do not constitute major sinks of K in seawater, some of the processes responsible for K isotopic fractionation at these sites (diffusion and Al-silicate authigenesis) likely play a role in determining the 41">41K/39">39K of seawater.