• Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.10-17
• /
• 2002

Quality attributes of apple are greatly affected by the cooling rate and environmental conditions during storage. Studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of cooling rate on different quality attributes of apple. The effect of $O_2$ pulldown rate of the CA chamber on the quality of apple was also determined. Two methods were used viz. conventional CA procedure and rapid CA procedure. Apples stored by medium and slow cooling methods lost its flesh firmness significantly from an initial level of 4.55 kg to 2.83 kg and 2.27 kg, respectively on 35 days after storage whereas, in rapid cooling, the firmness level changed from 4.55 kg to 3.20 kg on 35 days after storage. At the end of 35 days of storage, titratable acidity decreased insignificantly from an initial value of 0.24l% to 0.239% in the case of rapid CA whereas in the case of conventional CA it dropped significantly to 0.215% from its initial level. The initial flesh firmness of 4.55 kg also changed significantly to 4.05 kg on 35 days after storage in conventional CA whereas in rapid CA it changed to 4.36 kg, which was found to be non-significant at 5% level of significance. Total soluble solids increased from an initial level of $12.43^{\circ}$Bx to $12.60^{\circ}C.$ Bx on 35 days after storage in rapid CA whereas it increased to $13.07^{\circ}$ Bx in conventional CA. Ascorbic acid content of apple juice decreased insignificantly from 6.67 mg/100 mL to 5.87 mg/100 mL on 35 days after storage in rapid CA whereas in conventional CA, it decreased significantly to 5.27 mg/100 mL from its initial level.

• Journal of Plant Biology
• /
• v.9 no.1_2
• /
• pp.17-21
• /
• 1966

The mutual relationships of boron, Ca and sucrose were studied in relation to in vitro pollen growth and pollen bursting, by using conventient pollen from Crinum asiaticum for experiment. Crinum pollen are paticularly sensitive to Ca. Addition of very small amount of boron to cultural media was apparently synergistic to the action of sucrose and Ca in pollen germination and tube elongation. This action was extended to a higher level of boron concentraton. Combined application of boron, Ca and sucrose always gave the better results in pollen growth and protection against pollen bursting much more than when used singly. This indicated that there is a direct relationship between better growth of pollen and increased rigidity of pollen cell wall. A higher level of Ca concentration tended to increase bursting rate of pollen grains and decrease that of pollen tubes, while boron always depressed the rate of bursting. This was considered due to increased failure in pollen germination at high level of Ca that favors pollen tube elongation. The fact that Ca show an antagonistic effect on the suppressive action of high level of boron in pollen growth and shows different effect in response to pollen bursting from boron, suggested mode of Ca and boron action in the presence of sucrose is quiate different, although to increase in rigidity of pollen cell wall by them is in common nature. It was postulated therefore that Ca acts on pectins of pollen cell wall largely as "non-metabolic" and boron as "metabolic" promoter is pollen growth and protecting pollen bursting, since boron and Ca have common nature in strengthening the pollen cell wall but act differently.but act differently.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.303-307
• /
• 2003

Tributyltin (TBT) used world-wide in antifouling paints toy ships is a wide-spread environmental pollutant. At low doses, antiproliferative modes of action have been shown to be involved, whereas at higher doses apoptosis seems to be the mechanism of toxicity in reproductive organs by TBT. In this study, we investigated that the mechanisms underlying apoptosis induced by TBT in R2C cell. Effects of TBT on intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ level and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were investigated in R2C cells by fluorescence detector. TBT significantly induced intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ level in a time-dependent manner. The rise in intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ level was followed by a time-dependent generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) at the cytosol level. Simultaneously, TBT induced the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondrial membrane into the cytosol. Furthermore, ROS production and the release of cytochrome c were reduced by BAPTA, an intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ chelator, indicating the important role of $Ca^{2+}$ in R2C during these early intracellular events. In addition, Z-DEVD FMB, a caspase -3 inhibitor, decreased apoptosis by TBT. Taken together, the present results indicated that the apoptotic pathway by TBT might start with an increase in intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ level, continues with release of ROS and cytochrome c from mitochondria, activation of caspases, and finally results in DNA fragmentation.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.298-308
• /
• 1995

To investigate the effect of estrogen and dietary protein level on Ca metabolism, female rats were undergone ovariectomy or sham-operation. Ovariectomized rate were divided into either estrogen-or vehicle-treated groups. Each treatment group was again divided into 40%-casein(H) or 10%-casein(L) diet groups. All experimental diets contained 0.2% Ca, 0.4% P and fed to rats for 8 weeks. Apparant Ca absorption and Ca balance were not affected by dietary protein level and ovariectomy, however they were increased by estrogen injection and this effect was even higher in low protein groups. Urinary Ca excretion were higher in high protein groups. GFR was not affected by dietary protein level, ovariectomy, or by estrogen injection. Urinary protein excretion was higher in high protein groups, which implies that the kidney funtion was deteriorated by high protein diet, and this may account partly for the higher urinary Ca in high protein groups. Ovariectomy or estrogen treatment had no effect on urinary protein excretion. Urinary hydroxyproline was higher in ovariectomized rats and increased in high protein grous. Elevated value of ovarictomized rats was lowered by estrogen injection, especially in low protein group. Alkaline phosphatase tended to increase in ovariectomized groups and lowered with estrogen treatment, but this difference was not statistically significant. Serum PTH was not affected by ovariectomy and dietary protein level. Therefore the increased hydroxproline excretion does not seem to be attributed to PTH. Dietary protein level, ovariectomy and estrogen treatment did not affect the weights and components of femur, scapular, and 4th vertebra. Ash/wt ratio of femur was, however, lower in ovariectomized rats and increased with estrogen treatment. Therefore, among the bones studied, femur seemed to be the most vulnerable. The results of this study shows that estrogen treatment may alleviate or reduce bone loss in postmenopausal women somewhat, especially for those people with low protein diet.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.185-189
• /
• 2015

Background: Due to the increase in morbidity and mortality rate, cancer has become an alarming threat to the human population worldwide. Since cancer is a progressive disorder, timely diagnosis is necessary to prevent/stop cancer from progressing to a severe stage. In Khyber Paktunkhwa, Pakistan, many tumors are diagnosed with endoscopy and biopsy; rare studies exist regarding the diagnosis and evaluation of ovarian cancer, based on tumor markers like CA-125. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to investigate and evaluate levels of CA-125 in hospitalized ovarian cancer patients. Materials and Methods: In this study, a total of 63 admitted patients having ovarian cancer by biopsy were included. The level of CA-125 was determined in the blood of these patients using ELISA technique. Results: Out of 63 patients, the level of CA-125 was high in 52%. The affected individuals were more in the group of 40-60 and the level of CA-125 was comparatively higher in patients having moderately differentiated histology than those having well differentiated and poorly differentiated tumor histology. Moreover, the highest level of CA-125 was present among the patients having serous subtype of carcinoma and the common stage of carcinoma was stage II followed by stage III, I and IV. Conclusions: CA-125 level was high in more than 50% of the total patients. Moreover, CA-125 elevation was more common in serous subtype and stage II cancer patients.

• Exercise Science
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.229-237
• /
• 2017

PURPOSE: This study was to investigate the Glycolysis mediated sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) $Ca^{2+}$ signal regulates mitochondria $Ca^{2+}$ during skeletal muscle contraction by using glycolysis inhibitor. METHODS: To examine the effect of Glycolysis inhibitor on SR and mitochondria $Ca^{2+}$ content, we used skeletal muscle fiber from gastrocnemius muscle. 2-deoxy glucose and 3-bromo pyruvate used as glycolysis inhibitor, it applied to electrically stimulated muscle contraction experiment. Intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ content, SR, mitochondria $Ca^{2+}$ level and mitochondria membrane potential (MMP) was detected by confocal microscope. Mitochondrial energy metabolism related enzyme, citric acid synthase activity also examined for mitochondrial function during the muscle contraction. RESULTS: Treatment of 2-DG and 3BP decreased the muscle contraction induced SR $Ca^{2+}$ increase however the mitochondria $Ca^{2+}$ level was increased by treatment of inhibitors and showed and overloading as compared with the control group. Glycolysis inhibitor and thapsigargin treatment showed a significant decrease in MPP of skeletal muscle cells compared to the control group. CS activity significantly decreased after pretreatment of glycolysis inhibitor during skeletal muscle contraction. These results suggest that regulation of mitochondrial $Ca^{2+}$ levels by glycolysis is an important factor in mitochondrial energy production during skeletal muscle contraction CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that mitochondria $Ca^{2+}$ level can be regulated by SR $Ca^{2+}$ level and glycolytic regulation of intraocular $Ca^{2+}$ signal play pivotal role in regulation of mitochondria energy metabolism during the muscle contraction.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.40 no.5
• /
• pp.419-427
• /
• 2007

This study explored the effects of dietary calcium level and Hijikia fusiforme supplementation on bone indices and serum lipid levels using 36 female Sprague-Dawley rats as a model. Rats received low Ca diet for 3 weeks after ovariectomy. The rats were then divided into six dietary groups and fed low (0.1% Ca), normal (0.5% Ca) and high (1.5% Ca) Ca diets (CaL, CaN, CaH) and low, normal, high Ca diets with Hijikia fusiforme supplementation (CaLH, CaNH, CaHH) for 3 weeks. After each experimental periods, 24 hour urine and/or blood samples, left and right femurs were collected for analysis. Serum Ca concentration showed no significant difference by dietary Ca levels and Hijikia fusiforme supplementation. Alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly higher in normal and high Ca group compared to low Ca group. Serum total cholesterol, triglyceride and total lipid were not significantly different among groups. HDL-cholesterol showed no significant difference by Hijikia fusiforme supplementation. However, the normal and high Ca groups showed significantly higher HDL-cholesterol compared to the low Ca group. Urinary hydroxyproline and hydroxyproline/creatinine ratio were not significantly different among groups. The wet weight of the femur was significantly higher in low Ca group compared to normal or high Ca group. The dry weight, wet weight/body weight, length and breaking force of the femur were not significantly different among groups. Ash contents/wet weight of the femur was significantly increased as dietary Ca levels up and significantly higher in Hijikia fusiforme supplementation groups. The Ca content of the femur were significantly higher in the normal and high Ca groups than the low Ca group. However, there was no significant difference in Ca content by Hijikia fusiforme supplementation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.677-684
• /
• 1999

This study has dealt the effect of Ca regulating hormones and dietary Ca levels on Ca metabolism. Animals(BALB/c mice) were divided into three dietary groups(high and medium Ca and Ca free) and hormones including parathyroid hormone(PTH), calcitonin(CT), cholecalciferol(Vit D) were i.p. injected. After feeding experimental diets for five weeks, mice were anaethetized and sacrificed by heart puncture. We found that femur growth of mouse was slightly increased by high dietary Ca without showing statistical significance comparing to low dietary Ca group. The combination of PTH and CT showed the same effect when dietary Ca was high. At the same time, total mineral retention in bone was most affected by dietary Ca. In general, high Ca diet elevated Ca level in the serum. When dietary Ca was low, PTH stimulated Ca release from the bone into the serum, which was shown to be inhibited by CT treatment. Comparing to the control, PTH, Vit D and CT together tended to inhibit serum Ca level at high and medium dietary Ca. PTH and Vit D inhibited Ca reserve in the liver at all dietary levels of Ca. Both PTH and Vit D stimulated bone Ca retention when dietary Ca was low, but this effect was reversed when dietary Ca was high. When PTH, Vit D and CT were administered together, bone Ca level was greatly enhanced at low dietary Ca than at high dietary Ca, which suggests that these hormonal cooperation is needed for proper bone density maintenance especially when dietary minerals are not sufficient.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.47-58
• /
• 1987

It has been reported that the luteal function may be regulated by the intracellular $Ca^{++}$ level which may be adjusted partially by the high affinity $Ca^{++}-ATPase$ in luteal cell membranes. Then, one may expect that luteotropic and/or luteolytic agents, such as gonadotropins, prostaglandin $F_{2{\alpha}}\;(PGF_{2{\alpha}})$ and ouabain, affect the intracellular $Ca^{++}$ level. In this present study, therefore, we examined the effects of luteinizing hormone (LH, or human chorionic gonadotropin, hCG), $PGF_{2{\alpha}}$ and ouabain on the kinetic properties of the high affinity $Ca^{++}-ATPase$ in light membrane, heavy membrane, and microsomal fractions from the highly luteinized ovary. LH (or hCG) increased the affinity and the Vmax for $Ca^{++}$ both in light membrane and heavy membrane. $PGF_{2{\alpha}}$ increased the Vmax in light membrane and decreased the Km in heavy membrane for $Ca^{++}$ at low concentration $(5\;{\mu}g/ml)$. At higher concentration, however, $PGF_{2{\alpha}}$ oppositly affected on kinetic properties, that shown at low concentration. Ouabain, a potent inhibitor of $Na^+-K^+-ATPase$, increased the Km at high concentration $(10^{-4}\;M)$, however, decreased the Vmax for $Ca^{++}$ in light membrane at low concentration $(10^{-6}\;M)$. Also, ouabain increased the Km for $Ca^{++}$ in heavy membrane without changes in the Vmax at both concentrations. It seems that LH and low dose of $PGF_{2{\alpha}}$ increase the intracellular $Ca^{++}$ level and cause in activation of $Ca^{++}-ATPase$, however, higher dose of $PGF_{2{\alpha}}$ and ouabain inhibit directly $Ca^{++}-ATPase$ activity and result in increase in intracellular $Ca^{++}$ level. According to the above results, we suggest that luteotropic and/or luteolytic agents regulate the luteal progesterone $(P_4)$ production through two different pathways; one is cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent and another is $Ca^{++}-dependent$. Intracellula. $Ca^{++}$ level regulated by the high affinity $Ca^{++}-ATPase$ may affect both pathways in a time-dependent fashion. LH (or hCG) acts on the luteal $P_4$ production via both pathways. The initial step is $Ca^{++}$ dependent, and the late step is cAMP dependent. $PGF_{2{\alpha}}$ and ouabain increase the intracellular $Ca^{++}$ concentration so that basal luteal $P_4$ production is increased and LH-stimulated $P_4$ production is inhibited by the inhibiting LH-dependent adenylate cyclase activity.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.309-320
• /
• 1995

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of calcium levels(50, 100 and 200% of requirement) on metabolism of Ca, Na and K in Young and adult female rats for 3 weeks. There was no significant difference in feed intake, body weight gain and feed efficiency ratio among the groups of different Ca intake level. Serum Na level of high-Ca group was significantly lower than that of low-Ca or normal-Ca group in Young rats. There was no significant difference in liver Ca and K contents among the groups of different Ca intake levels. But, Na content in liver was decreased by the increase of dietary Ca intake. Ca content in kidney of high-Ca group in young rats and normal-Ca group in adult rats were significantly higher than those of other groups. Na content in kidney of low-Ca group was lower than those of normal-Ca and high-Ca groups. Urinary excretions of Na and K and fecal excretion of Ca were increased by the increase of dietary Ca intake. But, fecal excretions of Na and K were not affected by dietary Ca intake. According to this study, it was found that the high Ca consumption promotes excretions of fecal Ca and urinary Na and K in rats. The study verifies the need for more study on the interrelationship among Ca, Na and K metabolism and bood pressure.