Isolation and characterization of a thermophilic, obligately anaerobic and heterotrophic marine Chloroflexi bacterium from a Chloroflexi dominated microbial community associated with a Japanese shallow hydrothermal system, and proposal for Thermomarinilinea lacunofontalis gen. nov., sp. nov.

A novel marine thermophilic and heterotrophic Anaerolineae bacterium in the phylum Chloroflexi, strain SW7T, was isolated from an in situ colonization system deployed in the main hydrothermal vent of the Taketomi submarine hot spring field located on the southern part of Yaeyama Archipelago, Japan. The microbial community associated with the hydrothermal vent was predominated by thermophilic heterotrophs such as Thermococcaceae and Anaerolineae, and the next dominant population was thermophilic sulfur oxidizers. Both aerobic and anaerobic hydrogenotrophs including methanogens were detected as minor populations. During the culture-dependent viable count analysis in this study, an Anaerolineae strain SW7T was isolated from an enrichment culture at a high dilution rate. Strain SW7T was an obligately anaerobic heterotroph grew with fermentation, and non-motile thin rods 3.5-16.5 μm in length and 0.2 μm in width constituting multicellular filament. Growth was observed between 37-65 ℃ (optimum 60℃), pH 5.5-7.3 (optimum pH 6.0), 0.5-3.5% (w/v) NaCl concentration (optimum 1.0%). Based on physiological and phylogenetic features of a new isolate, we propose a new species representing a novel genus Thermomarinilinea: the type strain of Thermomarinilinea lacunofontalis sp. nov., is SW7T (= JCM15506T = KCTC5908T)

Development of D-to-D-to-P telemedicine at a remote island hospital using smart glasses

Background: Medical resources on remote islands are limited, which makes it difficult for patients to receive specialized medical care.Purpose: This study aimed to develop and evaluate a method to perform doctor-to-doctor-to-patient (D-to-D-to-P) telemedicine.Methods: The-D-to-D-to-P telemedicine was implemented to provide specialized medical support from a neurologist at Nagasaki University Hospital to a rural physician wearing camera-equipped smart glasses at Goto Chuoh Hospital on a remote island, which was called a virtual neurological outpatient (VNO). For the first six months, the rural physician independently saw patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and then for the next six months, VNO was implemented. Comparisons were made before and after the implementation of the VNO. Next, by adding a 4 K overhead camera, in-person examinations of a single outpatient were compared between the rural physician with VNO and another neurologist unrelated to the VNO.Results: The clinical efficacy of VNO was not superior to no VNO, but had a learning effect on rural physicians and was satisfactory for patients. By adding a 4 K overhead camera to the VNO, the accuracy of the in-person examination by the rural physician was shown to be equivalent to that of an in-person neurologist.Conclusion: VNO using smart glasses could be applied for D-to-D-to-P telemedicine in neurology. However, to promote telemedicine on remote islands, it will be necessary to improve the system to make it more accessible to rural physicians

Perfusion abnormality in neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease with stroke-like episode: A case report

Neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID) is a slowly progressive neurodegenerative disease. Some patients with NIID occasionally present with acute symptoms. However, its mechanism remains unclear. We report a patient with NIID who presented with a stroke-like episode. Arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging revealed hypoperfusion in the focal cerebral region at the onset while no apparent arterial occlusion was observed. The abnormal perfusion area was normalized 6 days after admission. Therefore, the perfusion abnormality was likely the main cause of acute neurologic deficits in NIID. NIID should be considered in the differential diagnosis of stroke mimics

A deeply branching thermophilic bacterium with an ancient acetyl-CoA pathway dominates a subsurface ecosystem

<div><p>A nearly complete genome sequence of <em>Candidatus</em> ‘Acetothermum autotrophicum’, a presently uncultivated bacterium in candidate division OP1, was revealed by metagenomic analysis of a subsurface thermophilic microbial mat community. Phylogenetic analysis based on the concatenated sequences of proteins common among 367 prokaryotes suggests that <em>Ca.</em> ‘A. autotrophicum’ is one of the earliest diverging bacterial lineages. It possesses a folate-dependent Wood-Ljungdahl (acetyl-CoA) pathway of CO₂ fixation, is predicted to have an acetogenic lifestyle, and possesses the newly discovered archaeal-autotrophic type of bifunctional fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase/phosphatase. A phylogenetic analysis of the core gene cluster of the acethyl-CoA pathway, shared by acetogens, methanogens, some sulfur- and iron-reducers and dechlorinators, supports the hypothesis that the core gene cluster of <em>Ca.</em> ‘A. autotrophicum’ is a particularly ancient bacterial pathway. The habitat, physiology and phylogenetic position of <em>Ca.</em> ‘A. autotrophicum’ support the view that the first bacterial and archaeal lineages were H₂-dependent acetogens and methanogenes living in hydrothermal environments.</p> </div

Abbreviated BioBrick Prefix and Suffix for More Efficient Primer Design

This Request for Comments (RFC) modifies the assembly standard for biological parts proposed in BBF RFC 10 by removing the NotI restriction site from the BioBrick Prefix and Suffix

シンガポール・ジュロン鳥類公園のアカハシコサイチョウ（Tockus erythrorhynchus）で確認されたCyclocoelidae科吸虫について

On January 2013, a female red-billed hornbill, Tockus erythrorhvnchus. kept in Jurong Bird Park, Singapore, was admitted with severe dyspnea with high pitch sound. It vomited reddish fluid and was recumbent. It stood up for a few minutes after oxygenation, but became unresponsive again and died shortly after. At necropsy, many trematodes were collected from the air-sacs, lungs and trachea. Based on their morphology, the trematodes were identified as Szidatitrema sp. (Cyclocoelidae). This is the first record of a cyclocoelid species from the red-billed hornbill. Taking the life cycle of the family Cyclocoelidae into consideration, the case might have swallowed a certain snail with the metacercaria of the trematode. There has been no report on the pathological effect to the host bird by the trematode, but the severe respiratory symptom found in the present case might be provoked by the trematode.　2013年1月、シンガポールのジュロン鳥類公園で飼育するアカハシコサイチョウ(Tockus erythrorhynchus)が著しい呼吸促迫ならびに赤色液状物吐出を主徴とした呼吸器症状を呈して斃死した。この個体の気嚢および肺・気管からCyclocoelidae科吸虫が発見された。Szidatitrema属と同定されたが、種同定は良好な標本の再採集の機会を待ちたい。本科吸虫の生活史の特色として、中間宿主となる貝内にメタセルカリア寄生も起こることが知られていることから、そのような貝類摂取による感染が推測される。この鳥種からCyclocoelidae科吸虫が発見されたのは初めてであった。少数寄生では宿主に与える影響は小さいと考えられるが、今回の症例は呼吸困難な状態で斃死し、剖検で呼吸器系に多数虫体が確認されていたことから、死因の一部となっていたことが考えられた

Recent Infectious Diseases or their Responsible Agents Recorded from Japanese Wild Birds

Birds : evolution and behavior, breeding strategies, migration and spread of disease (editors, Lucas Ruiz and Franco Iglesias

An Overview of Recent Parasitic Diseases due to Helminths and Arthropods Recorded from Wild Birds, with Special Reference to Conservation Medical Cases from the Wild Animal Medical Center of Rakuno Gakuen University in Japan

Birds : evolution and behavior, breeding strategies, migration and spread of disease (editors, Lucas Ruiz and Franco Iglesias

ヤギ汁の食味試験による官能評価

Sensory research was carried out in order to investigate the consumer palatability of goat meat. One of traditional Okinawa dish, soup of goat meat was investigated by panel test. The sensory research was conducted by 123 ordinary consumers (male: 83, female: 40). The survey research was carried out based on a questionnaire about taste, aroma, toughness, and greasiness of the meat, where each question was made of five choices. Factors related to profile of the panelists were sex, age, place of origin and preference of the panelists were investigated. In toughness and greasiness, female panelists tended to evaluate the meat more tough and greasy than male panelists (P < 0.05). In toughness, the panelists in age of 21-60 class tended to evaluate the meat more tough than panelists of under 20 (P < 0.05). In aroma and aggregate score, local panelists tended to evaluate the meat stronger smell than visitors (P < 0.05). This survey study reveals preference of the panelists for goat soup is the most important factor to make favor/disfavor decision. This tendency was especially significant in evaluation of aroma, where more local panelists tend to favor the aroma of goat soup.ヤギ汁の食味試験による官能評価を行う目的で、沖縄県内において最も普通に食されている手法で調理したヤギ汁を用いて、食味試験を実施した。食味試験は男性83名、女性40名の計123名を無作為に抽出して実施した。試験は味、香り、硬さ、および脂っこさの項目について5段階評価（最も良い：2、良い：1、普通：0、 悪い：-1、最も悪い：-2）として、試食後に速やかに記入させた。 女性は男性に比べヤギ汁の肉を堅く評価し、さらに脂っこいと評価した（P < 0.05）。またヤギ汁肉に対する硬さは21-60 歳までが他の年代よりも有意に硬いと評価した（P < 0.05）。被験者の出身地では、地元の人が県外の人よりもヤギ汁の匂いおよび総合評価において高く評価した（P < 0.05）。ヤギ汁の経験では、ヤギ汁を好む人が未経験および嫌いとする人に比べ有意に味、香り、硬さ、脂っこさおよび総合評価の全ての項目において高く評価した（P < 0.05）。今回の試験から、ヤギ汁の経験が評価に大きな影響を与えていることが示唆された。これらの結果から、今後、ヤギ肉の消費拡大を検討する場合、ヤギ汁の食経験をいかに拡げていくかが重要であると考えられた。その上で、女性にも食べやすいような調理法の工夫などが必要であろうと考えられる