Bacteriocins Produced by Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Use for Food Preservation

With the shift in consumer preference to foods minimally processed and free from chemical preservatives, bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have received much attention due to their potential use as natural food preservatives. It has been shown that nisin, the only bacteriocin approved so far, and some of the newly isolated novel bacteriocins are effective biopreservatives in certain food systems in which concentrated bacteriocin preparations or the bacteriocin-producing strains have been used. Here, the state of this subject at present is outlined

Mass, nitrogen content, and decomposition of woody debris in forest stands affected by excreta deposited in nesting colonies of Great Cormorant

First online: 14 March 2015Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), a piscivorous bird, has established breeding colonies in a coniferous forest near Lake Biwa in central Japan. This study investigated the possible effects of the colony’s excreta on the mass, nitrogen (N) content, and decomposition of woody debris. Study plots were established in forest stands representing four stages from breeding colony establishment to post-abandonment. The mass of fallen branches (diameter 1–5 cm) and coarse woody debris (logs, snags, and stumps; diameter ≥10 cm) was greater in forest stands colonized by Cormorants than a control stand never colonized by Cormorants. This was primarily attributed to Cormorant activity that caused increased mortality of standing trees and by Cormorants breaking branches for nesting materials. Nitrogen content of branches and logs that had fallen to the forest floor was negatively correlated with the relative density of wood. Nitrogen content of branches was consistently higher (at a given value of relative density) in the colonized stands than in the control stand. The increase of branch N content was possibly caused by the incorporation of N into decomposing branches with excreta-derived N supplied as throughfall and/or soil solution. The mean value of 2-year mass loss of recently dead branches and logs was significantly greater for woody debris in the smallest diameter class but was not significantly different among the forest stands. This suggests that the excessive supply of excreta-derived N and concomitant enrichment of N in soil had negligible effects on the initial stages of decomposition of woody debris

High-Phosphorus Diet Induces Osteopontin Expression of Renal Tubules in Rats

High-phosphorus (P) diet induces nephrocalcinosis in rats; however, the mechanism for onset of this disorder is unclear. The calcium (Ca) deposits in kidney are a form of hydroxyapatite, while osteopontin is combined with hydroxyapatite. Based on these observations, we speculated that the osteopontin play an important role in the formation of the Ca deposits induced by high-P diet. This study was investigated the effect of high-P diet on osteopontin expression in kidney. Female Wistar rats were fed diets containing P concentrations of either 0.3% (control diet) or 1.5% (high-P diet) for 14 days. On von Kossa staining, Ca deposits were seen in the tubules of the cortex, outer medulla and inner medulla in rats fed on the high-P diet. Expression of osteopontin was confirmed in rats fed on the high-P diet by immunohistochemical staining, and the localization of this protein was in the same region as the Ca deposits. On the other hand, no evidence of Ca deposits and osteopontin expression was observed in the tubules of the cortex, outer medulla or inner medulla of rats fed on the control diet. These results suggest that high-P diet induces osteopontin expression in the renal tubules. Moreover, our results suggest that increase in osteopontin expression in the renal tubules is presumably involved in the formation of Ca deposits induced by high-P diet

Effects of High Phosphorus Diet on Bone Metabolism-Related Gene Expression in Young and Aged Mice

In this study, the effects of high phosphorus (P) diet on bone metabolism-related gene expression were investigated in young and aged mice. Twelve- and 80-week-old ddY male mice were divided into two groups, respectively, and fed a control diet containing 0.3% P or a high P diet containing 1.2% P. After 4 weeks of treatment, serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentration was significantly higher in the high P groups than in the control groups in both young and aged mice and was significantly higher in aged mice than in young mice fed the high P diet. High P diet significantly increased receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) mRNA in the femur of both young and aged mice and significantly increased the RANKL/osteoprotegerin (OPG) mRNA ratio only in aged mice. High P diet significantly increased mRNA expression of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 6, calbindin-D9k, and plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase 1b in the duodenum of both young and aged mice. These results suggest that high P diet increased RANKL mRNA expression in the femur and calcium absorption-related gene expression in the duodenum regardless of age. Furthermore, the high P diet-induced increase in PTH secretion might increase the RANKL/OPG mRNA ratio in aged mice

Dissolved methane distribution in surface seawater and its controlling factors in mid- and high-latitudes in the Southern Ocean

第6回極域科学シンポジウム分野横断セッション：[IB1] 海氷域における生物地球化学的研究11月17日（火）　統計数理研究所 セミナー室1（D305

Separation of immature granules containing color dye from the rat parotid gland

Parotid acinar cell contains many secretory granules. Most of granules are mature, but only little immature granules are included. These immature granules are not enough for investigation of granule maturation. In this study, we show an easy method of separation of immature granules from the rat parotid gland. In addition, we succeeded in detection of color dye in the granules. These results suggest that secretory granules can be visualized through endocytosis

Comparison of Efficacy and Safety between Mosapride and Acotiamide for Japanese patients with Functional Dyspepsia

　Background: 5-HT4 agonists (mosapride) and acetylcholine esterase inhibitor (acotiamide) are prokinetics used to treat functional dyspepsia (FD). However, to date, there has been no direct comparative study between them. The aim of this study was to compare the drugs’ efficacy and safety and to determine their predictive biomarkers.　Methods: The present study was a prospective, randomized, open-labeled, and crossover trial in Japanese FD patients. FD was diagnosed using Rome IV. We performed upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy, GI symptom rating scale, and 8-item Short-Form Health Survey to evaluate the presence of GI disorders, GI symptoms, and quality of life (QOL), respectively. Responders were defined when reporting at least a 40% improvement of the GSRS scores from their baseline.　Results: In total, 60 Japanese FD patients were randomly assigned to the acotiamide preceding group (n = 30) or mosapride preceding group (n = 30), and 51 patients were finally analyzed. Following treatment with both mosapride and acotiamide, GI symptoms and QOL scores improved significantly. The responder rates of mosapride and acotiamide were 37% and 33%, respectively. No severe adverse clinical event developed. The prevalence of H. pylori eradication history was significantly lower in the mosapride responder group than in the nonresponder group (45.9% vs. 14.2%, p = 0.03).　Discussion: Mosapride and acotiamide had similar effects on GI symptoms in FD patients in the absence of severe adverse events. H. pylori infection might impact in the pathogenesis of functional dyspepsia. Further investigation is needed to clarify the difference between mosapride and acotiamide

A salmon DNA scaffold promotes osteogenesis through activation of sodium-dependent phosphate cotransporters.

We previously reported the promotion of bone regeneration in calvarial defects of both normal and ovariectomy-induced osteoporotic rats, with the use of biodegradable DNA/protamine scaffold. However, the method by which this DNA-containing scaffold promotes bone formation is still not understood. We hypothesize that the salmon DNA, from which this scaffold is derived, has an osteoinductive effect on pre-osteoblasts and osteoblasts. We examined the effects of salmon DNA on osteoblastic differentiation and calcification in MC3T3-E1 cells, mouse osteoblasts, in vitro and bone regeneration in a calvarial defect model of aged mouse in vivo. The salmon DNA fragments (300 bps) upregulated the expression of the osteogenic markers, such as alkaline phosphatase, Runx2, and osterix (Osx) in MC3T3E1 cells compared with incubation with osteogenic induction medium alone. Measurement of phosphate ion concentrations in cultures showed that the DNA scaffold degraded phosphate ions were released to the cell cultures. Interestingly, we found that the inclusion of DNA in osteoblastic cell cultures upregulated the expression of sodium-dependent phosphate (NaPi) cotransporters, SLC20A1 and SLC34A2, in MC3T3-E1 cells in a time dependent manner. Furthermore, the inclusion of DNA in cell cultures increased the transcellular permeability of phosphate. Conversely, the incubation of phosphonoformic acid, an inhibitor of NaPi cotransporters, attenuated the DNA-induced expression and activation of SLC20A1 and SLC34A2 in MC3T3-E1 cells, resulting in suppression of the osteogenic markers. The implantation of a salmon DNA scaffold disk promoted bone regeneration using calvarial defect models in 30-week-old mice. Our results indicate that the phosphate released from salmon DNA upregulated the expression and activation of NaPi cotransporters, resulting in the promotion of bone regeneration.福岡歯科大学2016年

Cisplatin-induced programmed cell death ligand-2 expression is associated with metastasis ability in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Programmed cell death ligands (PD-Ls) are expressed in tumor cells where they bind to programmed cell death-1, an immunocyte co-receptor, resulting in tumor cell evasion from the immune system. Chemotherapeutic drugs have been recently reported to induce the expression of PD-L, such as PD-L1, in some cancer cells. However, little is known regarding PD-L2 expression and its role in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). In this study, we examined the effect of cisplatin on the expression and regulation of PD-L2 in OSCC cell lines and analyzed malignant behavior in PD-L2-expressing cells using colony, transwell and transformation assays. In addition, we examined PD-L2 expression in the tumor tissues of OSCC patients using cytology and tissue microarray methods. In OSCC cell lines, cisplatin treatment upregulated PD-L2 expression, along with that of the drug efflux transporter ABCG2, via signal transducers and activator of transcription (STAT) 1/3 activation. Moreover, PD-L2-positive or PD-L2-overexpressing cells demonstrated upregulation in both invasion and transformation ability but not in proliferation compared with PD-L2-negative or PD-L2-silencing cells. PD-L2 expression was also observed in OSCC cells of cytology samples and tissue from OSCC patients. The intensity of PD-L2 expression was correlated with more malignant morphological features in the histological appearance and an invasive pattern. Our findings indicate that cisplatin-upregulated PD-L2 expression in OSCC via STAT1/3 activation and the expression of PD-L2 are likely to be associated with malignancy in OSCC. The PD-L2 expression in cisplatin-resistant OSCC cells may be a critical factor in prognosis of advanced OSCC patients.福岡歯科大学2019年

Development of Stress Intensity Factors for Surface Cracks With Large Aspect Ratio in Plates,”

A number of surface cracks with large aspect ratio have been detected in components of nuclear power plants (NPPs) in recent years. The depths of these cracks are even larger than the half of crack lengths. When a crack is detected during in-service inspections, methods provided in ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section XI or JSME Rules on fitness-for-service for NPPs can be used to assess the structural integrity of cracked components. The solution of the stress intensity factor (SIF) is very important in the structural integrity assessment. However, in the current codes, the solutions of the SIF are provided for semi-elliptical surface cracks with a limitation of a/' 0.5, where a is the crack depth, and ' is the crack length. In this study, the solutions of the SIF were calculated using finite element analysis (FEA) with quadratic hexahedron elements for semielliptical surface cracks with large aspect ratio in plates. The crack dimensions were focused on the range of a/' ¼ 0.5-4.0 and a/t ¼ 0.0-0.8, where t is the wall thickness. Solutions were provided at both the deepest and the surface points of the surface cracks. Furthermore, some of solutions were compared with the available existing results as well as with solutions obtained using FEA with quadratic tetrahedral elements and the virtual crack closure-integral method (VCCM). Finally, it was concluded that the solutions proposed in this paper are applicable in engineering applications