Changes in bacterial number at different sites of oral cavity during perioperative oral care management in gastrointestinal cancer patients: preliminary study

Objective: The objective of this study was to clarify differences in bacterial accumulation between gastrointestinal cancer patients who underwent severely invasive surgery and those who underwent minimally invasive surgery. Material and Methods: We performed a preliminary investigation of gastrointestinal cancer patients who were treated at the Department of Surgery, Takarazuka Municipal Hospital, from 2015 to 2017 (n=71; 42 laparoscopic surgery, 29 open surgery) to determine changes in bacterial numbers at different sites of the oral cavity (tongue dorsum, gingiva of upper anterior teeth, palatoglossal arch), as well as mouth dryness and tongue coating indices. Specifically, patients received professional tooth cleaning (PTC), scaling, tongue cleaning, and self-care instruction regarding tooth brushing from a dental hygienist a day before the operation. Professional oral health care was also performed by a dental hygienist two and seven days after surgery. Oral bacteria numbers were determined using a bacterial counter with a dielectrophoretic impedance measurement method. Results: The number of bacteria at all three examined sites were significantly higher in the open surgery group when compared to the laparoscopic surgery group on the second postoperative day. Relevantly, bacterial count in samples from the gingiva of the upper anterior teeth remained greater seven days after the operation in patients who underwent open surgery. Furthermore, the dry mouth index level was higher in the open surgery group when compared to the laparoscopic surgery group on postoperative days 2 and 7. Conclusions: Even with regular oral health care, bacterial numbers remained high in the upper incisor tooth gingiva in gastrointestinal cancer patients who received open surgery. Additional procedures are likely needed to effectively reduce the number of bacteria in the gingival area associated with the upper anterior teet

Differential Actions of Orexin Receptors in Brainstem Cholinergic and Monoaminergic Neurons Revealed by Receptor Knockouts: Implications for Orexinergic Signaling in Arousal and Narcolepsy

Orexin neuropeptides influence multiple homeostatic functions and play an essential role in the expression of normal sleep-wake behavior. While their two known receptors (OX1 and OX2) are targets for novel pharmacotherapeutics, the actions mediated by each receptor remain largely unexplored. Using brain slices from mice constitutively lacking either receptor, we used whole-cell and Ca(2+) imaging methods to delineate the cellular actions of each receptor within cholinergic [laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDT)] and monoaminergic [dorsal raphe (DR) and locus coeruleus (LC)] brainstem nuclei-where orexins promote arousal and suppress REM sleep. In slices from OX(-/-) 2 mice, orexin-A (300 nM) elicited wild-type responses in LDT, DR, and LC neurons consisting of a depolarizing current and augmented voltage-dependent Ca(2+) transients. In slices from OX(-/-) 1 mice, the depolarizing current was absent in LDT and LC neurons and was attenuated in DR neurons, although Ca(2+)-transients were still augmented. Since orexin-A produced neither of these actions in slices lacking both receptors, our findings suggest that orexin-mediated depolarization is mediated by both receptors in DR, but is exclusively mediated by OX1 in LDT and LC neurons, even though OX2 is present and OX2 mRNA appears elevated in brainstems from OX(-/-) 1 mice. Considering published behavioral data, these findings support a model in which orexin-mediated excitation of mesopontine cholinergic and monoaminergic neurons contributes little to stabilizing spontaneous waking and sleep bouts, but functions in context-dependent arousal and helps restrict muscle atonia to REM sleep. The augmented Ca(2+) transients produced by both receptors appeared mediated by influx via L-type Ca(2+) channels, which is often linked to transcriptional signaling. This could provide an adaptive signal to compensate for receptor loss or prolonged antagonism and may contribute to the reduced severity of narcolepsy in single receptor knockout mice

Optical and Near-Infrared Photometry of Nova V2362 Cyg : Rebrightening Event and Dust Formation

We present optical and near-infrared (NIR) photometry of a classical nova, V2362 Cyg (= Nova Cygni 2006). V2362 Cyg experienced a peculiar rebrightening with a long duration from 100 to 240 d after the maximum of the nova. Our multicolor observation indicates an emergence of a pseudophotosphere with an effective temperature of 9000 K at the rebrightening maximum. After the rebrightening maximum, the object showed a slow fading homogeneously in all of the used bands for one week. This implies that the fading just after the rebrightening maximum ( less or equal 1 week ) was caused by a slowly shrinking pseudophotosphere. Then, the NIR flux drastically increased, while the optical flux steeply declined. The optical and NIR flux was consistent with blackbody radiation with a temperature of 1500 K during this NIR rising phase. These facts are likely to be explained by dust formation in the nova ejecta. Assuming an optically thin case, we estimate the dust mass of 10^(-8) -- 10^(-10) M_solar, which is less than those in typical dust-forming novae. These results support the senario that a second, long-lasting outflow, which caused the rebrightening, interacted with a fraction of the initial outflow and formed dust grains.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 2010, PASJ, 62, 1103--1108, in pres

The 2006 November outburst of EG Aquarii: the SU UMa nature revealed

We report time-resolved CCD photometry of the cataclysmic variable EG Aquarii during the 2006 November outburst During the outburst, superhumps were unambiguously detected with a mean period of 0.078828(6) days, firstly classifying the object as an SU UMa-type dwarf nova. It also turned out that the outburst contained a precursor. At the end of the precursor, immature profiles of humps were observed. By a phase analysis of these humps, we interpreted the features as superhumps. This is the second example that the superhumps were shown during a precursor. Near the maximum stage of the outburst, we discovered an abrupt shift of the superhump period by ${\sim}$ 0.002 days. After the supermaximum, the superhump period decreased at the rate of $\dot{P}/P$=$-8.2{\times}10^{-5}$, which is typical for SU UMa-type dwarf novae. Although the outburst light curve was characteristic of SU UMa-type dwarf novae, long-term monitoring of the variable shows no outbursts over the past decade. We note on the basic properties of long period and inactive SU UMa-type dwarf novae.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, accepted for PAS

N-Terminal 1–54 Amino Acid Sequence and Armadillo Repeat Domain Are Indispensable for P120-Catenin Isoform 1A in Regulating E-Cadherin

P120-catenin (p120ctn) exerts important roles in regulating E-cadherin and invasiveness in cancer cells. However, the mechanisms by which p120ctn isoforms 1 and 3 modulate E-cadherin expression are poorly understood. In the current study, HBE, H460, SPC and LTE cell lines were used to examine the effects of p120ctn isoforms 1A and 3A on E-cadherin expression and cell invasiveness. E-cadherin was localized on the cell membrane of HBE and H460 cells, while it was confined to the cytoplasm in SPC and LTE cells. Depletion of endogenous p120ctn resulted in reduced E-cadherin expression; however, p120ctn ablation showed opposite effects on invasiveness in the cell lines by decreasing invasiveness in SPC and LTE cells and increasing it in HBE and H460 cells. Restitution of 120ctn isoform 1A restored E-cadherin on the cell membrane and blocked cell invasiveness in H460 and HBE cells, while it restored cytoplasmic E-cadherin and enhanced cell invasiveness in SPC and LTE cells. P120ctn isoform 3A increased the invasiveness in all four cell lines despite the lack of effect on E-cadherin expression, suggesting a regulatory pathway independent of E-cadherin. Moreover, five p120ctn isoform 1A deletion mutants were constructed and expressed in H460 and SPC cells. The results showed that only the M4 mutant, which contains N-terminal 1–54 amino acids and the Armadillo repeat domain, was functional in regulating E-cadherin and cell invasiveness, as observed in p120ctn isoform 1A. In conclusion, the N-terminal 1–54 amino acid sequence and Armadillo repeat domain of p120ctn isoform 1A are indispensable for regulating E-cadherin protein. P120ctn isoform 1A exerts opposing effects on cell invasiveness, corresponding to the subcellular localization of E-cadherin

Candida albicans

Genotypes of Candida spp. isolated from exhalation of 20 dolphins, 11 water samples from captive pools, and 24 oral cavities of staff members in an aquarium using a combination of multiple drug resistance 1 gene (MDR1) and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1 5.8s-ITS 2 regions of ribosomal RNA gene (ITS rDNA) sequences were studied. The holding ratios of the dolphins, captive pools, and staff members were 70, 90, and 29%, respectively. Isolated pathogenic yeast species common to the dolphins and environments were Candida albicans and C. tropicalis. Identical genotypes in both Candida spp. based on the combination of MDR1 and ITSrDNA were found in some dolphins, between a dolphin and a staff, among dolphins and environments, and among environments. The results indicated the diffusion and exchange of pathogenic yeasts at the aquarium among dolphins and environments. The isolates at the aquarium showed higher rates of resistance to azole antifungals compared to reference isolates