Immunological and Psychological Benefits of Aromatherapy Massage

This preliminary investigation compares peripheral blood cell counts including red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), neutrophils, peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs), CD4(+), CD8(+) and CD16(+) lymphocytes, CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio, hematocrit, humoral parameters including serum interferon-γ and interleukin-6, salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA). Psychological measures including the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire and the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) between recipients (n = 11) of carrier oil massage and aromatherapy massage, which includes sweet almond oil, lavender oil, cypress oil and sweet marjoram oil. Though both STAI and SDS showed a significant reduction (P < 0.01) after treatment with aromatherapy and carrier massage, no difference between the aromatherapy and control massage was observed for STAI and SDS. Aromatherapy, in contrast to control massage, did not significantly reduce RBC count or hematocrit. However, aromatherapy massage showed a significant (P > 0.05) increase in PBLs, possibly due to an increase in CD8(+) and CD16(+) lymphocytes, which had significantly increased post-treatment (P < 0.01). Consequently, the CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio decreased significantly (P < 0.01). The paucity of such differences after carrier oil massage suggests that aromatherapy massage could be beneficial in disease states that require augmentation of CD8(+) lymphocytes. While this study identifies the immunological benefits of aromatherapy massage, there is a need to validate the findings prospectively in a larger cohort of patients

Irradiation by a Combination of Different Peak-Wavelength Ultraviolet-Light Emitting Diodes Enhances the Inactivation of Influenza A Viruses

Influenza A viruses (IAVs) pose a serious global threat to humans and their livestock. This study aimed to determine the ideal irradiation by ultraviolet-light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) for IAV disinfection. We irradiated the IAV H1N1 subtype with 4.8 mJ/cm2 UV using eight UV-LEDs [peak wavelengths (WL) = 365, 310, 300, 290, 280, 270, and 260 nm)] or a mercury low pressure (LP)-UV lamp (Peak WL = 254 nm). Inactivation was evaluated by the infection ratio of Madin–Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells or chicken embryonated eggs. Irradiation by the 260 nm UV-LED showed the highest inactivation among all treatments. Because the irradiation-induced inactivation effects strongly correlated with damage to viral RNA, we calculated the correlation coefficient (RAE) between the irradiant spectrum and absorption of viral RNA. The RAE scores strongly correlated with the inactivation by the UV-LEDs and LP-UV lamp. To increase the RAE score, we combined three different peak WL UV-LEDs (hybrid UV-LED). The hybrid UV-LED (RAE = 86.3) significantly inactivated both H1N1 and H6N2 subtypes to a greater extent than 260 nm (RAE = 68.6) or 270 nm (RAE = 42.2) UV-LEDs. The RAE score is an important factor for increasing the virucidal effects of UV-LED irradiation

紫外線発光ダイオード照射は宿主細胞内でのウイルスRNAの複製と転写を抑制することでA型インフルエンザウイルスを不活化する

Influenza A viruses (IAVs) pose a serious global threat to humans and their livestock, especially poultry and pigs. This study aimed to investigate how to inactivate IAVs by using different ultraviolet-light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs). We developed sterilization equipment with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) those peak wavelengths were 365 nm (UVA-LED), 310 nm (UVB-LED), and 280 nm (UVC-LED). These UV-LED irradiations decreased dose fluence-dependent plaque-forming units of IAV H1N1 subtype (A/Puerto Rico/8/1934) infected Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, but the inactivation efficiency of UVA-LED was significantly lower than UVB- and UVC-LED. UV-LED irradiations did not alter hemagglutination titer, but decreased accumulation of intracellular total viral RNA in infected MDCK cells was observed. Additionally, UV-LED irradiations suppressed the accumulation of intracellular mRNA (messenger RNA), vRNA (viral RNA), and cRNA (complementary RNA), as measured by strand-specific RT-PCR. These results suggest that UV-LEDs inhibit host cell replication and transcription of viral RNA. Both UVB- and UVC-LED irradiation decreased focus-forming unit (FFU) of H5N1 subtype (A/Crow/Kyoto/53/2004), a highly pathogenic avian IAV (HPAI), in infected MDCK cells, and the amount of FFU were lower than the H1N1 subtype. From these results, it appears that IAVs may have different sensitivity among the subtypes, and UVB- and UVC-LED may be suitable for HPAI virus inactivation

Hydrogen peroxide inhibits insulin-induced ATP-sensitive potassium channel activation independent of insulin signaling pathway in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells

Both reactive oxygen species (ROS) and insulin resistance have been reported to play essential pathophysiological roles in cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. However, the mechanistic link between ROS and insulin resistance in the vasculature remains unclear. Recently we have shown that insulin causes membrane hyperpolarization via ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel activation, which is mediated by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). KATP channel in the vasculature is critical in the regulation of vascular tonus. Here we examined the effects of ROS induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on insulin-induced KATP channel activities in cultured VSMCs, A10 cells. H2O2 (10 μM) increased significantly intercellular ROS in A10 cells. By using a cell-attached patch clamp experiment, 10 μMH2O2 suppressed significantly insulin-induced KATP channel activation without inhibition of insulin receptor signal transduction component including IRS and Akt in A10 cells. Furthermore 10 μMH2O2 suppressed significantly pinacidil-induced KATP channel activation in A10 cells. These data suggest that H2O2might inhibit directly KATP channel independent of insulin signaling pathway. This study may contribute to our understanding of mechanisms of insulin resistance-associated cardiovascular disease

Gut Microbiota of Healthy and Malnourished Children in Bangladesh

Poor health and malnutrition in preschool children are longstanding problems in Bangladesh. Gut microbiota plays a tremendous role in nutrient absorption and determining the state of health. In this study, metagenomic tool was employed to assess the gut microbiota composition of healthy and malnourished children. DNA was extracted from fecal samples of seven healthy and seven malnourished children (n = 14; age 2–3 years) were analyzed for the variable region of 16S rRNA genes by universal primer PCR followed by high-throughput 454 parallel sequencing to identify the bacterial phyla and genera. Our results reveal that the healthy children had a significantly higher number of operational taxonomic unit in their gut than that of the malnourished children (healthy vs. malnourished: 546 vs. 310). In malnourished children, bacterial population of the phyla Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes accounted for 46 and 18%, respectively. Conversely, in healthy children, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes accounted for 5% and 44, respectively (p < 0.001). In malnourished children, the phylum Proteobacteria included pathogenic genera, namely Klebsiella and Escherichia, which were 174-fold and 9-fold higher, respectively, than their healthy counterpart. The predominance of potentially pathogenic Proteobacteria and minimal level of Bacteroidetes as commensal microbiota might be associated to the ill health of malnourished children in Bangladesh

Impact of combining medial capsule interposition with modified scarf osteotomy for hallux valgus

Objectives: To clarify the effect of combining medial capsule interposition with modified scarf osteotomy for hallux valgus. Methods: A multicenter, retrospective study included 64 cases [59 osteoarthritis patients (excluding rheumatoid arthritis); age 68.8 years, range 40–93 years] of modified scarf osteotomy which were performed from 2013 to 2017 and followed for 26.6 (range, 13–50) months. Patients were treated by either (1) without medial capsule interposition (33 cases) or (2) combined with interposition (31 cases) at each senior surgeon’s discretion. The Japanese Society for Surgery of the Foot (JSSF) hallux metatarsophalangeal (MTP)-interphalangeal scale was evaluated along with radiographic parameters (hallux valgus angle [HVA], first and second metatarsals intermetatarsal angles, and Hardy grade). Results: All JSSF scale and radiographic parameters were similar at baseline and significantly improved at final follow-up in both groups (pre-operation vs. final follow-up: p <.001). However, compared to without interposition group, interposition group showed significantly higher improvement in the JSSF scale (pre-operation to final follow-up: p value between the two groups at final follow-up) for pain (without interposition: 19.4–34.2, interposition: 18.4–37.1; p =.02), function (without interposition: 20.8–33.6, interposition: 18.3–36.6; p =.005), total score (without interposition: 41.5–81.8, interposition: 38.5–88.5; p <.001), and the MTP joint space (without interposition: 1.4–1.5 mm, interposition: 1.6–2.6 mm; p <.001) with significant correlation between the total JSSF score (r =.40; p =.001). Conclusion: Combining medial capsule interposition with modified scarf osteotomy significantly improved mid-term clinical outcomes.Ebina K., Hirao M., Tsuboi H., et al. Impact of combining medial capsule interposition with modified scarf osteotomy for hallux valgus. Modern Rheumatology 30, 204 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1080/14397595.2019.1572261

NO-1886, a lipoprotein lipase activator, attenuates contraction of rat intestinal ring preparations

Various intestinal symptoms or diseases are closely associated with intestinal motility, which may be altered by metabolic disturbances associated with diabetes and obesity. It is therefore important that drugs used in the treatment of metabolic disorders should not have any adverse effects on the intestine. In the present study, we examined whether [4-(4-bromo-2-cyano-phenylcarbamoyl)-benzyl]-phosphonic acid diethyl ester (NO-1886), a lipoprotein lipase activator with anti-diabetic and/or anti-obese activity, affects stimulant-induced intestinal contractility. Administration of NO-1886 to intestinal ring preparations of ileum, rectum and colon isolated from Wistar rats attenuated or relaxed contraction induced by a high K+ environment or acetylcholine (ACh). This effect of NO-1886 was dependent on extracellular Ca2+ and intracellular myosin light chain kinase activity. Our results also showed that ACh-induced colonic contraction was significantly higher in the obese Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) than in the non-obese Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats. The hypercontractility observed in the colons of OLETF rats occurred concomitantly with an elevation in muscarinic M3 ACh receptor protein levels. Administration of NO-1886 attenuated the obesity-induced hypercontractility of the colonic rings of OLETF rats. Thus, intestinal contractile system would be a novel pharmacological target of the lipoprotein lipase activator NO-1886

Metagenomic Diagnosis of Bacterial Infections

To test the ability of high-throughput DNA sequencing to detect bacterial pathogens, we used it on DNA from a patient’s feces during and after diarrheal illness. Sequences showing best matches for Campylobacter jejuni were detected only in the illness sample. Various bacteria may be detectable with this metagenomic approach

Frequency of D222G and Q223R Hemagglutinin Mutants of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Influenza Virus in Japan between 2009 and 2010

BACKGROUND: In April 2009, a novel swine-derived influenza A virus (H1N1pdm) emerged and rapidly spread around the world, including Japan. It has been suggested that the virus can bind to both 2,3- and 2,6-linked sialic acid receptors in infected mammals, in contrast to contemporary seasonal H1N1 viruses, which have a predilection for 2,6-linked sialic acid. METHODS/RESULTS: To elucidate the existence and transmissibility of α2,3 sialic acid-specific viruses in H1N1pdm, amino acid substitutions within viral hemagglutinin molecules were investigated, especially D187E, D222G, and Q223R, which are related to a shift from human to avian receptor specificity. Samples from individuals infected during the first and second waves of the outbreak in Japan were examined using a high-throughput sequencing approach. In May 2009, three specimens from mild cases showed D222G and/or Q223R substitutions in a minor subpopulation of viruses infecting these individuals. However, the substitutions almost disappeared in the samples from five mild cases in December 2010. The D187E substitution was not widespread in specimens, even in May 2009. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that α2,3 sialic acid-specific viruses, including G222 and R223, existed in humans as a minor population in the early phase of the pandemic, and that D222 and Q223 became more dominant through human-to-human transmission during the first and second waves of the epidemic. These results are consistent with the low substitution rates identified in seasonal H1N1 viruses in 2008

Direct Metagenomic Detection of Viral Pathogens in Nasal and Fecal Specimens Using an Unbiased High-Throughput Sequencing Approach

With the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic of 2003 and renewed attention on avian influenza viral pandemics, new surveillance systems are needed for the earlier detection of emerging infectious diseases. We applied a “next-generation” parallel sequencing platform for viral detection in nasopharyngeal and fecal samples collected during seasonal influenza virus (Flu) infections and norovirus outbreaks from 2005 to 2007 in Osaka, Japan. Random RT-PCR was performed to amplify RNA extracted from 0.1–0.25 ml of nasopharyngeal aspirates (N = 3) and fecal specimens (N = 5), and more than 10 µg of cDNA was synthesized. Unbiased high-throughput sequencing of these 8 samples yielded 15,298–32,335 (average 24,738) reads in a single 7.5 h run. In nasopharyngeal samples, although whole genome analysis was not available because the majority (>90%) of reads were host genome–derived, 20–460 Flu-reads were detected, which was sufficient for subtype identification. In fecal samples, bacteria and host cells were removed by centrifugation, resulting in gain of 484–15,260 reads of norovirus sequence (78–98% of the whole genome was covered), except for one specimen that was under-detectable by RT-PCR. These results suggest that our unbiased high-throughput sequencing approach is useful for directly detecting pathogenic viruses without advance genetic information. Although its cost and technological availability make it unlikely that this system will very soon be the diagnostic standard worldwide, this system could be useful for the earlier discovery of novel emerging viruses and bioterrorism, which are difficult to detect with conventional procedures