Heterologous and High Production of Ergothioneine in Escherichia coli

Ergothioneine (ERG) is a histidine-derived thiol compound suggested to function as an antioxidant and cytoprotectant in humans. Therefore, experimental trials have been conducted applying ERG from mushrooms in dietary supplements and as a cosmetic additive. However, this method of producing ERG is expensive; therefore, alternative methods for ERG supply are required. Five Mycobacterium smegmatis genes, egtABCDE, have been confirmed to be responsible for ERG biosynthesis. This enabled us to develop practical fermentative ERG production by microorganisms. In this study, we carried out heterologous and high-level production of ERG in Escherichia coli using the egt genes from M. smegmatis. By high production of each of the Egt enzymes and elimination of bottlenecks in the substrate supply, we succeeded in constructing a production system that yielded 24 mg/L (104 μM) secreted ERG

Concurrent presentation of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis and systemic lupus erythematosus

金沢大学医薬保健研究域医学系医学教育研究センターCryptococcal meningitis is a recognized complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with high mortality rates, particularly in those treated with immunosuppressive agents. We describe a patient diagnosed simultaneously with cryptococcal meningoencephalitis and SLE and reviewed four similar cases reported in the literature. In our case, profound low CD4 lymphocyte count and low complement levels were observed. The patient was treated with prednisolone, fluconazole, and 5-flucytosine and evinced good clinical improvement. This case suggests that intrinsic immunological abnormality related to SLE predisposed to opportunistic infections. © 2010 Japan College of Rheumatology

Immunohistochemical study of the Landolt\u27s club cells in the chicken retina

The immunohistochemical specificity of the Landolt\u27s club cells of the chicken retina were studied by the indirect immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase bridge methods with specific antiserum against neuronal filament proteins of these cells. In the tissue, the Landolt\u27s club cells were selectively stained with the specific antiserum (antigen : isoelectric point=6.29, molecular weight=69,000). It appeared that the cells were bipolar and that the cell body lay in the superficial part of the internal nuclear layer. However, it was difficult to observe the dendrites like those of typical bipolar cells which synapse with photoreceptors. No reaction was found in ganglion cells, amacrine cells, horizontal cells and other types of bipolar cells which occupy the zone just inside the external plexiform layer. From the 6th day of tissue culture, the selectively stained bipolar cells appeared on the surface of the monolayer cells. They were small and oval with large, spherical and eccentric nuclei. The cytoplasm was slightly less dense than other neuron cells

Spin and orbital ordering in double-layered manganites

We study theoretically the phase diagram of the double-layered perovskite manganites taking into account the orbital degeneracy, the strong Coulombic repulsion, and the coupling with the lattice deformation. Observed spin structural changes as the increased doping are explained in terms of the orbital ordering and the bond-length dependence of the hopping integral along $c$-axis. Temperature dependence of the neutron diffraction peak corresponding to the canting structure is also explained. Comparison with the 3D cubic system is made.Comment: 7 figure

Complex orbital state in manganites

The $e_g$-orbital states with complex coefficients of the linear combination of $x^2-y^2$ and $3z^2-r^2$ are studied for the ferromagnetic state in doped manganites. Especially the focus is put on the competition among uniform complex, staggered complex, and real orbital states. As the hole-doping $x$ increases, the real, the canted complex, and the staggered complex orbital states appears successively. Uniform complex state analoguous to Nagaoka ferromagnet does not appear. These complex states can be expressed as a resonating state among the planer orbitals as the orbital liquid, accompanied by no Jahn-Teller distortion.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure

A Case of Diffuse Esophageal Spasm Treated with Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy

The indications for peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) have been expanded to include diffuse esophageal spasm (DES). A 67-year-old Japanese man presented with a 4-year history of dysphagia. Endoscopy and upper gastrography revealed abnormal peristaltic movements involving interruption of normal peristalsis, and a diverticulum located at the 2 o’clock esophageal position. High-resolution manometry indicated DES. POEM with a long (15 cm) myotomy was performed for the abnormal contractions, which subsequently disappeared along with dysphagia improvement. Our results suggest that esophageal motility disorders accompanying a diverticulum may be eliminated by POEM without treating the diverticulum itself. We speculate that POEM ameliorates esophageal diverticulum by reducing internal esophageal pressure

Elucidation of flow characteristics in honeycomb structure to design nanobubble generating apparatus

A nanobubble generator with honeycomb structures producing a large amount of water including large nanobubble density in a short time is described. The nanobubble‐generating performance is investigated for large and small apparatus having different honeycomb cell dimensions by applying computational fluid dynamics (CFD) coupled with a population balance model (PBM). The CFD simulation shows that a significant pressure drop and shear stress occur in the bubbly flow in the honeycomb cell. The numerical model is based on the Eulerian multiphase model and the PBM is used to calculate the bubble size distribution. The obtained CFD‐PBM results are compared with the experimental results for large and small apparatus. Bubble size distributions in the honeycomb structure under different inlet absolute pressure can be predicted by the PBM. The maximum shear stress is determined as the main controlling factor for nanobubble generation