Study on Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Applications to New Functional Foods

In the present mini review, we describe 1) a new screening system for selecting probiotic strains from lactic acid bacteria (LAB), mainly Lactobacillus acidophilus group bacteria, with strong adhesion to the human intestinal tract, 2) characteristics of immunostimulative oligo DNA motifs in LAB (L. gasseri) strains and a new evaluation system with a transfectant expressing porcine Toll-1ike receptor 9 for selection of immunostimulative LABs, and 3) characteristics of antimicrobial peptides (bacteriocins), especially gasericin A from L. gasseri LA39. In the future, it is expected that superior functional foods containing more effective probiotic LAB will be developed by the use of our proposed mass screening system

Swine Intestinal Immunity via Toll-like Receptors and Its Advanced Application to Food Immunology

Recent interest has focused on the importance of intestinal immunity for the host defense, but to date, not much has been known about the underlying mechanisms. Toll-like receptor (TLR) family plays an important role in the defense through recognizing bacterial pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Our research on the bioregulatory function of food products has investigated the immunoregulatory effects of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) via TLRs. Studies in swine, which is expected as a human model, have been examined intestinal immunoregulation by the LAB. Our research has now demonstrated modulation of intestinal immunity mediated by TLRs in Peyer\u27s patches and the mesenteric lymph nodes. On the basis of our study, efforts have also been made to develop an immunoassay system for immunobiotic LAB DNA and cell wall components to evaluate immunoregulation by the LAB via TLRs. The findings in our research activities may provide important clues at the molecular level on TLR signal transduction pathways and recognition mechanisms. They also provide impetus to further delineate the activation mechanism of the innate immune response. In addition, identification of biofactors from LAB with immunoactivity, and better understanding of cytokine induction and intestinal immune regulation hold promise in basic research and development of "immunobiotic foods" to prevent specific diseases

The de Haas-van Alphen Effect of Zinc

The de Haas-van Alphen effect of pure zinc crystal was investigated at temperatures ranging from 63°to 1.3°K by means of a torsion magnetometer. In the magnetic field less than 16 kilo-oersted and at the temperatures 4.2°K and above, a remarkable periodic variation of magnetic susceptibility was found with the intensity of magnetic field and it is here referred to as the long-period effect. While in the field higher than 19 kilo-oersted and at temperatures from 4.2°to 1.3°K, it was observed that a shorter-period and smaller-amplitude effect, which is accompanied by some complicated beat structures, is superposed on the high field extension of the long-period effect just cited. From the analysis of the long-period effect, we obtained the next de Haas-van Alphen parameters : E_=5.5×10^ erg, m_/m_0=5.4×10^, m_/m_0=2.7×10^, T_=400°K, n_l=1.2×10^atom^; and from the analysis of the short-period effect, we got : E_=7.9×10^ erg, m_/m_0=1.6×10^, m_/m_0=8.3×10^, T_=570°K, n_s=3×10^ atom^