First record of Macrobrachium grandimanus (Randall, 1840) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Palaemonidae) from Guam, Micronesia

The Hawaiian river shrimp Macrobrachium grandimanus (Randall, 1840) is an amphidromous brackish water prawn that inhabits the Hawaiian Islands (type locality), Ryukyu Islands, Melanesia (Fiji, New Caledonia), and Polynesia (Tonga). Here, we report a new record of this species from Guam, Micronesia. Two genetically and morphologically differentiated lineages of this species are known: the Hawaiian and the Ryukyu lineages. Morphological and mitochondrial DNA analyses revealed that the Guam population is closely related to the Ryukyu lineage

First record of Coenobita violascens Heller, 1862 from Tokunoshima Island

鹿児島県徳之島の天城町岡前にてコムラサキオカヤドカリCoenobita violascens Heller,1862を確認したことを報告する.今回,徳之島にて確認されたことにより,鹿児島県初記録かつ種の分布北限の更新となった.The Viola Land Hermit Crab, Coenobita violascens Heller, 1862, is recorded from Tokunoshima Island. This represents the first record from Kagoshima Prefecture and also extends the distributional range to the north

Grape Products and Oral Health1–3

Oral diseases, including dental caries, periodontal disease, and tooth loss, affect the majority of the population and can affect a person's overall health. Raisins contain polyphenols, flavonoids, and high levels of iron that may benefit human health. However, their oral health benefits are less well understood. We hypothesized that raisins contain antimicrobial phytochemicals capable of suppressing oral pathogens associated with caries or periodontal diseases and thus benefit oral health. Through antimicrobial assay-guided fractionation and purification, compounds identified with growth inhibition against oral pathogens were oleanolic acid, oleanolic aldehyde, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, betulin, betulinic acid, 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furfural, rutin, β-sitosterol, and β-sitosterol glucoside. Oleanolic acid suppressed in vitro adherence of cariogenic Streptococcus mutans biofilm. When the effect of raisins and raisin-containing bran cereal on in vivo plaque acidogenicity was examined in 7- to 11-y-old children, it was found that raisins did not reduce the plaque pH decline below pH 6 over the 30-min test period. Compared with commercial bran flakes or raisin bran cereal, a lower plaque pH drop was noted in children who consumed a raisin and bran flake mixture when no sugar was added (P < 0.05). Grape seed extract, high in proanthocyanidins, positively affected the in vitro demineralization and/or remineralization processes of artificial root caries lesions, suggesting its potential as a promising natural agent for noninvasive root caries therapy. Raisins represent a healthy alternative to the commonly consumed sugary snack foods