梅干し中の有機酸及びｱﾐｸﾞﾀﾞﾘﾝ関連物質の抗菌作用

梅干しの抗菌作用に関与する成分を明らかにするために､塩分20%の梅干しの有機酸とｱﾐｸﾞﾀﾞﾘﾝ関連物質(ｸｴﾝ酸､ﾘﾝｺﾞ酸､酢酸､ｱﾐｸﾞﾀﾞﾘﾝ､ﾍﾞﾝｽﾞｱﾙﾃﾞﾋﾄﾞ､ﾍﾞﾝｼﾞﾙｱﾙｺｰﾙ)の含有量をもとにし､黄色ﾌﾞﾄﾞｳ球菌と大腸菌に対する抗菌作用をﾍﾟｰﾊﾟｰﾃﾞｨｽｸ拡散法及び短時間殺菌法で検討した｡その結果､含有量が多かったｸｴﾝ酸が強い抗菌作用を示し､抗菌作用の主体はｸｴﾝ酸であることが示唆された｡ｸｴﾝ酸､ﾘﾝｺﾞ酸､酢酸の混合液では､ｸｴﾝ酸単独より強い抗菌作用を示した｡また､この混合液に20%の食塩を添加したものでは､さらに抗菌作用が増強した｡一方､ｱﾐｸﾞﾀﾞﾘﾝ､ﾍﾞﾝｽﾞｱﾙﾃﾞﾋﾄﾞ及びﾍﾞﾝｼﾞﾙｱﾙｺｰﾙの単独の含有量では抗菌作用を示さなかった｡以上のことから､梅干しの抗菌作用は梅干しに含まれる有機酸と梅干しの製造工程で添加された食塩の相乗効果によることが示唆された｡To identify ingredients responsible for the antibacterial properties of umeboshi, the inhibitory effects of organic acids and amygdalin-related compounds (citric acid, malic acid, acetic acid, amygdalin, benzaldehyde, and benzyl alcohol) against Staphylococcus aureus FDA 209P and Escherichia coli NIHJ JC-2 were compared at concentrations found in 20% salt pickled Japanese apricot (Umeboshi) using the paper disc diffusion method and an assay of rapid bactericidal capacity. Citric acid showed a potent antibacterial activity, suggesting that this predominant organic acid plays a major role in the antibacterial properties of Umeboshi. A mixture of citric, malic, and acetic acids exhibited higher antibacterial activity than citric acid alone, and the addition of salt to the mixture at a concentration of 20% resulted in a much higher activity. No antibacterial activity was observed with amygdalin, benzaldehyde, or benzyl alcohol. These results suggested that the antibacterial properties of Umeboshi may be attributed to the synergistic effects of its organic acid content and salt added during processing

Spin-Hall effect: Back to the Beginning on a Higher Level

The phenomena of the spin-Hall effect, initially proposed over three decades ago in the context of asymmetric Mott skew scattering, was revived recently by the proposal of a possible intrinsic spin-Hall effect originating from a strongly spin-orbit coupled band structure. This new proposal has generated an extensive debate and controversy over the past two years. The purpose of this workshop, held at the Asian Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics, was to bring together many of the leading groups in this field to resolve such issues and identify future challenges. We offer this short summary to clarify the now settled issues on some of the more controversial aspects of the debate and help refocus the research efforts in new and important avenues.Comment: 4 pages, Summary of the APCTP Workshop on the Spin-Hall Effect and Related Issue

Immediate implant loading following computer-guided surgery

AbstractPurposeThe aim of this study was to develop and apply a new method for easy intraoperative adjustment of a provisional fixed full-arch restoration, in order to allow immediate implant loading following computer-guided surgery, regardless of any implant positioning errors compared to the virtual planning.MethodsIn accordance with the NobelGuide™ protocol, a provisional restoration for immediate loading of six maxillary implants was prepared prior to surgery. Because small shifts between the planned and the actual implant positions were to be expected, the provisional restoration was not fabricated directly on temporary cylinders as a conventional one-piece superstructure, but was divided into two portions: six custom made abutments and a long span fixed restoration which were left unconnected. After implantation, the custom abutments were attached to the six implants to be immediately loaded, and the superstructure was cemented simultaneously to all abutments using dual cure resin cement. After the excess cement was cleaned and polished, the superstructure was then reseated. Passive fit was achieved between implants and the superstructure.ConclusionThe superstructure described in this article can be easily seated and adjusted to accommodate any possible shifts in implant positioning occurring during computer-guided surgery. Through this method uneventful immediate implant loading can be achieved in a reasonable operative time

ロイシンと食事の摂取は、骨格筋のmTORC1活性化に効果的である

ロイシンは mTORC1 を活性化し、筋タンパク質合成を促進することが知られている。しかし、これまでの研究は空腹時あるいは高ロイシン食を継続的に摂取した条件で行われており、ロイシンの mTORC1 活性化への食事の影響は報告されていない。そこで、本研究では、ロイシン摂取後に食事を摂取した場合、ロイシンによる mTORC1 の活性化は認められるか、あるいは食事摂取のみでも同等の mTORC1 活性が誘導されるかを明らかにすることを目的とした。マウスへロイシンを 1.35mg/g 体重で経口投与し、食事を摂食させた。摂食量はコントロール群とロイシン群で差はなかった。mTORC1 の基質である 4EBP1 と S6K1 のリン酸化は、食事開始1時間においてロイシン群で増加し、さらに、食事開始5時間では最も高値を示していた。これらの結果から、ロイシンによる mTORC1 活性化は、食事のみでは同様の作用を示すことができず、食事開始5時間で大きく活性化されることが明らかとなった

Adipose-derived regenerative cells exert beneficial effects on systemic responses following myocardial ischemia/reperfusion

Background: Acute coronary syndrome leads to systemic responses, including activation of the sympathetic nervous system, inflammation of atherosclerotic lesions, changes in metabolism and gene expressions of remote organs such as the spleen, bone marrow, and liver. Clinical trials and experimental studies have demonstrated that therapy with adipose-derived regenerative cells (ADRCs) attenuates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of ADRCs in regulating systemic reactions following I/R.Methods: Isolated ADRCs were obtained from green fluorescent protein transgenic male mice. Flow cytometry revealed that freshly isolated ADRCs expressed stem cell markers CD90 and Sca-1, and mesenchymal lineage marker. These cells exhibited multilineage differentiation into adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic lineages. Wild-type mice were subjected to 30 min of left ascending coronary ischemia and 24 h reperfusion. Freshly isolated ADRCs (105 cells) or vehicle (VEH), were administered intravenously through the tail at the time of reperfusion.Results: Compared to VEH, administration of ADRCs significantly reduced circulating troponin levels 24 h after I/R. Using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, the present study confirms that I/R-induced increase of factor X mRNA expression in the liver and was significantly inhibited by ADRCs compared to VEH. Administration of ADRCs significantly reduced the I/R-induced increase in serum levels of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-18 seen in mice receiving VEH.Conclusions: These results suggest that administration of ADRCs could have an important role in reducing myocardial injury and regulating the hepatic gene expression profile following I/R

Evaluation of sample size effect on the identification of haplotype blocks

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Genome-wide maps of linkage disequilibrium (LD) and haplotypes have been created for different populations. Substantial sharing of the boundaries and haplotypes among populations was observed, but haplotype variations have also been reported across populations. Conflicting observations on the extent and distribution of haplotypes require careful examination. The mechanisms that shape haplotypes have not been fully explored, although the effect of sample size has been implicated. We present a close examination of the effect of sample size on haplotype blocks using an original computational simulation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A region spanning 19.31 Mb on chromosome 20q was genotyped for 1,147 SNPs in 725 Japanese subjects. One region of 445 kb exhibiting a single strong LD value (average |D'|; 0.94) was selected for the analysis of sample size effect on haplotype structure. Three different block definitions (recombination-based, LD-based, and diversity-based) were exploited to create simulations for block identification with <it>θ </it>value from real genotyping data. As a result, it was quite difficult to estimate a haplotype block for data with less than 200 samples. Attainment of a reliable haplotype structure with 50 samples was not possible, although the simulation was repeated 10,000 times.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These analyses underscored the difficulties of estimating haplotype blocks. To acquire a reliable result, it would be necessary to increase sample size more than 725 and to repeat the simulation 3,000 times. Even in one genomic region showing a high LD value, the haplotype block might be fragile. We emphasize the importance of applying careful confidence measures when using the estimated haplotype structure in biomedical research.</p

Evaluation of sample size effect on the identification of haplotype blocks

Background: Genome-wide maps of linkage disequilibrium (LD) and haplotypes have been created for different populations. Substantial sharing of the boundaries and haplotypes among populations was observed, but haplotype variations have also been reported across populations. Conflicting observations on the extent and distribution of haplotypes require careful examination. The mechanisms that shape haplotypes have not been fully explored, although the effect of sample size has been implicated. We present a close examination of the effect of sample size on haplotype blocks using an original computational simulation. Results: A region spanning 19.31 Mb on chromosome 20q was genotyped for 1,147 SNPs in 725 Japanese subjects. One region of 445 kb exhibiting a single strong LD value (average |D'|; 0.94) was selected for the analysis of sample size effect on haplotype structure. Three different block definitions (recombination-based, LD-based, and diversity-based) were exploited to create simulations for block identification with θ value from real genotyping data. As a result, it was quite difficult to estimate a haplotype block for data with less than 200 samples. Attainment of a reliable haplotype structure with 50 samples was not possible, although the simulation was repeated 10,000 times. Conclusion: These analyses underscored the difficulties of estimating haplotype blocks. To acquire a reliable result, it would be necessary to increase sample size more than 725 and to repeat the simulation 3,000 times. Even in one genomic region showing a high LD value, the haplotype block might be fragile. We emphasize the importance of applying careful confidence measures when using the estimated haplotype structure in biomedical research

市販刺身の細菌汚染状況

市販されている刺身の細菌汚染状況を明らかにするために､鮮魚店とｽｰﾊﾟｰﾏｰｹｯﾄの店舗別に､食品衛生検査指針に従って､一般細菌､低温細菌､大腸菌､大腸菌群､腸球菌属､黄色ﾌﾞﾄﾞｳ球菌､ｺｱｸﾞﾗｰｾﾞ陰性ﾌﾞﾄﾞｳ球菌(CNS)､ﾋﾞﾌﾞﾘｵ属の生菌数を測定し､比較検討した｡一般細菌と低温細菌､大腸菌群､黄色ﾌﾞﾄﾞｳ球菌､腸球菌属の生菌数において､季節､気温による変動はなかった｡また､大腸菌の検出数と CNS とﾋﾞﾌﾞﾘｵ属の生菌数では､季節､気温による変動があり､気温が高い夏季にそれぞれ増加していた｡鮮魚店とｽｰﾊﾟｰﾏｰｹｯﾄにおける生菌数の比較では､腸球菌属を除いてｽｰﾊﾟｰﾏｰｹｯﾄより､鮮魚店の方が多かった｡このことから､季節､気温に関わらず､刺身を原因とする食中毒の発生と刺身の腐敗に注意を払う必要がある｡To clarify the bacterial contamination of commercial sliced raw fish purchased from fish dealer and supermarket, we measured the numbers of general bacteria, psychrotrophs, Escherichia coli, coliforms, Enterococci, Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase negative staphylococci(CNS), and Vibrio according to the Standard methods of analysis in food safety regulation, and compared them. The number of general bacteria, psychrotrophs, coliforms, Enterococci, or S.aureus did not significantly change according to seasons and temperatures, while the number of E.coli detected and numbers of CNS and Vibrio increased particularly in the summer season. The number of each type of bacteria, except Enterococci, was higher for fish dealer compared to supermarket. These results showed that commercial sliced raw fish purchased from fish dealer and supermarket was contaminated by many kinds of bacteria regardless of seasons and temperatures. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the outbreak of foodborne disease and generating of putrefaction regardless of seasons and temperatures