Oral care tablet containing kiwifruit powder affects tongue coating microbiome

Objectives: Tongue coating, a kind of biofilm formed on the tongue dorsum, is the cause of various clinical conditions, such as oral halitosis and periodontal diseases, because Fusobacterium nucleatum acts as a bridge between other oral bacteria and periodontopathogenic bacteria in biofilm formation. Our previous clinical study revealed that taking oral care tablets containing kiwifruit powder significantly reduced not only tongue‐coating index and volatile sulfur compounds but also total bacteria and F. nucleatum in tongue coating. In this study, we analyzed the microbiome of tongue coating samples obtained before and after oral care tablets intake to clarify whether this tablet is a useful tool for daily tongue care. Methods: Thirty‐two healthy young adults were enrolled, and a crossover clinical trial was conducted. We instructed subjects to remove tongue coating by tongue brush for intervention I, to keep the oral care tablet containing kiwifruit powder on the tongue dorsum and to let it dissolve naturally for intervention II. Microbial DNA was isolated from the collected tongue coating samples in each subject, then 16S rRNA next‐generation sequencing, operational taxonomic unit clustering, and statistical analysis were performed. Results: The microbiome analysis revealed that the oral care tablet in intervention II prompted a significant change in the tongue microbiota composition, a significant reduction in the relative abundance of Prevotella and Porphyromonas, and an increase in Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio when compared to that in intervention I. Conclusion: These results suggested that the oral care tablet might contribute to the improvement of the oral condition due to its good influence on the tongue coating microbiome

Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay for Early Diagnosis of Viral Infection

Viral reactivation is one of the most serious complications for immunocompromised patients. Under immunosuppressive conditions, some viruses can be reactivated solely or simultaneously and may thus cause life-threatening infection. Therefore, the prompt and proper diagnosis of viral reactivation is important for the initiation of preemptive therapy. For this purpose, we recently developed a multiplex-virus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. The multiplex PCR assay is designed to qualitatively measure the genomic DNA of 12 viruses at once: cytomegalovirus (CMV), human herpesvirus type 6 (HHV-6), HHV-7, HHV-8, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), BK virus (BKV), JC virus (JCV), parvovirus B19 (ParvoB19), herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), HSV-2, and hepatitis B virus (HBV). When a specific PCR signal is obtained, the viral load is determined by a quantitative real-time PCR. The qualitative multiplex and quantitative real-time PCR procedures take only 3 hours to complete. With this assay system, we can identify viremia at the early stage and thereby prevent it from progressing to overt and symptomatic viral infection in immunocompromised patients, such as those receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Risk for the occupational infection by cytomegalovirus among health-care workers

Background Cytomegalovirus (CMV) are ubiquitously distributed worldwide, causing a wide range of clinical manifestations from congenital infection to a life-threatening disease in immunocompromised individuals. CMV can be transmitted via human-to-human contact through body fluids; however, the risk of CMV infection among healthcare workers (HCWs) has not been fully evaluated. Aim This study aimed to assess the risk of CMV infection among HCWs through daily medical practices. Methods Serum samples from HCWs at Osaka University Hospital (Japan) were analysed. Initially, we compared CMV IgG seropositivity among HCWs (medical doctors, nurses, and others) in 2017, which was examined after 1 year to evaluate seroconversion rates among those with seronegative results. Then, we examined CMV seroconversion rates in HCWs who were exposed to blood and body fluids. Findings We analysed 1153 samples of HCWs (386 medical doctors, 468 nurses, and 299 others), of which CMV seropositivity rates were not significantly different (68.9%, 70.3%, and 70.9%, respectively). Of these, 63.9% (221/346) of CMV seronegative HCWs were followed after 1 year, with CMV seroconversion rates of 3.2% (7/221). Among 72 HCWs who tested negative for CMV IgG when exposed to blood and body fluids, the CMV seroconversion rate was 2.8% (2/72). The CMV seroconversion rates between the two situations were not significantly different. Conclusion Our study indicated that CMV infection through daily patient care seems quite rare. Further well-designed studies with a large sample size are warranted to verify our finding

Effect of clonidine on the release of serotonin from the rat hippocampus as measured by microdialysis

The purpose of the present study is to clarify the effect of clonidine on the release of serotonin from the rat hippocampus in vivo. For this purpose, endogenous serotonin release was measured by brain microdialysis. Potassium-evoked serotonin release from the hippocampus of freely moving rats was significantly inhibited when clonidine (10-5 M) was added to the perfusion solution, while the 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid output remained unchanged. In catecholaminergically denervated rats, clonidine (10-5 M) also inhibited the potassium-evoked serotonin release from the hippocampus and the 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid output was unaffected by clonidine. These results suggest that the inhibitory effect of clonidine on serotonin release from the hippocampus might reflect the activation of [alpha]2-adrenoceptors which are localized on the serotonergic nerve terminals.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30049/1/0000417.pd

Opioid receptor regulation of 5-hydroxytryptamine release from the rat hippocampus measured by in vivo microdialysis

The modulation of serotonin (5-HT) release by opioid receptors in the hippocampus of the awake, unrestrained rat was evaluated by use of in vivo microdialysis. The hippocampus was perfused with Ringer's solution (2 [mu]l/min), and extracellular levels of 5-HT and its major metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were estimated by assaying their concentration in the dialysate by HPLC-ECD. Addition of potassium (K+, 60 and 120 mM) to the perfusate evoked a concentration-dependent release of 5-HT, but did not alter extracellular 5-HIAA levels. Co-perfusion of morphine (0.1 to 10 [mu]M) with K+ (120 mM) produced a concentration-dependent reduction of 5-HT release. Naltrexone (0.03 to 3 mg/kg, i.p.), a relatively selective [mu]-opioid receptor antagonist, blocked in a dose-dependent manner the morphine (10 [mu]M)-induced inhibition of 5-HT release. Naltrexone alone did not alter significantly either extracellular 5-HT levels or the release of 5-HT evoked by K+. Neither co-perfusion with [-Pen2, -Pen5]-enkephalin (DPDPE, 1 to 10 [mu]M), an agonist selective for [delta]-opioid receptors, nor with U-69593 (10 [mu]M), an agonist selective for [kappa]-opioid receptors, modified the K+ (120 mM)-evoked release of 5-HT. These findings indicate that [mu]-opioid receptors modulate the physiological release of 5-HT from serotonergic neurons in the rat hippocampus.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30746/1/0000396.pd

Durability of immunity by hepatitis B vaccine in Japanese health care workers depends on primary response titers and durations

Photograph taken by Salt Lake Tribune staf

Novel and Simple Approach to Estimating the Actual Incidence of Blood and Body Fluid Exposure

This article has been published in Clinical Laboratory

Durability of immunity by hepatitis B vaccine in Japanese health care workers depends on primary response titers and durations

Yoshioka N, Deguchi M, Hagiya H, Kagita M, Tsukamoto H, Takao M, et al. (2017) Durability of immunity by hepatitis B vaccine in Japanese health care workers depends on primary response titers and durations. PLoS ONE 12(11): e0187661

Inhibitory effects of clonidine on serotonergic neuronal activity as measured by cerebrospinal fluid serotonin and its metabolite in anesthetized rats

Clonidine-induced changes in the serotonergic neuronal activity of the central nervous system were estimated by measuring the concentrations of serotonin (5-HT) and its major metabolite, 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA), in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of anesthetized rats. Clonidine (30 and 300 [mu]g/kg, i.v.) led to 74% and 60% reductions in the concentration of 5-HT in the CSF 60 min after administration. CSF 5-HIAA concentrations were also decreased to 77% and 66%, respectively. Clonidine-induced (30 [mu]g/kg, i.v.) decreases in CSF 5-HT and 5-HIAA concentrations were attenuated by pretreatment with idazoxan (5 mg/kg, i.p.). Idazoxan by itself did not alter the CSF 5-HT and 5-HIAA concentrations. Decreased CSF 5-HT and 5-HIAA concentrations after i.v. administration of clonidine (30 [mu]g/kg) were abolished by noradrenergic denervation after pretreatment with 6-hydroxydopamine (200 [mu]g/rat, i.c.v.). These results suggest the possibility that clonidine acts to inhibit the serotonergic neuronal activity, which is mediated via the [alpha]2-adrenoceptors. It indicates, moreover, that noradrenergic nervous systems are involved in the clonidine-induced inhibition of serotonergic neuronal activity. Therefore, noradrenergic neurons play a significant role in mediating the actions of clonidine on serotonergic neuronal activity in the rat brain.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/31094/1/0000771.pd