Polyhydroxy Acids as Fabaceous Plant Components Induce Oviposition of the Common Grass Yellow Butterfly, Eurema Mandarina.

The common grass yellow butterfly, Eurema mandarina is a Fabaceae-feeding species, the females of which readily oviposit on Albizia julibrissin and Lespedeza cuneata in mainland Japan. We previously demonstrated that the methanolic leaf extracts of these plants, and their highly polar aqueous fractions strongly elicit female oviposition. Furthermore, the three subfractions obtained by ion-exchange chromatographic separation of the aqueous fraction have been found to be less effective alone, but synergistically stimulate female oviposition when combined. This indicates that female butterflies respond to multiple compounds with different acidity. We have previously identified d-pinitol from the neutral/amphoteric subfractions and glycine betaine from the basic subfractions as oviposition stimulants of E. mandarina. The present study aimed to identify active compounds in the remaining acidic subfractions of A. julibrissin and L. cuneata leaf extracts. GC-MS analyses of trimethylsilyl-derivatized samples revealed the presence of six compounds in the acidic subfractions. In bioassays using these authentic chemicals, erythronic acid (EA) and threonic acid (TA) were moderately active in eliciting oviposition responses in E. mandarina, with their d-isomers showing slightly higher activity than their l-isomers. Female responsiveness differed between d-EA and l-TA, the major isomers of these compounds in plants, with the response to d-EA reaching a plateau at concentrations above 0.005% and that to l-TA peaking at a concentration of 0.01%. The natural concentrations of d-EA and l-TA in fresh A. julibrissin and L. cuneata leaves were sufficient to stimulate oviposition. Furthermore, mixing 0.001% d-EA or 0.001% l-TA, to which females are mostly unresponsive, with 0.1% d-pinitol resulted in a synergistic enhancement of the oviposition response. These findings demonstrate that E. mandarina females utilize both polyhydroxy acids, EA and TA, as chemical cues for oviposition.

Identification of repellent odorants to the body louse, Pediculus humanus corporis, in clove essential oil.

The control of body lice is an important issue for human health and welfare because lice act as vectors of disease such as typhus, relapsing fever, and trench fever. Body lice exhibit avoidance behavior to some essential oils, including clove essential oil. Therefore, odorants containing clove essential oil components may potentially be useful in the development of repellents to body lice. However, such odorants that induce avoidance behavior in body lice have not yet been identified from clove essential oil. Here, we established an analysis method to evaluate the avoidance behavior of body lice to specific odorants. The behavioral analysis of the body lice in response to clove essential oil and its constituents revealed that eugenol, a major component of clove essential oil, has strong repellent effect on body lice, whereas the other components failed to induce obvious avoidance behavior. A comparison of the repellent effects of eugenol with those of other structurally related odorants revealed possible moieties that are important for the avoidance effects to body lice. The repellent effect of eugenol to body lice was enhanced by combining it with the other major component of clove essential oil, ß-caryophyllene. We conclude that a synthetic blend of eugenol and ß-caryophyllene is the most effective repellent to body lice. This finding will be valuable as the potential use of eugenol as body lice repellent.

Benign esophageal stricture after thermal injury treated with esophagectomy and ileocolon interposition.

Thermal injuries of the esophagus are rare causes of benign esophageal stricture, and all published cases were successfully treated with conservative management. A 28-year-old Japanese man with a thermal esophageal injury caused by drinking a cup of hot coffee six months earlier was referred to our hospital. The hot coffee was consumed in a single gulp at a party. Although the patient had been treated conservatively at another hospital, his symptoms of dysphagia gradually worsened after discharge. An upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and computed tomography revealed a pin-hole like area of stricture located 19 cm distally from the incisors to the esophagogastric junction, as well as circumferential stenosis with notable wall thickness at the same site. The patient underwent a thoracoscopic esophageal resection with reconstruction using ileocolon interposition. The pathological findings revealed wall thickening along the entire length of the esophagus, with massive fibrosis extending to the muscularis propria and adventitia at almost all levels. Treatment with balloon dilation for long areas of stricture is generally difficult, and stent placement in patients with benign esophageal stricture, particularly young patients, is not yet widely accepted due to the incidence of late adverse events. Considering the curability and quality-of-life associated with a long expected prognosis, we determined that surgery was the best treatment option for this young patient. In this case, we decided to perform an esophagectomy and reconstruction with ileocolon interposition in order to preserve the reservoir function of the stomach and to avoid any problems related to the reflux of gastric contents. In conclusion, resection of the esophagus is a treatment option in patients with benign esophageal injury, especially in cases involving young patients with refractory esophageal stricture. In addition, ileocolon interposition may help to improve the quality-of-life of patients.

Group A Streptococcus pharyngitis outbreak among university students in a judo club.

We report on an outbreak of Group A Streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis among university students in a judo club. Eventually, 14 of total 23 club members developed acute pharyngitis clinically. In a span of 15 days in April 2013, 12 students visited our hospital complaining of sore throat and high fever. All were men with a median age of 19.5 years (interquartile range, 18-21). The rapid streptococcal antigen test was positive in 3 of 4 patients (75%) without previous antibiotic treatment, and in 2 of 8 patients (25%) with previous antibiotic treatment. The definitive diagnosis of GAS pharyngitis was made by either a positive RADT or positive throat culture of GAS when patients had more than 2 findings from the Centor scoring system in this study. 5 students received the definitive diagnosis. The throat culture results showed that 1 out of 9 asymptomatic students was GAS-positive. The outbreak might have occurred by person-to-person contact while living in a dormitory and during judo training, which is a highly close-contact sport. However, there was also the possibility of oral transmission by the shared use of water bottles, although the culture from 1 bottle was negative. Some students continued to participate in the judo club activities after the onset of sore throat or fever. Healthcare professionals, teachers, and coaches should be aware of the potential outbreaks of infectious diseases among university students engaged in athletic activities. Furthermore, it is important to educate athletes about infectious diseases.

Antioxidant effects of a dietary supplement: reduction of indices of oxidative stress in normal subjects by water-soluble chitosan.

The effect of water-soluble chitosan, a natural polymer derived from chitin, on indices of oxidative stress was investigated in normal volunteers. Treatment with chitosan for 4 weeks produced a significant decrease in levels of plasma glucose, atherogenic index and led to increase in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL). Chitosan treatment also lowered the ratio of oxidized to reduced albumin and increased total plasma antioxidant activity (TPA). There was good correlation between TPA and oxidized albumin ratio. The results indicate that oxidized albumin ratio represents a potentially useful marker of oxidative stress. In in vitro studies, albumin carbonyls and hydroperoxides were significantly decreased in a time-dependent manner in the presence of chitosan, compared with controls (p<0.05). Chitosan also reduced two stable radicals in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The results suggest that chitosan has a direct antioxidant activity in systemic circulation by lowering the indices of oxidative stress in both in vitro and in vivo studies. This may confer benefits additional to the reduction in plasma carbohydrate and increase in HDL levels. It may also inhibit oxidation of serum albumin commonly observed in patients undergoing hemodialysis, resulting in reduction of oxidative stress associated with uremia.

Detection of the high-affinity choline transporter in the MOLT-3 human leukemic T-cell line.

We previously showed that lymphocytes possess the necessary components to constitute an independent, non-neuronal cholinergic system; these include acetylcholine (ACh) itself, choline acetyltransferase (the ACh-synthesizing enzyme), and both muscarinic and nicotinic ACh receptors (AChRs). In addition, we showed that stimulation of AChRs with their respective agonists elicits a variety of biochemical and functional effects, suggesting that lymphocytic cholinergic system is involved in the regulation of immune function. In nerve terminals, choline taken up via the high-affinity choline transporter (CHT1) is exclusively utilized for ACh synthesis. In the present study, therefore, we investigated the expression of CHT1 in T-lymphocytes. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that MOLT-3 cells, a human leukemic T-cell line used as a T-lymphocyte model, expressed CHT1 mRNA, but that the CEM and Jurkat T-cell lines did not. Consistent with that finding, specific binding of [3H]hemicholinium-3 (HC-3), an inhibitor of CHT1, and HC-3-sensitive [3H]choline uptake were also detected in MOLT-3 cells. These results suggest that CHT1 plays a role in mediating choline uptake in T-lymphocytes and provides further evidence for the presence of an independent lymphocytic cholinergic system.