Succinate and Lactate Production from Euglena gracilis during Dark, Anaerobic Conditions.

Euglena gracilis is a eukaryotic, unicellular phytoflagellate that has been widely studied in basic science and applied science. Under dark, anaerobic conditions, the cells of E. gracilis produce a wax ester that can be converted into biofuel. Here, we demonstrate that under dark, anaerobic conditions, E. gracilis excretes organic acids, such as succinate and lactate, which are bulk chemicals used in the production of bioplastics. The levels of succinate were altered by changes in the medium and temperature during dark, anaerobic incubation. Succinate production was enhanced when cells were incubated in CM medium in the presence of NaHCO3. Excretion of lactate was minimal in the absence of external carbon sources, but lactate was produced in the presence of glucose during dark, anaerobic incubation. E. gracilis predominantly produced L-lactate; however, the percentage of D-lactate increased to 28.4% in CM medium at 30°C. Finally, we used a commercial strain of E. gracilis for succinate production and found that nitrogen-starved cells, incubated under dark, anaerobic conditions, produced 869.6 mg/L succinate over a 3-day incubation period, which was 70-fold higher than the amount produced by nitrogen-replete cells. This is the first study to demonstrate organic acid excretion by E. gracilis cells and to reveal novel aspects of primary carbon metabolism in this organism.

Interdisciplinary treatment of a nonsyndromic oligodontia patient with implant-anchored orthodontics.

We successfully treated a nonsyndromic oligodontia patient with implant-anchored orthodontics and prosthetic restorations. A woman, age 18 years 11 months, had a straight profile and a skeletal Class I jaw-base relationship but had spaced arches because of 7 congenitally missing teeth. After leveling and alignment of the dentition, a titanium miniscrew was temporarily placed at the distal alveolus of the mandibular right first premolar, and the posterior teeth were mesialized to reduce the restorative spaces. After determination of the incisor positions, 3 dental implants were respectively inserted at the sites of the maxillary canines and the mandibular left lateral incisor with guided bone regeneration procedures. Then, screw-retained temporary prostheses were delivered after subepithelial connective tissue grafting and used for molar mesialization as absolute anchorage. After 36 months of active orthodontic treatment, an acceptable occlusion was achieved, both functionally and esthetically, with the 3 dental implants. The maxillary and mandibular molars were mesialized, but the changes of incisor position were minimal. As a result, a proper facial profile was maintained, and an attractive smile was achieved. The resultant occlusion was stable throughout a 3-year retention period. In conclusion, interdisciplinary treatment combined with orthodontics, implant surgery, and prosthodontics was useful for a nonsyndromic oligodontia patient. Especially, the new strategy-implant-anchored orthodontics-can facilitate the treatment more simply with greater predictability.

Orthodontic occlusal reconstruction after conservative treatment of unicystic ameloblastoma in an adolescent patient: 10-year follow-up.

Conservative treatment of an ameloblastoma often requires an occlusal reconstruction. In this article, we report the successful interdisciplinary treatment of a 14-year-old girl with a unicystic ameloblastoma in the mandible. One year after the marsupialization, enucleation with bone curettage was performed with extraction of the impacted third molar, but the proximal second molar could be maintained. The conservative treatment required long-term use of an obturator, and it caused a total open bite. Additionally, the patient genetically had a Class II malocclusion with severe crowding. Consequently, orthodontic treatment was performed after 4 premolar extractions. There was no recurrence of the ameloblastoma 10 years after the enucleation.

Long-term stability of conservative orthodontic treatment in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and severe condylar resorption.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory condition that can result in progressive destruction of the articular surfaces of the joints, including the temporomandibular joint. The purpose of this article is to report the conservative correction of a Class II malocclusion in a woman with rheumatoid arthritis. The patient was 32 years 6 months old at the start of treatment. She had a convex profile and a skeletal Class II jaw-base relationship caused by severe condylar resorption. An anterior open bite of -2.0 mm and an excessive overjet of 10.0 mm were observed. Severe crowding was shown in the mandibular incisors. After 8 months of splint therapy, all first premolars were extracted, and 0.018-in preadjusted edgewise appliances were placed in both arches. Class II elastics were used during space closure. After 41 months of active orthodontic treatment, an acceptable occlusion was achieved, and the facial profile was considerably improved. From the cephalometric evaluations, the mandible was rotated counterclockwise, and the mandibular plane angle was significantly decreased. However, the anteroposterior position of the chin was not changed. The condylar resorption was not changed during and after orthodontic treatment. Conclusively, the proper facial profile was maintained, and the occlusion was stable after a 5-year retention period. Our results suggest the possibility of compromised treatment in a Class II malocclusion with an anterior open bite because of rheumatoid arthritis.

Severity of alveolar cleft before palatoplasty affects vertical maxillofacial growth in 6-year-old patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate.

INTRODUCTION: In this study, we investigated the association between the severity of alveolar clefts in infants and the succeeding maxillofacial growth in patients affected by complete unilateral cleft lip and palate. METHODS: The subjects were 35 nonsyndromic patients affected by unilateral cleft lip and palate (n = 27) or bilateral cleft lip and palate (n = 8). Plaster models and lateral cephalograms taken at 6 years of age were analyzed and compared with the Japanese norms. In the unilateral cleft lip and palate patients, the relationship between the width of the alveolar cleft before palatoplasty and the skeletal characteristics was also explored. RESULTS: Significant deficiencies of the posterior maxilla and steep palatal planes were noted in both the unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate patients. However, they were not clearly observed in the unilateral cleft lip and palate patients born with a small alveolar cleft and were correlated with the severity of alveolar cleft in infancy. Neither cleft type nor the severity of the alveolar cleft was implicated in the maxillary arch form in childhood, but the growth of the alveolar height on the cleft side was less in the unilateral cleft lip and palate patients born with a large alveolar cleft. CONCLUSIONS: The severity of the alveolar cleft before palatoplasty affects the succeeding vertical maxillofacial growth in patients affected by unilateral cleft lip and palate; this suggests the necessity of a different diagnosis and treatment in unilateral cleft lip and palate patients according to the severity of the alveolar cleft in infancy.

Cardiac axis-oriented full-volume data acquisition in real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography to facilitate on-cart analysis.

We propose a useful method to acquire a full-volume dataset that allows for efficient assessment of cardiac structures by real-time 3-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3DTEE). In our method, bicommissural full-volume acquisition, the dataset is acquired with the X-Y-Z axes aligned along the lines connecting the mitral commissures, the mitral annular center to the left ventricular apex, and the mitral anterior-posterior ends, respectively. The image dataset obtained using this method not only allows for visualization of en face images of the cardiac structures, but box cropping of the dataset also provides useful sectional images that are the analogues of the standard 2DTEE views. Our method can potentially standardize 3D image orientation of the cardiac structures and facilitate intraoperative on-cart analysis in real-time 3DTEE.

Efficient usage of implant anchorage to treat overerupted maxillary first molar and mesially inclined mandibular molars.

This case report demonstrates the efficient use of implant anchorage in a patient with mesially inclined mandibular molars and an overerupted maxillary molar. A 14-year-old girl had an overerupted maxillary right first molar, possibly because of severely inclined mandibular right molars. Two-step use of miniplate anchorage in the right zygomatic process was proposed. As the first step, the overerupted maxillary first molar was intruded with elastic chains from the miniplate for 10 months. Then the maxillary right molars were distalized by using the miniplate to correct the Class II molar relationship. In the mandible, the first molar was extruded with intermaxillary elastics applied from the miniplate to the molar for 7 months after the uprighting of the mandibular right second molar. The results suggest that the use of 2-step implant anchorage is efficient for intrusion and distalization of maxillary molars and extrusion and uprighting of mandibular inclined molars.

Severity of alveolar cleft affects prognosis of infant orthopedics in complete unilateral cleft lip and palate: three-dimensional evaluation from cheiloplasty to palatoplasty.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between severity of alveolar cleft and treatment outcome of infant orthopedics in patients affected by complete unilateral cleft lip and palate from cheiloplasty to palatoplasty with a three-dimensional evaluation method. Treatment outcomes of infant orthopedics were evaluated using three-dimensional linear and angular measurements of plaster models after cheiloplasty (T1) and before palatoplasty (T2). Eleven patients who had a width of alveolar cleft (WC) less than 4.0 mm at T1 (mild group) and 13 patients who had a WC 4.0 mm or greater (severe group) were compared and analyzed. From T1 to T2, the lengths of the alveolar segments were increased, and the WC was decreased without palatal collapse of alveolar segments in both groups. However, the WC in the severe group was significantly decreased by increased growth of the major segment compared with the mild group. The incisive papilla had a more evoked growth to the alveolar cleft side than in the severe group. Conclusively, infant orthopedics was quite useful in reducing WC in patients affected by unilateral cleft lip and palate after cheiloplasty, and the severity of WC significantly affected the prognosis of infant orthopedics.

[Risk management in cardiovascular anesthesia].

Many emergent accidents can occur during cardiovascular surgery, because many of there patients have severe complications and operative risks are high. Anesthesiolosists should know that emergent accidents may occur in the operating room and be able to cope with them.

Identification and molecular characterization of an N-Acetylmuraminidase, Aml, involved in Streptococcus mutans cell separation.

We previously demonstrated Streptococcus mutans produces two bacteriolytic enzymes of 100 kDa and 80 kDa (G. Yoshimura et al. Microbiol. Immunol. 48, 465-469, 2004). Here, we identified the protein sequence of these enzymes and found they come from a single gene product designated as automutanolysin (Aml). Aml has a modular design where the N-terminus contains five 13-amino-acid repeats and a C-terminal enzyme active domain. Aml selectively lyses S. mutans and S. sobrinus but no other oral streptococci. This suggests Aml possesses strong substrate specificity towards cariogenic bacteria present in the human oral cavity. Analysis of S. mutans peptidoglycan fragments released by Aml shows the enzyme is an N-acetylmuraminidase. We found Ca(2+) enhances the activity; and EGTA, EDTA and iodoacetic acid inhibit the activity. The optimum pH range for lytic activity was 6 to 7. Disruption of the aml gene in S. mutans results in the formation of a longer bacterial cell chain length that was dispersed by the addition of a low concentration of Aml. This suggests Aml is involved in S. mutans cell separation.

[Comparison of semitransparent colored labels with opaque colored labels for prevention of adverse drug administration].

BACKGROUND: We made a semitransparent color label to supplement a demerit of an opaque color label for prevention of adverse drug administration, and evaluated whether a semitransparent color label is superior to an opaque color label. METHODS: We prepared a total of 16 syringes (8 colors; two syriges of each color) in the opaque (NC) group and in the semitransparent (CL) group. Each ten subjects were asked to pick up the same drug label alternately in each group, and we measured the time and the number of syringes until the examinee can pick up the five correct syringes. We also examined the adhesiveness of the label to the syringe for six hours in each group. RESULTS: The time and syringe number until the examinee could pick up five correct syringes were 24.6+/-4.6 seconds and 16.2+/-2.7 in NC group (P= 0.0004) and 10.9+/-3.7 seconds and 6.5+/-1.7 in CL group, respectively (n-10, each, P <0.0001). In CL group the label adhered to the syringes tightly for six hours, whereas all the labels in NC group were detached (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The semitransparent color label is superior to the opaque color label in discrimination and adhesion.

Association of troglitazone-induced liver injury with mutation of the cytochrome P450 2C19 gene.

An anti-diabetic agent, troglitazone, was withdrawn from the market because of its association with liver injury. However, the mechanism of the injury has not been elucidated. We examined, retrospectively, the frequency of the polymorphisms of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 and 2D6 genes in eight patients with type 2 diabetes who had troglitazone-induced liver injury and 31 subjects who tolerated troglitazone well. Polymorphisms of CYP 2C19 and 2D6 genes were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction using peripheral white blood cells. The incidence of mutations was compared with known population data for the Japanese. Homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in CYP 2C19 alleles were found in four of the eight (50.0%) patients with troglitazone-induced liver injury. This rate was significantly higher than that in patients without liver injury (four of 31, 12.9%). The frequency of P450 2D6 mutations was the same in both groups. In conclusion, troglitazone-induced liver injury occurred more frequently in subjects with the CYP 2C19 mutations in Japanese patients.

The VAR1 locus of Arabidopsis encodes a chloroplastic FtsH and is responsible for leaf variegation in the mutant alleles.

BACKGROUND: A leaf-variegated mutation var1 of Arabidopsis results in the development of abnormal plastids and the formation of a green/white sector. Genetic analysis of the var1 mutant indicated that it acts synergistically with another mutation var2, suggesting that the two genes are relevant. The VAR2 locus has been shown to encode a chloroplastic FtsH, an ATP-dependent protease which is possibly involved in the degradation of thylakoid proteins and plastid development. RESULTS: In this study we show that the VAR1 locus encodes a chloroplastic FtsH protein homologous to VAR2. VAR1 contains a conserved motif for ATPase and a metalloprotease characteristic to FtsH proteins, and is targeted into chloroplasts. A VAR1-fusion protein synthesized in vitro exhibited ATPase activity and partial metalloprotease activity. The maximum yield of photochemistry, measured by chlorophyll fluorescence, showed that the var1 mutants were sensitive to photoinhibitory light exposure at 800 micro mol/m2/s. CONCLUSION: VAR1 and VAR2 comprise an FtsH small gene family together with other FtsH genes in Arabidopsis. VAR1 as well as VAR2 may play an important role in degrading photodamaged subunits in photosystem II. Loss of VAR1 and VAR2 perhaps impairs the photoprotection mechanism and thylakoid development, causing leaf variegation as a consequence.