Nutrient ileal digestibility evaluation of dried mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) larvae compared to three animal protein by-products in growing pigs.

OBJECTIVE: This study was to investigate the nutrient ileal digestibility of dried mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) larvae and compare with those of three animal protein by-products in growing pigs. METHODS: A total of 12 crossbred ([Landrace×Yorkshire]×Duroc) growing pigs with average body weights of 24.12±0.68 kg were surgically equipped with simple T-cannulas after being deprived of feed for 24 h according to published surgical procedures. These pigs had a recovery period of two weeks. A total of 12 pigs were assigned to individual metabolic crates and allotted to one of four treatments with 3 replicates in a fully randomized design. Dietary treatments included the following: i) Fish meal, corn-vegetable by-product basal diet+9.95% fish meal; ii) Meat meal, corn-vegetable by-product basal diet+9.95% meat meal; iii) Poultry meal, corn-vegetable by-product basal diet+9.95% poultry meal; iv) Tenebrio molitor, corn-vegetable by-product basal diet+9.95% dried Tenebrio molitor larvae. RESULTS: Results showed that the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of Lys was higher (p<0.05) in pigs fed Tenebrio molitor diet than that in pigs fed fish meal diet. Pigs fed Tenebrio molitor diet showed increased (p<0.05) AID of His and Arg compared to pigs fed Fish meal or Meat meal diet. The AID of Cys was increased (p<0.05) in pigs fed poultry meal and Tenebrio molitor diets compared to that in pigs fish meal diet. Pigs fed meat meal, poultry meal, and Tenebrio molitor diets showed higher (p<0.05) standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of total energy compared to pigs fed fish meal diet. The SID of Arg was higher (p<0.05) in pigs fed Tenebrio molitor diet than that in pigs fed fish meal or meat meal diet. Furthermore, pigs fed poultry meal or Tenebrio molitor diets showed increased (p<0.05) SID of Cys compared to pigs fed fish meal diet. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, providing pigs with diets that contained Tenebrio molitor larvae meal improved AID and SID of nutrients as well as essential and non-essential amino acids. The digestibility of dried mealworm larvae protein and its utilization in vivo are also good. Therefore, dried mealworm larvae protein can be used as protein source at 10% level in growing pigs.

High tuberculosis transmission rate in children with nursery exposure to undetected pulmonary tuberculosis.

SETTING: Nursery for newborns in Busan, Republic of Korea. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate tuberculosis (TB) transmission from a health care worker with active pulmonary TB to neonatal contacts. DESIGN: For the first investigation, infants who had been in the nursery 3 months before the index patient was diagnosed with pulmonary TB were enrolled. After a child who had stayed in the nursery 10 months before the diagnosis of the index patient was diagnosed with tuberculous meningitis, a second contact investigation was conducted. RESULTS: Respectively 315 and 1334 children participated in the first and second investigations. The mean age of the contacts was 66.3 days; the rate of latent tuberculous infection (LTBI) at the first investigation was 42.5% (134/315). Only one infant had an abnormal chest X-ray, and was thought to have pulmonary TB. In the second investigation, the mean age of the participants was 17.6 months. The proportion of children with LTBI was 18.7% (249/1334). CONCLUSIONS: The LTBI rate in the present study was much higher than that estimated from other contact investigations. To minimise the risk of nosocomial TB transmission to neonates, screening and management of TB in health care workers should be strengthened.

Imidazolium-based titanium substrates against bacterial colonization.

Nosocomial infections are often induced by the presence of pathogenic organisms on the surface of medical devices or hospital equipment. Chemical modifications of the surface are recognized as efficient strategies to prevent bacterial adhesion but they may have a negative impact on the material's interaction with living tissues. Here we have developed a photoactivated method for the modification of titanium substrates. A photoinduced technique employing a grafting-onto process has been successfully performed to covalently anchor an imidazolium-derivative siloxane onto titanium surfaces. Imidazolium surfaces showed higher bacteria-repellency performances than native titanium substrates, achieving more than 98% anti-adhesion efficiency against Escherichia coli after 24 h of incubation. In addition, these surfaces allowed for the adhesion and viability of osteoblasts cells without evidence of cytotoxicity.

The surgical challenge of carotid artery and Fallopian canal dehiscence in chronic ear disease: a pitfall for endoscopic approach.

OBJECTIVE: Endoscopic procedures are becoming common in middle ear surgery. Inflammation due to chronic ear disease can cause bony erosion of the carotid artery and Fallopian canals, making them more vulnerable during surgery. The objective of this study was to determine whether or not chronic ear disease increases dehiscence of the carotid artery and Fallopian canals. DESIGN: Comparative human temporal bone study. SETTING: Otopathology laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: We selected 78 temporal bones from 55 deceased donors with chronic otitis media or cholesteatoma and then compared those two groups with a control group of 27 temporal bones from 19 deceased donors with no middle ear disease. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We analysed the middle ear, carotid artery canal and Fallopian canal, looking for signs of dehiscence of its bony coverage, using light microscopy. RESULTS: We found an increased incidence in dehiscence of the carotid artery and Fallopian canals in temporal bones with chronic middle ear disease. The size of the carotid artery canal dehiscence was larger in the middle ear-diseased groups, and its bony coverage, when present, was also thinner compared to the control group. Dehiscence of the carotid artery canal was more frequently located closer to the promontory. The incidence of Fallopian canal dehiscence was significantly higher in temporal bones from donors older than 18 years with chronic middle ear disease. CONCLUSION: The increased incidence of the carotid artery and Fallopian canal dehiscence in temporal bones with chronic middle ear disease elevates the risk of adverse events during middle ear surgery.

Enhancement of solvent tolerance in Pseudomonas sp. BCNU 106 with trehalose.

UNLABELLED: As the solvent hyper-resistant Pseudomonas sp. BCNU 106 experiences limited growth with solvents, a strategy is therefore needed to allow better growth to broaden its performance in biotechnological applications. Pseudomonas sp. BCNU 106 was cultivated in a medium supplemented with 0·05 mol l(-1) trehalose, and the cell survival was observed during subsequent growth with 1% (v/v) toluene. Exogenously added trehalose was transported into the cells and conferred protection against toluene stress. BCNU 106 grown in the presence of exogenous trehalose showed higher solvent tolerance, it can thus have more potential for biotransformation and biodegradation. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study shows that exogenously supplemented trehalose confers protection against toluene stress and enhances the bacterial cell growth in the presence of toluene. This is of importance to the mass cultivation of solvent-tolerant bacteria, where some of the growth-related limitations of solvent-tolerant bacteria can be overcome, and their performance in biotechnological applications for biotransformation and biodegradation broadened.

Thiocoraline activates the Notch pathway in carcinoids and reduces tumor progression in vivo.

Carcinoids are slow-growing neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) that are characterized by hormone overproduction; surgery is currently the only option for treatment. Activation of the Notch pathway has previously been shown to have a role in tumor suppression in NETs. The marine-derived thiodepsipeptide thiocoraline was investigated in vitro in two carcinoid cell lines (BON and H727). Carcinoid cells treated with nanomolar concentrations of thiocoraline resulted in a decrease in cell proliferation and an alteration of malignant phenotype evidenced by decrease of NET markers, achaete-scute complex like-1, chromogranin A and neurospecific enolase. Western blotting analysis demonstrated the activation of Notch1 on the protein level in BON cells. Additionally, thiocoraline activated downstream Notch targets HES1, HES5 and HEY2. Thiocoraline effectively suppressed carcinoid cell growth by promoting cell cycle arrest in BON and H727 cells. An in vivo study demonstrated that thiocoraline, formulated with polymeric micelles, slowed carcinoid tumor progression. Thus the therapeutic potential of thiocoraline, which induced activation of the Notch pathway, in carcinoid tumors was demonstrated.

Nuclear and cytoplasmic localization of ß-catenin in the nail-matrix cells and in an onychomatricoma.

ß-catenin plays an important role in hair morphogenesis. Previously, the nuclear and cytoplasmic localizations of ß-catenin were identified in hair-matrix cells. To evaluate ß-catenin expression in the nail matrix, we obtained human nail units. Immunohistochemistry for ß-catenin was used to evaluate sections of normal nail units and of sections from a single case of onychomatricoma. In the nail unit, ß-catenin was expressed in the nucleus and cytoplasm of the suprabasal nail-matrix cells. Of the other epithelial-cell types, only the cell membrane was ß-catenin-positive. In the nail tissue from the onychomatricoma case, ß-catenin was expressed in the nucleus and cytoplasm of the upper epithelial layers. Our result suggests that ß-catenin plays an important role in nail formation. In addition, ß-catenin expression in onychomatricoma supports the presence of nail-matrix cells in this condition. To our knowledge, this is the first report of ß-catenin expression in the nucleus and cytoplasm of the nail matrix.

Electrokinetic microscopy: a technique for imaging three-dimensional surface topography and heterogeneity of surface material.

In the present study, we introduce the concept of an electrokinetic microscope (EKM), a non-contact type probe microscope that can simultaneously provide a test specimen's three-dimensional surface topography and heterogeneity of surface material. In the EKM, the flow impedance and the streaming potential are measured during the scanning process to reproduce the topography and the heterogeneity, respectively. The working principle of the EKM is experimentally demonstrated by measuring specimens whose surfaces consist of thin layers of various materials and topographical differences. Experimental results also show that the EKM can be used regardless of the electrical conductivity of test specimens.

In vitro measurement of tissue integrity during saccular aneurysm embolizations for simulator-based training.

In the domain of endovascular neurosurgery, the measurement of tissue integrity is needed for simulator-based training and for the development of new intravascular instruments and treatment techniques. In vitro evaluation of tissue manipulation can be achieved using photoelastic stress analysis and vasculature modeling with photoelastic materials. In this research we constructed two types of vasculature models of saccular aneurysms for differentiation of embolization techniques according to the respect for tissue integrity measurements based on the stress within the blood vessel model wall. In an aneurysm model with 5 mm dome diameter, embolization using MicroPlex 10 (Complex 1D, with 4 mm diameter loops), a maximum area of 3.97 mm² with stress above 1 kPa was measured. This area increased to 5.50 mm² when the dome was touched deliberately with the release mechanism of the coil, and to 4.87 mm² for an embolization using Micrusphere, (Spherical 18 Platinum Coil). In a similar way trans-cell stent-assisted coil embolization was also compared to human blood pressure simulation using a model of a wide-necked saccular aneurysm with 7 mm diameter. The area with stress above 1kPa was below 1 mm² for the pressure simulation and maximized at 3.79 mm² during the trans-cell insertion of the micro-catheter and at 8.92 mm² during the embolization. The presented results show that this measurement system is useful for identifying techniques compromising tissue integrity, comparing and studying coils and embolization techniques for a specific vasculature morphology and comparing their natural stress variations such as that produced by blood pressure.

Fabrication of uniform and high resolution copper nanowire using intermediate self-assembled monolayers through direct AFM lithography.

Electrochemical AFM lithography was used to directly fabricate copper nanowires. The copper ions were strongly reduced by a negative sample bias at the point where the AFM tip was localized, and copper metal wires were successfully fabricated following the direction of the electrical field of the bias. A TDA⋅HCl self-assembled monolayer (SAM) was found to play an important role as an intermediate layer for enhancing the capability of high resolution and complete development after the AFM lithographic process. The physical and electrical properties of the wires were analyzed by AFM, EFM, SEM, TEM and I-V measurement. The fabricated copper has promising potential for applications such as masks and interconnectors for nanoelectronic devices.

Sensory characteristics and consumer acceptability of beef stock containing glutathione Maillard reaction products prepared at various conditions.

The sensory characteristics and consumer acceptability of beef soup samples containing 9 types of glutathione Maillard reaction products (GMRPs) were investigated to examine the effects of the GMRPs produced under different reaction conditions on the flavor of the beef soup. The sensory characteristics of the beef stocks were examined using descriptive analysis. In consumer testing, 50 consumers evaluated the overall acceptability and flavor intensities of beef odor, salty taste, beef flavor, and seasoning flavor in the beef soup samples. It was found that the reaction conditions, including sugar type and pH, affected the sensory characteristics of the beef stock containing the GMRPs. The samples containing the GMRPs reacted at pH 7 were characterized with strong beef flavor, chestnut flavor, and cooked rice flavor. However, the GMRP reacted with xylose at pH 7 (XM7) was significantly stronger in beef-related sensory characteristics than the GMRPs reacted with glucose or fructose at pH 7 (GM7 and FM7). The samples containing the GMRPs reacted at pH 3 had strong acid-related attributes whereas the GMRPs reacted at pH 11 exhibited strong sulfur-related attributes and a bitter taste. Overall, the beef soup containing XM7, which was perceived as having a strong beef odor and flavor, was rated the highest consumer acceptability score. This suggests that XM7 has feasibility as a flavor enhancer. To elucidate its effectiveness further, it is required to apply XM7 in various food systems at varying levels and to compare its flavor enhancing effects with other flavor enhancers such as monosodium L-glutamate in future studies. Practical Application: This study characterized sensory attributes of glutathione Maillard reaction products (GMRPs) reacted under various conditions and evaluated their potential as a flavor enhancer by examining consumer acceptability of beef stock containing the GMRPs. This study showed that the GMRP reacted with xylose at pH 7 had strong 71 beef flavor and the highest consumer acceptability score. The results of this study will provide valuable information for understanding sensory aspect of flavors generated by Maillard reaction of GSH and sugars, since most studies on Maillard reaction focused on chemical reactions. Also, the outcome of this study will help flavor and food industries' efforts to develop a new flavor enhancer for use in a variety of processed food products.

Asexual sporulation signalling regulates autolysis of Aspergillus nidulans via modulating the chitinase ChiB production.

AIMS: Elucidation of the regulation of ChiB production in Aspergillus nidulans. METHODS AND RESULTS: Mutational inactivation of the A. nidulans chiB gene resulted in a nonautolytic phenotype. To better understand the mechanisms controlling both developmental progression and fungal autolysis, we examined a range of autolysis-associated parameters in A. nidulans developmental and/or autolytic mutants. Investigation of disorganization of mycelial pellets, loss of biomass, extra-/intracellular chitinase activities, ChiB production and chiB mRNA levels in various cultures revealed that, in submerged cultures, initialization of autolysis and stationary phase-induced ChiB production are intimately coupled, and that both processes are controlled by the FluG-BrlA asexual sporulation regulatory pathway. ChiB production does not affect the progression of apoptotic cell death in the aging A. nidulans cultures. CONCLUSIONS: The endochitinase ChiB plays an important role in autolysis of A. nidulans, and its production is initiated by FluG-BrlA signalling. Despite the fact that apoptosis is an inseparable part of fungal autolysis, its regulation is independent to FluG-initiated sporulation signalling. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Deletion of chiB and fluG homologues in industrial filamentous fungal strains may stabilize the hyphal structures in the autolytic phase of growth and limit the release of autolytic hydrolases into the culture medium.

Spontaneous rupture of pheochromocytoma: computed tomography-pathologic features and correlation.

Spontaneous rupture is a rare complication of pheochromocytoma. Its preoperative diagnosis is of great importance in determining treatment and prognosis. We describe computed tomography pathologic findings and correlate their features in a case with ruptured pheochromocytoma.

Pseudotumour in the bladder as a complication of total hip replacement: ultrasonography, CT and MR findings.

We report a pseudotumour in the urinary bladder following total hip replacement with review of the literature. Pseudotumour in the urinary bladder as a late complication of total hip replacement is an extremely rare condition. In this case, cross-sectional imaging modalities including sonography, CT and MR showed a hypervascular polypoid mass in the urinary bladder and adjacent wall thickening with a band connecting between the mass and the acetabulum. Histopathological diagnosis confirmed acute and chronic inflammation with calcification.

Lack of correlation of degree of villous atrophy with severity of clinical presentation of coeliac disease.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Both the clinical presentation and the degree of mucosal damage in coeliac disease vary greatly. In view of conflicting information as to whether the mode of presentation correlates with the degree of villous atrophy, we reviewed a large cohort of patients with coeliac disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We correlated mode of presentation (classical, diarrhoea predominant or atypical/silent) with histology of duodenal biopsies and examined their trends over time. RESULTS: The cohort consisted of 499 adults, mean age 44.1 years, 68% females. The majority had silent coeliac disease (56%) and total villous atrophy (65%). There was no correlation of mode of presentation with the degree of villous atrophy (p=0.25). Sixty-eight percent of females and 58% of males had a severe villous atrophy (p=0.052). There was a significant trend over time for a greater proportion of patients presenting as atypical/silent coeliac disease and having partial villous atrophy, though the majority still had total villous atrophy. CONCLUSIONS: Among our patients the degree of villous atrophy in duodenal biopsies did not correlate with the mode of presentation, indicating that factors other than the degree of villous atrophy must account for diarrhoea in coeliac disease.

Polymeric micelles for drug delivery.

Polymeric micelles are nanoscopic core/shell structures formed by amphiphilic block copolymers. Both the inherent and modifiable properties of polymeric micelles make them particularly well suited for drug delivery purposes. An emphasis of this review has been placed on both the description and characterization techniques of the physical properties of polymeric micelles. Relevant properties discussed include micellar association, morphology, size and stability. These properties and characterization techniques are included to provide context for the known advantages and applications of polymeric micelles for drug delivery. The advantages and applications discussed include solubilization of poorly soluble molecules, sustained release and size advantages, and protection of encapsulated substances from degradation and metabolism. The three most widely studied block copolymer classes are characterized by their hydrophobic blocks, and are poly(propylene oxide), poly(L-amino acid)s and poly(ester)s. These three classes of block copolymers are reviewed with multiple examples of current research in which formulation techniques with polymeric micelles have been applied to some of the most challenging molecules in the pharmaceutical industry. The polymeric micelles used for drug delivery in these examples have shown the abilities to attenuate toxicities, enhance delivery to desired biological sites and improve the therapeutic efficacy of active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Pilot-testing an alternative on-site wastewater treatment system for small communities and its automatic control.

The pilot test of a new alternative for small wastewater treatment system has been conducted for two years. It consists of a hybrid bioreactor and the expert system including the programmable logic controller and human-machine interface. In order to monitor its status, the real-time data was transferred from the remote station to the central station via a wireless local area network. More efficient and stable performances were observed at automatic operating mode compared with the manual. On an average, COD, SS, T-N and T-P concentrations in the effluent from the hybrid bioreactor were less than 14, 7, 12 and 0.9 mg/L, respectively. According to the result from laboratory experiments, the quality of treated wastewater with chemical coagulation process followed by sand filtration was enough to be utilized again if a final disinfection step is included.

4-1BB promotes long-term survival in skin allografts treated with anti-CD45RB and anti-CD40L monoclonal antibodies.

4-1BB (CD137) is a T-cell co-stimulatory molecule that promotes T cell activation. Using a skin transplantation model, we observed that simultaneous administration of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) targeting CD45RB and CD40L prolonged skin allograft in co-stimulation blockade (CTLA4-Ig and anti-CD40L mAb)-resistant mice, because of reducing CD8(+) T cells and CD4(+) CD45RB(high) T cells. Anti-CD45RB mAb (45RB) blocks the activation of T helper 1 (Th1) cells and generates regulatory T cells (T(reg)). The experimental design included five groups: group 1, control; group 2, 45RB-MR1; group 3, 45B-MR1 + 4-IBBL; group 4, anti-CD4 mAb plus group 3 treatment; group 5, anti-CD8 mAb plus group 3 treatment. In this study we highlight the involvement of 4-1BB/4-1BBL in the development of T-cell responses. C57BL/6 recipients of BALB/c skin grafts were treated with 45RB, anti-CD40L mAb (MR1), and antagonistic anti-4-1BBL mAb (4-1BBL) on days 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 posttransplantation. Additional 4-1BBL further prolonged skin graft survival, although the percentage of splenocyte-derived CD8(+) T cells was reduced similarly in both groups. Use of 4-1BBL seems to have additive effects on T(reg) cells, which play a major role in the maintenance of tolerance. Even after immunosuppressive therapy in combination with CD4(+) T-cell depletion, we did not achieve prolonged graft survival, possibly because of the absense of T(reg) cells, which require CD4-independent CD8(+) T cells, based on the observation of increasing proportion of CD8(+) T cells in similar degree as the control group.