The increasing threat to European forests from the invasive foliar pine pathogen, Lecanosticta acicola.

European forests are threatened by increasing numbers of invasive pests and pathogens. Over the past century, Lecanosticta acicola, a foliar pathogen predominantly of Pinus spp., has expanded its range globally, and is increasing in impact. Lecanosticta acicola causes brown spot needle blight, resulting in premature defoliation, reduced growth, and mortality in some hosts. Originating from southern regions of North American, it devastated forests in the USA's southern states in the early twentieth century, and in 1942 was discovered in Spain. Derived from Euphresco project 'Brownspotrisk,' this study aimed to establish the current distribution of Lecanosticta species, and assess the risks of L. acicola to European forests. Pathogen reports from the literature, and new/ unpublished survey data were combined into an open-access geo-database (http://www.portalofforestpathology.com), and used to visualise the pathogen's range, infer its climatic tolerance, and update its host range. Lecanosticta species have now been recorded in 44 countries, mostly in the northern hemisphere. The type species, L. acicola, has increased its range in recent years, and is present in 24 out of the 26 European countries where data were available. Other species of Lecanosticta are largely restricted to Mexico and Central America, and recently Colombia. The geo-database records demonstrate that L. acicola tolerates a wide range of climates across the northern hemisphere, and indicate its potential to colonise Pinus spp. forests across large swathes of the Europe. Preliminary analyses suggest L. acicola could affect 62% of global Pinus species area by the end of this century, under climate change predictions. Although its host range appears slightly narrower than the similar Dothistroma species, Lecanosticta species were recorded on 70 host taxa, mostly Pinus spp., but including, Cedrus and Picea spp. Twenty-three, including species of critical ecological, environmental and economic significance in Europe, are highly susceptible to L. acicola, suffering heavy defoliation and sometimes mortality. Variation in apparent susceptibility between reports could reflect variation between regions in the hosts' genetic make-up, but could also reflect the significant variation in L. acicola populations and lineages found across Europe. This study served to highlight significant gaps in our understanding of the pathogen's behaviour. Lecanosticta acicola has recently been downgraded from an A1 quarantine pest to a regulated non quarantine pathogen, and is now widely distributed across Europe. With a need to consider disease management, this study also explored global BSNB strategies, and used Case Studies to summarise the tactics employed to date in Europe.

Evaluation of Papillomacular Nerve Fiber Bundle Thickness in Glaucoma Patients with Visual Acuity Disturbance.

PURPOSE: Assessing the papillomacular nerve fiber bundle (PMB) can identify glaucoma patients with decreased visual acuity. In this study, we explore efficient methods for evaluating PMB thickness in glaucoma patients, based on swept source-optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). METHODS: This study included 347 eyes of 205 open-angle glaucoma (OAG) patients. Patients were excluded if they had best-corrected decimal visual acuity < 0.3, axial length >28 mm, non-glaucoma ocular disease, or systemic disease affecting the visual field. We obtained vertical 12.0 × 9.0 mm 3D volume scans covering both the macular and optic disc regions with SS-OCT (DRI OCT Triton, Topcon), and measured the thickness of the PMB, as well as average macular retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (mRNFLT) and macular ganglion cell complex thickness (mGCCT) in the macular map and temporal-quadrant circumpapillary RNFL thickness (tcpRNFLT). We also measured central-strip RNFLT (csRNFLT) and GCC (csGCCT) in a 1.5 × 6.6 mm area of the scan centered between the fovea and optic nerve head. CsRNFLT and csGCCT were divided lengthwise into three 1.5 × 2.2 mm sections. We then calculated Spearman's rank correlation coefficient between these OCT measurements and visual acuity. Logistic regression analysis was used to find the cutoff value for the OCT measurements to predict logMAR < 0. RESULTS: The correlation coefficients with logMAR were 0.38 for mRNFLT, 0.44 for mGCCT, 0.37 for middle csRNFLT, 0.50 for middle csGCCT, and 0.33 for tcpRNFLT (all P < .0001). For middle csGCCT, the area under the curve indicating decreased visual acuity was 0.80, with a cutoff value of 88.6 µm (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: We found strong associations between OCT parameters in the PMB, especially middle csGCCT, and visual acuity in patients with OAG. The thickness of the PMB may therefore be valuable information for glaucoma care and may help prevent visual acuity disturbance.

Sustained-Release Tacrolimus Stabilizes Decline of Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second Through Decreasing Fluctuation of Its Trough Blood Level.

BACKGROUND: Calcineurin inhibitors are a commonly used immunosuppressive drug and over 80% of lung transplant (LTx) recipients use tacrolimus. Sustained-release tacrolimus (SRT) was developed as a once-daily formulation, resulting in slower release and reduction in peak concentration compared with twice-daily immediate-release tacrolimus (IRT). Previous reports indicate that SRT may carry fewer side effects than IRT; however, the impact of SRT in bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) after LTx is unclear. OBJECTIVE: Our study objective was to evaluate the effect of SRT in BOS after LTx. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated the effect of SRT for BOS among 75 LTx recipients who were alive in 2017 in our LTx program. All analyses were carried out using student t test or F test. RESULTS: Thirty-five recipients took IRT, 32 recipients used SRT, 7 recipients used cyclosporine, and 1 patient who received bone marrow and a lung graft from the same donor did not use a calcineurin inhibitor. The most frequent reason for conversion of IRT to SRT was kidney dysfunction, followed by other IRT complications. Five recipients underwent conversion of IRT to SRT because of decline of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) with fluctuation of the tacrolimus trough level. After induction of SRT, the fluctuation of the tacrolimus trough level was significantly reduced in 4 of 5 patients (P < .05). Before drug form conversion, the FEV1 in these 5 patients was significantly decreased; however, this exacerbation of FEV1 was attenuated after SRT induction (P < .05). CONCLUSION: SRT appeared to stabilize decline of FEV1 in patients with BOS possibly due to reducing the fluctuation of tacrolimus trough blood concentration.

Nationwide investigation of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli among cattle in Japan revealed the risk factors and potentially virulent subgroups.

A nationwide study of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) was performed to determine the prevalence, characteristics and risk factors for fecal shedding of STEC among cattle in Japan. Information on rearing practices was also collected to identify risk factors for fecal shedding of STEC. STEC was isolated from 24·1% of samples (133/551) collected from 59·1% of farms (65/110). Bayesian clustering using the virulence marker profiles of the isolates subdivided the isolates into four genetically distinct groups, two of which corresponded to eae- or saa-positive STEC, which can cause severe disease in human. Both STEC groups exhibited characteristic phylogeny and virulence marker profiles. It is noteworthy that the tellurite resistance gene was not detected in all saa-positive STEC isolates, suggesting that the standard isolation method using tellurite might lead to an underestimation of the prevalence of saa-positive STEC. A multivariate logistic regression model using epidemiological information revealed a significantly (P < 0·01) high odds ratio on STEC fecal shedding in tie-stall housing and a low odds ratio in flat feed box and mechanical ventilation. Information on isolate characteristics of the two major pathotypes and risk factors in rearing practices will facilitate the development of preventative measures for STEC fecal shedding from cattle.

Low-noise and high-speed photodetection system using optical feedback with a current amplification function.

A photodetection system with an optical-feedback circuit accompanied by current amplification was fabricated to minimize the drawbacks associated with a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) with a very high resistance feedback resistor. Current amplification was implemented by extracting an output light from the same light source that emitted the feedback light. The current gain corresponds to the ratio of the photocurrent created by the output light to that created by the feedback light because the feedback current value is identical to the input photocurrent value generated by an input light to be measured. The current gain has no theoretical limit. The output light was detected by a photodiode with a TIA having a small feedback resistance. The expression for the input-referred noise current of the optical-feedback photodetection system was derived, and the trade-off between sensitivity and response, which is a characteristic of TIA, was found to considerably improve. An optical-feedback photodetection system with an InGaAs pin photodiode was fabricated. The measured noise equivalent power of the system was 1.7 fW/Hz(1/2) at 10 Hz and 1.3 µm, which is consistent with the derived expression. The time response of the system was found to deteriorate with decreasing photocurrent. The 50% rise time for a light pulse input increased from 3.1 µs at a photocurrent of 10 nA to 15 µs at photocurrents below 10 pA. The bandwidth of the input-referred noise current was 7 kHz, which is consistent with rise times below 10 pA.

Distinguishable epidemics of multidrug-resistant Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 in different hosts.

The global epidemic of multidrug-resistant Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 provides an important example, both in terms of the agent and its resistance, of a widely disseminated zoonotic pathogen. Here, with an unprecedented national collection of isolates collected contemporaneously from humans and animals and including a sample of internationally derived isolates, we have used whole-genome sequencing to dissect the phylogenetic associations of the bacterium and its antimicrobial resistance genes through the course of an epidemic. Contrary to current tenets supporting a single homogeneous epidemic, we demonstrate that the bacterium and its resistance genes were largely maintained within animal and human populations separately and that there was limited transmission, in either direction. We also show considerable variation in the resistance profiles, in contrast to the largely stable bacterial core genome, which emphasizes the critical importance of integrated genotypic data sets in understanding the ecology of bacterial zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance.

Distribution of extended-spectrum cephalosporin resistance determinants in Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli isolated from broilers in southern Japan.

This study was conducted to investigate the distribution and diversity of extended-spectrum cephalosporin (ESC) resistance determinants in Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli obtained from the same cecal samples and to provide evidence of transmission of the resistance determinants among these bacteria in broiler farms in southern Japan. Salmonella enterica and E. coli were characterized by serotyping and multilocus sequence typing, respectively. An antimicrobial susceptibility test, plasmid analysis, and identification and localization of resistance genes were performed to determine the relatedness of ESC resistance determinants among the isolates. Of 48 flocks examined, 14 had S. enterica. In total, 57 S. enterica isolates were obtained, 45 of which showed ESC resistance. Extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant E. coli were also obtained from all of these ESC-resistant Salmonella-positive samples. ß-Lactamase genes, blaTEM-52 (38 isolates), blaCTX-M-14 (1 isolate), and blaCMY-2 (6 isolates), were carried by conjugative untypable or IncP plasmids detected in the S. enterica serovars Infantis and Manhattan. The ß-lactamase genes blaCTX-M-14 (3 isolates), blaCTX-M-15 (3 isolates), blaSHV-2 (1 isolate), blaSHV-12 (2 isolates), and blaCMY-2 (32 isolates) associated with IncI1-Iγ, IncFIB, IncFIC, IncK, IncB/O, and IncY plasmids were detected in E. coli co-isolates. Restriction mapping revealed similar plasmids in Salmonella Infantis and Salmonella Manhattan and in different sequence types of E. coli. Intraspecies transmission of plasmids was suggested within S. enterica and E. coli populations, whereas interspecies transmission was not observed. This study highlights the importance of plasmids as carriers of ESC resistance determinants.

Characteristics of intrachoroidal cavitation located temporal to optic disc in highly myopic eyes.

PURPOSE: To investigate the anatomic characteristics of eyes with pathological myopia and peripapillary intrachoroidal cavitation (ICC) located temporal to the optic disc. METHODS: A total of 125 with pathologic myopia were scanned with swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT). Temporal ICC was defined as ICC located temporal to the optic disc seen in horizontal OCT section through the optic disc center. Definition of pathologic myopia was refractive error >8.00 diopters (D) or an axial length >26.5 mm. RESULTS: In all, 17 eyes of 16 patients had temporal ICC. All of the eyes had temporal or temporally wider annular conus. The ICC was observed temporal to the optic disc in 15 of 17 eyes, and 2 of the remaining eyes also had inferior ICC. Even in the two eyes with both temporal and inferior ICC, the temporal ICC was much wider than the inferior ICC. Inner retinal defect at the border of conus and temporal ICC was detected in two eyes. The temporal ICC was extensive in the posterior fundus with the average width of 1467.8 ± 1328.1 µm (range; 442-6200 µm) in a horizontal section. In two eyes, the temporal ICC extended beyond the central fovea. CONCLUSIONS: Peripapillary ICC can develop temporal to the optic disc without involving the area inferior to optic disc in highly myopic eyes. Temporal ICC appeared much wider than inferior ICC, which is usually restricted to the area around the optic disc. The possible reasons why ICC develops in temporal to the optic disc are presented.

Colonization of chicken flocks by Campylobacter jejuni in multiple farms in Japan.

Campylobacter jejuni was monitored in 4 chicken farms during the period 2003 to 2006 to elucidate the mechanisms of transmission. Three farms (1 to 3), located at least 14 km from each other, belonged to an integrated poultry company, which also provided the farms with day-old chicks from several hatcheries as well as chicken feed. Another farm (4), which belonged to a different company, was located 270 m from farm 1. A total of 206 C. jejuni isolates obtained from the 4 farms were classified into 10 flaA-based RFLP types. Identical RFLP types were found in isolates obtained from chickens originating from multiple hatcheries and reared in different chicken houses on individual farms. Flocks were colonized by strains with 1 or 2 RFLP types in each production cycle, sometimes differing between cycles. Identical RFLP types were found in isolates obtained from the environment around the chicken houses. Using multilocus sequence typing, strains with different RFLP types could be distinguished from each other. Identical RFLP and multilocus sequence typing profiles were found in isolates obtained from farms 1 and 4, and from farms 1 and 2. These results suggest that C. jejuni in these farms comes from common sources external to the farms, even if the farms belong to different companies and obtain chicks from different suppliers.

Photon number resolving SiPM detector with 1 GHz count rate.

We demonstrate 1 GHz count rate photon detection with photon number resolution by using a multi-pixel photon counter (MPPC) and performing baseline correction. A bare MPPC chip mounted on a high-frequency circuit board is employed to increase response speed. The photon number resolving capability is investigated at high repetition rates. This capability remains at a repetition rate of 1 GHz and at rates as high as an average of 2.6 photons detected per optical pulse. The photon detection efficiencies are 16% at λ = 450 nm and 4.5% at λ = 775 nm with a dark count rate of 270 kcps and an afterpulse probability of 0.007.

Source of N-nitrosodimethylamine in river waters of the upper Tone River basin in Japan.

The presence of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in the Hirose River and its tributaries, located in the upper Tone River basin, in the Kanto region of Japan, was investigated. NDMA was detected at high levels in the Arato River, one of the tributaries of the Hirose River, at high concentrations (up to 2,100 ng/L). Due to the confluence of the Arato River, NDMA concentration in the Hirose River increased (up to 61 ng/L). The NDMA in the Arato River was due to industrial discharge from a livestock processing plant located near the river. There were three discharges at the plant, with NDMA concentrations of 78, 11, and 33,000 ng/L. The industrial discharges from the livestock processing plant did not contain significant amounts of NDMA precursors on chloramination. On the other hand, sewage effluent was shown to contain NDMA precursors. The amounts of NDMA precursors in the sewage effluent that were rapidly transformed into NDMA were considered to be lower than those slowly transformed into NDMA.

Development and evaluation of a reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for rapid and high-sensitive detection of Cryptosporidium in water samples.

We describe a novel assay for simple, rapid and high-sensitive detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in water samples using a reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP). The assay is based on the detection of 18S rRNA specific for Cryptosporidium oocysts. The detection limit of the developed RT-LAMP assay was as low as 6 x 10(-3) oocysts/test tube, which theoretically enables us to detect a Cryptosporidium oocyst and perform duplicated tests even if water samples contain only one oocyst. The developed RT-LAMP assay could more sensitively detect Cryptosporidium oocysts in real water samples than the conventional assay based on microscopic observation.

Multipixel silicon avalanche photodiode with ultralow dark count rate at liquid nitrogen temperature.

Multipixel silicon avalanche photodiodes (Si APDs) are novel photodetectors used as silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), or multipixel photon counter (MPPC), because they have fast response, photon-number resolution, and a high count rate; one drawback, however, is the high dark count rate. We developed a system for cooling an MPPC to liquid nitrogen temperature and thus reduce the dark count rate. Our system achieved dark count rates of <0.2 cps. Here we present the afterpulse probability, counting capability, timing jitter, and photon-number resolution of our system at 78.5 K and 295 K.

Interleukin-1beta increases RANTES gene expression and production in synovial fibroblasts from human temporomandibular joint.

BACKGROUND: Synovial fibroblasts of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) are poorly characterized, although they have important roles in progression of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). In this study, we investigated responses of synovial fibroblasts to interleukin (IL)-1beta. METHODS: We examined gene expression profiles of synovial fibroblasts in response to IL-1beta, using Affymetrix GeneChip. Regulated upon activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) gene expression was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR. RANTES protein levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The RANTES was preferentially up-regulated in synovial fibroblasts by IL-1beta. The increase in RANTES gene expression in response to IL-1beta was confirmed by PCR and real-time PCR. Protein level of RANTES in synovial fibroblasts was also increased by IL-1beta. CONCLUSIONS: The RANTES, a cc-type chemokine, has chemotactic effects on lymphocytes and monocytes. Increased gene expression and protein production of RANTES in synovial fibroblasts, in response to IL-1beta, may play an important role in recruitment of inflammatory cells into synovium and progression of synovitis in TMD.

Full-field optical coherence tomography by two-dimensional heterodyne detection with a pair of CCD cameras.

A two-dimensional heterodyne detection technique based on the frequency-synchronous detection method [Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 39, 1194 (2000)] is demonstrated for full-field optical coherence tomography. This technique, which employs a pair of CCD cameras to detect the in-phase and quadrature components of the heterodyne signal simultaneously, offers the advantage of phase-drift suppression in interferometric measurement. Horizontal cross-sectional images are acquired at the rate of 100 frames/s in a single longitudinal scan, with a depth interval of 6 microm, making the rapid reconstruction of three-dimensional images possible.

Activities of plasminogen activator, plasmin and kallikrein in synovial fluid from patients with temporomandibular joint disorders.

To measure the activities of plasminogen activator (PA), plasmin and kallikrein, multiple synovial fluid samples were taken from 32 patients with internal derangement (ID) and osteoarthrosis (OA), and nine asymptomatic volunteers. The enzyme activity in synovial fluid from the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) was quantitated by a fluorogenic substrate assay using an enzyme substrate. In fluid samples from the patient group, PA was detected in 24 (31.5%), plasmin in 20 (26.3%) and kallikrein in 53 (96.4%), while none of these enzymes were found in the synovial fluid samples from the control group. There were positive correlations found among PA, plasmin and kallikrein. These results clearly demonstrated increased levels of PA, plasmin and kallikrein activities in the synovial fluid of patients with ID and OA, and suggest that these enzymes may be involved in the pathogenesis of synovitis, as well as the resorption of cartilage and bone in TMJ.

Molecular typing and epidemiological study of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium isolates from cattle by fluorescent amplified-fragment length polymorphism fingerprinting and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

One hundred twenty Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium strains, including 103 isolates from cattle gathered between 1977 and 1999 in the prefecture located on the northern-most island of Japan, were analyzed by using fluorescent amplified-fragment length polymorphism (FAFLP) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to examine the genotypic basis of the epidemic. Among these strains, there were 17 FAFLP profiles that formed four distinct clusters (A, B, C, and D). Isolates that belonged to cluster A have become increasingly common since 1992 with the increase of bovine salmonellosis caused by serotype Typhimurium. PFGE resolved 25 banding patterns that formed three distinct clusters (I, II, and III). All the isolates that belonged to FAFLP cluster A, in which all the strains of definitive phage type 104 examined were included, were grouped into PFGE cluster I. Taken together, these results indicate that clonal exchange of serotype Typhimurium has taken place since 1992, and they show a remarkable degree of homogeneity at a molecular level among contemporary isolates from cattle in this region. Moreover, we have sequenced two kinds of FAFLP markers, 142-bp and 132-bp fragments, which were identified as a polymorphic marker of strains that belonged to clusters A and C, respectively. The sequence of the 142-bp fragment shows homology with a segment of P22 phage, and that of the 132-bp fragment shows homology with a segment of traG, which is an F plasmid conjugation gene. FAFLP is apparently as well suited for epidemiological typing of serotype Typhimurium as is PFGE, and FAFLP can provide a source of molecular markers useful for studies of genetic variation in natural populations of serotype Typhimurium.

[Clinical significance of WHO classification and MDS 2000 classification in myelodysplastic syndromes].

Excluding chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, a total of 92 consecutive patients with myelodysplastic syndrome showing less than 20% blasts in the bone marrow were analyzed. We evaluated the clinical significance of the WHO and MDS 2000 classifications by reviewing each MDS patient according to the classification. The WHO criteria classified the MDS patients into 36 with RA, 22 with RCMD and 33 with RAEB, whereas according to the MDS 2000 criteria there were 19 RAEB-I patients and 15 RAEB-II patients. Based on the WHO classification, the RCMD patients had higher platelet counts and percentages of blasts among BM cells than the RA patients (P = 0.0018, P = 0.0001). Twenty percent of the RA patients, 44.8% of the RCMD patients, and 70.8% of the RAEB patients had cytogenetic abnormalities. Among them, the poor karyotype was present in 6.7% of the RA patients, 21.0% of the RCMD patients and 41.6% of the RAEB patients. The rate of acute leukemia death was 14.3% in the RA patients, 67.7% in the RAEB patients and 50.0% in the RCMD patients. Analysis of survival times revealed significant differences between RA and RCMD patients (P = 0.0482). The clinical features of RCMD patients were intermediate between those of RAEB and RA patients. There was no difference between the clinical features of the RAEB-I and RAEB-II patients in the MDS 2000 classification.

A comparison of Escherichia coli O157 isolates from cattle in Japan and the USA by molecular biological methods.

Escherichia coli O157 isolates from cattle in Japan (n = 91) and in the USA (n = 415) were compared by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of endonuclease-cleaved genomic DNA, location of the stx genes and bacteriophage typing. Three isolates from cattle in Japan with high similarity to isolates from cattle in the USA were found. Isolates from cattle farms in Japan and the USA may share a common source.

High-speed recovery of germanium in a convection-aided mode using functional porous hollow-fiber membranes.

A porous hollow-fiber membrane capable of recovery of germanium from a liquid stream was prepared by radiation-induced graft polymerization of an epoxy-group-containing vinyl monomer, glycidyl methacrylate, and subsequent functionalization with 2,2'-iminodiethanol, di-2-propanolamine, N-methylglucamine, and 3-amino-1,2-propanediol. The functional group density was as high as 1.4 mol per kg of the resultant hollow fiber. The polymer chains containing functional groups surrounding the pores enabled a high-speed recovery of germanium during permeation of a germanium oxide (GeO2) solution through the pores of the hollow fiber. Because of a negligible diffusional mass-transfer resistance, germanium concentration changes with the effluent volume, i.e., breakthrough curves, overlapped irrespective of the residence time of the solution, which ranged from 0.37 to 3.7 s across the hollow fiber. After repeated use of adsorption and elution, the adsorption capacity did not deteriorate.