Examination of a practical method to quantitatively evaluate the rolling over movement in a clinical setting.

[Purpose] We investigated the utility of wearable inertial and magnetic sensing modules for analyzing neck and trunk movements during the rolling over movement. [Participants and Methods] The participants were instructed to roll over from the supine to the side-lying position with three sensor units attached to their forehead, xiphoid process of the sternum, and abdomen. Experiments were conducted on two prescribed patterns: one emphasizing hip joint flexion and adduction, and the other focusing on scapular protraction and horizontal shoulder joint adduction in two healthy participants (one male and one female). The flexion and rotation angles of the neck and trunk were calculated using conventional spreadsheet software with data obtained from the sensors. The obtained values were compared for agreement with those derived from a three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis device. [Results] The cross-correlation coefficient for the flexion and rotation angles of the neck and trunk between the two measurement methods was approximately 0.85, and the root mean square (RMS) angle difference was approximately 5.0°. [Conclusion] Wearable inertial and magnetic sensors can be used to quantitatively evaluate neck and trunk movements during the rolling over movement.

Regulation of constant cell elongation and Sfm pili synthesis in Escherichia coli via two active forms of FimZ orphan response regulator.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) has multiple copies of the chaperone-usher (CU) pili operon in five fimbria groups: CU pili, curli, type IV pili, type III secretion pili, and type IV secretion pili. Commensal E. coli K-12 contains 12 CU pili operons. Among these operons, Sfm is expressed by the sfmACDHF operon. Transcriptome analyses, reporter assays, and chromatin immunoprecipitation PCR analyses reported that FimZ directly binds to and activates the sfmA promoter, transcribing sfmACDHF. In addition, FimZ regularly induces constant cell elongation in E. coli, which is required for F-type ATPase function. The bacterial two-hybrid system showed a specific interaction between FimZ and the α subunit of the cytoplasmic F1 domain of F-type ATPase. Studies performed using mutated FimZs have revealed two active forms, I and II. Active form I is required for constant cell elongation involving amino acid residues K106 and D109. Active form II additionally required D56, a putative phosphorylation site, to activate the sfmA promoter. The chromosomal fimZ was hardly expressed in parent strain but functioned in phoB and phoP double-gene knockout strains. These insights may help to understand bacterial invasion restricted host environments by the sfm γ-type pili.

Intraplaque wiring enables drug-coated balloons to be utilized for percutaneous recanalization of chronically occluded coronary arteries.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine whether drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty following intraplaque wiring and the use of modified balloons is safe and effective in the percutaneous treatment of coronary chronic total occlusions (CTOs). BACKGROUND: DCB is an alternative therapeutic option without the limitations of permanent vascular implants. However, its efficacy in CTOs has yet to be confirmed. The combination of modified balloons and DCB can be effectively applied when the intraplaque passage of the guidewire is achieved in CTOs. METHODS: Data from 124 consecutive CTO lesions (105 patients) treated at our hospital between February 2016 and December 2020 were screened for inclusion and retrospectively analyzed. Among the 118 lesions successfully recanalized, intraplaque wiring was achieved in 108, and 85 were treated by the DCB-only approach following cutting/scoring balloon dilatation. RESULTS: Follow-up data were available for 82 lesions (71 patients). The median occlusion length was 18.5 mm, and the J-CTO score was 1.7 ± 0.9. No in-hospital major adverse cardiac events occurred, including abrupt vessel closure. During the median 29-month follow-up period, target lesion revascularization was performed for 10 lesions. Follow-up coronary angiography (8.7 ± 3.9 months after the index procedure) was performed for 64 lesions, demonstrating late lumen loss of -0.15 mm (interquartile range -0.4 to 0.23 mm), binary restenosis (diameter stenosis ≥50%) in 12 lesions (18.8%), and late lumen enlargement in 37 (57.8%). CONCLUSION: The DCB-only approach following the use of modified balloons is a promising strategy for coronary CTOs when intraplaque wiring is achieved.

The hdeD Gene Represses the Expression of Flagellum Biosynthesis via LrhA in Escherichia coli K-12.

Escherichia coli survives under acid stress conditions by the glutamic acid-dependent acid resistance (GAD) system, which enzymatically decreases intracellular protons. We found a linkage between GAD and flagellar systems in E. coli. The hdeD gene, one of the GAD cluster genes, encodes an uncharacterized membrane protein. A reporter assay showed that the hdeD promoter was induced in a GadE-dependent manner when grown in the M9 glycerol medium. Transcriptome analysis revealed that most of the transcripts were from genes involved in flagellum synthesis, and cell motility increased not only in the hdeD-deficient mutant but also in the gadE-deficient mutant. Defects in both the hdeD and gadE increased the intracellular level of FliA, an alternative sigma factor for flagellum synthesis, activated by the master regulator FlhDC. The promoter activity of the lrhA gene, which encodes repressor for the flhDC operon, was found to decrease in both the hdeD- and gadE-deficient mutants. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the number of flagellar filaments on the hdeD-, gadE-, and lrhA-deficient cells increased, and all three mutants showed higher motility than the parent strain. Thus, HdeD in the GAD system activates the lrhA promoter, resulting in a decrease in flagellar filaments in E. coli cells. We speculated that the synthesis of HdeD, stimulated in E. coli exposed to acid stress, could control the flagellum biosynthesis by sensing slight changes in pH at the cytoplasmic membrane. This could help in saving energy through termination of flagellum biosynthesis and improve bacterial survival efficiency within the animal digestive system. IMPORTANCE E. coli cells encounter various environments from the mouth down to the intestines within the host animals. The pH of gastric juice is lower than 2.0, and the bacterial must quickly respond and adapt to the following environmental changes before reaching the intestines. The quick response plays a role in cellular survival in the population, whereas adaptation may contribute to species survival. The GAD and flagellar systems are important for response to low pH in E. coli. Here, we identified the novel inner membrane regulator HdeD, encoding in the GAD cluster, to repress the synthesis of flagella. These insights provide a deeper understanding of how the bacteria enter the animal digestive system, survive, and form colonies in the intestines.

Laser vaporization of atherothrombotic burden before drug-coated balloon application in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: Two-year outcomes of the laser-DCB trial.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine whether the combination of excimer laser coronary atherectomy (ELCA) and drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty can provide feasible clinical outcome in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with 8-month and 2-year scheduled follow-up angiography. BACKGROUND: Intracoronary thrombus elevates the risk of interventional treatment in patients with STEMI and hampers drug absorption into the vasculature released from DCB. METHODS: Sixty-two patients with STEMI within 24 h after the onset of symptoms were enrolled in this prospective, single-center, single-arm study. RESULTS: The laser catheter was successfully crossed distal to the culprit lesion in all cases. No ELCA-related adverse events occurred. Bail-out stenting was required in two patients (3.2%) after adjunctive ballooning; thus, the remaining 60 patients were completed with DCB angioplasty without stenting. Scheduled angiography at 8 months and 2 years was completed in 100% and 85.2%, respectively, and minimal lumen diameters were 3.4 ± 0.5, 3.4 ± 0.6, and 3.4 ± 0.5 mm after the procedure, at 8 months and at 2 years, respectively. Binary restenosis was observed in five patients (8.1%) in whom target lesion revascularization was performed. The duration of dual antiplatelet therapy was 2.3 ± 2.2 months, and neither abrupt vessel closure, reinfarction, cardiac death nor major bleeding was observed. CONCLUSION: A combination of DCB angioplasty with ELCA is a feasible therapeutic option for STEMI.

Expression and diversity of the sialic acid-binding adhesin and its homologs associated with oral streptococcal infection.

Streptococcus gordonii, one of the early colonizers of oral biofilms, is involved in the development of dental caries, periodontal disease, and infective endocarditis. The Hsa adhesin of S. gordonii DL1 has the ability to bind strongly to the terminal sialic acid groups of host glycoproteins via the binding region, nonrepetitive region 2 (NR2), which is important for the pathogenicity of S. gordonii DL1. Low similarity with the NR2 of Hsa homologs among other streptococcal species has been reported. However, the reports have been limited to certain strains. This study attempted to assess frequency of the expression on the bacterial cell surface and to analyze the diversity of Hsa homologs among different wild strains of oral streptococci. We isolated 186 wild-type strains of oral streptococci from healthy volunteers and analyzed their hemagglutinating (HA) activity on human erythrocytes and their Hsa homologs and NR2 homologous regions by dot immunoblotting using anti-Hsa and anti-NR2 antisera, respectively. We found 30 strains reacted with anti-NR2 antiserum (NR2 positive) and determined the sequence of the NR2 regions. Many strains with high HA activity were also NR2 positive, suggesting that the NR2 region may be associated with HA activity. Among the NR2-positive strains, four different amino acid sequence patterns were observed, demonstrating diversity in the NR2 region. Notably, S. gordonii strains frequently possessed Hsa homologs and NR2-like antigens compared with other streptococci. It is speculated that the possessing frequency of Hsa homologs and the amino acid sequence of NR2 region may vary among streptococcal species.

Analysis of sagittal thoracolumbar spine and hip joint movements during sit-to-stand using a 2D image analysis freeware.

[Purpose] This study aimed to verify the utility of an image analysis freeware in the evaluation of thoracolumbar spine and hip joint movements during sit-to-stand movement and show the importance of separately analyzing the movements of the thoracolumbar spine and the hip joint. [Participants and Methods] We used a two-dimensional image analysis freeware to analyze the kinematics of the thoracolumbar spine and the hip joint during sit-to-stand movements in seven healthy young males. We further examined the usefulness of the freeware by verifying the concordance of its angle measurements with those of a three-dimensional motion analysis device. Moreover, we evaluated joint coordination of the thoracolumbar spine with hip joint movements in pregnant female before and after delivery by measuring the relative phase angle. [Results] The trunk angle and relative phase angle between the thoracolumbar spine and the hip joint obtained using the two different analytical methods were fairly consistent. In the analysis of the pregnant female, the degree of thoracolumbar flexion prior to hip flexion tended to decrease. Similarly, the degree of hip extension tended to decrease during pregnancy. [Conclusion] This study shows that a two-dimensional image analysis freeware could be useful and meaningful in the calculation of thoracolumbar spine and hip joint movements and in the detection of synergistic patterns of these entities during sit-to-stand movement.

Laser Vaporization of Intracoronary Thrombus and Identifying Plaque Morphology in ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction as Assessed by Optical Coherence Tomography.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the thrombus-vaporizing effect of excimer laser coronary angioplasty (ELCA) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) by optical coherence tomography (OCT). BACKGROUND: Larger intracoronary thrombus elevates the risk of interventional treatment and mortality in patients with STEMI. METHODS: A total of 92 patients with STEMI who presented within 24 hours from the onset and underwent ELCA following manual aspiration thrombectomy (MT) were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean baseline thrombolysis in myocardial infarction flow grade was 0.4 ± 0.6, which subsequently improved to 2.3 ± 0.7 after MT (p < 0.0001) and 2.7 ± 0.5 after ELCA (p=0.0001). The median residual thrombus volume after MT was 65.7 mm3, which significantly reduced to 47.5 mm3 after ELCA (p < 0.0001). Plaque rupture was identified by OCT in only 22 cases (23.9%) after MT, but was distinguishable in 36 additional cases after ELCA (total: 58 cases; 63.0%). Ruptured lesions contained a higher proportion of red thrombus than nonruptured lesions (75.9% vs. 43.3%, p=0.001). Significantly larger thrombus burden after MT (69.6 mm3 vs. 56.3 mm3, p < 0.05) and greater thrombus reduction by ELCA (21.2 mm3 vs. 11.8 mm3, p < 0.01) were observed in ruptured lesions than nonruptured lesions. CONCLUSIONS: ELCA effectively vaporized intracoronary thrombus in patients with STEMI even after MT. Lesions with plaque rupture contained larger thrombus burden that was frequently characterized by red thrombus and more effectively reduced by ELCA.

Dimerization site 2 of the bacterial DNA-binding protein H-NS is required for gene silencing and stiffened nucleoprotein filament formation.

The bacterial nucleoid-associated protein H-NS is a DNA-binding protein, playing a major role in gene regulation. To regulate transcription, H-NS silences genes, including horizontally acquired foreign genes. Escherichia coli H-NS is 137 residues long and consists of two discrete and independent structural domains: an N-terminal oligomerization domain and a C-terminal DNA-binding domain, joined by a flexible linker. The N-terminal oligomerization domain is composed of two dimerization sites, dimerization sites 1 and 2, which are both required for H-NS oligomerization, but the exact role of dimerization site 2 in gene silencing is unclear. To this end, we constructed a whole set of single amino acid substitution variants spanning residues 2 to 137. Using a well-characterized H-NS target, the slp promoter of the glutamic acid-dependent acid resistance (GAD) cluster promoters, we screened for any variants defective in gene silencing. Focusing on the function of dimerization site 2, we analyzed four variants, I70C/I70A and L75C/L75A, which all could actively bind DNA but are defective in gene silencing. Atomic force microscopy analysis of DNA-H-NS complexes revealed that all of these four variants formed condensed complexes on DNA, whereas WT H-NS formed rigid and extended nucleoprotein filaments, a conformation required for gene silencing. Single-molecule stretching experiments confirmed that the four variants had lost the ability to form stiffened filaments. We conclude that dimerization site 2 of H-NS plays a key role in the formation of rigid H-NS nucleoprotein filament structures required for gene silencing.

Efficacy of Cutting Balloon Angioplasty for Chronic Total Occlusion of Femoropopliteal Arteries.

BACKGROUND: Chronic total occlusion (CTO) of femoropopliteal artery (FP) continues to be a lesion subset where maintaining long-term patency after endovascular treatment is challenging. We evaluated the efficacy of cutting balloon angioplasty (CBA) for de novo FP-CTOs in patients with symptomatic lower limb ischemia. METHODS: Seventy-three limbs of 67 symptomatic patients with de novo FP-CTOs successfully recanalized using CBA alone were enrolled in this study. Primary patency was defined as the absence of recurrent symptoms and no deterioration of the ankle-brachial index (ABI) >0.10 from the immediate postinterventional value. RESULTS: The mean age was 73.5 ± 7.3 years, and 59.7% of patients had diabetes mellitus. Most lesions were classified as Trans-Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus II type C (n = 18; 24.7%) or type D (n = 44; 60.3%), with mean lesion and occluded lengths of 24.8 ± 11.4 and 17.8 ± 11.2 cm, respectively. No procedure-related adverse events occurred, except one distal embolization. The ABI significantly increased after intervention from 0.52 ± 0.12 to 0.80 ± 0.15 (P < 0.0001), with marked improvement in clinical symptoms (Rutherford stage: 2.7 ± 1.0 to 1.1 ± 1.2, P < 0.0001). The mean follow-up period was 31.2 ± 18.0 months, and the primary patency rates at 12 and 24 months were 75.3% and 60.6%, respectively. The independent predictive factors of failed patency were baseline hemoglobin A1c (P = 0.031, hazard radio [HR] 1.51 per 1%), occluded length ≥15 cm (P = 0.036, HR 2.90), and severe dissection (P = 0.033, HR 2.85). Vessel calcification and diameter did not affect primary patency. CONCLUSIONS: CBA is a feasible option for endovascular treatment of FP-CTOs. Diabetic status, occlusion length, and severe dissection after CBA are independent negative predictors of long-term patency.

Transcription factor CecR (YbiH) regulates a set of genes affecting the sensitivity of Escherichia coli against cefoperazone and chloramphenicol.

Genomic SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) screening was performed for identification of the binding site of YbiH, an as yet uncharacterized TetR-family transcription factor, on the Escherichia coli genome. YbiH was found to be a unique single-target regulator that binds in vitro within the intergenic spacer located between the divergently transcribed ybiH-ybhGFSR and rhlE operons. YbhG is an inner membrane protein and YbhFSR forms a membrane-associated ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter while RhlE is a ribosome-associated RNA helicase. Gel shift assay and DNase footprinting analyses indicated one clear binding site of YbiH, including a complete palindromic sequence of AATTAGTT-AACTAATT. An in vivo reporter assay indicated repression of the ybiH operon and activation of the rhlE operon by YbiH. After phenotype microarray screening, YbiH was indicated to confer resistance to chloramphenicol and cefazoline (a first-generation cephalosporin). A systematic survey of the participation of each of the predicted YbiH-regulated genes in the antibiotic sensitivity indicated involvement of the YbhFSR ABC-type transporter in the sensitivity to cefoperazone (a third-generation cephalosporin) and of the membrane protein YbhG in the control of sensitivity to chloramphenicol. Taken together with the growth test in the presence of these two antibiotics and in vitro transcription assay, it was concluded that the hitherto uncharacterized YbiH regulates transcription of both the bidirectional transcription units, the ybiH-ybhGFSR operon and the rhlE gene, which altogether are involved in the control of sensitivity to cefoperazone and chloramphenicol. We thus propose to rename YbiH as CecR (regulator of cefoperazone and chloramphenicol sensitivity).

Glutamate levels control HT22 murine hippocampal cell death by regulating biphasic patterns of Erk1/2 activation: role of metabolic glutamate receptor 5.

Extracellular glutamate concentration is a critical determinant of neuronal cell fate. We recently demonstrated that HT22 murine hippocampal cell viability was reduced by exposure to high concentrations of glutamate, whereas low concentrations promoted cell survival. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk)1/2 activation by glutamate is important for both glutamate-induced cell death and survival. In this study, we investigated the role of glutamate-induced or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced Erk1/2 activation in HT22 cell fate determination. Glutamate and H2O2 treatment similarly induced early (<1 h) Erk1/2 phosphorylation regardless of concentration. On the other hand, persistent Erk1/2 phosphorylation (16-24 h) was observed only in the presence of excess glutamate. Only the latter contributed to glutamate-induced cell death, which involved metabolic glutamate receptor 5. Our findings suggest that glutamate concentration modulates two distinct phases of Erk1/2 activation, which can explain the glutamate concentration-dependent determination of HT22 cell fate.

Dual cell protective mechanisms activated by differing levels of oxidative stress in HT22 murine hippocampal cells.

Oxidative stress is recognized as one of the pathogenic mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative disease. However, recent evidence has suggested that regulation of cellular fate in response to oxidative stress appears to be dependent on the stress levels. In this study, using HT22 cells, we attempted to understand how an alteration in the oxidative stress levels would influence neuronal cell fate. HT22 cell viability was reduced with exposure to high levels of oxidative stress, whereas, low levels of oxidative stress promoted cell survival. Erk1/2 activation induced by a low level of oxidative stress played a role in this cell protective effect. Intriguingly, subtoxic level of H2O2 induced expression of a growth factor, progranulin (PGRN), and exogenous PGRN pretreatment attenuated HT22 cell death induced by high concentrations of H2O2 in Erk1/2-dependent manner. Together, our study indicates that two different cell protection mechanisms are activated by differing levels of oxidative stress in HT22 cells.

Transcriptome and metabolome analyses of Streptococcus gordonii DL1 under acidic conditions.

OBJECTIVES: Streptococcus gordonii is associated with the formation of biofilms, especially those that comprise dental plaque. Notably, S. gordonii DL1 causes infective endocarditis (IE). Colonization of this bacterium requires a mechanism that can tolerate a drop in environmental pH by producing acid via its own sugar metabolism. The ability to survive acidic environmental conditions might allow the bacterium to establish vegetative colonization even in the endocardium due to inflammation-induced lowering of pH, increasing the risk of IE. At present, the mechanism by which S. gordonii DL1 survives under acidic conditions is not thoroughly elucidated. The present study was thus conducted to elucidate the mechanism(s) by which S. gordonii DL1 survives under acidic conditions. METHODS: We analyzed dynamic changes in gene transcription and intracellular metabolites in S. gordonii DL1 exposed to acidic conditions, using transcriptome and metabolome analyses. RESULTS: Transcriptome analysis revealed upregulation of genes involved in heat shock response and glycolysis, and down regulation of genes involved in phosphotransferase systems and biosynthesis of amino acids. The most upregulated genes were a beta-strand repeat protein of unknown function (SGO_RS06325), followed by copper-translocating P-type ATPase (SGO_RS09470) and malic enzyme (SGO_RS01850). The latter two of these contribute to cytoplasmic alkalinization. S. gordonii mutant strains lacking each of these genes showed significantly reduced survival under acidic conditions. Metabolome analysis revealed that cytoplasmic levels of several amino acids were reduced. CONCLUSIONS: S. gordonii survives the acidic conditions by recovering the acidic cytoplasm using the various activities, which are regulated at the transcriptional level.

Investigation of emission plane control in GaInN/GaN multiple-quantum shells for efficient nanowire-based LEDs.

Significant attention has been directed toward core-shell GaInN/GaN multiple-quantum shell (MQS) nanowires (NWs) in the context of high-efficiency micro light-emitting diodes (micro-LEDs). These independent three-dimensional NWs offer the advantage of reducing the impact of sidewall etching regions. Furthermore, the emitting plane on the sidewalls demonstrates either nonpolar or semipolar orientation, while the dislocation density is exceptionally low. In this study, we assessed how changes in the NW morphology are affected by GaInN/GaN superlattice (SL) structures grown at varying growth temperatures, as well as control of the emission plane via the p-GaN shell and emission sizes. The SL growth rate was enhanced at elevated growth temperatures, accompanied by the shrinkage of the (0001)-plane and expansion of the (11̄01)-plane on the NWs. The samples exhibited a higher light output when the SLs were grown at elevated temperatures compared to those grown with lower temperatures. A similar trend was observed for the samples with a gradual temperature transition during the growth. These findings indicate that the dimensions of the (0001)-plane can be controlled through SL growth, which in turn influences the emission properties of NW-LEDs. In addition, the emission properties of NW-LEDs with different growth time p-GaN shells and different emission sizes were investigated. Based on the NW-LED characteristics, it was revealed that the weak emission of the (0001)-plane was the dominant factor for the limited light output, and the most effective way to realize high efficiency devices is to suppress current injection into the apex or minimize the grown (0001)-plane region. Overall, it is one promising way to control the emission planes of NWs, which holds significant relevance for the potential application of NW-LEDs in the realm of micro-LEDs.

Screening of promoter-specific transcription factors: multiple regulators for the sdiA gene involved in cell division control and quorum sensing.

Prokaryotic DNA-binding transcription factors (TFs) bind in close vicinity of the promoter and regulate transcription through interplay with the DNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Promoters associated with the genes involved in stress response have recently been found to be under the control of multiple regulators, each monitoring one specific environmental condition or factor. In order to identify TFs involved in regulation of one specific promoter, we have developed a PS-TF (promoter-specific TF) screening system, in which the binding of purified TFs to a test promoter was analysed by gel-shift assay. This PS-TF screening system was applied for detection of TFs involved in regulation of the promoter for the Escherichia coli sdiA gene encoding the master regulator of cell division and quorum sensing. After screening of a total of 191 purified TFs (two-thirds of the predicted E. coli TFs), at least 15 TFs have been identified to bind to the sdiA promoter, including five two-component system (TCS) regulators, ArcA, CpxR, OmpR, RcsB and TorR. In this study, we focus on these five TFs for detailed analysis of their regulatory roles in vivo. Under normal growth conditions in LB medium, all these TFs repressed the sdiA promoter and the repression levels correlated with their intracellular levels. Taken together, we propose that these TCS regulators repress transcription in vivo of the sdiA gene, ultimately leading to suppression of cell division.

Phylloquinone is preferable over menadione as a growth factor for Porphyromonas gingivalis.

OBJECTIVES: Porphyromonas gingivalis is the etiological agent of chronic periodontitis. Menadione (vitamin K3) and phylloquinone (vitamin K1) are well-known growth factors for P. gingivalis, while menadione is widely used in growth experiments. Here we attempted to determine the differences in phylloquinone and menadione in P. gingivalis growth experiments, which have not been well studied to date. METHODS: We investigated the effects of menadione and phylloquinone on the growth of two W83 strains and seven ATCC 33277 strains of P. gingivalis. RESULTS: The ATCC 33277 strains grew well with phylloquinone at 2.9 µM in a complex medium (nutrient medium) and at 29 µM in two minimal media. In contrast, the W83 strains grew well without menadione or phylloquinone in three different culture media. Menadione at 2.9 µM, the conventionally used concentration for culturing P. gingivalis, supported the growth of most ATCC 33277 strains but inhibited the growth of some W83 and ATCC 33277 strains. Furthermore, menadione at 14.5 µM frequently inhibited cell growth, while phylloquinone at 145 µM promoted cell growth. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that menadione and phylloquinone act as growth factors for ATCC 33277 but that menadione also can inhibit P. gingivalis growth. Thus, we propose that phylloquinone be used instead of menadione in P. gingivalis growth experiments requiring vitamin K.

Relationship Between Nonsmoothness in Adversarial Training, Constraints of Attacks, and Flatness in the Input Space.

Adversarial training (AT) is a promising method to improve the robustness against adversarial attacks. However, its performance is not still satisfactory in practice compared with standard training. To reveal the cause of the difficulty of AT, we analyze the smoothness of the loss function in AT, which determines the training performance. We reveal that nonsmoothness is caused by the constraint of adversarial attacks and depends on the type of constraint. Specifically, the L∞ constraint can cause nonsmoothness more than the L2 constraint. In addition, we found an interesting property for AT: the flatter loss surface in the input space tends to have the less smooth adversarial loss surface in the parameter space. To confirm that the nonsmoothness causes the poor performance of AT, we theoretically and experimentally show that smooth adversarial loss by EntropySGD (EnSGD) improves the performance of AT.

Induction of YdeO, a regulator for acid resistance genes, by ultraviolet irradiation in Escherichia coli.

YdeO, an AraC-type transcription factor, is an important regulator in the induction of acid-resistance genes in Escherichia coli. In this study, we found that ydeO expression was induced 20 min after exposure to UV irradiation. This required the evgA and gadE genes in vivo. YdeO, induced by UV, controls the expression of a total of 21 genes. This accompanies SOS response in E. coli.

Effects of respiratory-muscle exercise on spinal curvature.

DESIGN: Randomized controlled study. SETTING: Laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: 26 healthy swimmers randomly assigned to an exercise (n = 13; Ex) or control group (n = 13; Cont). INTERVENTION: The Ex group performed respiratory-muscle exercises for 10 min thrice a week for 4 wk. CONTEXT: Respiratory-muscle exercises are used not only in the rehabilitation of patients with respiratory disease but also in endurance training for athletes. Respiration involves the back and abdominal muscles. These muscles are 1 of the elements responsible for posture control, which is integral to injury prevention and physical performance. However, the effects of respiratory-muscle exercise on posture remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To examine the potential of respiratory-muscle exercise for improving posture. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Spinal curvature, pulmonary function, and trunk-muscle strength were measured for both the groups at baseline and after 4 wk. The data were compared between the Ex and Cont groups with Mann-Whitney U test and preintervention and postintervention within groups with a Wilcoxon signed rank-sum test. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The spinal curvature was significantly different in the Ex group, indicating a decrease in the thoracic (-13.1%, P < .01) and lumbar (-17.7%, P < .05) angles. The Ex group presented with lower thoracic (-8.6%) and lumbar (-20.9%) angles at postexercise than the Cont group (P < .05). With respect to trunk-muscle strength, only trunk-flexion strength significantly increased from pretest to posttest in the Ex group (P < .05). For pulmonary function, forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1.0 s were significantly increased after 4 wk in the Ex group (P < .05). The results suggest that respiratory-muscle exercise straightened the spine, leading to good posture control, possibly because of contraction of abdominal muscles.