Exploring compounds to be used as cosmetic agents that activate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha.

OBJECTIVE: The human epidermis is formed by the proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes adjacent to the basement membrane. The outermost layer, the stratum corneum, is equipped with a barrier function that prevents water evaporation, and intercellular lipids play an important role in this barrier function. When the barrier is functioning normally, evaporation is prevented; however, when barrier function is impaired, moisture evaporates, resulting in dry and rough skin. Therefore, maintenance of normal barrier function is critical for maintaining normal skin function. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) is mainly not only involved in lipid metabolism in the liver but is also expressed in the epidermis and is involved in inducing keratinocyte differentiation, promoting lipid production, maintaining barrier function and suppressing skin inflammation. Hence, compounds that activate PPARα are expected to control skin function. Therefore, we identified PPARα activators from among extracts of natural resources that have been approved for use in humans and analysed the effects of these extracts on skin function. METHODS: First, extracts of 474 natural resources were screened using a PPARα activator screening cell line independently constructed in our laboratory. Next, reporter assays were performed using the Gal4-chimera system to evaluate whether these extracts act as ligands for PPARα. We then analysed their effect on primary normal human epidermal keratinocyte cells by using real-time RT-PCR. Finally, we evaluated PPARα activation effect by the combination of these extracts. RESULTS: We identified 36 extracts having the effect of activating PPARα. In particular, #419, a Typha angustifolia spike extract, showed concentration-dependent transcriptional activation through PPARα-LBD and was considered to be likely to contain a compound that is a ligand of PPARα. #419 increased the expression of PPARα target genes and genes related to skin function in primary cultured human epidermal keratinocytes. Finally, the use of #419 in combination with nine extracts increased PPAR activity more than twice as much as #419 alone treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed that the reporter cell line could be useful for discovering extracts of natural resources and that the identified Typha angustifolia spike extract could be used in cosmetics that activate PPARα, which expected to improve skin function.

OBJECTIF: L'épiderme humain se forme grâce à la prolifération et à la différenciation des kératinocytes adjacents à la membrane basale. La couche externe, dite « couche cornée ¼, possède une fonction barrière qui empêche l'évaporation de l'eau, dans laquelle les lipides intercellulaires jouent un rôle important. Lorsque la barrière fonctionne normalement, l'évaporation est évitée ; mais lorsqu'elle est altérée, l'évaporation a lieu et la peau, privée d'hydratation, devient sèche et rêche. Par conséquent, il est capital de maintenir cette fonction barrière normale pour que la peau conserve son fonctionnement normal. Le récepteur alpha activé par proliférateurs de peroxysomes (PPARα) intervient surtout non seulement dans le métabolisme lipidique du foie, mais également dans l'épiderme ; il joue en effet un rôle dans l'induction de la différenciation des kératinocytes, la promotion de la production lipidique, le maintien de la fonction barrière et la suppression de l'inflammation de l'épiderme. Par conséquent, les activateurs du PPAR-α devraient être déterminants pour une bonne fonction cutanée. Nous avons donc identifié des activateurs du PPAR-α parmi des extraits de ressources naturelles dont l'utilisation chez l'homme est approuvée, et nous avons analysé les effets de ces extraits sur la fonction cutanée. MÉTHODES: Tout d'abord, des extraits de 474 ressources naturelles ont été sélectionnés à l'aide d'une lignée cellulaire de détection des activateurs du PPAR-α, construite indépendamment dans notre laboratoire. Ensuite, des tests de gènes rapporteurs ont été effectués à l'aide du système Gal4-chimera pour voir si ces extraits jouaient le rôle de ligands pour le PPAR-α. Nous avons ensuite analysé leur effet sur les cellules kératinocytaires épidermiques humaines normales primaires par RT-PCR en temps réel. Enfin, nous avons évalué l'effet d'activation du PPAR-α par l'association de ces extraits. RÉSULTATS: Nous avons identifié 36 extraits ayant pour effet d'activer le PPAR-α. En particulier, le n° 419, un extrait d'épi de Typha angustifolia, a montré une activation transcriptionnelle dépendante de la concentration par le PPAR-α-LBD et a été considéré comme susceptible de contenir un composé qui est un ligand du PPAR-α. Le n° 419 a augmenté l'expression des gènes cibles du PPAR-α et des gènes liés au fonctionnement de la peau dans les kératinocytes épidermiques humains primaires mis en culture. Enfin, l'utilisation du n° 419 en association avec neuf extraits a augmenté de plus du double l'activité du PPAR par rapport au traitement par le n° 419 seul. CONCLUSIONS: Ces résultats ont montré que la lignée cellulaire rapporteuse pourrait être utile pour découvrir des extraits de ressources naturelles et que l'extrait d'épi de Typha angustifolia identifié pourrait être utilisé dans des cosmétiques qui activent le PPAR-α, ce qui devrait améliorer la fonction cutanée.

Genome-Scale CRISPR/Cas9 Screening Reveals Squalene Epoxidase as a Susceptibility Factor for Cytotoxicity of Malformin†A1.

Malformin A1 (MA1) is a fungus-produced cyclic pentapeptide. MA1 exhibits teratogenicity to plants, fibrinolysis-enhancing activity, and cytotoxicity to mammalian cells. To clarify the cytotoxic mechanism of MA1, we screened for the genes involved in the cytotoxicity of MA1 in monocytoid U937 cells by using a CRISPR/Cas9-based genome-wide knockout library. Screening was performed by positive selection for cells that were resistant to MA1 treatment, and single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) integrated into MA1-resistant cells were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. As a result of the evaluation of sgRNAs that were enriched in MA1-resistant cells, SQLE, which encodes squalene epoxidase, was identified as a candidate gene. SQLE-depleted U937 cells were viable in the presence of MA1, and squalene epoxidase inhibitor conferred MA1 resistance to wild-type cells. These results indicate that squalene epoxidase is implicated in the cytotoxicity of MA1. This finding represents a new insight into applications of MA1 for treating ischemic diseases.

In situ analysis of reaction kinetics of reduction promotion of NiMn2O4 under microwave H-field irradiation.

Reaction kinetics during microwave H-field heating and electric furnace heating were investigated to verify the effect of rapid heating and the non-thermal microwave effect. This work is focused on the ferromagnetic material NiMn2O4, and the reduction reaction under rapid heating is investigated using an in situ analysis device. The results showed that the activation energy varied with the heating rate under microwave H-field irradiation, and it was the same as that in an electric furnace when the heating rate was the same. On the other hand, under microwave H-field irradiation, the reduction reaction began from a significantly low temperature compared with that of electric furnace heating. The results suggest that the transition theory during microwave irradiation should be expanded to include the effect of spin waves excited by a microwave H-field on magnetic materials.

CLE6 expression recovers gibberellin deficiency to promote shoot growth in Arabidopsis.

Small peptides act as local signals during plant development, but few studies have examined their interaction with phytohormone signaling. Here, we show that application of gibberellin (GA) to Arabidopsis shoots induces substantial accumulation of transcripts encoded by CLE6, a member of the CLAVATA/ESR-RELATED (CLE) gene family, in the root stele, followed by promotion of organ growth by CLE6 in GA-deficient plants. The long-distance effect of GA4 was demonstrated by the observation that its application to the shoot apex of the GA-deficient mutant ga3ox1/ga3ox2 rescued the short-root phenotype. Microarray analysis was used to identify root-expressed genes that respond to systemic application of GA, and CLE6 was selected for further analysis. CLE6 was highly expressed in roots at the young seedling stage, and CLE6 promoter activity was strong in hypocotyls and roots, especially in root stele cells at branch points. Application of CLE6 peptide had no obvious effect on the growth and development of GA-deficient mutant plants. Nonetheless, the fact that ectopic over-expression of CLE6 in the GA-deficient mutant promoted root growth and branching, petiole elongation, bolting rate and stem length showed that CLE6 expression partially compensates for the GA deficiency. Reciprocal grafting of GA-deficient mutant plants to 35S::CLE6 transformants complemented the shoot phenotype associated with GA deficiency, demonstrating the systemic effect of CLE6 from root to shoot. These data suggest that root-expressed CLE6 is systemically involved in shoot growth under GA action in Arabidopsis.

Surgical resection for esophageal cancer synchronously or metachronously associated with head and neck cancer.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer is frequently associated with head and neck cancer, and esophagectomy is usually difficult in such a case. The purpose of this study was to clarify the clinical significance of esophagectomy for patients with esophageal cancer associated either synchronously or metachronously with head and neck cancer. METHODS: The clinical outcomes of surgical resections for esophageal cancer were compared between 26 patients with head and neck cancer (double cancer group) and 176 without head and neck cancer (control group). RESULTS: Staged operations were performed in 5 patients in the double cancer group, while microvascular anastomosis as well as a muscle flap was added for 3 and 4 patients, respectively. The mortality and morbidity of the double cancer group were 0 and 35 %, respectively, which were not significantly different from those of the control group (3 and 31 %, respectively). There were no significant differences in overall survival in the double cancer and control groups, which had 5-year survival rates of 59 and 49 %, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Esophagectomy can be an effective treatment when techniques are adopted that are appropriate for each case, such as staged operations, muscular flaps, and microvascular anastomosis, even in patients with double cancers of the esophagus and the head and neck.

Seawater inundation from the 2011 Tohoku tsunami continues to strongly affect soil bacterial communities 1 year later.

The effects of inundation caused by the 2011 Tohoku tsunami on soil bacterial communities in agricultural fields were evaluated. Bacterial communities were compared across three different types of soil, unflooded field (UF) soil, soil flooded for 2 weeks (short term (ST)), and soil flooded for 2 months (long term (LT)), using polymerase chain reaction-pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Acidobacteria were dominant in UF, with a relative abundance of approximately 35 %, and Proteobacteria dominated flooded soils (30-67 %). Hierarchical cluster analysis indicated that the community structure of soil bacteria in flooded soils (ST and LT) clearly differed from that in UF. Differences between LT and ST fields were rarely observed in terms of chemical properties and microbial community structure at the phylum level. However, sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in LT tended to occur at high and low abundances, respectively. Halothiobacillus, a halotolerant SOB, was detected in all LT fields. Unexpectedly, a zeta-Proteobacteria, which had previously only been detected in marine environments, was detected in LT fields only. Our results demonstrate that the effects of the 2011 Tohoku tsunami on soil bacterial communities in agricultural fields may have lasted at least 1 year. Furthermore, SOB, NOB, and zeta-Proteobacteria may serve as indicators of the effects of seawater inundation on microorganisms.

Magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging helps determine the management of gastric adenomas.

BACKGROUND: There are no clear clinical criteria for the management of gastric lesions diagnosed as adenomas (Vienna classification category 3) by pre-treatment biopsy. In the present study, we examined the feasibility of magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging (ME-NBI) in discriminating early gastric cancers (Vienna classification category 4 or 5) from adenomas in lesions diagnosed as adenomas by pre-treatment biopsy. METHODS: This was a single-center cross-sectional retrospective study at a tertiary referral center. One hundred thirty-seven consecutive cases of gastric lesions diagnosed as adenomas in pre-treatment forceps biopsy were examined with conventional non-magnifying endoscopy under white light, non-magnifying chromoendoscopy, and ME-NBI. We investigated the association between the final pathological diagnoses (carcinoma or adenoma) and the following factors: lesion size (mm), color (red or white), macroscopic type (depressed or others), presence of ulceration, and positive ME-NBI finding. The presence of an irregular microvascular pattern or an irregular microsurface pattern with a demarcation line between the lesion and the surrounding area was regarded as a positive ME-NBI finding. RESULTS: Lesion size was significantly larger in carcinomas than adenomas (P = 0.005). Depressed lesion (P = 0.011), red color (P < 0.001), and positive ME-NBI finding (P < 0.001) were significant predictive factors for carcinoma. Multivariate logistic regression confirmed that red color (odds ratio [OR] 3.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.26-7.34, P = 0.14) and a positive ME-NBI finding (OR 13.68, 95% CI 5.69-32.88, P < 0.001) were independent predictive factors for carcinomas. A positive ME-NBI finding was the strongest predictive factor. CONCLUSIONS: ME-NBI is useful in planning the management of lesions diagnosed as adenomas by pre-treatment forceps biopsy.

Sonochemical effect and pore structure tuning of silica xerogel by ultrasonic irradiation of semi-solid hydrogel.

Silica xerogels were prepared by the sol-gel method under ultrasonic irradiation, using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as the starting material. Hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) was used as the hydrophobizing agent. When preparing silica xerogel, it is necessary to perform aging and hydrophobization to suppress shrinkage during ambient pressure drying, however, such treatments are time-consuming. In this study, the semi-solid hydrogel was irradiated with ultrasonic for the first time in order to accelerate aging and hydrophobic treatment, and the effect of ultrasonic frequency on structure was investigated. Firstly, ultrasonic irradiation was performed at frequencies of 100 kHz and 500 kHz, followed by hydrophobic treatment at a frequency of 500 kHz, in order to promote aging. The results identify optimum conditions for ultrasonic irradiation to promote aging and hydrophobization reactions, and it was found to be possible to prepare silica xerogels in less than 1/5 of the conventional time. The silica xerogels had a low density and the shrinkage was suppressed. In this study, it was found that ultrasonic irradiation of semi-solid hydrogel was very effective for promoting the reaction.

Decrease in the Crystallite Diameter of Solid Crystalline Magnetite around the Curie Temperature by Microwave Magnetic Fields Irradiation.

A decrease in the crystallite diameter of ferrites irradiated with microwaves has been considered as a non-thermal effect of so-called de-crystallization; however, its mechanism has not been elucidated. We hypothesized that a decrease in the crystallite diameter is caused by interaction between the ordered spins of ferrite and the magnetic field of microwaves. To verify this, we focused on magnetite with a Curie temperature of 585 °C. Temperature dependence around this temperature and time dependence of the crystallite diameter of the magnetite irradiated with microwaves at different temperatures and durations were investigated. From the X-ray diffraction data, the crystallite diameter of magnetite exhibited a minimum value at 500 °C, just below the Curie temperature of magnetite, where the energy loss of the interaction between magnetite's spins and the microwaves takes the maximum value. The crystallite diameter exhibited a minimum value at 5 min irradiation time, during which the microwaves were excessively absorbed. Transmission electron microscopy observations showed that the microstructure of irradiated magnetite in this study was different from that reported previously, indicating that a decrease in the crystallite diameter is not caused by de-crystallization but its similar phenomenon. A decrease in coercivity and lowering temperature of Verwey transition were observed, evidencing decreased crystallite diameter. This study can thus contribute to the development of the theory of a non-thermal effect.

Prophylactic and therapeutic vaccine against Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis using bacterial membrane vesicles.

PURPOSE: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) infection is one of the major causes of keratitis. However, effective prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines against P. aeruginosa keratitis have yet to be developed. In this study, we explored the use of P. aeruginosa membrane vesicles (MVs) as a prophylactic vaccine as well as the use of immune sera derived from P. aeruginosa MV-immunized animals as a treatment for P. aeruginosa corneal infections in C57BL/6 mice. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were intramuscularly immunized with P. aeruginosa MVs; the mouse corneas were then scarified and topically infected with several P. aeruginosa strains, followed by determination of corneal clinical score and corneal bacterial load. Next, immune sera derived from P. aeruginosa MV-immunized ICR mice were administered intraperitoneally to naïve C57BL/6 mice, followed by topical P. aeruginosa challenge. Finally, the immune sera were also used as a topical treatment in the mice with established P. aeruginosa corneal infections. RESULTS: P. aeruginosa-specific IgG and IgA antibodies induced by intramuscular immunization were detected not only in the sera but also in the eye-wash solution. Both active and passive immunization significantly inhibited P. aeruginosa corneal infection. Finally, topical treatment with immune sera in the mice with established P. aeruginosa corneal infections notably decreased the corneal clinical score and corneal bacterial load. CONCLUSIONS: P. aeruginosa keratitis can be attenuated by vaccination of P. aeruginosa MVs and topical application of P. aeruginosa MV-specific immune sera.

Complete Genome Sequence of Temperature-Dependent Pigment-Producing Serratia marcescens ATCC 274.

Serratia marcescens ATCC 274 produces the red pigment prodigiosin and the biosurfactant serrawettin W1 at 30°C but not at 37°C. A complete, high-quality genome sequence of S. marcescens ATCC 274 was obtained and found to comprise a single 5,148,533-bp circular genome with 4,799 genes.

Microwave Irradiation Process for Al-Sc Alloy Production.

Scandium is being explored as an alloying element for aluminium alloys, which are gaining importance as high-performance lightweight structural alloys in the transportation industry. Sc-rich ScAlN thin films show strong piezoelectricity and can be fabricated on a hard substrate for use as wideband surface acoustic wave filters in next-generation wireless mobile communication systems. However, the use of ScAlN thin films in microelectromechanical system devices is limited by the high cost of metallic Sc, which is due to the difficulty in smelting of this material. Here, we propose a novel microwave irradiation process for producing Al-Sc alloys, with Mg ions as a reducing agent. Although scandium oxide is thermodynamically stable, intermetallic Al3Sc is obtained in high yield (69.8%) via a low-temperature (660 °C) reduction reaction under microwave irradiation. Optical spectroscopy results and thermodynamic considerations suggest a non-thermal equilibrium reaction with the univalent magnesium ions excited by microwave irradiation.

Hyperoxia exaggerates bacterial dissemination and lethality in Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia.

Effects of hyperoxia on lethality in mice with Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia were defined, and protective roles of macrolides were examined both in vitro and in vivo. Sub-lethal hyperoxia accelerated lethality of mice with P. aeruginosa pneumonia. Bacterial number was not different in the lungs, but higher in the liver of mice in hyperoxic conditions. Filter-sterilized culture supernatants of bacteria induced loss of viability of alveolar epithelial cells, which was exaggerated in hyperoxia. Metalloprotease blocking by inhibitor or gene-disruption in bacteria resulted in partial reduction of cytotoxic activity in culture supernatants. Co-culture of bacteria with sub-inhibitory concentrations of macrolides, such as azithromycin, reduced cytotoxic activity in the culture supernatants. Azithromycin provided significant survival benefit in hyperoxia-pneumonia model, which was associated with suppression of bacterial dissemination to extra-pulmonary organs. These results suggest that hyperoxia serves as an important cofactor for bacterial dissemination and lethality of P. aeruginosa pneumonia. Our data identify the potential of macrolides to protect individuals with P. aeruginosa pneumonia in the setting of hyperoxia.

Plasmablastic lymphoma of the retroperitoneum in an HIV-negative patient.

Herein is reported a case of plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) of the retroperitoneum in an HIV-negative patient. This is the first reported case of PBL at this location and of PBL from Japan in the English-language literature. A 76-year-old Japanese man was admitted to hospital with a chief complaint of right inguinal lymph node swelling. Lymph node biopsy indicated large tumor cells with both diffuse and cohesive growth patterns, and conspicuous tumor cell proliferation in lymph node sinuses. The initial pathological diagnosis was metastatic carcinoma. The patient died approximately 1 month after admission, and autopsy showed that the main lesion was a very large retroperitoneal mass. On histology diffusely proliferated plasmablast-like or immunoblast-like tumor cells were identified, which were positive on immunohistochemistry for CD138 and negative for B-cell and epithelial markers. Approximately 90% of the tumor cells were positive for Ki-67. Tumor cells were diffusely positive for EBV-encoded small RNA on in situ hybridization. The autopsy findings suggested a diagnosis of PBL. Accordingly, PBL should be considered as a differential diagnosis when lymph node biopsy findings resemble those of the present patient.

Enhancement of Fixed-bed Flow Reactions under Microwave Irradiation by Local Heating at the Vicinal Contact Points of Catalyst Particles.

The formation of local high temperature regions, or so-called "hot spots", in heterogeneous reaction systems has been suggested as a critical factor in the enhancement of chemical reactions using microwave heating. In this paper, we report the generation of local high temperature regions between catalyst particles under microwave heating. First, we demonstrated that reaction rate of the dehydrogenation of 2-propanol over a magnetite catalyst was enhanced 17- (250 °C) to 38- (200 °C) fold when heated with microwave irradiation rather than an electrical furnace. Subsequently, the existence of microwave-generated specific local heating was demonstrated using a coupled simulation of the electromagnetic fields and heat transfer as well as in situ emission spectroscopy. Specific high-temperature regions were generated at the vicinal contact points of the catalyst particles due to the concentrated microwave electric field. We also directly observed local high temperature regions at the contact points of the particles during microwave heating of a model silicon carbide spherical material using in situ emission spectroscopy. We conclude that the generation of local heating at the contact points between the catalyst particles is a key factor for enhancing fixed-bed flow reactions under microwave irradiation.

Effect of Aspect Ratio on the Permittivity of Graphite Fiber in Microwave Heating.

Microwave (MW) heating has received attention as a new heating source for various industrial processes. Some materials are expected to be a more effective absorber of MW, and graphite is observed as a possible candidate for high-temperature application. We investigated the dependence of the aspect ratio of graphite fibers on both their heating behavior and permittivity under a 2.45 GHz MW electric field. In these experiments, both loss tangent and MW heating behavior indicated that the MW absorption of conductive fibers increases with their aspect ratio. The MW absorption was found to be well accounted for by the application of a spheroidal model for a single fiber. The absorption of graphite fibers decreases with increasing aspect ratio when the long axis of the ellipsoid is perpendicular to the electric field, whereas it increases with the aspect ratio when the long axis is parallel to the electric field. The analytical model indicated that MW heating of the conductive fibers is expected to depend on both the shape and arrangement of the fibers in the electric field.

Adenomyoma with goblet and Paneth cells of the ileum.

A case of ileal adenomyoma with goblet and Paneth cells is reported. A 75-year-old man died of ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma. As an incidental finding at autopsy, a 9 x 7 x 6 mm(3)-sized nodule was found in the ileal wall. Histologically, the lesion occupied the submucosa and muscularis propria, and consisted of glandular structures of various sizes and interlacing smooth muscle bundles surrounding the glandular elements. Goblet cells and Paneth cells were interspersed in the glandular element. Immunohistochemically, the glandular element was positive for cytokeratin (CK) 7 and negative for CK 20. This is the first reported case of adenomyoma of the gastrointestinal tract that contained Paneth cells. The result of the immunohistochemical staining favored the heterotopic pancreas theory concerning its pathogenesis. The appearance of goblet and Paneth cells might be the result of metaplasia.

Control of Magnetic Properties of NiMn2O4 by a Microwave Magnetic Field under Air.

NiMn2O4 prepared by conventional heating was irradiated with a microwave H-field using a single-mode cavity under air and magnetic properties of the microwave-irradiated material were investigated. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that the phase and microstructure are not affected by H-field irradiation. Measurements of the magnetization as a function of temperature revealed that the antiferromagnetic sublattice disappeared and electron spin resonance showed the existence of Mn2+, suggesting that Mn3+ is partially reduced. Moreover, the magnetization of NiMn2O4 was controlled from 35.3 to 18.2 emu/g and the coercivity from 140 to 750 Oe by changing the sample temperature during microwave irradiation. The reduction reaction of NiMn2O4 is controlled by microwave H-field irradiation, resulting in control over the magnetic properties.

Nurmi-type Culture Prepared using Culture Media without l-Cysteine Enhances Salmonella Exclusion in Hatched Layer Chicks.

To determine the influence of media composition on Salmonella exclusion of Nurmi-type cultures, two and four types of cultures in the first and second trial, respectively, were prepared from the cecal contents of conventional laying hens, and Salmonella exclusion was assessed in newly hatched chicks. In the first trial, modified Viande Levure (VL) broth or nutrient broth (NB) were used to prepare Nurmi-type cultures (N-VL and N-NB), which were administered to the newly hatched chicks. Twenty-four hours later, the chicks were challenged with Salmonella enterica Typhimurium EF85-9 (ST). ST recoveries (log10 colony forming units/g of cecal contents) from the N-VL-, N-NB-, and control-treated groups 5 days after the challenge were 7.6±0.6, 0.9±1.9, and 7.7±0.4, respectively. The results suggested the influence of l-cysteine (Cys) present in the VL broth. Thus, we determined the effect of Cys in the second trial. We prepared two other cultures using VL broth without Cys (N-VL-Cys) and NB with Cys (NNB-Cys). ST recoveries from the cecal contents of the N-VL-, N-VL-Cys-, and control-treated groups were 6.3±0.9, 2.1±2.5, and 9.2±0.8, respectively. ST was not recovered from the N-NB- and N-NB-Cys-treated groups. To identify bacteria with Salmonella exclusion activity, we isolated 41 bacterial strains from the ceca of N-NB-treated chicks without Salmonella challenge. Most isolates were identified as Enterococcus faecalis or E. mundtii based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and only four cultures excluded Salmonella. Therefore, VL broth containing Cys was not always required for preparing Nurmi-type cultures. The use of media prepared with Cys at the lowest possible concentration or without Cys would promote to enhance Salmonella exclusion from Nurmi-type cultures.

Prevalence of ischemic enterocolitis in patients with acute pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: A considerable number of acute pancreatitis cases have been reported to be complicated by nonocclusive mesenteric ischemia. However, no reports have ever referred to the incidence of ischemic enterocolitis in patients with acute pancreatitis, using a series of autopsy cases. Here, we report our review of autopsy cases of patients with acute pancreatitis to examine the incidence of associated ischemic enterocolitis. METHODS: The intestinal and pancreatic slides of 48 autopsy cases of patients with acute pancreatitis were reviewed and the incidence of ischemic enterocolitis was determined. Clinical case records were also reviewed. RESULTS: Thirteen (27%) of 48 autopsy cases of patients with acute pancreatitis were complicated by ischemic enterocolitis. The frequency of shock was significantly higher in patients with ischemic enterocolitis than in those without ischemic enterocolitis. The intestinal lesion was diffuse in many cases and gangrene was not an unusual finding. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of ischemic enterocolitis in patients with acute pancreatitis was much higher than that in the previous reports. Clinicians who treat patients with acute pancreatitis should consider ischemic enterocolitis as one of the frequent and severe complications of this condition.