Tween 40-based precipitate production observed on modified chromogenic agar and development of biological identification kit for Malassezia species.

We developed a simple identification kit for nine species of Malassezia (M. furfur, M. slooffiae, M. sympodialis, M. restricta, M. obtusa, M. globosa, M. pachydermatis, M. dermatis, and M. japonica) based on their biological features. This method utilizes Tween 40-based precipitate production on modified chromogenic agar (CHROMagar) Malassezia medium, growth on specific agars (Sabouraud's dextrose agar, Cremophor EL agar, Tween 60-esculin agar), and catalase reactions. This identification kit was verified with 11 type and reference strains of nine Malassezia species. An additional 26 clinical isolates were also successfully identified using the kit and the results were confirmed by molecular biological analysis.     

THE COMPARATIVE MERITS OF VARIOUS COMPLEMENTS AND AMBOCEPTORS IN THE SERUM DIAGNOSIS OF SYPHILIS

1. The maximum activity of an antihuman hemolytic amboceptor may be obtained by employing the homologous or heterologous complement, according to the variable relations existing between the species furnishing the amboceptor and the one supplying the complement. Thus, some amboceptors are best reactivated by the complement of the same species, while others may act most strongly when reactivated with the complements of certain suitable heterologous species. 2. From the above it is clear that the complementary activity of a given serum may be very variable according to the varieties of amboceptors employed. In expressing the complementary activity of a serum, the species of the host of the amboceptor must always be stated. Thus, one serum may have many different complementary titers according to the amboceptors used. A similar variation in the titers of the amboceptors occurs when a variety of complements are employed. 3. Certain species of animals (pig and sheep) yield sera which are comparatively poor in reactivating most varieties of antihuman amboceptors. The complements of these species deteriorate rapidly. 4. The serum of chicken contained but little complement for the amboceptors derived from the mammalia, while the amboceptor from the chicken was only poorly, or not at all, reactivable by the complements contained in the mammalian sera. The serum of pig was the only variety which reactivated this amboceptor in a fair degree. 5. For the fixation tests guinea pig complement is the most favorable. This complement is also the most active and durable of those which have been studied. The complements of pig and sheep are quite fixable, but their weakness and rapid deterioration render them unsuitable for fixation purposes. Rabbit complement is quite active but is not easily fixable. Goat complement is, as already stated, difficult to fix, in spite of its strong complementary activity. The other complements are unsuitable because of their feeble complementary activity. 6. For fixation tests the antihuman amboceptors produced in the rabbit and guinea pig are suitable. They are, moreover, very active and do not cause the phenomenon of non-fixation. The amboceptors from other animals are unsuitable, as we cannot find a complement which strongly reactivates them. The amboceptor from the goat is unsuitable because of the danger of masking the fixation phenomenon by subsequent hemolysis. 7. In summing up, we arrive at the conclusion that the rabbit is the best animal for producing antihuman amboceptor, and the guinea pig for supplying complement. The guinea pig produces a good amboceptor, but its small size renders it second in choice. So far, no other animals have been found useful for the fixation experiments.     

A novel murine model of pharyngeal candidiasis with local symptoms characteristic of pharyngeal thrush produced by using an inhaled corticosteroid.

We established a novel murine model of pharyngeal candidiasis maintaining stable yeast population and local symptoms characteristic of pharyngeal thrush. The persistent Candida-infection was prolonged by inhalation of beclomethasone dipropionate corticosteroid. The severity of infection lesions was evaluated by determining viable cell number of Candia albicans and scores representing symptomatic curd-like white patch on pharyngeal tissue. The utility of this model was shown by the disappearance of lesions and fungal cells after treatment with fluconazole (FLCZ). The model would be useful for evaluating new chemotherapeutic or immunotherapeutic approaches against pharyngeal candidiasis, as well as in pathological studies.     

A novel method to estimate the contribution of the vapor activity of essential oils in agar diffusion assay.

By the combined use of agar diffusion, agar vapor and agar vapor-inhibitory assays, contribution of the vapor activity of essential oils was quantitatively estimated. The test organisms were Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Aspergillus fumigatus. Agar vapor assay was used to confirm the vapor activity of the oils. The parameter delta defined as a contribution index of the vapor activity was calculated by (1 - b-c/a-c) x 100, where a is inhibitory diameter in the diffusion assay, b is inhibitory diameter in the vapor-inhibitory assay and c is diameter of the sealed ring in the vapor-inhibitory assay (21 mm). Many of the essential oils examined showed a delta value near 100, thus providing the major contribution of the vapor activity to the inhibitory diameter. Essential oils containing aldehyde as major constituent showed low delta value, indicating the major inhibition was due to agar diffusion. Major essential oil components behaved similarly; the delta value was increased in the following order: aldehyde < phenol < alcohol < ester, oxide, hydrocarbon, indicating the enhanced contribution of the vapor activity in that order.     

Effects of Several Denervation Procedures on Distribution of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide and Substance P Immunoreactive in Rat Stomach

The effect of chemical deafferentation, vagotomy(VGX), and gangliosympathectomy (GSX) on the density offibers containing calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)and substance P (Sub.P) in the rat gastric wall was studied. Chemical deafferentation bycapsaicin abolished the density of CGRP-immunoreactive(IR) fibers, not Sub.P-IR fibers. Ten days after VGX,the density of CGRP-IR or Sub.P-IR fibers in the mucosa was largely reduced, while no reductionof CGRP-IR and Sub.P-IR fibers was seen in submucosaland muscular layers. GSX significantly reduced thedensity of CGRP-IR fibers in the mucosa and caused a moderate decrease in the fibers in submucosaland muscular layers. Pretreatment with6-hydroxydopamine, a neurotoxin for noradrenergicnerves, did not affect the density of CGRP-IR fibers inthe gastric wall. The density of Sub.P-IR fibers in thegastric wall was not affected by GSX. These studiesindicate that the CGRP-IR and Sub.P-IR fibers in themucosa are susceptible to extrinsic nerve denervation compared with those in the submucosa and musclelayers, that a major portion of the CGRP-IR fibers inthe mucosa is of both vagal and spinal origin, and thata major portion of the Sub.P-IR fibers in the mucosa is of vagal origin. Furthermore, thepresent results support that CGRP-IR fibers, notSub.P-IR fibers, in the rat stomach arecapsaicin-sensitive.     

Anti-Candida albicans activity of essential oils including Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) oil and its component, citral]

The effects of 12 essential oils, popularly used as antifungal treatments in aromatherapy, on growth of Candida albicans were investigated. Mycelial growth of C. albicans, which is known to give the fungus the capacity to invade mucosal tissues, was inhibited in the medium containing 100 micro g/ml of the oils: lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), patchouli (Pogostemon cablin) and cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica). Not only lemongrass oil but also citral, a major component of lemongrass oil (80%), in the range of 25 and 200 micro g/ml inhibited the mycelial growth but allowed yeast-form growth. More than 200 micro g/ml of citral clearly inhibited both mycelial and yeast-form growth of C. albicans. These results provide experimental evidence suggesting the potential value of lemongrass oil for the treatment of oral or vaginal candidiasis.     

Assessment of hand-arm vibration exposure among traffic police motorcyclists

 The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate subjective symptoms in the hand-arm system of all traffic police motorcyclists of a city located in the central part of Japan and (2) to assess their hand-arm vibration exposure associated with traffic police motorcycle riding. The study population consisted of 119 motorcycling traffic policemen and 49 male controls. By means of a questionnaire, information on the occupational history and the presence of subjective symptoms in the hand-arm system of all subjects was obtained. Vibration was measured on the handlebars of the representative motorcycles and on the hands of the riders. The 4- and 8-h energy-equivalent frequency-weighted acceleration as well as the lifetime vibration dose were calculated for all police motorcyclists. The prevalence of finger blanching in the traffic police motorcyclists was 4.2%, but none of the controls had this symptom. The rates of finger numbness (19.3%), finger stiffness (16.0%), shoulder pain (13.4%), and shoulder stiffness (45.4%) were significantly higher among police motorcyclists as compared with controls. The root-mean-square (rms) frequency-weighted acceleration on the handlebars of police motorcycles was in the range of 2.2–4.9 m/s² rms. The computed 4- and 8-h energy-equivalent frequency-weighted acceleration values were 2.8– 4.5 and 2.0 –3.2 m/s² rms, respectively. A pattern of increasing percentage prevalence with increasing cumulative vibration dose was noticed. The subjects with a lifetime vibration dose of more than 20.1 m² h ³ s^-4 (ln scale) showed significantly higher prevalence rates for symptoms in the fingers and shoulders as compared with the control group. As occupational vibration exposure of traffic police motorcyclists might be considered a risk factor for the development of symptoms in the hand-arm system of the riders, its evaluation and control is needed for prevention methodology evolution. Received: 15 April 1996/Accepted: 8 November 1996     

ATP regulation of ciliary beat frequency in rat tracheal and distal airway epithelium

Ciliary beat frequency (CBF) was measured by video-optical microscopy in rat tracheal and distal airway ciliary cells using a slice preparation. In tracheal ciliary cells (tracheal slice), ATP or 2-methylthio ATP (MeSATP) increased CBF, which was inhibited by suramin (100 microm, an inhibitor of purinergic receptor). Ionomycin (5 microm) or thapsigargin (2 microm) increased CBF similarly. Ca2+-free solution or addition of Ni2+ (1 mm) decreased CBF gradually by approximately 25% and subsequent stimulation with ATP (10 microm) increased CBF transiently. The purinergic agonist experiments demonstrated that ATP increases CBF in tracheal ciliary cells via both P2X and P2Y receptors. ATP increased the intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) in tracheal ciliary cells. However, in distal airway ciliary cells (lung slice), ATP did not increase CBF and [Ca2+]i, although a Ca2+-free solution decreased CBF, and ionomycin (5 microm) or thapsigargin (2 microm) increased it. Moreover, acetylcholine (100 microm) did not increase CBF in distal airway ciliary cells, although it increased CBF in tracheal ciliary cells. Terbutaline (10 microm), a selective beta2-adrenergic agonist, increased CBF in both tracheal and distal airway ciliary cells. These observations suggest that the Ca2+-mobilization mechanisms via purinergic or muscarinic receptors of the distal airway ciliary cell may be different from those of the tracheal ciliary cell. In conclusion, the CBF increase is differently regulated in the tracheal and distal airway epithelia of the rat.     

Diversified expression patterns of autotaxin,a gene for phospholipid‐generating enzyme during mouse and chicken development

Autotaxin (ATX), or nucleotide pyrophosphatase‐phosphodiesterase 2, is a secreted lysophospholipase D that generates bioactive phospholipids that act on G protein–coupled receptors. Here we show the expression patterns of the ATX gene in mouse and chicken embryos. ATX has a dynamic spatial and temporal expression pattern in both species and the expression domains during neural development are quite distinct from each other. Murine ATX (mATX) is expressed immediately rostral to the midbrain‐hindbrain boundary, whereas chicken ATX (cATX) is expressed in the diencephalon and later in the parencephalon‐synencephalon boundary. In the neural tube, cATX is expressed in the alar plate in contrast to mATX in the floor plate. ATX is also expressed in the hindbrain and various organ primordia such as face anlagen and skin appendages of the mouse and chicken. These results suggest conserved and non‐conserved roles for ATX during neural development and organogenesis in these species. Developmental Dynamics 236:1134–1143, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.