Correction: Highly porous core–shell chitosan beads with superb immobilization efficiency for Lactobacillus reuteri 121 inulosucrase and production of inulin-type fructooligosaccharides

Correction for ‘Highly porous core–shell chitosan beads with superb immobilization efficiency for Lactobacillus reuteri 121 inulosucrase and production of inulin-type fructooligosaccharides’ by Thanapon Charoenwongpaiboon et al., RSC Adv., 2018, 8, 17008–17016.

The authors regret that Fig. 9 in the original article was displayed incorrectly. The correct version is shown below.Open in a separate windowFig. 9Batch reusability of INU-CSBs for IFOS synthesis. Reaction condition: 10 U mL⁻¹ of biocatalysts were incubated with 200 g L⁻¹ sucrose in acetate buffer pH 5.5, 40 °C and 2 h per batch.The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers.     

Ketorolac plus Lidocaine vs Lidocaine for pain relief following core needle soft tissue biopsy: A CONSORT-compliant double-blind randomized controlled study

Backgrounds:The main objective of this study was to compare the pain control efficacy of local administration of Lidocaine with or without the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, Ketorolac, and local conventional Lidocaine injection in core needle biopsy of the musculoskeletal tumor.Methods:The current study was a randomized, double-blind controlled clinical trial that included 128 patients with suspected musculoskeletal tumors. Patients were randomly assigned to either the Ketorolac plus Lidocaine (n = 64) or Lidocaine group (n = 64). The Ketorolac – Lidocaine combination syringe contained 30 mg Ketorolac and 2% Lidocaine – adrenaline dosage, and the Lidocaine syringe contained 2% Lidocaine – adrenaline dosage. The level of pain after core needle biopsy was evaluated for each patient at 1, 6, 12, 24, 48, and >48 hours by a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The mean VAS changes over time were compared between the Ketorolac plus Lidocaine and Lidocaine groups using a linear mixed model.Results:baseline information including mean age of patients in Lidocaine group (51.5 ± 19.4 years) and in Lidocaine – Ketorolac combination group (50.1 ± 18 years), diagnosis (malignant, benign, metastatic, infection), tumor location (upper and lower extremities, back), VAS score 1-hour post-operation (mild and moderate pain) were noted. The VAS score ratings were significantly lower in Lidocaine – Ketorolac combination group when compared to the Lidocaine group during the 1 to 24 hours post-operation time period.Conclusion:Patients receiving Lidocaine – Ketorolac combination dosage had significantly lower VAS scores, and these results confirm that local injection of Lidocaine – Ketorolac combination had a superior pain-controlling effect during the first 24 hours after the biopsy procedure in comparison to Lidocaine injection alone, as measured by VAS score scale.     

Molecular Diagnosis of Cause of Anisakiasis in Humans,South Korea

Anisakiasis in humans in South Korea has been considered to be caused exclusively by the larvae of Anisakis simplex sensu stricto and Pseudoterranova decipiens. Recently, however, DNA sequencing of larvae from 15 of 16 anisakiasis patients confirmed the cause to be Anisakis pegreffii infection. Molecular analysis should be performed for all extracted larvae.     

Rational re-design of Lactobacillus reuteri 121 inulosucrase for product chain length control

Fructooligosaccharides (FOSs) are well-known prebiotics that are widely used in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Inulosucrase (E.C. 2.4.1.9) can potentially be used to synthesise FOSs from sucrose. In this study, inulosucrase from Lactobacillus reuteri 121 was engineered by site-directed mutagenesis to change the FOS chain length. Three variants (R483F, R483Y and R483W) were designed, and their binding free energies with 1,1,1-kestopentaose (GF4) were calculated with the Rosetta software. R483F and R483Y were predicted to bind with GF4 better than the wild type, suggesting that these engineered enzymes should be able to effectively extend GF4 by one residue and produce a greater quantity of GF5 than the wild type. MALDI-TOF MS analysis showed that R483F, R483Y and R483W variants could synthesise shorter chain FOSs with a degree of polymerization (DP) up to 11, 10, and 10, respectively, while wild type produced longer FOSs and in polymeric form. Although the decrease in catalytic activity and the increase of hydrolysis/transglycosylation activity ratio was observed, the variants could effectively synthesise FOSs with the yield up to 73% of substrate. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that these variants produced a larger quantity of GF5 than wild type, which was in good agreement with the predicted binding free energy results. Our findings demonstrate the success of using aromatic amino acid residues, at position D418, to block the oligosaccharide binding track of inulosucrase in controlling product chain length.

Blocking the binding track of inulosucrase to control the chain length of the products.     

Observations on two nematode species parasitizing freshwater fishes in Thailand,including <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spinitectus thaiensis</Emphasis> sp. nov. (Cystidicolidae) from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomystus siamensis</Emphasis> (Bagridae)

One new and one already known species of parasitic nematodes are described from the intestine of freshwater fishes in Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand: Spinitectus thaiensis sp. nov. (Cystidicolidae) from the catfish Pseudomystus siamensis (Regan) (Bagridae, Siluriformes) in the Fang Brook, a tributary of the Kok River (the Mekong River basin), Fang District and Oceanicucullanus chitwoodae Le-Van-Hoa et Pham-Ngoc-Khue, 1971 (Cucullanidae) from the cyprinid Mystacoleucus marginatus (Valenciennes) (Cyprinidae, Cypriniformes) in the Ping River (the Chao Phraya River basin), Muang District. The new species, S. thaiensis, is very similar to S. petrowi Belous, 1965, differing from it, in addition to some biometrical differences, mainly in having simple cuticular spines (instead of transversely oriented peg-like spines with rounded ends) on the ventral surface of the female tail; the spicules are 156–171 and 66–72 μm long, the vulva is situated at 74% of female body length, and the entire oesophagus including the vestibule represents 14–15% of body length in the male and 12% in the female. The latter species, O. chitwoodae, was studied for the first time by scanning electron microscopy, which enabled to recognize some previously unrecorded morphological details in this species. The finding of O. chitwoodae in M. marginatus in Thailand represents new host and geographical records for this nematode.     

Outcomes of 2-octyl cyanoacrylate skin adhesives following musculoskeletal oncology surgery: A STROBE-compliant observational study

2-octyl cyanoacrylate (2OCA) is a high-viscosity medical-grade tissue adhesive that is routinely used. However, no studies have evaluated its use in musculoskeletal surgery.We enrolled 99 patients who underwent musculoskeletal surgery. 2OCA was chosen for wound closure and was performed by a specific surgeon for all patients. The drying times for the adhesive were recorded, and photographs were obtained intra-operatively. Posttreatment follow-up consisted of queries regarding pain level and recording incisional dehiscence, wound infection, hematoma, and incisional bleeding. Data collection was performed postoperatively at 48 hours, 5 to 10 days, 14 days, and 30 days. Other adverse events were documented.2OCA was applied to 110 incisions in 99 patients, comprising 62 female and 37 male patients. The mean age of patients was 50.41 (±16.83) years; mean incision length was 10.24 (±5.7) cm, and the mean pain score using a visual analogue scale was 2.37 on a postoperative day 7. The mean drying time was 1.81 (±0.59) minutes; 91 (91%) patients reported excellent and superior satisfaction, and the remaining patients reported “good” (6%) and “fair” (2%) satisfaction. The percentages of dehiscence, hematoma and keloid formation were considerably low.In this study, 2OCA was safe for musculoskeletal oncology surgical incisions. The incidence of postoperative adverse events was low. However, some patients develop hematomas. Postoperative pain was low, and patient satisfaction was high. 2OCA can be a practical alternative to traditional suture closure for skin incisions after musculoskeletal surgery.     

Toxicity from ingestion of Jatropha curcas ('saboo dum') seeds in Thai children

Jatropha curcas is widely cultivated in Thailand, the seeds of which yield high quality oil used for biodiesel production. Toxicity due to ingestion of Jatropha curcas has become more common among children due to the close proximity between cultivation and residential areas. We report 10 calls made over a 40-month period to the Siriraj Poison Control Center involving 75 children ages 2-14 years who experienced toxicity after ingesting various amounts of Jatropha beans. The amounts ingested, presenting symptoms, pertinent laboratory findings and their collective dispositions are reported. A brief review of recent published literature on toxicity due to ingestion of Jatropha curcas was also done.     

A new record of Clinostomum philippinensis (Valasquez, 1959) in Trichogaster microlepis (Gunther, 1861) from Bung Borapet, Nakhon Sawan, Thailand

Thirty-six freshwater fish from Bung Borapet, a large reservoir, were examined for helminths in July 2005. The prevalence of infection was 19.44 (7/36) and the intensity was 4.67 (168/36) per fish. Seven fish were infected with 4 species of helminths: 1 trematode, Clinostomum philippinensis (metacercariae); 1 cestode, Senga chiangmaiensis; 1 acanthocephalan, Pallisentis sp and 1 nematode, Camallanus anabantis. An encysted metacercaria of Clinostomum philippinensis was found in the gills of Trichogaster microlepis. The present study is a new report of Clinostomum metacercariae in the second intermediate host, T. microlepsis, in Thailand. Future work should investigate the epidemiology of the metacercarial stage in the intermediate host and the adult in the experimental definitive host.     

Fabrication of Piezoelectric Electrospun Termite Nest-like 3D Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

A high piezoelectric coefficient polymer and biomaterial for bone tissue engineering— poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP)—has been successfully fabricated into 3D scaffolds using the wet electrospinning method. Three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds have significant advantages for tissue engineering applications. Electrospinning is an advanced method and can fabricate 3D scaffolds. However, it has some limitations and is difficult to fabricate nanofibers into 3D shapes because of the low controllability of porosity and internal pore shape. The PVDF-HFP powders were dissolved in a mixture of acetone and dimethylformamide with a ratio of 1:1 at various concentrations of 10, 13, 15, 17, and 20 wt%. However, only the solutions at 15 and 17 wt% with optimized electrospinning parameters can be fabricated into biomimetic 3D shapes. The produced PVDF-HFP 3D scaffolds are in the cm size range and mimic the structure of the natural nests of termites of the genus Apicotermes. In addition, the 3D nanofiber-based structure can also generate more electrical signals than the conventional 2D ones, as the third dimension provides more compression. The cell interaction with the 3D nanofibers scaffold was investigated. The in vitro results demonstrated that the NIH 3T3 cells could attach and migrate in the 3D structures. While conventional electrospinning yields 2D (flat) structures, our bio-inspired electrospun termite nest-like 3D scaffolds are better suited for tissue engineering applications since they can potentially mimic native tissues as they have biomimetic structure, piezoelectric, and biological properties.     

Highly porous core–shell chitosan beads with superb immobilization efficiency for Lactobacillus reuteri 121 inulosucrase and production of inulin-type fructooligosaccharides

With the aim to overcome the limitations of hydrogel chitosan beads (HGBs), various types of chitosan, core–shell chitosan beads (CSBs), and dried chitosan beads (DBs) were synthesized. Physical and chemical properties were compared with those of HGBs. CSBs were proved to be an effective support because they displayed higher stability and capacity over the HGBs, and thus, were selected for enzyme immobilization. Recombinant inulosucrase (INU) from Lactobacillus reuteri 121 was immobilized on CSBs using glutaraldehyde as a cross-linker. Immobilized biocatalysts (INU-CSBs) were then used for the synthesis of inulin-type fructooligosaccharide (IFOS). Biochemical characterization revealed that the optimum pH of both INU-CSBs and free enzyme was unaltered at 5.5 whereas the optimum temperature of INU-CSBs shifted from 50 °C to 60 °C. Moreover, pH stability and thermostability of INU-CSBs significantly improved. For batch synthesis of IFOS, INU-CSBs retained approximately 45% of their initial catalytic activity after being reused for 12 cycles. IFOS was also continuously synthesized in a fixed-bed bioreactor for a reaction duration of at least 30 h. The high efficiency of INU-CSBs makes them very attractive for industrial applications.

Inulosucrase immobilized on chitosan bead in core–shell format has proved to be an attractive biocatalyst for the synthesis of inulin-type fructooligosaccharides.