Synergistic effects of high-frequency ultrasound on photocatalytic degradation of aldehydes and their intermediates using TiO2 suspension in water.

The degradation of model substances, benzaldehyde (C(6)H(5)CHO) and formaldehyde (HCHO), were investigated under various conditions, namely, ultrasound (US) irradiation, TiO(2) photocatalysis with UV irradiation (UV/TiO(2)), and the combination of sonophotocatalysis and UV irradiation (US/UV/TiO(2)), in order to clarify the synergistic effects between US and UV/TiO(2). US and UV/TiO(2) primarily contribute to the degradation of highly hydrophobic and hydrophilic substances, respectively. However, the degradation rate was found to depend on the chemical properties and concentration of not only the substances initially present, but also their decomposition intermediates. Here, the essential information for accurately evaluating the synergistic effects on reaction rate under US/UV/TiO(2) conditions is reported, with a focus on the behavior of decomposition intermediates.

Highly efficient reverse transfection with siRNA in multiple wells of microtiter plates.

We have developed an efficient and inexpensive method of reverse transfection from the solid phase to suppress genes with siRNA. The method enabled the realization of (i) a high efficiency of transfection; (ii) transfection of various types of cell; (iii) a high efficiency of gene knockdown by siRNA; (iv) a low toxicity to cells; and (v) a long-term stabilization (more than 210 d) of attached transfection mixture including siRNA in multiple wells. Although array-based reverse transfection has advantages in terms of miniaturization, the method has the advantage of enabling the inclusion of various soluble factors, such as humoral factors, drugs and ligands that affect gene expression, because the liquid phase is partitioned within the individual wells of each microtiter plate. Our method of reverse transfection with siRNA in multiple wells is a powerful and high-throughput tool for the analysis of signaling pathways.

Molecular epidemiology of VapA-positive Rhodococcus equi in thoroughbred horses in Kagoshima, Japan.

The prevalence of virulent R. equi having 15- to 17-kDa antigens (VapA) in fecal isolates from 13 thoroughbred foals and their dams on 5 farms in Kagoshima, Japan, and the plasmid profiles of VapA-positive isolates by restriction fragment digestion patterns were investigated to compare the genotypic variation among virulence plasmids of R. equi isolates from Japan. In total, 218 (24.6%) of 886 isolates from the feces of the 13 foals and 13 (12.5%) of 104 isolates from the feces of their dams demonstrated VapA-positive R. equi. Plasmid DNA preparations of 231 virulent isolates from foals and dams were analyzed by restriction enzyme digestion with endonucleases EcoRI, EcoT22I and HindIII and were divided into 3 types: 172 isolates contained a 90-kb type I plasmid, 57 contained a 90-kb type III plasmid and 2 contained a 90-kb type IV plasmid. This study demonstrates a geographic character in the distribution of virulence plasmids found in VapA-positive isolates from thoroughbred foals in Kagoshima.

Identification of virulence-associated antigens and plasmids in Rhodococcus equi from patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome and prevalence of virulent R. equi in soil collected from domestic animal farms in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The prevalence of virulent Rhodococcus equi in soil collected from 17 domestic animal farms (from 12 cattle, 1 pig, and 4 horse farms) and in 6 clinical specimens from patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in Chiang Mai, Thailand, was investigated. The isolates were tested for the presence of 15-17-kDa antigens (VapA) and a 20-kDa antigen (VapB) by immunoblotting and for the presence of virulence plasmid DNA. Rhodococcus equi was isolated from most soil samples (68 of 80) obtained from the 17 farms, with 2.0 x 10(2) to 6.0 x 10(5) colony-forming units per gram of soil. We detected VapA in none of the 537 isolates from the soil samples. In one isolate from a pig farm, both VapB and virulence plasmid DNA were detected. Of the 6 clinical isolates from patients with AIDS, however, 4 isolates contained both VapB and virulence plasmid DNA. The remaining 2 isolates were avirulent.

Polymerase chain reaction assay for detection of Escherichia coli O157: H7 and Escherichia coli O157: H-.

The DNA band patterns generated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the du2 primer and template DNAs from various strains of Escherichia coli and non-E. coli bacteria were compared. Among three to five prominent bands produced, the three bands at about 1.8, 2.7, and 5.0 kb were detected in all of the E. coli O157 strains tested. Some nonpathogenic E. coli and all pathogenic E. coli except E. coli O157 showed bands at 1.8 and 5.0 kb. It seems that the band at 2.7 kb is specific to E. coli O157. Sequence analysis of the 2.7-kb PCR product revealed the presence of a DNA sequence specific to E. coli O157:H- and E. coli O157:H7. Since the DNA sequence from base 15 to base 1,008 of the PCR product seems to be specific to E. coli O157, a PCR assay was carried out with various bacterial genomic DNAs and O157-FHC1 and O157-FHC2 primers that amplified the region between base 23 and base 994 of the 2.7-kb PCR product. A single band at 970 bp was clearly detected in all of the strains of E. coli O157:H- and E. coli O157:H7 tested. However, no band was amplified from template DNAs from other bacteria, including both nonpathogenic and pathogenic E. coli except E. coli O157. All raw meats inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 at 3 x 10(0) to 3.5 x 10(2) CFU/25 g were positive both for our PCR assay after cultivation in mEC-N broth at 42 degrees C for 18 h and for the conventional cultural method.