Hadal biosphere: insight into the microbial ecosystem in the deepest ocean on Earth.

Hadal oceans at water depths below 6,000 m are the least-explored aquatic biosphere. The Challenger Deep, located in the western equatorial Pacific, with a water depth of ∼11 km, is the deepest ocean on Earth. Microbial communities associated with waters from the sea surface to the trench bottom (0∼10,257 m) in the Challenger Deep were analyzed, and unprecedented trench microbial communities were identified in the hadal waters (6,000∼10,257 m) that were distinct from the abyssal microbial communities. The potentially chemolithotrophic populations were less abundant in the hadal water than those in the upper abyssal waters. The emerging members of chemolithotrophic nitrifiers in the hadal water that likely adapt to the higher flux of electron donors were also different from those in the abyssal waters that adapt to the lower flux of electron donors. Species-level niche separation in most of the dominant taxa was also found between the hadal and abyssal microbial communities. Considering the geomorphology and the isolated hydrotopographical nature of the Mariana Trench, we hypothesized that the distinct hadal microbial ecosystem was driven by the endogenous recycling of organic matter in the hadal waters associated with the trench geomorphology.

Removal of copper ions from water using epichlorohydrin cross-linked beta-cyclodextrin polymer: characterization, isotherms and kinetics.

Beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) cross-linked with epichlorohydrin to form water insoluble beta-cyclodextrin polymer (beta-CDP) has been shown to be an effective sorbent for sorption of organic particles, but the sorption of copper (Cu2+) in aqueous solutions by beta-CDP has not been conducted. The objective of this study was to explore the sorption mechanism of beta-CDP for copper. The effects of different experimental conditions such as pH, ionic strength, contact time, and temperature were inspected using a batch method. In addition, binding scheme was estimated by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Xray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. The adsorption of Cu2+ was observed to be higher at pH 6.0. The kinetic study revealed that the adsorption is fitted well by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The maximum binding of Cu2+ was estimated to be 111.11 mg/g through the Langmuir isotherm model--much higher than the existing sorption technologies. Hence, the adsorption-desorption trends of epichlorohydrin cross-linked with beta-CD, along with its good recyclability, establish an alternative, effective, and novel remediation technology for the removal of Cu2+ from aqueous solutions.

Molecular biological and isotopic biogeochemical prognoses of the nitrification-driven dynamic microbial nitrogen cycle in hadopelagic sediments.

There has been much progress in understanding the nitrogen cycle in oceanic waters including the recent identification of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and anaerobic ammonia oxidizing (anammox) bacteria, and in the comprehensive estimation in abundance and activity of these microbial populations. However, compared with the nitrogen cycle in oceanic waters, there are fewer studies concerning the oceanic benthic nitrogen cycle. To further elucidate the dynamic nitrogen cycle in deep-sea sediments, a sediment core obtained from the Ogasawara Trench at a water depth of 9760 m was analysed in this study. The profiles obtained for the pore-water chemistry, and nitrogen and oxygen stable isotopic compositions of pore-water nitrate in the hadopelagic sediments could not be explained by the depth segregation of nitrifiers and nitrate reducers, suggesting the co-occurrence of nitrification and nitrate reduction in the shallowest nitrate reduction zone. The abundance of SSU rRNA and functional genes related to nitrification and denitrification are consistent with the co-occurrence of nitrification and nitrate reduction observed in the geochemical analyses. This study presents the first example of cooperation between aerobic and anaerobic nitrogen metabolism in the deep-sea sedimentary environments.

Usefulness of insulin detemir in Japanese children with type 1 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: This multicenter observational study was conducted to investigate the efficacy and safety of insulin detemir (detemir) for diabetes management in Japanese children and adolescents. METHODS: Data from the Japanese Study Group of Insulin Therapy for Childhood and Adolescent Diabetes database were analyzed. Ninety children (32 boys, 58 girls; mean age, 11.9 ± 3.8 years) who transferred from a neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin or insulin glargine basal-bolus regimen to detemir basal-bolus therapy and who were observed for at least 12 months were identified. Clinical data obtained at 0, 3, 6, and 12 months were analyzed to determine the type of bolus insulin used, number and timing of detemir injections, detemir dose as a proportion of the total insulin dose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose (FBG) and frequency of severe hypoglycemia. RESULTS: Twelve months after switching to detemir, the detemir dose represented 39.8% of the total insulin dose, and 37.8% of patients were being treated with twice-daily injections. HbA1c and FBG were significantly reduced from baseline at 3 and 6 months but not at 12 months. Considering the seasonal HbA1c variation in the Japanese population, a separate analysis was performed using data for 65 children (21 boys, 44 girls; mean age, 11.6 ± 2.9 years) who switched to detemir during the winter. Subset analysis showed significant HbA1c reductions from baseline at all specified times. The incidence of severe hypoglycemia during detemir treatment was 4.4 episodes per 100 patient-years. CONCLUSIONS: Detemir is an effective and safe basal insulin for diabetes management in Japanese children and adolescents.

Aroma evaluation of gamazumi (Viburnum dilatatum) by aroma extract dilution analysis and odour activity value.

INTRODUCTION: Viburnum dilatatum (gamazumi) is widely distributed in Japan and China. Recently, juice from V. dilatatum fruits has been manufactured in Japan. Concerning the aroma of V. dilatatum, phenethyl alcohol, 3Z-hexenol and l-linalool have been identified in the essential oil from the flowers of V. dilatatum, however, there are no detailed reports on the aroma of V. dilatatum elucidated using sensory evaluation. OBJECTIVE: To clarify odourants contributing to the characteristic aroma, the aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA) method was performed through gas chromatography olfactometry (GC-O) analysis. METHODOLOGY: The aroma-active compounds were identified by GC-O and AEDA, and in order to determine the relative contribution of each compound to the aroma of V. dilatatum, odour activity value (OAV) has been used. RESULTS: The hydrodistillation of the leaf and branch of V. dilatatum afforded pale yellowish oils, with yields of 0.008 and 0.015% (w/w). The main components of the leaf oil were 3Z-hexenal (12.7%) and linalool (10.8%). In branch oil, palmitic acid (18.3%) and linoleic acid (8.2%) were identified. With regard to aroma components, 24 and 14 compounds were identified in the leaf and branch oils respectively, by GC-O analysis. CONCLUSION: On the basis of AEDA, OAVs and sensory evaluations, nonanal is estimated as the main aroma compound of leaf and branch oil, as the other aroma compounds, C6 compounds and 2-pentyl furan make green odour; linalool, eugenol and ß-ionone play important role in the sweet odour of leaf oil. In branch oil, cis-furanlinalool oxide and eugenol make sweet odour, and ß-eudesmol contributes to woody odour.

HLA-class II and class I genotypes among Japanese children with Type 1A diabetes and their families.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the HLA-DRB1, DQB1, DPB1, A, C, and B genotypes among Japanese children with autoimmune type 1 diabetes. METHODS: Four hundred and thirty patients who were GADAb and/or IA-2Ab-positive (Type 1A) were recruited from 37 medical centers as part of a nationwide multicenter collaborative study. DNA samples from 83 siblings of the children with Type 1A diabetes and 149 parent-child trios were also analyzed. A case-control study and a transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) were then performed. RESULTS: The susceptible and protective DRB1 and DQB1 alleles and haplotypes were confirmed. DPB1 alleles unique to the Japanese population and those common to multiple ethnic groups were also present. A linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis showed both susceptible and protective haplotypes. The TDT did not reveal any alleles that were transmitted preferentially from the mother or father to children with Type 1A. Homozygosity for DRB1-09:01-DQB1-03:03 and heterozygosity for DRB1-04:05-DQB1-04:01 and DRB1-08:02-DQB1-03:02 were associated with an extremely high risk of Type 1A. A comparison of children with Type 1A and their parents and siblings suggested a dose effect of susceptible DRB1-DQB1 haplotypes and an effect of protective alleles on immunological pathogenesis. DRB1-09:01 appeared to be strongly associated with an early onset in preschool children with Type 1A diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the characteristic association of HLA-class II and class I genes with Type 1A diabetes among Japanese children. A TDT did not reveal the genomic imprinting of HLA-class II and class I genes in Type 1A diabetes.

[A case of primary gastric mantle cell lymphoma].

Endoscopic examination of a 60-year-old man revealed multiple erosions in the gastric antrum. After 6 months, erosions also formed in the duodenal bulb and systemic lymph nodes become enlarged. After 20 months, the gastroduodenal erosions developed into mucosal ulcers, and the systemic lymph node swelling progressed. Histological examination of the neck lymph node showed mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). This result agreed with the results of the gastroduodenal biopsy. This case was diagnosed as recurrent primary gastric MCL in other areas, with systemic lymph node metastasis and bone marrow invasion. Hyper-CVAD (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and dexamethasone), high-dose methotrexate and cytarabine in combination with Rituximab and stem cell transplantation was performed. The gastroduodenal lesions and atypical cells in the bone marrow disappeared after 2 cycles of the chemotherapy. Metastatic lymph node swelling regressed after stem cell transplantation. We have had no evidence of recurrence for 50 months. Primary gastric MCL is very rare and cyclin D1 immunohistochemistry and FISH assay were very useful for the diagnosis of MCL.

[Results of a survey of community-acquired-pneumonia and evaluation of old and new Japanese Respiratory Society guidelines].

We evaluated the usefulness of domestic and foreign guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with community-acquired-pneumonia at 23 institutions in 6 prefectures of the Tohoku Area, from December 2003 to November 2004. Based on the old and new Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS) guidelines, we evaluated severity, clinical efficacy and detection of atypical pneumonia. As for severity, the old guidelines led to the diagnosis of an excessive number of 'severe' cases. On the other hand, patients were appropriately diagnosed as having mild, moderate, severe, or very severe disease based on the new JRS guidelines (2005). The severity classification often correlated with the Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) of the IDSA guidelines. The efficacy rate for patients who were prescribed the recommended drug according to the old JRS guidelines was 85.7% and for those who did not use the recommended drug it was 68.7% (p < 0.001).

Mouse SWAM1 and SWAM2 are antibacterial proteins composed of a single whey acidic protein motif.

Antibacterial proteins are important participants in the innate immunity system. Elafin and SLPI are the whey acidic protein (WAP) motif proteins with both antibacterial activity and antiprotease activity, and their role in innate immunity is under intense investigation. We cloned two novel antibacterial WAP motif proteins from mice, SWAM1 and SWAM2. SWAM1 and SWAM2 are composed of a signal sequence and a single WAP motif that has high homologies with the WAP motifs of elafin and SLPI. SWAM1 is constitutively expressed in kidney and epididymis, and is induced in the pneumonic lung. SWAM2 is constitutively expressed in tongue. SWAM1 and SWAM2 inhibit the growth of both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus at a IC(90) (concentration that achieves 90% inhibition) of 10 microM. Human genes LOC149709 and huWAP2 are considered to be human SWAM1 and SWAM2, respectively. These and several WAP motif proteins (WAP1, elafin, SLPI, HE4, eppin, C20orf170, LOC164237, and WFDC3) form a gene cluster on human chromosome 20, suggesting that they may be derived from the same ancestral gene by gene duplication. Our results underscore the role of the WAP motif as a skeletal motif to form antibacterial proteins, and warrant the study of antibacterial activity in other WAP motif proteins.

Clarithromycin suppresses lipopolysaccharide-induced interleukin-8 production by human monocytes through AP-1 and NF-kappa B transcription factors.

Erythromycin and other macrolides are effective for the treatment of chronic inflammatory airway diseases such as diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) and chronic sinusitis. The effect of macrolides in DPB is suggested to be anti-inflammatory rather than antibacterial. We investigated the effects of clarithromycin on interleukin-8 (IL-8) production using human peripheral monocytes and the human monocytic leukaemia cell line, THP-1. Bacterial extracts from Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Helicobacter pylori, as well as E. coli-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS), induced IL-8 production. Clarithromycin suppressed this production in a dose-dependent manner in both monocytes and THP-1 cells (49.3-75.0% inhibition at 10 mg/L). A luciferase reporter gene assay with plasmids containing a serially deleted IL-8 promoter fragment showed that both the activator protein-1 (AP-1) and/or the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kapp aB) binding sequences were responsible for the LPS and clarithromycin responsiveness of the IL-8 promoter. Consistently, in an electromobility shift assay, LPS increased the specific binding of both AP-1 and NF-kappaB, whereas clarithromycin suppressed it. Moreover, LPS and clarithromycin regulated three other promoters that have either the NF-kappa B or the AP-1 binding sequences: two synthetic (pAP-1-Luc and pNF-kappa B-Luc) and one naturally occurring (ELAM-Luc). Our results indicate that clarithromycin modified inflammation by sup-pressing IL-8 production and that clarithromycin may affect the expression of other genes through AP-1 and NF-kappa B. In addition to treatment of airway diseases, the anti-inflammatory effect of macrolides may be beneficial for the treatment of other inflammatory diseases such as chronic gastritis caused by H. pylori.

Analysis of cell damage in Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis.

Helicobacter pylori infection is currently considered to be a major cause of acute and chronic gastritis, and of gastric and duodenal ulcers. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is well known for scavenging superoxide radicals such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), subsequently protecting cells from oxidative injury, and for maintaining tissue homeostasis. In this study, we therefore evaluated the level of SOD activity and protein expression, as well as various factors associated with oxidative injury, in H. pylori-positive (n = 46) and -negative (n = 28) gastric mucosa obtained from endoscopy, in order to elucidate the possible biological significance of SOD in these mucosa. Overall SOD activity was significantly higher in H. pylori-positive mucosa (15.5 +/- 7.0 U/mg protein) than in negative mucosa (9.2 +/- 10.6 U/mg protein), and decreased markedly following H. pylori eradication (8.2 +/- 4.2 U/mg protein). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis of SOD revealed that the manganese SOD (Mn-SOD) level in H. pylori-positive mucosa (1166.7 +/- 435.2 ng/mg protein) was significantly higher than in control tissues (446.3 +/- 435.3 ng/mg protein) and in mucosa obtained following eradication therapy (431.9 +/- 189.9 ng/mg protein). The level of Mn-SOD protein showed a significant correlation with degree of inflammation in the gastric mucosa. Moreover, Mn-SOD immunolocalization patterns were well correlated with the activity and protein levels evaluated by ELISA. Factors presumably associated with oxidative injury in human gastric mucosa, including terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labeling, Ki-67, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine and single-stranded DNA, were all significantly higher in H. pylori-positive gastric mucosa than in control tissue and in tissue following eradication. These results all suggest that Mn-SOD, but not cytoplasmic copper-zinc SOD, plays an important role as an anti-oxidant against ROS generated in H. pylori-infected gastric mucosa and, subsequently, in the maintenance of cell turnover in gastric mucosa.

[Antibiotic susceptibility and beta-lactamase activity of pathogenic microbes isolated in Miyagi Prefecture between December in 1999 and February in 2000].

We determined beta-lactamase activity and antimicrobial susceptibility of 556 strains consisting of 10 species isolated in four medical institutions and one microbiological laboratory of Miyagi Prefecture in Japan between December in 1999 and February in 2000. beta-Lactamase determined by nitrocefin method was positive in 68% of S. aureus, in 15% of H. influenzae and in 100% of M. catarrhalis. Penicillinase/cephalosporinase determined by acidometry was positive in 9%/10% of E. coli, in 17%/2% of K. pneumoniae, in 16%/58% of E. cloacae, in 43%/78% of S. marcescens, and in 4%/32% of P. aeruginosa, respectively. Of a total of 298 strains of Enterobacteriaceae and P. aeruginosa, 25 strains (14 strains of E. coli, 10 strains of K. pneumoniae and one strain of S. marcescens) produced class A beta-lactamase, two strains of E. cloacae produced class B beta-lactamase, and 12 strains (one strain of E. coli, four strains of E. cloacae, six strains of S. marcescens and one strain of P. aeruginosa) produced class C beta-lactamase. According to NCCLS standard, three strains (one strain of E. coli and two strains of K. pneumoniae) of ESBL-positive microbes were detected. beta-Lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant (BLNAR) strains of H. influenzae were found in 10/40 (25.0%) of the strains tested.

In vitro antimicrobial activity and penetration rate into sputum of gatifloxacin, a novel 6-fluoro-8-methoxy quinolone, and its therapeutic efficacy in respiratory infections.

The in vitro antimicrobial activity of gatifloxacin against clinical isolates of pathogenic bacteria was evaluated. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of gatifloxacin, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, tosufloxacin, sparfloxacin, and rifampicin against 20 strains each of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia marcescens, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 18 strains of Enterobacter cloacae, 15 strains each of Streptococcus Pneumoniae and Moraxella catarrhalis, 12 strains of Haemophilus influenzae, 18 strains of Mycobacterium intracellulare, and 22 strains each of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium avium were determined. The minimum inhibitory concentrations90's of gatifloxacin against the above species were 0.12, 8, <==0.06, 0.5, 2, 2, <==0.06, 0.39, 0.05, 0.013, 2, 0.5, and 4 &mgr;g/ml, respectively. Gatifloxacin was four times as active as ofloxacin against methicillin-susceptible and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and as active as ofloxacin against Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Gatifloxacin was as active as tosufloxacin and sparfloxacin against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Haemophilus influenzae. The antimycobacterial activity of gatifloxacin was similar to that of sparfloxacin. Five patients with chronic respiratory infections and one patient with acute pneumonia received 100-400 mg/day of gatifloxacin orally for 5-12 days (mean, 8.17 days). The clinical effects were excellent in one patient and good in five. One strain of Haemophilus influenzae was eradicated and one strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa persisted after therapy. Adverse reactions were mild and improved after completion of therapy. In one patient with chronic bronchitis, the maximum sputum concentrations 2-4 h after oral administration of 150 mg of gatifloxacin on days 1 and 6 were 0.88 and 1.45 &mgr;g/ml, respectively, and in serum the values were 0.84 and 1.24 &mgr;g/ml, respectively. Thus it was found that gatifloxacin possesses potent activity against respiratory pathogens (including Mycobacteriaceae), and shows good penetration rate into sputum, and that it can be used as the drug of first choice in the treatment of respiratory tract infections.

Comparative in vitro activity of carbapenem antibiotics against respiratory pathogens isolated in recent years.

We investigated the antibacterial activity of 12 antibiotics, including 4 carbapenems, against 200 strains of respiratory pathogens isolated in 1997, and compared the results with those obtained in 1993. The strains examined were 38 strains of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), 32 strains of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), 22 strains of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae (PSSP), 10 strains of penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae (PRSP), 53 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 19 strains of Moraxella catarrhalis, and 26 strains of Haemophilus influenzae. In 1993, 100 strains were examined. The minimal inhibitory concentration data of the present study showed that imipenem and panipenem were more active than the other agents against gram-positive bacteria, and that meropenem and biapenem were more active than the other agents against gram-negative bacteria. By comparing these results with those obtained in 1993, it was found that increase of resistance to carbapenem antibiotics was not observed against all the strains tested in this study. Thus, it can be stated that carbapenem antibiotics retain their position as the drug of first choice for severe infections.